United Rugby Championship recap: Cardiff shine but Welsh regions endure tough start
Cardiff were the only Welsh region to register a win in the opening round of the United Rugby Championship
©Steve Haag
The United Rugby Championship burst back into life with a high-scoring opening weekend, delivering 64 tries across seven matches.
The standout result came in Cape Town, where the Stormers stunned Leinster 35-0 - just the second time the Irish powerhouse have been nilled in the league since its inception.
For the Welsh regions, it was a mixed bag. Here’s how the opening round played out.
Cardiff the sole victors
After announcing the departure of head coach Matt Sherratt at the beginning of the week, Cardiff kicked off their season with a 33-20 win over the Lions at the Arms Park.
Despite a small blip with a 20-minute red card to Ben Thomas, the Blue and Blacks pulled away in the second half with a brace of tries from replacement hooker Evan Lloyd.
After trailing 14-3 at one stage, the visitors did make it scrappy with a solid set-piece and led 20-14 midway through the second half, but were undone by a high turnover count with 16 conceded.
Number 8 Alun Lawrence stood out for the hosts with 16 carries and 12 tackles, while internationals Cam Winnett and Taine Basham each made two line breaks. Cardiff’s discipline remains a concern after conceding 14 penalties, but interim head coach Corniel van Zyl will take confidence from a bonus-point win.
Scarlets struggle for momentum
Ahead of their URC opener, a number of Scarlets supporters marched in Llanelli in protest of the Welsh Rugby Union’s proposal to cut the number of professional teams.
A crowd of over 9,000 were in attendance at Parc Y Scarlets, only to see their side beaten 34-21 by Munster who claimed a bonus point win in their first match under head coach Clayton McMillan.
Craig Casey’s first-half try and eight points from returning fly-half JJ Hanrahan built the platform before Tom Ahern sealed the win late on. The Scarlets briefly rallied through Blair Murray and Ellis Mee, but inaccuracies in attack blunted their chances of closing the gap.
Despite making 30 more carries than Munster, the Scarlets managed just four line breaks compared to the visitors’ 10. Wing Thaakir Abrahams and number 8 Brian Gleeson caused particular problems for Dwayne Peel’s side.
Ospreys in Pretoria points fest
The Loftus Versfeld crowd witnessed a staggering 15 tries as the Bulls defeated Ospreys 53-40 in a breathless contest.
Early scores from Keelan Giles and Keiran Williams put the Welsh side ahead before Marcell Coetzee struck twice for the hosts. By half-time, Ospreys led 26-19 thanks to a Jack Walsh try and Williams’ second, but the second half unravelled.
A faltering set-piece proved costly, with hooker Johan Grobbelaar scoring a hat-trick and Ospreys lock James Fender seeing yellow. Referee Federico Vedovelli penalised prop Garyn Phillips repeatedly, compounding the Welsh side's struggles.
Still, there were positives in the contact area. Captain Dewi Lake made two turnovers inside 10 minutes, while Rhys Davies and Harri Deaves both registered 17 tackles.
Dragons’ familiar frustrations
For the Dragons, it was a case of same story, different season. Their 42-21 loss to Ulster marked an 18th consecutive URC defeat.
The start promised much: Aaron Wainwright scored after just 12 seconds, and Jared Rosser added a second soon after. But three tries in a 15-minute spell before halftime from Nick Timoney, David McCann, and Zac Ward left Ulster in control at the break.
The Dragons leaned heavily on the kicking game, putting boot to ball 24 times - 10 more than their opponents - but offered little in terms of ball-carrying threat.
Ulster amassed 286 post-contact metres compared to the Dragons’ 80. Only Wainwright featured among the top carriers, though Shane Lewis-Hughes (20 tackles) and Ben Carter (19 tackles) battled hard in defence.
Looking Ahead
Round Two sees the Ospreys face a six-day turnaround as they travel from Pretoria to Cape Town to face the Stormers on Friday, 3 October. The Dragons host the Sharks in Newport the same evening.
On Saturday, Cardiff head to Limerick to take on Munster, while Scarlets travel west to face Connacht in Galway.
