FINAL THOUGHTS: Bulls aim to avoid becoming the Bills in their fourth tilt at URC title

The Bulls will start as underdogs against Leinster at Croke Park in the United Rugby Championship final on Friday.

In the early to mid-1990s the Buffalo Bills lost four Super Bowls in a row. After the first two defeats there was some sympathy from neutral observers.

After the third, the Bills became a laughing stock, and when they made the Super Bowl for the fourth consecutive time, most of America was actively anti-Bills because they represented the thing Americans loathe – losers.

In the saga of losing the big game repeatedly, what was overlooked was what it took to get there. Only two teams make it to the Super Bowl every year. Making the big game is an achievement, but success is defined in silverware.

The Bulls are on their own similar run to the Bills when it comes to the United Rugby Championship (URC) – three finals, three defeats.

On Friday night, the Bulls play in their fourth URC final in five years with that unwanted record hanging over them. All the previous success leading to the final, and the finals before this one, will mean nothing if they don’t come home with the trophy.

After the third URC final loss in 2025, against this year’s opponents Leinster, the navel gazing became toxic. Coach Jake White was ousted in an internal putsch, with senior players giving the board the ultimatum that either the coach be removed or they would walk.

The board backed the players and White was sent packing. It was acrimonious and unusually ruthless in a South African rugby context.

Johan Ackermann was called in to replace White and create a more harmonious dressing room, with the same mandate though – “win trophies”.

They promptly lost seven games in a row and Ackermann was under pressure. But there were green shoots of promise, and with the appointment of assistant coach Neil de Bruin, son of Bok women’s coach Swys, performances and results improved.

Ackermann succeeded in creating a better team culture, and with De Bruin and fellow assistant coach Kennedy Tsimba started creating a winning mentality.

Many factors came together, which included the return of their vast legion of Springboks, and with it results improved.

“I knew that taking into account the history of this place and how passionate the supporters are, if we didn’t get to the final there would be a lot of questions asked, especially if we didn’t get to the play-offs,” Ackermann said last week.

“I knew that pressure was on, but the most important thing was to start building a culture and a philosophy of how I see rugby. I have the obligation to lead and get the atmosphere where th