2024/25 United Rugby Championship - We review the opening six rounds of the URC

Leinster came into the season as favourites and it remains that way. The Irish side have won all six matches, five of those wins came with a bonus point. They are already six points clear of second place.

The only side to stop Leinster from getting a bonus point was the Lions from South Africa in the last week of action. In their opening three seasons, the Lions were mid-table at best, but something has clicked this season in Johannesburg.

It is the one side from the Rainbow Nation that is not littered with international stars, which will stand them in good stead going forward. Their only defeat came against Leinster and after not featuring in round one, the Lions will be pleased with their four wins from five.

Defending URC champions, Glasgow Warriors, go into the break in second place with four wins and two defeats across six rounds. Their convincing performance to beat the Stormers in Cape Town in round six will give Franco Smith's side plenty of confidence.

The Bulls, under Jake White and the runners-up last season, have begun with four wins from five as well. They sit comfortably in third place. The Pretoria-based side began with two home wins before winning two from three on their first European tour, although their last victory over Benetton was hardly convincing.

Next, I'd like to touch on the Welsh sides. There has been plenty of problems in Wales considering Rugby Union, but Cardiff and Scarlets have started the season well and currently occupy sixth and eighth place on the table. Thus far they are certainly two of the bigger surprises in 2024.

The Sharks have a superb side on paper, full of Springboks, but they have failed to really get going in the URC over the last three years. This season they have shown glimpses of their quality but also familiar failings.

Much will depend on how the Sharks operate while missing internationals after the break and can they maintain some level of consistency while not being at full strength.

Then there are those sides that have much to do in the weeks following the international break. It is still relatively early days in the tournament and plenty of time remains to fix things.

The Stormers, who won the URC in their first season and ended as runners-up in their second, are down in 13th place with just two wins from five games. Things are not going to plan for John Dobson's side, and they will need a turnaround in fortunes at the end of November.

Munster have made yet another slow start to the season, winning just two from six. However, they have a history of starting poorly before hitting some incredible form to finish towards the top end.

Benetton will be disappointed. At this stage last season, they were pushing for top spot and are now down in 11th with two wins and a draw from six fixtures.

The Dragons and Zebre occupy the bottom two spots and that was sort of expected of both of them. They have both produced some strong performances so far though and have already proven they are no easy beats.

Ospreys in 14th will want to get a few results post the break. It has been a tough start for the Welsh side.

Much can still change in round seven and beyond. No team is out of it just yet and no side has won it yet, either. There will be many challenges to come this season as all clubs will have periods where their international players must rest. 

Squads will also have to be rotated due to the European Champions and Challenge Cup. This can have a huge impact on how individual sides perform as can injuries, of course.

While nothing is sure, the one guarantee is that the URC very much looks like it will produce another sublime and competitive season. We are back on 29 November when the action returns.