URC Team of the Week: South African clubs Dominate

The action began under the Friday night lights of the Dexcom Stadium, with the Stormers igniting a cold night in Galway for the first win of a fresh campaign. Benetton and the Dragons then battled to a 19-19 stalemate in Treviso, whilst Edinburgh started their season off strong with an away win over Ulster.

The defending champions Leinster then suffered a narrow defeat upon their mini-tour of South Africa, as the Lions wrestled a one-point win from the grips of the Dubliners. The Sharks added a third win for the South African franchises upon the opening weekend, with a convincing win over the Ospreys at the Hollywoodbets Kings Park in Durban.

Saturday's action continued with an away win for Glasgow Warriors at Munster, before the Bulls marked a clean sweep of South African wins, as they hammered Zebre in Parma. The Scarlets and Cardiff were the closing act of Saturday's action, with the blue and blacks managing a hard-fought away win over the men from Llanelli. In this article, we have compiled the first Team of the Week for the opening round of the URC, with the full results also listed below.

CONNACHT 15 - 29 STORMERS / BENETTON 19 - 19 DRAGONS / ULSTER 29 - 34 EDINBURGH

LIONS 27 - 26 LEINSTER / SHARKS 41 - 24 OSPREYS / MUNSTER 20 - 26 GLASGOW WARRIORS

ZEBRE 13 - 47 BULLS / SCARLETS 15 - 21 CARDIFF

Two tries, plenty of attacking menace and a performance that suggested the Sharks may have unearthed something special. Giliomee was electric from full-back against Ospreys, showing the pace and instinct to punish space before sealing the victory with his second score. The 20-year-old was a constant threat throughout.

A long-awaited 'return of the Mack' saw the Ireland wing make his comeback from injury, and it could hardly have gone better... individually. Hansen produced a brilliant last-ditch tackle on Ruhan Nel early on before popping up at the other end to score Connacht’s opening try. His opportunism helped turn a difficult opening period into a 12-10 half-time advantage, albeit before the Stormers took control.

When Leinster threatened to run away with the contest, Cronje repeatedly provided the answer. The Lions centre crossed twice, his first score settling the hosts after Fintan Gunne’s early strike and his second restoring their advantage. In a game decided by a single point, those interventions ultimately proved hugely significant for the Johannesbug hosts.

Power was the defining feature of Vorster’s performance in Parma. The Bulls centre repeatedly asked questions of the Zebre defence with his direct running and eventually got his reward, crossing shortly after half-time. His try helped transform a competitive opening into a procession as the visitors marched towards a rather comfortable 47-13 victory.

It was a 100th appearance to remember for Dobie. After scoring the try that kept Glasgow in contention before half-time, the versatile scrum-half-cross-winger returned to the spotlight late on, bursting into the corner to complete his brace. His two scores were instrumental as the Warriors overturned Munster’s 17-7 interval lead, to come away from Thomond Park with the hart-fought victory.

Moyo kept the scoreboard ticking when the Sharks needed it most, landing four conversions and two crucial second-half penalties to keep the score-board mounting against the Ospreys. His accurate boot helped turn a competitive contest into a more comfortable victory, while his composure from the tee complemented a ruthless attacking display from the Durban side.

Three tries from scrum-half is usually enough to headline a winning performance, but Gunne somehow ended up on the wrong side of the result. His hat-trick came inside a scintillating first half, repeatedly exploiting gaps in the Lions defence and putting Leinster 19-17 ahead. It was an outstanding individual display.

Experience mattered in Llanelli, and Sio brought plenty of it to his Cardiff debut. The former Australia prop helped the visitors withstand Scarlets’ physical challenge as Cardiff’s driving maul became their most potent weapon. With all three Cardiff tries coming from line-outs, Sio’s contribution to the forward battle was significant.

Benetton’s pack was causing problems at the line-out, and Bernasconi was the man who capitalised. The hooker powered over from a driving maul for the second of the hosts’ three first-half tries, helping establish a commanding 19-7 lead. Dragons fought back impressively, but Bernasconi was central to Benetton’s strong start.

The Sharks laid down an early marker physically, and Koch was right in the middle of it. His work at the set piece helped give Durban’s forwards the platform to dominate Ospreys, with the hosts racing into a 28-14 half-time lead. It was the sort of hard-edged contribution that underpinned their victory.

Three minutes into the second half, Vermaak put the result beyond serious doubt. The Bulls lock powered over to extend the lead and underline the growing dominance of the visitors’ pack. After Zebre had made life uncomfortable early on, Vermaak and his fellow forwards helped turn the contest into a one-sided affair.

Two tries from a lock tells its own story. Ludwig was a constant presence at line-out time and added genuine attacking punch as the Bulls took control in Parma. His first score helped swing momentum decisively towards the visitors, while a second in the closing stages capped a hugely productive afternoon.

Ulster looked dead and buried at 34-5, then suddenly found another gear. McCann’s try was at the heart of that astonishing revival, one of three scores in a ten-minute spell that transformed the atmosphere inside the stadium. The comeback ultimately fell short, but his impact helped secure two valuable bonus points.

There was no shortage of physicality in Durban, and Tshituka repeatedly brought it. The flanker burst through weak tackles to score beneath the posts as the Sharks built a 28-14 half-time lead. His try was emblematic of a powerful first-half display that helped establish the platform for a bonus-point victory.

A captain’s contribution in a tight Welsh derby. Basham powered over from a driving line-out to give Cardiff a 14-12 half-time lead, then continued to make his presence felt as the visitors wrestled control from Scarlets. His blend of physicality and industry was crucial in securing a statement opening-round victory.