The 2023 United Rugby Championship Grand Final was the final match of the 2022–23 United Rugby Championship season. The final was between defending champions the Stormers and Munster with Munster winning 19–14 to claim their fourth domestic title.
Route to the final
Munster had an up-and-down season, at one point being fourteenth in the table after losing five of their seven opening rounds of the season, but a strong finish to the season, including an away win against the Stormers and an away draw against the Sharks, saw Munster qualify for the knockout stage of the competition and finish fifth overall. The province's burst of late-season away form continued into the play-offs, as they defeated Glasgow Warriors 14–5 away from home in the quarter-finals, before defeating Leinster 16–15, also away from home, in the semi-finals.
The Stormers, the defending champions after they won the first United Rugby Championship in 2021–22, by contrast enjoyed a strong season, finishing third overall and defeating South African rivals the Bulls 33–21 in their quarter-final and Connacht 43–25 in the semi-finals to advance to a home final for a second season in a row.
Venue and ticketing Because the Stormers were the highest-ranked team to reach the Grand Final, they hosted the match at Cape Town Stadium. All tickets for the final were sold within three hours of going on sale.
Match details
FB 15 Damian WillemseRW 14 Angelo DavidsOC 13 Ruhan NelIC 12 Dan du PlessisLW 11 Leolin ZasFH 10 Manie LibbokSH 9 Herschel JantjiesN8 8 Evan RoosOF 7 Hacjivah DayimaniBF 6 Deon FourieRL 5 Marvin OrieLL 4 Ruben van HeerdenTP 3 Frans MalherbeHK 2 Joseph DwebaLP 1 Steven Kitshoff (c)Substitutions:HK 16 JJ KotzePR 17 Ali VermaakPR 18 Neethling FouchéLK 19 Ben-Jason DixonFL 20 Willie EngelbrechtFL 21 Marcel TheunissenSH 22 Paul de WetFB 23 Clayton BlommetjiesCoach: John Dobson FB 15 Mike HaleyRW 14 Calvin NashOC 13 Antoine FrischIC 12 Malakai FekitoaLW 11 Shane DalyFH 10 Jack CrowleySH 9 Conor MurrayN8 8 Gavin CoombesOF 7 John HodnettBF 6 Peter O'Mahony (c)RL 5 Tadhg BeirneLL 4 Jean KleynTP 3 Stephen ArcherHK 2 Diarmuid BarronLP 1 Jeremy LoughmanSubstitutions:HK 16 Niall ScannellPR 17 Josh WycherleyPR 18 Roman SalanoaLK 19 RG SnymanBR 20 Alex KendellenSH 21 Craig CaseyFH 22 Ben HealyUB 23 Keith EarlsCoach: Graham Rowntree Man of the Match: John Hodnett (Munster)
Assistant referees: Mike Adamson (Scotland) Craig Evans (Wales) Television match official: Ben Whitehouse (Wales)
Broadcasting The match was televised live by SuperSport in South Africa, by TG4 in Ireland, and by Viaplay Sports in Ireland and the United Kingdom.
References