LEO CULLEN’S Leinster have won the United Rugby Championship final at Croke Park on Saturday afternoon.
Jake White’s side couldn’t cope with a relentless first-half onslaught from a rampant Leinster outfit desperate to end their silverware drought following more Champions Cup heartache earlier this season.
The Dublin-based side stormed into a 19-0 lead at the break thanks to tries from Jack Conan, a stunning kick-chase finish by Jordie Barrett, and Josh van der Flier’s powerful score.
The Bulls briefly rallied in the second half, with Akker van der Merwe crashing over in a move that mirrored Leinster’s earlier scores.
21-year-old Fintan Gunn capped off the win with ten minutes remaining, he wasn’t even in the original 23-man squad until just before kick-off, when Jamison Gibson-Park was made unavailable.
But Leo Cullen’s men managed the game well from there, never coming under any sustained pressure as they saw out the win.
The triumph ends Leinster’s four-year wait for silverware and seals a long-awaited return to the top.
