URC Round 7

Round 7 is upon us

All games on Premier Sports, Supersport, Discovery+ and URC TV

Friday 28th October 2022

Scarlets v Leinster- Parc y Scarlets, Llanelli – KO 19.35 IRE & UK / 20.35 ITA & SA
Live on: BBC Wales, TG4

Glasgow Warriors v Benetton- Scotstoun Stadium, Glasgow – KO 19.35 IRE & UK / 20.35 ITA & SA


Saturday 29th October 2022

Emirates Lions v DHL Stormers- Emirates Airline Park, Johannesburg – KO 15.00  IRE & UK / 16.00 ITA & SA

Dragons RFC v Zebre Parma- Rodney Parade, Newport – KO 17.15 IRE & UK / 18.15 ITA & SA
Live on: S4C

Munster v Ulster- Thomond Park, Limerick – KO 17.15 IRE & UK / 18.15 ITA & SA
Live on: RTÉ

Ospreys v Connacht- Swansea.com Stadium, Swansea – KO 19.35 IRE & UK / 20.35 ITA & SA
Live on: S4C, RTÉ

Sunday 30th October 2022

Vodacom Bulls v Cell C Sharks- Loftus Versfeld Stadium, Pretoria – KO 13.00 IRE & UK / 14.00 ITA / 15.00 SA

Cardiff Rugby v Edinburgh Rugby- Cardiff Arms Park, Cardiff – KO 15.00 IRE & UK / 16.00 ITA / 17.00 SA

Sutherland available for Ulster not Scotland at the weekend

Dragons v Zebre is an interesting one. I don't know if Zebre will be at full strength, but I would still think we have found a bit of form at home and would be disappointed to lose.

Roberts, Rowlands and Dyer will be big misses for us, so I will be interested to see the replacements. Obviously Dee for Roberts, but Joe Davies for Rowlands is a step down (Lonsdale for Carter is fine) and hopefully we manage to have a half decent winger available. TBH, I can't really think of who may be available or whether we might have to have Sio, Dai Richards or Jordan Williams cover.

Nice easy game for us to get our season back on track....

RiscaGame wrote:Dragons v Zebre is an interesting one. I don't know if Zebre will be at full strength, but I would still think we have found a bit of form at home and would be disappointed to lose.

Roberts, Rowlands and Dyer will be big misses for us, so I will be interested to see the replacements. Obviously Dee for Roberts, but Joe Davies for Rowlands is a step down (Lonsdale for Carter is fine) and hopefully we manage to have a half decent winger available. TBH, I can't really think of who may be available or whether we might have to have Sio, Dai Richards or Jordan Williams cover.

We have to fancy this one. We've looked good at home so far. Our away form not so much to be fair everyone is struggling to pick up wins on the road (except Leinster).

I'd love to see us bring in Westwood in for this one just to give him some experience and bring forward his development. I know he is a full back but that's a tough position to get the hang of so pushing him out to the wing for some games will give him some URC exposure.

Oakdene wrote:Nice easy game for us to get our season back on track....

I'll be honest - I though the season was over for the Scarlets after Round 5. Can't see them getting anything from Leinster which if it turns out to be the case would need them needing 9 wins out of the remaining 11 fixtures. No chance of that happening.

Probably one of the only sides who may as well give the challenge cup a crack as they have nothing else to play for now.

Just the 22 players unavailable for the Scarlets this week.

Welshmushroom wrote:

Oakdene wrote:Nice easy game for us to get our season back on track....

I'll be honest - I though the season was over for the Scarlets after Round 5.  Can't see them getting anything from Leinster which if it turns out to be the case would need them needing 9 wins out of the remaining 11 fixtures.  No chance of that happening.

Probably one of the only sides who may as well give the challenge cup a crack as they have nothing else to play for now.

Agreed, though equally it could be a turning point for us.

RugbyFan100 wrote:Just the 22 players unavailable for the Scarlets this week.

It's crazy, we're expecting 12-15 players back over the next month.

It is but lets be brutally honest here even with their full squad available I don't think their position will have improved that much. There been a massive gap between them and all the playoff contenders.

Probably need to see what Peel does with recruitment this summer when he can stamp more of his mark on the side.

Welshmushroom wrote:

Oakdene wrote:Nice easy game for us to get our season back on track....

I'll be honest - I though the season was over for the Scarlets after Round 5.  Can't see them getting anything from Leinster which if it turns out to be the case would need them needing 9 wins out of the remaining 11 fixtures.  No chance of that happening.

Probably one of the only sides who may as well give the challenge cup a crack as they have nothing else to play for now.

I think any URC team should be looking at the Challange Cup as the easier trophy to win compared to URC or champions Cup. Would expect Connacht, Lions, Glasgow, Benetton and Scarlets/Cardiff to be aiming for a quarterfinal and take it from there. Group stages will only have about 6 other compeditive teams in the group stages. You aren't going to have to beat Leinster, Ulster, Stormers or Bulls to win it.

If it's any consolation it's as weak a Leinster side (bench included) as I've seen in recent years. It's going to be a much closer match than you might think.
C'mon Scarlets.

Good call by me on Dai Richards at 14. That team is exactly what I would’ve picked.

The Italians are without eight players because of autumn Test duty. No excuses Dragons.

Dragons: O’Brien; Richards, Hughes, Clark, Rosser; S Davies, R Williams; Seiuli, Dee, Fairbrother, J Davies, Lonsdale, Wainwright, Keddie (captain), Moriarty.

Replacements: Benjamin, R Evans, Coleman, Taylor, Fry, Bertranou, Hanrahan, Owen.

Zebre: Kriel; Latunipulu, Boni, Damiano Mazza, Jacopo Trulla; Eden, Cook; Pitinari, Du Toit (captain), Nocera, Zambonin, Krumov, Ruggeri, Bianchi, Fox-Matamua.

Replacements: Manfredi, Sanavia, Hasa, Uys, Ferrari, Jelic, Prisciantelli, Pani.

you called it Risca, hopefully the result will go the same way

Teams up for the Munster v Ulster match

Munster: Haley; Daly, Fekitoa, Scannell, Campbell; Crowley, Patterson; Kilcoyne, Barron, Ryan; Edogbo, O'Connor; O'Donoghue (capt), Hodnett, Kendellen.

Replacements: N Scannell, J Wycherley, Salanoa, O'Connell, Hurley, Cronin, Healy, Zebo.

Ulster: Moore; Moxham, Hume, Marshall, McIlroy; Burns, Doak; Warwick, Stewart, Moore; O'Connor (capt), Carter; McCann, Reffell, Vermeulen.

Replacements: Andrew, Sutherland, Milasinovich, Izuchukwu, Murphy, Cooney, Curtis, Gilroy.

Maine man wrote:Teams up for the Munster v Ulster match

Munster: Haley; Daly, Fekitoa, Scannell, Campbell; Crowley, Patterson; Kilcoyne, Barron, Ryan; Edogbo, O'Connor; O'Donoghue (capt), Hodnett, Kendellen.

Replacements: N Scannell, J Wycherley, Salanoa, O'Connell, Hurley, Cronin, Healy, Zebo.

Ulster: Moore; Moxham, Hume, Marshall, McIlroy; Burns, Doak; Warwick, Stewart, Moore; O'Connor (capt), Carter; McCann, Reffell, Vermeulen.

Replacements: Andrew, Sutherland, Milasinovich, Izuchukwu, Murphy, Cooney, Curtis, Gilroy.

Munster are decimated with injuries. Ulsters' to lose surely.

Pete330v2 wrote:If it's any consolation it's as weak a Leinster side (bench included) as I've seen in recent years. It's going to be a much closer match than you might think.
C'mon Scarlets.

That seemed to be what everyone else was thinking. But not, critically, Leinster themselves.

5-35.
Bonus point
7 from 7.

Leinster are my 2nd team but Ulster is my number one passion. We need a slip up so you don't build to much of a gap at the top.

Very professional job by Dragons and it’s good to see Dai Flan acknowledge that it could’ve been better too.

Great to see Sam Davies with 9/9.

Ulster move themselves to second with a much tighter than it needed to be victory over Munster. Sutherland was excellent when he came on in second half but Marty Moore playing the full 80 mins and winning a welld eserved MOTM

Ulster won with a half fit squad - the team had not fully recurred from last weeks illness..

Muster are in big trouble if they cant beat a semi fit side

Also the wonders of Frank Murphy

Fekitoa commits a clear Red Card offence - downgraded to yellow
Scanell is guilty of a cynical play - just a penalty
Izzy is guilty of the same but less obvious - yellow card

I suppose that is all you can expect when a Munsterman refs Munster at Thormond Park

It doesn't make sense why they keep doing this.

I like to assume that no ref would be deliberatley bias in rugby and Frank Murphy is just generally a truly awful referee so it may just be that he was crap but why even have it so that accusations can be made.

Why even have it so it's a talking point. Theres plenty of Irish refs who could have reffed that match let alone refs from other countries so it's not hard to chose one who isn't from Ulster or Munster.

Anyway a good win for Ulster ahead of the internationals and a good start to the season too. Interesting that Dan McFarland went back to talk about that big loss Ulster had to Munster in Thomond in 2018 after coming back from South Africa, guy didn't forget and wanted to make it right this time.

geoff999rugby wrote:Ulster won with a half fit squad - the team had not fully recurred from last weeks illness..

Muster are in big trouble if they cant beat a semi fit side

Munster were missing over 20 players through injuries and Ireland call ups. Not sure Ulsters' fitness was that off either. Glasgow blew Benetton away on friday night.

I saw it very differently; it was very obvious to me that most Ulster players were struggling towards the end.
Many Ulster players were on empty in the fourth quarter and the reliable rumours are
very few were 100%

Also Ulster about 12 players down themselves

From what I saw Munster have to play Crowley at  10, the guy has real class.
Better than anything I have seen from Healy and Carbery has not been at that level for some time.
Barron and Fekitoa both had mares.Crowley and Haley were the only starting backs who shone.
Also seriously underpowered and/or lacking experience at lock.
Ulsters rolling maul won the game.

To be fare Moore(S) has a mare as well.
Moore (M) by contrast was a star because we did not have a sub of any worth at TH.
Sutherland was a game changer in the second half.

RiscaGame wrote:Very professional job by Dragons and it’s good to see Dai Flan acknowledge that it could’ve been better too.

Great to see Sam Davies with 9/9.

We played really well at times. To be fair one of the big factors holding us back previously has been confidence. I just hope they take a lot of confidence from the recent results and really start to back themselves.

Its an area that since the South Africans joined the URC is a real issue for the Welsh Regions. Prior to them joining most of them knew they didn't have to perform week in week out to have a good chance of making the playoffs.

After the results last year even with the addition of the quarter final round it became fairly obvious that performing every week is a bare minimum now and even then you have to really battle for those wins (home or away). It's resulted in the Welsh Regions being fairly low on confidence which at that level can be the difference. It's not the only issue though and the difference of coaching is also there to see. The top sides have experienced old heads there now even if Cullen is still pretty new (his backroom staff is top draw).

Peel is under pressure now. He must be. Its probably hard to see them win another 3 games this year. Dai Young hasn't got a track record of winning things so you would have to put question marks on that. Booth I think is a good guy but his winning history isn't great either. I just hope Flanagan really develops as a man manager. If he can really develop quickly he will be the single biggest factor for the turn around at the Dragons.

Problem on the coaching front is at this stage we can't really entice any top draw coaching tickets so how they get out of it is anyone's guess

Sounds like the Scarlets are finally bringing in an atack coack to helkp Peel. Possibly from Wasps.

So after this round it's probably worth noting Sharks will have 8 Home games in Block 2 & 3. That for me makes them easy shoe ins for the top 8. I reckon Edinburgh are a shoe in as well given the amount of tries they are scoring and rugby they are playing.

Its been clear Stormers, Ulster, Leinster & Bulls will occupy the top 4 baring some kind of miracle run by a lower placed side.

That means there are only 2 playoff spots up for grabs being realistic. That's going to be interesting given the gap between 7th and 15th is only 8 points.

I still think Munster and Scarlets will be missing out. But I wouldn't like to guess who will make up 7th & 8th in the league. Going to be a interesting Block 2 and should probably narrow the field for the chasing clubs.

On paper block 2 looks tricky for us (Dragons). Cardiff's doesn't look great either with a lot of derbies and a away tour in South Africa the same as us.  Ospreys pretty much the same.  

The derby results will probably require one Welsh side to do well against the others if we are going to see a Welsh side make the top 8.  Probably unlikely.

Elsewhere I don't think Connacht's block 2 looks good either.  Treviso look like they could go on a run with their fixtures.  Zebre are pretty much done alongside Scarlets and Munster.  Lions have a bit of a mixed bag but will probably pick up enough points to stay in the race.

So maybe Glasgow and Treviso might be best placed for 7th and 8th spot after block 2 finishes.

"From what I saw Munster have to play Crowley at 10, the guy has real class.
Better than anything I have seen from Healy and Carbery has not been at that level for some time."

I can't see how the IRFU can continue with the Carberry experiment at 10 with the whipper-snapper Crowley already showing that he has a much more expansive bag of tricks than the hugely overrated Carberry. Crowley looks to have a very bright future indeed but needs to be carefully managed and given plenty of time in the 10 shirt for Munster.