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Charlie O’Shea gave Munster something to get excited about, Edinburgh found a teenage match-winner and Glasgow and Ulster spent the evening taking turns to throw away control. The URC’s second round had no shortage of attacking quality, but deciding when to stop making life difficult for yourself proved rather more challenging. Just ask anyone who watched the finish at Scotstoun.
B. Bernasconi (10', 50'), L. Marin (33')
Tries
C. Prendergast (4'), S. O'Brien (15'), C. Frawley (36', 76')
J. Umaga (34', 51')
Conversions
S. Gilbert (37')
Ciarán Frawley did not bother easing himself into life at Connacht. Two tries on debut, including the winner four minutes from time, is a fairly useful opening contribution. The decisive score was a proper collective effort: Shane Jennings regained possession, Niall Murray moved it quickly and Eoin de Buitléar supplied Frawley with the opportunity to finish. Sean Jansen took the player-of-the-match award, a reminder that the headline signing was not doing everything himself. Benetton will be particularly annoyed with this one. Their scrum caused problems, Bautista Bernasconi’s two maul tries gave them something dependable to build around, and they had opportunities to stretch their second-half lead. Instead, Connacht stayed close enough to make one late attack count, leaving the hosts with another home game they will feel they should have won.
T. Williams (9'), J. Sebastian (18'), T. Basham (27'), A. Mann (36'), T. Bowen (43', 54')
Tries
F. Minervino (21'), G. Ferrari (59'), G. Bertaccini (64'), G. Re (69')
C. Sheedy (19', 27', 37', 44'), J. Evans (54')
Conversions
G. Re (59', 70')
Penalties
T. Allan (6')
Tom Bowen supplied the finishing touches, but Cardiff’s back row did much of the work that made them possible. James Botham put in 31 tackles and earned the player-of-the-match award, while Alex Mann’s no-look pass for Teddy Williams and Taine Basham’s finish through several defenders showed that the forwards were bringing more than enthusiasm. Callum Sheedy added another improvised contribution, grubbering a loose ball towards Bowen for the winger’s first try before a slick handling move brought his second. By then, Cardiff looked capable of disappearing over the horizon. Instead, Zebre scored three tries in ten minutes to rescue a bonus point and give the home coaches something to grumble about. Six tries and a second win are welcome; allowing a beaten opponent that much encouragement is less so.
P. Hill (57'), R. McHaffie (70')
Tries
H. Dayimani (65')
J. Grayson (58', 71')
Conversions
Y. Ahmed (66')
J. Grayson (5')
Penalties
Y. Ahmed (47', 50')
For an hour, this was a game for people who really like territory. Then Edinburgh’s replacements gave it a pulse. Jerry Blyth-Lafferty broke through to put fellow replacement Paul Hill over, before 19-year-old Rory McHaffie supplied the decisive finish on his first home appearance. With Edinburgh trailing after Hacjivah Dayimani’s response, James Grayson spotted space out wide and sent a long pass towards McHaffie, who gathered the bouncing ball and scored in the corner. Grayson’s touchline conversion mattered, too, leaving the Stormers needing a try rather than a penalty. They had one final chance from a lineout, but Edinburgh stole it. After winning a much more open contest at Ulster, Sean Everitt’s side showed they could get through a scrappier one without needing everything to click.
E. Cronje (27'), P. Botha (42'), M. Brandon (48'), B. Chamberlain (56'), K. Mpeku (62', 65')
Tries
K. Williams (33'), E. Daniel (40+1'), R. Moriarty (82')
C. Smith (27')
Conversions
D. Edwards (34', 83')
C. Smith (11')
Penalties
Ospreys went into half-time with a lead and a lineout that was causing problems. They came out of the second half with another defeat and a fairly unpleasant replay to sit through. The Lions’ scrum began dictating terms, their backs found space and five unanswered tries turned a competitive afternoon into a comfortable home win. Kelly Mpeku helped himself to two, while Dan Edwards’ yellow card made an already difficult job harder for the visitors. Five missed second-half conversions actually kept the score down. Ospreys’ maul remained a threat, eventually bringing Ross Moriarty a late try, but that was a small consolation after losing control so completely. The frustration was not that they never competed. It was that a promising first 40 minutes offered so little protection once the Lions accelerated.
A. Tuitavuki (12'), E. Dee (21', 70'), R. Martinez (40'), H. Anderson (65'), R. Hunt (80')
Tries
M. Page (1', 27'), S. O'Connor (57'), I. Jones (72')
de Beer (13', 42', 71'), J. Lloyd (81')
Conversions
S. Costelow (2', 28', 58')
The Dragons did not need a spectacular finish to settle this derby. They needed their pack to do, once more, what had been hurting Scarlets all afternoon. Rob Hunt duly powered over late on, finally allowing Rodney Parade to relax after a match in which neither side could keep hold of the lead for long. Elliot Dee’s two tries came from the driving maul, while Rio Dyer’s break helped force the yellow card for Josh Macleod that made Scarlets’ closing task harder. Macs Page’s first-half double had given the visitors every chance, and Ioan Jones brought them back within five points with time running out. But the Dragons kept returning to their strength up front. Four of their six tries came from front-rowers. Not a bad afternoon for the expensive seats at scrum time.
M. Tshituka (25'), L. Bester (40'), A. Esterhuizen (68'), van der Merwe (77')
Tries
R. Henshaw (16'), T. Clarkson (48'), A. Osborne (80')
V. Moyo (26', 40+1', 69')
Conversions
C. Gabriel (17')
Penalties
S. Prendergast (65')
Bringing Eben Etzebeth off the bench is a useful option when a tight game needs changing. Leinster had dragged themselves into a one-point lead despite spending much of the afternoon under pressure at the scrum, only for Etzebeth to turn a loose ball into a counterattack with two powerful carries before releasing André Esterhuizen to score. Edwill van der Merwe then intercepted near halfway and ran in the try that put the result beyond the visitors. Leinster’s late response narrowed the gap, but the decisive work had already been done. The Sharks’ scrum repeatedly disrupted their attempts to build control and supplied the pressure behind the first-half turnaround. Leinster showed plenty of fight; finding a way to stop conceding penalties at the set-piece would have been rather more useful.
J. McKay (9'), K. Rowe (25', 63'), J. Dobie (52'), S. Talakai (59')
Tries
B. Ward (3'), E. McIlroy (20'), J. Murphy (40+2'), C. Mullins (46'), J. Augustus (72')
G. Horne (10', 26', 53', 59')
Conversions
J. Murphy (4', 40+3', 47'), N. Doak (73')
Kyle Rowe produced the sort of try that ought to win a match, then had to make the tackle that stopped Glasgow losing it. His second score was a superb solo effort from halfway, sweeping around three defenders, while his last-gasp cover tackle denied Ulster a breakaway winner. In between, the game continued refusing to settle down. Ulster had led by 12 before two yellow cards helped Glasgow take control; then the Warriors lost two players themselves and Juarno Augustus powered over, with Nathan Doak converting to level it. George Horne still had a chance to win it, but his late penalty struck the post. There was excellent attacking rugby on both sides, alongside enough self-inflicted trouble to keep both coaching teams busy. Five tries each, three league points each and plenty left to argue about.
D. Kilgallen (19'), C. O'Shea (30', 54'), A. Kendellen (68')
Tries
R. Vermaak (14'), F. Klopper (35'), J. Rudolph (72')
C. O'Shea (20', 31', 69')
Conversions
C. Bosch (15', 36')
Penalties
C. Bosch (43')
Munster needed a lift. Charlie O’Shea supplied most of it. The 20-year-old’s first competitive start brought a beautifully judged crossfield kick for Diarmuid Kilgallen, a charge-down on Curwin Bosch that he chased down himself, and a second try finished under pressure in the corner. That is quite a way to introduce yourself at Thomond Park. His contribution was not just about the spectacular, either: three conversions helped turn those chances into a winning total, and he left to a standing ovation after Alex Kendellen’s bonus-point try. The Bulls stayed dangerous, with their power producing enough opportunities to keep the outcome uncertain well into the closing stages. Munster still had defending to do after the visitors’ late try, but this time they finished the job—and found a new reason for optimism along the way.
Munster and Edinburgh will take more than points from the weekend: O’Shea and McHaffie delivered when trusted in tight games. The Sharks, meanwhile, have a scrum opponents will not be looking forward to, and Leinster have an obvious area to fix before worrying about anything grander. Glasgow and Ulster supplied both the entertainment and the warning: scoring five tries is lovely, but keeping enough players on the pitch to defend a lead helps. Two rounds in, the individual quality is already there. The control is still a work in progress.
