URC, Round Seven - teams and predictions

SATURDAY PREVIEW: There is nothing more enticing than a South African derby to restart the United Rugby Championship.

The excitement of the November internationals and South Africa’s rise back to the #1 ranking success will not dissipate, as a large chunk of those Springboks will feature at Kings Park in Durban – where the Sharks host the Stormers.

Also on Saturday, the Bulls (currently third in the standings) and the Lions (fourth) will be looking to build on their strong starts to the competition when they face Connacht and Munster respectively in Ireland.

It is the Shark Tank where the focus will be.

Sharks coach John Plumtree said his biggest challenge is getting all the players on the same page – with some having been on a month-long break, which included a two-week holiday, and others returning from national duty.

“We would like to carry on from [41-24 demolition],” the Sharks coach told @rugby365com, adding: “You could see how well we progressed as a team from Glasgow [Warriors – a 28-24 win the week before] to Munster.

“You lose that momentum with a month-long break and they [some players] go play for the Springboks.”

He said they ‘simplified’ their training in the build-up to the Stormers face-off.

“We also needed to freshen them up mentally.

“That is key. There is a fine line between freshening them up and providing them with info [for the game].”

He added that they have made some plans for a dangerous Stormers team, but their focus remained on getting ‘everyone in the Sharks camp’ together.

“We know the Stormers’ threats,” he said, adding: “They also have a few injuries, but we know what threats they have in the backline.

“Up front, they also have some tough campaigners.”

The other telling factor is that the Sharks have never beaten the Stormers in the URC.

“From our side, that is unacceptable,” he said of a record in which a 22-all draw in their first meeting in the Trans-Hemisphere competition back on January 22 is the closest they have come.

The Stormers have won five in a row, including twice in Durban.

“We have a lot to prove and it is a home game.”

(Article continues below the Plumtree preview …)

Stormers Director of Rugby John Dobson admitted his team does not boast the star quality that the Sharks can put out, but they will not die wondering.

At least they have one advantage.

With a limited number of Springboks – only Manie Libbok was on tour – they had three weeks of cohesive preparation.

“After working together as a group for the last few weeks, we are aiming to rise to the challenge,” Dobson said.

“These South African derbies are always big occasions and this is a great opportunity for us to show what we are all about.”

Saturday’s trip to the Shark Tank is the start of a three-match series of domestic derbies – which will also see the Stormers host the Lions on Saturday, December 21 and the return match against the Sharks in Cape Town on December 28.

In between they have two challenging Champions Cup encounters – hosting European giants Toulon in Port Elizabeth on December 7 and then travel to London for a match against Harlequins at Twickenham Stoop a week later.

“We are going to have top stand up,” Dobson said, adding: “We have to get into them physically and put them under pressure.

“We are desperate and we have some nice plans.”

He said they will throw everything they have at the Sharks.

“I have a good feeling,” Dobson said, adding: “It is a good Stormers team, despite all the injuries – the likes of Steven Kitshoff, Frans Malherbe, Damian Willemse, Evan Roos and Deon Fourie.

“They haven’t beaten us in the URC, but there has to be a dollop of reality to that stat.

“There are several Springboks who have just come back from a tour and are sharp.”

Bok skipper Siya Kolisi, Aphelele Fassi, Vincent Koch, Jaden Hendrikse, Makazole Mapimpi, Lukhanyo Am, Ox Nche and Grant Esterhuizen are all in the Sharks’ matchday squad.

* The other two South African franchises are in Ireland – where the Bulls face Connacht in Galway and the Lions travel to Limerick to face Munster.

Bulls Director of Rugby Jake White admitted the trip to a wet and windy Sportsground in Galway – where the gusts are expected to be well beyond 50 kilometres per hour – is a steep hurdle.

“They will have the crowd behind them, then there is the wind factor and a 4-G pitch which we have not played on in a long time,” White said.

“These are all factors we have to account for.

“Playing Connacht in Connacht is a tough gig for any team.

“They are a team that is always in or near the top eight and they never give anything away.

“Playing away, wherever you play will always be difficult and this is an even more difficult place because of the conditions.

“Wind is a big factor here because of the way the stadium is situated and that influences the game strategy.”

It is also a venue where the Bulls have never won before, meaning experience and calm heads of players like Willie le Roux and Johan Goosen are going to be vital.

“That is why I am so glad to have Willie [le Roux] back with us this week,” he told @rugby365com, adding: “One thing he can do is control the game from the back.

“He will be massive for us tomorrow [Saturday].”

White added that winning the toss is going to be vital.

“We are not used to playing in these conditions,” White said, adding that the University of Cape Town’s ‘Green Mile’ home ground is the closest to the exposed pitch at Galway’s Sportsground.

“This is probably the one ground where you’ve got to win the toss.

“It is a bit like cricket in the sense that, at this ground, playing with the factors in your favour counts.”

Connacht Coach Pete Wilkins said the Bulls will be a ‘massive’ challenge.

“However, it is one we’re looking forward to,” Wilkins said.

“They’ve quality across the field and have that typical South African mix of strength in the forwards and speed in the backs.

“That said we’ve had a really positive few weeks since our last game and can welcome back a few players from injury and international duty, so we’re in a good spot overall.”

* The Lions will face a Munster team playing their first game since the departure of coach Graham Rowntree at the end of last month.

After only winning two of their first six URC fixtures, they are down in 12th in the table going into Round Seven and have a fair bit of ground to make up.

But it won’t be easy against the Lions, who have won four of their five games to lie in fourth spot.

Munster back row forward Jack O’Donoghue, who starts on the blindside flank, described it as ab “incredibly important” game.

“There is no secret where we sit in the table,” O’Donoghue said.

“We’ve worked hard on certain areas we needed to improve on and I hope this weekend we will be able to show we are heading in the right direction.

“The Lions are an incredible team.

“We know how deadly they are off unstructured attack, with the way they play off turnover ball, and they are a real threat around the breakdown.

“It’s going to be a really big challenge for us.

“We can’t dip our toe in, we have to dive straight into this next block of games and face it head-on.”

All the SATURDAY teams and predictions follow below …

Sharks v Stormers
(Kings Park, Durban – Kick-Off: 17.00; 15.00 GMT)

Prediction

@rugby365com: Sharks by nine points

Teams

Sharks: 15 Aphelele Fassi, 14 Ethan Hooker, 13 Lukhanyo Am, 12 Andre Esterhuizen, 11 Makazole Mapimpi, 10 Siya Masuku, 9 Jaden Hendrikse, 8 Siya Kolisi (captain), 7 Vincent Tsituka, 6 James Venter, 5 Gerbrandt Grobler, 4 Jason Jenkins, 3 Vincent Koch, 2 Dylan Richardson, 1 Ox Nche.
Replacements: 16 Ethan Bester, 17 Ntuthuko Mchunu, 18 Trevor Nyakane, 19 Corne Rahl, 20 Phepsi Buthelezi, 21 Emmanuel Tshituka, 22 Grant Williams, 23 Jordan Hendrikse.

Stormers: 15 Warrick Gelant, 14 Suleiman Hartzenberg, 13 Ruhan Nel, 12 Dan du Plessis (captain), 11 Leolin Zas, 10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, 9 Herschel Jantjies, 8 Marcel Theunissen, 7 Ben-Jason Dixon, 6 Dave Ewers, 5 Ruben van Heerden, 4 JD Schickerling, 3 Neethling Fouche, 2 Joseph Dweba, 1 Ali Vermaak.
Replacements: 16 Andre-Hugo Venter, 17 Brok Harris, 18 Sazi Sandi, 19 Adre Smith, 20 Keke Morabe, 21 Louw Nel, 22 Stefan Ungerer, 23 Manie Libbok.

Referee: Marius van der Westhuizen (South Africa)
Assistant referees: Christopher Allison (South Africa), Hanru van Rooyen (South Africa)
TMO: Marius Jonker (South Africa)

Cardiff v Dragons
(Arms Park, Cardiff – Kick-Off: 17.15; 17.15 GMT)

Prediction

@rugby365com: Cardiff by eight points

Teams

Cardiff: 15 Cam Winnett, 14 Josh Adams, 13 Rey Lee-Lo, 12 Ben Thomas (captain), 11 Harri Millard, 10 Callum Sheedy, 9 Aled Davies, 8 Alun Lawrence, 7 Thomas Young, 6 Ben Donnell, 5 Teddy Williams, 4 Josh McNally, 3 Keiron Assiratti, 2 Daf Hughes, 1 Ed Byrne.
Replacements: 16 Evan Lloyd, 17 Corey Domachowski, 18 Rhys Litterick, 19 Seb Davies, 20 Alex Mann, 21 Ellis Bevan, 22 Rory Jennings, 23 Gabriel Hamer-Webb.

Dragons: 15 Angus O’Brien (captain), 14 Rio Dyer, 13 Joe Westwood, 12 Aneurin Owen, 11 Jared Rosser, 10 Lloyd Evans, 9 Rhodri Williams, 8 Aaron Wainwright, 7 Taine Basham, 6 Shane Lewis-Hughes, 5 George Nott, 4 Matthew Screech, 3 Chris Coleman, 2 Brodie Coghlan, 1 Rodrigo Martinez.
Replacements: 16 James Benjamin, 17 Aki Seiuli, 18 Dmitri Arhip, 19 Joe Davies, 20 Ryan Woodman, 21 Morgan Lloyd, 22 Harry Wilson, 23 Huw Anderson.

Referee: Ben Whitehouse (Wales)
Assistant referees: Craig Evans (Wales), Mike English (Wales)
TMO: Aled Griffiths (Wales)

Connacht v Bulls
(Sportsground, Galway – Kick-Off: 17.30; 19.30 SA time; 17.30 GMT)

Prediction

@rugby365com: Connacht by three points

Teams

Connacht: 15 Shane Jennings, 14 Shayne Bolton, 13 Piers O’Conor, 12 Cathal Forde, 11 Santiago Cordero, 10 Jack Carty, 9 Ben Murphy, 8 Sean Jansen, 7 Conor Oliver, 6 Josh Murphy, 5 Niall Murray, 4 Joe Joyce (captain), 3 Jack Aungier, 2 Dave Heffernan, 1 Denis Buckley.
Replacements: 16 Dylan Tierney-Martin, 17 Jordan Duggan, 18 Sam Illo, 19 Darragh Murray, 20 Paul Boyle, 21 Caolin Blade, 22 David Hawkshaw, 23 Shamus Hurley-Langton.

Bulls: 15 Willie le Roux, 14 Canan Moodie, 13 David Kriel, 12 Harold Vorster, 11 Sebastian De Klerk, 10 Johan Goosen, 9 Embrose Papier, 8 Mpilo Gumede, 7 Cobus Wiese, 6 Marcell Coetzee (captain), 5 JF van Heerden, 4 Ruan Vermaak, 3 Francois Klopper, 2 Akker van der Merwe, 1 Alulutho Tshakweni.
Replacements: 16 Johan Grobbelaar, 17 Gerhard Steenekamp, 18 Mornay Smit, 19 Jannes Kirsten, 20 Cameron Hanekom, 21 Keagan Johannes, 22 Aphiwe Dyantyi, 23 Stedman Gans.

Referee: Mike Adamson (Scotland)
Assistant referees: Jonny Erskine (Ireland), Paul Haycock (Ireland)
TMO: David Sutherland (Scotland)

Munster v Lions
(Thomond Park, Limerick – Kick-Off: 19.35; 21.35 SA time; 19.35 GMT)

Prediction

@rugby365com: Lions by five points

Teams

Munster: 15 Mike Haley, 14 Shay McCarthy, 13 Tom Farrell, 12 Alex Nankivell, 11 Thaakir Abrahams, 10 Billy Burns, 9 Ethan Coughlan, 8 Gavin Coombes, 7 Alex Kendellen, 6 Jack O’Donoghue, 5 Fineen Wycherley, 4 Evan O’Connell, 3 John Ryan, 2 Diarmuid Barron (captain), 1 Dian Bleuler.
Replacements: 16 Niall Scannell, 17 Kieran Ryan, 18 Stephen Archer, 19 Ruadhán Quinn, 20 John Hodnett, 21 Paddy Patterson, 22 Tony Butler, 23 Shane Daly.

Lions: 15 Quan Horn, 14 Richard Kriel, 13 Henco van Wyk, 12 Marius Louw (captain), 11 Edwill van der Merwe, 10 Kade Wolhuter, 9 Morné van den Berg, 8 Francke Horn, 7 WJ Steenkamp, 6 Jarod Cairns, 5 Ruan Delport, 4 Ruben Schoeman, 3 Asenathi Ntlabakanye, 2 PJ Botha, 1 Juan Schoeman.
Replacements: 16 Franco Marais, 17 Morgan Naudé, 18 Conrad van Vuuren, 19 Reinhard Nothnagel, 20 JC Pretorius, 21 Sanele Nohamba, 22 Tapiwa Mafura, 23 Erich Cronje.

Referee: Adam Jones (Wales)
Assistant referees: Keane Davison (Ireland), Padraic Reidy (Ireland)
TMO: Keith David (Wales)

Zebre v Ospreys
(Stadio Lanfranchi, Parma – Kick-Off: 20.35; 19.35 IRE & UK; 19.35 GMT)

Prediction

@rugby365com: Zebre by six points

Teams

Zebre: 15 Geronimo Prisciantelli (captain), 14 Jacopo Trulla, 13 Giulio Bertaccini, 12 Enrico Lucchin, 11 Simone Gesi, 10 Giacomo Da Re, 9 Alessandro Fusco, 8 Giacomo Ferrari, 7 Bautista Stavile, 6 Rusiate Nasove, 5 Leonard Krumov, 4 Andrea Zambonin, 3 Ion Neculai, 2 Tommaso Di Bartolomeo, 1 Luca Rizzoli.
Replacements: 16 Luca Bigi, 17 Muhamed Hasa, 18 Matteo Nocera, 19 Matteo Canali, 20 Giovanni Licata, 21 Gonzalo Garcia, 22 Giovanni Montemauri, 23 Luca Morisi.

Ospreys: 15 Jack Walsh, 14 Dan Kasende, 13 Owen Watkin, 12 Keiran Williams, 11 Keelan Giles, 10 Owen Williams, 9 Kieran Hardy, 8 Morgan Morris (captain), 7 Justin Tipuric, 6 Harri Deaves, 5 Will Greatbanks, 4 James Fender, 3 Tom Botha, 2 Sam Parry, 1 Garyn Phillips.
Replacements: 16 Lewis Lloyd, 17 Steffan Thomas, 18 Ben Warren, 19 Lewis Jones, 20 Tristan Davies, 21 Luke Davies, 22 Iestyn Hopkins, 23 Max Nagy.

Referee: Ian Kenny (Ireland)
Assistant referees: Alex Frasson (Italy), Alberto Favaro (Italy)
TMO: Colin Brett (Ireland)

Edinburgh v Benetton
(Edinburgh Stadium – Kick-Off: 19.35; 20.35 Italian time; 19.35 GMT)

Prediction

@rugby365com: Edinburgh by five points

Teams

Edinburgh: 15 Wes Goosen, 14 Darcy Graham, 13 Matt Currie, 12 Mosese Tuipulotu, 11 Duhan van der Merwe, 10 Ross Thompson, 9 Ali Price, 8 Magnus Bradbury, 7 Ben Muncaster, 6 Jamie Ritchie, 5 Grant Gilchrist (captain), 4 Marshall Sykes, 3 Paul Hill, 2 Ewan Ashman, 1 Pierre Schoeman.
Replacements: 16 Patrick Harrison, 17 Boan Venter, 18 D’Arcy Rae, 19 Sam Skinner, 20 Freddy Douglas, 21 Ben Vellacott, 22 Ben Healy, 23 Ross McCann.

Benetton: 15 Rhyno Smith, 14 Ignacio Mendy, 13 Malakai Fekitoa, 12 Marco Zanon, 11 Paolo Odogwu, 10 Jacob Umaga, 9 Andy Uren, 8 Riccardo Favretto, 7 Toa Halafihi, 6 Alessandro Izekor, 5 Eli Snyman (captain), 4 Scott Scrafton, 3 Enzo Avaca, 2 Marco Manfredi, 1 Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro.
Replacements: 16 Agustin Creevy, 17 Destiny Aminu, 18 Tiziano Pasquali, 19 Jadin Kingi, 20 Simon Koroiyadi, 21 Lautaro Bazan Velez, 22 Leonardo Marin, 23 Louis Lynagh.

Referee: Ben Breakspear (Wales)
Assistant referees: Jonny Perriam (Scotland), Rob McDowell (Scotland)
TMO: Tom Spurrier (Wales)

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* Additional reporting by @URCOfficial