URC, Round 10 - teams and predictions
RESCHEDULED: South Africa’s teams head back to the Northern Hemisphere for the first time since mid-October, as they feature in a series of catch-up matches.
It will also be the first time in four months they will face ‘international’ opposition, following the COVID-induced postponements of the Round Six and Seven fixtures in November.
It means this weekend all four games will feature teams that have never previously played each other in the competition.
The Bulls and Sharks are heading to Italy, while the Lions and Stormers face tough assignments in Ireland.
It all starts in Parma on Friday, when Zebre will look to record their first win of the season against the Bulls at Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi.
Bulls Director of Rugby Jake White dismissed the notion that the winless Italian outfit is a guaranteed win for his team.
“We are expecting a tough challenge against Zebre, in their own backyard,” White said, adding that the Bulls are determined to return home with an overseas win under their belts.
“We all know how much pride passion the Italians have,” White told @rugby365com in his pre-match assessment.
The Parma-based outfit is a team that is not scared to make liberal use of the boot and always back their defence.
“We are fortunate that we have experienced playing in Italy before,” he said of their 8-35 loss to Benetton in the Rainbow Cup Final in Treviso in June last year.
“You don’t have to say much [to motivate the players] this week.
“We are aware that playing in these conditions is a leveller,” he said of the prediction of rainy, windy weather with the temperatures predicted to dip into single digits
He added that they are also building for the future – with players like Elrigh Louw, Ruan Nortje and Johan Grobbelaar.
“We have some young guys that have to learn to play in different positions,” White said, adding: “It is an opportunity for them to play in a different venue against a different team and grow as a group,”
The Bulls boss described himself as a “realist”, when asked about the expectations of South African teams reaching the play-offs.
He pointed to the loss of players like Duane Vermeulen, Trevor Nyakane, Marco van Staden, Ivan van Zyl (to clubs abroad) and Johan Goosen (to injury) as the reason for his caution.
“Yes, there is an expectation that South African teams must do well,” White said, adding: “We want to make the play-offs and play in Europe.
“The Irish are strong, not because they got it right in one year. It is because of the process they put in place and the Irish model.
“They recruited players like Jason Jenkins, Rudolph [Rudolf] Snyman and Damian de Allende, Duane [Vermeulen is now at Ulster.
“There is a lot to be learnt from the Irish teams on how to be successful in that competition.”
He said he doubts very much all four South African franchises will make the play-offs.
“We have to give as good shot as we can,” he said, adding that the Bulls are in the unfamiliar position of playing catch-up – sitting in 12th position, five points behind the eight-placed and top South African team, the Stormers.
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* On the other end of the scale is tournament leaders Leinster, who can open up a gap on second-placed Ulster, who do not play this week, if they beat the hapless Lions at Dublin’s RDS Arena on Friday.
The Lions have not won a game in 2022 in any competition – regularly coughing up 30 points or more, with their defence leaking like a sieve.
Despite the dramatic decline in form and the enormity of the challenge, captain Jaco Kriel admitted defence and discipline will be key against the multiple European champions.
“Leinster is the best team in competition for retaining possession and taking it through phases,” he told @rugby365com, adding that the Lions are a “work in progress”.
He said the progress will take time, but that the players are “buzzing” and enjoying being away on tour.
“It is great spending some time on tour and building a team culture,” the veteran Springbok loose forward said.
Coach Ivan van Rooyen also spoke about the “great energy” in the team, looking forward to their first outing at the RDS.
“There was a bit of snow and that is part of what it is for us, experiencing new things,” he said, adding: “It is all about having the mindset of stepping up.”
He admitted the challenge of playing against the best team in Europe is enormous, even without their Irish internationals.
“They are the most consistent team in the last five years and showed it again in the last two weeks.
“We are here to grow as a team and turn it around on the field in terms of our consistency.”
The coach said the key aspects of the Lions’ game against Leinster will be decision making at key moments.
“The focus will be ensuring we get accurate line-out ball to create a platform for us to launch our attack and hold onto possession for as long as we can.
“Leinster is a side that thrives on getting their hands on the ball.”
* Saturday’s action kicks off in Galway, where seventh-placed Connacht host the Stormers, who are one place and one point behind them.
The Stormers return to Europe as South African conference leaders.
They kicked off the season with losses to Benetton (18-22) and Munster (18-34), but a 20-all draw with Edinburgh and a 24-10 win against the Dragons saw them steady the ship.
Now the Stormers brace themselves for an outing at The Sportsground in Galway, where Connacht is always a tall order.
A victory for the eighth-placed Stormers could also see them hop up two places on the standings, but coach John Dobson knows they would have to be at their best to win in Ireland.
“Connacht are notoriously difficult to beat at the Sportsground and we will have to adjust quickly to the different conditions, coming from a Cape summer and going into winter in Galway,” said Dobson.
“The players have embraced the challenge and we are all looking forward to the experience.”
* The final outing of the weekend is at Stadio Monigo in Treviso, where ninth-placed Benetton hosts the Sharks, who are two points below the Italians with a game in hand.
Like all the South African teams the big test will be vastly different conditions.
Sharks coach Sean Everitt also dismissed the suggestion that their hosts could be a ‘soft’ target, given that a substantial chunk of their players will be on Six Nations duty with the Italian nations team – 10 in the Azzurri starting XV and another handful on the bench.
“There are no easy games in the URC,” Everett said.
“Although the Six Nations is on at the moment, Benetton have a wealth of international players still with them – who aren’t involved in Six Nations.
“We won’t be taking anything for granted.
“We need to focus on the job at hand which is to try get maximum points out of the next seven games which would leave us in a very good space and a chance of making the top eight.”
He added that the Benetton tactics – a team that has one of the highest kicking metres in the competition – received some attention this week.
Everitt said they had a taste of that in their (27-13) win over Ospreys in a Round Three match in Swansea back in October – another team that kicks a lot.
“You have to be really smart in how you manage the game,” the coach told @rugby365com, adding: “Benetton also rely a lot on their maul as a source of possession and a source to attack from.
“Playing in the right areas of the field is vitally important and [recalled flyhalf] Curwin [Bosch] will certainly play a major role.”
This week’s team’s and predictions follow below…
Friday, February 25
Zebre v Bulls
(Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi, Parma – Kick-off: 18.30; 19.30 SA time; 17.30 GMT)
Zebre Parma will be keen for a return to action after Storm Eunice dashed their plans for a trip to Cardiff last week.
The Italian side, is without a URC victory since they beat the Dragons a year ago this weekend and have lost all seven of their league encounters so far this season.
The Bulls have claimed only two URC wins since defeating Cardiff in October, yet they remain firmly in South African conference contention, just five points behind the conference-leading Stormers.
The Bulls’ only previous trip to Italy saw them lose to Benetton in last season’s Rainbow Cup final.
Prediction:
@rugby365com: Bulls by five points
Teams
Zebre: 15 Junior Laloifi, 14 Jacopo Trulla, 13 Erich Cronjé, 12 Timothy O’Malley, 11 Asaeli Tuivuaka, 10 Antonio Rizzi, 9 Marcello Violi, 8 Giovanni Licata, 7 Iacopo Bianchi, 6 Maxime Mbandà, 5 Liam Mitchell, 4 Potu Junior Leavasa, 3 Eduardo Bello, 2 Oliviero Fabiani (captain), 1 Paolo Buonfiglio.
Replacements: 16 Luca Bigi, 17 Daniele Rimpelli, 18 Ion Neculai, 19 Gabriele Venditti, 20 Luca Andreani, 21 Guglielmo Palazzani, 22 Enrico Lucchin, 23 Giulio Bisegni.
Bulls: 15 Kurt-Lee Arendse, 14 Cornal Hendricks, 13 Lionel Mapoe, 12 Harold Vorster, 11 Madosh Tambwe, 10 Chris Smith, 9 Embrose Papier, 8 Elrigh Louw, 7 Arno Botha, 6 Marcell Coetzee (captain), 5 Ruan Nortje, 4 Walt Steenkamp, 3 Jacques van Rooyen, 2 Johan Grobbelaar, 1 Gerhard Steenekamp.
Replacements: 16 Bismarck du Plessis, 17 Simphiwe Matanzima, 18 Robert Hunt, 19 Janko Swanepoel, 20 WJ Steenkamp, 21 Keagan Johannes, 22 Ruan Mostert, 23 Canan Moodie.
Referee: Adam Jones (Wales)
Assistant referees: Federico Boraso (Italy), Dario Merli (Italy)
TMO: Stefano Roscini (Italy)
Leinster v Lions
(RDS Arena, Dublin – Kick-off: 19.35; 21.35 SA time; 19,35 GMT)
Leinster reclaimed pole position in the URC with victory over the Ospreys last time out and have only suffered one URC defeat since November.
Their record on home soil in Dublin is also impressive, suffering a solitary loss in any competition during the past 10 months.
The Lions started their URC campaign in fine fashion by winning on the opening weekend, but they have only managed a solitary victory since then – and that was almost three months ago.
The Lions’ only previous meeting with an Irish team produced a 26-15 reversal against Ulster in October.
Prediction:
@rugby365com: Leinster by 30 points
Teams
Leinster: 15 Max O’Reilly, 14 Tommy O’Brien, 13 Jamie Osborne, 12 Harry Byrne, 11 Dave Kearney, 10 Ross Byrne, 9 Nick McCarthy, 8 Rhys Ruddock (captain), Dan Leavy, 6 Josh Murphy, 5 Joe McCarthy, 4 Devin Toner, 3 Michael Ala’alatoa, 2 James Tracy, 1 Ed Byrne.
Replacements: 16 Seán Cronin, 17 Peter Dooley, 18 Thomas Clarkson, 19 Jack Dunne, 20 Max Deegan, 21 Luke McGrath, 22 Adam Byrne, 23 Scott Penny.
Lions: 15 Quan Horn, 14 Stean Pienaar, 13 Wandisile Simelane, 12 Burger Odendaal, 11 Edwill van der Merwe, 10 Jordan Hendrikse, 9 Morne van den Berg, 8 Francke Horn, 7 Ruan Venter, 6 Jaco Kriel (captain), 5 Ruben Schoeman, 4 Peter-John Steenkamp, 3 Carlu Sadie, 2 Jaco Visagie, 1 Sithembiso Sithole.
Replacements: 16 Pieter Botha, 17 Morgan Naude, 18 Ruan Dreyer, 19 Lunga Ncube, 20 Sibusiso Sangweni, 21 Nico Steyn, 22 Manuel Rass, 23 Tiaan Swanepoel.
Referee: Craig Evans (Wales)
Assistant referees: Peter Martin (Ireland), Stuart Gaffikin (Ireland)
TMO: Colin Stanley (Ireland)
Saturday, February 26
Connacht v Stormers
(The Sportsground, Galway – Kick-off: 13.00; 15:00 SA time; 13.00 GMT)
Connacht has an impressive record against South African opposition, winning their last seven matches since losing to the Cheetahs in March 2018.
But they will be keen to rediscover a winning formula on home turf, having lost two games in a row at The Sportsground in all competitions.
South African conference leaders the Stormers – two points ahead of the Sharks – have lost just one of their last six URC fixtures.
They have only been beaten twice on the road this term, losing their opening two games of the season to Benetton and Munster.
Prediction:
@rugby365com: Connacht by eight points
Teams
Connacht: 15 John Porch, 14 Peter Sullivan, 13 Sammy Arnold, 12 Tom Daly, 11 Alex Wootton, 10 Conor Fitzgerald, 9 Kieran Marmion, 8 Paul Boyle, 7 Jarrad Butler (captain), 6 Cian Prendergast, 5 Leva Fifita, 4 Niall Murray, 3 Tietie Tuimauga, 2 Shane Delahunt, 1 Denis Buckley.
Replacements: 16 Jonny Murphy, 17 Jordan Duggan, 18 Jack Aungier, 19 Oisin Dowling, 20 Conor Oliver, 21 Caolin Blade, 22 Tom Farrell, 23 Abraham Papali’i.
Stormers: 15 Damian Willemse, 14 Sergeal Petersen, 13 Ruhan Nel, 12 Dan du Plessis, 11 Seabelo Senatla, 10 Manie Libbok, 9 Herschel Jantjies, 8 Evan Roos, 7 Ernst van Rhyn, 6 Deon Fourie, 5 Marvin Orie, 4 Adre Smith, 3 Brok Harris, 2 Scarra Ntubeni, 1 Steven Kitshoff (captain).
Replacements: 16 Andre-Hugo Venter, 17 Ali Vermaak, 18 Neethling Fouche, 19 David Meihuizen, 20 Hacjivah Dayimani, 21 Junior Pokomela, 22 Paul de Wet, 23 Angelo Davids.
Benetton v Sharks
(Stadio Monigo, Treviso – Kick-off: 16.05; 17.05 SA time; 15.05 GMT)
Benetton has had a poor run in the URC, recording a solitary victory since the end of November.
But their only loss at home in any competition since March was against the Ospreys earlier this term and they have only tasted defeat once in nine previous encounters against South African opponents in the URC.
The Sharks have lost only one of their last five URC matches, losing to the Stormers earlier this month.
Their form on the road is also impressive, winning three of the last four away games.
Prediction:
@rugby365com: Sharks by five points
Teams
Benetton: 15 Tommy Bell, 14 Tommaso Benvenuti, 13 Joaquin Riera, 12 Filippo Drago, 11 Rhyno Smith, 10 Tomas Albornoz, 9 Dewaldt Duvenage (captain), 8 Lorenzo Cannone, 7 Alessandro Izekor, 6 Matteo Meggiato, 5 Carl Wegner, 4 Nicola Piantella, 3 Simone Ferrari, 2 Corniel Els, 1 Federico Zani.
Replacements: 16 Tomas Baravalle, 17 Matteo Drudi, 18 Nahuel Tetaz, 19 Thomas Gallo, 20 Yaree Fantini, 21 Luca Petrozzi, 22 Luca Sperandio, 23 Andries Coetzee.
Sharks: 15 Aphelele Fassi, 14 Sibusiso Nkosi, 13 Lukhanyo Am (captain), 12 Marius Louw, 11 Makazole Mapimpi, 10 Curwin Bosch, 9 Jaden Hendrikse, 8 Phepsi Buthelezi, 7 Henco Venter, 6 Siyamthanda Kolisi, 5 Gerbrandt Grobler, 4 Ruben van Heerden, 3 Thomas du Toit, 2 Mbongeni Mbonambi, 1 Retshegofaditswe Nché.
Replacements: 16 Kerron van Vuuren, 17 Ntuthuko Mchunu, 18 Khutha Mchunu, 19 Le Roux Roets, 20 Sikhumbuzo Notshe, 21 Cameron Wright, 22 Joaquín Díaz Bonilla, 23 Werner Kok.
Referee: Andrew Brace (Ireland)
Assistant referees: Filippo Russo (Italy) & Alberto Favero (Italy)
TMO: Matteo Liperini (Italy)
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* Additional reporting by @URCOfficial
