Edinburgh srcum-half Ben Vellacott assesses how URC compares English Premiership

Having spent his whole career in England before joining Edinburgh last summer, Ben Vellacott is well qualified to rate the United Rugby Championship against the Gallagher Premiership and the scrum-half believes the URC stacks up pretty well.

As evidence he cites his own club’s performances against teams from south of the border this season.

Edinburgh produced one of the best European results in their history when they defeated Saracens away in their Challenge Cup opener in December and were then pipped by a point by London Irish in January.

Mike Blair’s side still won Pool C and scored a big win over Bath at home in the last 16 of the Challenge Cup this month.

Ben Vellacott applauds the fans following the home victory against Bath in the last 16 of the Challenge Cup earlier this month

“Look at the results of URC teams against the Premiership,” said Vellacott. “We’ve played three very good Premiership teams this year, won two out of three and were very unlucky to lose that second game against London Irish.”

The strength of his new club and the competitiveness of the league have left the player in no doubt that he made the right decision to leave Wasps.

“Right from the start I’ve loved every minute here,” added Vellacott, whose form this season was rewarded with a Scotland debut in the Six Nations win over Italy. “I’m loving my rugby, I’m loving Edinburgh as a city, and the group that we’ve got here are incredible. It’s a really talented group who I know could go all the way.”

Edinburgh face Ulster tomorrow night in the URC and Vellacott will then face a reunion with Wasps who are visitors to the DAM Health Stadium in the Challenge Cup quarter-finals on May 7.

Meanwhile, Scotland will take on the All Blacks for the first time in five years when they welcome them to Murrayfield in November.

New Zealand are the star attraction of an Autumn Nations Series which will also includes matches in Edinburgh against Australia, Fiji and Argentina.

Scotland will face the Wallabies without their Exiles as the game is scheduled for Saturday, October 29 (kick-off 5.30pm), which falls outside the window for international fixtures. Clubs in England and France will retain their players for league games that weekend, meaning Gregor Townsend will have to select an entirely home-based squad as the Scots chase a fourth consecutive victory over the Aussies.

An intriguing subplot is that the match could see Jack Dempsey make his Scotland debut. The Glasgow Warriors No 8 has played 14 Test matches for Australia but will become eligible to represent Scotland in October, after World Rugby altered its eligibility laws.

Capped players are now allowed to transfer allegiance so long as they have spent the previous three years out of the international game and have “a close and credible link via birthright” to the country to which they are switching.

Dempsey has a grandfather from Glasgow, and last played for Australia on October 11, 2019. He has yet to commit to Scotland and, of course, his selection will depend on Townsend but the player has made positive noises about switching.

Next up after the Wallabies is a visit from Fiji on Saturday, November 5 (1pm) in what will be the first meeting of the teams since 2018 when Tommy Seymour scored a hat-trick in a 54-17 win for Scotland.

The match with the All Blacks is on Sunday, November 13 (2.15pm) and will be the 32nd time the sides have met. Scotland are still seeking their first win over the three-time world champions but ran them close in 2017 before losing 22-17 in a match best remembered for Beauden Barrett’s last-gasp tackle on Stuart Hogg which prevented a certain try.

Scotland will close out the series against Argentina on Saturday, November 19 (3.15pm). It will be their fourth game of the year against the Pumas, with a three-Test tour scheduled for July.