The penultimate round of the URC regular season yielded results that largely met expectations. The game of the round took place in Belfast, where an end-to-end contest between Ulster and the Stormers ended in a draw. Elsewhere, Connacht continued their late-season surge by battering Munster at home. Cardiff, the Lions, and Munster were the losers of the round and will all be feeling as though they need at least a couple of bonus points on the final day to hold off Connacht.
Team of the Week
OB: Werner Kok – Ulster (3 tries, 1 try assist, 2 line breaks, 1 line break assist, 2 dominant tackles)
A hat trick of easy finishes for the Ulster winger. His tries, while needing finishing, were perhaps the least interesting aspect of his performance as he put in a well-rounded performance. He was, expectedly, a danger ball in hand, but it was his typically all-action work on defence which caught the eye, with 2 dominant tackles being the highlight. Additionally, he was critical to Ulster’s winning of the aerial battle – 79 points
OB: Zac Ward – Ulster (1 try, 2 line breaks, 6 defenders beaten, 7/9 carries crossed the gain line)
Many of Ulster’s tries followed a similar pattern. Ulster would capitalise on a turnover or penalty coughed up by the Stormers before building momentum as they stormed towards their opponent’s try line. Eventually, Doak or the other playmakers would spot that the defence had narrowed before feeding the ball to a winger in space. Kok benefitted from three of these while Ward picked up a try himself. He was as dangerous ball-in-hand as ever with the majority of his carries crossing the gain line and beating 6 defenders – 75 points
OB: Kurt-Lee Arendse – Bulls (2 try assists, 2 line breaks, 2 line break assists, 111 metres carried)
The Bulls ran rampant against pitiful Zebre with KLA’s attacking output from fullback leading the way. He carried for over 100 metres but it was his unselfishness in playmaking which was the highlight. Arendse was happy to draw the defender and send his teammate for a try or line break as he assisted two of each – 79 points
CE: Andre Esterhuizen – Sharks (1 try, 2 try assists, 5 line break assists, 102 post-contact metres)
Esterhuizen’s stat sheet reads as an inside centre’s dream. This was a brutally dominant performance from the Sharks captain. He made 12 dominant carries (from just 15 total!), which yielded 7 defenders beaten and over 100 post-contact metres, and 2 dominant tackles. However, it was not just a display of raw physicality as his deft hands created 5 line break assists – once again the most across the round (the next highest being 2) – 100points
CE: Jurenzo Julius – Sharks (3 tries, 7 defenders beaten, 4 line breaks, 2 dominant tackles)
This was, perhaps, Julius’s finest 80 minutes in a Sharks jersey. He has a reputation for being a dangerous ball carrier and in this game, he demonstrated that. His first try was a standout, receiving the ball on the drift on the 22 metre line with a number of defenders in his way. He uses his pace to get on the outside of his man before dummying and ghosting through two Benetton backs, stepping the last defender, and carrying two more defenders as he back peddled over the line. He would have topped many of the stat leaderboards if not for his captain – 99 points
A simply sublime performance from SFM away against Ulster. The home side could not contain his running threat as he ran hard lines and received the ball flat to the line to score twice. Perhaps his moment of the evening, although unfortunately not resulting in a try, was a mesmeric sideways run and dummy which left Jude Postlethwaite grasping at thin air. He kicked all his goals, delivering perhaps his most complete performance of the season in the process – 84 points
Horne was, as ever, the beating heart of the Glasgow attack – keeping the relentless pace up. His try assist was indicative of this. While in isolation it was a simple pass to a forward who did all the work, it demonstrates his ability to keep the momentum of the attack up by picking the right option – 74 points
Dempsey led from the front as he powered Glasgow back to the top of the table with a powerful performance in the carry. He was the leading forward in the round for both line breaks and dominant carries (8), while his 5 defenders beaten was just 1 off of top spot. His try was emblematic of this as he took advantage of soft Cardiff shoulders to power over from close range – 92 points
BR: Cameron Hanekom – Bulls (1 try, 106 meters carried, 16/17 carries cross the gain line, 6 offloads) – Player of the Round
A stunning return to form for Hanekom. The young back rower hadn’t quite hit the levels of the past two seasons following his recent return from a long-term injury, but against Zebre he reminded us all of what he is capable of. He beat 6 defenders, the most of any forward, and made 6 offloads, double the next best player. This is in addition to his absurd carry stats, where nearly every carry crossed the gain line yielding over 100 meters gained for his side – 102 points
Horn is proving to be a mainstay in the TOTW. He may not be the back rower with the most pace or power, but he is a highly intelligent and skilled operator – especially in the wide channels. He led his side valiantly against star-studded Leinster who ultimately pulled away in the final 15 minutes – 75 points
Van Heerden provided serious grunt to the Stormers pack which was largely on top of their Ulster counterparts. He was immense ball in hand making the most carries of any player in the round. These carries were effective, with 14 crossing the gain line and yielding 45 post-contact meters – 59 points
Murray was a defensive powerhouse and was critical to restricting Munster to just one score. He made an impressive 17/18 tackles, making him the joint top tackler amongst second-rowers. He chipped in with two critical turnovers, one at the breakdown and one at lineout – 60 points
It may have taken Mchunu a while to get up to speed at the Stormers, but the bulldozing prop is now firmly one of the best looseheads in the league. He forms part of an ever-dominant Stormers scrum but his USP lies in the loose. He is due at least 1 storming run per game and against Ulster it was no different. He broke the line in the build up to the Stormers opening try, leaving Roos with little to do close to the line. His 37 meters carried was the highest by a prop– 65 points
Matthews bid farewell to the Glasgow faithful with a vintage performance. The image that will be planted in Glasgow fans’ minds when they remember the hooker will be of him crashing over from the back of the maul over and over again. Matthews gave the crowd two more maul tries to remember as he helped his side earn a much-needed bonus point win over Cardiff – 101 points
PR: Billy Bohan – Connacht (12/12 tackles, 1 line break assist, 4 defenders beaten)
Bohan made an impact on both attack and defence, providing much-needed grunt in Connacht’s victory over Munster. He made all his tackles, with 1 being dominant. However, it was in attack where he made his real mark as he beat the joint number of defenders for a prop (4) and assisted a line break – 77 points
