Edinburgh player ratings vs Leinster | 2025/26 URC

Edinburgh player ratings: Edinburgh will rue this 28-20 defeat. For long stretches they looked the sharper, more cohesive side and had Leinster under pressure through intelligent first-phase play and strong defensive work.

But when the squeeze came, they couldn’t hold their ground, and the closing quarter belonged entirely to the hosts.

Here’s how we rated the Edinburgh players:

1. Boan Venter – 7.5
Outstanding in the first half. Destroyed Sparrow early and set the tone in the scrum. His influence waned as Leinster adjusted, but this was a powerful statement performance nonetheless.

2. Jerry Blyth-Lafferty – 7
Tackled relentlessly and threw himself into everything. One poor fumble aside, his work-rate was exceptional and he kept Edinburgh competitive through sheer effort.

3. Paul Hill – 7
Scrummaged well against Cahir and gave Edinburgh real stability early on. Replaced after a HIA, but this was a strong outing from the veteran.

4. Callum Hunter-Hill – 5.5
A mixed bag. Threw a dreadful pass but benefited from advantage, then compounded matters with a yellow card for a high shot. Too many errors and discipline issues blotted his copybook.

5. Glen Young – 7.5
Impressive. Carried hard, made good decisions and even had the audacity to sidestep Andrew Osborne in open play. A couple of late errors aside, this was a strong showing.

6. Ben Muncaster – 6.5
Nearly scored and worked hard around the breakdown, but his influence dipped as the game wore on. Solid rather than standout.

7. Freddy Douglas – 6
Put in a good defensive shift and was consistently involved. Not spectacular, but reliable throughout his time on the field.

8. Magnus Bradbury – 6
Strong early involvement, including a fine break that led to Edinburgh’s first try. However, he turned over too much ball to score higher and couldn’t maintain his influence late on.

9. Ben Vellacott – 6.5
Excellent early on, with a sharp break and assist for Duhan’s try. Took a heavy accidental knock to the face from McKee and was charged down later, which shifted momentum decisively.

10. Ross Thompson – 6
Kicked well early but missed a straightforward penalty and faded as Leinster’s pressure mounted. Missed chances will linger.

11. Duhan van der Merwe – 8
Showed he still has electric pace with a superb 50-metre finish from first phase. Quiet second half as Edinburgh were pushed back, but his try was top class.

12. James Lang – 6
Produced a lovely offload in the build-up to a disallowed try but missed a couple of tackles. Influential in flashes without dominating.

13. Wes Goosen – 5.5
Anonymous in attack for long periods but solid defensively. Provided the assist for Edinburgh’s second try, which nudged his rating upward.

14. Malelili Satala-Navlivou – 7
Quiet for much of the half until he got his chance, then finished superbly just before the break, rounding Deegan with real sharpness. Looked dangerous when given space.

15. Harry Paterson – 6
Solid under the high ball early but finished with three lost turnovers to his name. Reliable rather than influential.

Replacements – 5.5
Failed to stem the tide. Tom Dodd made some thunderous hits and Charlie Shiel deserved his late consolation try, but overall the bench couldn’t match Leinster’s late energy or physicality.