The URC welcomed 2026 with another set of blockbuster derbies. The Dragons continued their resurgence at the expense of the Scarlets, who now occupy the Dragons’ usual position of last on the table. Two epic South African derbies were decided in the closing minutes, with the Lions and Stormers emerging victorious. Elsewhere, Leinster, Ulster, and Glasgow all reemphasised that they are serious contenders for the trophy.
Ward continues Ulster’s presence in the TOTW for outside backs with another remarkable attacking showing. Ward beat more defenders and carried for more meters than any other player across the round, dominating the collision with nearly every carry he made. His size and speed make him not only an elite finisher but also go-to option for easy meter and momentum gains – 85 points
O’Brien’s performance truly showcased his all-round game. His two tries demonstrated his ability to run lines and to offer support to teammates. His assist exhibited his distribution, as he and Will Conners exchanged passes before slinging a long ball to Dan Sheehan on the wing. O’Brien also had his hand in another try, as he made life difficult for the Connacht backfield off a Sam Prendergast chip kick. He is technically astute in the air and couples that with bravery and effort – 81 points
OB: Ollie Smith – Glasgow (1 try, 3 line breaks, 92 meters, 6 defenders beaten)
Joint most line breaks (3), 92 meters carried, and 6 defenders beaten show just how much of a threat Smith is ball-in-hand. His try was almost out of nothing as Zebre had drifted off Glasgow’s attack, but he spotted a potential gap (caused by the drift), put on some nifty footwork to create it, before running in the try – 71 points
CE: Ben Thomas – Cardiff (1 try assist, 8 defenders beaten, 76 meters)
A bright spot on an otherwise cloudy day for Cardiff as they fell away to the Ospreys. His try assist in particular made him look a class above. He just glided through the Ospreys defence, which opened up in front of him, before fixing the last man and passing to Josh Adams for an easy run-in – 69 points
A try and the most meters gained of any centre (90) are the headlines for McDowall; however, it was his passing game that really caught the eye. A number of times he gave beautiful long passes for a wing or edge-forward to collect. A pass of particular beauty was denied the chance to become another assist, as Ben Afshar was tackled into touch – 70points
FH: Sam Prendergast – Leinster (1 try, 2 try assist, 1 line break, 49 meters)
3 try involvements shows just what Prendergast can do behind a dominant pack. His 44 passes were significantly more than any other flyhalf this past week. His assist for Charlie Tector was particularly noteworthy, as he stood Bundee Aki up with a double pump before setting his centre away – 87 points
SH: Jamie Dobie – Glasgow (2 tries, 1 try assist, 4 line breaks, 5 defenders beaten, 129 meters) - Player of the Round
Dobie makes the TOTW for the 2nd week in a row, but this time he goes one better and takes the honour of Player of the Round. Once again, Dobie benefited from playing out-of-position on the wing, but his mammoth points haul would have earned him a spot regardless of his listed position. Dobie had his hand in 3 tries and broke the line a league-high 4 times – 103 points
Wainwright is a talismanic figure for the Dragons. He has played his heart out over the past few seasons as the Dragons succumbed to loss after loss. It is fantastic to now see him putting in similar performances and earning the win as well. He was everywhere in the New Year’s Day Derby fixture against the Scarlets. e shone on attack with 3 defenders beaten and 42 meters gained; on defence with 16 tackles and 2 turnovers won; as well as at set-piece, where he claimed 6 lineouts – 55 points
Ward domination in Round 9 as both Ward brothers earn a spot in the TOTW. Like his brother, Bryn is a physical specimen and offers much of the same threat ball-in-hand albeit from the back row and not the wing. Zac beat more defenders than any back and Bryn more than any other forward – a proud day for the Ward family – 52 points
The North-South Derby between the Bulls and the Stormers was an intensely physical battle. Every tackle, every carry, every breakdown entry had serious oomf behind it. No one embodied this more than journeyman Rudolph, as he continued his good start to life in Bulls blue. He won 4 turnovers – the joint highest of the round – 47 points
Leinster’s pack was on top for significant periods of their clash with Connacht, and that was led by Deeny. He made more dominant tackles (5) than any other player in the round. However, his performance was far from one-dimensional, as he showed a deft side too with 6 passes completed – an essential for a Leinster forward – 52 points
Where Deeny made the TOTW predominantly for his defensive efforts, Oosthuizen is here for his attacking output. He topped the charts among locks for defenders beaten, and threw 2 offloads. His try was well taken, as he twisted out of contact before falling over the line – 51 points
At this point, Schoeman can be pencilled in for every TOTW. Schoeman has yet to score a try or register an assist all season, yet he is an ever present in the top point scorers of each week. His workload is not matched by any, and this week demonstrated that again. His 17 carries yielded 35 post-contact metres, and he earned a breakdown turnover to go with his 18 completed tackles – 87 points
A physical performance from the young Welsh hooker. He was making big carries and tackles all game. His try came from a well-executed pick-and-go close to the line. The Dragons’ set-piece operated at 100% – in no small part due to Burrows – 65 points
PR: Thomas Gallo – Benetton (1 try, 1 line break, 3 defenders beaten, 12/13 tackles, 2 offloads)
A pin-ball of a prop. Since his days in the u20s, Gallo has been one of the elite ball-carrying props. This was on full show at the Monigo, as he beat more defenders and made more offloads than any other front row forward. He kickstarted Benetton’s comeback as he burst onto the ball close to the line with no hope for any defender to stop him – 81 points
