Kick-off time has been confirmed for Saturday’s URC final between the Munster vs Stormers at the Cape Town Stadium. South African rugby’s move to Europe appears to have been the right decision after the Bulls and Stormers qualified for the United Rugby Championship final.
Kickoff time for the final is at 19:30.
It was probably only a pipedream for most South African rugby fans that two local franchises would contest the United Rugby Championship final, but that dream is now a reality.
The DHL Stormers and Vodacom Bulls ensured that the opening season of the Vodacom United Rugby Championship would finish with a South African champion after they edged Irish teams Ulster and Leinster by small margins in their respective semi-finals over the weekend, setting up an all-SA final in Cape Town on Saturday.
Both matches proved to be a hard grind as all four semi-finalists gave everything they had, but in the end the Capetonians edged Ulster by 17-15 at the DHL Stadium with a dramatic converted try in injury-time on Saturday afternoon, booking them a home final as the highest place team on the log to feature in the grand finale. All the pressure came down to DHL Stormers flyhalf Manie Libbok who kicked the winning conversion with the teams tied at 15-15 with seconds left to play after Springbok fullback Warrick Gelant scored the crucial try moments earlier.
The Vodacom Bulls, meanwhile, edged log-leaders and tournament favourites Leinster 27-26 in a shock result in Dublin on Friday night, after holding a slender 17-14 lead at the break. Despite the hosts outscoring the Tshwane side by four tries to two and a penalty try, the visitors’ goal kicking, which featured two penalty goals and a conversion, nudged them in front on the scoreboard when the final whistle sounded, securing their place in the final.
The Vodacom Bulls achieved the almost impossible in Dublin on Friday night, when they upset heavy favourites Leinster with a massively physical performance to book their place in the Vodacom United Rugby Championship final courtesy of a 27-26 victory (half-time 17-14).