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Watch: Duhan van der Merwe’s wonder try caps weekend of quality URC rugby
South African-born Scottish winger Duhan van der Merwe’s wonder try capped a weekend of exceptional rugby, filled with shocks, as the Vodacom United Rugby Championship celebrated the new year in style.
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Van der Merwe’s 80 metre sprint, courtesy of fellow Scottish winger Darcy Graham’s turnover in his own 22, was the stuff of Edinburgh dreams, and earned him the man of the match award, giving his coach Sean Everitt something to smile about.
Playing this on repeat 🔥@duhanvdmerwe | @Scotlandteam pic.twitter.com/PZk8wEX0yV
— Edinburgh Rugby (@EdinburghRugby) December 31, 2023
But while Edinburgh won the battle, Franco Smith’s Glasgow Warriors won the war as their victory in the opening leg meant that they would keep the 1872 Cup and bragging rights for another year.
Van der Merwe’s score was just one of a number of highlights in the New Year’s round of the Vodacom United Rugby Championship, where the DHL Stormers celebrated two years unbeaten against fellow SA franchises, Ulster caused the shock of the championship by doing the double over table-toppers Leinster and Benetton rose to second on the URC table to continue one of their most-amazing seasons thus far.
Van der Merwe was happy to take the plaudits in the 19-14 win, but lamented the fact that his side couldn’t overturn the scoreline to get the prized 1872 Cup back in the Scottish capital.
The win did take Edinburgh to fifth on the log, with Glasgow firmly in third spot in a very congested top eight.
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“It’s a pretty tough one to take,” Van der Merwe said.
“The boys will be hurting after that one, we got into their 22 quite a lot but we couldn’t get away with points. Towards the end we just had to take the three points.
“The league points mean a lot to us and are more important. We left a lot of opportunities out there.
“We probably left 15 or 20 points out there. We will go back and look at it and work hard on it.”
United Rugby Championship
P
W
L
D
PF
PA
PD
BP T
BP-7
BP
Total
1
Leinster
9
7
2
0
34
2
Benetton
9
7
1
1
32
3
Glasgow
9
6
3
0
31
4
Ulster
9
6
3
0
28
5
Edinburgh
9
6
3
0
26
6
Bulls
8
5
3
0
26
7
Stormers
9
5
4
0
26
8
Ospreys
9
5
4
0
25
9
Connacht
9
5
4
0
24
10
Munster
9
4
4
1
24
11
Cardiff Rugby
9
3
5
1
21
12
Lions
7
3
4
0
19
13
Scarlets
9
2
7
0
12
14
Zebre
9
1
7
1
12
15
Gwent Dragons
9
2
7
0
10
16
Sharks
8
1
7
0
8
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Ulster propped up their credentials as genuine contenders as they went to the RDS Stadium and walked away with a one-point win, as Leinster slumped to their first defeat there since being beaten by the Bulls back in the semifinal two years ago.
Ulster coach Dan McFarland was naturally glowing after his side scored three tries and provided a kicking masterclass off Billy Burns at 10.
“It (playing Leinster at the RDS) is the best challenge in the URC and to come away with a victory and the manner of it is very pleasing,” McFarland said.
“That was probably quite exciting, gutsy. To me that was a really gutsy performance from us interspersed with three brilliant tries.
“We took our points when we needed to take them. The rest of it was clench your teeth, get down in the trenches and do the work that you have to do. That’s still a victory isn’t it.”
Ulster moved up to fourth with the win and have the satisfaction of having done a rare double over the Dublin juggernaut who still sit at the top of the standings despite the loss.
Defending champions Munster added more named to an already long injury list as they were booted off the park by former Munsterman JJ Hanrahan at the Sportsground to compound Graham Rowntree’s worries.
First-half injuries for Oli Jager and Jack O’Donoghue added to Munster’s mid-season woes as Hanrahan, who played more than 130 games for Munster earlier in his career, slotted five penalties and a conversion to cap a solid 22-9 win for Connacht.
Benetton’s expected domination of the Italian derbies, with another solid win over Zebre, gave them the momentum to go into second spot but they may find it tough in the second half of the season.
The New Year’s day win by Dragons over Scarlets lifted them off the bottom of the log, with that tag now firmly with the Hollywoodbets Sharks, who lost at the Stormers in their derby. Ospreys beat Cardiff in the other derby of the weekend 27-21 to give themselves a new year boost.
The derby between the Vodacom Bulls and Emirates Lions was shifted to January 26 as both sides took a welcome rest over the new year period.
Results
Saturday
Benetton 36 Zebre Parma 14
Edinburgh 19 Glasgow Warriors 14
DHL Stormers 16 Hollywoodbets Sharks 15
Monday
Connacht 22 Munster 9
Ospreys 27 Cardiff 21
Dragons 13 Scarlets 12
Leinster 21 Ulster 22
Comments on RugbyPass
It’s going to be a good game. COYQ
1 Go to comments“Shock”, the guy was casually saying he was just slightly surprised. Nowadays if you say anything it gets taken completely out of context. Calm down everyone.
154 Go to commentsAll I can say after reading this bitter, sour, sad piece is… Thank you very much! This will be read in the change room just before kick off on 31 August…
175 Go to commentsLook, we know contradicting opinions and wacky comments bring readers and clicks, so well done to RP for allowing always-wrong-Ben to say something here. However RP needs to put a disclaimer next to his comments for their own credibility. NZ was and is incapable of acknowledging their opp beating them. They refused so with Ire and with Arg in 2022 and also the Boks in 2023 x 2. Nothing Ben says here holds water, NZ attacked backwards, except when Kolisi and Kolbe was off And cyncialy took out Bongi, we played without lineouts for 75mins. Kolisi and Kurt-Lee almost scored twice. Thats 3 vs 2 for Boks, but the Boks opportunities was legal. Boks should have been 16-3 up by half time. Tacticaly the Boks attacked better defended better scrummed better (without a hooker) kicked better and crossed the whitewash more times. Boks beat Fr Eng Nz to win in 23, comeon give some credit at least. Even Federer Verstappen NY Mets, Mamoa, was able to see a great human sport achievement by the Boks and their DNA Boks #RWC27 !🏉
175 Go to commentsForget the 85kg bit, that can become something else. However I do like the one off test on ANZAC day idea. SR plays Fri/ Sat, test players travel Sunday and the squads have the full week together before playing Saturday. Rest of SR has a week off. Either involve women's teams in same location or in the other country and rotate annually. Herbert is right in that change is needed.
3 Go to commentsI’ve read loads of nonsense before but this article takes the cake. Or perhaps someone changed the date for April Fool's Day.
3 Go to commentsReally Rugbypass? Ben Smith I think you forgot what the Springboks did to the All Blacks at Twickenham 8 weeks earlier? Springboks 35 All Blacks 7. There is alot of ifs and buts in your article. The All Blacks threw the sink at the Springboks and unfortunately they were not good enough regardless if they played with 14 men or not. It was the Springboks who forced the All Blacks to make mistakes! Sorry but not Sorry the Springboks is the best ever Rugby World Cup Nation in the world. 4 Cups baby!
175 Go to commentsYou just backed the Boks with that fantastic review! Well done! Have some cake!
175 Go to commentsBen Smith please write up something better than this. The Springboks would have won the world cup if you were 15 men on the field. They would have found a way, they always find a way to beat the All Blacks.
175 Go to commentsWow, there is a lot of “could have” and “ should have” in this waist of time dribble. I love the desperation in this story to search for a glimpse at a silver lining. Here are the facts, NZ was a badly coached and undisciplined shadow of their former glory. They never took the lead in a game they were never going to win.
175 Go to commentsGOTTA MAKE ‘THE GEORGE’ HAPPEN!!!! That’s a great idea! A trans Tasman midget battle on ANZAC Day. I don’t think the ABs Wallabies game should be a one off winner takes all though, just the first match with the other two later in the year with the RC. Reason being, no one will ever shut up about how aussies couldn’t win it when it was a 3 match series.
3 Go to comments@Ben smith. Thats knock out rugby. So honeslty who cares?
175 Go to commentsIt will interesting to know which Irish players said that…
2 Go to commentsNaaaww boys will be boys! Now run along ya wee scamp! Don’t let us catch you at again😏
1 Go to commentsGreat to have Ethan Blackadder back in the Crusaders in the last few weeks. One of the best all round loose forwards around. He played so well last week against the Rebels. Fantastic attitude Ethan has and his comments are spot on.
2 Go to commentsThe author is 100% right. The Springboks know that they don't have near the natural attraction, mana, skill and mystic the All Blacks have. So, Chasing the sun 1 & 2 was concocted to overblow the Boks image on the back of a corruptly obtained “win". It's marketing ploy to force the Boks delusion as the World's Best. I guess World Rugby is also not to be believed when it came out with an apology about how the final was officiated. And if the 2023 final such a superb game by the Boks, then the Boks crying about Referee Bryce Lawrence for decades is also deserves a laugh. Chase the sun and get burned like a moth. A very well written literary piece that tore the Boks and Chasing the sun farce to shreds. 🖤All Blacks🏉
175 Go to commentsI’d say France was far more hard done by in the 2011 final than the All Blacks in this game. Joubert simply refused to call a penalty against the All Blacks in the last quarter even directing an All Black to drop a ball he picked up in an offside position rather than penalizing him. This article also totally discounts the efforts of PSTD. Ask Jordie how well he played. Or the backup flank who played hooker for the entire game. Siya was also a brilliant tackle by Richie from scoring a blinder. Pollard was also fantastic. Look I don’t like the boks style but the only thing more questionable than the content of this article is the timing of it. Get over it already
175 Go to commentsDad Marty was also a handy rugby player for Linwood back in the day. Great bloke. Sensational softball career.
2 Go to commentsWhat ifs are always dangerous. If you look at the game before Sam cane got sent of SA was dominating. You could make the argument the going down to 14 men rallied the troops and made them have to play to win which is always dangerous.
175 Go to commentsOmg… you are bruised And battered Benny. Stop crying … the scoreboard speaks. What a pathetic lover you are.. 🤣🤣🤣
175 Go to comments