URC, Round Five - Teams and Predictions
SATURDAY PREVIEW: Stormers Director of Rugby John Dobson is eager to unleash a “huge asset” in the form of Springbok scrumhalf Cobus Reinach.
The 35-year-old is set to make his Stormers debut on Saturday after he was included on the bench for their United Rugby Championship Round Five clash against Benetton in Treviso.
“It has been a treat to have him. He is a character, he is a professional,” said Dobson.
“He was in touch in the weeks prior to joining us for details and planning, and he is not just here to teach the youngsters. He is a proper athlete and a proper player.
“He is going to be a huge asset for us.
“It’s quite special to have the man-of-the-match in the last Springbok game. He is here as a player, and he is here for years, and he wants to win trophies.”
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Benetton will have their work cut out as the visitors enter the match with 126 points scored in the first four rounds and only 23 points conceded to 72 and 98 points by Benetton, respectively.
That said, the Stormers will be mindful of the fact that Benetton have won both the previous matches between the teams at Stadio Monigo dating back to 2021.
The Capetonians are not the only South African team in action on Saturday, with the Lions at home against Ulster, while the Sharks will face the Scarlets at Kings Park.
The Lions will be determined to build on their first win of the season, last weekend against the Scarlets at Ellis Park, but they will be wary of the threat Ulster pose as one of only three unbeaten teams in the competition following their morale-boosting 34-26 victory against the Sharks in Durban.
“Ulster are a quality team,” said Lions kicking coach Morne Steyn.
“They’ve got great forwards and exciting backs.
“From nine to 15, almost all of them can kick, so it’s going to be a tough, physical battle.
“Luckily, we play in Joburg, so hopefully we can tire them a bit and run them around.”
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Heart-warming to see @Scarlets_Rugby at the Sharks Pups’ coaching clinic ❤️
Players and coaches visited Jaguars RFC in Sydenham, where @SharksRugby are reviving rugby in the community 🏉#URC | #CommunitiesUnited pic.twitter.com/HYxUgcoX0e
— BKT United Rugby Championship (URC) (@URCOfficial) October 22, 2025
The Sharks and Scarlets, meanwhile, will both enter their match in Durban with a sense of desperation after failing to win a match so far this season, which has seen them occupy 14th and 16th place on the log.
This, however, will also fuel their determination going into the match, as one of the teams should finally break out of their losing cycle.
Sharks head coach John Plumtree has decided to give the captain’s armband to Eben Etzebeth for Saturday’s match.
“Eben was always going to be our captain this season,” said Plumtree.
“Last week he trained once and they had the baby on the Thursday and then he played on the Saturday, so his preparation was far from ideal. It wasn’t worth burdening him with the captaincy as well [for the Ulster match].
“Siya [Kolisi] also had a little bit in his personal life, so we just thought it was better that Vincent [Tshituka], who was on tour and who is respected by the players, just carried on with the job.
“Just for clarity, those three guys will all captain the team at some point.”
*In Ireland, Leinster and Munster will enjoy home matches against Zebre Parma and Connacht, respectively.
There will be a Welsh derby in the form of the Dragons against the Ospreys, while Cardiff will be at home against Edinburgh.
See below for Saturday’s teams and predictions!
Saturday, October 25:
Lions v Ulster
(Ellis Park, Johannesburg – Kick-off: 13.45; 12.45 UK & IRE; 11.45 GMT)
Prediction
Rugby365: Ulster by nine points.
Teams:
Lions: 15 Quan Horn, 14 Eduan Keyter, 13 Henco van Wyk, 12 Bronson Mills, 11 Angelo Davids, 10 Chris Smith, 9 Nico Steyn, 8 Francke Horn (captain), 7 Ruan Venter, 6 Jarod Cairns, 5 Reinhard Nothnagel, 4 Etienne Oosthuizen, 3 Asenathi Ntlabakanye, 2 Franco Marais, 1 SJ Kotze.
Replacements: 16 Morne Brandon, 17 RF Schoeman, 18 Conraad van Vuuren, 19 Darrien Landsberg, 20 Renzo du Plessis, 21 Layton Horn, 22 Gianni Lombard, 23 Kelly Mpeku.
Ulster: 15 Michael Lowry, 14 Robert Baloucoune, 13 James Hume, 12 Jude Postlethwaite, 11 Zac Ward, 10 Jack Murphy, 9 Nathan Doak, 8 Juarno Augustus, 7 Tom Stewart, 6 David McCann, 5 Joe Hopes, 4 Harry Sheridan, 3 Tom O’Toole, 2 Rob Herring (captain), 1 Sam Crean.
Replacements: 16 James McCormick, 17 Callum Reid, 18 Scott Wilson, 19 Matthew Dalton, 20 Bryn Ward, 21 Conor McKee, 22 Jake Flannery, 23 Werner Kok.
Referee: Ben Connor (Wales)
Assistant referees: Christopher Allison (South Africa), JD Jadezweni (South Africa)
TMO: Ben Whitehouse (Wales)
Sharks v Scarlets
(Hollywoodbets Kings Park, Durban – Kick-off: 16.00; 15.00 UK & IRE; 14:00 GMT)
Prediction
Rugby365: Sharks by 11 points.
Teams:
Sharks: 15 Jordan Hendrikse, 14 Ethan Hooker, 13 Lukhanyo Am, 12 Andre Esterhuizen, 11 Edwill van der Merwe, 10 Siya Masuku, 9 Grant Williams, 8 Emmanuel Tshituka, 7 Vincent Tshituka, 6 Siya Kolisi, 5 Marvin Orie, 4 Eben Etzebeth (captain), 3 Vincent Koch, 2 Bongi Mbonambi, 1 Ox Nche.
Replacements: 16 Fez Mbatha, 17 Cameron Dawson, 18 Lee-Marvin Mazibuko, 19 JJ Scheepers, 20 Phepsi Buthelezi, 21 Jaden Hendrikse, 22 Jean Smith, 23 Jurenzo Julius.
Scarlets: 15 Blair Murray, 14 Tom Rogers, 13 Joe Roberts, 12 Johnny Williams (captain), 11 Ellis Mee, 10 Sam Costelow, 9 Dane Blacker, 8 Taine Plumtree, 7 Dan Davis, 6 Sam Lousi, 5 Jake Ball, 4 Harvey Cuckson, 3 Archer Holz, 2 Marnus van der Merwe, 1 Kemsley Mathias.
Replacements: 16 Kirby Myhill, 17 Alec Hepburn, 18 Henry Thomas, 19 Alex Groves, 20 Jarrod Taylor, 21 Archie Hughes, 22 Joe Hawkins, 23 Ioan Nicholas.
Referee: Sam Grove-White (Scotland)
Assistant referees: Griffin Colby (South Africa), Aimee Barrett-Theron (South Africa)
TMO: Eoghan Cross (Ireland)
Leinster v Zebre Parma
(Aviva Stadium, Dublin – Kick-off: 17.30; 18.30 CEST; 16.30 GMT)
Prediction
Rugby365: Leinster by 25 points.
Teams:
Leinster: 15 Hugo McLaughlin, 14 Joshua Kenny, 13 Hugh Cooney, 12 Charlie Tector, 11 Andrew Osborne, 10 Harry Byrne, 9 Luke McGrath (captain), 8 James Culhane, 7 Scott Penny, 6 Max Deegan, 5 Diarmuid Mangan, 4 Brian Deeny, 3 Rabah Slimani, 2 John McKee, 1 Jerry Cahir.
Replacements: 16 Bobby Sheehan, 17 Alex Usanov, 18 Andrew Sparrow, 19 RG Snyman, 20 Alex Soroka, 21 Will Connors, 22 Fintan Gunne, 23 Caspar Gabriel.
Zebre: 15 Lorenzo Pani, 14 Mirko Belloni, 13 Giulio Bertaccini, 12 Marco Zanon, 11 Albert Einstein Batista, 10 Giacomo Da Re, 9 Thomas Dominguez, 8 David Odiase, 7 Samuele Locatelli, 6 Giacomo Ferrari, 5 Leonard Krumov (captain), 4 Franco Carrera, 3 Matteo Nocera, 2 Giovanni Quattrini, 1 Muhamed Hasa.
Replacements: 16 Tommaso Di Bartolomeo, 17 Paolo Buonfiglio, 18 Marcos Gallorini, 19 Giacomo Milano, 20 Giovanni Licata, 21 Migael Prinsloo, 22 Martin Roger Farias, 23 Luca Morisi.
Referee: Ian Kenny (Scotland)
Assistant referees: Stuart Gaffikin (Ireland), Andrew Fogarty (Ireland)
TMO: Colin Brett (Scotland)
Benetton v Stormers
(Stadio Monigo, Treviso – Kick-off: 18.30; 18.30 SAST; 16:30 GMT)
Prediction
Rugby365: Benetton by three points.
Teams:
Benetton: 15 Matt Gallagher, 14 Louis Lynagh, 13 Tommaso Menoncello, 12 Leonardo Marin, 11 Ignacio Mendy, 10 Jacob Umaga, 9 Andy Uren, 8 Lorenzo Cannone, 7 Michele Lamaro (captain), 6 Sebastian Negri, 5 Riccardo Favretto (captain), 4 Niccolò Cannone, 3 Simone Ferrari, 2 Siua Maile, 1 Thomas Gallo.
Replacements: 16 Bautista Bernasconi, 17 Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro, 18 Giosué Zilocchi, 19 Federico Ruzza, 20 Manuel Zuliani, 21 So’otala Fa’aso’o, 22 Alessandro Garbisi, 23 Filippo Drago.
Stormers: 15 Warrick Gelant, 14 Seabelo Senatla, 13 Ruhan Nel (captain), 12 Damian Willemse, 11 Leolin Zas, 10 Jurie Matthee, 9 Dewaldt Duvenage, 8 Evan Roos, 7 Ben-Jason Dixon, 6 Paul de Villiers, 5 JD Schickerling, 4 Salmaan Moerat, 3 Sazi Sandi, 2 André-Hugo Venter, 1 Vernon Matongo.
Replacements: 16 JJ Kotze, 17 Oli Kebble, 18 Zachary Porthen, 19 Adré Smith, 20 Ruben van Heerden, 21 Ruan Ackermann, 22 Cobus Reinach, 23 Wandisile Simelane.
Referee: Hollie Davidson (Scotland)
Assistant referees: Gianluca Gnecchi (Italy), Luca Bisetto (Italy)
TMO: Andrew McMenemy (Scotland)
Dragons v Ospreys
(Rodney Parade, Newport – Kick-off: 17.30; 16:30 GMT)
Prediction
Rugby365: Ospreys by four points.
Teams:
Dragons: 15 Angus O’Brien (captain), 14 Fine Inisi, 13 Joe Westwood, 12 Aneurin Owen, 12 Harri Ackerman, 11 Huw Anderson, 10 Tinus de Beer, 9 Rhodri Williams, 8 Aaron Wainwright, 7 Thomas Young, 6 Ryan Woodman, 5 Ben Carter (c), 4 Matthew Screech, 3 Chris Coleman, 2 Brodie Coghlan, 1 Wyn Jones.
Replacements: 16 Oli Burrows, 17 Rodrigo Martinez, 18 Dillon Lewis, 19 Shane Lewis Hughes, 20 Harry Beddall, 21 Niall Armstrong, 22 Cai Evans, 23 David Richards.
Ospreys: 15 Jack Walsh, 14 Dan Kasende, 13 Phil Cokanasiga, 12 Keiran Williams, 11 Iestyn Hopkins, 10 Dan Edwards, 9 Reuben Morgan-Williams, 8 Ross Moriarty, 7 Harri Deaves, 6 Huw Sutton, 5 James Fender, 4 Ryan Smith, 3 Tom Botha, 2 Dewi Lake (captain), 1 Gareth Thomas.
Replacements: 16 Lewis Lloyd, 17 Garyn Phillips, 18 Ben Warren, 19 Rhys Davies, 20 Jac Morgan, 21 Luke Davies, 22 Evardi Boshoff, 23 Max Nagy.
Referee: Ben Breakspear (Wales)
Assistant referees: Adam Jones (Wales), Amber Stamp-Dunstan (Wales)
TMO: Aled Griffiths (Wales)
Munster v Connacht
(Thomond Park, Limerick – Kick-off: 19.45; 18.45 GMT)
Prediction
Rugby365: Munster by 14 points.
Teams:
Munster: 15 Shane Daly, 14 Diarmuid Kilgallen, 13 Dan Kelly, 12 Alex Nankivell, 11 Thaakir Abrahams, 10 JJ Hanrahan, 9 Ethan Coughlan, 8 Gavin Coombes, 7 John Hodnett, 6 Jack O’Donoghue (captain), 5 Fineen Wycherley, 4 Jean Kleyn, 3 John Ryan, 2 Lee Barron, 1 Michael Milne.
Replacements: 16 Niall Scannell, 17 Jeremy Loughman, 18 Ronan Foxe, 19 Evan O’Connell, 20 Ruadhan Quinn, 21 Jake O’Riordan, 22 Tony Butler, 23 Shay McCarthy.
Connacht: 15 Harry West, 14 Byron Ralson, 13 Hugh Gavin, 12 Cathal Forde, 11 Finn Treacy, 10 Josh Ioane, 9 Ben Murphy, 8 Sean Jansen, 7 Paul Boyle (captain), 6 Josh Murphy, 5 Darragh Murray, 4 Joe Joyce, 3 Sam Illo, 2 Dave Heffernan, 1 Jordan Duggan.
Replacements: 16 Dylan Tierney-Martin, 17 Peter Dooley, 18 Fiachna Barrett, 19 Niall Murray, 20 David O’Connor, 21 Matthew Devine, 22 Sean Naughton, 23 Seán O’Brien.
Referee: Andrea Piardi (France)
Assistant referees: Peter Martin (Ireland), Chris Lough (Ireland)
TMO: Matteo Liperini (Italy)
Cardiff v Edinburgh
(Cardiff Arms Park, Cardiff – Kick-off: 19.45; 18.45 GMT)
Prediction
Rugby365: Cardiff by nine points.
Teams:
Cardiff: 15 Jacob Beetham, 14 Josh Adams, 13 Harri Millard, 12 Ben Thomas, 11 Tom Bowen, 10 Ioan Lloyd, 9 Johan Mulder, 8 Taulupe Faletau, 7 Taine Basham, 6 Alex Mann, 5 George Nott, 4 Josh McNally, 3 Javan Sebastin, 2 Liam Belcher (captain), 1 Danny Southworth.
Replacements: 16 Daf Hughes, 17 Corey Domachowski, 18 Keiron Assiratti, 19 Ben Donnell, 20 Alun Lawrence, 21 Dan Thomas, 22 Aled Davies, 23 Callum Sheedy.
Edinburgh: 15 Wes Goosen, 14 Ross McCann, 13 Piers O’Conor, 12 James Lang, 11 Lewis Wells, 10 Cammy Scott, 9 Charlie Shiel, 8 Magnus Bradbury (captain), 7 Dylan Richardson, 6 Liam McConnell, 5 Grant Gilchrist, 4 Marshall Sykes, 3 D’arcy Rae, 2 Ewan Ashman, 1 Pierre Schoeman.
Replacements: 16 Paddy Harrison, 17 Boan Venter, 18 Paul Hill, 19 Callum Hunter-Hill, 20 Luke Crosbie, 21 Ben Vellacott, 22 Ross Thompson, 23 Matt Davidson.
Referee: Andrew Brace (Ireland)
Assistant referees: Craig Evans (Wales), Carwyn Sion (Wales)
TMO: Colin Stanley (Ireland)
