BKT United Rugby Championship: Round 3 Highlights

Ahead of next Saturday’s showdown at Croke Park, Leinster and Munster both registered home wins in the BKT United Rugby Championship. Ulster impressed when beating the Vodacom Bulls, and Connacht came away from Cardiff with a losing bonus point.

Only three teams remain undefeated in the BKT URC after the weekend’s action, with the DHL Stormers and Clayton McMillan’s Munster locked on 14 points apiece at the top of the table.

Munster edged out Edinburgh on a 20-19 scoreline to make it victories wins on the trot, while Leinster overcame the Hollywoodbets Sharks, triumphing 31-5 at Irish Rugby HQ where Ireland Sevens international Josh Kenny made his debut off the bench.

There was much to admire about Ulster’s 28-7 bonus point success against the Bulls, as second-half tries from Juarno Augustus, who scored on his first start for the province, Rob Herring, and Cormac Izuchukwu got the job done.

Also on Saturday night, Connacht missed out on their second win when falling to a 14-8 defeat at the Arms Park. While pleased to get something out of the game late on, head coach Stuart Lancaster said: “Deep down I was disappointed with the quality of the performance.”

The fourth round’s big match is the mouth-watering derby between Leinster and Munster at Croke Park next Saturday – click here to buy tickets. Last season’s corresponding fixture drew a URC record attendance of 80,468.

Fifth-placed Ulster kick off the tour to South Africa by playing the Sharks in Durban, and there is South African opposition in Galway for Connacht in the form of the Bulls. Tickets for the Dexcom Stadium clash are available to buy here.

Second row Fineen Wycherley was the man to deliver the match-winning try eight minutes from time, as the Munstermen completed a hard-fought comeback victory in Cork after trailing 19-10 at one stage.

Opening their win account against the Sharks at the Aviva Stadium, Leinster were boosted by the return of five British & Irish Lions, including Josh van der Flier, who captained the province for the first time, and fellow try scorer Jamie Osborne.

Ulster thrilled their vocal home support at Affidea Stadium, scoring four tries – all converted by player-of-the-match Nathan Doak – to claim an eye-catching 28-7 win over the Vodacom Bulls.

A David O’Connor try during the final play earned a bonus point for Connacht in a 14-8 loss to Cardiff. Finn Treacy had earlier had a try ruled out for a knock-on, on a night when the visitors lacked accuracy in some key areas.