The distraction of the Europeans cups is over for a few weeks and we’re back to URC rugby. Last weekend saw plenty of thrills and spills with the tops sides all delivering and the bottom sides… also delivering! Here’s everything you need to know:
Burrows (16'), Hope (24', 60'), Rosser (31'), Penalty Try (43'), Dyer (50')
Tries
Gilbert (9'), Prendergast (65', 72'), Jansen (83')
O'Brien (17', 25', 32', 51', 61')
Conversions
Gilbert (10', 65', 73', 83')
O'Brien (42', 45')
Penalties
The distraction of the Europeans cups is over for a few weeks and we’re back to URC rugby. Last weekend saw plenty of thrills and spills with the tops sides all delivering and the bottom sides… also delivering! Here’s everything you need to know:
Dragons have not won a match in the URC since round one… LAST season. If you’re going to break your duck you might as well do it with a crushing win over Irish opposition that included both forward dominance and thrilling backs play.
This was a complete performance from the men of Gwent which had their long suffering fans in complete delirium on the terraces. Premier Sports pundit Tom Shanklin rightly named all 23 players as ‘player of the match’ but special mentions have to go to flanker Harrison Keddie and winger Rio Dyer with the latter in particular delighting spectators with his pace and ambition in attack.
For Stuart Lancaster’s Connacht it was a harrowing night; the only reason they came away with a try bonus point was because the Dragons basically let them have it at the end. It was a shocking performance belying the relative strength of the team they had out on the pitch.
The number one golden rule of Welsh derbies: the wrong team always wins. Is one side flying high in the league and unbeaten at home since March whilst the other is sat rock bottom with one win all season? Well then, the result is guaranteed.
This was not a vintage Scarlets performance - less champagne rugby and more vinegar as they stubbornly refused to let Cardiff cross their try line despite surrendering the vast majority of territory and possession.
It was however a ‘greatest hits’ style affair from legendary scrum-half Gareth Davies who scored a signature intercept, bossed his forwards round the field and kicked some rubbish box kicks too. Pure nostalgia.
A hopeful Bulls-supporting podcast host recently asked if the Stormer’s start to the season is just a flash in the pan. The answer is no, 9 wins in 9 games is not a flash in the pan, they are genuinely very very good.
Opta’s stats recently revealed just how good the Stormers have been this season: they have the best carry dominance of any club side across the 3 northern hemisphere leagues whilst also having the most powerful maul and the 2nd most reliable scrum.
They do not waste energy on phase play, with just 8% o their attacks going beyond 5 rucks. Instead, they score 57% of their tries from first phase and 22% from turnovers.
Finally, their defence is also excellent. We knew they don’t concede many points but now we know why: 40% gainline denial and just 21% of their missed tackles lead to line breaks or tries conceded - both being the best returns in the world.
Glasgow vs Edinburgh is one of those rivalries where the two fans will happily cheer for the other side when they’re playing someone else, but the thought of losing to each other is stomach churning. Perhaps that’s why it is one of the most evenly contested derbies in the sport.
The move of this game to Hamden park has been a tremendous success for Glasgow with the 21,000 attendance being 3 times what they would normally get. Those fans were rewarded with a tight, physical game - totally befitting of December rugby - but it was the home side who delivered the victory to move them back towards the sharp end of the table after a chastening nilling at the hands of the Scarlets in round 6.
To call the season so far a slow one for the defending champions would be apt. They are currently a team who, according to popular opinion, can do nothing right - even when they win it never fully satisfies anyone. So, when they went into half time at home to Ulster 7-17 down, the knives were already out and being sharpened across Irish rugby.
The fact that they managed to hold Ulster to just 3 points in the second half whilst themselves wrapping up the bonus point win still won’t silence the critics. Ulster’s Ireland representation has dropped to an all time low whilst Leinster’s continues to rise but that was not reflected by a gulf in performance. The gap between Leinster and the rest is shrinking and they cannot blame Lions fatigue for much longer.
