URC Week 1 Round Up

In my first week of predictions, I managed to correctly guess 5 out of 7 results, the two outliers being

Benetton v Glasgow and Ospreys v Scarlets (honestly, who saw those results coming?).

Below I’ve jotted down some of my thoughts about each of the fixtures, how the teams fared in their

opening games, and rounded it all off with my predictions for round two of the United Rugby

Championship.

Ireland

Only one of the four provinces will be content with their performance and result at the end of week

one, and that would be Ulster, the only one to play at home. A mixed bag in general for the Irish,

with two teams claiming victory and the other two slumping to a disappointing start to the season. A

quick breakdown of each match below.

Zebre Parma 29-33 Leinster

As most expected, Leinster took on a commanding lead a little into the second quarter, and despite

two quick tries from the hosts, had secured their bonus point by half time. However, Zebre would go

on to score three more tries in the second half and it would not have made for comfortable viewing

for Leinster supporters as Zebre Parma looked set to complete a spectacular comeback. But the

Leinstermen held out for the victory and departed back for Dublin with the full compliment of points

for their efforts.

Leinster will play in front of a home crowd in week two, and will welcome Benetton to the RDS

Arena, who themselves will be full of confidence after their impressive opening to the season.

Cardiff 20-13 Munster

Munster suffered at the hands of a rejuvenated Cardiff side, and although the game was always in

the balance, the men in red simply couldn’t convert pressure to points when it counted. However,

there were plenty of positives to take from the game, with debutant Malakai Fekitoa looking to be a

fantastic acquisition in the midfield and scrumhalf Paddy Patterson was a handful for the hosts all

game. I’m certain we’ll see some spectacular performances from Munster over the coming weeks,

particularly when playing at home.

However, they won’t get the luxury of playing at Musgrave Park until week three as they face

another Welsh side in the newly branded Dragons RFC. It’s not unfair to say that they will be

expecting a victory there at the very least, after Dragons suffered a humiliating defeat in their

opening game.

Ulster 36-10 Connacht

It had all the trademarks of a real close arm wrestle of a match in the opening exchanges of the

game, with the first score of the match not coming until the 27 th minute through Ulster centre Luke

Marshall, followed by the hosts’ second score ten minutes later. Connacht never got into the game,

and scored their only try of the match ten minutes before the final whistle, and by then the game

had long gotten away from them. A disappointing opening round for the visitors then.

A different story for Ulstermen though. Five tries for the hosts and exceptional performances from

scrumhalf Nathan Doak, who slotted five of his six shots at goals, Stuart McCloskey’s soft hands to

set up a score, and a try and a player of the match performance from 21-year-old newbie Tom

Stewart. Ulster could be real contenders for the title this season, especially if they show the same

physical edge that they did against Connacht against the more physical South African teams in the

competition. They’ll be travelling to Llanelli for their next fixture, taking on the Scarlets who will still

be smarting after throwing away a seven point lead with 80 minutes on the clock.

Connacht could be heading out of the frying Kingspan (sorry) and into the Stellenbosch fire next

week, with a tough away game against the reigning URC champions, DHL Stormer.

Italy

What a start for the Italian sides! Italy beat Wales in the Six Nations, the U20s impressed with their

back-to-back campaign performances, and now the club sides have also stepped up their game.

There’s something fascinating boiling underneath the surface in Italy, and it’s exciting to watch…

Benetton 33-11 Glasgow Warriors

It was a cagey opening to the first URC fixture of the new season, with the two sides exchanging just

one penalty each in the opening quarter. But it was Benetton that got over the whitewash first,

resulting from the pack fronting up to the Warriors before some wonderful hands exposing the

visitors out wide. The second try was a show of strength as the pack flexed their muscles in the maul.

Benetton, once the whipping boys of the league, have been on the cusp of being a great side for

some time. Beating them at home is becoming a monumental task, as Cardiff, Zebre, Dragons,

Edinburgh, and Bulls can attest to; all having fallen at the hands of the Benetton Lions in Treviso.

They’ll find Leinster in Dublin a far sterner test, however, but they’ll head to the RDS Arena as

underdogs with the freedom to express themselves.

Zebre Parma 29-33 Leinster

Few would have predicted such a tight final result in this fixture, with the Irish powerhouse always

among the favourites to win the championship. But if week one is anything to go by, Zebre Parma

under Fabio Roselli could be one of the more exciting teams to watch this season.

Winger Pierre Bruno’s try was a joy to watch and the team genuinely look like they enjoy every

minute of being out on the field. The underdog tag suits them and they wouldn’t have it any other

way it seems, as they face an equally tough opposition in week two as they welcome the formidable

Cell C Sharks to Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi. However, it’s a game I’ll certainly be making an effort to

watch!

Scotland

I can’t imagine the gulf between how the supporters of the two Scottish camps must feel after the

opening pair of results for their sides.

Benetton 33-11 Glasgow Warriors

The Warriors picked up where they left off last season… with another embarrassing defeat. They

ended their last game of the regular season on the wrong end of a crushing 76-14 humiliation at the

hands of Leinster. Friday night’s loss to Benetton makes it Glasgow’s fifth consecutive defeat, and

their seventh loss in ten games.

It’s difficult to pinpoint exactly what’s gone wrong with the former title holders, and supporters

must feel a sense of disappointment after placing Franco Smith, a former Springbok and Italy head

coach, at the helm for the new season.

They’ll at least have the support of a home crowd in week two as they welcome a Cardiff side full of

confidence off the back of a victory over Munster. With a tricky away trip to Swansea in week three,

a home victory is crucial if they want to head off any talks of derailment before the season begins in

earnest.

Edinburgh 44-6 Dragons RFC

It was a complete performance from the capital city Scots, they dominated all the stats including the

most important one of all, 7 tries to 0. A stark contrast to their Glaswegian compatriots, the

supporters had a lot to shout about in their demolition of the Welsh side.

Darcy Graham’s dancing feet got the Dam Health Stadium to its feet on more than one occasion, and

the deluge of tries in the second half was a sight to behold. Though they’ll no doubt celebrate their

evening’s job well done, I’ve no doubt they’re aware of the magnitude of their task the following

weekend. They face a daunting trip to the famous Loftus Versfeld to challenge the Vodacom Bulls,

who themselves put the Emirates Lions to the sword away from home.

South Africa

The Cell C Sharks and the DHL Stormers’ round one fixture is due to be played in February, so the

only South African teams in action were the Emirats Lions and Vodacom Bulls, who went head to

head in their opening game of the new season.

Emirates Lions 15-31 Vodacom Bulls

The Vodacom Bulls started their 2022-23 campaign with a statement of intent, with a try after just

three minutes. They pulled away to a healthy 12-point lead in the first half, but a try either side of

the interval by the Emirates Lions drew the game level. But the visitors ramped up the pressure and

turned the screw as the second hand bore on, and a try in the dying moments of the match put the

result to bed.

The hosts will be encouraged by their purple patch in the middle of the game, but ill-discipline cost

them dearly and it’s something they’ll need to stamp out of their game when they take on the

Ospreys the following week; the accurate boot of Gareth Anscombe is something the South Africans

will be more than aware of.

The Vodacom Bulls will be heading to a strong looking Edinburgh side. However, if they can claim a

Scottish scalp at the capital, and a second consecutive away win, they’ll be in a strong position in the

URC table when they welcome Connacht in the third round.

Wales

Only one Welsh team lost in round one of the URC. But it’s worth noting that only one Welsh team

won in round one of the URC, too.

Cardiff 20-13 Munster

Cardiff’s summer signings have already proven to be some of the most spectacular amongst the

URC. Paired with their young talent coming to the fore, Cardiff have a fantastic balance throughout

the squad.

The blue and blacks played with a new found confidence in their round one fixture against Munster,

and for a change their hard work and ambition showed on the scoreboard. Cardiff had a tough old

time of it last season, with Covid travel chaos and injuries tearing through their ranks, and

unfortunately their plucky spirit and rebellious performances weren’t enough to get them results.

However, throw in a bit of Taulupe Faletau and a Thomas Young, fold in a little Max Llewellyn and

James Botham, and a sprinkling of Josh Adams; suddenly there’s a side that looks like it can dig deep

to get results. Faletau and Young both had outstanding debuts, and it was a crying shame that Liam

Williams was unable to continue after 20 minutes.

They travel to a wounded Glasgow next weekend, and they need to back up this week one result

with a strong away showing if they want to be considered serious contenders for the title… which

they could well be if they continue to play like they did at the Arms Park.

Scarlets 23-23 Ospreys

Scarlets supporters wouldn’t have been too happy with their side’s opening exchanges, with Ospreys

opening up the home team’s defence with relative ease to allow Gareth Anscombe to glide in for the

first try of the game. But the momentum swung back and forth in this game and seeing Johnny

Williams back to his barnstorming best was a sight to behold. His try against the Ospreys showed

speed, power, and intelligence and would have caused Pivac to sit up and take note.

Young Costelow orchestrated things well for a solid middle period and a well taken try was what

exactly he deserved for his efforts. Scarlets’ new acquisition of All Black Fifita in the pack took some

of the workload off the broad shoulders of Sam Lousi and Sione Kalamafoni, and they looked all the

more dangerous for it.

However, same questionable game management by the Scarlets (opting to kick for the corner

instead of taking easy points from the tee) meant that a heroic defensive display by the men in black

rewarded them with a last gasp opportunity to draw the game level. Dewi Lake, Morgan Morris, and

Rhys Davies were prominent in the final phases of the match, helping the visitors to muscle their

way up the field. A try at the death from replacement lock Rhys Davies set up for a dramatic finish,

with the game in the balance and all the pressure piled onto one of Ospreys’ few new signings, jack

Walsh. But the youngster was unfazed by the baying crowd and slotted the conversion on debut to

salvage a draw from the encounter.

It was arguably a fitting result from the game, as both sides had periods of dominance in different

facets of the game. Scarlets will enjoy a second home game in two weeks when they welcome Ulster

to Parc y Scarlets in round two, but they’ll have to up the intensity and be more clinical against the

Irish province if they want to come away with more than just two points.

Ospreys welcome the Emirates Lions to the Swansea.com Stadium in round two, and could be a rare

opportunity to claim a South African scalp. A victory at home against the Johannesburg outfit and

Toby Booth’s men will be in a good position for another home fixture the following week against

Glasgow Warriors.

Deiniol’s Predictions for Round 2

Zebre Parma v Cell C Sharks – Cell C Sharks by 12 points.

Glasgow Warriors v Cardiff – Cardiff by 6

Leinster v Benetton – Leinster by 15

Scarlets v Ulster – Ulster by 2

Vodacom Bulls v Edinburgh – Vodacom Bulls by 5

DHL Stormers v Connacht – DHL Stormers by 20

Ospreys v Emirates Lions – Ospreys by 3

Dragons RFC v Munster – Munster by 20