Former All Black Stephen Donald may not be utterly proper concerning the high quality of the United Rugby Championship, however the URC groups definitely aren’t proving him fallacious.
The perfect crew within the URC, Leinster, simply bought bundled out of the Champions Cup semi-finals to a Premiership membership with a shedding report this 12 months. It’s a foul look. Northampton Saints sit in seventh place within the 10-team Gallagher Premiership with a 7-8 win-loss report.
The assets, the expertise, and the outcomes present that over the medium-to-long time period Leinster are nonetheless one of many high golf equipment in Europe. Regardless of arising brief in three straight European finals earlier than this newest heartbreak, Leinster are contenders year-in year-out and never many golf equipment can maintain that stage of competitiveness.
Outside of Leinster is where the real problem exists. The URC teams across the board were dreadful and that is where Donald’s views have weight. You can’t argue with results.
All three South African clubs finished 1-3 and exited after the pool stages. Ulster went 1-3 for a pool stage exit, and Benetton, Munster, and Glasgow all went 2-2. Only Leinster finished with a winning record.
They have just proven themselves to be the lowest in Europe at least. That much is fact. The wider take is that the URC is a one-team league, propped up by Leinster, and the rest are also-rans.
Glasgow Warriors are the second-placed team in the URC this year and won the URC title last year. They were battered by the number one team 52-0 in the European quarter-finals.
The two teams have not met in the URC this season yet.
Name another league where the top team can put 50 on the second place team and also keep them to nil?
The URC is a deep league with 16 teams, which surpasses the number of teams everywhere else. France has 14 in the top division, Super Rugby Pacific has 11, the Premiership has 10.
There is naturally going to be a larger gap between the good and the bad as a result. This was Super Rugby’s problem, and the URC inherited it, along with the travel logistics.
Achieving parity in this multi-international league is also near impossible with some unions running the clubs with centrally contracted models. Irish players will only play for Irish clubs, and so on.
The distribution of talent to bolster the league competitiveness is limited, so every nation involved needs to have a production line system that operates at the level of Ireland or South Africa.
This is the EPL in disguise, where the rich clubs win the titles year-after-year and the poor battle for survival. Rugby club wealth is measured in the quality of your academies, playing pool and development systems. Only a few URC teams have it, and therefore only few can contend. In Europe only one can contend right now. The last URC team to make a Champions Cup final not named Leinster was Ulster in 2012 over a decade ago.
Donald is not that far off in reality.
Super Rugby Pacific has a level of parity this year that is at a world-leading standard. It doesn’t have the blowouts that you see in Europe.
The Fijian Drua are the bottom team and only have three wins. They have beaten the number one side, the Chiefs, and the fourth placed side, the Queensland Reds. They can push any side in the competition. Not to put the boot into the 1-15 Dragons, but they clearly can’t compete.
Moana Pasifika have a points differential of -20 and sit 9th in the 11th team league. Cardiff have a points differential of -34 and sit fifth in the 16-team league.
The Crusaders in 2024 finished ninth outside the playoffs and were piled on. But like Moana, their points differential told a different story at -6 for the year. They pushed every side they played.
Two things can be true, the URC is a better product for having the South African teams in it, but it’s still not at the level of the others. Don’t try tell us otherwise. Any buyer would take Leinster and strip the rest for parts.
If you want to be considered more, then other teams have to show up in Europe other than Leinster. The South Africans have to stop robbing the TV broadcasters by taking the cash, but fielding second string teams. Either compete or get out.
The French prioritise the Top 14 league above all but still take home the European silverware. This year will be the seventh straight year a French team has been in the European final. They’ve won the last three titles.
The proof is in the pudding for the URC. A Premiership team and a Top 14 team are playing for the European title.
