Planet Rugby previews Friday's URC final at Croke Park and calls it Bulls by three — a sharp contrast to the 32-7 hiding Leinster handed them in last year's decider. The piece identifies the front-row battle as the decisive axis: Porter's absence forces the inexperienced Cahir into the loosehead role, and with Steenekamp leading the Bulls' set-piece from the start and Wilco Louw waiting in the finishers, the South Africans have a genuine blueprint to strangle Leinster at source. Hanekom's return adds another layer — his physicality at the breakdown could be the difference in disrupting Leinster's attack rhythm. On the other side, Leinster have Doris and Sheehan back, but their season has lacked conviction, and the Bordeaux-Bègles Champions Cup hammering remains a warning. The piece also frames this as a sentimental farewell for Lowe and Ioane, but views Ioane in particular as needing a big performance to justify his signing. Willie le Roux and Pollard are cast as the orchestrators who can unlock the game if the pack gives them go-forward ball.
Bulls tipped to end URC final hoodoo — but the scrum is everything
Planet Rugby tips the Bulls to edge Leinster by three at Croke Park, with the set-piece battle — and Porter's absence — framed as the pivotal factor in what should be a far tighter affair than last year's final.
White: This Bulls squad is better equipped — and they know they can't waste this chance
Jake White makes a personnel-driven case for a Bulls upset on Friday, pointing to five returning Test-calibre starters as the difference from last year's final — while urging the squad to treat this as the chance they may not get again.
Bulls face Benetton without Coetzee and Arendse as Pollard, Le Roux return
The Bulls face Benetton on Saturday without flu-stricken Marcell Coetzee and Kurt-Lee Arendse, with Pollard, Le Roux and Louw returning to a reshuffled side. A bonus-point win could move them into the top four and earn a home quarterfinal. Willie le Roux plays his 400th first-class match; Stravino Jacobs earns his 100th Bulls cap.
Harry Jones calls the Bulls' scrum and loose trio to upset Leinster at Croke Park
Harry Jones predicted a 20-15 Bulls upset, arguing their scrum will expose Leinster's front-row crisis and that targeting Jamison Gibson-Park is the tactical key to dismantling Leinster's defensive structure.
Le Roux: Bulls must survive the Leinster blitz to have any chance in Dublin
Le Roux flags the opening 20 minutes as make-or-break in Dublin, revisits last year's early-try meltdown, and explains why the Pollard partnership and the Bulls' hard-luck resilience story give them an outside shot — but only if they survive the Leinster blitz.
Klopper starts at tighthead as Bulls name experienced XV for Glasgow semifinal
Francois Klopper starts at tighthead ahead of Wilco Louw as the Bulls name 11 Springboks in their starting XV for Saturday's URC semifinal against Glasgow Warriors at Murrayfield, with Marcell Coetzee and Johan Grobbelaar both reaching personal milestones in the match.