The conversation was all about the excitement of staging a repeat of the BKT United Rugby Championship in front of a home crowd for Munster. And heaven forbid if something went wrong in the semi-final against Glasgow, at least it would still be a huge day for Irish Rugby, with the Final hosted by Leinster in Croke Park.
The best-laid plans, though… Instead, the 2024 Grand Final will take place in South Africa as the Vodacom Bulls face off against Scotland’s Glasgow Warriors.
First, Leinster and then Munster failed to deliver as favourites in their semi-finals, and their seasons came to an end one week earlier than expected, with no silverware to show.
The seeds for Leinster’s fall came in the loss of three games in the run-in and slipping below the Bulls so that rather than hosting them in Croke Park on Saturday, they had to travel to the other end of the world.
For Munster, it came down to failing to capitalise on the chances that came in Thomond Park.
Their defeat means no glorious farewell for Simon Zebo or Joey Carbery, two marquee names that will not be in the red shirt next season.
It brings the curtain down on a Men’s Rugby World Cup season which has delivered a huge amount of Rugby, a back-to-back Guinness Six Nations crown and advances in the club game, but ultimate disappointment for the Provinces who will now lick their wounds away from the spotlight and look to bounce back stronger next season.
The Grand Final will kick off at 18:00 South Africa (17:00 our time) next Saturday, June 22nd but with no scramble for flights and tickets as there was in Munster last year.
The game will be the 17th final in the league’s history. The Vodacom Bulls will make their second appearance in the decider, while Glasgow Warriors have returned to qualify for their fourth final (2014, 2015, 2019).
For the third season in a row there will be a new winner of the title.
For the Vodacom Bulls it will be their second BKT URC Grand Final in three seasons and their first home final since 2009 where they defeated the Chiefs in the Super Rugby decider.
SuperSport will act as host broadcaster, with RTÉ and Premier Sports bringing the match to Irish audiences.
Sport for Business will host its Annual Women and Sport Conference on Thursday, November 28th. This is one of many events planned for the remainder of 2024.
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