It was a tale of nail-biting contests and dramatic finishes on the opening weekend of the Vodacom United Rugby Championship season.
Reigning champions Glasgow Warriors were beaten by an 85th-minute try from Ulster Rugby in Belfast, while Dragons RFC claimed an 84th-minute converted score to defeat the Ospreys in the Welsh derby at Rodney Parade.
There was further late drama in Treviso where it ended in a 20-20 draw as Benetton Rugby missed a 79th-minute conversion attempt against the courageous Scarlets.
It also went down to the wire in Limerick as Munster Rugby held on for a narrow 35-33 win against Connacht Rugby after a 10-try thriller.
There were the same number of tries and the same small gap between the sides in Edinburgh as Leinster recorded a 33-31 triumph on the road, while Cardiff Rugby’s 22-17 win over Zebre Parma was remarkably the biggest margin of victory of the weekend!
Cardiff coach Matt Sherratt on his team’s 22-17 victory over Zebre at the Arms Park said “I was genuinely a bit nervous around it because it was a banana skin. After some tight losses last year, it’s a five-point win at home against a decent team that can be pretty tricky. I would have taken that beforehand.”
Safe to say, it’s been a really tight opening round of the Vodacom URC.
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The four South African sides enter the fray next weekend after the two Rainbow Nation derbies scheduled for Round 1 were postponed because of a clash with the Currie Cup final.
That Emirates Airline Park showpiece ended with the Hollywoodbets Sharks beating the Lions 16-14 thanks to a last-minute penalty by full-back Jordan Hendrikse from well inside his own half - maintaining the theme of dramatic late finishes!
Having secured a first Currie Cup title since 2018, the team from Durban will be in a buoyant mood as they open their Vodacom URC campaign by taking on Connacht in Galway.
The Emirates Lions will host Ulster, while the Vodacom Bulls entertain Edinburgh and the DHL Stormers are away to the Ospreys.
A SPECIAL NIGHT IN BELFAST - Ulster RFC 20-19 Glasgow Warriors
Ulster coach Richie Murphy hailed a “really special” win following his team’s last-gasp 20-19 triumph over champions Glasgow at the Kingspan Stadium.
“I thought it was incredible the way the lads just stuck at it,” he said.
“We didn’t play our best rugby by a long way. We were put under a lot of pressure from a really good Glasgow team, but we stuck in it, which is something we are trying to build, and to get the win at the end was really special.
“The lads rolled up their sleeves and, in the end, got the job done.
“I’m really happy to come away with the win because we were playing against a really good side.
“But we are going to have to learn quickly, because that’s not going to be good enough on most nights.”
Skipper Iain Henderson added: “One thing we spoke about before the game was making sure the guys were fighting right to the end and, fair play to them, they did that.”
Replacement scrum-half Dave Shanahan was the match-winning hero, dabbing down from close range five minutes into stoppage time, with his try being confirmed after a TMO review.
“I was a tiny bit nervous. I celebrated a bit early and then I saw the ref go to check it, but I was happy to get over in the end,” he said.
Giving his thoughts, Glasgow flanker Rory Darge added: “We are gutted after that, but fair play to Ulster, they were class. It was a physical game.
“A lot of matches have come down to the last minute this weekend in the first round of the season.”
DERBY DELIGHT FOR DRAGONS AT THE DEATH - Dragons RFC 23-21 Ospreys
Dragons coach Dai Flanagan said he was “super proud” of the character his players showed to secure a final play 23-21 victory over the Ospreys at Rodney Parade.
The game seemed done and dusted when the visitors led 21-13 three minutes from time with their opponents down to 14 men following a yellow card for hooker James Benjamin.
But Flanagan’s charges made light of their numerical disadvantage as they dug deep to earn a penalty which new fly-half Lloyd Evans slotted to set up a grandstand finish.
Then, in the 84th minute, replacement prop Luke Yendle burrowed over after a succession of forward carries, with 13-point Evans slotting the match-winning conversion from in front of the posts.
It was the first time the Dragons had claimed a victory on the opening weekend of the league season since 2013 and the celebrations both on and off the field were suitably euphoric.
Flanagan commented: “I thought the character to pull it back was excellent and it’s something we can really build on. I am just super proud of the group.
“The game looked like it was going away from us, but we had a clear plan.
“The problem solving and having the clarity in what we needed to do in that last play, that is real maturity from us.
“We spoke in the week about going 12 rounds. I might have to change that to six rounds, because I don’t think I can go through that again!”
Ospreys coach Toby Booth said: “We grabbed defeat from the jaws of victory.
"I thought we were the better team and I don't mean any disrespect by that.
"When you get somebody on the canvas, you have to knock them out and we didn't do that.”
Ospreys full-back Jack Walsh - the Player of the Match - added: “There’s a sense of frustration. We controlled most of the match pretty well, but we just didn’t close it out.
“Our accuracy at the end let us down. The Dragons are a quality side and if you give them easy territory, they are going to take it and they made us pay.”
Turning to the other Welsh teams, fly-half Callum Sheedy produced a Vodacom URC Man of the Match display on his competitive debut for Cardiff, setting up the opening two tries in the 22-17 bonus point victory over Zebre at the Arms Park.
Coach Matt Sherratt said: “I thought Callum started really well with two assists. In a fairly hectic part of play, he looked pretty cool. Time kind of stood still a little bit and he picked the right option. He showed some moments.”
As for the Scarlets, they came tantalisingly close to a memorable victory over Benetton out in Treviso.
With just two minutes to go, they led 20-15 thanks to a superb solo try from teenage centre Macs Page and a lineout maul touchdown from South African flanker Jarrod Taylor.
But, after incessant pressure from the hosts in the dying minutes, Fijian wing Onisi Ratave crossed for his second try, which presented fly-half Jacob Umaga with the opportunity to win the game.
But Umaga’s touchline conversion went to the left of the posts and it was honours even at 20-20, with a draw being the least Dwayne Peel’s Scarlets deserved for their stirring effort.
CULLEN CONTENT AFTER MIXED BAG- Edinburgh 31-33 Leinster
Leinster boss Leo Cullen was a happy man as his team began their Vodacom URC season in very different fashion to a year ago.
It was five tries apiece at the Hive Stadium, but it was the visitors who came out on top, defeating Edinburgh 33-31.
“Overall, we are delighted,” said Cullen.
“This time last year, we went to Glasgow in Round 1 and came away with nothing, so now we have five points. We were away from home against a very experienced Edinburgh team in front of a packed house, so we are pleased to get a win.
“There were some good moments and some frustrating ones as well. It was a little bit of a mixed bag.
“Edinburgh overpowered us a little bit at the start when we were probably a bit second to the punch, but as the game wore on we looked okay and put a lot of pressure on them from a defensive point of view.
“We had some young guys in there, so it was a great experience for them. It’s exciting. It’s great to be up and running.”
Edinburgh coach Sean Everitt said: “It was frustrating for us. Leinster won the kicking game battle, no doubt about it. That cost us. We ended up with 37 per cent territory.
“With the little possession we had in the right areas of the field, we still managed to score five tries, so we will take that as a positive and we managed to get two points out of the game at the end, but we’re obviously not happy with the result.
“I can’t fault the effort of the guys, but certainly our kicking game, which has been our strength, let us down.”
MATCH OF THE WEEKEND - Munster Rugby 35, Connacht Rugby 33
So many to choose from, but, in the end, this 10-try thriller at Limerick’s Thomond Park just gets the nod.
It was a game which swung one way and then the other with the lead changing hands on a number of occasions.
Both teams crossed five times amid some sparkling rugby, with scrum-half Ben Murphy claiming a brace for Connacht.
But the contest was ultimately decided by the boot of Munster’s replacement fly-half Tony Butler, with the 22-year-old super sub landing two testing conversions in the closing stages to seal the outcome.
Former Ireland wing Simon Zebo, who was commentating for Premier Sports, said: “It was a hell of a game, incredible. Fair play to them, both teams came out and fired their shots. Munster will be very happy with the result.”
Results Round 1
Edinburgh 31-33 Leinster
Cardiff Rugby 22-17 Zebre Parma
Dragons RFC 23-21 Ospreys
Munster 35-33 Connacht
Benetton 20-20 Scarlets
Ulster 20-19 Glasgow Warriors
WHAT’S UP NEXT?
Having secured a first Currie Cup title since 2018, the team from Durban will be in a buoyant mood as they open their Vodacom URC campaign by taking on Connacht in Galway.
The Emirates Lions will host Ulster, while the Vodacom Bulls entertain Edinburgh and the DHL Stormers are away to the Ospreys.
There’s another Welsh derby as the Scarlets lock horns with Cardiff in Llanelli, while the jubilant Dragons RFC head to the Aviva Stadium to face Leinster.
The other two games see champions Glasgow Warriors at home to Benetton and Zebre Parma welcoming Munster to Parma.
