URC, Round Seven - Teams and Predictions
SATURDAY PREVIEW: There will be a big spotlight on the Springboks in action at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday when the Bulls host the Sharks in a United Rugby Championship Round Seven match.
However, Sharks head coach John Plumtree knows it is going to take a whole lot more than big names to win a South African derby.
The Bulls v Sharks match in Pretoria is seen by many as the premier fixture for Round Seven. That is primarily down to the World Cup winners who will be representing both teams.
For the Sharks, the likes of Eben Etzebeth, Ox Nche, Jaden Hendrikse, Makazole Mapimpi, Grant Williams and Lukhanyo Am will make them a tough nut to crack.
Meanwhile, the Bulls’ World Cup winners consist of Willie le Roux. Marco van Staden, Canan Moodie and Kurt-Lee Arendse.
“I don’t count them,” said Plumtree on the whole talk of Bok-laden teams.
“It is just the Sharks versus the Bulls and we have got a few and they have got a few, but it [the result] won’t come down to that.
“It will come down to who is the best team.”
With a number of big names in his team, fans expect the Sharks to compete for trophies on all fronts and with that comes a certain amount of pressure.
However, Plumtree is not letting that filter into his team, especially ahead of a big derby match.
“I don’t feel the pressure. We got to mould a good team,” said the coach.
“The team is not about a whole lot of individuals coming from the Springboks.
“The key to having any successful team is how they mould together.
“Yes, we got some players coming back. Yes, they are very good ones. We also got 15 other players that need to play well for us to be successful.
“We are not the Springbok team; we are the Sharks and how we gel and how we play together on any given day is really up to us.
“You can only control what you can control and we can’t control a whole lot of other things.
“What we can control is our plan and our effort and that’s the only pressure I want to put on the boys.”
For Jake White, the Bulls’ Director of Rugby, Saturday’s match presents the perfect opportunity to get an advantage over their opponents in the South African conference.
“It is going to be a tough match. Last year they beat us, so we are not taking anything for granted despite the starts we have both had,” said White.
“Both teams will be looking for a win and every team wants to win their home game. Any away game is so difficult to win and we have seen the stats.
“Especially derbies, they are like double-swingers as well, if you get a win, it’s like an eight-point swing because you take points from the game as well as points away from people in your conference.”
When asked about an injury update on co-captain Ruan Nortje, White commented: “He is not available this week but we are hoping for the best-case scenario which is only a couple of weeks [sidelined] but this is a great opportunity for someone else now.
“Last week we had lost Grobbies [Johan Grobbelaar], Ruan Vermaak, Marcell Coetzee [through suspension], Johan Goosen [HIA] and Cameron Hanekom. All five guys who played the week before and yet we played so well so I am hoping for more of the same from whoever comes in.”
On the challenge of the opposition and the Bok-Laden team they are bringing up to Loftus, White added: “It doesn’t surprise me; a lot of their players are world-class.
“I was looking at their backline and all of them are Springboks plus two of their reserves.
“It was only a matter of time before they got it right and we saw them scoring ten tries against the Dragons at home. I am sure they will be a lot more confident after they got a win.”
The story continues below…
Dragons in the Den
The Lions, meanwhile, will be hunting their third win in four outings when they host the Dragons at Ellis Park and there is no doubt the Welsh visitors’ heavy defeat last week will add to their motivation.
The Johannesburg side are also only four points short of being in the top eight on the log, but they will be careful about underestimating the Dragons, especially with only one win more in the competition so far.
The hosts will be inspired by the fact that their only previous defeat to a Welsh team was in Llanelli in October 2021, as well as the fact that the Dragons don’t have a good track record against South African opponents.
“If I must be honest, it’s not difficult to motivate this group of players,” said Lions forwards coach Barend Pieterse.
“The losses have been so close at the beginning, but we managed to walk away from those games with a point or two. It’s more about keeping their energy intact ahead of Saturday against the Dragons.
“The Dragons have quality players and they have a good system – their line-outs in particular, so we are looking forward to a tough game on Saturday.
“It’s a 17.00 kick-off, so we can’t really bank on the sun like last week.
“Ultimately, we need to rock up this weekend and execute what we’ve been training on this week.”
The ‘Avengers’
The Stormers, in turn, will be desperate to sway their fortunes at home after returning from a disappointing tour in which they suffered four defeats in a row.
They will draw some comfort from the fact that Zebre Parma have only won one match this season. But the visitors showed in the last three weeks that they can be a threat by beating the Sharks before playing to a 22-22 draw against Cardiff at home.
However, the Capetonians will see a victory as non-negotiable to get their season back on track after winning the first two matches of their campaign.
With World Cup winners Damian Willemse, Manie Libbok and Deon Fourie starting this week, captain Neethling Fouche says it is like having a few superheroes in the team.
“Having the Boks back and a few other faces, the energy just rubs off on all of us,” said Fouche.
“It is like the Avengers have returned now. We got Brannas [Deon Fourie] who is like Ant-Man. He appears quite small but he packs a big punch.
“You got Gaza [Damian Willemse] who has the same energy as Spider-man. He is just everywhere.
“Then you got Captain Cape Town, Manie Libbok, and his attention to detail is to the point. His ability to analyse the other teams just brings that confidence to the rest of the team.
“You can’t put a price on that. It has been nice.”
See below for Saturday’s teams and predictions!
Saturday, December 2:
Bulls v Sharks
(Loftus Versfeld Stadium, Pretoria – Kick-off: 15.00; 13.00 GMT)
Prediction
@rugby365com: Bulls by 11 points
Teams:
Bulls: 15 Willie le Roux, 14 Kurt-Lee Arendse, 13 Stedman Gans, 12 David Kriel, 11 Canan Moodie, 10 Johan Goosen, 9 Embrose Papier, 8 Cameron Hanekom, 7 Elrigh Louw (captain), 6 Marco van Staden, 5 Reinhardt Ludwig, 4 Janko Swanepoel, 3 Wilco Louw, 2 Akker van der Merwe, 1 Gerhard Steenekamp.
Replacements: 16 Jan-Hendrik Wessels, 17 Simphiwe Matanzima, 18 Mornay Smith, 19 Deon Slabbert, 20 Nizaam Carr, 21 Zak Burger, 22 Jaco van der Walt, 23 Sebastian de Klerk.
Sharks: 15 Aphelele Fassi, 14 Aphiwe Dyantyi, 13 Lukhanyo Am (captain), 12 Francois Venter, 11 Makazole Mapimpi, 10 Curwin Bosch, 9 Jaden Hendrikse, 8 Sikhumbuzo Notshe, 7 Phepsi Buthelezi, 6 James Venter, 5 Emile van Heerden, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Coenie Oosthuizen, 2 Fez Mbatha, 1 Ntuthuko Mchunu.
Replacements: 16 Daniel Jooste, 17 Ox Nche, 18 Hanro Jacobs, 19 Corne Rahl, 20 Jeandre Labuschagne, 21 Grant Williams, 22 Boeta Chamberlain, 23 Rohan Janse van Rensburg.
Referee: Cwengile Jadezweni (South Africa)
Assistant referees: Dylen November (South Africa), Phumzile Mbewu (South Africa)
TMO: Quinton Immelman (South Africa)
Cardiff v Scarlets
(Arms Park, Cardiff – Kick-off: 15.00; 15.00 GMT)
Prediction
@rugby365com: Cardiff by three points.
Teams:
Cardiff: 15 Cam Winnett, 14 Josh Adams, 13 Rey Lee-Lo, 12 Willis Halaholo, 11 Mason Grady, 10 Tinus de Beer, 9 Tomos Williams, 8 Mackenzie Martin, 7 Ellis Jenkins, 6 Alex Mann, 5 Teddy Williams, 4 Seb Davies, 3 Keiron Assiratti, 2 Liam Belcher (captain), 1 Corey Domachowski.
Replacements: 16 Evan Lloyd, 17 Rhys Carré, 18 Rhys Litterick, 19 Shane Lewis-Hughes, 20 Josh Turnbull, 21 Ellis Bevan, 22 Jacob Beetham, 23 Gabriel Hamer-Webb.
Scarlets: 15 Johnny McNicholl, 14 Tom Rogers, 13 Johnny Williams, 12 Eddie James, 11 Steff Evans, 10 Ioan Lloyd, 9 Gareth Davies (captain), 8 Carwyn Tuipulotu, 7 Dan Davis, 6 Vaea Fifita, 5 Jac Price, 4 Alex Craig, 3 Harri O’Connor, 2 Ryan Elias, 1 Wyn Jones.
Replacements: 16 Shaun Evans, 17 Steff Thomas, 18 Joe Jones, 19 Morgan Jones, 20 Teddy Leatherbarrow, 21 Kieran Hardy, 22 Charlie Titcombe, 23 Ioan Nicholas.
Referee: Ben Whitehouse (Wales)
Assistant referees: Rhys Jones (Wales), Gwyn Morris (Wales)
TMO: Wayne Davies (Wales)
Lions v Dragons
(Ellis Park, Johannesburg – Kick-off: 17.05; 15.05 UK & Ireland time; 15.05 GMT)
Prediction
@rugby365com: Lions by 25 points.
Teams:
Lions: 15 Quan Horn, 14 Richard Kriel, 13 Henco van Wyk, 12 Marius Louw (captain), 11 Edwill van der Merwe, 10 Sanele Nohamba, 9 Morne van den Berg, 8 Francke Horn, 7 Ruan Venter, 6 Emmanuel Tshituka, 5 Ruan Delport, 4 Ruben Schoeman, 3 Asenathi Ntlabakanye, 2 PJ Botha, 1 JP Smith.
Replacements: 16 Jaco Visagie, 17 Corne Fourie, 18 Ruan Smith, 19 Willem Alberts, 20 Hanru Sirgel, 21 JC Pretorius, 22 Jordan Hendrikse, 23 Rabz Maxwane.
Dragons: 15 Jordan Williams, 14 Rio Dyer, 13 Sio Tomkinson, 12 Steff Hughes (captain), 11 Ashton Hewitt, 10 Will Reed, 9 Rhodri Williams, 8 Aaron Wainwright, 7 Harri Keddie, 6 Sean Lonsdale, 5 George Nott, 4 Matthew Screech, 3 Lloyd Fairbrother, 2 Bradley Roberts, 1 Rhodri Jones.
Replacements: 16 James Benjamin, 17 Aki Seiuli, 18 Luke Yendle, 19 Joe Davies, 20 Ryan Woodman, 21 Dane Blacker, 22 Aneurin Owen, 23 Ewan Rosser.
Referee: Andrea Piardi (Italy)
Assistant referees: Stephan Geldenhuys (South Africa), Hanru van Rooyen (South Africa)
TMO: Gianluca Gnecchi (Italy)
Stormers v Zebre Parma
(Danie Craven Stadium, Stellenbosch – Kick-off: 19.15; 18.15 CET; 17.15 GMT)
Prediction
@rugby365com: Stormers by 45 points.
Teams:
Stormers: 15 Warrick Gelant, 14 Courtnall Skosan, 13 Ruhan Nel, 12 Damian Willemse, 11 Leolin Zas, 10 Manie Libbok, 9 Herschel Jantjies, 8 Evan Roos, 7 Hacjivah Dayimani, 6 Deon Fourie, 5 Ruben van Heerden, 4 Adre Smith, 3 Neethling Fouche (captain), 2 Joseph Dweba, 1 Kwenzo Blose.
Replacements: 16 Andre-Hugo Venter, 17 Ali Vermaak, 18 Brok Harris, 19 Connor Evans, 20 Marcel Theunissen, 21 Paul de Wet, 22 Clayton Blommetjies, 23 Suleiman Hartzenberg.
Zebre Parma: 15 Geronimo Prisciantelli, 14 Jacopo Trulla, 13 Luca Morisi, 12 Enrico Lucchin, 11 Simone Gesi, 10 Giovanni Montemauri, 9 Alessandro Fusco, 8 Taina Fox-Matamua, 7 Bautista Stavile, 6 Guido Volpi, 5 Andrea Zambonin, 4 Matteo Canali, 3 Matteo Nocera, 2 Luca Bigi (captain), 1 Danilo Fischetti.
Replacements: 16 Giampietro Ribaldi, 17 Luca Rizzoli, 18 Muhamed Hasa, 19 Leonard Krumov, 20 Giovanni Licata, 21 Thomas Dominguez, 22 Franco Smith Jr, 23 Lorenzo Pani.
Referee: Eoghan Cross (Ireland)
Assistant referees: Christopher Allison (South Africa), Paul Mente (South Africa)
TMO: Frank Murphy (Ireland)
Ulster v Edinburgh
(Ravenhill Stadium, Belfast – Kick-off: 17.15; 17.15 GMT)
Prediction
@rugby365com: Ulster by 12 points.
Teams:
Ulster: 15 Will Addison, 14 Rob Baloucoune, 13 James Hume, 12 Stuart McCloskey, 11 Jacob Stockdale, 10 Billy Burns, 9 John Cooney, 8 James McNabney, 7 Nick Timoney, 6 Matty Rea, 5 Kieran Treadwell, 4 Alan O’Connor (captain), 3 Tom O’Toole, 2 Tom Stewart, 1 Steven Kitshoff.
Replacements: 16 John Andrew, 17 Andy Warwick, 18 Marty Moore, 19 Cormac Izuchukwu, 20 Dave Ewers, 21 Nathan Doak, 22 Stewart Moore, 23 Ben Moxham.
Edinburgh: 15 Tim Swiel, 14 Harry Paterson, 13 Matt Currie, 12 James Lang, 11 Wes Goosen, 10 Ben Healy, 9 Ben Vellacott (captain), 8 Viliame Mata, 7 Jamie Ritchie, 6 Luke Crosbie, 5 Jamie Hodgson, 4 Marshall Sykes, 3 WP Nel, 2 Ewan Ashman, 1 Pierre Schoeman.
Replacements: 16 Adam McBurney, 17 Robin Hislop, 18 Javan Sebastian, 19 Glen Young, 20 Hamish Watson, 21 Ali Price, 22 Cammy Scott, 23 Mark Bennett.
Referee: Federico Vedovelli (Italy)
Assistant referees: Paul Haycock (Ireland), Padraic Reidy (Ireland)
TMO: Matteo Liperini (Italy)
Connacht v Leinster
(The Sportsground, Galway – Kick-off: 19.35; 19.35 GMT)
Prediction
@rugby365com: Leinster by five points.
Connacht: 15 Tiernan O’Halloran, 14 Mack Hansen, 13 Byron Ralston, 12 Cathal Forde, 11 Diarmuid Kilgallen, 10 JJ Hanrahan, 9 Caolin Blade (captain), 8 Seán Jansen, 7 Shamus Hurley-Langton, 6 Cian Prendergast, 5 Oisin Dowling, 4 Darragh Murray, 3 Jack Aungier, 2 Dave Heffernan, 1 Peter Dooley.
Replacements: 16 Dylan Tierney-Martin, 17 Denis Buckley, 18 Finlay Bealham, 19 Niall Murray, 20 Paul Boyle, 21 Michael McDonald, 22 David Hawkshaw, 23 Conor Oliver.
Leinster: 15 Ciarán Frawley, 14 Rob Russell, 13 Robbie Henshaw, 12 Charlie Ngatai, 11 Jamie Osborne, 10 Harry Byrne, 9 Ben Murphy, 8 James Culhane, 7 Scott Penny (captain), 6 Max Deegan, 5 Jason Jenkins, 4 Ryan Baird, 3 Michael Ala’alatoa, 2 Rónan Kelleher, 1 Ed Byrne.
Replacements: 16 Lee Barron, 17 Cian Healy, 18 Tadhg Furlong, 19 Ross Molony, 20 Jack Conan, 21 Cormac Foley, 22 Liam Turner, 23 Will Connors.
Referee: Andrew Brace (Ireland)
Assistant referees: Peter Martin (Ireland), Keane Davison (Ireland)
TMO: Olly Hodges (Ireland)
Benetton v Ospreys
(Stadio Monigo, Treviso – Kick-off: 20.35; 19.35 UK & Ireland time; 19.35 GMT)
Prediction
@rugby365com: Benetton by 14 points.
Teams:
Benetton: 15 Rhyno Smith, 14 Paolo Odogwu, 13 Malakai Fekitoa, 12 Marco Zanon, 11 Edoardo Padovani, 10 Jacob Umaga, 9 Andy Uren, 8 Toa Halafihi, 7 Michele Lamaro (captain), 6 Alessandro Izekor, 5 Federico Ruzza, 4 Edoardo Iachizzi, 3 Giosué Zilocchi, 2 Bautista Bernasconi, 1 Thomas Gallo.
Replacements: 16 Gianmarco Lucchesi, 17 Mirco Spagnolo, 18 Tiziano Pasquali, 19 Riccardo Favretto, 20 Manuel Zuliani, 21 Lorenzo Cannone, 22 Dewaldt Duvenage, 23 Giacomo Da Re.
Ospreys: 15 Max Nagy, 14 Iestyn Hopkins, 13 Luke Scully, 12 Keiran Williams, 11 Luke Morgan, 10 Dan Edwards, 9 Luke Davies, 8 Morgan Morris (captain), 7 Harri Deaves, 6 Tristan Davies, 5 James Fender, 4 Rhys Davies, 3 Rhys Henry, 2 Marnus van der Merwe, 1 Gareth Thomas.
Replacements: 16 Ethan Lewis, 17 Garyn Phillips, 18 Ben Warren, 19 Lewis Jones, 20 Morgan Morse, 21 Rewan Kruger, 22 Owen Williams, 23 Harri Houston.
Referee: Chris Busby (Ireland)
Assistant referees: Filippo Russo (Italy), Giona Righeti (Italy)
TMO: Joy Neville (Ireland)
