Several months ago, long before the Vodacom Bulls had even thought about their chances of making their third Vodacom United Rugby Championship final in four years, their coach Jake White posed a challenge to them: To win the competition, chances are you’re going to have to beat Leinster in a final in Dublin.
Now, months later that challenge has been brewing at the back of the Bulls’ minds for months now, and they will finally get their chance on Saturday when they meet the Irish juggernaut at Croke Park in the Grand final this weekend.
18 rounds done. One shot at glory.@Vodacom #URC | #LEIvBUL pic.twitter.com/VfX2RcXV8y
— vodacomrugby (@VodacomRugga) June 11, 2025
White’s challenge wasn’t really a prediction, given the form of the Irish side in the URC over the years, but it has become particularly poignant for the side as they look to overcome the supreme challenge that awaits them this weekend.
Leinster’s ability to start strong, to shut opposition out of games early and to cruise to victory is well-known and they will start as massive favourites this weekend on home soil, with the Bulls needing something special if they are to upset the odds.
PROMISES MADE
White knows the importance of staying in the fight with teams, and to not let Leinster get away to that good start.
And he will remind the team that they promised they believe they are good enough to beat the Irish side in Dublin.
Speaking to reporters in Ireland, White said it was a massive thing to remind his charges of the commitment they made several months back when he first posed the challenge.
“If you want to win the comp, I’ve said it from day one, when I saw them get a good start, five points, five points, five points,” White told the Irish journalists.
“My message for the last four months, five months, is if you think you’re good enough to beat Leinster away, then you’ve got to win all these games to get to the final, which we’ve now done.
“And now the question I’ll ask them this week is, you’ve said you’re good enough to beat Leinster away. Now, let’s see how good we are.
“So, that’s been coming for four months now. Our measure was: if you think you’re good enough to beat Leinster, because it was inevitable this year that they were going to get first place, because no one was going to catch them.”
At one point Leinster were unbeaten, running away with the lead at the top of the standings, but White knows that all means nothing this weekend. If ever there was a moment the Bulls need to respond. it is this weekend.
D-DAY FOR BULLS
“It’s D-Day for us. It’s an opportunity to say or do what we said we could do. Or believe we could do.”
White was also quick to point out to the Irish media that the Bulls’ losses in the two previous finals they had played in meant little this weekend, as did the fact that Leinster have never won the URC either.
“At the same time, there are completely different teams, competitions, venues and a different time of the year. People can look into a lot of it and say this team loses semis, finals. It is irrelevant, it doesn’t make a difference. I genuinely don’t believe any coach talks about what happened 20 years ago when he lost in a playoff,” White said.
“This group of players have far exceeded the expectations of anybody in what they have done in the last four years. To play in three finals, where the average age of our team has been the youngest of any team we’ve played, and also compared to the international experience of any of the teams we’ve played.
“Other teams are laden with international players. The thing that defines players is to play in front of big crowds against big teams. I’m not for one minute saying we are not aware of the fact we have had three finals, but we have also exceeded everything that everyone has expected and we have probably batted above our weight for a long time.
“But hopefully this game is the one where we will learn from the two previous opportunities we have had to win the competition.”
2022 ❌
— SuperSport Rugby (@SSRugby) June 10, 2025
2024 ❌
2025 ❓
Will it be third time lucky for the Vodacom Bulls in a #VURC Grand Final this Saturday? pic.twitter.com/nwDf7b2a6k