James Lowe’s last outing in blue comes in Leinster vs Bulls at Croke Park, with the URC final set to close one chapter for Leinster and open another for the Bulls. Leinster won last season’s final 32-7, but this rematch carries a different edge because the Bulls arrive with an eight-match winning streak and 11 Springboks in their starting line-up.
Lowe is part of a Leinster side that beat the Bulls with four tries to one and 11 line breaks to one in last season’s final, a 32-7 margin that stands as the biggest winning gap in the competition’s history. The repeat meeting gives Leinster a chance to judge how far they have moved on since that night, and how much they have to manage without several forwards they used before.
Leinster without Porter and Baird
Andrew Porter, Jack Boyle, Ryan Baird and Jordie Barrett are missing for this final. That leaves Leo Cullen’s side with less of the forward depth it had in the previous meeting, when Hugo Keenan, Rieko Ioane, Jamison Gibson-Park, Tadhg Furlong and Caelan Doris were not in the team.
Even so, Leinster still carried enough control to beat the Stormers in a competitive semi-final this season. The shape of the final is different now, because the Bulls come in with more momentum and a stronger pack than the side Leinster put away so cleanly last year.
Bulls bring Pollard and Moodie
The Bulls have changed too. Handrè Pollard, Stravino Jacobs and Kurt-Lee Arendse were absent from last season’s final, and Canan Moodie is now fitted at outside centre for them.
They also reached Croke Park after a brutal semi-final against Glasgow, winning 22-21 after trailing 21-3. That comeback, plus the eight-match winning streak, gives them a very different profile from the side Leinster met last season.
Thirty-five thousand and rising
The crowd may again be a factor. More than 46,000 attended last season’s final, and ticket sales had already passed 35,000 the morning before this one.
Wilco Louw starts on the bench for the Bulls, while their starting group still includes 11 Springboks. James Lowe’s final outing in blue is therefore arriving in a final that looks tighter, heavier and more balanced than the one Leinster controlled last year. Where he plays next is not stated.
