URC, Round 12 - Friday's Teams and Predictions
PREVIEW: Edinburgh’s United Rugby Championship showdown against Scarlets will be a special occasion for Boan Venter.
The Springbok prop will make his 100th Edinburgh appearance in the ‘Origin Round’ clash at Hive Stadium.
Venter becomes Edinburgh’s 46th centurion and only the seventh prop to reach the milestone in club history, following in the footsteps of Allan Jacobsen, Craig Smith, Geoff Cross, Alasdair Dickinson, WP Nel and Pierre Schoeman.
The prop’s landmark appearance is bolstered by the return of Mosese Tuipulotu, who features for the first time since last May after recovering from a knee injury.
Edinburgh also welcome back Scotland internationals Dylan Richardson (rib) and Marshall Sykes (bicep) to the starting XV, while fellow Test duo D’arcy Rae and Magnus Bradbury are released from national camp to feature in the Friday night lights clash.
“It’s a proud moment for Boan and his family,” said Edinburgh head coach Sean Everitt.
“Reaching 100 appearances for this club is a massive achievement that speaks volumes about his character and his commitment to the jersey over the years.
“Having key players like Mosese [Tuipulotu], Dylan [Richardson] and Marshall [Sykes] back from injury provides a timely boost, and there is always a special energy when we return home.”
He added: “Tomorrow [Friday] night’s ‘Origin Round’ adds another meaningful layer to the occasion. Seeing the players represent their home clubs by wearing their grassroots socks is a fantastic tribute to the communities that first shaped them as players.”
*Friday’s other game is a mouthwatering one with second-placed Leinster travelling to Wales for a showdown with Cardiff.
Only four points separate teams in the standings.
There are six changes to Leinster’s starting XV from last month’s bonus-point win over Edinburgh, with Max Deegan captaining the side on his 150th appearance for the province.
Scott Penny, who will earn his 99th Leinster cap, and James Culhane join Deegan in the back row, with Academy lock Alan Spicer partnering Brian Deeny in the engine room.
Jerry Cahir and Andrew Sparrow pack down either side of John McKee in an unchanged front row.
Jimmy O’Brien starts at fullback alongside Joshua Kenny and Ruben Moloney on the wings, while Robbie Henshaw partners Rieko Ioane in the centre.
Harry Byrne starts at flyhalf, with Fintan Gunne his partner in the halfbacks.
Rabah Slimani returns to the matchday 23 for the first time since before Christmas, with Gus McCarthy and Alex Usanov also offering front row cover as RG Snyman and Josh Ericson complete the forward replacements.
Luke McGrath, Charlie Tector and Andrew Osborne round out the matchday squad.
See below for Friday’s team and predictions!
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 27:
Cardiff v Leinster
(Cardiff Arms Park, Cardiff – Kick-off: 19.00, 19.00 GMT)
Prediction
Rugby365: Leinster by five points.
Teams:
Cardiff: 15 Cam Winnett, 14 Jacob Beetham, 13 Harri Millard, 12 Ben Thomas, 11 Mason Grady, 10 Callum Sheedy, 9 Aled Davies, 8 Taine Basham, 7 Dan Thomas, 6 Alun Lawrence, 5 George Nott, 4 Josh McNally, 3 Javan Sebastian, 2 Liam Belcher, 1 Rhys Barratt.
Replacements: 16 Daf Hughes, 17 Danny Southworth, 18 Keiron Assiratti, 19 Rory Thornton, 20 Evan Rees, 21 Johan Mulder, 22 Ioan Lloyd, 23 Tom Bowen.
Leinster: 15 Jimmy O’Brien, 14 Joshua Kenny, 13 Rieko Ioane, 12 Robbie Henshaw, 11 Ruben Moloney, 10 Harry Byrne, 9 Fintan Gunne, 8 James Culhane, 7 Scott Penny, 6 Max Deegan (captain), 5 Brian Deeny, 4 Alan Spicer, 3 Andrew Sparrow, 2 John McKee, 1 Jerry Cahir.
Replacements: 16 Gus McCarthy, 17 Alex Usanov, 18 Rabah Slimani, 19 RG Snyman, 20 Josh Ericson, 21 Luke McGrath, 22 Charlie Tector, 23 Andrew Osborne.
Referee: Sam Grove-White (Scotland)
Assistant referees: Ben Whitehouse (Wales), Carwyn Sion (Wales)
TMO: David Sutherland (Scotland)
Edinburgh v Scarlets
(Hive Stadium, Edinburgh – Kick-off: 19.45; 19.45 GMT)
Prediction
Rugby365: Edinburgh by nine points.
Teams:
Edinburgh: 15 Harry Paterson, 14 Malelili Satala, 13 James Lang, 12 Mosese Tuipulotu, 11 Wes Goosen, 10 Ross Thompson, 9 Ben Vellacott, 8 Magnus Bradbury (captain), 7 Dylan Richardson, 6 Ben Muncaster, 5 Glen Young, 4 Marshall Sykes, 3 D’arcy Rae, 2 Harri Morris, 1 Boan Venter.
Replacements: 16 Jerry Blyth-Lafferty, 17 James Whitcombe, 18 Ollie Blyth-Lafferty, 19 Callum Hunter-Hill, 20 Connor Boyle, 21 Charlie Shiel, 22 Cammy Scott, 23 Piers O’Conor.
Scarlets: 15 Jac Davies, 14 Tom Rogers, 13 Macs Page, 12 Joe Roberts, 11 Tomi Lewis, 10 Carwyn Leggatt-Jones, 9 Archie Hughes, 8 Fletcher Anderson, 7 Josh Macleod (captain), 6 Max Douglas, 5 Jake Ball, 4 Sam Lousi, 3 Henry Thomas, 2 Marnus van der Merwe, 1 Kemsley Mathias.
Replacements: 16 Harry Thomas, 17 Alec Hepburn, 18 Harri O’Connor, 19 Jac Price, 20 Jarrod Taylor, 21 Dane Blacker, 22 Ioan Jones, 23 Gabe McDonald.
Referee: Peter Martin (Ireland)
Assistant referees: Hollie Davidson (Scotland), Rob McDowell (Scotland)
TMO: Colin Stanley (Ireland)
