URC 2025/26 - Round 15

[Demfad]

https://stats.unitedrugby.com/match-centre/2025-26/15

 

[Demfad]

Leinster 9 points shy of Glasgow with a difficult assignment in Ulster but with a chance to reduce arrears against Glasgow who play match one of their SA tour versus Lions. Must wins one feels for Munster away to Treviso and Cardiff away to Scarlets. Interesting to see what fight Connacht can put up versus Stormers.

 

[Leonormous Boozer]

Heading up to Belfast Friday. Should be great craic

 

[Demfad]

Heading up to Belfast Friday. Should be great craic

Leinster probably looking for 20/20 points for last 4 matches. They want a top two finish but would probably prefer a second place to Glasgow rather than Stormers. First things first, tough assignment on Friday!

 

[Leonormous Boozer]

Leinster probably looking for 20/20 points for last 4 matches. They want a top two finish but would probably prefer a second place to Glasgow rather than Stormers. First things first, tough assignment on Friday!

Think they'll have to do it the hard way to be honest. Don't back the kids in Ravenhill this week but hopefully they'll surprise me.

 

[irisht]

Bracey reffing Ulster Leinster

 

[Seeker]

Warriors over the Lions.

 

[Demfad]

Connaught without Aki for SA tour. Just a few ****les so he will be back for last two matches. I think Connaught need bonus points losses at least to stay in contention for a top 8 spot.

 

[irisht]

Leinster Rugby (caps in brackets):
15. Hugo Keenan (79)
14. Joshua Kenny (12)
13. Garry Ringrose (145)
12. Robbie Henshaw (117)
11. Jimmy O’Brien (114)
10. Sam Prendergast (45)
9. Luke McGrath (251)
1. Jerry Cahir (11)
2. Rónan Kelleher (89)
3. Thomas Clarkson (72)
4. Brian Deeny (50)
5. James Ryan (105) CAPTAIN
6. Alex Soroka (25)
7. Scott Penny (101)
8. James Culhane (24)

Replacements:
16. Gus McCarthy (26)
17. Ed Byrne (102)
18. Rabah Slimani (32)
19. Conor O’Tighearnaigh (9)
20. Max Deegan (154)
21. Will Connors (64)
22. Fintan Gunne (29)
23. Ciarán Frawley (118)

 

[irisht]

1 Angus Bell (13)
2 Tom Stewart (71)
3 Tom O’Toole (138)
4 Iain Henderson (C) (175)
5 Cormac Izuchukwu (50)
6 David McCann (87)
7 Sean Reffell (15)
8 Juarno Augustus (13)
9 Nathan Doak (105)
10 Jack Murphy (30)
11 Zac Ward (25)
12 Stuart McCloskey (215)
13 James Hume (116)
14 Werner Kok (31)
15 Jacob Stockdale (147)

Replacements:

16 James McCormick (15)
17 Sam Crean (16)
18 Scott Wilson (53)
19 Harry Sheridan (57)
20 Bryn Ward (15)
21 Conor McKee (18)
22 Jake Flannery (35)
23 Jude Postlethwaite (43)

 

[Demfad]

Leinster Rugby (caps in brackets):
15. Hugo Keenan (79)
14. Joshua Kenny (12)
13. Garry Ringrose (145)
12. Robbie Henshaw (117)
11. Jimmy O’Brien (114)
10. Sam Prendergast (45)
9. Luke McGrath (251)
1. Jerry Cahir (11)
2. Rónan Kelleher (89)
3. Thomas Clarkson (72)
4. Brian Deeny (50)
5. James Ryan (105) CAPTAIN
6. Alex Soroka (25)
7. Scott Penny (101)
8. James Culhane (24)

Replacements:
16. Gus McCarthy (26)
17. Ed Byrne (102)
18. Rabah Slimani (32)
19. Conor O’Tighearnaigh (9)
20. Max Deegan (154)
21. Will Connors (64)
22. Fintan Gunne (29)
23. Ciarán Frawley (118)

Big match for Prendergast. Hopefully he can start to perform again and start his build back up.

 

[Groundhog]

Munster Rugby: Shane Daly; Calvin Nash, Tom Farrell, Alex Nankivell, Andrew Smith; Jack Crowley, Craig Casey; Jeremy Loughman, Diarmuid Barron, Michael Ala’alatoa; Jean Kleyn, Tadhg Beirne (C); Tom Ahern, John Hodnett, Gavin Coombes.

Replacements: Lee Barron, Michael Milne, Oli Jager, Edwin Edogbo, Brian Gleeson, Ben O’Donovan, Dan Kelly, Alex Kendellen.

 

[AlRums]

Bloody hell, Edinburgh took that to the wire

 

[saulan]

Stormers are emotionally charged after Chippie’s passing. Could be an intense one

 

[ChicagoKid]

Dobbo can’t stay on. His job is untenable.

Gelant has been poor for 2 years. Willemse playing wing despite being the springbok 15.

 

[ShropshireAllBlack]

The West’s awake!

 

[saulan]

At least the Lions are showing up and seem to be doing us a favor after we lost the plot in the final 20 minutes.

 

[Demfad]

Dobbo can’t stay on. His job is untenable.

Gelant has been poor for 2 years. Willemse playing wing despite being the springbok 15.

Connacht were a banana skin waiting to happen for Stormers. They were number 9 starting but are playing easily as a top 4 team. Their scrum is good, and are tough defensively and have an expansive attack as needed. Above all are an intense 80 min team.
You could see that Stormers viewed the tightness of the match as a frustration and Connacht would have viewed that frustration as a sign that Stormers were misjudging their calibre a little.
They should be able to bounce back next week but that defeat means they may finish behind their big rivals in Glasgow and Leinster, but particularly Leinster.
Connacht do the unthinkable next week and a top 4 may be on, but top 8 is name of game.

 

[Demfad]

At least the Lions are showing up and seem to be doing us a favor after we lost the plot in the final 20 minutes.

Connacht are an intense 80 minute team and in truth are playing easily top4 standard now.

 

[ChicagoKid]

Connacht are an intense 80 minute team and in truth are playing easily top4 standard now.

Connacht are average. Stop acting like they are anything more.

 

[Demfad]

Connacht are average. Stop acting like they are anything more.

Connacht are now 6 from 6 including beating Top 4 teams Ulster and Stormers both away from home. Ergo above average.

 

[AlRums]

Glasgow are looking very lethargic, I wonder how much acclimitisation they got going to altitude.

I think the best they can hope for is a potential bonus point.

 

[Demfad]

Glasgow are looking very lethargic, I wonder how much acclimitisation they got going to altitude.

I think the best they can hope for is a potential bonus point.

Agreed. The match was over before they got going. Then they faded right at the end. As the commentator said a hard blowout may be needed in warmup and/or evening before so that the body is as optimum as possible to start match well. Connacht next week versus Lions may be instructive if Connacht fare better.
Looking a lot less aerobically fit than Lions who are physically and tactically set up to win these home matches at altitude.

 

[AlRums]

Agreed. The match was over before they got going. Then they faded right at the end. As the commentator said a hard blowout may be needed in warmup and/or evening before so that the body is as optimum as possible to start match well. Connacht next week versus Lions may be instructive if Connacht fare better.
Looking a lot less aerobically fit than Lions who are physically and tactically set up to win these home matches at altitude.

Connacht will be a bit better off not having to factor in recovering from a 14+ hour flight with recovery and altitude adjustment. That's the way it goes.

I remember flying into Bogotá (8,500 ft) and the recovery + altitude took me about 4-5 days, I'm no athlete now. Similarly into Cusco, Peru (11,500 ft).

I expect the Warriors to improve next week.

 

[Leonormous Boozer]

Great craic in Belfast last night. Silenced the home crowd for 60 mins and they nearly gave is a scare.

Cracking results for Leinster this weekend, rocket back into contention for top spot and very suddenly look like the most comfortable team in the comp.

 

[Bluemoon]

Well that was a bit mad at Parc y scarlets. Important BP win for Cardiff. So much wrong with that performance though, line out poor, centres abysmal at times- think I need a dose of Dirty Harry’s view from the stands as it was shocking at times for a team going for top 8. A win is a win though.

Plumtree doing what he does for Wales and getting a yellow at a crucial time. It broke the scarlets confidence.

Good win against Wales West B, Wales West A next Friday.

 

[dullonien]

Ospreys lose that game if it stayed contested scrums! Gotta question the validity of that though, looked a bit suss to me as the Ospreys were getting inhialated in the scrums.

 

[Amiga500]

Another reality check as to where we really are.

 

[Groundhog]

Massive win for Munster. Nankivell was the best player on the pitch. Defence was so good when we went down to 13 (from two ridiculous yellows).

Think another BP win will see us through. Need to try throw the kitchen sink at Ulster next week, but Lions is the one we should be looking to put a score up for.

 

[Demfad]

Connacht will be a bit better off not having to factor in recovering from a 14+ hour flight with recovery and altitude adjustment. That's the way it goes.

I remember flying into Bogotá (8,500 ft) and the recovery + altitude took me about 4-5 days, I'm no athlete now. Similarly into Cusco, Peru (11,500 ft).

I expect the Warriors to improve next week.

I used to run a lot and was in Iten in Kenya for a two week stint coaching/running. If normal jogging pace was 5 min/km, then the same effort on day 1 was 5:30 ish. It got harder before it got easier but you would get a bump after 3-4 days down to about 5:10 ish (in this example).
So some teams go altitude to make sure + 4-5 days altitude and others its < 3 days.
Maybe when the first match is high you go the +4-5 days early, and if the first match is low you go < 3. I don't know really but I hear you on the recovery.
Now when I returned home I was bouncing my jogs around at 4:30 pace until the white blood cells reduced to sea level rates.