United Rugby Championship: Round 1 Predictions
There’s both excitement and trepidation at the start of a brand new tournament, with URC stepping in as the shiny new replacement for Super Rugby, with teams squaring up in Round 1 having never played each other before.
When you add in to the mix that the Springboks are away in Australia, and some of the stars of the Lions Tour will be rested for the first few weeks, how this weekend will play out is anyone’s guess.
So with all those caveats and reasons to go easy on me, here are my URC predictions for Round 1, with a brief line of justification for each.
Best of luck with your own URC picks!
When you add in to the mix that the Springboks are away in Australia, and some of the stars of the Lions Tour will be rested for the first few weeks, how this weekend will play out is anyone’s guess.
So with all those caveats and reasons to go easy on me, here are my URC predictions for Round 1, with a brief line of justification for each.
Zebre v Lions
Zebre are expected to finish last in the table, and whilst every team will be wary of facing them at their home ground, the Lions ought to win this. Lions by 6Cardiff v Connacht
The home team has won this fixture on the last 6 occasions, and a home win is the sensible pick here. Cardiff by 3Ulster v Glasgow
Glasgow have faded slightly in the last couple of years, and I would expect Ulster to be the stronger side here, having won home and away in the Pro14 last season. Ulster by 9Benetton v Stormers
This is a really tough pick , because normally the Italians are useless, and yet they somehow beat the Bulls in the Rainbow Cup finale. I need a bit more convincing so I’m going with the Stormers. Stormers by 4Edinburgh v Scarlets
The Scarlets will be missing a few key players for this opening match, and they have struggled against Edinburgh in the recent meetings, so I’m predicting a home win. Edinburgh by 3Leinster v Bulls
I’m looking forward to this one, and it could set the tone for North v South clashes for the season. Some people are expecting the Bulls to steamroll everyone, but Leinster will win this opening match. Leinster by 11Munster v Sharks
This is another good one, and another that should be a home win. Thomond Park will be very hostile, and it’s a tough place for any side to get a result. Munster by 13Dragons v Ospreys
I don’t particularly rate the Dragons, but these two teams have played out some high-scoring matches in recent times - 119 points were scored across their last two matches. I think the Ospreys are likely to edge it. Ospreys by 2Best of luck with your own URC picks!
Reckon it's doable in football/soccer euro leagues, most nrl rounds, SR & RC not so much with premiership, top14 & pro14/ucl footy.