FloRugby's BKT United Rugby Championship Round 4 Team Of The Week
FloRugby's BKT United Rugby Championship Round 4 Team Of The Week
Round 4 URC Team Of The Week: Munster dominates after beating Leinster, Ulster claims world No. 1 status and the Stormers stay perfect in Parma.
Three teams entered Round 4 of the 2025-2026 BKT United Rugby Championship.
Exiting the round, three teams remain undefeated, as Irish provinces Munster and Ulster laid down big-time markers, while the highly impressive DHL Stormers kept rolling.
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Starting the run of unbeaten sides, Ulster jumped to the unofficial world No. 1 ranking by beating a Springbok-laden Sharks side on the road in Durban, South Africa.
Starting a run of rather amusing memes across the rugby pages and sites, seeing Ulster ahead of South Africa on mock rankings gave this writer a chuckle.
Surviving an onslaught at scrum time, Ulster shredded the Sharks with its ability to get to width quickly.
Exposing the Sharks' outside backs with its pace, Ulster was impervious.
Laying the platform for this wide assault, the Ulster forwards, in particular, fronted up and won the battle at the gainline.
One week removed from thumping the Bulls, Ulster proved unequivocally that it has taken major strides forward under Richie Murphy.
When the final whistle blew in Durban, the biggest clash of the round was about to unfold in front of over 50,000 fans at the iconic Croke Park in Dublin.
Entering the clash as a 16-point underdog with the bookies, Munster Rugby delivered a statement performance early in the Clayton McMillan era with a dominant 31-14 win over Leinster.
Billed as the battle of the Irish fly-half contenders, the head-to-head between Jack Crowley and Sam Prendergast was a direct reflection of the match as a whole.
In short, it was no contest.
Crowley, with his 18 tackles, 100% return from the kicking tee and ultra-intelligent dismantling of the Leinster blitz defense, was world-class.
Conversely, Prendergast struggled to find his range from the boot, was caught out of position defensively and generally struggled in the face of a ferocious red wall.
In the young playmaker’s defense, he was far from being the only Leinster player to struggle.
Away from a dominant scrum, Leinster was second-best across the board, leaving Prendergast no platform from which to play.
Adding to his woes was arguably the worst performance of the past five years that we have seen from Jamison Gibson Park. The Lions scrumhalf was off the pace, with his passes routinely just out of reach for his carriers.
Up front, the Munster pack was exceptional.
Wrestling back ascendancy in the scrum after being dominated in that area throughout the first half was a mark of the grit that McMillan has already installed in his side.
In general play, the Munster forwards were immense, with captain Tadhg Beirne leading the charge.
Pulling off five turnovers, 15 tackles and pressuring the Leinster line-out, Beirne, who underwent elbow surgery in the offseason, dispelled the narrative that the Lions players would be rusty.
When the final whistle sounded at a wet and windy Croke Park, Munster players and fans alike rejoiced a first regular-season win over their archrivals since the 2018-2019 season.
Completing the unbeaten run were the Stormers, who put on a professional display to ease past Zebre Parma 31-13.
Spearheading the Stormers' charge once again was No. 8 Evan Roos, who continues to be one of the league’s most destructive ball carriers.
Away from the headline fixtures, here is how round four of the URC played out in full:
Vodacom Bulls 28, Connacht 27
Cardiff Rugby 24, Dragons 17
Edinburgh 43, Benetton 0
Lions 29, Scarlets 18
Ulster 34, Hollywoodbets Sharks 26
Munster 31, Leinster 14
Glasgow Warriors 42, Ospreys 17
Stormers 31, Zebre 13
As ever, narrowing our selection down to just a starting 15 was a challenge to say the least, but here is our Round 4 Team of the Week:
1. Michael Milne - Munster Rugby
Never got an opportunity to lay down a marker at scrum time due to Leinster’s dominance on the other side.
Around the park, Milne was exceptional on both sides of the ball.
Defensively, his power at the breakdown made the Leinster ruck a mess and stunted its flow.
What sets the loosehead apart is his ability to go forward from a standing start, making him a Swiss Army knife close to the line.
2. Tom Stewart - Ulster Rugby
Another member of the snubbed crew, Ulster hooker Tom Stewart has seen his stock drop in recent times, primarily due to injury.
Now behind Leinster’s third-choice hooker Gus McCarthy in the eyes of Andy Farrell, Stewart sent a message against the Sharks that he is a force to be reckoned with.
Absolutely battering experienced Springbok players, Stewart was at the heart of everything Ulster did well and went a full 80 minutes due to injuries in the back row.
3. Asenathi Ntlabakanye - Lions
Despite the cloud that has surrounded him since adverse findings in his drug test, the Lions' powerhouse has done all of his talking on the pitch.
Simply put, he destroyed the Scarlets scrum while also getting through a solid lump of work during his 63 minutes on the pitch.
4. Ruben van Heerden - DHL Stormers
In a squad stacked with stars, it is the Stormers lock who is the glue that holds everything together.
Doing so much of the dirty work to free up those around him, van Heerden often slips under the radar.
Once again dominating in the air with 11 line-out grabs to go with his work rate at the breakdown, van Heerden had another rock-solid outing.
5. Fineen Wycherley - Munster Rugby
Quite possibly the best example of a late bloomer, Munster’s steady Eddie lock continues to improve and, in truth, dominate more heralded operators.
Now 27 years old and five seasons removed from his sole Irish cap, one has to feel that if he continues this form, he will be in the conversation as a live option come the Six Nations.
6. Tadhg Beirne - Munster Rugby
Out-of-this-world good once again, the Munster skipper was unplayable.
While Leinster was keen to stress that its Lions players were rusty, Beirne dispelled this thought process with a performance that might just have been the best individual showing in URC history.
Picking the Leinster pockets with five turnovers, absolutely dominating at the point of contact and leading his side with aplomb, the 33-year-old once again proved he will be central for both province and country over the next two seasons.
7. Nick Timoney - Ulster Rugby
Whie incumbent Josh van der Flier had a tough day out against Munster, Timoney pushed his case once again to be wearing the Ireland No. 7 shirt in Chicago.
Making 20 tackles, winning a turnover and carrying nine times into heavy traffic, Timoney was exceptional against the Sharks.
8. Evan Roos - DHL Stormers
Somehow still on the edges of the Springboks squad, the Stormers No. 8 continues to pile up massive performances.
Topping both the carry and tackle charts for his side in a man-of-the-match performance, the 25-year-old once again was the fulcrum around which his pack rotated.
An honorable mention goes to Munster pair Brian Gleeson and Gavin Coombes, who were immense at Croke Park.
9. Nathan Doak - Ulster Rugby
Just edging Munster’s Ethan Coughlan and Glasgow’s Jamie Dobie, the Ulster No. 9 was immense in Durban.
Offsetting any concerns that John Cooney’s departure this offseason would scupper Ulster’s flow, Doak has stepped up as the chief playmaker in the Ulster back line.
Eerily similar to the great Ruan Pienaar in his style of play, Doak will fancy his chances to compete with Craig Casey as one of the players to replace Jamison Gibson Park in the Ireland setup.
10. Jack Crowley - Munster Rugby
Putting to bed any debate about who Ireland’s best fly-half is heading into the November window, Jack Crowley completely dismantled Leinster, both physically and mentally.
Brutally exposing Leinster’s famed rush defense with a pinpoint short kicking game, chopping down their ball carriers with 18 tackles, beating defenders and landing all of his shots at goal, Crowley had about as close to a 10-out-of-10 performance as one could ask for.
11. Thaakir Abrahams - Munster Rugby
A Springbok in waiting, Abrahams has been a revelation for Munster.
Adding a sprinkling of stardust to an already electric Munster back line, the former Sharks and Lyon flyer stretched the Leinster defense, making chunk yards with ease.
In truth, his pace exposed the physical but pace-deficient Leinster back three, in particular James Lowe, who simply could not get to grips with him all match.
12. Dan Kelly - Munster Rugby
Munster’s direct option off first-phase ball, Kelly took a pair of Lions centers to town on Saturday evening.
Topping the tackle charts for the back line with 19, the former Leicester Tiger stopped Leinster’s attack as soon as it got past one pass.
One incident, in particular, saw him smash Robbie Henshaw, forcing a Leinster knock-on when the men in blue were in a promising position.
13. Tom Farrell - Munster Rugby
Close to copy and paste for his center partner’s description, Tom Farrell scored what likely is the best try ever witnessed at Croke Park.
Threading the needle between Jimmy O’Brien and Jamie Osborne, Farrell controlled a Jack Crowley chip kick to race in under the posts.
His form is irresistible and completely outshining Garry Ringrose surely must bring him into Ireland contention.
14. Darcy Graham - Edinburgh Rugby
Simply electric, Edinburgh’s flyer closed his account with 100 meters made, six defenders beaten, two line breaks and two tries.
Similar to Abrahams, Graham’s ability to beat defenders in confined spaces is a sight to behold.
Heading into November, there can be little doubt that he will occupy the Scottish No. 14 shirt.
15. Willie le Roux - Vodacom Bulls
Winding back the years, the Bulls veteran was at his slippery best in Galway as his side got back to its winning ways.
Dotting down for a try, beating two defenders and making 72 meters paints a picture of an offensive masterclass.
Yet, it was le Roux’s defensive work in organizing his back line that was particularly impressive.
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