URC, Round 10 - Teams and Predictions

FRIDAY PREVIEW: The United Rugby Championship is back and kicks off with two South African teams, both playing abroad and having to navigate tough weather conditions and strong opposition.

The Bulls face an Edinburgh side close to full strength, while the Lions are up against a desperate Ospreys side who are fighting to stay in the competition amid an uncertain future.

The Bulls finally got the monkey off their back after a seven-match losing streak last weekend with a 26-24 victory over a second-string Pau in the Champions Cup, qualifying for the round of 16.

Sitting 11th on the URC table, Bulls coach Johan Ackermann has pulled out all the stops to secure a win by shuffling his pack for this encounter.

The coach explained moving Jeandre Rudolph back into the starting berth at No. 8 after playing off the bench last weekend in a straight swap with Nizaam Carr.

“Jeandre is in form, and we want him making carries and tackles from the first minute. We’re fortunate to have players who can start or come off the bench and still make an impact.

“Nizaam Carr [who started at No 8 last weekend] brings experience and leadership off the bench, and that gives us options later in the game,” Ackermann explained, and added, “Because of the aerial game and the amount of work at the back, we wanted more balance,” he explained. “The forwards have a big night ahead of them, but we believe they can do the job.”

The coach was under no illusion about the huge test ahead, especially as Edinburgh welcomes the return of Scotland internationals Duhan van der Merwe (calf), Grant Gilchrist (quad), and D’arcy Rae (ankle), all of whom return from injury.

“They’ve got seven or eight players in the Scotland squad and another four in the Scotland A squad. They’re well coached, they smother you, contest the breakdown well, and have X-factor players. It’s a big challenge against a quality side, especially on their home ground.

“They’re one of the teams that kick the most in the competition. They’re very strong in the air and they kick a lot of contestables, which suits the conditions here,” Ackermann said.

He added that it’s been wet this whole week, and conditions won’t change this weekend.

“Obviously, it’s going to be cold. That means we have to win the aerial battle. If you concede penalties, they’ll kick to the corner and you’ll struggle to get out. Then you’re defending for long periods.”

Rivalry renewed. 😤

We’ve gone toe-to-toe with @BlueBullsRugby in some absolute classics over the years.

Watch more ➡️ https://t.co/RBV1RHoW8I pic.twitter.com/X4062zUC7i

— Edinburgh Rugby (@EdinburghRugby) January 22, 2026

For Edinburgh, British & Irish Lions Pierre Schoeman, Magnus Bradbury, and Wes Goosen all return alongside young back-row Liam McConnell.

This clash marks a return to Hive Stadium, where Edinburgh are looking to maintain a perfect home record this season, having claimed victories over Benetton, Ospreys, RC Toulon, and Gloucester so far.

Edinburgh and Bulls met twice in knockout rugby last term, when Sean Everitt’s men secured a thrilling 33-28 victory at Hive Stadium in the Challenge Cup quarterfinal, before the Bulls claimed revenge in Pretoria with a 42-33 win in the URC quarterfinal.

Head Coach Sean Everitt said, “It’s fantastic to welcome back such an experienced cohort of players for what is undoubtedly one of our biggest tests of the season.

“We know exactly what the Bulls bring. Their squad is packed with Springbok talent, and they play a physical, high-intensity brand of rugby. We have to match that physicality from the very first minute if we want to come out on top.”

He continued: “We are proud of our unbeaten run at Hive Stadium this season, and we want to keep it that way for our fans. They have been incredible all year, and they must get behind us from the first whistle this Friday night to help us get the result this team is working so hard for.”

Welsh rugby was plunged into a fresh crisis after it emerged Ospreys owners – Y11 Sport & Media – were the preferred bidders in a deal to purchase Cardiff from the Welsh Rugby Union.

The WRU has proposed cutting one of its four men’s professional sides – Cardiff, Dragons, Ospreys, and Scarlets – to the dismay of fans across the country.

Jones made 10 changes to the starting XV for the game and says it has been a tough week and not ideal preparation but says his side will try to focus on matters on the field.

The Ospeys are ninth on the URC table and finished 12th last season. They have only reached the quarterfinals once in the URC era.

“I’m confident that on Friday night, the Ospreys supporters will see a group of men and women working on behalf of the Ospreys trying to get a result,” said Jones.

“Hopefully they’ll be proud of the effort they’re seeing from the group.”

*Article continues below…

Lions assistant coach Wessel Roux says he is expecting an Ospreys backlash from the off-the-field controversy.

“There’s a lot of uncertainty in Welsh rugby at the moment,” said Wessels.

“I think everybody wants to fight and put their best foot forward. They’ll be an absolutely hungry side and will want to make a statement.”

The challenge in Swansea for the Lions consists of a resilient Ospreys team and the notorious Welsh elements and the Lions have spent the week acclimatising to a significant drop in temperature.

“The conditions are the biggest challenge,” Roux admitted. “They obviously understand them better. It is way colder here; it was five degrees when we trained, and it was wet and windy. But we’ve trained well and we’re trying to get stuck in because this is a crucial game.”

Friday, January 23

Edinburgh v Bulls
(Hive Stadium, Edinburgh – Kick-off: 19.45; 19.45 GMT; 21.45 SAST)

Prediction:
@rugby365: Edinburgh by nine points

Teams:

Edinburgh: 15 Harry Paterson, 14 Darcy Graham, 13 Wes Goosen, 12 James Lang, 11 Duhan van der Merwe, 10 Ross Thompson, 9 Ben Vellacott, 8 Magnus Bradbury, 7 Freddy Douglas, 6 Liam McConnell, 5 Grant Gilchrist, 4 Glen Young, 3 D’Arcy Rae, 2 Ewan Ashman, 1 Pierre Schoeman.
Replacements: 16 Harri Morris, 17 Boan Venter, 18 Paul Hill, 19 Callum Hunter-Hill, 20 Ben Muncaster, 21 Charlie Shiel, 22 Cammy Scott, 23 Piers O’Conor.

Bulls: 15 Willie le Roux, 14 Cheswill Jooste, 13 Sebastian de Klerk, 12 David Kriel, 11 Kurt-Lee Arendse, 10 Handre Pollard, 9 Zak Burger, 8 Jeandre Rudolph, 7 Mpilo Gumede, 6 Marcell Coetzee (captain), 5 Ruan Nortje, 4 Ruan Vermaak, 3 Wilco Louw, 2 Johan Grobbelaar, 1 Jan-Hendrik Wessels
Replacements: 16 Marco van Staden, 17 Alu Tshakweni, 18 Mornay Smith, 19 Reinhardt Ludwig, 20 Nizaam Carr, 21 Embrose Papier, 22 Harold Vorster, 23 Stravino Jacobs

Referee: Gianluca Gnecchi (Italy)
Assistant referees: Ru Campbell (Scotland), Jonny MacKenzie (Scotland)
TMO: Stefano Penne (Italy)

Ospreys v Lions
(Electric Brewery Field, Bridgend – Kick-off: 19.45; 19.45 GMT; 21.45 SAST)

Prediction:

@rugby365: Lions by five points

Teams:

Ospreys: 15 Iestyn Hopkins, 14 Dan Kasende, 13 Owen Watkin, 12 Keiran Williams, 11 Keelan Giles, 10 Dan Edwards, 9 Kieran Hardy, 8 Morgan Morris, 7 Harri Deaves, 6 James Ratti, 5 Ryan Smith, 4 Rhys Davies, 3 Tom Botha, 2 Dewi Lake (captain), 1 Steffan Thomas.
Replacements: 16 Lewis Lloyd, 17 Cam Jones, 18 Kian Hire, 19 Lewis Jones, 20 Ross Moriarty, 21 Morgan Morse, 22 Reuben Morgan Williams, 23 Phil Cokanasiga.

Lions: 15 Quan Horn, 14 Angelo Davids, 13 Henco van Wyk, 12 Bronson Mills, 11 Richard Kriel, 10 Chris Smith, 9 Morne van den Berg, 8 Francke Horn (captain), 7 Batho Hlekani, 6 Renzo du Plessis, 5 Reinhard Nothnagel, 4 Ruben Schoeman, 3 Asenathi Ntlabakanye, 2 PJ Botha, 1 SJ Kotze.
Replacements: 16 Morne Brandon, 17 RF Schoeman, 18 Conraad van Vuuren, 19 Etienne Oosthuizen, 20 Darrien Landsberg, 21 Jarod Cairns, 22 Haashim Pead, 23 Erich Cronje

Referee: Federico Vedovelli (Italy)
Assistant referees: Adam Jones (Wales), Lucas Yendle (Wales)
TMO: Stefano Roscini (Italy)

Munster v Dragons RFC
(Virgin Media Park, Cork – Kick-off: 19.45; 19.45 GMT)

Prediction:
@rugby365: Munster by 15 points

Teams:

Munster: 15 Mike Haley, 14 Thaakir Abrahams, 13 Dan Kelly, 12 Alex Nankivell, 11 Shane Daly, 10 JJ Hanrahan, 9 Ethan Coughlan, 8 Brian Gleeson, 7 Ruadhán Quinn, 6 Seán Edogbo, 5 Fineen Wycherley, 4 Jean Kleyn, 3 Michael Ala’alatoa, 2 Diarmuid Barron (captain), 1 Jeremy Loughman
Replacements: 16 Lee Barron, 17 Josh Wycherley, 18 Oli Jager, 19 Evan O’Connell, 20 Gavin Coombes, 21 Paddy Patterson, 22 Tony Butler, 23 Diarmuid Kilgallen

Dragons: 15 Angus O’Brien, 14 David Richards, 13 Fine Inisi, 12 Aneurin Owen, 11 Rio Dyer, 10 Tinus de Beer, 9 Che Hope, 8 Aaron Wainwright, 7 Harry Beddall, 6 Harri Keddie, 5 Ben Carter, 4 Levi Douglas, 3 Robert Hunt, 2 Brodie Coghlan, 1 Rodrigo Martinez
Replacements: 16 Oli Burrows, 17 Jordan Morris, 18 Cebo Dlamini, 19 Seb Davies, 20 Shane Lewis-Hughes, 21 Rhodri Williams, 22 Harri Ackerman, 23 Cai Evans

Referee: Hollie Davidson (SRU, 25th league game)
Assistant Referees: Andrew Cole (IRFU), Dan Carson (IRFU)
TMO: Mike Adamson (SRU)