The URC is properly back after an extended break due to the Six Nations. The Race to the Eight is as fiercely contested as ever, with only a 7-point gap between Ulster in 3rd and Connacht in 9th. The pick of the matches in Round 13 was a top-of-the-table clash between Glasgow and Leinster in which Glasgow laid down a marker to the rest of the league with a dominant bonus-point victory. Elsewhere, it was a full house of bonus point victories for the South African sides at home as they began their traditional late season rise up the table.
Team of the Week
OB: Onisi Ratave – Benetton (2 tries, 5 linebreaks, 5 offloads, 152 meters carried) – Player of the Round
Ratave racked up an astonishing 100 points as he tore through the Ospreys over and over again. The Welsh outfit simply couldn’t contain his speed and power as he ran in two tries, carried for over 150 meters and made the most linebreaks and offloads of any player across the round. His first try was Lomu-esque. The Ospreys will be happy to see the back of him – 100 points
A truly vintage KLA performance as his fleet footedness punished inaccurate Cardiff kicking and passing time and time again. His assist for Embrose Papier’s try is the best example of this. He collects the ball from a slightly inaccurate kick with a slightly lazy chase, beats a couple of defenders before bursting through a gap, and feeding Papier to finish in the corner – 70 points
While his wing partner, Ratave, is an attacking threat due to his pace and power, Mendy (although also fast) makes use of quick feet and a silky running style that often leaves defenders grasping at thin air. His try is a perfect case of this as he turned this way and that leaving Daniel Kasende looking in all directions before realising Mendy had already scored. His 7 defenders beaten is the highest across any player in Round 13 – 75 points
Page notched up the most post-contact meters of any centre involved this past weekend. He proved to be a handful that the men from Parma could not contain. His try from short range was a result of him picking an excellent line to take advantage of a lacklustre defensive line – 67 points
Treacy finished two excellent tries playing out-of-position on the wing for Connacht. Both finishes required him to beat multiple defenders – leaving him as the ‘centre’ with the most defenders beaten in the round. His 2nd try was particularly impressive as he received the ball at least 40 metres, and 3 defenders, away from the try line – 80points
FH: Jacob Umaga – Benetton (1 try, 1 try assist, 5 line break assists)
Umaga was central to an impressive Benetton attacking performance in Round 13. While typically quite a conservative outfit, Benetton were quick to get the ball to width and into the hands of their dangerous outside backs. His assist was a deft popped pass over the top to Ratave – which he finished with aplomb. The try of his own was the result of him creating a line break Marini before astutely running a support line on his inside – 71 points
Glasgow are not only top of the real URC table but they are also top of the table for most appearances in Draft Sports’ URC TOTW. No position have Glasgow had a greater grip on than scrumhalf. Horne scored another two tries this past weekend – both variations on themes seen previously. His first was a classic Glasgow line break with an inside ball to Horne on a support line while his second required serious finishing after he had moved to the wing – something Jamie Dobie has made a habit of – 69 points
Duncan was a key aspect of Glasgow’s victory over Leinster. He pounded the Leinster defensive line making 7/11 carries across the gainline. He was also solid on defence making 14 tackles. His try was an easy finish after a well worked 5m tap play left him with soft shoulders to ran at – 60 points
Taylor was a huge attacking threat from start to finish. His first try, scored with barely a minute of the game completed, came from him waiting out on the edge after a scrum. After 1 phase which worked inwards, Archie Hughes looped a pass out to him leaving only the diminutive Gesi in his path. His 2nd try demonstrated his game awareness as he popped up on the shoulder of Page after Zebre spilled the ball – 94.5 points
Moved to lock on the day due to an illness to Ettienne Oosthuizen, Venter still delivered a dominant performance. Although his season has been stop-start due to a number of injuries, Venter has been one of the Lions’ top players. He was as physical as ever making 2 dominant tackles and 6/8 dominant carries. His physical presence attracts defensive eyes and on Saturday he took advantage of this to create two line breaks for teammates –75 points
LK: Alex Craig – Glasgow (1 lineout steal, 12/12 tackles)
A solid performance in a dominant victory for top-of-the-table Glasgow. He made all his tackles and operated well at lineout claiming 3 of his own side’s balls and 1 off the opposition – 51 points
LK: Max Douglas – Scarlets (1 turnover won, 16/16 tackles, 1 try saving tackle)
Douglas was a defensive machine in his outing against Zebre. He also played a key role in the maul which troubled Zebre all game long – leading directly to two tries – 54 points
Bell has made a habit of recent of making the TOTW (at least while Pierre Schoeman is on 6 Nations break) with his high carry workload well rewarded in-game. He picked up a crucial bonus-point earning try in the dying moments of the game as he bundled it over from close range – 75 points
Almost as inevitable as the Glasgow scrumhalf running in tries off great support lines, is the Glasgow hooker helping himself to a try from the back of a rolling maul. This week it was Hiddleston although both Seb Stephen and Johnny Matthews have featured in past TOTWs. Hiddleston was busy elsewhere – most notably at the breakdown where he entered more rucks than any other front rower and forced two turnovers – 88 points
Rewarded a spot in TOTW 13 on the back of a heavy carrying performance by the young Leinster prop on his first URC start. He, along with Bell, were the props who made the most carries in the round. Usanov made his carries count, making over 3 post-contact meters per carry – 65 points
Available in your league? (Hidden Gems)
Finn Treacy (Connacht - Wing/Centre): With Connacht’s Casualty Ward currently housing the likes of Mack Hansen, Hugh Gavin, and Shayne Bolton, Treacy has secured a mandatory starting role and is thriving. His 80-point breakout featured clinical attacking volume, including 106 carry metres and 3 line breaks. If he is still a Free Agent in your league, secure him now before his ownership climbs.
Gregor Hiddleston (Glasgow Warriors - Hooker): 88 points from the hooking slot is elite production usually reserved for the top-tier names. Hiddleston provided an immense floor in Round 13, recording 28 ruck arrivals and 15 successful lineout throws. With Glasgow rotating their squad heavily around international windows, he is a perfect high-volume anchor for your front row.
Ruan Venter (Lions - Back Row): Returning from a four-match ban, Venter immediately reminded managers why he is a multi-category monster. He hits everything that moves, banking 14 tackles (2 dominant) and 3 lineout takes for a 79-point haul. With the Lions hitting their straps in the South African Shield, he is a priority target in the Trade Window.
