URC, Round Four - Teams and predictions 

SATURDAY PREVIEW: The Stormers, Munster and Ulster head into Round Four of the United Rugby Championship as the only unbeaten teams.

On the flipside, the Lions, Sharks and Scarlets are all searching for their first win of the season.

The Lions will start Saturday’s action against the Scarlets in a battle of the basement clash at Ellis Park.

The Johannesburg-based side returned home with three successive defeats overseas and will look to turn their fortunes around at Ellis Park.

The Scarlets come off a humiliating 0-34 defeat to the Stormers in Llanelli but have a game in hand heading into this clash.

Lions Assistant Coach Ricardo Loubscher said: “The energy within the camp is good.

“We can’t wait for Saturday, it’s great to be back home.”

“We know that it’s going to be a tough challenge on the weekend.

“Scarlets present a different approach defensively, so from an attack point of view we need to be ready for that,” he cautioned.

“Our training this week was focused mainly on simulating the pressure we can expect from the opposition in terms of defence and attack pictures, for the players to get a feel of what it will be like come Saturday.”

Scarlets Head Coach Dwayne Peel said: “The Lions are always a difficult proposition at home, you are playing at altitude, and it is a place where they look to run teams off their feet.

“They are also a physical, athletic team, so we will have to manage that.

“Winning here last season was big for us, and a lot of the boys here were part of that squad.

“We have to bring the same physicality and intensity again. Ellis Park is one of the great rugby stadiums, always a great place to play.

“We have been disappointed with the results so far, but we are only two games in. It is a long season, and things can change quickly in rugby.”

Following the action in Johannesburg, all eyes will turn to the Sharks, who will also bank on home ground advantage to end Ulster’s unbeaten run.

The Sharks made a host of changes and included 13 Springboks in their starting line-up and four more on the replacements bench.

Sharks head coach John Plumtree said it is a challenge to reintegrate the influx of returning Boks, but takes heart from the fact that they’ve done it successfully before.

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“That’s the challenge, isn’t it? Last year, we did well when we were in the same situation.

“The Boks returned to the side and we played Glasgow Warriors, who were the Champions at the time, and we won quite handsomely.

“The challenge again for us is playing against a team that’s won two games from as many attempts. I know they had one match postponed.

“We are confident. We played them in Belfast last year, where they were 19-5 up at half-time, but we managed to get on top of them in the second half.

“Ulster’s a well-organised team and has a few new additions that made them a better side.

“We know it will be a tough game for us, but our challenge this week has been just to get ourselves as organised as possible.

“Luckily, the [assistant] coaches have been very good. They’ve relayed a lot of information to the returning players to help speed up all the learning, etc.

“That’s been good, and we feel like we’re ready to go.”

In Ireland, the big derby between Leinster and Munster at Croke Park will be a humdinger, with Clayton McMillan’s side heading into the clash unbeaten and confident.

Leinster, following a poor start with defeats to the Stormers and Bulls in South Africa, found their groove to comfortably put the Sharks away last week and will want to continue with that momentum.

Later, the unbeaten Stormers will want to keep their winning streak going against a Zebre outfit that, in recent years, became known for claiming big scalps.

The Stormers are known for having a poor overseas record, but their win against Scarlets sets them up well to make it two wins from as many attempts.

Zebre, after a solid start to the season with wins over Edinburgh and the Lions, came off a 0-24 away defeat to Ospreys.

The Parma-based outfit will be desperate to get back on the horse and regain their form they showed during the opening two rounds.

Former Junior Bok captain Zachary Porthen will earn his first start after making his debut off the bench against Benetton last season.

Stormers Director of Rugby John Dobson spoke about Porthen’s growth since his junior days and how big the opportunity is for him.

Dobson also touched on the rest of the changes he made to the team and his reason for keeping it minimal.

“Tighthead [prop] is a tough one with Frans [Malherbe], Neethling [Fouché] and Sazi [Sandi] out injured,” Dobson said.

“But we have been so chuffed with the growth in Zach [Zachary Porthen] since last season in the Benetton game.

“He had a difficult Under-20 championship last year, and we felt he needed to help improve his scrummaging, and he’s been superb every time he came off the bench for us and in his debut game against Benetton.

“He deserves a start. I can’t say we would’ve given it had Sazi [Sandi] been fit, but it’s a brilliant opportunity for him.

“We think he’s got a brilliant future ahead of him.”

“If you had to sketch the ideal build for a tighthead prop and what he’d look like, you’d probably come up with Zach Porthen.

“He will mature over the next couple of years, and we’re super excited.

Dobson added: “Regarding Adre [Smith], since his return from Japan is a big part of the team, and he’s gotten himself in really good shape.

“It’s exciting and I’m pleased that Hencus van Wyk gets an opportunity off the bench.

“We took a deliberate policy that after a three-week short training session, we’ll try and keep as much cohesion as possible.”

Captain and centre Ruhan Nel touched on Warrick Gelant’s return and what he brings to the team.

He also mentioned what it’s like to play with Damian Willemse on his inside.

“Having Warrick [Gelant] back is great. He takes a lot of pride in that No.15 jersey.

He dominates that space quite heavily on the field for us. I think, regarding his organisational skills, it’s nice to have him back there.

“I’m sure we’re all pretty familiar with his attacking ability as well.

“I mean, Gaza [Damian Willemse] is also a great No.15, but having him next to me in the midfield as we were when we won the URC together is something I’m familiar with.”

The Ospreys and Glasgow Warriors meet at the Brewery Field at the same time as the Zebre v Stormers match to conclude Round Four.

Coming off a solid 24-0 win over Zebre, a win for the Ospreys could push them into the top eight on the URC table, depending on the earlier results.

Glasgow come into this match in a strong log position (third) and will want to keep the pressure on the rest of the top eight sides, with merely five points separating the top and the eighth team.

Ospreys Head Coach Mark Jones said: “Glasgow were the champs two years ago and have made the semifinals on a few occasions.

“They’re an all-court team that can threaten on all fronts.

“It’s a top-class outfit that is well coached by Franco and his team, so we’re going to have to be at our absolute best to get the result.”

Glasgow Warriors Head Coach Franco Smith said: “We were pleased with the result last weekend, but know that there is still plenty for us to build and improve upon as we move forward.”

*See all Saturday’s teams and predictions below…

Lions v Scarlets

(Ellis Park, Johannesburg – Kick-off: 13.45; 12.45 Ireland & UK time; 11.45 GMT)

Prediction

@rugby365: Lions by two points

Teams

Lions: 15 Quan Horn, 14 Eduan Keyter, 13 Henco van Wyk, 12 Richard Kriel, 11 Angelo Davids, 10 Chris Smith, 9 Nico Steyn, 8 Francke Horn (captain), 7 Ruan Venter, 6 JC Pretorius, 5 Darrien Landsberg, 4 Etienne Oosthuizen, 3 Asenathi Ntlabakanye, 2 Franco Marais, 1 SJ Kotze
Replacements: 16 Morne Brandon, 17 RF Schoeman, 18 Conraad van Vuuren, 19 Reinhard Nothnagel, 20 Jarod Cairns, 21 Layton Horn, 22 Gianni Lombard, 23 Kelly Mpeku

Scarlets: 15 Ioan Nicholas, 14 Ellis Mee, 13 Macs Page, 12 Johnny Williams (captain), 11 Blair Murray, 10 Sam Costelow, 9 Archie Hughes, 8 Taine Plumtree, 7 Dan Davis, 6 Jarrod Taylor, 5 Alex Groves, 4 Harvey Cuckson, 3 Archer Holz, 2 Marnus van der Merwe, 1 Alec Hepburn
Replacements: 16 Kirby Myhill, 17 Sam O’Connor, 18 Henry Thomas, 19 Dan Gemine, 20 Ben Williams, 21 Dane Blacker, 22 Joe Hawkins, 23 Joe Roberts

Referee: Eoghan Cross (Ireland)
Assistant referees: Griffin Colby (South Africa); AJ Jacobs (South Africa)
TMO: Sam Grove-White (Scotland)

Sharks v Ulster

(Hollywoodbets Kings Park, Durban – Kick-off: 16.00; 15.00 Ireland & UK time; 14.00 GMT)

Prediction 

@rugby365: Sharks by six points

Teams

Sharks: 15 Edwill van der Merwe, 14 Ethan Hooker, 13 Jurenzo Julius,12 Andre Esterhuizen, 11 Makazole Mapimpi, 10 Siya Masuku, 9 Grant Williams, 8 Phepsi Buthelezi, 7 Vincent Tshituka (captain), 6 Siya Kolisi, 5 Marvin Orie, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Vincent Koch, 2 Bongi Mbonambi, 1 Ox Nche
Replacements: 16 Fez Mbatha, 17 Simphiwe Matanzima, 18 Ruan Dreyer, 19 Bathobele Hlekani, 20 Manu Tshituka, 21 Jaden Hendrikse, 22 Jordan Hendrikse, 23 Lukhanyo Am.

Ulster: 15 Michael Lowry, 14 Werner Kok, 13 James Hume, 12 Stuart McCloskey, 11 Jacob Stockdale, 10 Jack Murphy, 9 Nathan Doak, 8 Juarno Augustus, 7 Nick Timoney, 6 David McCann, 5 Harry Sheridan, 4 Iain Henderson (captain), 3 Scott Wilson, 2 Tom Stewart, 1 Sam Crean
Replacements: 16 Rob Herring, 17 Callum Reid, 18 Tom O’Toole, 19 Joe Hopes, 20 Sean Reffell, 21 Conor McKee, 22 Jake Flannery, 23 Jude Postlethwaite

Referee: Ben Whitehouse (Wales)
Assistant referees: Morne Ferreira (South Africa), Sean Muller (South Africa)
TMO: Ben Connor (Wales)

Leinster v Munster

(Croke Park, Dublin – Kick-off: 17.15; 16.15 GMT)

Prediction

@rugby365: Leinster by five points

Teams

Leinster: 15 Jamie Osborne, 14 Jordan Larmour, 13 Garry Ringrose, 12 Robbie Henshaw, 11 James Lowe, 10 Sam Prendergast, 9 Jamison Gibson-Park, 8 Max Deegan, 7 Josh van der Flier (captain), 6 Alex Soroka, 5 James Ryan, 4 RG Snyman, 3 Tadhg Furlong, 2 Rónan Kelleher, 1 Paddy McCarthy.
Replacements: 16 Dan Sheehan, 17 Andrew Porter, 18 Thomas Clarkson, 19 Brian Deeny, 20 Scott Penny, 21 Fintan Gunne, 22 Ciarán Frawley, 23 Jimmy O’Brien.

Munster: 15 Shane Daly, 14 Andrew Smith, 13 Tom Farrell, 12 Dan Kelly, 11 Thaakir Abrahams, 10 Jack Crowley, 9 Ethan Coughlan, 8 Brian Gleeson, 7 Jack O’Donoghue, 6 Tadhg Beirne (captain), 5 Fineen Wycherley, 4 Edwin Edogbo, 3 John Ryan, 2 Diarmuid Barron, 1 Michael Milne.
Replacements: 16 Lee Barron, 17 Jeremy Loughman, 18 Ronan Foxe, 19 Jean Kleyn, 20 Gavin Coombes, 21 Paddy Patterson, 22 JJ Hanrahan, 23 Alex Nankivell.

Referee: Gianluca Gnecchi (Italy)
Assistant referees: Peter Martin (Ireland), Jonny Erskine (Ireland)
TMO: Stefano Penne (Italy)

Zebre Parma v Stormers

(Stadio Lanfranchi, Parma – Kick-off: 20.45; 20.45 SAST; 18.45 GMT)

Prediction

@rugby365: Stormers by 16 points

Teams

Zebre: 15 Giovanni Montemauri, 14 Mirko Belloni, 13 Giulio Bertaccini, 12 Damiano Mazza, 11 Simone Gesi, 10 Giacomo Da Re, 9 Thomas Dominguez, 8 Giovanni Licata (captain), 7 Samuele Locatelli, 6 Davide Ruggeri, 5 Leonard Krumov, 4 Guido Volpi, 3 Ion Neculai,2 Tommaso Di Bartolomeo, 1 Muhamed Hasa
Replacements: 16 Giovanni Quattrini, 17 Juan Pitinari, 18 Matteo Nocera, 19 Franco Carrera, 20 David Odiase, 21 Migael Prinsloo, 22 Marco Zanon, 23 Lorenzo Pani

Stormers: 15 Warrick Gelant, 14 Seabelo Senatla, 13 Ruhan Nel (captain), 12 Damian Willemse, 11 Leolin Zas, 10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, 9 Stefan Ungerer, 8 Evan Roos, 7 Ben-Jason Dixon, 6 Paul de Villiers, 5 Ruben van Heerden, 4 Adré Smith, 3 Zachary Porthen, 2 JJ Kotze, 1 Ali Vermaak.
Replacements: 16 André-Hugo Venter, 17 Vernon Matongo, 18 Hencus van Wyk, 19 JD Schickerling, 20 Ruan Ackermann, 21 Marcel Theunissen, 22 Imad Khan, 23 Wandisile Simelane.

Referee: Andrew Brace (Ireland)
Assistant referees: Filippo Russo (Italy), Lorenzo Pedezzi (Italy)
TMO: Olly Hodges (Ireland)

Ospreys v Glasgow Warriors

(Dunraven Brewery Field, Bridgend – Kick-off: 19.45; 18.45 GMT)

Prediction 

@rugby365: Glasgow Warriors by 15 points

Teams

Ospreys: 15 Jack Walsh, 14 Dan Kasende, 13 Phil Cokanasiga, 12 Keiran Williams, 11 Keelan Giles, 10 Dan Edwards, 9 Reuben Morgan-Williams, 8 Ross Moriarty, 7 Morgan Morse, 6 James Ratti, 5 James Fender,4 Rhys Davies, 3 Ben Warren, 2 Dewi Lake (captain), 1 Gareth Thomas
Replacements: 16 Ethan Lewis, 17 Garyn Phillips, 18 Kian Hire, 19 Huw Sutton, 20 Gwilym Evans, 21 Luke Davies, 22 Tom Florence, 23 Iestyn Hopkins

Glasgow Warriors: 15 Ollie Smith, 14 Kyle Steyn (captain), 13 Stafford McDowall, 12 Sione Tuipulotu, 11 Kyle Rowe, 10 Adam Hastings, 9 Jamie Dobie, 8 Matt Fagerson, 7 Angus Fraser, 6 Euan Ferrie, 5 Alex Samuel, 4 Max Williamson, 3 Murphy Walker, 2 Johnny Matthews, 1 Patrick Schickerling
Replacements: 16 Seb Stephen, 17 Nathan McBeth, 18 Sam Talakai, 19 Jare Oguntibeju, 20 Alex Craig, 21 Macenzzie Duncan, 22 Ben Afshar, 23 Dan Lancaster

Referee: Andrea Piardi (Italy)
Assistant referees: Ben Breakspear (Wales), Amber Stamp-Dunstan (Wales)
TMO: Matteo Liperini (Italy)