URC Team of the Week: Round 15 - Sam Prendergast back to his best

Tuesday, 21 April 2026 at 11:35

byTom Sansom

Another whirlwind weekend of the United Rugby Championship has swept by, with Glasgow Warriors desperately clinging onto their spot at the top of the table. A heavy defeat out in South Africa has lauded the pressure upon the Scottish side, with the 'Race to the Eight' heating up across the league.

A stellar round of action sees the Stormers chase down Glasgow, with the Cape Town side now just four points behind the table toppers. Having claimed the spoils from their Irish inter-pro derby win over Ulster, Leinster now sit at third, with the Emirates Lions between them and the dejected boys from Belfast. At fifth, Ulster are still well within the play-off hunt, with fellow Irish province Munster up to sixth, following an important away win over Benetton.

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Cardiff take the seventh spot after securing the bragging rights from a close-fought Welsh derby with the Scarlets, before the Bulls round off the top eight following their one-sided beat-down of the Dragons. Connacht sit just one point outside the play-off places, as Stuart Lancaster's side picked up a landmark win over the Stormers. Once again, we've scoured the league, and put together our picks for the United Rugby Championship's Team of the Week.

FULL RESULTS: 2025/26 UNITED RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP - ROUND 15

EDINBURGH 31-30 ZEBRE / DRAGONS 7-47 BULLS / ULSTER 21-29 LEINSTER

STORMERS 24-33 CONNACHT / LIONS 54-12 GLASGOW / SCARLETS 28-28 CARDIFF

BENETTON 15-45 MUNSTER / OSPREYS 21-17 SHARKS

TEAM OF THE WEEK: UNITED RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP - ROUND 15

15. Cam Winnett (Cardiff)

It was the cliched 'game of two halves' for Cardiff fullback Cam Winnett, who found himself sweeping up the back-field for the majority of the first 40 minutes. The Scarlets peppered the Cardiff air-space with a plethora of kicks, yet Winnett was up to the task and returned the threats well. The second half saw the fullback click into his attacking gear, and bag a well-taken try, that helped the capital city club towards a their memorable comeback win in the weekend's Welsh derby.

14. Calvin Nash (Munster)

We head down to Treviso for our next entry, where Munster wing Calvin Nash had a stunning shift along the right touch-line. It's brilliant to see Nash back to his very best so soon after returning from injury, with the flyer finding his groove to score a well taken try. The wing skipped beyond Samoa international Jacob Umaga to score, after Alex Nankivell played him through a gap. Solid defensive work coupled a strong return to the league for Nash.

13. Henco van Wyk (Lions)

A stand-out midfield general this week, as the Johannesburg side welcomed Glasgow to the Lions' den. Henco van Wyk was a wrecking ball in the centre of the park, as the Lions ran roughshod over the URC league leaders. It was a humbling exercise out in South Africa for the Warriors, who were put to the sword through van Wyk's brace of tries. Thunderous carries and solid defensive work defined the Lions' output.

12. Alex Nankivell (Munster)

Returning to the Red Army for our next entry, as Alex Nankivell continues to keep the discussion open around his international future. After being overlooked by the All Blacks throughout seven years of Super Rugby, Nankivell has thrived with Munster since 2023 and continues to elevate his game.

Nankivell kept former All Black Malakai Fekitoa quiet for the duration, and fronted up brilliantly against arguably the world's most in-form centre, Italian superstar Tommaso Menoncello. Uncapped on the Test stage, and with such a balanced skillset upon both sides of the ball, Andy Farrell could well call upon the Munster powerhouse once he qualifies for Ireland through residency.

11. Zac Ward (Ulster)

We keep it in the Irish provinces for our next two entries, as the clash in Belfast delivered plenty of stand-out performances. Taking the spot upon the left wing is Zac Ward, as the former Ireland Sevens star could not be contained upon two back-to-back breakaway tries. Ward's contributions across the whitewash dug Ulster out of a significant rut, and helped claw the province back into range of the leading Leinster outfit. Whilst Ulster would eventually be beaten on the day, Ward's efforts certainly got noticed.

10. Sam Prendergast (Leinster)

The Player of the Match from the inter-provincial clash at the Affidea Stadium, Sam Prendergast looks to be getting back to his very best after a disappointing Six Nations campaign. Having lost his place in the Irish saddle to Jack Crowley for now, Prendergast provided a performance which reminded Andy Farrell upon just how good he can be when the pressure is on. The out-half delivered clutch passes, secured the decisive try and was inch-perfect from the kicking tee in a polished, well-rounded performance.

9. Embrose Papier (Bulls)

Completing the back-line in our URC Team of the Week, Embrose Papier had the run of Rodney Parade this past Friday night. The scrum half was a thorn in the side of the Dragons, who simply could not gauge a reading of the unpredictable Bulls man. Papier kept the Welsh side on the back-foot with a scuttling first step, that freed up his outside runners to punch through the gaps. Papier opened the scoring after 10 minutes, and kept the tempo at a rapid rate of knots for the duration of the walkover.

1. Boan Venter (Edinburgh)

Moving on into the forward pack now, and the first two entries both come from Edinburgh's hard-fought win over Zebre this past Friday. Boan Venter gets us underway, as the South African prop replaced Pierre Schoeman, and exploded into the contest at 55 minutes. The former Cheetahs man upped Edinburgh's set-piece intensity against the tiring Zebre pack, and was on hand to ground the 78th minute try, that teed up Cammy Scott to slot the winning conversion.

2. Ewan Ashman (Edinburgh)

Whilst the headlines from the Hive Stadium were handed to Boan Venter and Cammy Scott's late heroics, the win would not have been possible, had Ewan Ashman not shown up on the day. The hooker was at his Test-level best for the capital city club, with the Scotland international on hand to wrestle his way over the line for a brace of tries. His 35th minute score swung the advantage back towards the hosts upon the half-time break, before his try on the hour mark helped the Scots gain a second half foot-hold in a yo-yoing fixture of ever-changing momentum.

3. Javan Sebastian (Cardiff)

If there was such an award for 'substitute of the week' it would certainly go to replacement Cardiff prop Javan Sebastian following the Welsh derby win. The tight-head was deployed from the bench after 52 minutes, in a straightforward chance for Wales international Kieron Assiratti. However, Sebastian would then lead the charge with two tries in 28 minutes, as he crossed over at the 70th, and in the final play of the match. The 31-year-old was the man of the moment, as Cardiff snatched the win from none other than Sebastian's former club.

4. Ruan Nortje (Bulls)

Onto the second row now, and we've selected a locking partnership that could well rival any international engine room from across the world. First up is the hard-nosed South African stalwart Ruan Nortje, who was the enforcer behind the Bulls' dominant win over the Dragons in Newport. Whilst Nortje didn't get on the score-board in the one-sided win, the Springbok dented the Dragons with countless carries, and chopped the momentum out from underneath their attacking drives time and again.

5. Tadhg Beirne (Munster)

Partnering Ruan Nortje in the second row is Tadhg Beirne, who has a genuine case to be considered the best lock in the world today. The Munster man was at his peerless best in the impressive victory over Benetton, with a commanding line-out presence and tireless work rate to secure his side the ball. Beirne's iconic blue scrum cap even popped up to score a try mid-way through the second half, as the 2025 Lions' Player of the Series led from the front for a real captain's contribution. It was an important win for the province, with Beirne at the heart of the efforts once again.

6. Phepsi Buthelezi (Sharks)

The back row begins with Sharks bruiser Phepsi Buthelezi, who despite coming away from South Wales on the losing end of the score-line, had plenty to be proud of from his side's clash with the Ospreys. The South African crossed for two tries in the defeat at Brewery Field, in what was a stand-out effort on the front foot from the once-capped Springbok. With the inaugural Nations Championship set to kick off in July, Buthelezi could well get the call from Rassie Erasmus, should his strong form continue for the Sharks.

7. Shamus Hurley-Langton (Connacht)

Our pick for the open-side flank goes to Connacht man Shamus Hurley-Langton, who was at the coalface of the landmark win in South Africa. It is well documented how even the most in-form clubs can come undone upon a trip to the land of the Springboks - just look at Glasgow this week - yet Hurley-Langton dug in against the Stormers to help his province over the line. A well taken try capped off a stellar outing for the 26-year-old, who is returning to his top form after an injury laden start to the season.

8. Gavin Coombes (Munster)

We round off the Team of the Week for the 15th Round of the URC's regular season, with Munster back row Gavin Coombes. After his afternoon began with some breathless defensive work against the hot-stepping Italian outfit, Coombes seized the ball and exploded over the Benetton whitewash for a try. The eight-man was in unstoppable form as the Red Army rolled into Treviso, with some neat touches added into his arsenal of out-right attacking intensity.