URC – Round 11 Review

League leaders Leinster pushed all the way

Relieved Leinster Rugby boss Leo Cullen paid tribute to an “unbelievably dogged” display from the Ospreys following his team’s hard-fought 22-19 victory in Swansea.

The league leaders were pushed all the way to the wire before making it 11 wins out of 11 in the BKT URC this season and 15 out of 15 in all competitions.

Three times the Welsh hosts reduced the deficit to one score and they had a chance to go for the win when they earned a penalty just inside their own half with 20 seconds to go, only to miss touch with the resulting kick.

Cullen said: “We know they are a proud club, the Ospreys.

“They have been on a great run of form and I thought they put in a big performance.

“They kept coming back. They were unbelievably dogged throughout, right to the very end there.

“They dug in well and they put us under pressure. It was like they had another man on the field at the end in terms of the contest at the breakdown and the level of energy they had.

“We were pretty fortunate they didn’t find touch at the end there because otherwise it would have been a nervy last few minutes. We were pretty relieved.”

Cullen continued: “We would have liked to have played better.

“We try to put in a perfect performance every week and we were far from perfect, but we got an outcome. I wouldn’t say we are elated with how we went, even though we won the game.

“We are frustrated, but probably relieved to come away with four points. That is pleasing considering all the moving parts we have going on at the moment.”

For the Ospreys, it was a first defeat under new head coach Mark Jones with his opening five games having brought four wins and a draw.

Their skipper Justin Tipuric said: “We would like to have won to keep the momentum going, so it’s a little bit gutting, but all credit to Leinster. It doesn’t matter if it’s their first, second, third or fourth team. It’s a crazy set-up they have got there."

The game finished three tries apiece, with one of those going to Ospreys flanker Harri Deaves who was named Player of the Match despite ending up on the losing side.

It was Leinster’s French international prop Rabah Slimani who claimed what ultimately proved to be the decisive touchdown after working a one-two with RJ Snyman 15 minutes from time.

Ospreys boss Mark Jones said: “We fancied having a crack at their 0. We wanted to try and get a 1 next to their loss line and you could see that by the effort we put in, but our accuracy wasn’t good enough, particularly in the first half.

“Leinster are going to test you and put pressure on you and your nuts and bolts need to hold up.

“The 15-7 margin at half time was just a little bit too much to climb in the end. We made a bit of hay, but we still didn’t have enough to win the game unfortunately.

“Well done to Leinster, they are a top side and we want to be a side like that in years to come. We want to set the foundations for that type of future. We want to be a Leinster-esque type of side where teams just don’t expect to beat you.”

He concluded: “We have talked around wanting to score more tries and it was three-all. Not many teams will dent Leinster with three tries, so we are chipping away at that.

“There are definitely positives in there. Our challenge now is to go one step further against a very good side in Glasgow in two weeks time and see if we can do it on the road.”

Speaking of Glasgow, they capitalised on the third-placed Vodacom Bulls losing at home to the Hollywoodbets Sharks by beating Dragons RFC 45-20 at Rodney Parade to strengthen their grip on second spot.

They claimed seven tries in all with Scotland scrum-half George Horne touching down twice and skipper Duncan Weir also crossing as he racked up 15 points with No 8 Jack Mann taking the Player of the Match award.

Zebre earning their stripes on the road

After going four years without an away win in the league, Zebre Parma have now racked up two on the trot!

Having beaten Ulster 15-14 at the Kingspan Stadium in the last round, they backed that up on Friday night by defeating 22-17 Edinburgh in the Scottish capital.

They built a ten-point lead through tries from wing Jacopo Trulla, scrum-half Gonzalo Garcia and hooker Tommaso Di Bartolomeo, but were then reduced to 13 players for a spell in the closing stages following a yellow card for full-back Geronimo Prisciantelli and a red one for second row Guido Volpi either side of a touchdown by Luke Crosbie which halved the deficit.

Yet they held on, amid a heroic defensive display, to secure another notable victory on the road, sparking scenes of huge celebration on the final whistle.

The Italian outfit now have four victories from their 11 BKT URC games this season, after beating Munster and the Ospreys at home.

Their best ever league tally during the 13 seasons since their inception is seven back in 2017-18 in the days of the old PRO14.

It was a good weekend for Italy all round, with Benetton Rugby coming from 19-10 down to claim a 34-19 bonus point victory over Ulster Rugby in Treviso.

The visitors had three players yellow carded in the second half, with Benetton No 10 Tomas Albornoz landing six shots at goal to go with his team’s four tries, one of which was scored by Player of the Match Alessandro Izekor.

As for Ulster, they are now down in 14th place in the table having only won four of their 11 league games this season.

Zebre league victories

2024-25 - 4 (out of 11)

2023-24 - 1 (out of 18)

2022-23 - 0 (out of 18)

2021-22 - 1 (out of 18)

2020-21 - 4 (out of 16)

2019-20 - 3 (out of 15)

2018-19 - 3 (out of 21)

2017-18 - 7 (out of 21)

2016-17 - 3 (out of 22)

2015-16 - 5 (out of 22)

2014-15 - 3 (out of 22)

2013-14 - 5 (out of 22)

2012-13 - 0 (out of 22)

Sherratt disappointed as game slips away

New Wales coach Matt Sherratt was left to reflect on what might have been as Cardiff Rugby staged a dramatic second half comeback against Connacht Rugby in Galway only to go down to a 24-19 defeat.

Sherratt - who now heads off to take charge of the Welsh team for the remainder of the Six Nations - watched his Cardiff side battle back from 19-0 down to draw level with a hat-trick of tries.

But Connacht snatched back the spoils with replacement hooker Dylan Tierney-Martin claiming the match-winning bonus point score four minutes from time.

“We are a little bit frustrated,” admitted Sherratt.

“We didn’t play particularly well in the first half. We looked like a team that hadn’t played for a couple of weeks. We were a bit clunky and lost a few too many collisions. Our timing was a little bit off.

“But we weren’t too unhappy with 14-0 at half-time because it was a very, very strong wind.

“We felt if we could get some territory, be a little bit more physical and put some play together we would get back into the game, which we did.”

Cardiff actually fell further behind soon after the break, but then came the revival via tries from Rey Lee-Lo, Ben Donnell and new scrum-half Calum Braley.

“At 19-0, it could have got away from us, but one thing we know this team has got is character,” said Sherratt.

“Our efficiency when we got into their 22 was really good. We were pretty ruthless with the chances we had.

“We got to 19-all, but unfortunately it was just not enough in the end.

“Credit to Connacht, they probably got two bits of field position in the second half and scored two tries. Ultimately that proved to be the difference.

“It was one of those that probably slipped away from us.”

He added: “The league table is about accumulating points and at 19-0 down we could have left with nothing, so to go home from Ireland with a point is a point earned.

“But we are disappointed really. It’s only fine margins where it could have been four or five.”

Sherratt now turns his attention to next Saturday’s Six Nations clash with Ireland at the Principality Stadium.

Reflecting on his appointment as interim Wales head coach, he said: "It's been a very different week. I have enjoyed it so far.

"It's been a bit busier than usual. I didn't realise how popular I was for tickets!”

Giving his thoughts on the fluctuating contest with Cardiff, Connacht head coach Pete Wilkins said: “I am delighted with the win. To get the five points as well was so important.

“The significance of the game was clear with where we found ourselves in the URC table going into it. You could see that in the players, you could feel that.

“So there were nerves out there, but it didn’t translate into panic, which was really important. The players stayed on task and we ground it out.

“There was that run of three tries from Cardiff which changed the whole atmosphere of the game and the stadium. For the lads to respond to that shows there is growth there. In days gone by, we probably wouldn’t have been able to reassert ourselves with that momentum. I am pleased. The boys found a way and I am really proud of them.

“It’s absolutely huge for us. With other teams losing, it was so important we took advantage of that.”

Match of the weekend

Vodacom Bulls 19, Hollywoodbets Sharks 29

A crowd of 23,307 watched the Sharks pull off a remarkable bonus point victory against all the odds at Pretoria’s Loftus Versfeld.

They lost Springbok front row duo Bongi Mbonambi and Trevor Nyakane to injury in the first half and then fell foul of the yellow peril after the break as they had three players sin-binned in the space of seven minutes.

That left them down to 12 men at one point and they had to survive for some ten minutes with 13.

But survive they did to stay in the game and, once restored to their full complement, they rattled up three tries to secure a stunning away win over their high-flying hosts.

Skipper Vincent Tshituka said: “I am lost for words. Bulls-Sharks games of late have been a spectacle to say the least.

“It just shows what the team means to the boys. It’s an honour and a privilege to play for the Sharks and I think the boys showed that on the field.”

Reflecting on how they dealt with the cluster of yellow cards, the flanker said: “It was incredibly tough. The biggest thing was just to keep cool heads.

“A lot of things weren't going our way, but it’s all about the mindset. You can't undo what has been done, you focus on the next job and complete the next job. We just pulled together.”

The Player of the Match award went to fellow Sharks flanker Tinotenda Maversere who topped the tackle chart with 17 and raced away for a thrilling try.

“It was a team effort. Everyone was on the same page, everyone bought in,” he said.

“I’m really happy that the boys brought it through. We had a couple of yellow cards, but showed character more than anything.

“We are heading in the right direction. It’s really special.”

Bulls captain Reinhardt Ludwig commented: “I am definitely disappointed.

“We dominated set-piece, we were good at scrum time, put them under pressure in the maul, but they won the scraps all the time. Credit to the Sharks, well done.

“But there is still a lot to play for. In the URC, anything can happen.”

Player of the weekend

Gavin Coombes (Munster Rugby)

Plenty of contenders, but No 8 Coombes was just immense during Munster’s 29-8 bonus point win over the Scarlets in Limerick.

The 27-year-old from Skibbereen powered his way over for two tries and came tantalisingly close to completing his hat-trick on a couple of occasions.

That now takes his touchdown tally for the province up to 50 from 115 games, putting him joint third on their all-time list, an outstanding achievement for a back row forward.

Coombes trucked the ball up more than any other player on the pitch in the clash with the Scarlets, making 17 successful carries as he hoovered up some 43 metres, beating four defenders in the process, while he also added a turnover for good measure.

Some effort, some player.

Quote of the weekend

Emirates Lions skipper Francke Horn after his team ended a six-match losing run against the DHL Stormers by winning 30-23 in Johannesburg:

“We have got that monkey off our back. We can be really proud. It’s a step in the right direction for us. We will celebrate this one and then it’s back to work on Monday. We need to win against the Bulls next weekend as well.”

Stormers skipper Salmaan Moerat commented: “We are utterly disappointed. Obviously, the goal is to get to the play-offs. We understand it is going to take a lot of hard work.”

What’s coming next?

While the focus now switches back to the Six Nations in the northern hemisphere, there is one BKT URC game in South Africa next weekend.

That will see the Bulls looking to bounce back from derby day dismay when they host the buoyant Lions in a rearranged Round 9 fixture in Pretoria.

Then the following weekend will see a full programme as we head into Round 12.

Leaders Leinster entertain Cardiff, while second-placed Glasgow also welcome Welsh opposition in the shape of the Ospreys, as do Ulster, with the Scarlets their opponents in Belfast.

There are two more all-South African affairs with the Lions home to the Sharks and the Bulls once more at Loftus Versfeld for a meeting with the Stormers.

Zebre will be looking to make it three wins in a row as bottom-of-the-table Dragons travel to Parma, while fellow Italians Benetton head for Connacht.