United Rugby Championship
This is where you will find all of The Rugby Paper’s United Rugby Championship news, interviews, reports, opinion and other content.
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United Rugby Championship
/ 4 months agoDarge leads Glasgow romp
■By PETER HEALEY Glasgow...........35 Sharks..............19 GLASGOW secured a bonus-point win at Scotstoun with a dominant second-half display led by captain Rory...
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United Rugby Championship
/ 4 months agoEdinburgh fall just short
■By DAVID JOHN Zebre.................31 Edinburgh........28 A LAST-MINUTE penalty from Zebre debutant Martin Farias saw the Italians snatch a dramatic victory over...
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United Rugby Championship
/ 4 months agoLancaster opens up in style
■By JAMES O’CONNELL Connacht.........26 Benetton..........15 CONNACHT began the new era under Stuart Lancaster with a big win over a star-packed Treviso...
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Club Rugby
/ 5 months agoCowbridge roots, Dragons dreams: The story of Barny Langton-Cryer
There is something special about the kind of love the Welsh also hold for rugby. Profound, unwavering and timeless – a...
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Latest News
/ 5 months agoDragons chairman David Wright urges a rethink from Welsh Rugby Union
Dragons chairman David Wright has urged the Welsh Rugby Union to rethink plans to overhaul the Welsh regions next season. The...
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Latest News
/ 5 months agoChris Collyer: Can Rieko Ioane earn Johnny Sexton’s forgiveness by signing for Leinster?
URC Champions Leinster lifted their first trophy in four years this year and have not only set their sights on defending...
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Latest News
/ 5 months agoMatt Sherratt is boosted by recruitment drive at Cardiff
Cardiff coach Matt Sherratt says it’s a massive boost to have retained Taulupe Faletau and Josh Adams as the club look...
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Columnists
/ 5 months agoNick Cain: Two-team model in Welsh rugby has little chance of success
The precipice on which Welsh rugby is perched rests on two disastrous decisions made on either side of the Millennium which...
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Latest News
/ 6 months agoTinus De Beer ready for Dragons challenge
Having travelled some 6,000 miles to come over to Wales from South Africa, Tinus de Beer has now made a much...
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Latest News
/ 6 months agoBlair Murray signs new deal to stay at Scarlets until 2028
Wales full-back Blair Murray has signed a contract extension to stay at the Scarlets until 2028. The 23-year-old joined the region...
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Latest News
/ 6 months agoPeter Jackson: Four into two Welsh clubs will be fraught with problems
A few more traumatic days in the soap opera of Welsh rugby provided another startling example of the game’s enduring capacity...
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Latest News
/ 6 months agoI know I must perform well for the Dragons, says Thomas Young
Thomas Young has a renewed drive and hunger as he embarks on a new chapter in his rugby career with the...
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Blindside - rugby transfers
/ 6 months agoDragons swoop for scrum-half Niall Armstrong
Dragons have signed Irish scrum-half Niall Armstrong after his departure from Exeter at the end of last season. The 25-year-old has...
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United Rugby Championship
/ 6 months agoPete Ryan: Toby Booth’s coaching philosophy – building cultures and engaging with people
“Helping an athlete be their best — that’s what the job is all about.” This gives you some insight into Toby...
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Latest News
/ 8 months agoCraig Warlow – Living the Game, Leading the Next Generation
“Wilder than the wind and stronger than a storm.” Dylan Gossett was talking about romantic love in Stronger Than a Storm....
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Latest News
/ 8 months agoLeinster make sure as they crush Bulls to win URC title
By Ben Jaycock Leinster ............................. 32pts Tries: Conan 6, Barrett 14, van der Flier 23, Gunne 73 Conversions: Prendergast 7, 14;...
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Latest News
/ 8 months agoRyan Baird: I am so proud of everyone at Leinster
Leinster second row Ryan Baird revelled in taking his side back to the top of their domestic league after a tough...
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Latest News
/ 8 months agoURC Team of the Season: Bulls lead charge in pick of the finest
Simon Thomas selects his best XV from the United Rugby Championship 2024/25 Season, as he picks Munster centre Tom Farrell as...
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Blindside - rugby transfers
/ 8 months agoRoss Moriarty finalises move to Ospreys
Ospreys have completed the signing of Wales back row Ross Moriarty from French side Brive. The British and Irish Lion returns...
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Premiership
/ 8 months agoBest Individual Matchups in the Premiership and URC Finals
Finals weekend is coming up in both the Premiership and the United Rugby Championship (URC). Bath play Leicester Tigers at Twickenham...
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United Rugby Championship
/ 8 months agoLeinster vs Bulls: Big URC Final Preview
Leinster hosts the Vodacom Bulls in the final of the United Rugby Championship (URC) this weekend. The game will be held...
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United Rugby Championship
/ 8 months agoDan Sheehan – “There is absolutely no way the Bulls will be hungrier than Leinster”
Leinster and Ireland star Hooker Dan Sheehan insists that there is absolutely no way a team will be hungrier than Leinster...
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United Rugby Championship
/ 8 months agoThe Calm in the Storm: How Scarlets’ Archie Hughes Is Defining His Game
Over the past few years, Welsh rugby has entered a new era. Many familiar faces have walked away from the game,...
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Summer Tours
/ 8 months agoBack in Welsh Colours: Josh Macleod’s Road to Japan
There is something about Wales producing top-quality talent in the back row—the likes of Sam Warburton, Dan Lydiate, and Justin Tipuric...
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Premiership
/ 8 months agoPremiership & URC Team of the Week: Home comfort in Semi-Finals
The Premiership and URC semi-finals have now been played, with the finalists for both competitions now decided. All four home teams won, with...
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Latest News
/ 8 months agoDwayne Peel confident Scarlets are on right track
Scarlets head coach Dwayne Peel insists reaching the URC playoffs was just the start of the journey for the west Wales...
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United Rugby Championship
/ 8 months agoBulls 25-13 Sharks: Bouncing Bulls set up Dublin showdown
David Kriel produced the crucial moment of a pulsating semi-final clash as the outside-centre raced over the try-line to ensure the...
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United Rugby Championship
/ 8 months agoURC: Leinster have the final word with Glasgow Warriors
Leinster's tortuous quest for a fifth European star continues to cast a shadow, but their season may yet have a silver...
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Latest News
/ 8 months agoSimon Thomas: A few bright sparks to light up the gloom in Welsh Rugby
Simon Thomas assesses the state of the clubs in Wales and predicts more battles with the WRU over what happens next...
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Features
/ 8 months agoLeon Brown’s Life in Rugby: Named in the Pro 12 Dream Team? Happy days…
It was only when my mate Norm introduced me to rugby that I first became properly aware of the sport as...
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Latest News
/ 8 months agoURC Semi-Finals: Kick-Off times, dates, how to watch
The URC semi-finals will both take place on Saturday, with Leinster hosting Glasgow Warriors and Bulls facing Sharks. Because of the...
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Premiership
/ 8 months agoCharlie Elliott: Best head-to-head matchups in the Premiership and URC semi-finals
The Premiership and URC semi-finals are taking place this weekend, pitting the best of the best against each other. Bath hosts...
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Premiership
/ 8 months agoPremiership and URC Semi-Finals Key Talking Points: Sharks without Eben Etzebeth
The Premiership and URC semi-finals are taking place this weekend, with the best of the two leagues battling it out. It...
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United Rugby Championship
/ 8 months agoLeinster vs Glasgow Warriors Preview – Leo Cullen delivers rallying call
Leinster head coach Leo Cullen is rallying the troops and calling out to all fans to come down to the Aviva...
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United Rugby Championship
/ 8 months agoPete Ryan: Can the Dragons turn things around next season?
It has been a season to forget for the Dragons. The Welsh club finished bottom of the table in the URC....
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Latest News
/ 8 months agoRivalry with Kieran Hardy is pushing Reuben Morgan-Williams on
Reuben Morgan-Williams says the competition with fellow Ospreys scrum-half Kieran Hardy has driven the two of them on – a fact...
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United Rugby Championship
/ 8 months agoGlasgow Warriors 36-18 Stormers: Champions on course to retain their crown
Glasgow ............36pts Tries: Darge 10, Rowe 15, 45, Venter 28, Horne 51 Conversions: Horne 11, 16, 46, 52 Penalty: Horne 56...
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United Rugby Championship
/ 8 months agoSharks 24-24 Munster (6-4 AET): Heartbreak for Munster after penalty shoot-out
Sharks .............. 24pts Tries: Hooker 45, Fassi 67, Mbatha 73 Conversions: Jordan Hendrikse 46, 68 74, Penalty: Hendrikse 55 Munster ..............
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United Rugby Championship
/ 8 months agoIt wasn’t pretty but we made it, says Keenan
By JOHN FALLON Leinster ..............................33pts Tries: Lowe 5, Gibson-Park 10, Osborne 46, Keenan 60 Conversions: Prendergast 11, 47 Penalties: Prendergast 35,...
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United Rugby Championship
/ 8 months agoBulls 42-33 Edinburgh: South African’s are too good for Edinburgh’s battlers
Bulls .................. 42pts Tries: Hanekom 18, Kriel 32, Vorster 37, Moodie 43, Johannes 46, Nortje 51 Conversions: Johannes 44, 47, 52...
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United Rugby Championship
/ 8 months agoURC Quarter-Finals Talking Points: Duhan van der Merwe misses out for Edinburgh
The URC play-offs are set to begin this weekend, starting off with the last eight battling it out in the quarter-finals. Given...
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Latest News
/ 9 months ago2025/26 URC fixture list released
ROUND 1 Friday, September 26 Stormers v Leinster 6pm Ulster v Dragons 8.05pm Glasgow Warriors v Sharks 8.05pm Saturday, September 27...
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Latest News
/ 9 months agoJosh Macleod all set for Leinster challenge
Josh Macleod is proof positive of the virtues of patience and perseverance. It was back in 2020 that the Scarlets flanker...
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Latest News
/ 9 months agoLeon Brown – A player who gave everything to the cause
“To pull wild mountain thyme, all around the bloomin’ heather.” The lyrics of this age-old Scottish stanza give you a real...
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United Rugby Championship
/ 9 months agoStormers 34-24 Cardiff: Josh McNally’s fighters fall just short in Cape Town
By Simon Thomas Stormers .......... 34pts Tries: Zas 10, 33; Hartzenberg 24, 47; Evans 73 Conversions: Willemse 25, 34; Feinberg-Mngomezulu 74...
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United Rugby Championship
/ 9 months agoMunster 30-21 Benetton: Jack Crowley leads the way for Munster
By Ben Jaycock Munster .........30 Benetton .........21 Jack Crowley delivered a fine display to march Munster into the playoffs. The visitors...
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United Rugby Championship
/ 9 months agoEdinburgh 47-17 Ulster: Snubbed Darcy Graham runs in a hat-trick
Darcy Graham responded to his Lions snub with a hat-trick as Edinburgh booked their place in the play-offs. The seven-try victory...
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United Rugby Championship
/ 9 months agoBulls 55-15 Dragons: South Africans seal home run to semi-final
Bulls ...................55pts Tries: Kriel 5, Wiese 8, De Klerk 22, Van der Merwe 40, 51, Petersen 57, 62, Coetzee 64, Williams...
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United Rugby Championship
/ 9 months agoFassi’s late kick books Dublin date for Scarlets
■ By SIMON THOMAS Sharks ................................12pts Penalties: Masuku 39, Fassi 52, 69, 80 Scarlets ...............................3pts Drop goal: Costelow 40 Leading the...
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United Rugby Championship
/ 9 months agoLeinster tough out win over Warriors
■ By JAMES WILLIAMS Leinster ..........13 Glasgow ............ 5 BRITISH & Irish Lion Sione Tuipulotu made a timely return to action...
Features
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