Round 9 of the United Rugby Championship (URC) 2025/26 saw significant movement in the standings, with key wins for the DHL Stormers, Ulster, Leinster, and Glasgow Warriors across the New Year's fixtures. The DHL Stormers solidified their position at the top of the table after a tight South African derby win.
Round 9 Results
Drafons RFC 28-05 Scarlets
Ospreys 33-22 Cardiff Rugby
Ulster 28-03 Munster
Hollywoodbets Sharks 22-23 Lions
DHL Stormers 13-08 Vodacom Bulls
Benetton 14-15 Edinburgh
Leinster 52-17 Connacht
Glasgow Warriors 45-10 Zebre Parma
Dragons RFC achieved a decisive 28-05 win over the Scarlets. The home side pulled away in the second half after Scarlets lock Max Douglas received a 20-minute red card shortly after the break for a no-arms tackle. The Dragons capitalised on the numerical advantage, scoring three second-half tries to seal the win. The victory was the Dragons' third successive home win, continuing a recent resurgence that saw them climb to 13th in the URC table. In contrast, the Scarlets remained at the bottom of the standings.
The Ospreys secured a bonus-point 33-22 victory with five tries, while Cardiff's late surge earned them a valuable losing bonus point. The match, played at the Dunraven Brewery Field in Bridgend, saw the Ospreys dominate for the majority of the game, making it two successive festive derby victories. In the final minutes, Cardiff staged a comeback with tries from Adams, Taulupe Faletau, and Javan Sebastian, securing a losing bonus point just before the final whistle.
Ulster defeated Munster 28-3 in their United Rugby Championship (URC) clash on Friday, January 2, 2026, at the Affidea Stadium in Belfast. A dominant second-half performance secured the win for Ulster, who moved up to second in the URC standings. Tom Stewart, Jake Flannery, and Bryn Ward all scored tries. Nathan Doak added two conversions and another penalty to his tally, finishing with 13 individual points. Munster were kept scoreless in the second period, as their revamped side, featuring 10 changes from their previous match, struggled to contain Ulster's physicality
The Lions secured a dramatic 23-22 victory over the Hollywoodbets Sharks with a last-gasp try in their URC match at Hollywoodbets Kings Park in Durban. The visitors started strongly, racing to an early 15-0 lead with tries from Etienne Oosthuizen and captain Francke Horn, plus a penalty from Chris Smith. The Sharks fought back, with tries from Manu Tshituka, Siya Kolisi, and Jason Jenkins to narrow the gap. A red card for Lions flanker Ruan Venter in the first half saw the Sharks take the lead for the first time in the second period, but they turned down several late, kickable penalties in search of a decisive try. This proved costly when replacement scrum-half Haashim Pead scored a try in the corner after the final hooter to seal the stunning one-point victory for the visitors
The DHL Stormers maintained their unbeaten URC record by defeating the Vodacom Bulls 13-08 with a late try at a packed DHL Stadium on Saturday. The hard-fought North-South derby was a game of intense physicality, with the winning points coming just before the final whistle. The first half was a tight contest in windy conditions. The Bulls' fly-half Handré Pollard scored the first try with a quick tap penalty, which he failed to convert. The Stormers responded with a penalty from Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu and, after a yellow card for Willie le Roux, a try from Evan Roos off a driving maul to lead 08-05 at halftime. Pollard levelled the scores early in the second half with a penalty goal, but that was to be the Bulls' last score. The match remained an 8-8 deadlock until the 79th minute when, after opting for a series of lineouts over kickable penalties, replacement prop Ntuthuko Mchunu crashed over from another powerful driving maul to seal the victory for the home side.
Edinburgh held on for a narrow 15-14 victory over Benetton in their URC match at Stadio Comunale di Monigo on Saturday. Despite a second-half resurgence from Benetton, Edinburgh secured the crucial away points. Edinburgh took a commanding 10-0 lead into halftime, thanks to a try from scrum-half Ben Vellacott in the 21st minute and a penalty from fly-half Ross Thompson. Early in the second half, winger Darcy Graham extended Edinburgh's lead with a second try. However, Benetton fought back hard, with tries from prop Thomas Gallo (53rd minute) and former All Black centre Malakai Fekitoa (57th minute). Jacob Umaga converted both tries to bring Benetton within a single point with over 20 minutes left to play. A tense finish saw Benetton pressing for the win, but Edinburgh's defence held firm, and a late penalty attempt by replacement Cammy Scott for Edinburgh bounced off the upright. Freddy Douglas was named the Player of the Match for his critical turnovers.
Leinster produced a dominant second-half performance to defeat Connacht 52-17 in the United Rugby Championship (URC) clash at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday. Leinster got off to a quick start, leading 14-0 after just eight minutes with tries from Dan Sheehan and Charlie Tector. Connacht fought back to take a 17-14 lead late in the first half through tries from Dylan Tierney-Martin and Finlay Bealham, as Leinster's discipline faltered, leading to a yellow card for Joe McCarthy. However, a try from Sam Prendergast on the stroke of halftime restored a narrow 19-17 lead for Leinster. The second half was one-way traffic as Leinster scored five unanswered tries. Brian Deeny, Tommy O'Brien (two), Charlie Tector (his second), and Josh Kenny all crossed the line, while Sam Prendergast added a number of conversions to get the home side past the 50-point mark and seal a convincing victory.
The Glasgow Warriors defeated Zebre Parma 45-10 in their United Rugby Championship (URC) match at Scotstoun Stadium on Saturday, January 3, 2026. The Warriors scored seven tries in a dominant performance, with Duncan Weir capping his final appearance at the stadium with a try and the Player of the Match award. Glasgow led 19-10 at halftime, with tries from Stafford McDowall, Ollie Smith, and Seb Stephen, and conversions from Adam Hastings. Zebre's points in the first half came from a try by Bertaccini. The second half was a convincing display by the Warriors, who added four more tries without a response from Zebre. The tries came from Gregor Hiddleston, Duncan Weir, and a brace from Jamie Dobie. Duncan Weir also successfully converted his own try, marking a memorable farewell appearance before moving into a coaching role.
