Full URC Review from the opening round

South Africans and Scots Sweep The Board

The opening round of the new BKT URC season saw a clean-sweep for South Africa and Scotland, while it was a rare winless weekend for Ireland.

It’s actually the first time since 2009 that all four Irish sides have lost on the first weekend of the league campaign.

In a further rarity, there were just two home wins from the eight matches, bucking the traditional trend in the competition.

One of those solitary successes on home soil was recorded by the 10Bet Lions who claimed a notable scalp by beating reigning champions Leinster Rugby 27-26 in Johannesburg.

The Player of the Match prize went to their two-try wing Erich Cronje who said: “It’s always a tough game against Leinster. We knew we had to be at our best.

“Luckily we got it through and we take the win.

“All credit to the team. We are all fighting for each other and that’s how you win competitions.”

For Leinster, there was the sizeable consolation of two losing bonus points thanks to an 85th minute try from hooker Stephen Smyth which added to a first-half hat-trick by No 9 Fintan Gunne.

South Africa’s successful weekend had begun with the DHL Stormers claiming a 29-15 bonus point victory over Connacht Rugby in Galway on Friday night.

DHL Stormers Director of Rugby John Dobson said: “To come to a place like this without our internationals and win is very special.

“We have a lot of respect for Connacht and this venue. It’s a tough place to win, so we are very happy.

“I thought we deserved to win. Territorially we were spot on.”

There were further bonus point victories for the Hollywoodbets Sharks and the Vodacom Bulls on Saturday, with the Sharks defeating the Ospreys 41-24 in Durban and the Bulls running in six tries as they beat Zebre Parma 47-13 out in Italy.

As for the two Scottish sides, they both secured maximum points on the road with Edinburgh Rugby winning 34-29 against Ulster Rugby in Belfast and Glasgow Warriors coming from behind to defeat Munster Rugby 26-20 in Limerick.

The Welsh derby saw Cardiff Rugby beat the Scarlets 21-15 in Llanelli, with replacement hooker Evan Lloyd going over for the decisive try 15 minutes from time.

There was late drama in Treviso where Dragons RFC fly-half Tinus de Beer had a last minute chance to secure victory over Benetton Rugby following Elliot Dee’s equalising try, only for his touchline conversion to come back off an upright which meant the game ended as a 19-19 draw.

Dobie Double On “Surreal” Milestone

Jamie Dobie has hailed Glasgow’s comeback win away to Munster as an “awesome start to the season” after marking his century with a try double.

Making his 100th appearance for the Scottish side at the age of just 25, the left winger sealed the victory by crossing for his second four minutes from time at Thomond Park.

Reflecting on his landmark outing, the versatile Dobie, who can also play at scrum-half, said: “It feels pretty surreal.

“Seven years have passed just like that, 100 games. I absolutely love this club and I am really proud to reach that milestone.”

Commenting on the Limerick triumph, he said: “Funnily enough, I made my first start on the wing for Glasgow here at Thomond Park a few years ago.

“To be back and make 100, on the wing again, something feels right about that.

“It’s an awesome place to do it. Credit to their fans. They create an awesome atmosphere. It’s one of the best away days you get.”

Last season’s table toppers Glasgow trailed 17-7 at the break before staging a stirring revival.

“We were just a little bit off with some of our details and some of our skills in the first half,” said Dobie.

“We felt we were creating lots of chances, but maybe just not taking them. It was just about executing a little bit better.

“We are delighted to pick up that win. It was an awesome way to turn the game around and to start the season.”

Praising Dobie, Glasgow head coach Franco Smith said: “I can’t say enough compliments to him.

“He is a great asset to us. He works so hard with his application and he is so competitive in every action.

“He’s physical for a guy that doesn’t look physical, he’s got a very good skill-set, he can basically do any sport well.

“Apart from that, he’s a great man and a lot of the young boys learn from it. He is a very good example for them. He’s very positive at training and has a big influence in the club.

“It doesn’t matter where he plays, he contributes massively. He’s a fantastic player and an excellent person to have in the team. He’s a true warrior.”

Adding his thoughts on Dobie, skipper Stafford McDowall said: “You always know what you are going to get from him. It’s a nine or ten out of ten every time.

“We are blessed to have players like that who can play multiple positions.

“He’s a massive part of the club and I think the boys showed how much he means to them out there on his 100th. We are really happy for him and hopefully made it a good week for him.”

The centre added: “Coming away to a place like Thomond Park, you know you’ve got to be on your game.

“We chose to play into the wind in the first half in the hope it would stay strong for the second and thankfully it did.

“I thought Munster were unbelievable in the first 20 minutes. They probably shocked us a little bit.

“But, as the first half went on, we grew into the game and started to hold on to the ball and be direct and it paid off in the end.

“It wasn’t going to be perfect, with a lack of cohesion. The first game of the season is always going to be like that.

“But I was really proud of the way the boys stuck to it.

“We will keep our feet on the ground, rock up to training on Monday, work hard and go again next week.

“This league is so competitive. I watched the games earlier on in the weekend and there are no bad teams in this league, there never have been.”

Returning Wales Star Provides Derby Day Delight

Cardiff celebrated the return of key man Teddy Williams as they kicked off their BKT URC campaign with a 21-15 Welsh derby win away to the Scarlets.

Second row Williams missed virtually the whole of last season with the freak foot injury which he sustained in October 2025.

Having finally recovered from the uncommon dislocation, he resumed playing over the summer, making three appearances for Wales.

Now he has returned to club duty, making an impressive comeback against the Scarlets in Llanelli, where he caught the eye with his carrying and passing.

Cardiff coach Corniel van Zyl said: “I am very pleased for him personally. He had a massive injury.

“It definitely tested our stock a little bit in the second row.

“He’s had a decent start to the season with that performance and there is definitely something to build on.”

Van Zyl was also happy to see his team carry on from the winning ways which saw them reach the BKT URC play-offs for the first time last term.

“That first game of the season feeling is like ‘Where are you?’. So to come away with that victory is carrying on with that momentum.

“With derbies, you obviously take it, so I am happy.

“Everyone who came on made a difference, so that was good.”

Cardiff trailed three times during the game, but kept responding and sealed their win with a 65th minute try from replacement hooker Evan Lloyd.

Captain Liam Belcher said: “It was one of those first games of the season kind of games.

“It was a scrappy game for both teams. We had a few opportunities in the 22 we let ourselves down on, but it’s not an easy place to come first game of the season, a Welsh derby. You take the four points all day.

“I am proud of the boys for the effort they put in. There are a lot of things to work on, but we’d rather do that off a win than a loss.”

The Player of the Match award went to Cardiff’s No 8 Taine Basham who scored a try and was the game’s top carrier with 17.

He said: “Coming into it, we wanted to express ourselves, but it was a wet ground. We probably didn’t put our best foot forward and there is plenty to work on, but it’s a sign of a quality team to go out there and win in these tough conditions.”

Home Truths Lead To Away Win

The hard conversations appear to have paid off for Edinburgh based on how they have started the new BKT URC season.

The capital city side launched their league campaign with a 34-29 bonus point victory over Ulster in Belfast, running in four tries in the first 50 minutes.

It’s a positive opening as they look to improve on last season when they missed out on the play-offs by some distance, finishing down in 12th in the table.

Head coach Sean Everitt said: “There are new faces in our group and new coaches as well and they have brought some new ideas and that has helped.

“Sometimes just freshening up the coaching group adds benefits.

“We have had some hard conversations about what needs to be done at the club and things have to change.

“One thing we still need to work on is the consistency of our performances from week to week. That’s let us down in the past, where we are high one week and then down the next.

“We have got to build on this win, keep our feet on the ground and move forward in a positive way.”

Edinburgh built a 34-5 lead by the early stages of the second half, with new No 10 James Grayson landing six kicks at goal to add to their four tries.

They then held on in the face of an Ulster resurgence to secure the spoils.

“We are happy with the result,” said Everitt.

“We played with intent. Our breakdown was good, so we got some good flow in our attack and our defence put them under pressure, with the linespeed we have brought in during the off season.

“It’s a difficult place to come and play and we would be fools to think Ulster weren’t going to come back.

“The momentum shifted quickly and we just couldn’t slow them down. We know they are a good attacking team and they got momentum, so it was really difficult and nervous at the end.”

Try-scoring flanker Freddy Douglas added: “With new coaches in, we are going to change the way we play.

“One big word we have used is fast. We want to play fast, we want to get set fast and we want to move the ball.

“I am really proud of how we attacked, especially the first 60 minutes. It's just what we can do for that last 20 minutes so it doesn't get as tight as that in the end.”