3 Must-Watch Matches In The United Rugby Championship Round 8

URC Derby Week continues in Round 8 with Munster vs. Leinster, the 1872 Cup in Edinburgh and Welsh derbies on Boxing Day.

Dec 24, 2025 by Joe Harrington

3 Must-Watch Matches In The United Rugby Championship Round 8

Derby season continues in the United Rugby Championship and, to be quite frank, it is only getting better in Round 8 after a thrilling seventh chapter to this season.

The Irish derby in Round 7 saw Leinster score late to finally submit an Ulster team trying to win its first Irish Shield, 24-20.

Meanwhile, Benetton won the first leg of the Italian Derby, 21-15, over Zebre Parma.

And the 1872 Cup opening salvo went to Glasgow, as Edinburgh — for the second week in a row — struggled to find the try line.

The Hollywoodbets Sharks beat the Vodacom Bulls — that’s two wins in a row for the boys from Durban — while the DHL Stormers fended off the Lions, 34-27, in the other South Africa derby.

This week, though, it’s derby matches everywhere in the URC. Welsh clubs will continue their round robin on Boxing Day, Friday, Dec. 26.

They’ll all play again on New Year’s Day.

Below, are the three best matches in Round 8 (at least this week’s portion of Round 8).

Wait… what does that mean?

Well, the South Africa derby rounds pick up Jan. 3 with the North–South Derby in Pretoria, while the Sharks and Lions don’t play their Round 8 match until Feb. 21.

Munster Rugby vs. Leinster Rugby, 2:45 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 27

The last matchup between these two clubs in 2025 — and possibly for the 2025–2026 season — this is perhaps the best rivalry in the sport. We’re not saying this derby is better than Springboks–All Blacks, but it very well could be.

If we have to explain why this is a must-watch match, we thank you for stumbling across this article, and we hope you subscribe to watch every minute of it.

Edinburgh Rugby vs. Glasgow Warriors, 10 a.m., Saturday, Dec. 27

The 1872 Cup continues as the match moves from Hampden Park in Glasgow to Hive Stadium in the shadow of the national stadium at Murrayfield.

Since stunning Toulon in Round 1 of the Champions Cup at home, Edinburgh has found it increasingly difficult to score tries.

Shut out by Castres the following week, Edinburgh scored twice in the first 51 minutes against Glasgow, but was shut out the rest of the match. But Edinburgh is a different squad when playing in Edinburgh.

For Glasgow, which sits at 5-0-2 on the table and is seven points behind table-leading DHL Stormers (32-25), winning on the road could help pick up valuable points.

The Welsh Derbies On Friday, Dec. 26

OK. Is this a cop-out? I don’t know. But both Welsh derby matches on Boxing Day are intriguing.

Cardiff Rugby is quietly the story of the season in the URC and enters this round with 26 points and a 5-0-2 record, third on the table.

At 10 a.m., Cardiff hosts the Dragons at Cardiff Arms Park.
At 12:30 p.m., the Scarlets — who had the best record of all the Welsh teams a year ago but didn’t win the Welsh Shield — take on the Ospreys.

Enjoy the moment while it lasts, rugby fans, because major changes are coming to Welsh rugby.

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URC Fixtures: Round 8 Schedule

Friday, Dec. 26

10 AM ET – Cardiff vs. Dragons
12:30 PM ET – Scarlets vs. Ospreys

Saturday, Dec. 27

9:30 AM ET – Zebre Parma vs. Benetton
10 AM ET – Edinburgh vs. Glasgow Warriors
12:30 PM ET – Connacht vs. Ulster
2:45 PM ET – Munster vs. Leinster

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