Everything we though we knew about the URC is wrong; all the teams we thought were good keep losing and all the teams we thought were bad keep playing exceptionally well. With each game that passes we are forced to revaluate and reassess. Here is just some of what we’ve learned in the most recent round…
Smith (6'), Lancaster (8'), Oguntibeju (32'), McKay (39')
Tries
Coughlan (11'), Kelly (50'), Gleeson (60'), Kilgallen (66')
Lancaster (6', 8', 32', 39')
Conversions
Wood (67')
Lancaster (73')
Penalties
Everything we though we knew about the URC is wrong; all the teams we thought were good keep losing and all the teams we thought were bad keep playing exceptionally well. With each game that passes we are forced to revaluate and reassess. Here is just some of what we’ve learned in the most recent round…
There are no medals handed out in January, but this has already been a sensational season for Glasgow. With the loss of Tom Jordan, who played 22 games for the Warriors last season, some predicted a dip in form. So, the fact that the Scottish team have just matched their best ever winning run of 9 victories in a row only speaks to the incredible job coach Franco Smith is doing with a squad that is strong, but hardly galacticos.
After their hard earned victory against bitter rivals Munster, fly-half Dan Lancaster (who himself is starting to draw positive reviews after a slow start in Glasgow) said they were frustrated with their tendency to let teams back into games after blowing them away in the first half. This shows that Glasgow are holding themselves to a championship standard; it is not about if they win, it is about how well they win.
The stats certainly reflect a team that is winning well. Not only have they not lost since their shock nil-ing at the hands of the Scarlets in November, but both their defence and attack are the best in the URC. In fact, their stats across the board are consistently excellent, with even their scrum being dominant in this game. A showdown with the chasing Leinster, who are themselves on an 11-match win streak, is scheduled for straight after the Six Nations – what a game that will be!
Back when John Plumtree was relieved of his duty by the Sharks after years of underperformance and a hopeless start to this season, the Stormers were undefeated in the URC. Less than 2 months later, the Sharks have not only handed Stormers their first loss of the season but now their 2nd in consecutive weekends. It just goes to show, rugby moves fast!
These victories represent two of the best the Sharks have achieved in the URC era and, from the eye test, it is the most organised and purposeful the team has looked on the pitch in a long time. Is that down to the interim coach, JP Peitersen? Or, is it simply down to a huge derby with South Africa’s best team focusing the players’ minds?
We won’t know until we see the Sharks back it up in the upcoming rounds, but what we can say is their set piece dominated what was statistically the best in the league on back-to-back weekends, and their defence is resolute and committed. They also appear to have unearthed a gem in winger Jaco Williams, who looked more than at home starting alongside Springboks. Keep up those foundations, and a rise up the table is assured.
After the Bulls lost at home to Bristol in the Champions Cup, the pressure on coach Johan Akkerman and his assistants was immense. The organisation closed ranks, cancelling press conferences and interviews whilst the performances continued to deteriorate. Since then, they have gradually eased that pressure with progressively more impressive victories. An away win in Pau was backed up by another win away in Edinburgh. These victories were gutsy fight-backs, born out of grit and muscle – aka traditional Bulls rugby.
This win against the Lions, however, was an emphatic thrashing – their most convincing win of the season so far. The Lions were poor, especially in defence, but that doesn’t mean the Bulls don’t deserve credit for putting them to the sword. So, are they back? It’s still too soon to say, but the progress is clear to see. A tough game against a resurgent Sharks in the next round is yet another step up.
Two teams, one conundrum: the 2nd half. So far this season, Leinster have lost their first halves by an average score of 11-13 but won their second halves by an average score of 17-8. These late game surges are a new phenomena for the boys in blue, who we are more used to seeing dominate their opposition from the word go. Moreover, the way their season has been quietly building after an uncharacteristically slow start suggests the province is taking a different approach to years gone by, perhaps being less impressive in the ‘easier’ games but peaking when it matters in the play-offs.
For Edinburgh, the 2nd half is the complete opposite. After the loss against Leinster, there emerged the shocking statistic that the average 2nd half score in their last 8 away games is 15-3. This was accompanied by the even more shocking statistic that Duhan van der Merwe’s try in this match was his first in a URC away game in 6 years. This flakiness continues to frustrate fans who are no more bought into Sean Everitt’s methods now than they were before he signed a 2 year contract extension.
The wider context around the Ospreys regarding their long-term future almost makes any analysis of their games irrelevant. What we can say, however, is that their late win over the Dragons last weekend was the perfect summation of the team across the last 3 seasons. Arguably the lesser team on the day, playing on a muddy pitch in the depths of winter, only to win in the most dramatic fashion possible. As soon as the camera cut to the rain lashing down across the floodlights, we all knew what was coming!
Sticking purely to on-field events, the Dragons were understandably gutted to have let this one slip. They dominated the 1st half and should have been 2 scores up at half time. Their defence in the 2nd half was resolute, but they could not escape their own 22m. Once a yellow card was dished out, an Ospreys winner felt inevitable. On the subject of cards, one must say that the home side did get the rub of the green with the officials, too. In a Welsh rugby world that is addicted to drama and controversy, the events of this game could not have been more fitting.
