Full story
Leinster crush Bulls
Leinster retained the United Rugby Championship title with a 36-7 victory over the Bulls at Croke Park, with the Irish province becoming the first back-to-back champions in the competition’s history.
“Leinster retain URC title with 36-7 victory over Bulls at Croke Park”
Caelan Doris and Tommy O’Brien were forced off with injuries, and the Sky Sports report said the injuries raised concern ahead of Ireland’s Nations Championship opener against Australia in Sydney on July 4.
The BBC described Leinster’s 36-7 win as “convincing fashion” and said the Pretoria side paid the penalty for an error-strewn first-half performance that saw them twice reduced to 14 men for deliberate knock-on offences.
The BBC also detailed how Moodie was shown a yellow card for a deliberate knock-on within the first two minutes, before O’Brien pounced on a poor pass from Handre Pollard to score Leinster’s first try.
Injuries and officiating
Sky Sports said the only cloud over the evening was the first-half departures of Doris and O’Brien after they limped off, with Doris limping out after just two minutes and O’Brien hobbling off before the break.
The BBC reported that the Bulls were “on the wrong end of two debatable decisions by the officials” as they crossed the line twice more for tries that were ruled out.
The BBC described how Harold Vorster’s try was ruled out after consultation with the television match official, with referee Andrea Piardi ruling out the score.
After Prendergast extended the lead to 29-0, the BBC said any potential comeback hopes were ended when Ruan Mortje scored, but the referee adjudged Moodie had passed forward in the build-up after involving the TMO.
What comes next
The Sky Sports report linked the Leinster victory to Ireland’s schedule by saying Doris and O’Brien were due to travel to Australia with Ireland on Monday, ahead of the Nations Championship opener against Australia in Sydney on July 4.
“ahead of Ireland's Nations Championship opener against Australia in Sydney on July 4”
The BBC said Leinster’s 36-7 win “goes some way to atoning” for missing out on a fifth European Champions Cup crown after losing to Bordeaux-Begles in the decider of that competition in Bilbao last month.
For the Bulls, the BBC said the defeat marked a fourth loss in the past five URC finals, while the Sky Sports report said their problems in the latest defeat began after just 82 seconds when Canan Moodie was shown a yellow card for a deliberate knock-on.
With Leinster’s title now secured for a second year in a row, the BBC reported that Leinster have now won the league 10 times in its various guises, and the Sky Sports report said the victory could have repercussions for Ireland due to the injuries to Doris and O’Brien.
