The inaugural edition of the United Rugby Championship produced its fair share of upsets as the Stormers surprised friend and foe by claiming the title.
The defending champions from South Africa are still unbeaten this season but the clear favourite for the title after the opening few rounds is Irish giants Leinster. They passed their first big test of this season when they overcame fellow Irish side Ulster away from home and then followed that up with a 54-34 demolition of a very strong Sharks team. Leinster leads the table with 23 points from their five matches and remains the only side in the competition with a 100% win record. The tournament has thrown up its fair of upsets last season and already this season there have been wins for the underdog teams. Rugby betting tips have proven beneficial in helping gamblers make informed decisions when placing their bets.
Last season’s runners up, the Bulls have again had a slow start as they have lost their last two matches albeit both away from home. Coach Jake White will not be too perturbed by this as last season they showed that they can make up the points on any team above them when they get on a winning streak. Some of the less fancied teams like Benetton have shown great improvement this season especially at home. The Italian side has a large contingent of Italy national players in their team but the stars in their team are both foreign imports namely South African Rhyno Smith and Argentinian Tomás Albornoz. Both players are deadly goal kickers but it is their attacking threat that sets them apart from their teammates.
If teams are judged purely on paper then the Sharks will be the obvious biggest threat to Leinster as they have a team laden with Springboks that feature national team captain Siya Kolisi, Eben Etzebeth, Lukhanyo Am, Ox Nche and Makazole Mapimpi among others. It remains to be seen if they can piece the jigsaw together and if they fail to impress again this season then we could see the end of Coach Sean Everitt tenure at the Sharks. Irish teams Munster and Ulster will always remain a threat but the Munster team seems to be in a rebuilding phase under the guidance of Graham Roundtree. This season’s expectation will probably be to make the semi-finals and if they are to achieve that then it will be regarded as a successful campaign.
Ulster so often play second fiddle to the might of Leinster but two wins last season over their arch rivals signaled that they may be getting the better of the men from Dublin but their first meeting this season saw Leinster comfortably win at the Kingspan Stadium. Leinster who lost at home in last season’s semi-final to the less fancied Bulls in what was the upset of the season will be raring to claim the one major title missing from their trophy cabinet. As usual the fitness of Johnny Sexton will be pivotal in their quest especially in the playoff rounds. A fit Sexton will make Leinster a very difficult team to stop this season as they have Irish internationals in almost every position.