URC Previews – Glasgow v Ulster, Bulls v Connacht & Leinster v Munster

It’s round six of the URC and we preview URC Previews – Glasgow v Ulster , Bulls v Connacht & Leinster v Munster. 

Bulls v Connacht, 3pm Saturday, RTE.

Bulls stand at a record of three wins and two losses. Notably, the Bulls have faced defeat only twice at Loftus Versfeld since February 2022, falling to the Stormers and Lions in consecutive matches last February and March.

In recent encounters with Irish provinces, the Bulls have held a dominant record on home turf, with no Irish province managing to secure a victory in Pretoria so far.

Conversely, Connacht, having suffered their sole defeat of the campaign (22-25 against Edinburgh in Round 4), has shown prowess with three victories out of their last four matches against South African opponents.

Despite Connacht’s recent success against South African teams, their overall record in South Africa stands at an even five wins and five losses.

Notably, the history between the Bulls and Connacht indicates that in their two prior meetings, victory has always favored the home side.

Leinster v Munster, 6:30pm Sat, TG4

Leinster has been on an impressive streak, triumphing in their last four BKT United Rugby Championship games following their initial defeat in Glasgow during the opening weekend.

However, their recent track record at Aviva Stadium includes losses, notably a 15-16 defeat against today’s opponents, Munster, in last season’s semi-final, followed by a 26-27 loss in the final of the Champions Cup against La Rochelle.

Munster, on the other hand, faced their only defeat of this campaign during their Round 4 encounter against Ulster.

In their recent six matches against other Irish provinces, Munster has secured three victories and suffered three losses. Notably, their win in last season’s semi-final marked a significant breakthrough, ending a string of four consecutive defeats against their intense rivals. It also marked Munster’s first victory over Leinster at Aviva Stadium since 2014.

Throughout their extensive history, Leinster holds the upper hand with 107 wins to Munster’s 50 in their 168 clashes, with eleven games resulting in draws.

Glasgow v Ulster, 7:30pm

Glasgow Warriors experienced their lone loss in the first five rounds of the BKT United Rugby Championship in a 26-34 match against Connacht during Round 2. Notably, the Warriors’ single Championship defeat at Scotstoun occurred since October of last season, specifically during a match against Munster.

Ulster, on the other hand, suffered their only defeat so far against Connacht with a scoreline of 20-22 in Galway during Round 3. Their recent loss to a Scottish opponent was against Glasgow, where they faced an 11-17 defeat on their most recent visit to Scotstoun last February.

Historically, Ulster’s successes at Scotstoun in the Championship have been limited, with only two victories recorded – a 22-17 win in 2016 and a 19-13 victory in last seasons quarter final. That is the only loss in Scotstoun in last three years for Glasgow.