URC, Round 17 - Friday's Teams and Predictions

PREVIEW: Stormers Director of Rugby John Dobson admits that he is gambling by not selecting a specialist hooker on the bench for their clash against Ulster in Belfast.

Captain Deon Fourie, who is starting at flank on Friday, will also provide cover for Andre-Hugo Venter in the hooker position.

Paul de Villiers, who has established himself as a promising openside flanker, is part of a six-two split between forwards and backs on the bench. However, the Stormers surprised their fans when it was revealed that he would be wearing the No.16 jersey, which is normally reserved for a front rower.

“We took a gamble in not having JJ [Kotze] on the bench, but Deon is now well-trained at hooker, and it gives us a lot of optionality later in the game,” said Dobson.

“We could end up in a position where Deon is at hooker and Paul is on the field. It’s something we have always thought of.

“They could also both be on the flank, with Andre-Hugo getting through 80 minutes as he did in Toulon.

Dobson added: “We never want to leave Paul or Deon out.

“Paul has to come in, and it allows Deon to cover hooker later in the game.

“As much as I would like them to play together at some stage, if there is an early injury and with both of them as our flanks, it could put our line-out under pressure.

“It’s just a nice attacking option for us later in the game. Every time Paul or Deon has come off the bench, they have made a difference.”

The story continues below…

#TeamAnnouncement: Stormers boss shifts Damian Willemse again 👇#URC #Ulster #Stormers #ULSvSTO https://t.co/yGMN6LDqAF

— Rugby365 (@rugby365com) May 7, 2026

Dobson also explained the reason for leaving veteran prop Neethling Fouche out of his matchday squad.

“We have to have capacity. We have to get Sazi [Sandi] ready,” he said.

“It’s four games he hasn’t played, so it’s about giving Sazi an opportunity.

“We can’t get through the play-offs if something is wrong with Zach [Porthen] or Neethling, and Sazi just hasn’t played.”

Dobson confirmed that centre Ruhan Nel (calf injury) should be available for next week’s outing against Cardiff.

A victory for the Stormers (56 points) in Belfast will go a long way in their quest to enter the final pool round in pole position.

The Capetonians will be well aware of the fact that a slip-up against Ulster could see them tumble down the table, as only three log points separate them from Leinster (fourth).

Piling more pressure on Stormers, Ulster will be high on confidence after booking their place in the EPCR Challenge Cup Final last week.

The story continues below…

Play-Off spots at stake: ⚪️🆚⚡️#BKTURC #URC | #ULSvSTO pic.twitter.com/7Gky4hPVJb

— BKT United Rugby Championship (URC) (@URCOfficial) May 5, 2026

Meanwhile, Friday’s other match will see Glasgow up against Cardiff at Scotstoun Stadium.

Cardiff will be out to secure a place in the play-offs, while Glasgow will know that a win coupled with a Stormers defeat in Belfast will put them at the top of the standings.

Glasgow are one point adrift of the Capetonians.

“Cardiff remain firmly in the play-off hunt with a squad fully committed to their goal, and they will come here ready to compete for everything tomorrow [Friday] night,” said Glasgow head coach Franco Smith.

“Our focus this week has been on ourselves. We know how much the supporters are a part of our journey, especially this season – we want to give them a performance to be proud of in our last home game of the regular season.”

Cardiff head coach Corniel van Zyl knows that his team’s fate is still in their own hands.

“We are starting to get a few boys back on the pitch. The squad is in a healthier position going into a really important few weeks in terms of the play-offs.

“We are in a strong position, and we feel like it’s still in our hands and we can control it. It is clichéd, but it is one week at a time, and this game is the most important. We want to get as many points out of the game as we possibly can.

“It’s going to be a big test. Glasgow are a great team; they are well coached and do a lot of the basic stuff well and know how to put you under pressure.

“We know it’s going to be a challenge, but that’s something we embrace and look forward to. The next two games [Glasgow and Stormers] are tough, but if we do proceed to the next stage, we will hopefully be used to the intensity.”

*See below for Friday’s teams and predictions!

Friday, May 8:

Glasgow Warriors v Cardiff
(Scotstoun Stadium, Glasgow – Kick-off: 19.45 BST; 18.45 GMT)

Prediction

Rugby365: Glasgow by 10 points.

Teams:

Glasgow Warriors: 15 Josh McKay, 14 Kyle Steyn (captain), 13 Stafford McDowall, 12 Sione Tuipulotu, 11 Kyle Rowe, 10 Dan Lancaster, 9 George Horne, 8 Jack Dempsey, 7 Rory Darge, 6 Matt Fagerson, 5 Alex Samuel, 4 Ally Miller, 3 Zander Fagerson, 2 Johnny Matthews, 1 Jamie Bhatti.
Replacements: 16 Gregor Hiddleston, 17 Patrick Schickerling, 18 Sam Talakai, 19 Jare Oguntibeju, 20 Macenzzie Duncan, 21 Sione Vailanu, 22 Ben Afshar, 23 Ollie Smith.

Cardiff: 15 Cam Winnett, 14 Jacob Beetham, 13 Josh Adams, 12 Ben Thomas, 11 Tom Bowen, 10 Callum Sheedy, 9 Johan Mulder, 8 Taine Basham, 7 Dan Thomas, 6 James Botham, 5 Rory Thornton, 4 Josh McNally, 3 Keiron Assiratti, 2 Liam Belcher (captain), 1 Rhys Barratt
Replacements: 16 Evan Lloyd, 17 Danny Southworth, 18 Sam Wainwright, 19 George Nott, 20 Alun Lawrence, 21 Ellis Bevan, 22 Rory Jennings, 23 Ioan Lloyd.

Referee: Eoghan Cross (Ireland)
Assistant referees: Ru Campbell (Scotland), David Sutherland (Scotland)
TMO: Colin Stanley (Ireland)

Ulster v Stormers
(Affidea Stadium, Belfast – Kick-off: 19.45 IST; 20.45 SA Time; 18.45 GMT)

Prediction

Rugby365: Ulster by three points.

Teams:

Ulster: 15 Michael Lowry, 14 Werner Kok, 13 Ethan McIlroy, 12 Jude Postlethwaite, 11 Zac Ward, 10 Jack Murphy, 9 Nathan Doak, 8 Juarno Augustus, 7 Nick Timoney, 6 Cormac Izuchukwu, 5 Charlie Irvine, 4 Iain Henderson (captain), 3 Tom O’Toole, 2 James McCormick, 1 Angus Bell.
Replacements: 16 Tom Stewart, 17 Eric O’Sullivan, 18 Scott Wilson, 19 Harry Sheridan, 20 Bryn Ward, 21 Conor McKee, 22 Jake Flannery, 23 Wilhelm De Klerk.

Stormers: 15 Warrick Gelant, 14 Wandisile Simelane, 13 Dan du Plessis, 12 Damian Willemse, 11 Leolin Zas, 10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, 9 Imad Khan, 8 Evan Roos, 7 Ben-Jason Dixon, 6 Deon Fourie (captain), 5 Ruben van Heerden, 4 Adré Smith, 3 Sazi Sandi, 2 André-Hugo Venter, 1 Ntuthuko Mchunu.
Replacements: 16 Paul de Villiers, 17 Oli Kebble, 18 Zachary Porthen, 19 Connor Evans, 20 Hacjivah Dayimani, 21 Keke Morabe, 22 Stefan Ungerer, 23 Jurie Matthee.

Referee: Andrea Piardi (Italy)
Assistant referees: Padraic Reidy (Ireland), Jack MacNeice (Ireland)
TMO: Matteo Liperini (Italy)