Round 12 of the United Rugby Championship brought high-intensity clashes, late drama, and some major upsets. With teams fighting for playoff positions, every match was crucial in shaping the standings.
Edinburgh stunned Munster with a dominant first-half display, while Zebre mounted a second-half comeback to down the Dragons. The Lions overpowered the Sharks in a commanding performance, and the Stormers edged past the Bulls in a rain-soaked battle. Elsewhere, Leinster proved too strong for Cardiff, Ulster snatched a last-minute win over the Scarlets, and Ospreys shocked Glasgow with an overtime penalty to seal victory.
Here’s a full recap of all the action, scores, and highlights from Round 12:
EDINBURGH STUN MUNSTER WITH DOMINANT FIRST-HALF DISPLAY
Munster 28 – 34 Edinburgh (HT: 7-29)
Edinburgh pulled off a rare away victory in Cork, stunning Munster 34-28 at Virgin Media Park. A first-half blitz saw the visitors race to a 29-7 lead, with Matt Currie scoring a hat-trick and Ross Thompson and Magnus Bradbury adding tries. Munster, struggling at the scrum and making costly handling errors, mounted a late comeback. Alex Nankivell scored twice, while Ben O’Connor and Sean O’Brien added late tries to secure two bonus points, but the damage was done. Despite Munster’s late surge, Edinburgh’s set-piece dominance and Currie’s clinical finishing sealed their first win over Munster since 2019.
MUNSTER
- Tries: Nankivell (14’, 51’), O’Connor (64’), O’Brien (80’)
- Conversions: Burns (15’, 52’, 80’), Butler (65’)
EDINBURGH
- Tries: Thompson (23’), Currie (28’, 34’, 57’), Bradbury (39’)
- Conversions: Thompson (24’, 29’, 40’)
- Penalties: Thompson (5’)
ZEBRE RALLY TO DOWN DRAGONS IN PARMA
Zebre 31 – 21 Dragons (HT: 14-21)
Zebre overturned a 14-point deficit to secure a 31-21 victory over the Dragons, handing the Welsh side their 11th straight URC defeat. The Dragons started strong, with Brodie Coghlan scoring twice, while Joe Westwood added a third to give them a commanding 21-7 lead. However, Bautista Stavile’s late first-half try shifted momentum, and Zebre dominated the second half, with Geronimo Prisciantelli and Fetuli Paea crossing to complete the comeback. The Dragons remain bottom of the URC, while Zebre celebrated their second win of the season.
ZEBRE PARMA
- Tries: Licata (15’), Stavile (39’), Prisciantelli (41’), Paea (59’)
- Conversions: Da Re (16’, 40’, 42’, 60’)
- Penalties: Prisciantelli (79’)
DRAGONS RFC
- Tries: Coghlan (12’, 25’), Westwood (29’)
- Conversions: Reed (13’, 26’, 30’)
LIONS DOMINATE SHARKS IN JOHANNESBURG UPSET
Lions 38 – 14 Sharks (HT: 19-0)
The Lions stunned the Sharks with a commanding 38-14 victory at Emirates Airline Park, outmuscling their Springbok-laden opponents in wet conditions. The hosts raced to a 19-0 halftime lead, with PJ Botha, Francke Horn, and Edwill van der Merwe all crossing early. Despite a late surge from the Sharks, which saw Ethan Hooker and Siya Kolisi score consolation tries, the Lions remained in control. Richard Kriel, Jarod Cairns, and Gianni Lombard sealed the win with second-half tries. Ill-discipline plagued the Sharks, as two yellow cards proved costly, while their forwards struggled at the set-piece against a fired-up Lions pack.
LIONS
- Tries: Botha (6’), Horne (14’), van der Merwe (37’), Kriel (42’), Cairns (60’), Lombard (70’)
- Conversions: Lombard (7’, 15’, 61’, 71’)
SHARKS
- Tries: Hooker (78’), Kolisi (80’)
- Conversions: Hendrikse (79’, 80’)
STORMERS EDGE BULLS IN RAIN-SOAKED BATTLE
Bulls 16 – 19 Stormers (HT: 9-12)
The Stormers battled through tough conditions to claim a gritty 19-16 victory over the Bulls in Pretoria. A torrential downpour delayed kickoff and turned the match into a war of attrition, with handling errors and tactical kicking dominating proceedings. Despite the Bulls’ scrum dominance, the Stormers’ defensive resilience and aerial superiority proved decisive. Jurie Matthee’s four penalties gave the visitors a halftime lead, and a crucial try from Wandisile Simelane off a contestable kick in the second half sealed the win. The Bulls hit back through Ruan Vermaak’s close-range try, but their lack of execution in the wet conditions cost them. David Kriel’s boot kept them in contention, but the Stormers held firm to secure a hard-fought victory.
BULLS
- Tries: Vermaak (60’)
- Conversions: Kriel (61’)
- Penalties: Kriel (5’, 24’, 26’)
STORMERS
- Tries: Simelane (67’)
- Conversions: Matthee (68’)
- Penalties: Matthee (1’, 15’, 32’, 37’)
LEINSTER OVERPOWER CARDIFF WITH SECOND-HALF SURGE
Leinster 42 – 24 Cardiff (HT: 7-12)
Leinster maintained their perfect URC record, running in six tries to overcome a spirited Cardiff side at the Aviva Stadium. The visitors led 12-7 late in the first half, but Jack Boyle’s try just before the break shifted momentum in Leinster’s favor. A dominant second-half display saw Max Deegan, Luke McGrath, Charlie Tector, and Rob Russell cross as Leinster pulled away. Cardiff fought back with tries from Harri Millard and Ellis Bevan, securing a bonus point, but Leinster’s depth and execution proved too strong.
LEINSTER
- Tries: McKee (14’), Boyle (40’), Deegan (42’), McGrath (50’), Tector (53’), Russell (75’)
- Conversions: Byrne (15’, 41’, 43’, 51’, 54’, 76’)
CARDIFF
- Tries: Millard (16’, 57’), Young (29’), Bevan (69’)
- Conversions: Sheedy (30’), de Beer (70’)
ULSTER EDGE SCARLETS WITH LAST-MINUTE DRAMA
Ulster 30 – 28 Scarlets (HT: 13-15)
Nathan Doak held his nerve to slot a last-minute conversion, securing Ulster a dramatic 30-28 victory over the Scarlets and ending their three-match losing streak in the URC. Scarlets started fast, with Macs Page and Ioan Nicholas crossing early, but Nick Timoney’s first-half try and Jack Murphy’s boot kept Ulster within two points at halftime. The second half remained tight, with Callum Reid and Vaea Fifita trading tries, before another Ioan Lloyd penalty pushed Scarlets ahead. Ulster, however, refused to fold, with Timoney powering over late, leaving Doak to seal the win with the decisive kick.
ULSTER
- Tries: Timoney (22’), Reid (53’), O’Connor (77’)
- Conversions: Murphy (23’, 54’), Doak (78’)
- Penalties: Murphy (27’, 37’, 43’)
SCARLETS
- Tries: Page (4’), Nicholas (10’), Fifita (57’)
- Conversions: Lloyd (5’, 58’)
- Penalties: Lloyd (40’, 46’, 70’)
CONNACHT STORM BACK TO EDGE BENETTON IN THRILLER
Connacht 38 – 30 Benetton (HT: 19-27)
Connacht overcame an eight-point halftime deficit to secure a thrilling 38-30 victory over Benetton in Galway, claiming their fifth URC win of the season. The visitors led at the break thanks to tries from Ignacio Mendy, Andy Uren, and Marco Zanon, while Connacht responded with scores from Finn Treacy, Shayne Bolton, and Paul Boyle. A dominant second half saw Shamus Hurley-Langton and Matthew Devine cross for Connacht, while Josh Ioane and JJ Hanrahan’s kicking ensured the Irish side pulled ahead. Tomas Albornoz’s third penalty was Benetton’s only second-half score as they fell short.
CONNACHT
- Tries: Treacy (5’), Bolton (12’, 66’), Boyle (38’), Hurley-Langton (47’), Devine (72’)
- Conversions: Ioane (6’, 39’, 48’), Hanrahan (73’)
BENETTON
- Tries: Mendy (19’), Uren (25’), Zanon (30’)
- Conversions: Albornoz (20’, 26’, 31’)
- Penalties: Albornoz (16’, 34’, 59’)
OSPREYS STUN GLASGOW WITH LAST-GASP PENALTY
Glasgow Warriors 31 – 32 Ospreys (HT: 19-22)
A dramatic overtime penalty from Jack Walsh secured a stunning 32-31 victory for Ospreys over defending URC champions Glasgow Warriors at Scotstoun. Ospreys stormed ahead early with tries from Morgan Morse, Kieran Hardy, and Sam Parry, but Glasgow responded through Jack Mann and Patrick Schickerling’s double to keep the game tight at halftime. The second half saw Facundo Cordero put Glasgow ahead, only for Hardy to strike again and give Ospreys the lead. Nathan McBeth’s late try and Duncan Weir’s conversion looked to have sealed the win for the hosts, but a turnover penalty allowed Walsh to step up and slot the decisive kick in the final play.
GLASGOW WARRIORS
- Tries: Mann (20’), Schickerling (35’, 40’), Cordero (71’), McBeth (78’)
- Conversions: Weir (21’, 41’, 79’)
OSPREYS
- Tries: Morse (3’), Hardy (13’, 74’), Parry (17’), Giles (37’)
- Conversions: Edwards (38’), Walsh (75’)
- Penalties: Walsh (80’)
STANDINGS AFTER ROUND 12
That wraps up Round 12 of the United Rugby Championship. With the playoff race heating up, every match is becoming a crucial test of consistency and resilience. Some teams are making big statements, while others are still fighting to find their form.
What do you think of this weekend’s action? Which team impressed you the most? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
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