URC, Round Six - Teams and Predictions 

SATURDAY PREVIEW: Brace yourself, the United Rugby Championship is back, and Saturday’s action kicks off with a banger between the Bulls and Lions at Loftus Versfeld.

Bragging rights and, more importantly, log points are up for grabs between the Gauteng neighbours in the Jukskei derby.

The Bulls will be hopeful of hitting their early-season form, where they defeated the Ospreys and Leinster before stumbling against Glasgow Warriors in their last outing and suffering a defeat to Ulster two weeks prior.

The Lions, on the flip side, turned a poor start into a strong finish against Scarlets and Ulster heading into the November break and will want to build on that momentum to claim a rare win at Loftus Versfeld.

Lions head coach Ivan van Rooyen is upbeat about his side’s preparation during the November break, where hard work has been happening behind the scenes.

“We had a week off and then three weeks of hard work,” he said. “Some good work, some hard work. Physical work, Lions identity work. We feel we really had an exceptional three weeks.”

Reflecting on previous seasons, ‘Cash’ believes the team is better prepared going into the second block of the tournament, and there’s no greater test than against the Bulls at Loftus to kick off the stanza.

“Last year, a large part of the group didn’t get a rest. This time, we feel a lot better prepared for the second block, which traditionally we haven’t been that strong in.”

“We spoke about it quite a bit. We need to be a lot more consistent in the second block. There’s travel, rotation, all the local derbies – we were open and honest about it, and we need to be better.”

Bulls head coach Johan Ackermann said he expects a confident Lions team to arrive at Loftus Versfeld and that they’ll try to play the game at their desired tempo.

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“Obviously, I’ve been [coaching] on that side, and I know that their mindset would be that they’d feel that they can win this match.

“And rightfully so, any team must believe that they can win. They’ve played well before the break, so they’ll be confident.

“I feel that they’ll try and change the [game’s] intensity and try and play a fast game, so we must be ready for that.

“We also need to ensure that we match them physically because they’ll always come with physicality and move the ball around.”

In Parma, Zebre welcome Cardiff to the Stadio Lanfranchi in the hope of claiming their third victory in six attempts.

Cardiff enjoyed a solid start to the season, winning four games from their five attempts, but will be without their Welsh internationals who are on national duty against the Springboks.

Zebre head coach Massimo Brunello is hopeful that a reset after the international break and playing at home will hold an advantage for his team.

“It will do us good to restart at home for the next two rounds.

“We look forward to feeling the warmth of our fans again. It will be a tough challenge against a team currently fourth in the standings.

“The boys are ready and fired up. Those returning from international duty performed very well. We expect a high-intensity match.”

The big one of the weekend will be between the two unbeaten teams in the competition when Munster host the Stormers at Thomond Park.

The Stormers have an opportunity to create their own bit of history by recording an away win against the team that had their number in the tournament, winning four from five attempts, including the dramatic URC Final in 2023.

Stormers Director of Rugby John Dobson said that his team has evolved since last season and is optimistic about claiming their first scalp in Limerick.

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“Yeah, we have some history, haven’t we? The Munster team we played against, who we lost to in the [2023] Final, and they’ve stopped our unbeaten [home] record, obviously, were a different side,” Dobson told @Rugby365.

“They had Peter O’Mahony and Connor Murray, who formed part of a mean team, and we’ve got history with them, and we haven’t won here [in Limerick].

“We feel that [the previous] Stormers team weren’t quite as evolved as this team that came here.

“We’re more evolved and attuned to getting a win on the road.

“After the Ospreys game, we had five games straight on the road, one of them being Munster, which is one of the cathedrals of European rugby and then Bayonne away, where they also have an incredible home record.

“It’s going to test us to see how much we improved, but we’ve got no doubt that we’ve got a better understanding of how to win in these conditions.”

In the same timeslot, Sean Everitt’s Edinburgh face the Ospreys, who are without a host of players who are on Test duty for the clash against South Africa.

Everitt said that despite fielding a couple of younger players, there is a good blend of youth and experience to get the job done.

There is also a milestone for Ben Muncaster, who earns his 50th cap for the Scottish outfit.

“There is a good balance between youth and experience for the squad for this weekend, with a few of our younger guys getting an opportunity to shine in front of a big home crowd alongside our more experienced campaigners.

“Ospreys are a side that fight for everything, so we’ll need to bring a huge amount of energy to the game on Saturday night.

“Someone who always does that for us is Ben Muncaster, and I’m excited to see him run out for his 50th appearance for the club.”

Another vital clash will be between two struggling teams, with Connacht hosting the Sharks at the Dexcom Stadium in Galway.

Just one point separates the two teams, but the hosts have a game in hand.

Sharks head coach John Plumtree said that they’re expecting a physical Connacht side and that they’ll have to step up defensively to secure a win on the road.

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“They’re physical. They work hard for each other,” Plumtree told @Rugby365.

“They’re a typical Irish side who are very well organised, so it’s going to be tough to break them down.

“We rely on the work that we’ve done to get us across the line, but we know it’s going to be a tough match.

“Defensively, we’ve been doing well organised. They’ve got a guy like Josh Ioane, who is an excellent No.10 who has a good running, kicking and passing game, and everyone else knows their roles around him.

“Defensively, we will have to be good, and the pack set-piece wise will have to step up because we know it’s going to be physical up-front.”

Connacht head coach Stuart Lancaster said his team need to hit their straps starting with this fixture to turn their poor start to the season around.

“Tomorrow [Saturday] is the start of a really important block for us, as we build on the first four games and aim to set ourselves up for success come the end of the season.

“Like any South African side, the Sharks have a good mix of power up front and skill out wide, so we have to trust the processes we’ve worked on in the last few weeks, and feed off the support of the home crowd.

“We’ve a few injuries to contend with, but on the flipside, we can bring Sam Gilbert into the matchday squad for the first time.

“He has settled in well since his arrival, and his skillset and versatility in the backline will be a big asset for us.”

Running simultaneously with that clash is the one between the last-placed Scarlets and Franco Smith’s Glasgow Warriors.

Scarlets head coach Dwayne Peel said that this is the perfect opportunity to turn their fortunes around after suffering four losses in as many attempts thus far.

“It is the start of a massive block of matches for us and it is important we start picking up points.

“We are obviously disappointed with four losses from four, but I thought we took a step forward in South Africa, and we need to keep building momentum.

“Having leaders like Josh [Macleod] and Ryan [Elias] back is massive for us, and although we are missing a few backs, it allows some exciting young home-grown players in the squad. I’m excited to see how they go.”

Smith shared similar sentiments regarding his side’s upcoming fixtures to work their way up on the URC table and put themselves in contention for a home play-off come the end of the season

“We are looking forward to returning to URC action this weekend as we kick off an important block of fixtures over the next 10 weeks.

“The whole squad has worked hard over the last couple of weeks to put ourselves in the best possible position, as we know that the way we apply ourselves will be extremely important.

“We expect the Scarlets to be a tough test in front of a passionate home crowd, and we know that we must be at our best to overcome a challenging opponent.”

See below for Saturday’s teams and predictions!

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 29

Bulls v Lions
(Loftus Versfeld Stadium, Pretoria – Kick-off: 14.00; 12.00 GMT)

Prediction

@Rugby365: Lions by one point

Teams

Bulls: 15 Willie le Roux, 14 Sebastian de Klerk, 13 David Kriel, 12 Jan Serfontein, 11 Stavino Jacobs, 10 Keagan Johannes, 9 Embrose Papier, 8 Jj Theron, 7 Reinhardt Ludwig (captain), 6 Jeandre Rudolph, 5 JF van Heerden, 4 Jaco Grobberlaar , 3 Francois Klopper, 2 Akker van der Merwe, 1 Alu Tshakweni
Replacements: 16 Jean Else; 17 Sti Sithole; 18 Mornay Smith; 19 Cobus Wiese; 20 Elrigh Louw; 21 Paul de Wet; 22 Stedman Gans; 23 Cheswill Jooste.

Lions: 15 Quan Horn, 14 Kelly Mpeku, 13 Henco van Wyk, 12 Bronson Mills, 11 Eduan Keyter, 10 Chris Smith, 9 Nico Steyn, 8 Francke Horn (captain), 7 Ruan Venter, 6 Jarod Cairns, 5 Reinhard Nothnagel, 4 Etienne Oosthuizen, 3 RF Schoeman, 2 Franco Marai, 1 SJ Kotze.
Replacements: 16 Morne Brandon, 17 Edward Davids, 18 Conrad van Vuuren, 19 Darrien Landsberg, 20 Renzo du Plessis, 21 Sibabalo Qoma, 22 Haashim Pead, 23 Gianni Lombard

Referee: Aimee Barrett-Theron (South Africa)
Assistant referees: Griffin Colby (South Africa) and Sean Muller (South Africa)
TMO: Quinton Immelman (South Africa)

Zebre Parma v Cardiff
(Stadio Lanfranchi, Parma – Kick-off: 14.00; 13.00 IRE & UK time; 13.00 GMT)

Prediction

@Rugby365: Cardiff by 12 points

Teams

Zebre: 15 Lorenzo Pani, 14 Mirko Belloni, 13 Giulio Bertaccini, 12 Marco Zanon, 11 Simone Gesi, 10 Thomas Roger Farias, 9 Alessandro Fusco, 8 Giovanni Licata (captain), 7 Samuele Locatelli, 6 Davide Ruggeri, 5 Leonard Krumov, 4 Alessandro Ortombina, 3 Matteo Nocera, 2 Tommaso Di Bartolomeo, 1 Muhamed Hasa
Replacements: 16 Giampiero Ribaldi, 17 Paolo Buonfiglio, 18 Juan Pitinari, 19 Giacomo Ferrari, 20 David Odiase, 21 Migael Prinsloo, 22 Giacomo Da Re, 23 Damiano Mazza

Cardiff: 15 Cam Winnett, 14 Mason Grady, 13 Harri Millard, 12 Steff Emanuel, 11 Tom Bowen, 10 Ioan Lloyd, 9 Aled Davies, 8 Alun Lawrence, 7 Dan Thomas, 6 Ben Donnell, 5 George Nott, 4 Josh McNally (captain), 3 Javan Sebastian, 2 Daf Hughes, 1 Rhys Barratt
Replacements: 16 Max Pearce, 17 Ioan Emanuel, 18 Sam Wainwright, 19 James Botham, 20 Taine Basham, 21 Ellis Bevan, 22 Harri Wilde, 23 Cornel Smit

Referee: Marius van der Westhuizen (South Africa)
Assistant referees: Russo Filippo (Italy) and Riccardo Angelucci (Italy)
TMO: Colin Brett (South Africa)

Munster v Stormers
(Thomond Park, Limerick – Kick-off: 17.30; 19.30 SA time; 17.30 GMT)

Prediction

@Rugby365: Munster by five points

Teams

Munster: 15 Shane Daly, 14 Diarmuid Kilgallen, 13 Tom Farrell, 12 Alex Nankivell, 11 Thaakir Abrahams, 10 Jack Crowley, 9 Craig Casey, 8 Gavin Coombes, 7 Jack O’Donoghue, 6 Tadhg Beirne (captain), 5 Fineen Wycherley, 4 Tom Ahern, 3 John Ryan, 2 Diarmuid Barron, 1 Jeremy Loughman
Replacements: 16 Niall Scannell, 17 Michael Milne, 18 Ronan Foxe, 19 Edwin Edogbo, 20 John Hodnett, 21 Ethan Coughlan, 22 Tony Butler, 23 Dan Kelly

Stormers: 15 Warrick Gelant, 14 Dylan Maart, 13 Wandisile Simelane, 12 Ruhan Nel, 11 Leolin Zas, 10 Jurie Matthee, 9 Stefan Ungerer, 8 Evan Roos, 7 Marcel Theunissen, 6 Paul de Villiers, 5 Connor Evans, 4 Salmaan Moerat (captain), 3 Neethling Fouché, 2 André-Hugo Venter, 1 Vernon Matongo.
Replacements: 16 JJ Kotzé, 17 Oli Kebble, 18 Sazi Sandi, 19 Adré Smith, 20 JD Schickerling, 21 Ruan Ackermann, 22 Dewaldt Duvenage, 23 Clinton Swart.

Referee: Andrea Piardi (Italy)
Assistant referees: Andrew Cole (Ireland) and Andrew Fogarty (Ireland)
TMO: Matteo Liperini (Italy)

Edinburgh v Ospreys
(Hive Stadium, Edinburgh – Kick-off: 17.30; 17.30 GMT)

Prediction

@Rugby365: Edinburgh by 15 points

Teams

Edinburgh: 15 Wes Goosen, 14 Lewis Wells, 13 Piers O’Conor, 12 Findlay Thomson, 11 Duhan van der Merwe, 10 Ross Thompson, 9 Ben Vellacott, 8 Tom Currie, 7 Ben Muncaster, 6 Liam McConnell, 5 Grant Gilchrist (captain), 4 Callum Hunter-Hill, 3 Paul Hill, 2 Harri Morris, 1 Pierre Schoeman
Replacements: 16 Dylan Richardson, 17 Boan Venter, 18 Ollie Blyth-Lafferty, 19 Marshall Sykes, 20 Magnus Bradbury, 21 Conor McAlpine, 22 Cammy Scott, 23 Harry Paterson

Ospreys: 15 Max Nagy, 14 Daniel Kasende, 13 Evardi Boshoff, 12 Phil Cokanasiga, 11 Iestyn Hopkins, 10 Jack Walsh (co-captain), 9 Luke Davies, 8 Ross Moriarty, 7 Gwilym Evans, 6 Lewis Lloyd, 5 Huw Sutton, 4 Ryan Smith, 3 Tom Botha, 2 Sam Parry (co-captain), 1 Cameron Jones
Replacements: 16 Efan Daniel, 17 Steffan Thomas, 18 Kian Hire, 19 Lewis Jones, 20 Will Greatbanks, 21 Scott Whitlock, 22 Luke Morgan, 23 Harri Houston

Referee: Peter Martin (Ireland)
Assistant referees: Finlay Brown (Scotland) and Ciaran Stark (Scotland)
TMO: Brian McNeice (Ireland)

Connacht v Sharks
(Dexcom Stadium, Galway – Kick-off: 19.45; 21.45 SA time; 19.45 GMT)

Prediction

@Rugby365: Sharks by three points

Teams

Connacht: 15 Sean Naughton, 14 Chay Mullins, 13 Hugh Gavin, 12 Cathal Forde, 11 Shayne Bolton, 10 Josh Ioane, 9 Ben Murphy, 8 Sean Jansen, 7 Paul Boyle (captain), 6 Josh Murphy, 5 Darragh Murray, 4 Niall Murray, 3 Jack Aungier, 2 Dave Heffernan, 1 Jordan Duggan
Replacements: 16 Eoin de Buitlear, 17 Denis Buckley, 18 Sam Illo, 19 David O’Connor, 20Sean O’Brien, 21 Matthew Devine, 22 Bundee Aki, 23 Sam Gilbert

Sharks: 15 Jordan Hendrikse, 14 Edwill van der Merwe, 13 Jurenzo Julius, 12 Francois Venter, 11 Makazole Mapimpi, 10 George Whitehead, 9 Jaden Hendriks, 8 Emmanuel Tshituka, 7 Vincent Tshituka (captain), 6 Matt Romao, 5 Marvin Orie, 4 Jason Jenkins, 3 Hanro Jacobs, 2 Fez Mbatha, 1 Phatu Ganyane.
Replacements: 16 Eduan Swart, 17 Lee-Marvin Mazibuko, 18 Mawande Mdanda, 19 Emile van Heerden, 20 Phepsi Buthelezi, 21 Grant Williams, 22 Le Roux Malan, 23 Hakeem Kunene

Referee: Ben Breakspear (Wales)
Assistant referees: Andrew Brace (Ireland) and Jack MacNeice (Ireland)
TMO: Keith David (Wales)

Scarlets v Glasgow Warriors
(Parc y Scarlets, Llanelli – Kick-off: 19.45; 19.45 GMT)

Prediction

@Rugby365: Glasgow Warriors by 20 points

Teams

Scarlets: 15 Jac Davies, 14 Iori Badham, 13 Macs Page, 12 Eddie James, 11 Tomi Lewis, 10 Sam Costelow, 9 Gareth Davies, 8 Fletcher Anderson, 7 Josh Macleod (captain), 6 Max Douglas, 5 Sam Lousi, 4 Jake Ball, 3 Archer Holz, 2 Ryan Elias,1 Kemsley Mathias
Replacements: 16 Marnus van der Merwe, 17 Sam O’Connor, 18 Henry Thomas, 19 Harvey Cuckson, 20 Dan Davis, 21 Dane Blacker, 22 Carwyn Leggatt-Jones, 23 Gabe McDonald

Glasgow Warriors: 15 Josh McKay, 14 Kyle Rowe, 13 Ollie Smith, 12 Stafford McDowall (captain), 11 Kerr Johnston, 10 Dan Lancaster, 9 Ben Afshar, 8 Macenzzie Duncan, 7 Angus Fraser, 6 Gregor Brown, 5 Jare Oguntibeju, 4 Alex Craig, 3 Patrick Schickerling, 2 Johnny Matthews, 1 Jamie Bhatti
Replacements: 16 Gregor Hiddleston, 17 Nathan McBeth, 18 Sam Talakai, 19 Max Williamson, 20 Alex Samuel, 21 Ally Miller, 22 George Horne, 23 Adam Hastings

Referee: Chris Allison (South Africa)
Assistant referees: Ben Whitehouse (Wales) and Adam Jones (Wales)
TMO: Morne Ferreira (South Africa)