Leinster To Face Bulls Or Sharks In The URC Final

Irish side Leinster scored six tries as they thumped Glasgow Warriors 37-19 in the Vodacom United Rugby Championship semi-final at Aviva Stadium on Saturday.

This victory means Leinster will host the URC final at the same venue next Saturday, having finished higher in the overall table of 16 teams, ahead of the winner of the other semi-final between the Blue Bulls and the Sharks.

The Bulls are set to host the Springboks-laced Sharks at Loftus Versfeld later on Saturday.

Both teams featured a South African coaching presence. Leinster’s assistant coach is former Springboks coach Jacques Nienaber, while the Warriors are coached by Franco Smith. Smith notably led the Warriors to the URC title last season when they defeated the Blue Bulls at Loftus Versfeld.

Leinster wasted no time in getting on the scoreboard, with Dan Sheehan scoring in the second minute after sustained pressure from the home side.

However, the defending champions quickly retaliated. Franco Smith’s Warriors exploited a break with some slick passing, culminating in a try for George Horne. Horne, the beneficiary of a pass from Kyle Rowe, finished the move to level the scores at 7-5. The Warriors missed the conversion.

The Warriors, under Smith, are known for their formidable defense, a characteristic they demonstrated against the Stormers in the quarter-final with relentless intensity.

While Leinster boasts a squad heavily laden with internationals, they have yet to win the URC since its latest iteration began in 2022. Despite finishing atop the overall standings, the Warriors possess a championship mentality. They appeared to hold their own against Leinster, even after the early setback.

A promising Warriors attack ended with a knock-on, and Leinster capitalized with some skillful play that resulted in a try for Jamie Osborne. However, Jamison Gibson-Park’s pass was deemed forward, and the try was disallowed.

Moments later, Osborne was not to be denied. James Lowe shrugged off a tackle before expertly releasing Osborne to dive over for Leinster’s second try. Sam Prendergast added the conversion.

The Warriors seemed overwhelmed by Leinster, who, once they gained momentum, added another try through Thomas Clarkson.

Things continued to go awry for the Warriors as Leinster sensed an opportunity at Aviva Stadium. Leinster’s fourth try came from a driving maul, with Dan Sheehan scoring his second of the match.

Leinster went into halftime with a commanding 25-5 lead, leaving the visitors with a significant challenge to mount a comeback.

In the second half, scoring opportunities were scarce. However, Leinster extended their lead when Jamie Osborne scored his second try in the 53rd minute, effectively shutting down the Warriors.

Four minutes later, Ciaran Frawley scored Leinster’s sixth try, increasing their lead to 37-5.

The Warriors finally added to their score for the first time since Osborne’s first-half try when Jamie Dobie dived over in the 71st minute, making the score 37-12.

With two minutes remaining, Sione Tuipulotu, who had been impressive for the Warriors throughout the game, scored their third try. However, it was too little, too late for the visitors.

Leinster played most of this game without Springbok towering second-row RG Snyman, who was named the URC Players’ Player of the Season, voted by all 16 team captains in the competition.