A look back at round 5 of the United Rugby Championship, played on October 30 and 31, before the international break.
Without 11 of their 19 Scotland squad players, Glasgow needed a 76th-minute Ollie Smith try to win at Scotstoun. Three South African clubs follow: the Bulls, Stormers and Sharks.
Benetton topple the leaders
Edinburgh arrived on four straight wins. At Monigo, Benetton scored in the first minute through Piero Gritti and led 18-0 at the break, despite a 20-minute red card for Matías Medrano in the 8th. It was the first win of the season for Wayne Pivac’s side, with a try bonus. Edinburgh drop to fifth.
The Bulls, top attack
At Loftus, the Bulls scored eight tries, including doubles for Dylan Maart and Marcell Coetzee, and Curwin Bosch landed all seven conversions. With 214 points and a difference of +108, they have the league’s best attack. Bosch is its top points scorer (38). John McKee, Sam Lousi, Archie Hughes and Joe Roberts scored for the Scarlets.
Thomond Park and the Welsh derby
The Sharks beat Munster 15-3, with Ivan van Zyl scoring while they were a man down. At the Stormers, Evan Roos scored after a 70-metre run and Ulster, beaten 33-7, still await a first win. Cardiff, missing 18 players, won 26-0 at the Ospreys’ St Helen’s with a double from Tom Bowen, who has four tries in three games. The Dragons beat Zebre 35-14 and Leinster thrashed Connacht 50-5 in Galway.
Results
- Glasgow 29-20 Lions
- Connacht 5-50 Leinster
- Stormers 33-7 Ulster
- Bulls 54-26 Scarlets
- Benetton 31-12 Edinburgh
- Dragons 35-14 Zebre
- Munster 3-15 Sharks
- Ospreys 0-26 Cardiff
The table after five rounds
| # | Team | P | W | D | L | Diff | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Glasgow | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | +36 | 23 |
| 2 | Bulls | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | +108 | 21 |
| 3 | Stormers | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | +65 | 21 |
| 4 | Sharks | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | +33 | 19 |
| 5 | Edinburgh | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | +28 | 19 |
| 6 | Leinster | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | +68 | 18 |
| 7 | Cardiff | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | +6 | 14 |
| 8 | Dragons | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | +9 | 14 |
| 9 | Ospreys | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | -35 | 11 |
| 10 | Benetton | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | +11 | 11 |
| 11 | Connacht | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | -52 | 10 |
| 12 | Munster | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | -20 | 10 |
| 13 | Lions | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | -55 | 9 |
| 14 | Scarlets | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | -57 | 9 |
| 15 | Ulster | 5 | 0 | 2 | 3 | -39 | 9 |
| 16 | Zebre | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | -106 | 2 |
Key figures
214 points scored by the Bulls in five rounds, the URC's best attack
18 players missing for Cardiff in the 26-0 derby win at the Ospreys
0 wins for Ulster, with two draws and three defeats in five rounds
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