While most of the attention will be on the local derbies in the Vodacom United Rugby Championship, across Europe bragging rights and tribalism will take centre stage as local rivalriies are reignited in a series of derbies this festive weekend.
And there are some mouth-watering clashes that will turn up the heat this Christmas weekend where results could have seismic disruptions in the URC log in the new year. From the 150th anniversary of Scotland’s 1872 Cup when Glasgow and Edinburgh clash to Monday’s Irish derby between the powerhouse sides of Leinster and Munster, there are a number of games that will set the festive spirit alight ths weekend.
So here’s our “all you need to know” guide to the URC’s European derbies this festive weekend.
Friday 23 December
GLASGOW WARRIORS v EDINBURGH RUGBY
At Scotstoun Stadium, Glasgow, 9.35pm
Referee: Ben Blain (SRU, 28th competition game)
Assistant: Hollie Davidson, Sam Grove-White (both SRU) TMO: Mike Adamson (SRU)
Overall URC head-to-head record: Played 44, Glasgow won 23, Edinburgh won 20 with 1 match drawn.
DID YOU KNOW?
Glasgow Warriors’ record so far in the United Rugby Championship is a very even won four, lost four. They were successful last time out against Zebre in Parma but have not won successive matches in the competition since February.
Warriors have won their last nine fixtures at Scotstoun in the United Rugby Championship since Leinster beat them there in October 2021.
Edinburgh Rugby have suffered back-to-back defeats in the BKT United Rugby Championship, at Benetton and at home to Munster, since beating Cardiff Rugby in Round 7.
Edinburgh have won just twice away from home in the Championship since March, at Zebre in Round 6 and at Cardiff in Round 7.
Edinburgh won 28-11 the last time these two old rivals met at Murrayfield in May to end a four-game winning run by Glasgow in the 1872 Cup.
Edinburgh have visited Scotstoun on eleven previous occasions with their only two victories so far coming in May 2017 and December 2018.
KEY STATISTICS
GLASGOW WARRIORS
Glasgow Warriors scrum-half George Horne made five kicks which were retained against Zebre Parma in Round 9 – no player made more in that weekend of Vodacom URC rugby
Looking to play wider from the breakdown, the Warriors have averaged more passes per 80 minutes this season than any other team (161.25)
The Glasgow Warriors have conceded more tries in the final ten minutes of their matches than any other team (nine)
Edinburgh Rugby
Darcy Graham has made the most clean breaks in the league (13)
Boasting a variety of extremely talented attackers, Edinburgh have beaten more defenders than any other team (175) for an average of 19.44 per 80 minutes
As well as a potent attack, Edinburgh have a tight defence: they have the highest rate of tackles success in the Vodacom URC (92 per cent)
CONNACHT RUGBY v ULSTER RUGBY
At The Sportsground, Galway, 9.35pm.
Referee: Frank Murphy (IRFU, 71st competition game)
Assistant: Eoghan Cross, Andrew Cole (both IRFU)
TMO: Olly Hodges (IRFU)
Overall URC head-to-head record: Played 40, Connacht won 10, Ulster won 29, with 1 match drawn.
DID YOU KNOW?
Connacht Rugby have lost just twice in the last six rounds of the BKT United Rugby Championship, and both were against fellow Irish provinces Leinster and Munster.
Connacht’s only two defeats at the Sportsground in the Championship since the end of January were both to Leinster in March and October.
Connacht have won only one of their last eight contests against Irish provinces: 20-11 at home to Munster on 7 October.
Ulster’s 29-38 defeat to Leinster at the RDS Arena in Round 9 ended a four-game winning run in the BKT United Rugby Championship.
Ulster have won three of their four away games in the Championship this campaign.
The last three fixtures between the two sides have all been won by the home side, including Ulster’s 36- 10 win in Belfast in Round 1 this season.
Ulster won 32-19 on their most recent visit to the Sportsground in December 2020 to end a three-game losing run at the venue.
KEY STATISTICS
CONNACHT
Kicking the leather off the ball so far this season, Jack Carty has made a league-high 89 kicks in play for a similarly Vodacom URC-topping 3 497 kicking metres. This is 1 327 more than his nearest competitor
Mack Hansen won as many turnovers in Round 9 as any other player, poaching the ball three times in total. The only other player to win so many was fellow Ireland wing, James Lowe
Kieran Marmion has made 24 tackles this season, missing none. However, he has allowed the attacking player to offload the ball 12 times – more than any other player in the league
ULSTER
Ulster’s discipline is the best in the league: they have conceded a Vodacom URC-low 75 penalties so far this season
Looking to keep the ball in hand as much as possible, Ulster average more carries per 80 minutes than any other team (127.4). They place second for their average number of offloads (10.5)
Ulster are the best defenders of the gainline in the league. Their opposition have averaged a league-low 45 per cent gainline success so far this season
Saturday 24 December
BENETTON RUGBY v ZEBRE PARMA
At Stadio Monigo, Treviso, 2.30pm.
Referee: Andrea Piardi (FIR, 29th competition game)
Assistant: Alex Frasson, Filippo Russo (both FIR) TMO: Matteo Liperini (FIR)
Overall URC head-to-head record: Played 26, Benetton won 19, Zebre won 7.
DID YOU KNOW?
Benetton Rugby’s only victory in their last five United Rugby Championship matches was 24-17 at home to Edinburgh in Round 8.
Benetton have lost just one of their last seven home games in the Championship at Stadio Monigo: 22- 44 to the Vodacom Bulls on 21 October.
Zebre Parma have lost their last dozen BKT United Rugby Championship encounters since beating Dragons RFC 23-18 in Parma on 30 April.
Zebre’s most recent away victory in the Championship was against today’s opponents Benetton in Treviso on 2 January 2021.
Benetton have won their last four matches against Zebre since Zebre’s 22-18 victory in Parma on 9 January 2021.
KEY STATISTICS
BENETTON
Benetton’s Dewaldt Duvenage has made 14 kicks which have been retained by his side – more than any other player. He has also made the most box kicks in the league (61)
Wearing 13 in Round 9, Tommaso Menoncello made the most contact metres in that weekend of Vodacom URC rugby (20). He also beat a round-high eight defenders and made an unrivalled three clean breaks
A workmanlike performance, blindside flanker Manuel Zuliani made more tackles in Round 9 than any other player (21)
ZEBRE PARMA
Fly-half Tiff Eden has attempted more crossfield kicks than any other player in the Vodacom URC (eight)
Zebre Parma have thrown more offloads than any other team in the league (95). Pierre Bruno is tied at the top of the Vodacom URC with 12 alone
Zebre have made more metres from their maul than any other side (236). Four of their mauls have travelled more than 10 metres – the highest total achieved in the Vodacom URC
Monday 26 December
DRAGONS RFC v CARDIFF RUGBY
At Rodney Parade, Newport, 4.15pm
Referee: Ben Whitehouse (WRU, 85th competition game)
Assistant: Mike English, Aled Evans (both WRU)
TMO: Sean Brickell (WRU)
Overall URC head-to-head record: Played 36, Dragons won 8, Cardiff won 30.
DID YOU KNOW?
Dragons RFC’s last six matches in the United Rugby Championship have all been won by the home side on the day.
Dragons only defeat at Rodney Parade in the Championship this season was by a solitary point to Cell C Sharks on 1 October.
Dragons won their most recent fixture against a fellow Welsh region beating Ospreys 32-25 in Newport in Round 6 to end a run of four successive defeats against such opponents.
Cardiff Rugby have lost just two of their last six United Rugby Championship matches although both of those defeats have been in the space of the last three rounds.
Cardiff have won two of their last three away games in the Championship, beating Scarlets in Llanelli in October and Cell C Sharks in Durban at the end of November.
Cardiff have won their last fifteen fixtures against Dragons in the URC since Dragons 23-17 win at the Arms Park in December 2014, while their most recent success against their closest rivals at Rodney Parade was on Boxing Day 2013.
KEY STATISTICS
Dragons RFC
For a player who has taken more than ten kicks at goal, Sam Davies has the highest rate of success off the boot in the league (92 per cent)
Dragons RFC prop Aki Seiuli has conceded more penalties than any other player (14). Eight of these have come at the scrum; only teammate Chris Coleman has conceded more at this set-piece (11)
The Dragons have the best attacking lineout in the league, having won 90 per cent of their throws so far this season
CARDIFF RUGBY
Cardiff Rugby forwards Thomas Young and Josh Turnbull are top of the Vodacom URC tackle charts, having made 129 and 105 respectively
James Botham and Young have also won the two highest total turnovers won, winning 12 and ten respectively
Trying to get some width on the ball, fly-half Jarrod Evans has thrown ten more miss passes than any other player in the Vodacom URC (32)
OSPREYS v SCARLETS
At Swansea.com Stadium, Swansea, 7.15pm
Referee: Craig Evans (WRU, 40th competition game)
Assistant: Rhys Jones, Gwyn Morris (both WRU)
TMO: Jon Mason (WRU)
Overall URC head-to-head record: Played 39, Ospreys won 21, Scarlets won 16 with 2 matches drawn.
DID YOU KNOW?
Ospreys only victory in their last ten United Rugby Championship fixtures was 32-17 at home to Glasgow Warriors on 1 October.
Ospreys have played two fixtures against fellow Welsh regions this season, drawing 23-all with Scarlets in Llanelli and losing 25-32 to Dragons in Newport in Round 6.
Scarlets have won only one of their last eleven United Rugby Championship matches: 36-12 at home to Zebre Parma on 15 October.
Scarlets have lost their last five away games in the Championship since beating Dragons at Rodney Parade on 23 April. The victory was Scarlets only one over a fellow Welsh region in their last five such contests.
Scarlets have lost only once to Ospreys since May 2019: 36-54 on their most recent visit to Swansea.com Stadium on 30 April.
Scarlets have not won in Swansea since a 19-18 victory in October 2017.
KEY STATISTICS
OSPREYS
Fly-half Jack Walsh is the only player from a Welsh province to have made five try assists so far this season – the highest total in the league (= Embroise Papier, Boeta Chamberlain, John Cooney, and Dewaldt Duvenage)
Ospreys Number 8 Morgan Morris made more carries than any other forward in Round 9 (16)
Strong defenders out wide, Keelan Giles has made the most chase tackles in the league (18) and Max Nagy has made the most tackles on the edge (4)
SCARLETS
The league’s best ball-carrier, Sione Kalamafoni has made 131 carries so far this season – 38 more than next best Viliame Mata. He has also made a league-high 115 contact metres
Scarlets utility back Johnny McNicholl has made as many offloads as any other player in the league (12, = Pierre Bruno). McNicholl also made the most metres in Round 9: 144 from 14 carries
Trying to put backfield defences under pressure, Gareth Davies has sent up more bomb kicks than any other player in the league (28)
MUNSTER RUGBY v LEINSTER RUGBY
At Thomond Park, Limerick, 7.35pm
Referee: Chris Busby (IRFU, 27th competition game)
Assistant: Joy Neville, Peter Martin (both IRFU)
TMO: Brian MacNeice (IRFU)
Overall URC head-to-head record: Played 46, Munster won 15, Leinster won 31
DID YOU KNOW?
Munster Rugby have won their last two United Rugby Championship fixtures, at home to Connacht and away at Edinburgh since their home defeat to Ulster by a solitary point in Round 7.
Munster’s 24-17 victory over Connacht at Thomond Park at the end of November ended a run of five successive defeats against fellow Irish provinces.
Leinster Rugby have won all nine fixtures they have played in the United Rugby Championship this campaign.
The Leinstermen have won their last seven fixtures against fellow Irish provinces in the Championship since Ulster beat them 18-13 in Belfast in March.
Leinster’s only defeat in their last ten fixtures against Munster was 3-27 at the RDS Arena in the Rainbow Cup in April 2021.
Leinster have won on their last three visits to Thomond Park.
KEY STATISTICS
MUNSTER
Of the players who have kicked more than 15 restarts so far this season, Ben Healy has the highest rate of ball retention from his kick-offs (26 per cent)
Physical in the tight channels, flanker Jack O’Donoghue has made more guard tackles than any other player (13)
Peter O’Mahony has won the most lineout steals in the Vodacom URC so far (eight). He has also been a nuisance in the lineout six times, more than anyone bar Connacht’s Oisin Dowling
LEINSTER
Leinster's Dan Sheehan and Rob Russell are joint-second in the league for tries scored (six)
Garry Ringrose has beaten six more defenders than any other centre in the Vodacom URC (22); he is second in the league overall, one behind Darcy Graham
Against Ulster in Round 9, Ross Byrne made three try assists – more than any other player that weekend. He was also 100 per cent off the tee