URC, Round One - teams and predictions
ROUND ONE PREVIEW: The Johan Ackermann era at Loftus Versfeld gets underway in earnest on Saturday.
Forget, for a moment, that the opposition is Ospreys, a team that seldom finishes in the Top 10 and has only once in the four years of the United Rugby Championship reached the play-offs.
This is about the start of an era under a coach that must, hopefully, end a run of losses in the Final.
Ackermann, who lost in two Super Rugby Finals with the Lions, is under no illusion of the enormity of the task facing him in Europe.
The Champions Cup questions will come later, in December.
For now, the pundits want to know if the Bulls can finally get it over the line.
And the campaign starts without a number of key Springboks and some injuries.
“It is great to be part of the Bulls,” a magnanimous Ackermann said in his pre-match media briefing.
“I’m excited, as it is a big occasion for me to be involved with a team that has such a rich history.”
Then he turned to the more significant part of the question: The expectation of the fans and critics, as well as his own goals.
“I want us to start well,” he said, adding: “We are new as a group, myself and the players.
“We have some new combinations, some young guys, also players like Jan [Serfontein], Cheswill [Jooste], Nicolas [Janse van Rensburg], JJ [Theron].
“There are combinations that have not been played before.
“The focus is to do the basics well and look after our own standards.
“We are trying to set a certain standard, but it will take time.
“No matter how well you prepare, the first few games will always be challenging in terms of synergy and match fitness.”
Turning to their Welsh opposition, Ackermann said the biggest threat is the ‘unknown factor’, as there hasn’t been much opportunity to story them.
“There are talks that the Welsh Rugby Union is looking to reduce their URC numbers to two teams,” the Bulls coach said.
“Every team will fight to show they are the region that must remain [in the URC]. They will be motivated.
“However, it is not about them; it is about us.
“My message to the team was: ‘Let’s play to our standards. Let’s focus on what we can control’.
“We could have looked at some of their pre-season games, but those pictures can change.
“It is about our defensive systems, our attacking systems. The sooner we focus on ourselves, the better.”
Ackermann said it is still early, just a month since his arrival, so he was not about mass changes, throwing the baby out with the bathwater.
“Some of the players are more familiar with the plays and the structures.
“It was a good month and there was a lot of common ground in how we want top do things.
“The change in the culture that we want to change is a process. It is not something you can force.”
The one name the Bulls will be very familiar with is Daniel Kasende, the Kinshasa-born DRC flyer who was at Griquas and the Cheetahs from 2020 to 2024.
Ospreys, captained by Wales hooker Dewi Lake, are also banking on new signing Ross Moriarty to impress on the flank, after the 31-year-old joined from Brive.
“He is keen to get out there which is fantastic,” said Ospreys coach Mark Jones.
“Ross has such energy, you can see already he cares and he talks with such passion.
“We want him to just do what he is good at, lead with ball in hand, show his collision game and make an impact in defence.
“The more he plays, the more settled he will get.”
(Ackermann about his new era …)
* Another South African coach in the spotlight, but for very different reasons, is Lions boss Ivan van Rooyen.
Fresh from overseeing his URC team’s choke in the Currie Cup Final for a second successive year, he now hopes for a change of fortunes on the road.
The three-match tour starts against Cardiff at Arm Park on Saturday, followed by face-offs with Italian franchises Zebre and Benetton in the opening rounds of the URC, before finally returning home.
“It will be a great first-up test for us,” Van Rooyen said.
“We’ve obviously used a couple of games in the Currie Cup as pre-season ahead of the URC,” he added.
“Most of the squad would have either played at the beginning or at the end of the competition, so in terms of prep, we should be game ready ahead of Cardiff on Saturday.’
The Lions were a decision away from claiming victory against the Welsh outfit last year, and the Lions mentor is well aware of the challenges facing his side against a well-organised defensive system.
“Looking ahead to Cardiff, we were not quite there against them last year, so we’ll need to start the game well come Saturday.
“They’ve got a good defensive system, and we expect them to attack a bit more, employing a more of an expansive game plan.
“They’ve also recruited one or two guys, so again, we expect a tough encounter, very physical against very tricky conditions which will be a good first test for us.”
Lions No.8 WJ Steenkamp believes they can take a leaf out of the Springbok book, who bounced back from a seven-point loss in Auckland to put a record score on the All Blacks a week later.
“We, as a team, got together this past Monday,” he said, adding: “We looked at the Boks and what they did against Australia and the All Blacks [losing the first Test and winning the next].
“That shows the competitiveness in the game and how things can change in a week.
“I won’t say everything will be fine if we win, but we’ll have our confidence back.
“We said we want to replicate what the Boks did.
“Hopefully, we can do that and take that confidence forward in the season.”
Cardiff go into the encounter just days after the departure of coach Matt Sherratt.
The Blue & Blacks will be led by the existing assistant coaches, Corniel van Zyl, Gethin Jenkins, Jonny Goodridge and Scott Andrews.
Van Zyl, a familiar name for South Africans from his days at the Cheetahs, said: “Everything happened pretty quickly but we have prepared as normal for the Lions. It’s business as usual.
“We have a good, experienced coaching set-up, and there was a cake that was cut into five pieces. Now it’s the same cake cut into four. We will take more responsibility in certain aspects of the game.
“The players have been really positive, they just move on and project all of their energy forward.
“There is no time in the game to look back and ask why, it’s just about projecting all our energy forward. We all believe in the same vision that we had with Matt, so it will just continue, and we will drive standards.
“We are all fully focused on Saturday night and are hoping for a great turnout at the Arms Park. We had brilliant support last year, we are hoping for a big crowd, and we will need them right behind us against a quality Lions team.
“The Lions pushed us all the way last year, and they will be hugely motivated after last week’s Currie Cup final. We need to hit the ground running, put as much of our game on the pitch as possible and give our supporters something to get excited about.”
All the Saturday teams and predictions are below …
Bulls v Ospreys
(Loftus Versfeld Stadium, Pretoria – Kick-off: 14.00, 13.00 UK & Ireland time, 12.00 GMT)
Prediction
@rugby365com: Bulls by 12 points
Teams
Bulls: 15 Devon Williams, 14 Cheswill Jooste, 13 David Kriel, 12 Jan Serfontein, 11 Sebastian de Klerk, 10 Keagan Johannes, 9 Embrose Papier, 8 JJ Theron, 7 Mpilo Gumede, 6 Marcell Coetzee (captain), 5 JF van Heerden, 4 Cobus Wiese, 3 Mornay Smith, 2 Johan Grobbelaar, 1 Gerhard Steenekamp.
Replacements: 16 Juann Else, 17 Alu Tshakweni, 18 Francois Klopper, 19 Nicolas Janse van Rensburg, 20 Nama Xaba, 21 Paul de Wet, 22 Stedman Gans, 23 Willie le Roux.
Ospreys: 15 Jack Walsh, 14 Dan Kasende, 13 Phil Cokanasiga, 12 Keiran Williams, 11 Keelan Giles, 10 Dan Edwards, 9 Reuben Morgan-Williams, 8 Morgan Morse, 7 Harri Deaves, 6 Ross Moriarty, 5 James Fender, 4 Rhys Davies, 3 Tom Botha, 2 Dewi Lake (captain), 1 Garyn Phillips.
Replacements: 16 Ethan Lewis, 17 Steffan Thomas, 18 Rhys Henry, 19 Huw Sutton, 20 James Ratti, 21 Luke Davies, 22 Tom Florence, 23 Harri Houston.
Referee: Federico Vedovelli (Italy)
Assistant referees: JD Jadezweni (South Africa), Dylen November (South Africa)
TMO: Peter Martin (Ireland)
Zebre v Edinburgh
(Stadio Lanfranchi, Parma – Kick-off: 16.05, 15.05 UK & Ireland time, 14.05 GMT)
Prediction
@rugby365com: Edinburgh by nine points
Teams
Zebre: 15 Lorenzo Pani, 14 Mikro Belloni, 13 Giulio Bertaccini, 12 Damiano Mazza, 11 Simone Gesi, 10 Giacomo Da Re, 9 Alessandro Fusco, 8 Giovanni Licata (captain), 7 Bautista Stavile, 6 Davide Ruggeri, 5 Leonard Krumov, 4 Matteo Canali, 3 Juan Pitinari, 2 Tommaso Di Bartolomeo, 1 Muhamed Hasa.
Replacements: 16 Giampietro Ribaldi, 17 Paolo Buonfiglio, 18 Ion Neculai, 19 Alessandro Ortombina, 20 Guido Volpi, 21 Samuele Locatelli, 22 Thomas Dominguez, 23 Martin Farias.
Edinburgh: 15 Wes Goosen, 14 Harry Paterson, 13 Piers O’Conor, 12 James Lang, 11 Jack Brown, 10 Ben Healy, 9 Ben Vellacott, 8 Magnus Bradbury (captain), 7 Luke Crosbie, 6 Liam McConnell, 5 Grant Gilchrist, 4 Marshall Sykes, 3 Paul Hill, 2 Ewan Ashman, 1 James Whitcombe.
Replacements: 16 Paddy Harrison, 17 Pierre Schoeman, 18 D’arcy Rae, 19 Sam Skinner, 20 Hamish Watson, 21 Charlie Shiel, 22 Findlay Thomson, 23 Duhan van der Merwe.
Referee: Ben Whitehouse (Wales)
Assistant referees: Alberto Favero (Italy), Lorenzo Pedezzi (Italy)
TMO: Aled Griffiths (Wales)
Scarlets v Munster
(Parc Y Scarlets, Llanelli – Kick-off: 17.30, 16.30 GMT)
Prediction
@rugby365com: Munster by six points
Teams
Scarlets: 15 Blair Murray, 14 Tom Rogers, 13 Joe Roberts, 12 Joe Hawkins, 11 Ellis Mee, 10 Sam Costelow, 9 Gareth Davies, 8 Taine Plumtree, 7 Josh Macleod (captain), 6 Tristan Davies, 5 Jake Ball, 4 Sam Lousi, 3 Henry Thomas, 2 Harry Thomas, 1 Kemsley Mathias.
Replacements: 16 Kirby Myhill, 17 Alec Hepburn, 18 Harri O’Connor, 19 Max Douglas, 20 Jarrod Taylor, 21 Dane Blacker, 22 Johnny Williams, 23 Macs Page.
Munster: 15 Mike Haley, 14 Shane Daly, 13 Dan Kelly, 12 Alex Nankivell, 11 Thaakir Abrahams, 10 JJ Hanrahan, 9 Craig Casey (captain), 8 Brian Gleeson, 7 Alex Kendellen, 6 Jack O’Donoghue, 5 Fineen Wycherley, 4 Jean Kleyn, 3 Oli Jager, 2 Niall Scannell, 1 Jeremy Loughman.
Replacements: 16 Lee Barron, 17 Josh Wycherley, 18 Conor Bartley, 19 Tom Ahern, 20 Gavin Coombes, 21 Paddy Patterson, 22 Jack Crowley, 23 Seán O’Brien.
Referee: Sam Grove-White (Scotland)
Assistant referees: Craig Evans (Wales), Marcus Caudle (Wales)
TMO: Colin Brett (Scotland)
Cardiff v Lions
(Cardiff Arms Park, Cardiff – Kick-off: 19.45, 20.45 SAST, 18.45 GMT)
Prediction
@rugby365com: Cardiff by five points
Teams
Cardiff: 15 Cam Winnett, 14 Josh Adams, 13 Harri Millard, 12 Ben Thomas, 11 Tom Bowen, 10 Callum Sheedy, 9 Johan Mulder, 8 Alun Lawrence, 7 Taine Basham, 6 Alex Mann, 5 Teddy Williams, 4 Josh McNally, 3 Javan Sebastian, 2 Liam Belcher (captain), 1 Rhys Barratt.
Replacements: 16 Evan Lloyd, 17 Danny Southworth, 18 Keiron Assiratti, 19 Ben Donnell, 20 Dan Thomas, 21 Aled Davies, 22 Ioan Lloyd, 23 Jacob Beetham.
Lions: 15 Quan Horn (captain), 14 Tapiwa Mafura, 13 Henco van Wyk, 12 Richard Kriel, 11 Angelo Davids, 10 Lubabalo Dobela, 9 Nico Steyn, 8 WJ Steenkamp, 7 Ruan Venter, 6 Jarod Cairns, 5 Ruan Delport, 4 Dylan Sjoblom, 3 Asenathi Ntlabakanye, 2 Franco Marais, 1 SJ Kotze.
Replacements: 16 Morné Brandon, 17 Heiko Pohlmann, 18 RF Schoeman, 19 Darrien Landsberg, 20 Renzo du Plessis, 21 Haashim Pead, 22 Sam Francis, 23 Rynhardt Jonker.
Referee: Fillipo Russo (Italy)
Assistant referees: Ben Breakspear (Wales), Lucas Yendle (Wales)
TMO: Stefano Roscini (Italy)
Connacht v Benetton
(The Sportsground, Galway – Kick-off: 19.4, 20.45 CEST, 18.45 GMT)
Prediction
@rugby365com: Connacht by seven points
Teams
Connacht: 15 Sean Naughton, 14 Chay Mullins, 13 Byron Ralston, 12 Cathal Forde, 11 Shayne Bolton, 10 Josh Ioane, 9 Caolin Blade, 8 Sean Jansen, 7 Shamus Hurley-Langton, 6 Paul Boyle (captain), 5 Josh Murphy, 4 Niall Murray, 3 Sam Illo, 2 Dylan Tierney-Martin, 1 Peter Dooley.
Replacements: 16 Dave Heffernan, 17 Jordan Duggan, 18 Fiachna Barrett, 19 David O’Connor, 20 Joe Joyce, 21 Ben Murphy, 22 Jack Carty, 23 Cian Prendergast.
Benetton: 15 Matt Gallagher, 14 Louis Lynagh, 13 Tommaso Menoncello, 12 Malakai Fekitoa, 11 Onisi Ratave, 10 Jacob Umaga, 9 Louis Werchon, 8 So’otala Fa’aso’o, 7 Michele Lamaro (captain), 6 Sebastian Negri, 5 Eli Snyman, 4 Niccolò Cannone, 3 Simone Ferrari, 2 Siua Maile, 1 Ivan Nemer.
Replacements: 16 Richie Asiata, 17 Mirco Spagnolo, 18 Tiziano Pasquali, 19 Riccardo Favretto, 20 Lorenzo Cannone, 21 Alessandro Garbisi, 22 Giuliano Avaca, 23 Paolo Odogwu.
Referee: Chris Allison (South Africa)
Assistant referees: Robbie Jenkinson (Ireland), Tómas O’Sullivan (Ireland)
TMO: Griffin Colby (South Africa)
@rugby365com
