Louw one of three reasons Bulls can upset Leinster

THE Bulls are outright underdogs for Saturday's United Rugby Championship final against Leinster in Dublin (6pm SA time start) - but that doesn't mean that Jake White's team have no chance.

- ASHFAK MOHAMED

In fact, here are three factors that are actually in the Bulls' favour to cause an almighty upset at Croke Park...

1 Andrea Piardi as the referee

At first, you might think that Italian official Andrea Piardi's appointment as the final referee on Tuesday - his third title decider in a row might work against the Bulls. The 32-year-old was the man in charge in last season's 21-16 victory for Glasgow Warriors at Loftus Versfeld - and Munster's win over the Stormers in Cape Town in 2023 - and White was unhappy with some of his decisions. “It’s twice in a row now where the referees (Piardi) let the away side win,” White said afterwards.

“In fact, it’s three times - last year, Munster won in Cape Town, Glasgow won in Munster, we won in Leinster, and this referee let the away team win. So maybe, next year I'll ask when we play away, that I want him to try and ref us!”

So, while match officials try to be objective, there is no doubt that the home crowd does have an influence in a match as big as a final.