URC 2025/26 · Round 18
Dragons
Edinburgh
Rodney Parade, Newport
Championship Standings
Bottom of the URC against 12th — and the gap is seven points. Dragons sit 15th on 21 with two wins from fifteen and a points differential of −123; Edinburgh are 12th on 28 after 5W-10L. Neither can reach the top eight, but both have something to play for: Dragons want a second URC home win of the season, Edinburgh want to avoid finishing the campaign with three straight road losses.
| Pos | Team | P | W | L | PD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Glasgow Warriors | 15 | 11 | 4 | +150 | 55 |
| 2 |  Stormers | 15 | 11 | 4 | +130 | 51 |
| 3 |  Leinster | 15 | 10 | 5 | +70 | 51 |
| 4 |  Lions | 15 | 9 | 5 | +78 | 48 |
| 5 |  Ulster | 15 | 9 | 6 | +105 | 47 |
| 6 |  Munster | 15 | 9 | 6 | +5 | 46 |
| 7 |  Cardiff | 15 | 9 | 6 | −5 | 46 |
| 8 |  Bulls | 15 | 9 | 6 | +97 | 45 |
| 9 |  Connacht | 15 | 8 | 7 | +19 | 44 |
| 10 |  Ospreys | 15 | 6 | 7 | −28 | 34 |
| 11 |  Sharks | 15 | 6 | 8 | −30 | 34 |
| 12 | Edinburgh | 15 | 5 | 10 | −70 | 28 |
| 13 |  Benetton | 15 | 5 | 8 | −104 | 28 |
| 14 |  Scarlets | 15 | 4 | 10 | −90 | 23 |
| 15 | Dragons | 15 | 2 | 10 | −123 | 21 |
| 16 |  Zebre Parma | 15 | 2 | 13 | −204 | 14 |
Dragons
W1, L4Dragons sneaked a one-point URC win in Parma in R17 — 19–18 in a game that was almost the same fixture as their Challenge Cup QF a week earlier — but the wider picture remains grim. The 47–7 home demolition by the Bulls in R16 is the heaviest URC home defeat any side has shipped this season, and Filo Tiatia's men were eliminated from the Challenge Cup by Montpellier last weekend (18–12 in the south of France). They have one URC home win all season — that 28–5 over Scarlets back in December.
Edinburgh
W2, L3Sean Everitt's side have rediscovered something in back-to-back home wins — a one-point escape against Zebre and then a deserved 33–28 over the Sharks in R17, ending a tour-fatigued Springbok-laden visitor. That's two on the bounce after four straight defeats, and crucially the points count: Edinburgh leapt from rock-bottom of the home four into 12th. The away record though remains the asterisk — 0W-7L on the road in the URC this season, losing by an average of 24 a game. They are not the same team in transit.
Head-to-Head Record
9 – 0 – 21
Dragons wins · Draws · Edinburgh wins (last 30 meetings, Pro12/Pro14/URC)
Dragons (9)One of the most lopsided rivalries in Welsh-Scottish derby history. Edinburgh have won 21 of the last 30, including six of the last seven and the most recent three on the spin: 38–5 at Murrayfield in March 2025, a 22–17 win at Rodney Parade in October 2023, and a 44–6 hammering at Murrayfield in September 2022. Dragons' last win in the series was a 24–17 home effort in March 2021 — they have not beaten Edinburgh in over five years and have never beaten this Edinburgh side under Sean Everitt.
Recent Results
| Date | Competition | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Mar 2025 | URC | Edinburgh 38–5 Dragons |
| Oct 2023 | URC | Dragons 17–22 Edinburgh |
| Sep 2022 | URC | Edinburgh 44–6 Dragons |
| Nov 2021 | URC | Dragons 14–30 Edinburgh |
| Mar 2021 | Pro14 | Dragons 24–17 Edinburgh |
| Nov 2019 | Pro14 | Edinburgh 20–7 Dragons |
Average score in the last 6 meetings: Edinburgh 26 – Dragons 14 across the last 6 meetings. The 38–5 mauling at Murrayfield 14 months ago was the heaviest in the series since 2014 — Edinburgh have averaged a 22-point margin in their last three wins.
Extended Form
Dragons2W, 2D, 11L in URC this season
URC wins: Connacht 48–28 (H), Scarlets 28–5 (H). Draws: Ospreys 19–19 (A), Benetton 15–15 (H). Standout Challenge Cup runs: W Lyon 23–21 (H), W Newcastle 35–12 (H), W Stade Français 36–31 (A), W Zebre 35–32 (A QF). Heaviest URC defeats: Bulls 47–7 (H R16), Glasgow 49–0 (A), Munster 38–19 (A), Cardiff 22–19 (A — twice).
Two URC wins, both at home, both before Christmas. The Challenge Cup run was the season's bright spot — three knockout wins to reach the semi — but it ended last weekend at Montpellier. Now Tiatia has nothing left but an end-of-season URC home derby and a chance to deny Edinburgh's away duck. Squad rotation is no longer a factor; everyone is available and motivated.
Edinburgh5W, 10L in URC this season
URC home wins: Benetton 43–0, Ospreys 19–17, Scarlets 24–19, Zebre 31–30, Sharks 33–28. Only away win: Dragons 38–5 (March 2025, last season). Heaviest defeats: Lions 54–17 (A), Bath 63–10 (ECC A), Leinster 49–31 (A ECC), Stormers 33–14 (A), Ulster 40–19 (H). Now sitting on a 2-game URC home win streak (Zebre, Sharks).
Every Edinburgh URC win this season has come at Hive Stadium — including last week's 33–28 over the Sharks. On the road they are 0W-7L in the URC, conceding 41 points a game on average. Their only road win of the URC season was the 38–5 destruction of Dragons at Murrayfield last March — but that was the previous campaign. The travel record is the great equaliser here.
Dragons XV
Lineups not yet announced. Filo Tiatia will likely revert to a near-strongest XV after rotating through the Challenge Cup semi at Montpellier — expect Aaron Wainwright back at 8, Rhodri Williams at 9, and Angus O'Brien or Cai Evans at 10. Rio Dyer on the wing remains the most dangerous attacking weapon. Watch for changes in the front row after a season of scrum issues.
Edinburgh XV
Lineups not yet announced. Sean Everitt will be tempted to back the side that beat the Sharks — Ross Thompson at 10, Ben Vellacott at 9, and the Graham–Goosen–Boffelli back three. Jamie Ritchie captains from the back row alongside Bill Mata and Ben Muncaster; Pierre Schoeman anchors the loosehead. The travel question is whether Everitt rotates given the dead-rubber stakes — or rolls out his best to chase a first URC away win of the campaign.
Key Matchups
Edinburgh have the better individual on every line of the pitch — Schoeman's scrummaging, Ritchie's lineout work, Ben Vellacott's tempo, and Boffelli's boot are upgrades on whatever Dragons can put out. Wainwright's carrying remains the home side's one genuine weapon, but he has been outshone by Mata in two of the last three meetings. The single home edge is structural: Edinburgh have lost every URC away game this season, and Rodney Parade is the kind of dog-eared, weather-affected venue where road sides traditionally come unstuck. If the Dragons can keep ball in play and force a kicking duel, Boffelli's foot is just as effective from this turf as their own — that's the worry.
Match Forecast
The scorecard lands at net −9 and points clearly to Edinburgh — squad strength, set piece, backline quality, and a brutally one-sided H2H all favour the visitors. Dragons have not beaten Edinburgh since 2021, the last three meetings have gone Edinburgh by an average of 22 points, and the home side enter this off the back of a 47-point hammering by the Bulls at this same venue and a Challenge Cup semi-final exit at Montpellier. Edinburgh, by contrast, have just stitched together their best two-game stretch of the URC season — a one-point Zebre escape and a 33–28 over the Sharks — and arrive in Newport with form on their side for the first time in months.
The counter is simple and worth respecting: Edinburgh have lost every single URC away game this season. Seven from seven on the road, by an average of 24 points. Rodney Parade is exactly the kind of awkward, end-of-season Welsh fixture where travelling sides have historically come unstuck. If Everitt rotates after consecutive home wins, or if the visitors start sluggish and Dragons get an early try and a Friday-night crowd behind them, this can compress quickly. But the base case is a controlled Edinburgh win — Boffelli's boot, Ritchie's lineout, and Graham's finishing on a Dragons defence that has shipped 41+ in three of its last five.
Edinburgh by 8–14 — the H2H, the set piece, and Boffelli's boot tip this clearly visitors' way despite the away-record question mark.