Bulls player ratings vs Leinster | URC Grand Final 2026

Bulls player ratings: Another final chucked in the bin, as the Vodacom Bulls again exited Croke Park empty-handed, with Leinster handing them a 36-5 beating.

It certainly wasn’t the performance Johan Ackermann had envisioned for his team, with only three players delivering a predominantly positive display, Klopper among them.

1. Gerhard Steenekamp – 6
The Bulls demise can’t be credited to their prop duo, as Steenekamp and Klopper did (mostly) well in the scrum and defence. While the loosehead didn’t perform at the same level as the tighthead, Steenekamp gave a good fight to Furlong and put in a couple of impressive dominant tackles.

2. Johan Grobbelaar – 5
The lineout didn’t work tonight, gifting Leinster four steals, with Grobbelaar sharing the blame with Ruan Nortjé and Ruan Vermaak. Aside from his wonky throw-ins, Grobbelaar had a difficult time making any impact as a ball carrier, easily taken down by the opposition’s defence.

3. Francois Klopper – 7
It might sound weird to hear this, but Francois Klopper was the Bulls’ top performer tonight and deserves to be acknowledged for his great work in the set-piece and defence, denying what seemed at the time two certain Leinster tries.

4. Ruan Vermaak – 5
As already stated, the Bulls lineout was masterfully read by the Leinster pack, with Vermaak sharing responsibility with Grobbelaar and Nortjé. As for the 28-year-old’s overall performance, Vermaak had a positive involvement in the close-range defence, pushing back several Leinster carriers who seemed destined to reach the whitewash.

5. Ruan Nortjé – 5.5
A double-edged evening from Ruan Nortjé. Stood out as the Bulls’ main tackler, making over 15 successful tackles – including two dominant hits – but looked out of sync in attack. Two knock-ons and several positional errors disrupted his overall impact, and he didn’t quite resemble his usual self for much of the match.

6. Marcel Coetzee – 5.5
The Bulls were clueless for most of the time, and Coetzee’s leadership was nowhere to be found. Gave his all in terms of physicality and work in contact, but his lack of vocal presence and inability to steer the team in the right direction were evident throughout the 80 minutes.

7. Elrigh Louw – 6.5
Worked tirelessly as a carrier, winning the advantage line 50% of the time, but his side’s inability to build anything from it overshadowed his output and sacrifice. The Bulls’ lineout issues could have been far worse if not for Louw stepping in on two occasions to tidy things up, preventing what could have turned into dangerous Leinster turnovers.

8. Cameron Hanekom – 7
One of the few Bulls operators who turned up at Croke Park, Cameron Hanekom tried to heroically fight off the Leinster avalanche, pulling off a few turnovers and making dominant tackles. His brash attitude injected some fighting spirit into a side that seemed defeated after the opposition’s third try.

9. Embrose Papier – 6
While there’s a point to be made about the Bulls’ lack of speed from the ruck, Papier tried to add pace and acceleration to his side’s attacking strategy, although to no avail. His attempts to muzzle Jamison Gibson-Park didn’t work, with the veteran Irish scrum-half coming out on top in the no.9 clash.

10. Handré Pollard – 4
Not the turnaround of events that Pollard was aiming for following a disappointing performance in the semi-final, with the Springboks legend kicking a penalty on the full and missing several aerial takes. The Bulls needed their general to step in, but Pollard was, again, off the pace and unable to steer the ship towards glory.

11. Stravino Jacobs – 6.5
Stravino Jacobs was one of the few Bulls backline players who showed a genuine desire to win the URC title, creating several great passages of play. He finished with 75 gained metres, three line breaks and five defenders beaten, giving Ioane and Keenan work to do.

12. Harold Vorster – 5
Whether down to Vorster or Moodie, the Bulls’ centre pairing looked disjointed defensively, leaking space and opening the door for Leinster to exploit. Neither came away looking particularly solid, though Vorster was involved in some of his side’s best attacking moments, combining well with Jacobs to catch Ioane off guard.

13. Canan Moodie – 4
Looked like a fish out of water for much of the game, and despite scoring his side’s only try, Moodie was at times a liability for the Bulls. He was outmatched and outmanoeuvred in open defence, while also struggling to make an impact ball in hand. Although he crossed the whitewash, he also conceded a soft yellow card that ultimately allowed Leinster to add 12 points.

14. Kurt-Lee Arendse – 5.5
James Lowe and Hugo Keenan had a field day against the Bulls’ outside backs, repeatedly finding a way through Arendse, Jacobs and Le Roux. Arendse wasn’t afforded the same attacking opportunities as Jacobs, but still struggled defensively out wide, finding it difficult to contain Lowe and Keenan.

15. Willie le Roux – 4
A day to forget for one of the Bulls’ greatest servants. From being outplayed in the aerial battle to getting sent to the sin-bin following an intentionally childish knock, Le Roux was not his usual self, looking utterly exhausted and struggling to produce anything meaningful to help his side turn the tide.

REPLACEMENTS
With the starting line-up knee-deep in trouble, Ackermann was hoping his bench replacements would ignite the team in the second half. However, not even the Springboks Marco van Staden, Jan-Hendrik Wessels, Wilco Louw and Cobus Wiese were capable of breathing life back into a team that seemingly had accepted defeat after a scoreless first half.