Round 14 of the United Rugby Championship delivered drama from start to finish—featuring epic comebacks, dominant displays, and crucial shifts in the playoff race.
Ulster stunned the Stormers with a six-try fightback in Belfast, while Glasgow Warriors produced a ruthless first-half demolition of the Lions to reclaim second place. Munster overcame a red card to win a fiery Irish derby, Edinburgh crushed the Dragons to rejoin the top-eight chase, and the Bulls put on a 60-point clinic at Loftus. With Leinster grinding past the Sharks and Benetton edging Cardiff late, every result tightened the standings and set the stage for a wild finish to the regular season.
- Ulster 38 – 34 Stormers
- Edinburgh 38 – 5 Dragons
- Bulls 63 – 24 Zebre Parma
- Connacht 24 – 30 Munster
- Scarlets 38 – 22 Ospreys
- Sharks 7 – 10 Leinster
- Benetton 20 – 19 Cardiff
- Glasgow 42 – 0 Lions
Catch up on all the Round 14 action with full match recaps and results below:
ULSTER SURGE PAST STORMERS IN THRILLING COMEBACK TO KEEP PLAYOFF PUSH ALIVE
Ulster 38 – 34 Stormers (HT: 17-17)
Ulster staged a stunning comeback to edge the Stormers 38-34 in a breathless URC Round 14 thriller at Kingspan Stadium. Down 17-0 after just seven minutes, the hosts rallied with six tries in a game packed with drama, momentum swings, and playoff implications. Early tries from Evan Roos and Ben Loader, plus a drop goal and two conversions from Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, put the visitors firmly in control. But Ulster roared back—Rob Baloucoune marked his return with a try, Andrew Warwick powered over from close range, and Jack Murphy’s score before the break tied it 17-17. A yellow card to Feinberg-Mngomezulu and a red to Stormers captain Neethling Fouche tilted the game further in Ulster’s favour, with Jacob Stockdale and Zac Ward crossing soon after. Willie Engelbrecht and a second for Roos kept the Stormers in touch, but Stewart Moore’s try proved decisive. Despite a late yellow to Harry Sheridan, Ulster’s defence held firm to claim a crucial win and keep their playoff surge alive.
ULSTER
- Tries: Baloucoune (10’), Warwick (28’), Murphy (39’), Stockdale (43’), Ward (54’), Moore (65’)
- Conversions: Cooney (29’, 44’), Murphy (55’, 66’)
STORMERS
- Tries: Roos (1’, 74’), Loader (6’), Engelbrecht (61’)
- Conversions: Feinberg-Mngomezulu (2’, 7’, 62’, 75’)
- Drop goals: Feinberg-Mngomezulu (5’, 50’)
EDINBURGH CRUSH DRAGONS TO REIGNITE URC PLAY-OFF PUSH
Edinburgh 38 – 5 Dragons (HT: 26-0)
Edinburgh cruised to a convincing 38-5 win over the Dragons at Hive Stadium, scoring six tries in a dominant URC Round 14 performance that reignites their play-off charge. After a scrappy start disrupted by injuries—including an early blow to Duhan van der Merwe—the hosts found their rhythm and ran riot. Hooker Paddy Harrison grabbed two first-half tries, including a stunning solo effort after chasing down a Darcy Graham chip. Graham then got on the board himself following a deft kick from Ben Vellacott, before Pierre Schoeman crashed over to secure the bonus point before the break. The Dragons finally responded through Aaron Wainwright early in the second half, but Edinburgh quickly shut the door as Boan Venter powered over, and Matt Currie added a late sixth with a well-worked team try. With this bonus-point win, Edinburgh move back into the top eight, while the Dragons remain anchored to the bottom of the standings.
EDINBURGH
- Tries: Harrison (15’, 18’), Graham (23’), Schoeman (36’), Venter (64’), Currie (78’)
- Conversions: Thompson (19’, 24’, 37’), C. Scott (65’)
DRAGONS
- Tries: Wainwright (46’)
BULLS CRUSH ZEBRE IN LOFTUS TRY-FEST TO CLIMB URC STANDINGS
Bulls 63 – 24 Zebre Parma (HT: 28-10)
The Bulls unleashed a relentless attacking performance to crush Zebre 63-24 at Loftus Versfeld, securing a bonus-point win that briefly lifted them to second in the URC standings. Sergeal Petersen opened the floodgates with one try in the opening three minutes, while Zak Burger added a third after pouncing on a loose ball. Zebre responded through Jacopo Trulla and a drop goal from Alessandro Fusco, but further scores from Stravino Jacobs and Jan-Hendrik Wessels gave the Bulls a 28-10 halftime lead. The onslaught continued after the break, as Marco van Staden, Marcell Coetzee, Harold Vorster, and David Kriel crossed the whitewash. Keagan Johannes was outstanding with the boot, converting seven tries en route to Player of the Match honors, while Boeta Chamberlain added two more conversions. Despite late tries from Giovanni Montemauri and Tommaso Di Bartolomeo, Zebre couldn’t keep pace with the hosts’ power and precision. The bonus-point victory keeps the Bulls firmly in the playoff mix with 50 points from 14 games.
BULLS
- Tries: Petersen (2’, 72’), Burger (12’), Jacobs (29’), Wessels (34’), Van Staden (46’), Coetzee (58’), Vorster (64’), Kriel (74’)
- Conversions: Johannes (3’, 13’, 29’, 35’, 47’, 58’, 65’), Chamberlain (73’, 75’)
ZEBRE PARMA
- Tries: Trulla (18’), Montemauri (40’), Di Bartolomeo (54’)
- Conversions: Montemauri (19’, 41’), Da Re (55’)
- Drop goal: Fusco (25’)
MUNSTER HOLD OFF CONNACHT FIGHTBACK TO SECURE CRUCIAL AWAY WIN IN CASTLEBAR
Connacht 24 – 30 Munster (HT: 5-18)
Munster edged Connacht 30-24 in a fiery all-Irish URC clash at a sold-out MacHale Park, overcoming a first-half red card to Alex Nankivell to climb back into the top eight. Graham Rowntree’s side showed immense grit with 14 men, scoring four tries through Tom Ahern, Craig Casey, Jack Crowley, and Diarmuid Barron, and repelling a late Connacht surge. Sean Jansen crossed twice for the hosts, with Caolin Blade and Josh Ioane adding second-half scores, but a disallowed try and costly errors ultimately denied them. Crowley was pivotal, adding 10 points with the boot and pulling the strings in attack, while Munster’s pack stood tall despite late yellow cards to Tadhg Beirne and Niall Scannell. Jean Kleyn’s clutch line-out steal in the final moments sealed a famous away win, leaving Connacht with only pride and regrets as they slip to 12th in the standings.
CONNACHT
- Tries: Jansen (20’, 61’), Blade (44’), Ioane (72’)
- Conversions: Ioane (44’), Hanrahan (62’)
MUNSTER
- Tries: Ahern (12’), Casey (22’), Crowley (50’), Barron (58’)
- Conversions: Crowley (23’, 51’)
- Penalties: Crowley (6’, 38’)
SCARLETS STORM BACK TO STUN OSPREYS IN SIX-TRY DERBY COMEBACK
Scarlets 38 – 22 Ospreys (HT: 17-17)
Scarlets stormed back from 17-0 down to stun Ospreys 38-22 in a thrilling West Wales derby at Parc y Scarlets, snapping a three-year losing streak against their rivals and keeping slim URC play-off hopes alive. Ospreys struck early through Morgan Morris, Iestyn Hopkins, and a Dan Edwards penalty, but the hosts roared back with six unanswered tries—including a penalty try—to turn the tide. Blair Murray, Vaea Fifita, Joe Roberts, Eddie James, and Taine Plumtree all crossed as Scarlets dominated after the first quarter. Ioan Lloyd added two conversions and a penalty in a standout playmaking display, while Gareth Davies and Macs Page helped create key scores. Edwards crossed late for a consolation try, but Scarlets’ energy and execution in the second half left Ospreys reeling and outplayed.
SCARLETS
- Tries: Murray (20’), Penalty Try (33’), Fifita (39’), Roberts (43’), James (49’), Plumtree (60’)
- Conversions: Lloyd (44’, 50’, 61’)
OSPREYS
- Tries: Morris (1’), Hopkins (13’), Edwards (74’)
- Conversions: Edwards (2’, 14’)
- Penalties: Edwards (7’)
LEINSTER GRIND PAST SHARKS WITH DEFENSIVE MASTERCLASS IN DURBAN
Sharks 7 – 10 Leinster (HT: 0-5)
Leinster held firm in the Durban heat to edge the Sharks 10-7 in a bruising, low-scoring URC Round 14 battle at Kings Park. Missing several Ireland internationals, Leo Cullen’s young side showed remarkable resilience and character in defence to return to winning ways after a narrow loss to the Stormers last week. It was the visitors who struck first after a yellow card to Jaden Hendrikse gave them a numerical edge. Scrum-half Fintan Gunne whipped a wide pass to Henry McErlean, who dotted down in the corner to open the scoring. Leinster turned up the heat after the break as Scott Penny crashed over from close range, but Ciarán Frawley missed his second conversion attempt to leave the score at 10-0. The Sharks responded almost immediately as Bongi Mbonambi powered over from a rolling maul, with Hendrikse converting to cut the deficit to three points. The South Africans pushed hard in the final quarter, including a late penalty which they kicked to the corner in search of victory. But Leinster’s defence stood tall once again, repelling the maul and closing out a famous win on the road.
LEINSTER
- Tries: McErlean (18’), Penny (47’)
SHARKS
- Tries: Mbonambi (51’)
- Conversions: Hendrikse (52’)
ALBORNOZ CLUTCH PENALTY LIFTS BENETTON OVER CARDIFF IN TREVISIO THRILLER
Benetton 20 – 19 Cardiff (HT: 17-14)
A 77th-minute penalty from fly-half Tomas Albornoz sealed a dramatic 20-19 victory for Benetton over Cardiff in Treviso, boosting the Italians into seventh place on the URC table and denting the visitors’ playoff ambitions. Cardiff started strong with James Botham crashing over early, followed by a slick Ellis Bevan try after a Rory Jennings break. But Benetton responded with a penalty and a try of their own from Albornoz before taking control when Cardiff lock Ben Donnell saw yellow. A penalty try just before the half-time whistle, following another Cardiff sin-binning for Jennings, gave the hosts a narrow lead at the break. Despite a scrappy, rain-soaked second half, Cardiff edged ahead when hooker Evan Lloyd burrowed over. However, Callum Sheedy’s missed conversion proved costly as Albornoz calmly slotted a long-range penalty to restore the lead. Cardiff’s hopes faded with a third yellow card, this time for full-back Cameron Winnett, allowing Benetton to hold on in the final minutes.
BENETTON
- Tries: Albornoz (19’), Penalty Try (40’)
- Conversions: Albornoz (20’)
- Penalties: Albornoz (9’, 76’)
CARDIFF
- Tries: Botham (5’), Bevan (15’), Lloyd (67’)
- Conversions: Sheedy (6’, 16’)
HORNE MAKES HISTORY AS GLASGOW BLANK LIONS TO GO SECOND IN URC STANDINGS
Glasgow Warriors 42 – 0 Lions (HT: 42-0)
George Horne became Glasgow’s all-time leading try-scorer as the Warriors ran riot in a six-try first-half demolition of the Lions, cruising to a 42-0 bonus-point win at Scotstoun to reclaim second place in the URC table. The hosts were relentless from the start, with Nathan McBeth crossing after just five minutes before Jamie Dobie added a quick brace to seize control. Horne’s historic 55th try for the club sealed the bonus point before the break, with further scores from Adam Hastings and Grant Stewart rounding out a flawless first-half performance. Hastings was perfect from the tee, converting all six tries. Despite playing into the wind in the second half, Glasgow kept the visitors scoreless, showcasing strong defensive resolve. The Lions, reduced to 14 men temporarily due to a yellow card to Nico Steyn, offered little threat and left Scotland empty-handed. Franco Smith’s side now sit just behind Leinster, four points clear of the Bulls in the playoff race, while the Lions remain third from bottom.
GLASGOW WARRIORS
- Tries: McBeth (5’), Dobie (17’, 25’), Horne (29’), Hastings (37’), Stewart (43’)
- Conversions: Hastings (5’, 18’, 26’, 30’, 38’, 43’)
LIONS
- No scoring
STANDINGS AFTER ROUND 14
As Round 14 wraps up, the URC playoff picture remains wide open—every point, card, and try now carries major consequences.
Glasgow’s surge, Ulster’s heart, and Benetton’s clutch win over Cardiff highlight just how fine the margins are heading into the final stretch. With four rounds to go, expect the intensity to ramp up even further. Stay tuned, stay sharp, and keep following Peak Rugby for all the latest URC action, analysis, and highlights.
Who impressed you most in Round 14? Drop your thoughts in the comments and let’s talk rugby.
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