Six things we learned from the first six rounds of the URC

Leinster leading the way

 

After going three years without any silverware, it’s very clear Leinster Rugby mean business.

 

They have won all six of their BKT URC matches so far, picking up 29 match points out of a possible 30, putting them six points clear of reigning champions Glasgow Warriors at the top of the table.

 

Along the way, Lee Cullen’s side have scored 185 points and crossed for 28 tries, while they have also been particularly impressive in terms of their defensive work at the breakdown, winning 43 turnovers.

 

After bonus point victories over Edinburgh Rugby, Dragons RFC, Benetton Rugby, Munster Rugby and Connacht Rugby, they then faced a top-of-the-table clash with the unbeaten Emirates Lions.

 

It wasn’t to be a sixth straight maximum, but it was another solid win as they defeated the visitors from Johannesburg 24-6 to confirm their status as the competition’s front runners.

 

The question now is whether they can kick on from here and claim a first trophy since 2021?

 

Skipper Caelan Doris, who has been in outstanding form, makes it clear there is huge motivation within the group.

 

“We have been knocking at the door and fallen at the final hurdle three years in a row, which is tricky, and there have been some pretty grim days off the back of that,” admitted the No 8.

 

“But there is also still a ton of belief within the squad and there’s a load of motivation to get better.”

 

So be warned, Leinster are on a mission and are the team to beat.

 

Rare success on South African soil

 

Winning out in South Africa remains a huge challenge, with seven of the eight league games played there so far this season having resulted in home wins over European visitors.

 

All of which makes Glasgow’s achievement in beating the DHL Stormers 28-17 in Stellenbosch in Round 6 all the more notable.

 

It was the stuff of champions from the Scots with skipper Sione Tuipulotu delivering a try-scoring Player of the Match performance in a bonus point win.

 

But, apart from that solitary defeat, the South African franchises have been unbeatable on home soil, while they also look to be finding a formula for success on the road.

 

Between them, they have won six of their 12 away matches so far this term, with the Vodacom Bulls and the Emirates Lions both picking up two victories on their travels.

 

Those two have been leading the challenge from the Rainbow Nation, each winning four of their five matches to lie third and fourth respectively.

 

In contrast, the DHL Stormers - title winners in 2022 - were bottom of the table at one point and currently lie down in 13th with a fair bit of ground to make up.

 

It is worth remembering the South African sides do all have a game in hand as the derbies scheduled for the opening weekend were postponed because of a clash with the Currie Cup final.

 

Those games - DHL Stormers v Vodacom Bulls and Hollywoodbets Sharks v Emirates Lions - have now been rescheduled for February and March respectively.

 

Geronimo!

 

His name is a headline writer's dream and he’s certainly deserving of top billing given his heroics so far this season.

 

Zebre Parma full-back Geronimo Prisciantelli has been one of the real stand-out performers over the first six rounds of the BKT URC.

 

The versatile Argentinian, who can also cover centre and fly-half, has made more carries (102) than anyone else in the competition, while he is second only to Munster’s Mike Haley (377) for metres run with 370.

 

Plus, he’s joint second in terms of offloads completed (10), with only Leinster’s Springbok lock RG Snyman (12) ahead of him.

 

Born in Buenos Aires, Prisciantelli has represented his country at U20s level and in Sevens, as well as appearing for an Argentina XV, having progressed from Club Atletico San Isidro in the capital to the Jaguares before joining Zebre in 2022.

 

He has proved a big hit with the Italian outfit and this season the 25-year-old has really been making his mark on the league, while starting all six games.

 

As for other individuals who stand out in the stat attack, two Irish players have proved the most elusive, with Ulster Rugby wing Jacob Stockdale and Munster centre Tom Farrell both having beaten 25 defenders, while Farrell is second for successful carries with 35.

 

The one player ahead of him in that latter category, with 37, is Ospreys No 8 Morgan Morris who is having yet another fine season.

 

Morris has arguably been the most consistent player in Welsh regional rugby for the last three or four years and he’s at it again.

 

In addition to topping the successful carries chart, he’s second behind Prisciantelli for overall carries (89), while no forward has made more meters (214) and you can add in 60 tackles as well.

 

Glasgow flanker Rory Darge is the man who has made the most tackles (98), just ahead of Cardiff Rugby lock Teddy Williams (97) who is also joint top for lineouts won (34) along with fellow Wales squad member Adam Beard, down at the Ospreys.

 

In terms of lineout pilfering, Edinburgh’s Grant Gilchrist and Leinster’s Max Deegan are out in front with six steals apiece, while new Cardiff flanker Dan Thomas has been the top poacher at the breakdown, winning 11 turnovers.

 

Finally, Edinburgh fly-half Ross Thompson has scored the most points (43), through 11 conversions and seven penalties, while no fewer than nine players are tied on four tries - Kurt-Lee Arendse, Gavin Coombes, Gareth Davies, Rabz Maxwane, Mike Haley, Cathal Forde, Taine Basham, Ben Murphy and last season’s touchdown top man Johnny Matthews.

 

Welcome Welsh wins

 

It’s been a tough autumn for Warren Gatland’s Wales, but there are reasons to be cheerful on the regional front with two teams in the top half of the BKT URC table.

 

Leading the way, in sixth spot, are Dwayne Peel’s Scarlets who have picked up three wins and a draw so far.

 

They went through a frustrating start to the campaign, being denied at the death by both Benetton and Connacht, and, after three matches, they were still without a victory.

 

But then came the turnaround as they rattled off successive triumphs against Cardiff, the Bulls and Zebre, with the win over the previously unbeaten Bulls being particularly stirring.

 

Along the way, a number of youngsters have caught the eye, including centres Eddie James and Macs Page, while wings Blair Murray and Tom Rogers forced their way into the Wales set-up with their try-scoring exploits, with veteran scrum-half Gareth Davies still going strong after announcing his retirement from Test rugby.

 

Cardiff are a couple of places back, but on the same number of points as the Scarlets, with a remarkable comeback win after being 19-0 down against Ulster being the highlight of their campaign.

 

Ben Thomas. Alun Lawrence and Teddy Williams have been stand-out performers, while flanker Dan Thomas, wing Iwan Stephens and lock Josh McInally have proved quality acquisitions since arriving from Bristol, Newcastle and Bath respectively

 

Having made the play-offs last season, the Ospreys have struggled to recapture that form, but will have taken heart from ending the block with a much-needed win over Edinburgh at Bridgend’s Brewery Field, which has been a real happy hunting ground for them this year.

 

As for the Dragons, they made a flying start, with a last-gasp victory over the Ospreys at Rodney Parade in Round 1, but then lost five matches in a row, a run that was followed by the departure of head coach Dai Flanagan, who has been replaced at the helm by Filo Tiatia.

 

They now travel to the Arms Park this Saturday for a derby clash against local rivals Cardiff which is set to draw a bumper crowd.

 

Speaking of crowds…

 

Record attendance

 

There’s no argument over the biggest occasion so far this season.

 

That came in Round 4 when a crowd of 80,468 - the biggest in league history - watched the Irish derby between Leinster and Munster at Croke Park.

 

That comfortably surpassed the previous best of 68,262 for the Judgement Day Welsh double header at the Principality Stadium back in 2016.

 

The highest figure for an individual match had been 56,344 for the 2023 BKT URC final in Cape Town where Munster beat the DHL Stormers.

 

As for a regular season fixture, the previous best was the 51,700 who turned out for Leinster v Munster at the Aviva Stadium in 2014, with the highest recent figure having been 50,026 for the meeting between the Bulls and the Stormers at Pretoria’s Loftus Versfeld in March this year.

 

The Croke Park record-breaker saw Leinster win 26-12 with the huge crowd seeming to inspire them as they roared out of the blocks with three tries in the opening 13 minutes.

 

Broadcast boost

 

There has also been encouraging news on the TV front, with broadcast audiences on the rise.

 

The first four rounds saw a 10 per cent year-on-year growth, despite two big South African derbies having been postponed.

 

There’s been a big surge in the Republic of Ireland with RTE’s average live match viewing figures up 129 per cent and TG4 improving by 44 per cent compared to the same period last season.

 

In the UK, there were strong starts for S4C (+119%), Premier Sports (+22%) and BBC (+13%) while Sky Italia and SuperSport were also up by double digits.

 

Last season saw a new record for BKT URC broadcast audiences of 47.7 million and it looks as though things are heading in the right direction this term.