The second round of the new United Rugby Championship season is in the books, with another weekend of drama across Ireland, Wales, South Africa, Scotland and Italy.
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Cardiff continued their impressive start with a six-try victory over Zebre, while Edinburgh made it two wins from two by edging past the Stormers in a tense contest at the Hive.
Dragons also claimed their first victory of the campaign, beating Scarlets in a thrilling Welsh derby at Rodney Parade.
The Sharks then made it back-to-back wins with a hard-fought victory over defending champions Leinster in Durban, leaving the Irish province still searching for their first victory of the season.
Glasgow Warriors and Ulster played out a remarkable 33-33 draw at Scotstoun, with both sides having chances to snatch victory late on.
Munster finally got their campaign up and running with a narrow win over the Bulls at Thomond Park, while Connacht left Treviso with a dramatic late victory over Benetton.
The Lions also maintained their perfect start by powering past Ospreys in Johannesburg.
With plenty of standout individual performances across the weekend, we have compiled our Team of the Week for the second round of the URC, with the full results listed below.
FULL RESULTS: URC ROUND 2
CARDIFF 40 - 27 ZEBRE / EDINBURGH 17 - 13 STORMERS / BENETTON 19 - 22 CONNACHT
LIONS 35 - 19 OSPREYS / DRAGONS 38 - 26 SCARLETS / SHARKS 26 - 20 LEINSTER
GLASGOW WARRIORS 33 - 33 ULSTER / MUNSTER 26 - 22 BULLS
TEAM OF THE WEEK: URC ROUND
15. RORY MCHAFFIE (EDINBURGH)
What a way to mark a home debut. Just 19 years old, McHaffie produced one of the defining moments of Edinburgh's hard-earned victory over the Stormers, gathering James Grayson's pass off the deck before beating the cover defence to score.
His try restored Edinburgh's lead after the visitors had levelled the scoreing, and showcased a blsitering turn of pace, along with great composure. McHaffie did not look out of place for his first senior run out at the Hive, and was more than ready for the challenge at this level.
14. KYLE ROWE (GLASGOW WARRIORS)
Rowe was one of Glasgow's most dangerous attacking outlets in a remarkable 33-33 draw with Ulster. The experienced Scottish winger crossed twice, with his first coming after a superb Stafford McDowall pass took three defenders out of the game.
His second came at a crucial stage of battle against the Belfast side, when he raced clear to extend Glasgow's lead. Two tries in a game of such exhaustive end-to-end intensity underlined his threat, with Gregor Townsend eager to see his man maintain such form ahead of the Nations Championship.
13. STAFFORD MCDOWALL (GLASGOW WARRIORS)
We keep it all things Glaswegian, as Stafford McDowall played a key role in Glasgow's attacking fightback, producing the pass that created Rowe's first try and exploiting the Ulster defence.
With Glasgow needing to respond after falling 12 points behind, the centre was heavily involved as the hosts turned the game on it's during a remarkable nine-minute spell, that stunned the Scotstoun into jubilant celebration albeit with the spoils shared.
12. ANDRE ESTERHUIZEN (SHARKS)
The Sharks needed something special to regain control against Leinster, and Andre 'The Giant' Esterhuizen provided it. With the visitors edged ahead early in the second half, the Springboks centre finished off a rapid counter-attack to put the hosts back in front, barely a minute after Leinster had taken the lead.
His try was one of the moments that swung a fiercely contested game back in the Sharks' favour, and the former Harlequins man put in a thunderous performance across both sides of the ball.
11. TOM BOWEN (CARDIFF)
Two tries and another electric performance from Bowen sees him take a spot with our URC Team of the Week. The Cardiff wing was a constant threat as the hosts pulled away from Zebre, first collecting Callum Sheedy's clever grubber to score.
He collected his brace after being released by scrum-half Johan Mulder, with the afterburners ignited as he raced home to score. Bowen's doublehelped Cardiff establish a commanding lead and underlined how there is plenty of optimism around the Welsh capital this season.
10. CHARLIE O'SHEA (MUNSTER)
O'Shea produced a dream first senior competitive start, scoring twice and kicking three conversions as Munster secured their first victory of the season.
The 20-year-old also showed his attacking vision early on, delivering the cross-field kick that set up Diarmuid Kilgallen for Munster's opening try. His two second-half score ultimately proved decisive, as the hosts held off a late Bulls fightback, with O'Shea bagging Player of the Match to boot.
9. GEORGE HORNE (GLASGOW WARRIORS)
Horne was central to almost everything Glasgow did in their chaotic encounter with Ulster. He converted four of the Warriors' five tries and during their dramatic comeback.
He then had the chance to win the game late on after Glasgow earned a kickable penalty, only for his effort to come back off the upright. A frustrating ending, but another hugely influential display, as the Scottish side would not have even grabbed a draw without their resident nine on hand.
1. THOMAS DU TOIT (SHARKS)
The Sharks' dominance at scrum time was one of the defining features of their victory over Leinster, and du Toit was at the heart of that dominance over the Dubliners.
Against an experienced Leinster pack, the Sharks repeatedly found an advantage at the set piece and used it to build pressure, with Du Toit's formidable pairing with Vincent Koch doing plenty of damage. Du Toit provided the platform for victory that kept the Durban side's perfect start intact.
2. ELLIOT DEE (DRAGONS)
Two tries from the Dragons hooker helped drive his side to victory in a thrilling Welsh derby.
Dee powered over from a driving line-out in the first half before doing it again after the break, his second score coming at a crucial stage as the Dragons took control. His physicality and work at the set piece were also central to a six-try performance.
3. KEYAN KNOX (ULSTER)
Ulster's scrum was tested throughout a frantic encounter at Scotstoun, but Knox helped the visitors stand up to Glasgow's challenge. The tighthead was part of an Ulster pack that competed effectively despite the pressure created by the Warriors' comeback, as the match went down to the wire.
4. EBEN ETZEBETH (SHARKS)
Etzebeth brought his trademark physicality to another bruising encounter in Durban, however I don't think even the most dedicated Sharks fan would have seen his incredible dummy, down-field break and try-assist offload to Esterhuizen on the cards.
The veteran lock was introduced from the bench and had a tremendous impact, with his highlight reel carry taking the spotlight from a gutsy emptying of the Shark tank within the decisive final stages.
5. TEDDY WILLIAMS (CARDIFF)
A dream return to competitive action at the Arms Park. Playing his first competitive home game for Cardiff since suffering a serious foot injury at the ground in October 2025.
Williams marked the occasion by powering over for the opening try, and enjoyed a gritty battle at the breakdown. His score came after a deft pass from Alex Mann and helped Cardiff seize control of the contest. He was a key figure as the hosts built a commanding lead.
6. ALEX MANN (CARDIFF)
Mann was at the centre of one of Cardiff's most impressive attacking performances, as he led the go-forward in the dominant win over Zebre.
He produced the aformentioned clever pass that released Teddy Williams for the opening try, before getting his own name on the scoresheet to secure Cardiff's bonus point before half-time. Mann caused constant problems as Cardiff established a 26-8 lead, and had the match won by the half-time whistle.
7. JOSH HODNETT (MUNSTER)
Hodnett delivered the kind of tireless performance that helped Munster survive a difficult contest against the Bulls. Whilst Charlie O'Shea took the headlines from the Red Army's win, Hodnett was at the heart of the battle, with a relentless 'never-say-die' approach to his carrying and defensive work.
The flanker was prominent as the home side wrestled to contain a powerful South African pack, contributing around the breakdown and helping Munster maintain their intensity for a first win of a fresh United Rugby Championship season.
8. JEANDRE RUDOLPH (BULLS)
Rudolph never stopped pushing the Bulls forward and was rewarded with a late try as the visitors attempted to snatch victory from Munster.
Charging along the touchline for a stellar score from wide, the number eight gave the Bulls hope in the closing stages, although Curwin Bosch was unable to add the conversion.
His late score capped a powerful individual showing despite the Bulls ultimately falling short at Thomond Park. However, Rudolph certainly impressed all onlookers, and the 32-year-old could well be on his way for a long awaited Springboks debut should this form continue.
