United Rugby Championship Predictions – Round 7

There’s nothing quite like a South African derby, and there are not one but two on deck on Saturday as the URC resumes after a two-week break to accommodate the opening rounds of the Investec Champions Cup and EPCR Challenge Cup.

The log-leading Stormers welcome the Lions to Cape Town, while the Sharks and Bulls do battle at Kings Park.

Cardiff v Scarlets

Friday, 19 December – 21:45

This Welsh derby pits the pride and joy of the country against one of its red-headed children.

Cardiff have been outstanding this season and find themselves in second place in the standings with a 5-1 record. Their 29-26 triumph over Ulster in the Champions Cup last weekend will further fuel their fire.

The Scarlets, meanwhile, are rooted to the bottom of the log with just a solitary win, so bank on Cardiff to cruise to victory.

Prediction: Cardiff by 15.

Suggested Bet: Cardiff -8 at 1.90.

Leinster v Ulster

Friday, 19 December – 21:45

Aside from the South African derbies, the all-Irish showdown in Dublin is the game of the weekend.

After dropping a few games in the opening stages sans their army of international stars, defending champions Leinster have started their ascent up the ladder and have put together a four-match winning streak in all competitions.

They weren’t as dominant as expected in their most recent URC game, downing the struggling Dragons 24-10 on the road, but continued to pick up speed with their 23-15 away Champions Cup win over the Leicester Tigers last weekend.

Ulster are two places above their big brother in fourth position with a 4-1 record and took Cardiff to the limit in the Champions Cup last weekend.

They’ll fancy their chances, but Leinster have won six of the last 10 ties between the teams, including the last three, and after being stunned by Munster in October, Leo Cullen’s charges won’t allow another local rival to beat them at home.

Prediction: Leinster by 12.

Suggested Bet: Ulster +13 at 1.90.

Stormers v Lions

Saturday, 20 December – 15:30

The high-flying Stormers will seek to continue their winning ways, while the Lions will look to replicate their heroics of four years ago when the teams collide in Cape Town.

The Capetonians stand tall as the only remaining unbeaten side in the URC, and added wins over Bayonne (26-17) and La Rochelle (42-21) in the Champions Cup over the last fortnight to make it 8-0 in all competitions this season.

It’s an unprecedented hot start for the Stormers, built on a dominant pack, intelligent kicking game and strike power of their backs. With the Springbok halfback duo of Cobus Reinach and Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu starring on their returns from international duty last weekend, John Dobson’s men are at the peak of their powers.

The European window came at a bad time for the Lions as they upset the Bulls 43-33 at Loftus Versfeld to stretch their winning streak to three and move up to seventh place on the log prior to it. Since then, they dropped both of their Challenge Cup games, to Benetton (26-18) at home and the Newcastle Red Bulls (14-10) away last weekend.

The Lions will disregard those defeats and will look to upset the applecart once again by doing to the Stormers what they did to the Bulls. They’ve only beaten the Stormers twice in seven URC showdowns, but they’ll draw heart from their 37-19 victory in Cape Town in 2021, which showed they can’t be counted out.

That said, the Stormers are firing on all cylinders, and their complete game should see them win comfortably.

Prediction: Stormers by 15.

Suggested Bet: Stormers -14 at 1.90.

Benetton v Zebre

Saturday, 20 December – 16:00

For the first time since the URC’s inception, Zebre head into the Italian derby higher on the log than their countrymen. Both teams are 2-4, with Zebre managing one more bonus point than Benetton to sit one place above them in 11th.

That said, back Benetton. They’re coming off back-to-back Challenge Cup wins over the Lions (26-18) and Perpignan (44-31) and have won the last 10 straight in this rivalry.

Prediction: Benetton by 12.

Suggested Bet: Benetton -11 at 1.90.

Glasgow Warriors v Edinburgh

Saturday, 20 December – 17:00

Highs don’t come much more euphoric in club rugby than topping record six-time Champions Cup winners Toulouse.

That’s exactly what the Warriors did last weekend, staging an epic second-half comeback after being 21-0 down to secure a famous 28-21 victory. Franco Smith’s challenge this week will be to keep his players’ feet on the ground.

Edinburgh kicked off their Champions Cup campaign with an impressive win of their own, besting Toulon 33-20, before basically conceding last weekend’s away game at Castres, where their dirt-trackers were whitewashed 33-0.

The fact that this is the first leg of the two-match series between the Scottish sides for the 1872 Cup, which the Warriors have held since 2023, will ensure they are focused on the task at hand, and they’ll make their home-ground advantage count.  

Prediction: Glasgow Warriors by 10.

Suggested Bet: Glasgow Warriors -9 at 1.90.

Sharks v Bulls

Saturday, 20 December – 18:00

It’s the dance of the desperados in Durban.

Both teams have struggled to get going this season, with the Sharks in particular being major underachievers with just one win from their six games. As a result, John Plumtree stepped down as coach with JP Pietersen taking over on an interim basis.

The change brought immediate success with the Sharks securing a 28-23 Champions Cup win over Saracens last weekend, which will boost the morale in the camp and will be seen internally as a fresh start to build on.

The Bulls have been hit and miss in their first season under Johan Ackermann, a 3-3 record seeing them sit eighth, six spots above the Sharks. Worryingly for the men from Pretoria, they’ve lost four on the trot in all competitions, including suffering a crushing 50-5 Champions Cup defeat at the hands of the Northampton Saints last weekend.

With momentum on their side, star backs like Andre Esterhuizen and Ethan Hooker returning in a big way and home ground advantage, which will be especially telling on Saturday with a big crowd expected for what is the annual SharksFest, the hosts are marginal favourites.

They have all the quality in the world, but trusting them to deliver against a full-strength side is difficult for me. The Bulls have serious defensive deficiencies that they need to work on, but with their powerhouse pack and Handre Pollard pulling the strings at flyhalf, they are juicy underdogs.

Prediction: Bulls by 2.

Suggested Bet: Bulls at 2.00.

Ospreys v Munster

Saturday, 20 December – 19:30

Down in 13th with a single win, the Ospreys are in desperate need of a result and will be hoping to ride the momentum gained from their Challenge Cup victories over Connacht (24-21) and Montauban (33-22) over the line.

The Stormers handed Munster their first loss of the season (21-14) in their top-of-the-table clash in the previous round, which bled over to another defeat to English PREM champions Bath (40-14) in the opening round of the Champions Cup.

The Irish outfit got back in the win column in style last weekend, thumping Gloucester 31-3, and are primed to preserve their place at No. 3 with a win over a team they’ve only lost to once in the last eight years.   

Prediction: Munster by 9.

Suggested Bet: Munster -4 at 1.90.

Dragons v Connacht

Saturday, 20 December – 21:45

The Dragons ended a 364-day drought when they edged Lyon 23-21 in dramatic fashion in the Challenge Cup last Sunday. The embattled Welsh region were finally able to sing their victory song, snapping a 20-game winless run.

Their celebrations will be short-lived, though, as Connacht – who are six places above them in ninth – will be too strong for them.

Prediction: Connacht by 8.

Suggested Bet: Connacht -6 at 1.90.