Round 3 of the URC was another week of home dominance, with only the Stormers managing an away victory (albeit a hefty one). Munster did well to hang on for a one-point win over Edinburgh while there were dominant victories for Glasgow, Ulster, Ospreys, Leinster, and Benetton. This leaves just three unbeaten sides left in the competition: Stormers, Ulster, and Munster. Who will hold on the longest?
Team of the Week
OB: Louis Lynagh – Benetton (4 tries, 4 defenders beaten, 140 run metres)
After three weeks of the URC, we already have our third hat-trick scorer as Lynagh led a sizzling attacking display for Benetton against the hapless Lions on Saturday. The Benetton outside backs had a field day running rampant in the wide channels. The pick of Lynagh’s tries was his hat-trick score, coming off a moment of genius from scrum-half Werchon – 89 points
OB: Ignacio Mendy – Benetton (2 try assists, 12 defenders beaten, 201 run metres) – Player of the Round
Perhaps surprisingly outscoring (substantially) the four-try scorer Lynagh is Argentine winger Ignacio Mendy. He assisted two tries breaking down the touchline and racked up an absurd 201 run metres from 13 carries beating 12 defenders in the process. The Lions defence simply could not live with Benetton’s attacking prowess – 111 points
Steyn showed great strength through contact for both his try and his assist in Glasgow’s demolition of perennial bottom-feeders the Dragons. He opened the scoring on the night after cutting an excellent line to collect an inside ball from Sione Tuipulotu. His assist was arguably more impressive as he ran back a kick, broke through two defenders, before finding Horne on the support line – 89 points
CE: Sebastian de Klerk – Bulls (6 defenders beaten, 71 metres)
The Bulls struggled for attacking fluency in the backs on Saturday night against Ulster. However, the one player who looked to inject some impetus was de Klerk. He carried 10 times for 71 metres and beat 6 defenders. His most memorable moment was a fantastic line break through the guts of the Ulster defence. Unfortunately for him, his teammates could not convert it into points – 67 points
CE: Keiran Williams – Ospreys (1 try assist, 4 offloads, 14/18 carries across the gain line)
Simply unstoppable. Williams may not be the biggest centre in rugby, but he packs a serious punch. He nearly always crosses the gain line, evidenced by 14 of his 18 carries doing just that. His ability to win contact allows him to free his arms for offloads which he managed 4 times against Zebre, including once to assist Morgan Morse for the Ospreys’ 2nd try – 64points
Walsh was able to rack up points against Zebre running back kicks and starting counterattacks from the fullback position. He made an impressive 17 carries and made most of them count, with 12 crossing the gain-line. He proved a handful that Zebre could not contain – 70 points
SH: George Horne – Glasgow (2 tries, 85 passes)
A support line specialist. When Glasgow break the defensive line, more often than not, George Horne is just off the shoulder, waiting to receive the ball to run in tries. He collected two such tries this past weekend off passes from Steyn and Brown (both of whom feature in this TOTW) – 73 points
BK: Gregor Brown – Glasgow (1 try, 1 assist, 14 carries, 47 metres)
Brown showed both sides of his game with his try and assist against the Dragons. His assist showcased his pace and skills, with a remarkably deft offload for Horne. On the other hand, his try, after finding a couple of soft shoulders, was pure power as he steamrolled the opposing fullback – 79 points
BK: Max Deegan – Leinster (1 try, 15/19 carries across the gain line, 11 tackles)
Two weeks in a row for Deegan in the TOTW as he puts in another hard-working, physical display. He crossed the gain line a remarkable 15 times and made 63 post-contact metres. He topped off his outing with a brilliantly taken try down the left edge – 65 points
Another busy effort from the young Welsh Number 8. He made 10 passes, 7 tackles, and 13 carries for 75 metres, proving his appetite to work on both sides of the ball. He burst through the Zebre defence to latch onto a Williams offload to claim a 2nd try of the season – 56 points
Izuchukwu also appears in the TOTW for the second time and it’s unlikely to be his last. Second game of the season for him and he has already picked up two tries. We know his prowess close to the line, but his try against the Bulls showed his ability to offer support as he finished off a teammate’s linebreak – 87 points
Wycherley had a busy evening in a tight affair against Edinburgh making 15 tackles and 8 carries (of which 6 crossed the gain line). However, he earns his spot in the side as a result of his game winning try in the final 10 minutes – 54 points
If a prop scores two tries – they are making the TOTW. Michael Milne did just that on Saturday night. His powerful efforts close to the line only scratch the surface to what was an excellent, hard-working, all-round performance as he made 8 carries, 11 tackles, and forced a turnover – 83 points
While the Lions were at least as poor this week against Benetton as they were the week before against Zebre, the scrum was greatly improved. This was in no small part due to the return of Ntlabakanye. He also finished off a fine try on the left edge showing good instincts for a 140kg+ prop forward – 62 points
