Rugby

RUCK’s Team of the Season: United Rugby Championship 2025/26

8 hari lalu · Tom Sansom · Sumber: www.ruck.co.uk · 0 dilihat

With Leinster retaining their United Rugby Championship title this past Friday night at Croke Park, the 2025/26 URC season has officially come to an end.

Join the RUCK’s WhatsApp community here and get the latest news sent straight to your messages.

It has been another incredible campaign of action with the Dubliners standing tall once again. The Irish giants are certainly the standard bearers of the cross-continental competition, and became the first club to win back-to-back league titles of the URC era, after defeating the Bulls 36-7 a few days ago.

The season delivered another exhilarating ‘race to the eight’, as Connacht secured their spot in the play-offs upon the final round of the competition. This sent their Irish rivals Ulster tumbling from the top eight, in a brutal way for Richie Murphy’s men to end their campaign. The 2025/26 URC quarter-finals witnessed the first ever appearances for Cardiff and the Lions, off the back of landmark runs from the Welsh and South African sides.

TEAM OF THE SEASON: 2025/26 UNITED RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP

15. JACK WALSH (OSPREYS)

Honourable Mentions: Shane Daley (Munster), Quan Horn (Lions)

We kick off this URC Team of the Season, with one of the brightest sparks of South Wales following a turbulent year of uncertainty for the Ospreys. Jack Walsh has been a breath of fresh air for the Swansea side, with an incredible versatility to excel in both the fullback and fly half spots. We stick Walsh in the 15 jersey this year, with the Australian gearing up for an exciting run in Joe Schmidt’s side this Summer. After so much turmoil about the Ospreys’ future and the state of their ownership, Walsh’s break-through as URC Playmaker of the Year provided plenty of much needed cheers across Brewery Field and beyond. Walsh’s stats speak volumes, with 40 defenders beaten being the best from across the league, along with his four try assists and 24 expertly-timed offloads.

14. KYLE STEYN (GLASGOW WARRIORS)

Honourable Mention: Werner Kok (Ulster)

Taking the reins upon the right touch-line is one of the world’s most in-form wingers, who would have been dejected to miss out on silverware come the end of the URC season. Whilst Walsh failed to lead the Ospreys into a top eight finish, Kyle Steyn was paramount to Glasgow Warriors’ league topping season, as the Scottish side cruised to a first-placed finish following a dominant regular season. Steyn raced away for seven tries this season, and was a constant thorn in his opponents sides whomever he faced off against.

13. HENCO VAN WYK (LIONS)

Honourable Mention: Stafford McDowall (Glasgow Warriors)

To earn yourself the nickname of ‘Weapon X’ you have to back up the hype. Henco van Wyk has certainly done just that for the Lions this season, as the multi-talented midfielder led the Johannesburg side to make their debut in the URC Quarter-Finals. Whilst Lions head coach Ivan van Rooyen has taken plenty of plaudits in how he’s turned around the side, van Wyk’s barn-storming contributions have been pivotal to the new-found success of the South African outfit. With eight tries to his name, van Wyk spearheaded his side to uncharted territory, and rightfully takes his place in our Team of the Season.

12. JAMIE OSBORNE (LEINSTER)

Honourable Mention: Stuart McCloskey (Ulster), Sione Tuipulotu (Glasgow Warriors)

Next up in the back-line is a man that has garnered quite the buzz around the Emerald Isle, as Jamie Osborne has enjoyed a coming of age season in Leinster blue. The 24-year-old has previously drifted around the wings and midfield channels, yet this season Osborne swapped rotational use for stamping his name to the inside centre. A string of excellent performances throughout the league and Europe has kept experienced Ireland midfielder Garry Ringrose upon the bench, with a big Summer expected for Osborne in Ireland’s upcoming Nations Championship expedition to Australia and New Zealand.

11. ZAC WARD (ULSTER)

Honourable Mention: Kyle Rowe (Glasgow Warriors)

Whilst his fellow Ulster teammates of Werner Kok and Stuart McCloskey have had to settle for honourable mentions in our URC Team of the Season, there is no denying Zac Ward his place upon our XV. The rugby sevens convert has enjoyed an excellent inaugural season in the 15-a-side game, as he raced away to bag 11 tries for the Belfast side, following a tremendous campaign for Richie Murphy’s team. With the asterisk of the final-round heart-break to one side, Ulster enjoyed a season to remember, as the province returned to the upper-echelons of the table for the majority of the campaign. Ward was crucial to his new-found form, with the hope of going on step further next season.

10. SACHA FEINBERG-MNGOMEZULU (STORMERS)

Honourable Mention: Sam Prendergast (Leinster)

Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu has been one of the stories of the season. From a blistering start in the blue and white of the Stormers, Feinberg-Mngomezulu had the URC in the palm of his hands, as the fly half led the Cape Town club into a two-horse race for top spot against Glasgow Warriors. However, the end of the regular campaign would bring about a devastating injury, as Feinberg-Mngomzeulu suffered an ankle strain whilst scoring in the quarter-final win over Cardiff. That would end the Springbok’s season, as he’d play no part in the semi-final defeat to Leinster – albeit with a stunning season under his belt and named URC Player of the Year by his on-field peers.

9. JAMISON GIBSON-PARK (LEINSTER)

Honourable Mention: Embrose Papier (Bulls)

Should we have assembled our United Rugby Championship Team of the Season ahead of last Friday’s Grand Final, then the number nine jersey would likely have been taken by Embrose Papier of the Bulls. That’s how close it’s been at the pinnacle of the URC’s in-form scrum-halves, with Gibson-Park going one better than Papier, and taking another starring performance in the positional battle at Croke Park.

Gibson-Park once again proved why he remains one of the finest scrum-halves in world rugby. His tempo, distribution and decision-making were instrumental as Leo Cullen’s side retained their crown, while his composure under pressure allowed Leinster’s dangerous backline to flourish throughout the campaign. Papier may have deservedly claimed the South African URC Player of the Season award, but when the biggest game of the year arrived, Gibson-Park reminded everyone exactly why he is still the benchmark.

1. NTUTHUKO MCHUNU (STORMERS)

We move on to the forward pack now, with a Ntuthuko Mcunu being the first of three front rowers to all hail from the land of the Springboks. The South African international enjoyed the finest club season of his career, becoming a dominant scrummaging force while adding his usual athleticism around the field. Mchunu consistently won penalties for the Stormers, and was a key component of one of the league’s most dangerous scrummaging sides. After years of enormous potential, the 2025/26 campaign felt like the season where Mchunu truly announced himself among the elite loose-heads in the game.

2. JOHAN GROBBELAAR (BULLS)

There are few hookers in world rugby who enjoyed a better season than Johann Grobbelaar. With 10 tries, the South African was often unstoppable from close range, as the Bulls weaponised their tried and tested rolling maul for a run to the Grand Final. Rock-solid at the lineout, ferocious in defence and increasingly dangerous with ball in hand, Grobbelaar established himself as arguably the premier No.2 in the URC. His efforts see him expected for another run in green and gold this Summer, as a genuine contender to the two jersey, long held by World Player of the Year Malcolm Marx.

3. TOM O’TOOLE (ULSTER)

Despite Ulster’s heartbreaking final-day exit from the top eight, Tom O’Toole produced another outstanding campaign. The Ireland international continued to develop into one of Europe’s premier props, anchoring Ulster’s scrum upon the tight-head, whilst also providing a capeable scrummging option at the loose for his country. O’Toole also remains remarkably effective in open play, with few front-rowers possessing his blend of mobility and physicality. Throughout the season O’Toole repeatedly delivered against some of the strongest packs in the competition, with his focus now turned to the trip down under.

4. DARRAGH MURRAY (CONNACHT)

Connacht’s dramatic late surge into the play-offs owed plenty to the outstanding consistency of Darragh Murray. The towering second row emerged as one of the breakout forwards of the season, dominating lineouts while producing tireless performances around the park. Murray’s work rate, physicality and leadership helped transform Connacht into one of the league’s toughest packs to break down during the run-in, and he looks set to build upon his Ireland debut in the 2026 Six Nations with a return to the Test match stage this Summer.

5. PAUL DE VILLIERS (STORMERS)

Paul de Villiers quietly developed into one of the competition’s most influential second rows this season. The Stormers lock combined impressive set-piece consistency with a huge engine around the field, regularly topping tackle counts while contributing heavily with carries and defensive maul work. Overshadowed by some of the league’s bigger names from the Sprongbok engine room, De Villiers was nevertheless one of the key reasons why the Cape Town outfit remained genuine title contenders throughout the regular season, and certainly had a better campaign that his positional South Africa rivals Eben Etzebeth at the Sharks or Leinster’s injury-laden RG Snyman. .

6. MARCELL COETZEE (BULLS)

At 35 years old Marcel Coetzee continues to defy Father Time. The former Springbok produced arguably his finest URC campaign yet, leading from the front as Johan Ackermann’s Bulls reached another Grand Final. Coetzee remained one of the competition’s premier defensive forwards, combining relentless tackling with trademark breakdown excellence, while still providing a destructive carrying option in attack. Every successful side needs a player willing to do the unseen work — and Coetzee remains one of rugby’s very best in that department.

7. DAN THOMAS (CARDIFF)

Honourable Mention: Gonzalo Locatelli (Zebre Parma), Josh van der Flier (Leinster)

Cardiff’s remarkable debut in the URC play-offs was built on grit, resilience and a relentless work ethic, and nobody embodied that more than the URC’s certified ‘Tackle Machine’ Dan Thomas. With 263 completed hits, Thomas made the most tackles from any player across the URC and also built up a steady reputation as a man in the hunt for turnovers.

The openside was a menace at the breakdown all season, finishing amongst the competition’s leading jackal threats while also topping Cardiff’s tackle count. Time and again Thomas produced the turnover or defensive stop that swung momentum back in his side’s favour. For a Cardiff team exceeding almost every pre-season expectation, their flanker was the heartbeat, with Cardiff fans delighted to see their man re-sign, once links towards a Bristol Bears return were estinguished.

8. EVAN ROOS (STORMERS)

Honourable Mentions: Ruan Venter (Lions), Cian Prendergast (Connacht)

There was never really going to be anyone else. Evan Roos returned to his devastating best this season and looked every inch the world-class No.8 Stormers supporters have always believed him to be. Roos finished as the competition’s joint-top try scorer alongside Embrose Papier with 12 tries, while also ranking amongst the league leaders for carries, metres gained and defenders beaten by a forward.

Whether bulldozing over defenders from close range or producing moments of brilliance in open space, the Springbok constantly delivered match-winning performances. Had injury not curtailed the Stormers’ title charge, few would have backed against Roos lifting silverware alongside his individual accolades.

LATEST RUGBY NEWS:

Ringkasan berita ini bersumber dari www.ruck.co.uk. Baca artikel selengkapnya di sumber asli