2025 United Rugby Championship Grand Final


The 2025 United Rugby Championship Grand Final was the final match of the 2024–25 United Rugby Championship season. It was contested at Croke Park, Dublin by Ireland's Leinster, with home field advantage, and the visiting Bulls from Pretoria, South Africa. It was the third successive cross-continental final in the competition.
The final was held in Ireland for the first time since 2021 and the reconfiguration of the United Rugby Championship, with a third appearance for the Bulls following their defeats in 2022 and 2024, and a first appearance for Leinster since the competition adopted its current format, but a record 11th final appearance in total. Bulls have previously appeared in, and won, three finals in the Super Rugby competition, and lost in the final of the transitional season Pro14 Rainbow Cup.
For the first time in this format, the top-seeded team at the start of the play-offs has reached the final. Neither side has yet won the United Rugby Championship in its current format, but Leinster attempted to win a record-extending ninth overall title in all formats of the competition; the Bulls attempted to win their first title in this competition in their third final, to go with their three Super Rugby titles, and one Super Rugby Unlocked title won prior to 2021.

Previous meetings

Leinster and Bulls have met six times in the United Rugby Championship since 2021 with Bulls leading the rivalry four games to two. Bulls have won both previous play-off matches between the sides, the semi-finals in 2022 and 2024. Bulls also won the solitary regular season match between the teams this year by a single point.
; Previous meetings between Leinster and Bulls in the United Rugby Championship
DateHomeScoreAwayStageVenueCrowd
22 March 2025Bulls21–20LeinsterRegular seasonLoftus Versfeld Stadium15,299
15 June 2024Bulls25–20LeinsterSemi-finalLoftus Versfeld Stadium31,578
29 March 2024Leinster47–14BullsRegular seasonRDS Arena16,982
22 April 2023Bulls62–7LeinsterRegular seasonLoftus Versfeld Stadium5,500
10 June 2022Leinster26–27BullsSemi-finalRDS Arena11,565
25 September 2021Leinster31–3BullsRegular seasonAviva Stadium19,419

Matches in yellow in URC Playoffs

Match

Venue

With Leinster reaching the final from the first seeding, they maintained home advantage throughout the playoffs and elected to play the final in Croke Park, Dublin, having already played one URC fixture and one European Champions Cup fixture there this season. Although this will be tenth final played in a Dublin stadium in the entire history of the competition, the final will come to Croke Park for the first time.
Leinster have a perfect competitive record at the ground, winning four times in four visits. This will be the first visit of a South African club side to the venue; the Springboks lost to Ireland in the only previous rugby union match involving both nations at the stadium.

Teams

Both teams were announced on the morning of June 12 2025. Both teams opted for a five-three split on the bench. Jake White made one change to the Bulls team to face Leinster, with Marco van Staden replacing the injured Cameron Hanekom. Josh van der Flier and Garry Ringrose return for Leinster, but Hugo Keenan and Tadgh Furlong fail to recover from previous injuries, while Leinster club captain Caelan Doris is a long term injury absentee. Jack Conan deputises as captain. The final will also be All Black Jordie Barrett's final game for Leinster before returning to New Zealand.
On the morning of the final, Leinster's first choice scrum-half Jamison Gibson-Park was ruled out by late injury. Luke McGrath came into the starting XV, with Fintan Gunne coming onto the bench.

Broadcasting

The match was shown live by SuperSport in South Africa, by Premier Sports in the United Kingdom and by TG4 in Ireland. Flo Rugby & URC.tv carried coverage elsewhere.