URC table: Irish sides hit 16 year low as South Africans and Scots sitting pretty

The opening round of the United Rugby Championship saw all four Irish teams lose on the first weekend for the first time since 2009. In contrast, South African and Scottish clubs enjoyed a clean sweep of victories. Among the notable results, the Lions edged reigning champions Leinster 27-26 in Johannesburg, while the Stormers defeated Connacht 29-15 in Galway.

Scottish sides secured road wins as Edinburgh defeated Ulster 34-29 and Glasgow Warriors overcame Munster 26-20 behind two tries from Jamie Dobie. Elsewhere, the Sharks beat Ospreys 41-24, the Bulls defeated Zebre Parma 47-13, Cardiff edged Scarlets 21-15, and Dragons RFC drew 19-19 with Benetton.