United Rugby Championship
URC Round 1 Review: Champions humbled in opening weekend
The 2025-26 BKT United Rugby Championship exploded into life with a thrilling opening round that delivered 63 tries, several shock results, and a statement performance that reverberated across the competition. Defending champions Leinster suffered their worst-ever URC defeat, whilst all five nations secured victories in a weekend that promised much for the season ahead.
Stormers deliver historic hammering
The result of the round came at DHL Stadium in Cape Town, where the Stormers dismantled Leinster 35-0 to condemn the Irish province to their first scoreless defeat in 17 years. It was a comprehensive mauling that raised serious questions about the champions’ squad depth and exposed alarming fragilities.
John Dobson’s side were utterly dominant from start to finish, with their scrum demolishing Leinster’s front row and their pack controlling every aspect of the forward battle. Fly-half Jurie Matthee contributed 20 points, whilst number eight Evan Roos and openside Paul de Villiers produced barnstorming displays.
“We had a plan, but it had to be a different plan to our normal one,” explained Dobson. “It had to be about hard work, intensity, physicality, sticking to a plan, and I’m super proud and grateful to them because that was a magic performance.”
For Leinster head coach Leo Cullen, it was a sobering reality check after last season’s success.
“We are hugely disappointed. We haven’t conceded a score like that in quite a while,” he admitted. “The guys were hurting inside the dressing room afterwards. We just weren’t at the races. We were really, really poor. We were very much second best in pretty much every department. We have come off a very successful season last year, and we have had a proper punch in the nose. It’s how we respond now and get back on the horse.”
Bulls begin Ackermann era with attacking feast
In Pretoria, Johan Ackermann’s tenure at the Vodacom Bulls started with a breathless 53-40 victory over the Ospreys in a 15-try thriller at Loftus Versfeld. Hooker Johan Grobbelaar claimed a hat-trick, whilst 19-year-old wing Cheswill Jooste announced himself on the URC stage with two tries on debut.
The Ospreys led 26-12 at one stage and scored six tries themselves, with centre Kieran Williams and wing Keelan Giles both crossing twice. But the altitude and the Bulls’ forward power told in the second half as the hosts ran away with the contest.
“There were a massive amount of positives for us,” said Ospreys captain Dewi Lake. “To come to Loftus and score 40 points is an immense display of attack, but to also concede 53 is tough to take. Physically, we stepped up, we matched the physical battle around the park. But set-piece probably let us down.”
Coach Mark Jones added: “With the way we played in the first half, we looked deserving of the lead. We put a decent marker on the ground in terms of how we want to play the game with the ball. But we had moments of self-harm with how we encouraged the Bulls into our red zone and they really picked on a lot of our errors and scored.”
Warriors make winning start
The 2024 champions Glasgow Warriors made a strong start to their campaign, defeating the Hollywoodbets Sharks 35-19 at Scotstoun in a match that saw coach Franco Smith face his son Jean, who came on as a replacement scrum-half for the visitors.
“Talking as a parent, it’s fantastic to see your boy go out there. I know how much effort he puts in,” said Smith.
Following a tight first half, Glasgow pulled away after the break, with player of the match Rory Darge scoring one of their five tries from openside flanker.
“It was the perfect challenge for us in the first game of the season, going up against a quality outfit like the Sharks,” said Darge. “They are a physical team with lots of attacking threats.”
New recruit Edwill van der Merwe impressed on his Sharks debut with a try, whilst Lukhanyo Am showed glimpses of his class in the midfield. However, late indiscipline proved costly, with two players yellow-carded in the closing stages allowing Glasgow to add a penalty try.
Irish provinces dominate at home
Ulster recovered from conceding a try to Dragons number eight Aaron Wainwright after just 10 seconds – equalling the fastest try in URC history – as they ran in six tries to win 42-21 in Belfast.
Coach Richie Murphy said: “It wasn’t perfect, but it’s a good start. We have got five points at home and we move on. We put some good rugby together, and we are happy with the win. We go to Edinburgh next weekend, and we know we are going to have to be better over there.”
There were two further Irish wins on Saturday, with Munster securing a 34-21 bonus-point victory away to the Scarlets in Clayton McMillan’s first match as head coach, and Connacht also claiming the maximum as they marked the start of the Stuart Lancaster era by defeating Benetton 26-15 in Galway.
Craig Casey captained Munster for the first time and opened the scoring, whilst Dan Kelly crossed on his competitive debut. Alex Nankivell was named player of the match as the visitors dominated the opening period before withstanding a Scarlets fightback.
For Connacht, Josh Ioane and Sean Naughton scored first-half tries before Dylan Tierney-Martin and Sean Jansen added second-half efforts to secure the bonus point in Lancaster’s winning start.
Zebre produce dramatic comeback
BKT United Rugby Championship, Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi, Parma, Italy 27/9/2025
Zebre Parma vs Edinburgh
Zebre Parma team celebrate winning the match
Mandatory Credit ©INPHO/Luca Sighinolfi
The most dramatic finish of the weekend came in Italy, where Zebre Parma defeated Edinburgh 31-28 thanks to a 79th-minute penalty from replacement fly-half Martin Roger Farias. Making his league debut after joining from Viadana, Farias kept his nerve to slot the kick from well out on the left with the ball going in off an upright.
Zebre’s victory was all the more notable given they were down to 14 men for 30 minutes with a red card for skipper Giovanni Licata, followed by a yellow for Argentine prop Juan Pitinari.
“It was very good stuff from the boys,” said Licata. “We scored two tries in the first ten minutes. We then had a red card from me and a yellow, but we never lost the battle. We always find the energy to get back on the train. We base the team on family. The first word we say in the changing room every day is family. We work for each other, we battle for each other.”
Head coach Massimo Brunello added: “We are satisfied with the result, but above all with the team’s test of character. Winning at home, in front of your own crowd is satisfying. Doing it like this makes us earn respect in a competition where we will never give up and we will be uncomfortable.”
Cardiff ride the rollercoaster to victory
Cardiff coach Corniel van Zyl paid tribute to the fight shown by his team following a rollercoaster ride against the Lions at the Arms Park. Having raced into an early lead, the hosts then found themselves trailing midway through the second half following a 20-minute red card for Wales centre Ben Thomas.
But they rallied in the rain to claim a 33-20 bonus-point victory, with two tries from replacement hooker Evan Lloyd off close-range lineouts sealing the spoils.
“There were a few rollercoasters in that game,” said former Italy second row Van Zyl, taking charge for the first time following Matt Sherratt’s departure to the Wales coaching team. “We started really well and had the momentum, but the red card was a big turning point. We struggled a little bit after that with managing the game. So, it was a real good rollercoaster, but ultimately what counts is the boys stuck to it and got it over the line. There was good leadership from the senior players on the field.”
Van Zyl was full of praise for number eight Alun Lawrence, who topped the carrying (16) and tackling (12) statistics to earn the player of the match award. “He’s an unbelievable machine. He’s got an engine on him and he’s so consistent,” he said.
Second row Josh McNally added: “With losing Matt at the start of the week, the other coaches have all stepped up and it’s been an excellent environment. We wanted to get onto the pitch and put a performance down, and I am just so proud of the boys. Everyone put a huge shift in.”
The other three Welsh teams were beaten, but there was a notable achievement from the Ospreys, who scored six tries at Pretoria’s Loftus Versfeld. They led 26-12 at one stage, demonstrating their attacking intent.
Whilst there was only the one Welsh win, there were encouraging signs from an attacking point of view, with the four regions scoring 17 tries between them.
Round 1 results
DHL Stormers 35 Leinster 0
Ulster 42 Dragons 21
Glasgow Warriors 35 Hollywoodbets Sharks 19
Vodacom Bulls 53 Ospreys 40
Zebre Parma 31 Edinburgh 28
Scarlets 21 Munster 34
Cardiff 33 Emirates Lions 20
Connacht 26 Benetton 15
What’s coming next?
It’s Round 2 next weekend, with three games on Friday, four on Saturday and one on Sunday. There’s just the one match featuring two winners from the opening round, as Munster host Cardiff at Limerick’s Thomond Park.
Leinster will be looking to bounce back from their heavy defeat in Cape Town, but things don’t get any easier for them as they face another major challenge on South African soil with a trip to Pretoria to face a Vodacom Bulls team that racked up nine tries in Round 1.
Elsewhere, it’s DHL Stormers v Ospreys, Dragons v Hollywoodbets Sharks, Edinburgh v Ulster, Connacht v Scarlets, Benetton v Glasgow Warriors and Zebre Parma v Lions.
