URC, Round 18 - Teams and Predictions

SATURDAY PREVIEW: The Sharks have their aim firmly fixed on Glasgow Warriors and third spot in the standings ahead of the play-offs.

Just one point behind the defending champions, Glasgow, the Sharks are determined to keep the pressure up with a comprehensive win over Scarlets in a Shark Tank face-off.

With the Warriors having to travel to Dublin on Saturday to face a disappointed and desperate Leinster, the door is open for the Sharks to secure that all-important third-place finish on the United Rugby Championship totem pole.

To add some additional spice to the Durban encounter, it will be father against son – Sharks coach John Plumtree against Scarlets No.8 Taine Plumtree.

As a youngster, Plumtree junior spent seven years in Durban while his father was coaching the Sharks.

Now he’s back in the coastal city, ready to lock horns with his dad, who is in his second spell at the helm of the South African franchise.

For the Sharks coach, John Plumtree, it is not unfamiliar ground, as he also ‘faced off’ against his son in a URC clash in Llanelli last year.

For Plumtree senior, it is more about getting those ‘building blocks’ in place ahead of the play-offs.

With a bye week for the European Champions Cup and Challenge Cup finals, this is the Sharks’ last chance to fix any issues that the coach has highlighted as potential problem areas in the play-offs.

“Our whole thing [main goal] is that we want to keep putting pressure on Glasgow for that No.3 spot,” John Plumtree told @rugby365com.

“Our mindset this week is to get that win,” he said, adding: “That is something we identified already ahead of our tour.”

Turning his attention to the Welsh opposition, he said that with his son playing for the Scarlets, he has been following them very closely.

“They have improved in just about every area of their game, the one Welsh team that improved as the season progressed.

“It is no surprise to me that they are where they are at [sixth on standings]. They have a lot of consistency around their selection, and with a good run of very few injuries, they kept players on the park and developed their game.

“They have a lot of X-factor and confidence.

“Their set piece functions well in their [32-19] win over the Lions [last week]. They also have some dynamic loose forwards.

“They are a genuine threat, and it will be a real contest – which is great for us, because that’s what we want ahead of the quarterfinals.”

Plumtree junior said he enjoyed being back in KwaZulu-Natal, where he spent most of his time growing up.

The in-form Taine Plumtree, who was born in Wales while his Kiwi dad was coaching Swansea, has taken the opportunity to spend some time with his family since arriving back in Durban.

“Mum has moved over now from New Zealand too,” Taine said, adding: “She got here about two weeks ago, so it was quite good timing. I hadn’t seen her since last year.

“We went out for dinner and then we were round to their place for a braai with some of my other family. So it’s been good to be able to spend some time with them.”

As for the chat with his dad, he says: “We’ve been quite quiet in terms of this weekend, as it’s an important game for both of us.

“There’s not a tension there, but we are not saying anything. We are just waiting to see what happens on Saturday.”

The Scarlets have given themselves a great chance of making the play-offs by rattling off four successive bonus point victories, the latest of those being last Sunday’s 32-19 win over the Lions in Johannesburg.

“We are looking forward to hopefully another result this weekend,” said Plumtree, who joined the west Wales region in 2023 after playing out in New Zealand.

“We know it’s going to be tough, but there’s a sort of silent confidence in the team that we are playing well together.

“We have clicked and got the results we wanted. We know how it is to win and how good that feels. Being on the right side of results is super important, especially come the business side of the season approaches.

“We are confident within each other as a group. Hopefully, we make the play-offs and it’s not just the quarter-finals we make. We are really in contention for making the final and hopefully lifting some silverware.”

(Article continues below the Plumtree preview …)

* The Bulls, who are heavily favoured against the basement-dwelling Dragons, have to deal with the raw emotion of the untimely and heartbreaking death of former teammate Cornal Hendricks.

To ensure they finish the regular season in second place, the Pretoria-based franchise needs one point from their Loftus Versfeld meeting with the bottom-of-the-table Dragons team, whose only win was a Round One squeaker (23-21) against Ospreys.

That would earn the Bulls home advantage not just for the quarterfinals, but also the semifinals should they reach the last four.

However, Director of Rugby Jake White said the loss of Hendricks, 37, who passed away on Wednesday evening after a reported heart attack, will have an impact on the team.

“We didn’t train yesterday [Thursday],” White told a media briefing on the eve of the Round 18 encounter.

“I didn’t realise how close [fullback] Willie [le Roux] was to Cornal [Hendrikse],” the Bulls boss said.

“They played Tests together, they played for Free State, they played for Boland and they played for the Bulls.

“It affected even him [Le Roux]. We couldn’t train.

“The emotions will be big [high] tomorrow [Saturday], where you talk about it or don’t talk about it.

“It will be tough for the players, anyway, because he was so well-liked.”

White also quoted Winston Churchill: ‘Out of adversity comes opportunity.’

“Sometimes adversity like that can take you to another level.

“It might be something we can use going forward.

“Sometimes that ‘reality check’ is something that a team needs.”

White still wants his players to enjoy their bid to win the URC title for the first time.

With a five-match winning run in the league under their belts, they are sure to be a force to be reckoned with as they set their sights on silverware.

“One of the messages I have said to the players is we must enjoy it,” White said.

“We have worked hard as a group to set ourselves up to possibly finish second on the log.

“With that comes a lot of bonuses in terms of not having to travel until the final if you keep winning.

“We have got to enjoy where we are. We mustn’t go into our shells. You have to play as well as you can to win the tournament.”

While the Bulls have the play-offs to look forward to, it’s the end of the road for the Dragons who have lost 16 matches in a row in the league since their opening round victory over the Ospreys.

“It’s one final push,” said coach Filo Tiatia.

“It’s the last game of the season.

“The environment we’re going to in Pretoria is a challenging place.

“They are second in the league, they are playing a dominant style, which is the Bulls’ DNA.

“So we’re under no illusion on the challenge, but we want to finish strongly with the young players that are here.”

* The Lions and Ospreys are playing for nothing but pride, sitting in 11th and 13th positions and no chance of even making the top `10.

Scrum coach Julian Redelinghuys stated the obvious when he said they were ‘disappointed’ to go from second in the standings and unbeaten after four rounds, to be out of the running with just two wins in their last 10 encounters.

He used the usual collection of cliches, like inconsistency and small things, to explain why the team imploded.

“I do not doubt as to the potential of this group,” the former Springbok prop said.

“Individually and collectively, we were not consistent enough.

“The team would like to finish on a high, play for honour and the badge.”

Prop Asenathi Ntlabakanye sang from the same hymn sheet.

He spoke of their desire to qualify for Europe’s Champions Cup, something that has eluded them since South Africa’s move to the Northern Hemisphere.

“We need to find a way to perform consistently every week,” Ntlabakanye said.

“This coming weekend [against Ospreys] is another opportunity for us to send some guys off on a high note,” he said in reference to departing players like Marius Louw and Edwill van der Merwe.

“We can do that by playing good Lions rugby.”

Ospreys scrumhalf Reuben Morgan-Williams believes it’s getting harder every year to make the URC play-offs given the competitive nature of the league.

The Welsh region remained in the hunt until the penultimate round, but last weekend’s defeat to the Sharks in Durban ended their hopes.

“We are obviously disappointed that we haven’t been able to qualify for the top eight,” said Morgan-Williams.

“But that’s how it goes. It’s a tough competition.

“These days, you have to get at least 48 to 50 points to get top eight which is a tough ask for any team considering most teams are beating each other.

“You have probably got to go to South Africa and pick up a win to push you forward to get up there and that’s a tough ask out here because they are all dangerous teams.

“It’s probably getting harder every year, to be honest. This has been one of the most competitive seasons yet.”

The Ospreys have claimed some notable scalps among their seven league wins, but nine defeats – including five in their first seven matches – ultimately proved their undoing.

“We probably haven’t been as consistent as we would have wanted to be. We have put in some good performances, but then ones that we weren’t happy with,” said Morgan-Williams.

“There are definitely games that we feel like we should have won, but we just didn’t get over the line.”

The Ospreys’ hosts in Johannesburg, the Lions, are also out of the running for the play-offs, having only claimed one victory in their last five league games.

That’s a decline which has seen them drop out of the top eight and down to 13th in the table, with their latest defeat having been at home to the Scarlets.

* Zebre versus Connacht is the other clash between two teams out of the play-off mix, with 15th hosting 14th.

Zebre have been much more competitive this season, winning five league matches and pushing a number of other teams hard.

But they had a very tough day at the Dublin office last weekend as they conceded 12 tries to Leinster at the Lansdowne Road Stadium, so they will want to deliver a response to that to provide a happier conclusion to a generally positive campaign.

Turning to Connacht, they have fallen away over the past couple of months, losing their last five URC matches to slip out of contention.

* In Dublin, it is first (Leinster) versus third (Glasgow Warriors) at the Lansdowne Road Stadium in the final fixture of the final round of matches.

Leaders Leinster made sure of top spot with a record 76-5 victory over Zebre last weekend, but it was a very different story for Glasgow as they were beaten 33-7 by Benetton in Treviso.

That saw the champions drop down to third as the Bulls moved above them. Having sat in second for most of the season, they are now in danger of ending up fourth, with the Sharks just a point behind them.

Head coach Franco Smith said, “We were all obviously disappointed after last weekend.

“If that happened at the beginning of the season, one would think there’s something big wrong, but I think it’s something that sometimes happens to all teams at the back end of the season.

“It’s usually a lot of pressure that’s been felt over the season that’s now telling, but we can bounce back.”

He added: “If you’re the URC champions like we are, we play the opposition’s final every week, but it’s not an excuse, it’s part of our learning curve.

“This season up to now, we absolutely fought every game to not lose and we remained second in the league for 16 games.

“I think on top of that, with all the international games, there’s a little bit of tiredness.

“I must say, the determination Benetton had on the field is something we’ll have to take from them.

“We need a little bit more of that determination that we’ve had in so many games this year.”

As for Leinster, their focus remains firmly fixed on ending that much-talked-about four-year wait for a trophy, while being aware of just how tough a challenge they face.

Their Kiwi assistant coach Tyler Bleyendaal said: “The reality is there are many hungry teams trying to win the URC at the moment as well. We don’t feel entitled or anything. We’re going to have to work hard, we’re going to have to be committed.

“We’re preparing for Glasgow after a decent performance last weekend, and the challenge for us is to build on our own momentum through the things we can do well.”

3⃣ days to go…

The team are ready to take on Glasgow Warriors this Saturday in Aviva Stadium. 💪 🔥

🎟️ 👉 https://t.co/zP0meGCpmQ#LEIvGLA #NeverLessThanEverything pic.twitter.com/JBclUgGkPE

— Leinster Rugby (@leinsterrugby) May 14, 2025

* In the event of two or more teams finishing level on points at the end of the regular season, the following tie-break criteria will be used:

1 Number of games won
2 Difference between points scored and points conceded
3 Number of tries scored
4 The most points scored
5 Difference between tries scored and conceded
6 Fewest red cards received
7 Fewest yellow cards received

URC play-off Format

Quarterfinals – Friday and Saturday, May 30 & 31
Quarterfinal One: No.1 v No.8
Quarterfinal Two: No.2 v No.7
Quarterfinal Three: No.3 v No.6
Quarterfinal Four: No.4 v No.5

Semifinals – Saturday, June 7
Semifinal One: Winner Quarterfinal One v Winner Quarterfinal Four
Semifinal Two: Winner Quarterfinal Two v Winner Quarterfinal Three

Grand Final – Saturday, June 14
Winner Semifinal One v Winner Semifinal Two

All the Saturday teams and predictions are below …

Bulls v Dragons
(Loftus Versfeld Stadium, Pretoria – Kick-off: 15.00; 14.00 Ireland & UK time, 13.00 GMT)

Prediction

@rugby365com: Bulls by 20 points

Teams

Bulls: 15 Willie le Roux, 14 Sebastian de Klerk, 13 Canan Moodie, 12 David Kriel, 11 Sergeal Petersen, 10 Keagan Johannes, 9 Izak Burger, 8 Cameron Hanekom, 7 Ruan Nortje (captain), 6 Nama Xaba, 5 JF van Heerden, 4 Cobus Wiese, 3 Mornay Smith, 2 Akker van der Merwe, 1 Jan-Hendrik Wessels.
Replacements: 16 Johan Grobbelaar, 17 Simphiwe Matanzima, 18 Francois Klopper, 19 Jannes Kirsten, 20 Marcell Coetzee, 21 Bernard van der Linde, 22 Stedman Gans, 23 Devon Williams.

Dragons: 15 Angus O’Brien (co-captain), 14 Harry Rees-Weldon, 13 Joe Westwood, 12 Aneurin Owen, 11 Huw Anderson, 10 Lloyd Evans, 9 Rhodri Williams, 8 Aaron Wainwright, 7 Shane Lewis-Hughes, 6 Ryan Woodman, 5 Ben Carter (captain), 4 Joe Davies, 3 Chris Coleman, 2 Brodie Coghlan, 1 Dylan Kelleher-Griffiths.
Replacements: 16 Lewis Morgan, 17 Jamie Hughes, 18 Paula Latu, 19 Barny Langton-Cryer, 20 Evan Minto, 21 Che Hope, 22 Ewan Rosser, 23 Ashton Hewitt.

Referee: Andrew Brace (Ireland)
Assistant referees: Marius van der Westhuizen (South Africa), AJ Jacobs (South Africa)
TMO: Olly Hodges (IRFU)

Lions v Ospreys
(Ellis Park, Johannesburg – Kick-off: 17.15; 16.15 Ireland & UK time, 15.15 GMT)

Prediction

@rugby365com: Lions by five points

Teams

Lions: 15 Quan Horn, 14 Richard Kriel, 13 Henco van Wyk, 12 Bronson Mills, 11 Edwill van der Merwe, 10 Lubabalo Dobela, 9 Nico Steyn, 8 Jarod Cairns, 7 Renzo du Plessis, 6 JC Pretorius, 5 Ruan Delport, 4 Ruan Venter, 3 Asenathi Ntlabakanye, 2 Jaco Visagie (captain), 1 Juan Schoeman.
Replacements: 16 Morné Brandon, 17 SJ Kotze, 18 RF Schoeman, 19 Izan Esterhuizen, 20 WJ Steenkamp, 21 Layton Horn, 22 Marius Louw, 23 Kelly Mpeku.

Ospreys: 15 Jack Walsh, 14 Luke Morgan, 13 Evardi Boshoff, 12 Keiran Williams, 11 Ryan Conbeer, 10 Dan Edwards, 9 Reuben Morgan-Williams, 8 Morgan Morse, 7 Harri Deaves, 6 Will Griffiths, 5 James Fender, 4 James Ratti, 3 Tom Botha, 2 Dewi Lake (captain), 1 Steffan Thomas.
Replacements: 16 Sam Parry, 17 Garyn Phillips, 18 Kian Hire, 19 Lewis Jones, 20 Lewis Lloyd, 21 Kieran Hardy, 22 Owen Williams, 23 Iestyn Hopkins.

Referee: Eoghan Cross (Ireland)
Assistant referees: Christopher Allison (South Africa), Dylen November (South Africa)
TMO: Leo Colgan (Ireland)

Zebre v Connacht
(Stadio Lanfranchi, Parma – Kick-off: 18.00, 17.00 Ireland & UK time, 16.00 GMT)

Prediction

@rugby365com: Connacht by six points

Teams

Zebre: 15 Jacopo Trulla, 14 Scott Gregory, 13 Fetuli Paea, 12 Damiano Mazza, 11 Simone Gesi, 10 Giovanni Montemauri, 9 Alessandro Fusco, 8 Giovanni Licata, 7 Bautista Stavile, 6 Davide Ruggeri, 5 Leonard Krumov, 4 Matteo Canali, 3 Muhamed Hasa, 2 Luca Bigi, 1 Danilo Fischetti (captain).
Replacements: 16 Tommaso Di Bartolomeo, 17 Paolo Buonfiglio, 18 Juan Pitinari, 19 Guido Volpi, 20 Giacomo Ferrari, 21 Gonzalo Garcia, 22 Luca Morisi, 23 Enrico Lucchin.

Connacht: 15 Santiago Cordero, 14 Shayne Bolton, 13 David Hawkshaw, 12 Bundee Aki, 11 Finn Treacy, 10 JJ Hanrahan, 9 Ben Murphy, 8 Paul Boyle, 7 Shamus Hurley-Langton, 6 Cian Prendergast (captain), 5 Joe Joyce, 4 Josh Murphy, 3 Finlay Bealham, 2 Dave Heffernan, 1 Denis Buckley.
Replacements: 16 Eoin de Buitléar, 17 Jordan Duggan, 18 Jack Aungier, 19 Darragh Murray, 20 Sean Jansen, 21 Matthew Devine, 22 Cathal Forde, 23 Piers O’Conor.

Referee: Hollie Davidson (Scotland)
Assistant referees: Filippo Russo (France), Clara Munarini (Italy)
TMO: Andrew McMenemy (Scotland)

Sharks v Scarlets
(Kings Park, Durban – Kick-off: 19.30, 18.30 Ireland & UK time, 17.30 GMT)

Prediction

@rugby365com: Sharks by nine points

Teams

Sharks: 15 Aphelele Fassi, 14 Ethan Hooker, 13 Jurenzo Julius, 12 Andre Esterhuizen, 11 Makazole Mapimpi, 10 Siya Masuku, 9 Jaden Hendrikse, 8 Phepsi Buthelezi, 7 Vincent Tshituka, 6 Tino Mavesere, 5 Emile van Heerden, 4 Eben Etzebeth (captain), 3 Vincent Koch, 2 Bongi Mbonambi, 1 Ox Nche.
Replacements: 16 Fez Mbatha, 17 Ntuthuko Mchunu, 18 Hanro Jacobs, 19 Jason Jenkins, 20 Nick Hatton, 21 Bradley Davids, 22 Francois Venter, 23 Yaw Penxe.

Scarlets: 15 Blair Murray, 14 Tom Rogers, 13 Joe Roberts, 12 Johnny Williams, 11 Ellis Mee, 10 Sam Costelow, 9 Archie Hughes, 8 Taine Plumtree, 7 Josh Macleod (captain), 6 Vaea Fifita, 5 Sam Lousi, 4 Alex Craig, 3 Henry Thomas, 2 Ryan Elias, 1 Alec Hepburn.
Replacements: 16 Marnus van der Merwe, 17 Kemsley Mathias, 18 Sam Wainwright, 19 Dan Davis, 20 Jarrod Taylor, 21 Efan Jones, 22 Ioan Lloyd, 23 Macs Page.

Referee: Andrea Piardi (France)
Assistant referees: Griffin Colby (South Africa), Stephan Geldenhuys (South Africa)
TMO: Gianluca Gnecchi (France)

Leinster v Glasgow Warriors
(Lansdowne Road, Dublin – Kick-off: 19.35, 18.35 GMT)

Prediction

@rugby365com: Leinster by nine points

Teams

Leinster: 15 Hugo Keenan, 14 Tommy O’Brien, 13 Robbie Henshaw, 12 Jordie Barrett, 11 Jimmy O’Brien, 10 Sam Prendergast, 9 Fintan Gunne, 8 Jack Conan (captain), 7 Scott Penny, 6 Ryan Baird, 5 James Ryan, 4 RG Snyman, 3 Thomas Clarkson, 2 Dan Sheehan, 1 Andrew Porter.
Replacements: 16 Rónan Kelleher, 17 Jack Boyle, 18 Tadhg Furlong, 19 Diarmuid Mangan, 20 Max Deegan, 21 Luke McGrath, 22 Ciarán Frawley, 23 Jamie Osborne.

Glasgow Warriors: 15 Kyle Rowe, 14 Sebastian Cancelliere, 13 Huw Jones, 12 Sione Tuipulotu, 11 Kyle Steyn (captain), 10 Adam Hastings, 9 Ben Afshar, 8 Euan Ferrie, 7 Rory Darge, 6 Macenzzie Duncan, 5 Alex Samuel, 4 Jare Oguntibeju, 3 Fin Richardson, 2 Seb Stephen, 1 Jamie Bhatti.
Replacements: 16 Gregor Hiddleston, 17 Nathan McBeth, 18 Murphy Walker, 19 JP du Preez, 20 Scott Cummings, 21 Stafford McDowall, 22 George Horne, 23 Tom Jordan.

Referee: Ben Whitehouse (Wales)
Assistant referees: Keane Davison (Ireland), Stuart Gaffikin (Ireland)
TMO: Keith David (Wales)

@king365ed
@rugby365com

* Additional reporting by @URCOfficial

* Bulls video credit: MEGAFOON RUGBY!