URC Season 5. 2025/26

Stage only takes 36 hours or so to build

But you're right, the final is June 20th.

Google helpfully lists the 2025 date.

Don't mean this to sound disparaging, but for years (as a Leinster fan) I viewed Ulster the same way I viewed the Scots as an Ireland fan - a talented team, definitely capable of cutting loose and scoring good tries out wide etc, but ultimately that soft underbelly is their fatal flaw.

They've looked a lot better at times this season, but I think the performances over the last couple of months have shown a bit of slippage.

The peak of their season was the demolition job on Munster on Jan 2nd - they looked imperious that day, dominated collisions, full value for a big win.

They followed that up with a walkover win against Cheetahs in Europe, and a workmanlike win against Stade Francais, and then the wheels came off a little bit:

• Lost 27-22 away to Scarlets (were unfortunate with some shocking refereeing decisions IMO)
• Win 21-14 home to Cardiff (went in 14-0 up at HT, took foot off the gas, will have been frustrated not to get TBP)
• Lost 21-10 away to Ospreys (big slip up; leaked two late tries. Had scored a TBP try only for it to be ruled off, Rea got a yellow, and went straight down the field and conceded. Turning point loss IMO).
• Won 40-19 home to Edinburgh (made very hard work of it - losing 19-14 at HT, scored 4 tries in second half (including 2 in final 10 mins to put a gloss on the scoreboard)
• Lost 26-19 home to Connacht (showed a real lack of fight in this game IMO)
• Won 28-12 away to Zebre (decent bounce back, with a rotated team. 7-7 at HT, but relatively comfortable TBP win)
• Won 28-24 home to Ospreys (Europe) - (fortunate to win this one, after dominating early. Got the benefit of a late Ospreys try ruled out for a forward pass)
• Won 41-24 home to La Rochelle (good result on paper, in awful conditions, but it was a heavily rotated LAR side with players playing out of position. Will have been frustrated to concede 24 points).

Despite all of this - the narrative going into last week was that Ulster were showing "good form".

That's a pretty soft run of fixtures IMO, and they left a lot of points behind them.

It's kind of season on the line territory this week in Thomond and we'll really find out what they're made of. The injuries to props in particular are going to make the run in very tough though.

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The wheels have come off Glasgow's season spectacularly. Dumped out of the Champions Cup at home and have been hammered twice over their South African tour. What's worse is that they brought their strongest available squad and they'll come back from their travels demoralised and tired from travel.

They're especially injury hit in the second row and at scrum half. No locks to get quick ball from the ruck and no zippy 9 to dig it out and threaten the line. Hastings may well be cited for a high tackle and they lost more players through injury today as well.

Blatanly so. Lions haven't been good. Connacht have only themselves to blame for poor tackling leading up to the tries.

Kind of amazing really.

At the same time though they have to win their knockouts to get to it. We've seen a few interesting home games lost this year. Connacht showed us Stormers can be very beatable. They could botch a home quarter /semi seeing the final land elsewhere. Going to be a really interesting few weeks in the Urc.