URC Team of the Week: Round 7 - Wales hopeful continues hot form - Ruck
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URC Team of the Week: Round 7 – Wales hopeful continues hot form

23 December 2025
Tom Sansom

The United Rugby Championship roared back into life this past weekend, following a two-week hiatus for the launch of the Investec Champions Cup and the EPCR Challenge Cup pool stages. Across the eight matches of action we witnessed six regional derbies, as the bragging rights begin to get decided across the first of two festive weekends in the cross-continental competition.

 The Stormers continue upon their meteoric start to the 2025/26 URC season with a seventh consecutive win. The Cape Town side remain in poll position following a triumphant South African clash against the Lions. Munster return back up to second in the table, after clinching an important away win against the Ospreys. Cardiff then continue to hold steady in third, despite their Welsh derby defeat to the Scarlets, with Glasgow closing down the deficit in fourth following their Scottish derby win over Edinburgh.

Once again, we have scoured across the league and pieced together our picks for the stand out players from the round. Upon a weekend which marked a milestone end to the Dragons 15-month wait for a URC victory, and a litany of derbies decided across the nations, here’s RUCK’s URC Team of the Week.

TEAM OF THE WEEK: 2025/26 UNITED RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP (ROUND 7)

15. George Whitehead (Sharks)

We kick off this Team of the Week with an oustanding off-the-bench appearence down in South Africa, as George Whitehead rescued the Sharks from the jaws of defeat against the Bulls. The Durban side was trailing 7-9 as the match entered the closing 10 minutes, only before Whitehead crossed over for a stunning brace of tries in a four-try rout. The Sharks prevailed following the 71st and 78th minute tries either side of Edwill van der Merwe’s 77th minute score, with Whitehead heralded for his efforts in the derby win.

14. Rio Dyer (Dragons)

Moving back up to the Northern Hemisphere, Wales wing Rio Dyer was in phenomenal form for the Dragons, as the Men of Gwent brought an end to their arduous wait for a United Rugby Championship win. Dyer earned the Player of the Match award as the Dragons dismantled Connacht with a stunning 48-28 win in Newport, with Dyer getting on the score-board at the 50th minute. The young Welsh flyer made it a long afternoon for the Irish province, with repeated darts along the touchline being too much for Connacht to contain.

13. Alex Nankivell (Munster)

Munster midfielder Alex Nankivell is arguably playing the best rugby of his career at the moment, as the centre bossed the battle at the gain-line with a commanding presence against the Ospreys. Excellent at the carry, sharp distributions and explosive in contact, the New Zealander looks to be the complete package under fellow Kiwi, head coach Clayton McMillan. An honourable mention is in store for another New Zealander, as All Blacks star Reiko Ioane tore up trees upon his first Leinster start and bagged a well taken try in the narrow win over Ulster.

12. Andre Esterhuizen (Sharks)

We head back down to Durban for the next entry, as former Harlequins wrecking ball Andre Esterhuizen had another stellar performance upon his home soil. Whilst the Springboks titan is not the first choice midfielder in Rassie Erasmus’ plans, Esterhuizen is steadily establishing himself as a multi-tool coverage option across the back row to bolster his involvement in green and gold. Esterhuizen was tremendous for the Sharks in their dramatic comeback win over the Bulls, with his regular vigor at the gain-line coupled with this latest positional string to his game-driving bow.

11. Werner Kok (Ulster)

Another South African who continues to impress in each of his United Rugby Championship outings, Ulster wing Werner Kok put in a performance to be proud of despite coming away on the losing side of the score-line against Leinster. Kok was at the heart of the Belfast side’s attacking fortitude, with the wing on hand to cross for two tries, as Ulster raced to an early lead at the Aviva Stadium. The former sevens convert made it a tiresome afternoon for Leo Cullen’s men, with a relentless presence in the Irish derby.

10. Jack Crowley (Munster)

A man who is hoping to continue such strong provincial form into the new year, to bolster his chances of becoming Ireland’s first choice fly half once again, Jack Crowley was unflappable in Munster’s latest away day. The out-half ensured that Munster had wiped away the cobwebs of their latest away trip, which was the underwhelming defeat to Bath to open their Champions Cup campaign. Crowley crossed for a try against the Ospreys this past weekend and commanded his attacking line with aplomb. If Andy Farrell were to pick the starting Ireland 10 after this past weekend, Crowley would have been a shoe-in for the 2026 Six Nations, yet time will tell if this form is maintained.

9. Che Hope (Dragons)

We return back to Wales, with two performances from Welsh regional scrum halves worthy of a shout in the URC Team of the Week. We hand an honourable mention to Scarlets halfback Gareth Davies, who raced away to bag two tries in the capital city triumph over Cardiff. However, we hand the mantle to Dragons nine Che Hope, who was integral to his side’s lomg awaited URC league victory, as he two scored twice in the win over Connacht. It was a tough call, but the magnitude of the Dragons win tips beyond the Scarlets derby day successes.

1. Ntuthuko Mchunu (Stormers)

Onto the forward pack now, and we commence with the latest iteration of a South African style ‘bomb squad’ to grace our screens. Whilst this did not take place in the formidable gold and green of the Springboks, there was no mistaking the tactic on display, as John Dobson emptied his Stormers bench at the 43rd minute against the Lions. Replacement loose-head Ntuthuko Mchunu was at the heart of the rejuvenated forward pack, as the prop dominated the scrum alongside Neethling Fouche, to lay the foundations for the impressive 34-27 win in Cape Town.

2. Dan Sheehan (Leinster)

Whilst not necessarily deployed in the typical ‘bomb squad’ fettle akin to his South African counterparts, Dan Sheehan was once again the man to Leinster rescue in the dramatic comeback victory over Ulster. Coming off the bench at the 44th minute when the score was poised at 17-7, Sheehan led the second half return fire to get the Dubliners back within punching distance. The former British & Irish Lions captain employed his leadership to settle the scum, tighten up the line-out and even bag the crucial match winning try to send Ulster back to Belfast with only losing bonus points as consolidation.

3. Michael Ala’alatoa (Munster)

As hinted towards in the earlier entry, there is an honourable mention in store for Neethling Fouche of the Stormers following the colossal ‘bomb squad’ impact against the Lions. However, we hand the tight-head spot in our URC Team of the Week to Munster’s Michael Ala’alatoa, who is really coming into his own since signing for the province over the Summer. The Samoan international put in a seismic shift in South Wales, with plenty of plaudits upon his scrummaging prowess against the back-peddling Ospreys.

4. Adre Smith (Stormers)

Returning once again to the current URC high-flyers, Andre Smith had a tremendous influence off the bench as John Dobson’s ‘bomb squad’ blew away the Lions of Johannesburg. The league’s resident marker holders needed a significant second half boost to secure their seventh consecutive league win, with Adre Smith a key figure from the bench. The lock upped the defensive tempo, ruled the skies at the line-out and emptied the tank with some nice carries around the park. Smith worked well in tandem with JD Schickerling, and the 28-year-old could well be looked upon by Rassie Erasmus for a long awaited Springboks debut should this hot form continue.

5. Riccardo Favretto (Benetton)

Packing down the engine room alongside Adre Smith, we head over to Italy as Riccardo Favretto was a man on a mission for Benetton this past weekend. The eight-capped Azzurri international was the pulse of an exhaustive Italian derby, as Benetton battled beyond Zebre for a 21-15 triumph in Treviso. Favretto put his body on the line with a constant presence in contact, as he was more often than not spotted at the bottom of a breakdown or competing in the ruck. Plenty of promise around this 80-minute ironman effort, as Gonzalo Quesada would surely have been casting his eye upon this match as he prepares to name his squad for the 2026 Six Nations in the new year.

6. Siya Kolisi (Sharks)

Siya Kolisi is the next man on our Team of the Week, as the two-time winning Rugby World Cup captain left it all on the line for the Sharks. Kolisi drove his side forward from the get-go and crossed over for the 70th minute score that finally broke the Bulls’ defensive dam. Kolisi started the four-try closing flourish, that saw the Sharks run away with the win in Durban. We hand an honourable mention to Connacht’s Cian Prendergast, as the back row delivered a stunning performance on a dark day for his province. The Ireland international scored twice in the dejecting defeat to the Dragons, in what was the only bright spark for the Galway side to celebrate.

7. Ruan Venter (Lions)

Lions man Ruan Venter holds down the seven jersey upon our URC Team of the Week, after emptying the tank with a blistering effort in the South African derby defeat to the Stormers. Whilst the end result did not go the way of the Johannesburg side, Venter starred in the sweltering heat with two well taken tries and a classic display of defensive grit and fortitude. Venter was not hindered by the harsh December sun of South Africa, as he left many a Stormers man in his wake following a physical effort at the gain-line.

8. Harri Keddie (Dragons)

We start off this final entry with two honourable mentions, as Evan Roos was outstanding for the Stormers in the South African derby, and Morgan Morris impressed with a try-scoring performance at the back of the Ospreys back. However, we’ve handed the final spot in our round seven Team of the Week to Harri Keddie, as the Dragons man continues to make a real claim for a Wales squad involvement for the 2026 Six Nations. The back rower was at his battering ram best for the long awaited Dragons win, with Steve Tandy sure to be taking note following Keddie’s recent run of hot form throughout Europe as well.

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