BKT United Rugby Championship: Round 9 Highlights

The last of the festive interprovincial derbies in the BKT United Rugby Championship took place this weekend. Ulster were back at home in front of a packed-out Affidea Stadium for Friday night’s visit of second-placed Munster.

Try-scoring number 8 Bryn Ward was the player-of-the-match as Ulster started the new year on a strong footing. Meanwhile, Charlie Tector and Tommy O’Brien scored two tries apiece as Leinster hosted Connacht at the Aviva Stadium this evening.

The URC now takes a break for a couple of weeks as the focus switches to the final two sets of pool matches in the Investec Champions Cup and the EPCR Challenge Cup.

Then it will be back to league action with round 10 in three weeks’ time. The sold-out return fixture between Connacht and Leinster on Saturday, January 24 will mark the official opening of the redeveloped Clan Stand at Dexcom Stadium.

There will be Welsh opposition for both Munster and Ulster in the form of the Dragons and the Scarlets, respectively.

Iain Henderson was back to captain Ulster as they aimed for their first win over provincial rivals Munster since November 2023. The Reds fielded a much-changed selection in Belfast, with Calvin Nash and Brian Gleeson among the returning players in their matchday squad.

Leinster’s team selection for their first game of 2026 included Dan Sheehan as captain and Will Connors, who made his first appearance since October. Visitors Connacht made five changes, with Josh Ioane and Matthew Devine leading their back-line this week.