URC, Round Five - teams and predictions

SATURDAY PREVIEW: It is being blazed as a ‘rematch’ of last season’s Final, but it is far too early for it to be of any significance in the current cycle.

This is the view of two former internationals, Ireland’s Alan Quinlan and South African Jean de Villiers – as they previewed the United Rugby Championship Round Five encounter between Munster and Stormers.

Yes, these teams faced each other in last season’s Grand Finale, but this time Limerick is the venue, rather than Cape Town.

Both teams come into this face-off on the back of a loss.

However, the home team has two wins and a draw in their other three outings, while the Stormers have lost their last two outings.

Further strengthening the Munster cause is that they are able to start filtering in some of their Irish internationals.

Munster captain Peter O’Mahony and fellow Ireland World Cup forward Tadhg Beirne make their first appearances of the season, along with scrumhalf Conor Murray who is among the replacements.

O’Mahony will pack down in the back row alongside No.8 Gavin Coombes, who is one of the real form players in the URC, topping the carrying chart with 64.

De Villiers admitted his former team, the Stormers, has had a “pretty shaky start” to their campaign.

“Even their first game, against the Lions at Ellis Park, they almost lost it towards the end and probably should have lost it in a way,” De Villiers told a URC round table briefing this week.

“Then, as we have seen with this competition, it’s really hard to tour and to get victories away from home, especially if you are travelling to or from South Africa.

“The Stormers have found that to be particularly hard this year.”

De Villiers pointed to the departure of internationals like Steven Kitshoff and Marvin Orie, as well as the injury-enforced absence of captain Salmaan Moerat as having ‘neutralised’ the strengths of the Stormers – the set pieces.

“They have found it tough and the experience they are lacking – with the Boks not being back yet – makes it difficult for them to get victories,” he said of the fact that South Africa’s victorious World Cup stars are on a compulsory three-week break.

“They are probably lacking a little bit from a leadership point of view, in terms of experience at this level leading teams,” De Villiers said of the Stormers.

Travelling to Limerick is not going to make it easier to end their losing streak.

“Playing Munster in Thomond Park is a tough task for any team, not that Munster have been playing brilliant rugby, they have been pretty average in a way, but they have managed to get a couple of wins.

“I think just in terms of where these two teams are at, it is really difficult to see a Stormers victory, just taking the history into account and the form of the two teams.”

(Article continues below the Jean de Villiers interview …)

Quinlan said what happened in the Final back in May will have no bearing on Saturday’s face-off, despite the obvious emotion surrounding the fixture.

“It’s obviously a big game,” the Irishman said.

“Both sides are coming off losses and that kind of stirs the emotion in the build-up during the week.

“However, there are a lot of players [who featured in the Final] that are missing on both sides.”

Just like the Stormers, a loss and a draw means Munster are under a fair bit of pressure.

“Yes, the Stormers will want to get back into winning ways and I am sure their coach John Dobson will be very frustrated and disappointed with the two losses.

“They were well within their reach of winning those games, but made some errors and mistakes.

“Thomond Park is a tough place to go, but Munster are in a little bit of a precarious position at the moment.

“They are feeding a couple of internationals back in, they’ve got a couple of injuries and they would have been really disappointed with the way they played for the vast majority of the game against Ulster last Friday.

“They started well in the first 20 minutes and went 14-3 up, but then they didn’t really fire a shot until the last five minutes of the game.

“Their set-piece malfunctioned, their breakdown was poor and their attack was really poor.

“There’s no better place than back home to try and get a result, although it does bring a bit of added pressure, for sure.

“The Stormers are going to be very, very physical and if Munster are second best in the physical stakes they will be under pressure.

“I am sure John Dobson would love to get a result here.

“Speaking as a former Munster man, I would be really disappointed if they didn’t improve dramatically this week.

“Playing at Thomond Park, there is an expectancy that you’ve got to bring real emotion, passion and desire when you play there, whoever puts on the jersey.

“It doesn’t get you results, you’ve got to play well too, but Munster has to improve a lot this week, for sure.”

The Stormers side also shows some changes.

Springbok hooker Joseph Dweba comes in to start, along with fit-again centre Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu among a number of changes from last Saturday’s defeat to Benetton.

“We know we will have to lift our standards in a number of areas and the players who are coming in are all keen to make their presence felt in what will be a tough game at Thomond Park,” Stormers coach John Dobson said.

* Meanwhile, the Sharks will be relieved to be back on home soil in Durban, after a torrid time in Europe – which brought successive defeats to Munster, Leinster, Ospreys and Zebre – leaving them bottom of the table.

However, they face another Irish team – the province of Connacht in the west of Ireland.

“They’re another Irish side that is pretty experienced,” Sharks coach John Plumtree said, adding: “They have a lot of URC caps amongst the forwards, so it’s going to be a great battle for our forward pack.

“They play dangerously, like all the Irish teams they’re very unpredictable, we will have to break them down.

“Defensively, it is going to be tough.

“We’re going to have to play really well and I’m hoping our energy for this first game back home is high, and that we get a good crowd that cheers us on.”

Plumtree admitted their month-long venture into Europe was a “disappointing tour” and they also picked up some injuries.

“Those injuries were tricky to navigate especially with eight of our Springboks unavailable,” he said.

“We could have picked up a win or two, but that didn’t happen.

“It’s a difficult period right now because no one likes losing.

“When I came in, I knew there would be no overnight fix, but what I can promise our fans is we will do everything we can to get things right and do this jersey proud again.

“We will continue to work hard to get some momentum going and improve our results at home.”

The Sharks have Springbok centre Lukhanyo Am back in action, but international front row duo Bongi Mbonambi and Vincent Koch face long lay-offs with knee injuries, while lock Hyron Andrews and No.8 George Cronje are both suspended for four games after a red card and citing respectively against Zebre.

The visitors welcome back tighthead prop Finlay Bealham, as they make eight changes from their last-gasp defeat to Edinburgh.

However, fellow Ireland World Cup stars Bundee Aki and Mack Hansen have not travelled to South Africa due to injury.

“Any game away in South Africa is a massive challenge, and we will be coming up against a highly motivated Sharks team who will relish playing in front of their home crowd for the first time this season,” Connacht coach Pete Wilkins said.

“That said, we have travelled and prepared really well for this encounter, and the whole squad is excited by the opportunity in front of us on Saturday.

“The return of Finlay Bealham is timely, and he has brought great energy as well as international quality to the group.”

The Connacht team selection represents a blend of those who have delivered significant performances across the first four games of the URC season.

“The quality of our bench will be a crucial element in what we expect to be a physical and fast-paced game in hot conditions.”

* Other Saturday matches will see Leinster host Scarlets, Dragons at home to Ospreys and Glasgow Warriors facing Benetton.

Leinster welcome back more internationals this weekend, with centre Garry Ringrose, lock James Ryan and fullback Hugo Keenan the latest to return.

Coach Leo Cullen has been speaking about how his Ireland World Cup contingent have handled the heartbreak of the World Cup exit at the hands of New Zealand.

“There was huge disappointment clearly,” he said.

“You have lost a knock-out game after going undefeated for 17 matches and it’s a game where there were opportunities to win it.

“It’s one of those that sticks in the memory for players, but you have got to dust yourself off and go again and that’s a real indication of what proper mental strength is.

“That’s the journey a lot of guys have to go on and try and it’s about trying to make yourself stronger for the future.

“Everyone goes through it from a different lens. Everyone feels it to some degree.”

Leinster hosts a Scarlets team which led the Lions for virtually the entire game last weekend only to go down to a late try.

“They would have been disappointed how that match ended,” said Cullen.

“They had the game in the bag really. We have got to make sure we are ready for it in terms of when the backlash is going to come.”

Wales centre Johnny Williams has recovered from a hamstring problem to start for the Scarlets amid 10 changes from the team that came so close at home to the Emirates Lions.

* The Dragons are aiming to repay their loyal Rodney Parade fans who have had to sit through three home defeats already this season.

Dai Flanagan’s team have lost to Edinburgh, Cardiff and Leinster at their Newport base.

Now they are looking to make it fourth time lucky when they entertain the Ospreys.

Matthew Screech makes his 150th URC appearance as he packs down alongside Welsh international Ben Carter in the Dragons second row, with Ollie Griffiths returning on the openside.

The Ospreys have flank Jac Morgan back on board, alongside his fellow Wales World Cup co-captain Dewi Lake, who put in a round-best 17 carries against Glasgow last weekend.

Daniel Kasende, on loan from the Cheetahs of Bloemfontein, covers the back three from the bench.

* The only unbeaten record in the league so far this season will be put to a stern test as Benetton head to Scotstoun on the back of three wins and a draw.

Second row Federico Ruzza will be a go-to man for them, having won nine line-outs in last weekend’s victory over DHL Stormers, the most by any player in the round, while no team has pulled off more turnovers than the Italian outfit.

For Glasgow boss Franco Smith, it will be a fixture with added resonance as he coached in Treviso from 2007 to 2013.

“Benetton will pose a strong test,” said the Springbok.

“They have recruited well, had 22 players participate in the World Cup and they’re at the top of their game at the moment.

“They’ve shown they can win away from home this season and pose a real all-round threat.

“We know we will need to be at our best and it’s a challenge the players are incredibly excited by.”

All the Saturday (November 18) teams and predictions below …

Sharks v Connacht
(Kings Park, Durban – Kick-off: 17.00; 15.00 UK & Ireland time; 15.00 GMT)

Prediction

@rugby365com: Sharks by five points

Teams

Sharks: 15 Aphelele Fassi, 14 Werner Kok, 13 Lukhanyo Am, 12 Francois Venter (captain), 11 Aphiwe Dyantyi, 10 Curwin Bosch, 9 Cameron Wright, 8 Sikhumbuzo Notshe, 7 Phendulani Buthelezi, 6 James Venter, 5 Emile van Heerden, 4 Corne’ Rahl, 3 Coenie Oosthuizen, 2 Dylan Richardson, 1 Ntuthuko Mchunu.
Replacements: 16 Daniel Jooste, 17 Dian Bleuler, 18 Hanro Jacobs, 19 Jeandre Labuschagne, 20 Tino Mavesere, 21 Zee Mkhabela, 22 Boeta Chamberlain, 23 Rohan Janse van Rensburg.

Connacht: 15 Tiernan O’Halloran, 14 Byron Ralston, 13 Tom Farrell, 12 Cathal Forde, 11 Andrew Smith, 10 JJ Hanrahan, 9 Colm Reilly, 8 Sean O’Brien, 7 Conor Oliver (captain), 6 Cian Prendergast, 5 Joe Joyce, 4 Oisín Dowling, 3 Finlay Bealham, 2 Tadgh McElroy, 1 Denis Buckle.
Replacements: 16 Dave Heffernan, 17 Peter Dooley, 18 Dominic Robertson-McCoy, 19 Darragh Murray, 20 Shamus Hurley-Langton, 21 Caolin Blade, 22 David Hawkshaw, 23 John Porch.

Referee: Craig Evans (Wales)
Assistant referees: Morné Ferreira (South Africa), Cwengile Jadezweni (South Africa)
TMO: Sean Brickell (Wales)

Dragons v Ospreys
(Rodney Parade, Newport – Kick-off: 17.15; 17.15 GMT)

Prediction

@rugby365com: Ospreys by three points

Teams

Dragons: 15 Cai Evans, 14 Rio Dyer, 13 Sio Tomkinson, 12 Aneurin Owen, 11 Ewan Rosser, 10 Will Reed, 9 Rhodri Williams (captain), 8 Aaron Wainwright, 7 Ollie Griffiths, 6 Sean Lonsdale, 5 Ben Carter, 4 Matthew Screech, 3 Lloyd Fairbrother, 2 Bradley Roberts, 1 Rhodri Jones.
Replacements: 16 Elliot Dee, 17 Aki Seiuli, 18 Chris Coleman, 19 George Nott, 20 Ryan Woodman, 21 Dane Blacker, 22 Steff Hughes, 23 Ashton Hewitt.

Ospreys: 15 Max Nagy, 14 Luke Morgan, 13 George North, 12 Owen Watkin, 11 Mat Protheroe, 10 Jack Walsh, 9 Reuben Morgan-Williams, 8 Morgan Morris, 7 Justin Tipuric (captain), 6 James Ratti, 5 Adam Beard, 4 Rhys Davies, 3 Tom Botha, 2 Dewi Lake, 1 Nicky Smith.
Replacements: 16 Sam Parry, 17 Gareth Thomas, 18 Ben Warren, 19 James Fender, 20 Jac Morgan, 21 Luke Davies, 22 Daniel Kasende, 23 Luke Scully.

Referee: Ben Whitehouse (Wales)
Assistant referees: Mike English (Wales), Gwyn Morris (Wales)
TMO: Ian Davies (Wales)

Munster v Stormers
(Thomond Park, Limerick – Kick-off: 17.15; 19.15 SAST; 17.15 GMT)

Prediction

@rugby365com: Munster by eight points

Teams

Munster: 15 Shane Daly, 14 Calvin Nash, 13 Antoine Frisch, 12 Alex Nankivell, 11 Shay McCarthy, 10 Jack Crowley, 9 Craig Casey, 8 Gavin Coombes, 7 John Hodnett, 6 Peter O’Mahony (captain), 5 Tadhg Beirne, 4 Edwin Edogbo, 3 John Ryan, 2 Scott Buckley, 1 Jeremy Loughman.
Replacements: 16 Chris Moore, 17 Josh Wycherley, 18 Stephen Archer, 19 Tom Ahern, 20 Jack O’Donoghue, 21 Conor Murray, 22 Rory Scannell, 23 Alex Kendellen.

Stormers: 15 Warrick Gelant, 14 Ben Loader, 13 Ruhan Nel, 12 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, 11 Leolin Zas, 10 Jean-Luc du Plessis, 9 Paul de Wet, 8 Evan Roos, 7 Ben-Jason Dixon, 6 Willie Engelbrecht, 5 Gary Porter, 4 Ruben van Heerden, 3 Neethling Fouche (captain), 2 Joseph Dweba, 1 Sti Sithole.
Replacements: 16 Andre-Hugo Venter, 17 Ali Vermaak, 18 Brok Harris, 19 Adre Smith, 20 Keke Morabe, 21 Herschel Jantjies, 22 Clayton Blommetjies, 23 Angelo Davids.

Referee: Sam Grove-White (Scotland)
Assistant referees: Stuart Gaffikin (Ireland), Andrew Fogarty (Ireland)
TMO: Wayne Davies (Wales)

Leinster v Scarlets
(RDS Arena, Dublin – Kick-off: 19.35; 19.35 GMT)

Prediction

@rugby365com: Leinster by 18 points

Teams

Leinster: 15 Hugo Keenan, 14 Jordan Larmour, 13 Garry Ringrose (co-captain), 12 Jamie Osborne, 11 Jimmy O’Brien, 10 Sam Prendergast, 9 Jamison Gibson-Park, 8 Caelan Doris, 7 Josh van der Flier, 6 Max Deegan, 5 James Ryan (co-captain), 4 Joe McCarthy, 3 Thomas Clarkson, 2 Rónan Kelleher, 1 Andrew Porter.
Replacements: 16 Dan Sheehan, 17 Jack Boyle, 18 Tadhg Furlong, 19 Ross Molony, 20 Scott Penny, 21 Fintan Gunne, 22 Ross Byrne, 23 Ciarán Frawley.

Scarlets: 15 Tom Rogers, 14 Tomi Lewis, 13 Jonathan Davies (captain), 12 Johnny Williams, 11 Ryan Conbeer, 10 Charlie Titcombe, 9 Kieran Hardy, 8 Carwyn Tuipulotu, 7 Teddy Leatherbarrow, 6 Ben Williams, 5 Jac Price, 4 Alex Craig, 3 Harri O’Connor, 2 Shaun Evans, 1 Wyn Jones.
Replacements: 16 Ryan Elias, 17 Steff Thomas, 18 Sam Wainwright, 19 Morgan Jones, 20 Iwan Shenton, 21 Archie Hughes, 22 Ioan NIcholas, 23 Scott Williams.

Referee: Hollie Davidson (Scotland)
Assistant referees: Eoghan Cross (Ireland), Stuart Douglas (Ireland)
TMO: Andrew McMenemy (Scotland)

Glasgow Warriors v Benetton
(Scotstoun Stadium, Glasgow – Kick-off: 19.35; 20.35 CET; 19.35 GMT)

Prediction

@rugby365com: Glasgow by 12 points

Teams

Glasgow Warriors: 15 Josh McKay, 14 Sebastian Cancelliere, 13 Sione Tuipulotu, 12 Stafford McDowall (captain), 11 Kyle Rowe, 10 Tom Jordan, 9 George Horne, 8 Sione Vailanu, 7 Thomas Gordon, 6 Matt Fagerson, 5 Richie Gray, 4 Sintu Manjezi, 3 Lucio Sordoni, 2 George Turner, 1 Jamie Bhatti.
Replacements: 16 Johnny Matthews, 17 Allan Dell, 18 Enrique Pieretto, 19 Greg Peterson, 20 Max Williamson, 21 Ally Miller, 22 Sean Kennedy, 23 Ross Thompson.

Benetton: 15 Giacomo Da Re, 14 Marcus Watson, 13 Ignacio Brex, 12 Marco Zanon, 11 Paolo Odogwu, 10 Tomas Albornoz, 9 Alessandro Garbisi, 8 Toa Halafihi, 7 Michele Lamaro (captain), 6 Sebastian Negri, 5 Federico Ruzza, 4 Niccolò Cannone, 3 Simone Ferrari, 2 Gianmarco Lucchesi, 1 Ivan Nemer.
Replacements: 16 Bautista Bernasconi, 17 Mirco Spagnolo, 18 Tiziano Pasquali, 19 Gideon Koegelenberg, 20 Giovanni Pettinelli, 21 Henry Time-Stowers, 22 Dewaldt Duvenage, 23 Jacob Umaga.

Referee: Andrew Brace (Ireland)
Assistant referees: Finlay Brown (Scotland), Sam O’Neil (Scotland)
TMO: Mark Patton (Ireland)

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* Additional reporting by @URCOfficial