2025–26 Edinburgh Rugby season
| 2025–26 season | |||
| Head coach | Sean Everitt | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Managing director | Douglas Struth[1] | ||
| Highest home attendance | 38,179 v Glasgow (URC Rd 8) | ||
| Lowest home attendance | 6,502 v Ospreys (URC Rd 6) | ||
| Average home attendance | 11,313 | ||
| |||
The 2025–26 season is Edinburgh's fifth season in the United Rugby Championship, their 32nd season of professional rugby. Along with competing in the URC and its Scottish–Italian Shield competition, the club will also participate in the 2025–26 European Rugby Champions Cup and the 1872 Cup.
United Rugby Championship
Matches
| 27 September 2025 | (1 BP) Zebre Parma | 31 – 28 | Edinburgh (2 BP) | Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi, Parma | |
| 15:05 | Try: D Bartolomeo (3') Pitinari (12') Gesi (34') Fusco (44') Con: Da Re(4', 13', 35', 45') Pen: Roger (79') |
Try: McConnell (17') Bradbury (23') Velacott (50') Harrison (75') Con: Healy (18', 24', 51', 76') Cards: Licata 15' Pitinari 74' |
Attendance: 2 276 Referee: Ben Whitehouse |
| 3 October 2025 | Edinburgh | P - P | Ulster | Edinburgh Rugby Stadium | |
| 20:05 | Postponed due to weather conditions[2] |
| 10 October 2025 | (1 BP) Munster | 20–19 | Edinburgh (1 BP) | Musgrave Park, Cork | |
| 19:45 | Try: A. Smith (2') Milne (33', 58') F. Wycherley (72') |
report | Try: Ashman (7') Vellacott (15') Graham (48') Con: Healy (16', 49') Cards: Young 28' Rae 30' Douglas 53' Graham 68' |
Attendance: 8,800 Referee: Ben Whitehouse |
| 17 October 2025 | (1 BP) Edinburgh | 43 – 0 | Benetton | Edinburgh Rugby Stadium | |
| 19:45 | Try: van der Merwe (5') Richardson (11', 57') Graham (39', 78') O'Conor (65') Bradbury (73') Con: Scott (6', 11', 40') Thompson (66') |
Report | Cards: Fekitoa 44' Garbisi 57' |
Attendance: 6,763[3] |
| 25 October 2025 | Cardiff | 20 – 19 | Edinburgh (1 BP) | Cardiff Arms Park | |
| 19:45 | Try: Mulder (7' m) Adams (15' c) Sebastian (43' m) Con: Lloyd (16') Pen: Lloyd (74') |
Try: Wells (3' m) Shiel (9' c) Ashman (19' c) Con: Scott (9') Lang (20') |
Attendance: 7,189[4] |
| 29 November 2025 | Edinburgh | 19 – 17 | Ospreys (1 BP) | Edinburgh Rugby Stadium | |
| 17:30 | Try: Currie (33' m) Morris (54' c) Paterson (71' c) Con: Thompson (1/2) (55') Scott (1/1) (71') |
Report | Try: Davies (25' m) Cokanasiga (45' m) Boshoff (75' c) Con: Walsh (76') |
Attendance: 6,502 Referee: Peter Martin |
| 20 December 2025 | (1 BP) Glasgow Warriors | 24 – 12 | Edinburgh | Hampden Park, Glasgow | |
| 15:00 | Try: Fagerson 10' c Darge 51' c Hiddleston 55' m Stephen 77' m Con: Hastngs (2) 11', 51' |
Report | Try: Richardson 28' m Gilchrist 72' c Con: Thompson 72' Cards: Hunter-Hill 77' |
Attendance: 21,093[5] Referee: Eoghan Cross (IRFU) |
| 27 December 2025 | Edinburgh | 3 - 21 | Glasgow Warriors | Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh | |
| 15:00 | Pen: Scott 6' |
Report | Try: Dobie (2) 32' c, 79' c Horne 76' c Con: Adam Hastings 33' Horne 77' Lancaster 80' Cards: Fraser 21' |
Attendance: 38,179 Referee: Hollie Davidson (SRU) |
| 3 January 2026 | (1 BP) Benetton | 14 – 15 | Edinburgh | Stadio Comunale di Monigo, Treviso | |
| 17:30 | Try: Gallo 52' c Fekitoa 57' c Con: Umaga (2/2) 53', 58' |
Report | Try: Vellacott 21' c Graham 48' m Con: Thompson (1/2) 22' Pen: Thompson 29' |
Attendance: 4,857 Referee: Peter Martin (Ireland) |
| 23 January 2026 | (1 BP) Edinburgh | 17 - 19 | Bulls | Edinburgh Rugby Stadium | |
| 19:45 | Try: v.d. Merwe 6' m Schoeman 17' m Rae 34' c Con: Thompson (1/3) 25' |
Report | Try: Coetzee 12' m Grobbelaar 44' c van Staden 70' c Con: Pollard (2/3) 45', 71' |
Attendance: 6,648 Referee: Gnecchi |
| 31 January 2026 | (1 BP) Leinster | 28 – 20 | Edinburgh | Aviva Stadium, Dublin | |
| 17:30 | Try: Deegan 13' c Penny (3) 44' c, 68' c, 74' c Con: Tector (4/4) 14', 45', 69', 75' |
Report | Try: v.d. Merwe 20' m Satala 39' c Shiel 80+1' m Con: Thompson 40' Pen: Thompson 23' Cards: Hunter-Hill 10' |
Attendance: 18,505 |
| 27 February 2026 | (1 BP) Edinburgh | 24 – 19 | Scarlets (1 BP) | Edinburgh Rugby Stadium | |
| 19:45 | Try: Vellacott (2) 30' c, 49' m Bradbury 46' c Paterson 69' m Con: Thompson (2) 31', 47' Cards: Paterson 56' |
Report | Try: Roberts (2) 22' c, 62' m Lousi, 28' c Con: Leggatt-Jones (2) 23', 28' |
Attendance: 6,657 Referee: Peter Martin (IRFU) |
| 21 March 2026 | Lions | v | Edinburgh | Ellis Park Stadium | |
| 12:45 |
| 28 March 2026 | Stormers | v | Edinburgh | Cape Town Stadium | |
| 17:00 |
| 17 April 2026 | Edinburgh | v | Zebre Parma | Edinburgh Rugby Stadium | |
| 19:45 |
| 24 April 2026 | Edinburgh | v | Sharks | Edinburgh Rugby Stadium | |
| 19:45 |
| 9 May 2026 | Dragons | v | Edinburgh | Rodney Parade | |
| 19:45 |
| 15 May 2026 | Edinburgh | v | Connacht | Edinburgh Rugby Stadium | |
| 19:45 |
Table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | TF | TA | TB | LB | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Glasgow Warriors | 12 | 9 | 0 | 3 | 320 | 170 | +150 | 47 | 23 | 7 | 2 | 45 | Qualifies for home URC quarter-final; Qualification for the 2026–27 Champions Cup |
| 2 | Stormers | 12 | 9 | 0 | 3 | 316 | 204 | +112 | 39 | 26 | 5 | 0 | 41 | |
| 3 | Ulster | 12 | 8 | 0 | 4 | 352 | 248 | +104 | 49 | 34 | 7 | 2 | 41 | |
| 4 | Leinster | 12 | 8 | 0 | 4 | 308 | 242 | +66 | 45 | 32 | 8 | 1 | 41 | |
| 5 | Cardiff | 12 | 8 | 0 | 4 | 240 | 210 | +30 | 35 | 29 | 5 | 3 | 40 | Qualifies for URC quarter-final; Qualification for the 2026–27 Champions Cup |
| 6 | Munster | 12 | 8 | 0 | 4 | 248 | 225 | +23 | 36 | 30 | 5 | 2 | 39 | |
| 7 | Lions | 12 | 6 | 1 | 5 | 325 | 342 | −17 | 43 | 50 | 5 | 2 | 33 | |
| 8 | Bulls | 12 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 323 | 302 | +21 | 48 | 43 | 5 | 1 | 30 | |
| 9 | Connacht | 12 | 5 | 0 | 7 | 289 | 293 | −4 | 39 | 41 | 6 | 4 | 30 | Qualification for the 2026–27 Challenge Cup |
| 10 | Ospreys | 12 | 5 | 2 | 5 | 260 | 273 | −13 | 39 | 41 | 4 | 1 | 29 | |
| 11 | Sharks | 12 | 4 | 1 | 7 | 256 | 333 | −77 | 38 | 43 | 5 | 1 | 24 | |
| 12 | Edinburgh | 12 | 4 | 0 | 8 | 238 | 253 | −15 | 37 | 39 | 3 | 4 | 23 | |
| 13 | Benetton | 12 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 216 | 281 | −65 | 25 | 37 | 2 | 1 | 23 | |
| 14 | Dragons | 12 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 227 | 286 | −59 | 29 | 43 | 2 | 4 | 20 | |
| 15 | Scarlets | 12 | 3 | 1 | 8 | 206 | 294 | −88 | 28 | 41 | 0 | 2 | 16 | |
| 16 | Zebre Parma | 12 | 2 | 0 | 10 | 197 | 365 | −168 | 26 | 51 | 2 | 2 | 12 |
Updated to match(es) played on 14 March 2026. Source: UnitedRugby.com
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers for teams tied on points: 1) Number of matches won 2) The difference between points for and points against 3) The number of tries scored 4) The most points scored 5) The difference between tries for and tries against 6) The fewest red cards received 7) The fewest yellow cards received.[6]
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers for teams tied on points: 1) Number of matches won 2) The difference between points for and points against 3) The number of tries scored 4) The most points scored 5) The difference between tries for and tries against 6) The fewest red cards received 7) The fewest yellow cards received.[6]
| |||||||||||||||||
| Italian x Scottish Shield | |||||||||||||||||
| Team | P | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | TF | TA | TBP | LBP | Pts | Pos overall | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Glasgow Warriors (S) | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 132 | 62 | +70 | 20 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 20 | 1 | |||
| 2 | Benetton | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 88 | 110 | -22 | 9 | 14 | 1 | 1 | 14 | 13 | |||
| 3 | Edinburgh | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 101 | 90 | +11 | 15 | 13 | 2 | 1 | 11 | 12 | |||
| 4 | Zebre Parma | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 100 | 159 | -59 | 13 | 21 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 16 | |||
If teams are level at any stage, tiebreakers are applied in the following order:[7]
| |||||||||||||||||
| Green background indicates teams currently leading the regional shield. Upon the conclusion of the regular season, these teams win their respective regional shields. (S) : URC Shield champion | |||||||||||||||||
European Champions Cup
Edinburgh have been drawn in Pool 2 of the European Rugby Champions Cup, along with URC colleagues Munster (whom Edinburgh will not play in line with the rules of the competition), along with Bath, Castres, Gloucester and Toulon.[8]
Pool 2
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | TF | TA | TB | LB | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bath (4) | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 180 | 89 | +91 | 25 | 10 | 4 | 0 | 16 | Home Champions Cup round of 16. |
| 2 | Toulon (7) | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 123 | 106 | +17 | 14 | 13 | 2 | 0 | 14 | |
| 3 | Castres (12) | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 98 | 106 | −8 | 13 | 15 | 2 | 0 | 10 | Away Champions Cup round of 16. |
| 4 | Edinburgh (14) | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 69 | 140 | −71 | 9 | 18 | 2 | 0 | 10 | |
| 5 | Munster (10CC) | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 99 | 101 | −2 | 15 | 13 | 2 | 2 | 8 | Away Challenge Cup round of 16. |
| 6 | Gloucester | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 75 | 102 | −27 | 8 | 15 | 1 | 1 | 6 |
Source: EPCR[9]
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers for teams tied on points: 1) Number of matches won; 2) Difference between points for and against; 3) Total number of points for; 4) Aggregate number of points scored in matches between tied teams; 5) Number of matches won excluding the first match, then the second and so on until the tie is settled.
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers for teams tied on points: 1) Number of matches won; 2) Difference between points for and against; 3) Total number of points for; 4) Aggregate number of points scored in matches between tied teams; 5) Number of matches won excluding the first match, then the second and so on until the tie is settled.
| 7 December 2025 | (1 BP) Edinburgh | 33–20 | Toulon | Edinburgh Rugby Stadium, Edinburgh | |
| 17:30 | Try: Schoeman 14' c Vellacott 29' m Penalty try 59' Venter 75' m Con: Scott (1/3) 15' Pen: Scott (3/3) 10', 34', 54' |
Report | Try: White (2) 6' c, 21' c Con: Jaminet (2/2) 7', 22' Pen: Garcia (1/1) 55' Drop: Jaminet (1/1) 2' Cards: Ribbans 56' |
Attendance: 7,008 Referee: Matthew Carley (England) |
| 14 December 2025 | (1 BP) Castres | 33–0 | Edinburgh | Stade Pierre-Fabre, Castres | |
| 14:00 | Try: Ambadiang 12' m Zarantonello 46' c Ardron 53' c Vargas 60' c Botitu 63' c Con: Popelin (4/5) 47', 54', 61', 63' |
Report | Cards: O'Conor 56' | Attendance: 10,468 Referee: Andrea Piardi (Italy) |
| 9 January 2026 | (1 BP) Edinburgh | 26 – 24 | Gloucester (1 BP) | Edinburgh Rugby Stadium, Edinburgh | |
| 20:00 | Try: Vellacott 17' m Ashman 53' c McConnell 61' c penalty try 67 ' Con: Thompson (2) 54', 62' |
Report | Try: Hathaway 2' m Atkinson 39' c Con: Barton 40' Pen: Barton (4) 15', 30', 57', 75' Cards: Atkinson 68' |
Attendance: 7,439 Referee: Luc Ramos (France) |
| 16 January 2026 | (1 BP) Bath | 63 – 10 | Edinburgh | The Rec, Bath | |
| 20:00 | Try: du Toit 14’ c penalty try 17' Obano 30’ c Dunn 40’ c Cokanasiga (2) 56’ cm 70' c Spencer 60’ c Arundell 67’ c Ojomoh 73’ c Con: Russell (8/8) 15', 39', 40+1', 57', 61', 68', 71'. 74' |
Report | Try: O'Conor 35' c Con: Thompson 36' Pen: Thompson 2' |
Attendance: 14,509 Referee: Gianluca Gnecchi (Italy) |
Knockout stage
Edinburgh qualified for the round of 16 as the fourteenth seed. They will travel to Dublin to face third seed Leinster on 5 April 2026.
| Round of 16 | Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | Final | ||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Bordeaux Bègles | ||||||||||||||||||
| 16 | Leicester Tigers | ||||||||||||||||||
| 8 | Toulouse | ||||||||||||||||||
| 9 | Bristol Bears | ||||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Bath | ||||||||||||||||||
| 13 | Saracens | ||||||||||||||||||
| 5 | Northampton Saints | ||||||||||||||||||
| 12 | Castres | ||||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Glasgow Warriors | ||||||||||||||||||
| 15 | Bulls | ||||||||||||||||||
| 7 | Toulon | ||||||||||||||||||
| 10 | Stormers | ||||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Leinster | ||||||||||||||||||
| 14 | Edinburgh | ||||||||||||||||||
| 6 | Harlequins | ||||||||||||||||||
| 11 | Sale Sharks | ||||||||||||||||||
- Round of 16
References
- ^ "Douglas Struth named new Edinburgh Rugby managing director, replacing Jonny Petrie". The Scotsman. Retrieved 29 April 2019.
- ^ "United Rugby Championship clash between Edinburgh and Ulster postponed due to Storm Amy", Independent, 3 October 2025
- ^ Plass, Finbar (17 October 2025). "Scott steers Edinburgh to big win amid concern over Van Der Merwe injury". The Edinburgh Reporter. Retrieved 18 October 2025.
- ^ "Cardiff Rugby 20 Edinburgh Rugby 19". Cardiff Rugby. 25 October 2025. Retrieved 25 October 2025.
- ^ stats.unitedrugby.com https://stats.unitedrugby.com/match-centre/202501/united-rugby-championship/glasgow-warriors-vs-edinburgh-rugby-2025-12-20/287907#tabs-recap. Retrieved 20 December 2025.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^ "Competition rules – United Rugby Championship". United Rugby Championship. Archived from the original on 22 September 2022. Retrieved 25 February 2025.
- ^ League Format (3) "Competition Rules". United Rugby Championship. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
- ^ "Rivalries reignited, classics revived as 2025/26 Investec Champions Cup and EPCR Challenge Cup pools revealed | Investec Champions Cup". www.epcrugby.com. Retrieved 1 July 2025.
- ^ "Pool Tables | Investec Champions Cup". www.epcrugby.com. European Professional Club Rugby. Retrieved 2 July 2024.