Brenden Nel makes the case that the Bulls are South Africa's most realistic finalist, and that Glasgow's vulnerability — exposed badly during their South African tour — combined with the Murrayfield venue (standing in due to Commonwealth Games preparations) gives the Bulls a genuine shot at a third consecutive final appearance. Their 45–14 demolition of Munster underlines the form they're carrying into Edinburgh, and their Champions Cup trip to Scotstoun in April showed they can compete with Glasgow even on the home team's terms. The 4G surface won't be a factor this time.
The Stormers' path to Dublin was already steep, and it just got steeper. Feinberg-Mngomezulu's ankle injury is confirmed as serious — scans point to at minimum three months out, almost certainly ruling him out of the All Blacks series starting 22 August. Reinach is also out, and Senatla's concussion may prove the most tactically damaging of all, given how central the aerial battle was to the Stormers' Dublin game plan. Dan du Plessis is also a doubt. Nel tempers the gloom by noting Matthee impressed as a replacement, the forward pack remains formidable, and Leinster's rush defence under Nienaber will face different questions from the Stormers than it did from the Lions. But the honest read is that the Stormers are significant underdogs going to the Aviva — even a healthy Stormers side would have been.