United Rugby Championship Predictions – Round 2

The South African sides will look to hit the ground running when they enter the United Rugby Championship fray this weekend, writes Quintin van Jaarsveld.

The local teams missed the opening round as it clashed with the Currie Cup final and had their scheduled derbies postponed to next year. Now, they’ll face foreign foes to kick off their campaigns on a jam-packed Saturday. 

The Lions and Bulls are at home, where they host Ulster and Edinburgh respectively, while the Sharks and Stormers are abroad, where they take on Connacht and the Ospreys.

Glasgow Warriors v Benetton

Friday, 27 September – 20:35

Smarting after their undesirable results in the opening round, these two teams will be determined to get off the mark.

The defending champion Warriors went down 20-19 to Ulster on the road, while Benetton will be kicking themselves after only managing a 20-all draw with the Scarlets at home.

This will be an interesting clash of styles with Glasgow known for their fast-paced attacking game and Benetton basing their game on accurate kicking. In this dance of fire and ice, bank on the Warriors to lead the way and get over the line.

Leinster v Dragons

Friday, 27 September – 20:35

One week in and Irish giants Leinster are already one step ahead as they were the only away team who managed to register a win in the opening round. They were made to work hard by Edinburgh but in the end, they left the Scottish capital with a 33-31 victory.

Despite being at home, it was somewhat of a surprise that the Dragons edged the Ospreys 23-21 considering they’ve finished 15th in each of the previous three URC seasons. As promising as last weekend’s win was for them, they’ll be outclassed at the Aviva.  

Lions v Ulster

Saturday, 28 September – 12:55

For a team who literally ran roughshod in the Currie Cup all season, the wet conditions in Johannesburg robbed them of their offense-orientated style in last Saturday’s final. Still, they almost came away with the win, being cruelly denied at the death, but they would know that they were the second-best team for most of the match.

It was a painful lesson in playing smarter, not harder and the need for variation and adaptability when conditions aren’t conducive to your game plan. They’ll be greeted by sunny conditions on Saturday, so they’ll look to put the final heartbreak behind them swiftly and build on the excellent work they had done prior to that to kick off their URC campaign on a winning note.

Ulster, who made their title intentions known by edging the defending champion Warriors last weekend, will certainly try to slow the match down and drag the Lions into an arm-wrestle, thinking their best chance of victory will be to outmuscle and outsmart the hosts.

It’s a tough one to call given Ulster’s class, but the Lions were good on both sides of the ball in the Currie Cup – scoring the most tries and conceding the fewest – and have a strong scrum, so I’m tipping them to win a close one.

Bulls v Edinburgh

Saturday, 28 September – 15:00

After losing the final at home against the Warriors last season, the Bulls will be hell-bent on going all the way this time around. To do so, it’s imperative that they win games like this one – a home assignment against tough opposition.

Edinburgh looked sharp and more dangerous than much of last season in their two-point loss to title favourites Leinster last weekend. They pushed the Bulls close on their only previous trip to Pretoria, losing 33-31 in 2022, so they shouldn’t be counted out.

However, the Bulls are fresh and have plenty of firepower, so they should bank the win.

Zebre v Munster

Saturday, 28 September – 16:00

Perennial wooden spoonists Zebre were gutsy in their 22-17 away loss to Cardiff last weekend. There were a lot of positive signs for the Parma side, which they’ll look to build on in their first home game.

Unfortunately for them, they’ve drawn the winners of the second season as their next assignment. Munster weren’t quite as sharp out of the gates as most expected but still bagged the full five log points with a 35-33 win over Connacht and they’ll double their tally on Friday night.

Scarlets v Cardiff

Saturday, 28 September – 18:15

The Scarlets showed good composure when they trailed Benetton 12-0 early on and turned the tables to almost come away with a win in Treviso last weekend, a late try by the hosts seeing it end in a stalemate.

Cardiff, meanwhile, weren’t as commanding as expected against Zebre, winning by just five points. However, it was mission accomplished as they claimed a full house of log points.

This one could go either way, but with the Scarlets having won the last three meetings between the teams and having home-ground advantage, I’m siding with them.

Connacht v Sharks

Saturday, 28 September – 20:35

The Sharks showed their technical nous and grit to win last weekend’s Currie Cup final with the last kick of the game by Jordan Hendrikse.

It was just reward for their tactical superiority on the day and as much as they deserve credit for the way they played the conditions, they equally deserve praise for the heart and legs they showed to go the distance and land the knockout blow after a marathon semi-final against the Bulls the previous weekend.

Many, myself included, thought they wouldn’t be able to get up for the full 80 minutes after the preceding 100-minute war of attrition in Pretoria and it’s that kind of grit that they’ll look to build their URC campaign on and what they’ll have to show on Saturday if there are to overcome the odds again.

After dominating territory and possession last weekend, they’re going to need to fire with their kicking game again in gusty Galway, where it’s easy to get pinned down in your 22. Andre Esterhuizen was a prolific powerhouse against the Lions, and he’ll once again be asked to put in a massive shift to give the Sharks go-forward with his size and brute strength.

Connacht looked good in pushing Munster close last weekend, falling short by just two points on the road, and have won two of the three games against the Sharks, including the only previous clash in Galway (24-14 in January 2023), so signs point to them outlasting the Durbanites. 

Ospreys v Stormers

Saturday, 28 September – 20:35

After surrendering their crown last season, the Stormers will seek to return to their former heights and have a tricky assignment first up.

The Ospreys would’ve fancied their chances away to the Dragons last weekend and the fact that they fell short means a response will be needed from them.

They built a successful 2023-24 season, in which they qualified for the playoff, on the strength of their home record, and the Stormers haven’t been a good touring side in the URC.

The Capetonians started last season with a winless European tour, however, they did win both of their games abroad at the tail-end of the regular season, so this will be an early test of their growth as a travelling team.

Interestingly, the teams are 1-1-1 with the only game on Welsh soil ending in a 16-all draw. The Stormers are the stronger side on paper, and I believe they have developed enough to come away with the win.