At the Aviva Stadium in Dublin, Leinster Rugby claimed a 50–26 win over Zebre Parma in Round 5 of the BKT United Rugby Championship (URC). The Irish side ran in eight tries, while the Italians replied with four, securing a valuable attacking bonus point.
Zebre Parma line-up
Pani; Belloni, Bertaccini, Zanon, Batista; Da Re, Dominguez; Odiase, Locatelli, Ferrari; Krumov (C), Carrera; Nocera, Quattrini, Hasa.
Replacements: Di Bartolomeo, Buonfiglio, Gallorini, Milano, Licata, Prinsloo, Roger Farias, Morisi.
Leinster Rugby line-up
McLaughlin; Kenny, Cooney, Tector, Osborne; Byrne, McGrath (C); Culhane, Penny, Soroka; Mangan, Deeny; Slimani, McKee, Cahir.
Replacements: Sheehan, Usanov, Sparrow, Snyman, Mangan, Connors, Gunne, Gabriel.
Match summary
It was a tough start for Zebre as the hosts struck within the opening minute: Kenny sliced through to score, with Byrne adding the extras. Leinster kept the pressure on in the wet conditions, and Soroka crossed for a second try, though Byrne missed the conversion.
Zebre responded with intent — Belloni finishing off a strong attacking move, and Da Re slotting the conversion to narrow the gap. Leinster hit back quickly through Soroka’s second try, converted by Byrne, before Dominguez replied with another well-worked score for the visitors, again converted by Da Re.
The game remained open and fast-paced. Kenny added his second try to extend Leinster’s lead, Byrne converting for 26–14. The Italians stayed in the fight: after Osborne was shown a yellow card — later upgraded to red — Quattrini finished off a powerful driving maul, and Da Re added the extras to make it 26–21 at the break. Just before halftime, Dominguez also received a yellow, which was subsequently upgraded to red, leaving both teams down to 14 men.
Leinster came out firing in the second half, and though one early try was ruled out by the TMO, Cahir eventually crashed over, Byrne converting. Zebre thought they had hit back through Di Bartolomeo, but the score was disallowed for obstruction. The home side capitalised again with a try from Byrne, followed by Snyman’s seventh Leinster try, both converted by the fly-half.
Zebre showed great resilience and claimed their fourth try — and a bonus point — through Zanon, though Da Re’s conversion drifted wide. Connors completed the scoring for Leinster in the closing stages, with Gabriel unable to add the extras. Final score: Leinster Rugby 50 – 26 Zebre Parma.
Scorers
Leinster Rugby 50 – 26 Zebre Parma
Dublin, Aviva Stadium – Saturday 25 October 2025
Scoring timeline:
2’ T. Kenny, C. Byrne (7–0); 8’ T. Soroka (12–0); 11’ T. Belloni, C. Da Re (12–7);
13’ T. Soroka, C. Byrne (19–7); 20’ T. Dominguez, C. Da Re (19–14);
28’ T. Kenny, C. Byrne (26–14); 32’ T. Quattrini, C. Da Re (26–21);
49’ T. Cahir, C. Byrne (33–21); 56’ T. Byrne (38–21);
68’ T. Snyman, C. Byrne (45–21); 73’ T. Zanon (45–26); 78’ T. Connors (50–26).
Conversions: Byrne (Leinster) 5/7, Da Re (Zebre Parma) 3/4, Gabriel (Leinster) 0/1
Cards: 30’ red – Osborne (Leinster); 37’ red – Dominguez (Zebre Parma)
Player of the Match: Harry Byrne (Leinster Rugby)
Match officials: Referee – Ian Kenny (Scotland)
Points: Leinster Rugby 5, Zebre Parma 1