URC Round 4: The Stats Behind Munster, Stormers And Glasgow Dominance
URC Round 4: The Stats Behind Munster, Stormers And Glasgow Dominance
The data from URC Round 4 reveals dominance by Munster, the Stormers, Glasgow and Ulster, and exposes worrying trends for Leinster and the Sharks.
Round 4 of the United Rugby Championship wasn’t just about who won. The data behind the weekend told a deeper truth about who is controlling territory, collisions and momentum as the early table begins to stretch.
Across eight matches, teams combined for 714 carries, 3,104 meters gained, 179 tackles broken and 81 turnovers won.
Yet, the distribution of those numbers said everything about where this competition sits.
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Munster’s 31-14 win over Leinster was the statistical story of the round.
Munster completed 156 tackles to Leinster’s 112, won eight turnovers and posted a league-best +34 in gain-line carries.
Jack Crowley produced another masterclass: 15 carries, 479 meters gained and six try assists for the season, while Thaakir Abrahams beat five defenders and Fineen Wycherley hit a weekend-high 23 tackles.
Munster’s ability to dominate the collision zone while maintaining 90% ruck efficiency was the difference; Leinster’s 60% red-zone conversion rate simply wasn’t enough.
The DHL Stormers stayed perfect with a 31-13 win over Zebre Parma, built on set-piece control. They won all 14 line-outs and completed 91% of their tackles.
Marvin Orie’s seven line-out takes led all players in Round 4, and Sacha Feinberg Mngomezulu added 100 meters gained and 13 carries, second-best among backs.
Their defensive line allowed Zebre just three clean breaks from 84 carries, the lowest concession rate of the weekend.
The Glasgow Warriors tore apart Ospreys, 42-17, producing the most explosive attacking numbers of the round. They made 140 carries for 584 meters and beat 38 defenders, both competition-highs.
Jamie Dobie completed 14 passes and three line-break involvements, while Sione Tuipulotu registered two tries, nine carries and 101 meters.
Glasgow’s pack forced 10 turnovers, five more than Ospreys, confirming the Warriors' edge at the breakdown.
Ulster’s 34-26 win over the Hollywoodbets Sharks in Durban was a reminder of Ulster's efficiency.
Ulster won 12 of 13 scrums, turned over six opposition rucks and scored on five of its seven 22-entries, the highest strike-rate of the round.
Nathan Doak’s control at No. 9 was backed by Harry Sheridan’s defensive work: 19 tackles, one turnover and a 100% success rate.
The Sharks carried 239 times but for only 100 meters gained, an extraordinary ratio that underlines how static their attack has become.
Cardiff’s 24-17 win over Dragons was another data lesson in control.
Cardiff kicked 28 times for 845 meters, dominated territory 62-38 and conceded only five penalties, the fewest of any team this round.
Callum Sheedy’s kicking game, and Alun Lawrence’s 17 tackles, kept them composed.
Edinburgh’s 43-0 thrashing of Benetton was the statistical rout of the weekend.
Edinburgh posted 505 attacking meters, 43 entries into the 22 and a tackle success rate of 93%.
Darcy Graham’s two tries came from five line breaks, the most by any player this round.
Benetton managed just 90 meters and seven turnovers conceded, numbers that sum up the gulf in class.
The Lions’ 29-18 victory over Scarlets came on the back of 122 kicking meters from Quan Horn and six line breaks from Ruan Venter.
They forced the Welsh side into 20 missed tackles, while Scarlets failed to make a single dominant carry inside the Lions’ 22.
In Galway, the Vodacom Bulls edged Connacht 28-27, and the stats show why.
The Bulls produced the round’s best ruck speed with a 3.1-second average and scored three tries from turnover possession.
Sebastian de Klerk led all players with 19 defenders beaten and nine line breaks, while Nama Xaba’s seven turnovers took him to a season-leading 32.
Connacht dominated possession at 58% but failed to convert. Three handling errors in the final five minutes summed up the difference in composure.
Across the round, the three unbeaten teams in the Stormers, Munster and Glasgow shared common traits. Each posted over 500 attacking meters, a ruck success above 90% and conceded fewer than 10 penalties. Those are championship numbers.
Meanwhile, Leinster, the Sharks and Scarlets sit on the opposite end of the spectrum.
Leinster had 62% possession, yet lost the gain-line battle 59-41.
The Sharks carried the most, but advanced the least.
Scarlets had just three visits to the opposition 22 across 80 minutes.
Round 4’s stats confirm what the table already hints at: clarity wins.
The Stormers’ structure, Munster’s efficiency, Glasgow’s tempo and Ulster’s discipline are separating them from the rest.
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