NEVER BEFORE HAS a club started the URC as strongly as Leinster have in recent weeks.
29 points from an available maximum of 30 is impressive stuff, pipping their own previous record of 28.
There are only three editions of the competition to compare with, but it’s still a notable feat from Leo Cullen’s side.
Anyone would be disappointed not to get the maximum 30 in the opening six games when that tally was so tantalisingly close, but Leinster have every cause to be happy with their opening block of the season.
Nothing is won in September and October, of course. Leinster will pick out lots of elements in their six games so far that they can improve on but with a third of the regular URC season already gone, they’re sitting pretty at the top of the table.
Their fixture list has been relatively favourable, given that they faced only two of last season’s top-eight teams. Tougher tasks surely lie ahead, including a trip to South Africa to face the Bulls and the Sharks just after the Six Nations.
The challenge of a big chunk of their senior squad being away with Ireland kicks in now, Andy Farrell’s men having begun their November Tests camp today and with the Six Nations only three months down the line. Still, Leinster have good depth and those leading internationals will be fully back for the business end of the season.
Cullen can be happy that Leinster have already tested their depth this season, with 47 players used in the opening block. That has them some distance ahead of the joint-next-best, the Ospreys and the Bulls with 39 players used.
Tighthead prop Thomas Clarkson and out-half Ross Byrne have featured in all six games. Centre/fullback Jamie Osborne banked the most minutes of any Leinster player with 400 in five games, while back row Max Deegan clocked up 370 in his five appearances.
Again, there will be much more severe challenges later this season but Leinster’s defence under Jacques Nienaber has been strong. They’ve conceded the fewest points so far with just 72 and the joint-fewest tries along with the Bulls at 10.
Attack coach Tyler Bleyendaal can be happy with 28 tries scored, second only to Glasgow’s 30.
There’s room for improvement at the lineout, where they’re just below average with a success rate of 86.6% on their own throw, although the defensive side has been strong with 14.2% of opposition throws stolen, according to Opta.
Leinster continue to be aggressive at scrum time, with 39 penalties won leaving them behind only the Ospreys [45] and the Sharks [44]. They won’t be pleased with the concession of 28 scrum penalties but that is still below average for the URC.
When the URC resumes in late November, Leinster will be without a large crop of internationals for the visit to Ulster but they’ve left themselves in a good spot for now.
The same can’t be said of Munster, who have won just two of their six games. This was always going to be a challenging block given that they were away to Leinster and had a two-game tour of South Africa, but their overall performances have been poor.
Whether it has been lineout malfunctions, defensive lapses, or their attack handing opportunities to the opposition via intercepts and turnovers, Munster have had a host of issues in their play.
Another big injury list has been unhelpful but Munster haven’t looked to make it an excuse. They’ve still had plenty of key men and senior players available but they’re lacking rhythm and confidence.
Conceding the joint-most tries along with Ulster and the Dragons at 24 has been among the obvious concerns and while defence coach Denis Leamy will be working hard to improve his players’ execution of the defensive plan, deficiencies in other areas of the game like the breakdown and kicking have given other teams chances against Munster.
Injuries have meant players like Alex Nankivell, Peter O’Mahony, Jeremy Loughman, Shane Daly, Oli Jager, Thaakir Abrahams, and several others have not been available at different stages so the URC break is welcome.
Tom Farrell, Mike Haley, John Ryan, Jean Kleyn, and Jack O’Donoghue have played in all six games so far, with Haley’s 471 minutes leaving him just ahead of Farrell on 468.
Munster have a friendly against the All Blacks XV to come this weekend and Graham Rowntree will hope it has a momentum-changing effect on his team, as was the case when they beat the South Africa XV in November 2022.
While Munster are down in 12th in the URC table for now, Connacht and Ulster both sit inside the top eight after the opening block.
Connacht have won three of their six games but were close to even better. They earned two losing bonus points in each of their away defeats to Munster and Ulster. Of course, they were frustrated not to edge those tight battles but the four extra match points are useful.
Pete Wilkins’ side seem to have doubled down on a commitment to keep the ball in hand, with only Zebre kicking less from hand, but that has left them in tricky spots on several occasions.
Connacht are enjoyable to watch, they have some exciting young players making an impression, and their bonus-point win at home to the Dragons last weekend was the ideal way to finish this block.
They probably need a defensive sharpener during this break from the URC but Wilkins can be content on the whole with his side sitting fifth in the table.
Captain Cian Prendergast, Denis Buckley, Caolin Blade, Cathal Forde, Dylan Tierney-Martin, Santiago Cordero, and Piers O’Conor have been ever-present in their matchday 23, with O’Conor completing the entire 480 minutes so far.
In contrast to Connacht, Richie Murphy’s Ulster ended their opening block in seriously frustrating circumstances as they let a 19-0 half-time lead slip away to Cardiff, losing 21-19.
Winning in Wales would have put Ulster in the top four on the URC ladder for this break which would have been an excellent outcome given they travelled to South Africa to play the Bulls and the Lions. Not getting a try-scoring bonus point in defeat to the Bulls in the second game on tour was another disappointment.
But an opening weekend win over reigning champions Glasgow showed Ulster’s mettle, while they edged a real battle against Connacht and had too much quality for the Ospreys. Winning all of those home games was an obvious target so Murphy will be hopeful results on the road improve when the URC gets back underway.
Ulster have used 35 players in this opening block, with Connacht calling on 36, and Munster selecting 37 in their six games.
Out-half Aidan Morgan has started all of Ulster’s games, while Werner Kok, Tom O’Toole, Mike Lowry, Nathan Doak, David McCann, and promising 22-year-old hooker James McCormick have also been involved in every game. South African wing Kok has a team-leading 413 minutes so far but Morgan is not far behind on 409 as Murphy pushes him to grow into the number 10 shirt.
All three seasons of the URC up to this point have shown us that it’s dangerous to make definitive claims this early in the season and even much later in the campaign.
Munster were seemingly down and out in 22/23 before they rallied to claim the title, Leinster have apparently had the trophy sewn up a few times before but have yet to win it, while Connacht and Ulster probably feel they can compete with anyone if they are pitch perfect.
Munster have ground to make up to get into the play-off mix and they have the quality to do that in the next stage of the season. The bottom half of the table also includes Benetton, the Sharks, the Stormers, and Edinburgh – all of whom will probably feel they have what’s required to finish inside the top eight.
Last season’s finalists, Glasgow and the Bulls, have had fine starts to the new campaign, while the Lions of South Africa deservedly round out the top four thanks to their blend of thrilling counter-attacking, clever kicking, and set-piece power. Let’s not forget that the South African teams have played one game fewer than everyone else so far.
There are plenty of thrills and spills still ahead in the URC.
