URC, Round 12 - Teams and Predictions
SATURDAY PREVIEW: As we head closer to the business end of the competition, there is plenty to play for in Round 12 of the United Rugby Championship.
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The Saturday action kicks off at Ellis Park where the Lions will welcome the Sharks in a crucial clash for the home side.
Following their morale-boosting win over the Stormers a fortnight ago, the Lions were unable to back their performance up against the grunt of the Bulls.
Both teams have a match in hand, with the Sharks a strong contender for a top-four finish in fourth place, whilst the Lions are dwelling at the bottom in 12th position on the URC log.
The Lions have lost centre Henco van Wyk and fullback Quan Horn to injury but welcome lock Ruben Schoeman back from suspension.
Sharks head coach John Plumtree opted for consistency in selection following their victory against the Bulls at Loftus Versfeld last weekend.
Some key changes see Springbok captain Siya Kolisi making his return on the bench, and Plumtree explained his thinking behind the selection choice.
“We’ve got a bit more experience on the bench.
“There’s a fair bit of continuity about it [selection] as well.
“Starting Jaden [Hendrikse] – he’s freshened up with Grant [Williams] on the bench – it’s good for us.
“The rest of the backline is pretty much the same that played against the Bulls.
“Obviously, it’s great having a bit more experience up front.
“Ox [Nche] isn’t back yet, neither Eben [Etzebeth], but it’s great having Siya [Kolisi] there and Vincent Koch.
“Deon Slabbert – we had a look at him – he had a nice cameo off the bench against Cardiff.
“He had a concussion that kept him out, but it’s nice to have a look at him and see what he can give us in the future as well.”
Plumtree said despite playing at the Highveld at altitude, it’s not something they talk about as a team.
Read also: A real Stormer joins Sharks
“We don’t talk about the Highveld, we don’t talk about it in our preparation, it’s not something that’s a focus for us.
“We do understand that having the best bench possible is good up there because some players do tire quicker.
“For me, it’s where the team is at the moment; they want to do well for each other, and we know in any team environment that’s the key ingredient,” he added.
Plumtree also praised the Lions, as the two sides have a storied history between them.
“The Lions are a very dangerous side; they’ve shown that throughout the season.
“Underestimate them at your peril.
“Some teams in the past might have fallen into that trap [of underestimating them].
“We certainly haven’t, they did a double on us last year in the derby games.
“They’re capable of knocking off pretty much anyone – especially at Ellis Park.
“We’ve got a lot of respect for them, more than they’ve got for us, to he honest.
“We know what a tough task this is going to be – particularly up front.
“Our backs are pretty dangerous, but they’ve got some dangerous backs as well.
“It’s going to be a good contest, it’s going to be a battle at Ellis Park as it always is, like the [2024] Currie Cup Final.”
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Following the clash in Johannesburg, they travel to Dublin, where the unbeaten Leinster will look to keep their run intact against a Cardiff side that can surprise anyone on their day.
A win for the home side could see them reach an unassailable lead on the competition table with Glasgow Warriors hot on their heels in second place on 42 points – 10 points less than Leinster.
Gethin Jenkins, who is leading Cardiff alongside Corniel van Zyl in the absence of Matt Sherratt, said: “Leinster have played 15 games this season and have 15 wins. The challenge for us is creating belief in our squad that we can go there and put them under pressure.
“The Ospreys showed last week, as well as Connacht and the Dragons, earlier in the season, showed you can compete against them. They are missing their Ireland players, but they are a very strong team.
“The challenge for us is creating the belief and having real clarity in what we do to give us the best chance of performing on the weekend.
“We have prepared well this week, and we are just looking forward to testing ourselves at the Lansdowne Road.
“As coaches, we are pleased with some of the character we have shown so far this season, but as a group, we are determined to fight through the second half and build on our league position.”
Back in South Africa, the Stormers will travel to Pretoria to face their arch-rivals, the Bulls, at Loftus Versfeld.
The two sides met in Cape Town just under a month ago, with the Bulls edging a narrow 33-32 victory.
Both teams will know it was a lucky escape for the visitors on the day – with replacement Clayton Blommetjies missing a sitter of a conversion to win the match following a late try by Ben-Jason Dixon.
The Bulls bounced back well against the Lions following their defeat to the Sharks and are in a strong position to challenge the Sharks for a top-four position come play-off time.
The Stormers will be desperate for a result, following three consecutive URC losses and finding themselves in the unfamiliar position of 10th spot in the standings at this stage of the competition.
A win will not only propel them into the top eight but also give them some momentum in their last six matches, of which the first two are overseas and the last four at home.
The Bulls just made one personnel change to their matchday outfit, which sees Akker van der Merwe return on the replacements bench, and one positional switch, with Nizaam Carr donning the No. 8 jersey as Mpilo Gumede drops to the bench.
White said despite opting for consistency, he selected a heavy pack as rain is forecast for this clash.
“I’m expecting rain – to have a heavy pack at the end…like Ruan Vermaak, he’s a bit heavier.
“Just the idea I have if it’s going into the mud because I know it’s going to rain tomorrow [Saturday] and I’ve got a heavy pack in the end which might help us.”
White expects the Stormers to stick to their blueprint regardless of what the conditions might be on the day.
“A little bit like they played against us the last time.
“The one thing about the Stormers is that they play the same whether it’s rain or sunshine.
“They’ve basically got something that works for them – they like that style where they can offload and run out of their own half.
“We saw they scored five tries against us last time [in Cape Town], one from a turnover that was deep in their own half.
“I’m not expecting anything different, whether it’s raining or not, they’re still going to play [the style] that made them so successful in the last couple of seasons.”
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Stormers Director of Rugby, John Dobson, expressed his satisfaction of having props Ali Vermaak and Neethling Fouche back after a training ground incident prevented them from playing against the Bulls in Cape Town.
“To have Neethling [Fouche] and Ali [Vermaak] back…we know what happened in the scrums in the game [against the Bulls] in Cape Town.
“That’s quite a significant reinforcement for us.
“The rest is pretty much the same tea,. We thought what Willie Engelbrecht can bring was a little tweak we made.
“Joseph [Dweba] was rotational last week, so it’s nice to have him back as well.
“What’s good about this is that it’s pretty much a consistent team that’s played together a reasonable amount.”
Captain Salmaan Moerat added: “Last week, we spent most of Tuesday and Wednesday reviewing our game against the Lions.
“That result was obviously very disappointing, but Thursday we got straight into it and worked on a couple of things we would like to see this weekend.
“The guys are really positive and eager; it’s the biggest local derby, and that’s the kind of thing that does spur you on.
“There’s a lot of excitement around, and we all know what’s at stake.”
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Moerat said whilst the announcement of Steven Kitshoff’s retirement was an emotional one, they wouldn’t use him as motivation to play for.
“You can’t really play for someone. If you try and create motivation by playing for someone, it sometimes fades.
“However, we do understand the great impact he [Steven Kitshoff] had on our franchise and every one of us – he’ll be sorely missed for sure.”
Dobson was clear on their plan to still reach the URC play-offs and admitted that a loss against the Bulls on Saturday would put real pressure on them.
“We did various permutations and calculations, and we’re probably still in a position to decide where we would like to get up in the play-offs…it probably won’t be in the top four.
“We thought we could win two of the four away games we had in a row to be absolutely certain and get in a nice position.
“Obviously, we’ve reduced that to the next three [games] because of the loss in Johannesburg.
“We certainly need one [win] out of the next three, assuming our home run goes as planned.
“Ideally two, which puts a lot of pressure on tomorrow [Saturday], because you need two from two if we don’t get it tomorrow.
“We certainly need one [win] but probably two over the next three [games], so we’re under pressure from that perspective, and they’re all away.”
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Following the north-south derby, we head to Belfast, where the struggling Ulster will face Scarlets, who are fighting to retain their top-eight position in a congested URC table.
Ulster will be desperate for log points as they are just three points ahead of Zebre, who are in 15th place behind them.
It’s been their worst URC season to date since the expansion of the competition from the Pro 14 for the former champions.
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Staying in Ireland, Connacht welcomes Benetton to the Sportsground, which is a crucial match for both teams.
There are merely four points separating the two sides, with the visitors in seventh place and Connacht dwelling in 11th spot.
Connacht head coach Pete Wilkins says: “This is the second of two games which we knew would put us back into playoff contention if we win them.
“We got what we needed from Cardiff, so if we can further elevate our performance and pick up another win, we’re right in the mix.
“Benetton are a tough, physical side who have had the better of us the last few years, so if we can front up from the start and get the crowd behind us, we’ll give ourselves every chance.”
The final clash of the weekend sees defending champions Glasgow Warriors take on the Ospreys.
Despite having 14 members missing due to national duty for Scotland in the Six Nations, the defending champions put the sword to a plucky Dragons outfit two weeks ago and will be hoping for more of the same against the more fancied Scarlets.
Head Coach Franco Smith said: “Everyone is looking forward to running out for our Origin Round encounter tomorrow night; we want to inspire the next generation of Warriors in the same way that the coaches, parents and volunteers of our clubs inspired our 2024/25 squad.
“The Ospreys compete hard across the field, and they have the quality across their squad to cause problems for any team in the competition.
“We’re also extremely pleased to welcome JP [du Preez] back to the matchday 23 after his long-term injury – he has worked incredibly hard behind the scenes with our medical and Strength and Conditioning teams to get back to full fitness, and everyone is looking forward to seeing him pull on the jersey once more.”
*Match details and predictions below…
United Rugby Championship
Lions v Sharks
(Ellis Park Park, Johannesburg – Kick-off: 14.30; 12.30 GMT)
Head-to-Head
Last 5 Meetings
Prediction:
@rugby365com: Sharks by eight points
Teams
Lions: 15 Tapiwa Mafura, 14 Richard Kriel, 13 Manuel Rass, 12 Marius Louw, 11 Edwill van der Merwe, 10 Gianni Lombard, 9 Morne van den Berg, 8 Francke Horn (captain), 7 Ruan Venter, 6 JC Pretorius, 5 Darrien Landsberg, 4 Ruben Schoeman, 3 Asenathi Ntlabakanye, 2 PJ Botha, 1 Juan Schoeman.
Replacements: 16 Jaco Visagie, 17 SJ Kotze, 18 RF Schoeman, 19 Ruan Delport, 20 Sibabalo Qoma, 21 Nico Steyn, 22 Jarod Cairns, 23 Rynhardt Jonker.
Sharks: 15 Jordan Hendrikse, 14 Yaw Penxe, 13 Jurenzo Julius, 12 Lukhanyo Am, 11 Ethan Hooker, 10 Siya Masuku, 9 Jaden Hendrikse, 8 Phepsi Buthelezi, 7 Vincent Tshituka (captain), 6 Tinotenda Mavesere, 5 Jason Jenkins, 4 Deon Slabbert, 3 Ruan Dreyer, 2 Bongi Mbonambi, 1 Ntuthuko Mchunu.
Replacements: 16 Ethan Bester, 17 Dian Bleuler, 18 Vincent Koch, 19 Lappies Labuschagne, 20 Siya Kolisi, 21 Grant Williams, 22 Francois Venter, 23 Eduan Keyter
Referee: Christopher Allison (South Africa)
Assistant referees: Stephen Geldenhuys (South Africa), Hanru van Rooyen (South Africa)
TMO: Quinton Immelman (South Africa)
Bulls v Stormers
(Loftus Versfeld Stadium, Pretoria – Kick-off: 17.00; 15.00 GMT)
Head-to-Head
Last 5 Meetings
Prediction:
@rugby365com: Bulls by three points
Teams
Bulls: 15 Devon Williams, 14 Sebastian de Klerk, 13 Stedman Gans, 12 David Kriel, 11 Canan Moodie, 10 Willie le Roux, 9 Embrose Papier, 8 Nizaam Carr, 7 Reinhardt Ludwig (captain), 6 Marco van Staden, 5 JF van Heerden, 4 Cobus Wiese, 3 Wilco Louw, 2 Johan Grobbelaar, 1 Gerhard Steenekamp.
Replacements: 16 Akker van der Merwe, 17 Jan Hendrik Wessels, 18 Francois Klopper, 19 Ruan Vermaak, 20 Mpilo Gumede, 21 Zak Burger, 22 Keagan Johannes, 23 Sergeal Petersen.
Stormers: 15 Warrick Gelant, 14 Ben Loader, 13 Wandisile Simelane, 12 Dan du Plessis, 11 Leolin Zas, 10 Jurie Matthee, 9 Stefan Ungerer, 8 Evan Roos, 7 Ben-Jason Dixon, 6 Deon Fourie, 5 Ruben van Heerden, 4 Salmaan Moerat, 3 Neethling Fouche, 2 Joseph Dweba, 1 Ali Vermaak.
Replacements: 16 Andre-Hugo Venter, 17 Brok Harris, 18 Frans Malherbe, 19 Gary Porter, 20 Marcel Theunissen, 21 Willie Engelbrecht, 22 Paul de Wet, 23 Jonathan Roche.
Referee: Griffin Colby (South Africa)
Assistant referees: Morne Ferreira (South Africa); Sean Muller (South Africa)
TMO: Marius Jonker (South Africa)
Leinster v Cardiff
(Lansdowne Road, Dublin – Kick-off: 17.00; 17.00 GMT)
Head-to-Head
Last 5 Meetings
Prediction:
@rugby365com: Leinster by 12 points
Teams
Leinster: 15 Jimmy O’Brien, 14 Tommy O’Brien, 13 Hugh Cooney, 12 Charlie Tector, 11 Andrew Osborne, 10 Ross Byrne, 9 Luke McGrath, 8 Max Deegan, 7 Will Connors, 6 Alex Soroka, 5 Brian Deeny, 4 Diarmuid Mangan, 3 Rabah Slimani, 2 John McKee, 1 Jack Boyle.
Replacements: 16 Stephen Smyth, 17 Ivan Soroka, 18 Rory McGuire, 19 RG Snyman, 20 Scott Penny, 21 Oliver Godfrey, 22 Liam Turner, 23 Rob Russell.
Cardiff: 15 Cam Winnett, 14 Gabe Hamer-Webb, 13 Rey Lee-Lo, 12 Rory Jennings, 11 Harri Millard, 10 Callum Sheedy, 9 Johan Mulder, 8 Alun Lawrence, 7 Thomas Young, 6 Ben Donnell, 5 Rory Thornton, 4 Josh McNally, 3 Rhys Litterick, 2 Liam Belcher, 1 Danny Southworth.
Replacements: 16 Efan Daniel, 17 Rhys Barratt, 18 Will Davies-King, 19 Seb Davies, 20 Alex Mann, 21 Ellis Bevan, 22 Tinus de Beer, 23 Regan Grace.
Referee: Andrea Piardi (Italy)
Assistant referees: Chris Busby (Ireland),: Dan Carson (Ireland)
TMO: Matteo Liperini (Italy)
Ulster v Scarlets
(Ravenhill Stadium, Belfast – Kick-off: 17.15; 15.15 GMT)
Head-to-Head
Last 5 Meetings
Prediction:
@rugby365com: Scarlets by two points
Teams
Ulster: 15 Stewart Moore, 14 Mike Lowry, 13 James Hume, 12 Stuart McCloskey, 11 Jacob Stockdale, 10 Jack Murphy, 9 Conor McKee, 8 James Mcnabney, 7 Nick Timoney, 6 Matty Rea, 5 Matt Dalton, 4 Alan O’Connor, 3 Scott Wilson, 2 Rob Herring, 1 Callum Reid.
Replacements: 16 John Andrew, 17 Sam Crean, 18 Tom O’Toole, 19 Kieran Treadwell, 20 Dave McCann, 21 Nathan Doak, 22 Jake Flannery, 23 Jude Postlethwaite.
Scarlets: 15 Ioan Nicholas, 14 Macs Page, 13 Joe Roberts, 12 Johnny Williams, 11 Tomi Lewis, 10 Ioan Lloyd, 9 Gareth Davies, 8 Jarrod Taylor, 7 Dan Davis, 6 Max Douglas, 5 Sam Lousi, 4 Alex Craig, 3 Sam Wainwright, 2 Ryan Elias, 1 Alec Hepburn.
Replacements: 16 Marnus van der Merwe, 17 Sam O’Connor, 18 Gabe Hawley, 19 Jac Price, 20 Vaea Fifita, 21 Archie Hughes, 22 Charlie Titcombe, 23 Steff Evans.
Referee: Sam Grove-White (Scotland)
Assistant referees: Padraic Reidy (Ireland); Paula Haycock (Ireland)
TMO: Rob McGreer (Scotland)
Connacht v Benetton
(The Sportsground, Galway – Kick-off: 19.35; 19.35 GMT; 20.35 GMT)
Head-to-Head
Last 5 Meetings
Prediction:
@rugby365com: Connacht by seven points.
Teams
Connacht: 15 Piers O’Connor, 14 Shayne Bolton, 13 Hugh Gavin, 12 Cathal Forde, 11 Finn Treacy, 10 Josh Ioane, 9 Caolin Blade, 8 Paul Boyle, 7 Shamus Hurley-Langton, 6 Cian Prendergast, 5 David O’Connor, 4 Darragh Murray, 3 Jack Aungier, 2 Dave Heffernan, 1 Peter Dooley.
Replacements: 16 Dylan Tierney-Martin, 17 Denis Buckley, 18 Sam Illo, 19 Josh Murphy, 20 Oisin Dowling, 21 Matthew Devine, 22 JJ Hanrahan, 23 David Hawkshaw.
Benetton: 15 Rhyno Smith, 14 Ignacio Mendy, 13 Marco Zanon, 12 Malakai Fekitoa, 11 Matt Gallagher, 10 Tomas Albornoz, 9 Andy Uren, 8 Toa Halafihi, 7 Jadin Kingi, 6 Alessandro Izekor, 5 Eli Snyman, 4 Giulio Marini, 3 Giosue Zilocchi, 2 Bautista Bernasconi, 1 Thomas Gallo.
Replacements: 16 Agustin Creevy, 17 Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro, 18 Tiziano Pasquali, 19 Riccardo Favretto, 20 Simon Koroiyadi, 21 Alessandro Garbisi, 22 Jacob Umaga, 23 Federico Zanandrea.
Referee: Ben Breakspear (Wales)
Assistant referees: Keane Davison (Ireland), Sam Holt (Ireland)
TMO: Tom Spurrier (Wales)
Glasgow Warriors v Ospreys
(Scotstoun Stadium, Glasgow – Kick-off: 19.35; 19.35 GMT)
Head-to-Head
Last 5 Meetings
Prediction:
@rugby365com: Glasgow by 14 points
Teams
Glasgow Warriors: 15 Adam Hastings, 14 Sebastian Cancelliere, 13 Ollie Smith, 12 Duncan Munn, 11 Facundo Cordero, 10 Duncan Weir, 9 Ben Afshar, 8 Jack Mann, 7 Henco Venter, 6 Euan Ferrie, 5 Alex Samuel, 4 Olujare Oguntibeju, 3 Fin Richardson, 2 Grant Stewart, 1 Patrick Schickerling.
Replacements: 16 Johnny Matthews, 17 Nathan McBeth, 18 Sam Talakai, 19 JP du Preez, 20 Ally Miller, 21 Angus Fraser, 22 Sean Kennedy, 23 Kerr Johnston.
Ospreys: 15 Jack Walsh, 14 Daniel Kasende, 13 Evardi Boshoff, 12 Keiran Williams, 11 Keelan Giles, 10 Dan Edwards, 9 Kieran Hardy, 8 Morgan Morse, 7 Justin Tipuric, 6 Harri Deaves, 5 James Fender, 4 James Ratto, 3 Tom Botha, 2 Sam Perry, 1 Garyn Phillips.
Replacements: 16 Ethan Lewis, 17 Cameron Jones, 18 Ben Warren, 19 Will Spencer, 20 Morgan Morris, 21 Scott Whitlock, 22 Tom Florence, 23 Iestyn Hopkins.
Referee: Andrew Brace (Ireland)
Assistant referees: David Sutherland (Scotland), Rob McDowell (Scotland)
TMO: Colin Stanley (Ireland)
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