The top five signings ahead of the new URC season

The new United Rugby Championship will begin on Friday, September 26, when the Stormers host Leinster in Cape Town.

For the first time, Leinster will head into a URC season as the reigning champions, and it is up to the rest of the league to prevent the Irish giants from dominating once again.

Leinster’s rivals seem to be taking that task seriously, and have made some huge deals in the offseason.

Here are five of the biggest signings in the competition:

Fixture

United Rugby Championship

Stormers

35 - 0

Full-time

Leinster

All Stats and Data

5. David Odiase to Zebre

A matter of weeks after making his Italy debut against South Africa, former Italy U20 captain David Odiase will be back in his homeland after three years in Oyonnax.

One of the most promising players in Italy currently, the 22-year-old flanker is a statement signing for a Zebre side that showed promise last campaign and will look to kick on.

4. Edwill van der Merwe to the Sharks

Off the back of a semi-final defeat to the Bulls last season, the Sharks have not been too busy ahead of the new season, but they have recruited smartly with South Africa wing Edwill van der Merwe from the Lions.

The Sharks’ Galacticos squad really should be challenging for the title and the Investec Champions Cup with the Springboks they have at their disposal, and the wing has only added to their star power.

At the age of 35, it’s unclear how much longer Makazole Mapimpi has at the top level, and the 29-year-old van der Merwe could be his successor out wide for a few years.

3. Angus Bell to Ulster

Wallabies loosehead Angus Bell may only be in Ulster for a short spell (December until the end of the season), but that is enough time to make an impact.

When at the top of his game, the 24-year-old is one of, if not the best, looseheads in world rugby, and can add a real punch to Ulster’s carrying. With Juarno Augustus also arriving from Northampton Saints, Ulster’s pack will be a handful for any defence next season.

Fixture

Investec Champions Cup

Bayonne

17 - 26

Full-time

Stormers

All Stats and Data

2. Handre Pollard to the Bulls

Always the bridesmaids, the Bulls have been runners-up in three of the opening four instalments of the URC. Who better to bring in than the fly-half who has steered the Springboks to back-to-back World Cup triumphs?

There has been a lot of change in Pretoria in the URC offseason, chiefly with Johan Ackermann replacing Jake White at the helm, but a handful of Boks will also be arriving at Loftus Versfeld with Pollard, fresh from finishing runner-up in the Gallagher PREM with Leicester Tigers, being the star name.

The 31-year-old is back where it all started for him, and there are few better players in world rugby to recruit for a club that are desperately looking to get a title over the line.

1. Rieko Ioane to Leinster

Replacing one All Black in Jordie Barrett with another in Rieko Ioane is not bad business for the reigning champions.

In what has been a fairly quiet summer compared to the summer before, where RG Snyman and Rabah Slimani were also signed, this is still a signing of the highest order.

It didn’t work out too badly for Barrett last season in his sabbatical, although we wait to see if Ioane is benched for the Investec Champions Cup semi-final next season, if Leinster get there.