Bumbling Bulls no match for slick Leinster in URC final

THE Bulls' quest for an elusive United Rugby Championship virtually ended before it began as two early tries set up Leinster's 32-7 triumph in yesterday's final at Croke Park in Dublin.

- ASHFAK MOHAMED

Jake White's team conceded 14 points in as many minutes in a terrible start to the title decider, and were unable to recover and mount a serious challenge to the Irish giants to go down in their third URC final.

While they weren't given any favours from Italian referee Andrea Piardi either, what will have disappointed Bulls fans the most is the fact that their team hardly fired a shot in a lethargic opening 40 minutes.

While the rainy conditions didn't aid their cause, they mainly resorted to one-off runners when they were able to get their hands on the ball, and Leinster kept them at bay all too comfortably.

The Bulls lacked creativity on attack, with their kicking game also letting them down as flyhalf Johan Goosen in particular booted the ball too deep, which resulted in very little pressure being applied on the home side.