URC, Round three - Teams and Predictions

PREVIEW: The Springboks might not be in action this weekend; however, there is no shortage of entertaining rugby hitting South Africa as we head into Round Three of the United Rugby Championship.

The URC takes another step up in intensity this weekend as the South African derbies takes centre stage.

Log-leaders the Sharks and third-placed Lions will be on the road to face the Stormers and Bulls in what promises to be a thrilling round.

The Sharks and Lions are currently unbeaten and will be eager to continue that form as they look to remain in the top four on the standings.

However, they will face challenging outings, as the Capetonians will enter the match highly motivated after suffering a narrow 13-17 defeat against Edinburgh in Scotland last week, while the team from Pretoria will look to bounce back from their 22-26 loss against Munster in Ireland.

The Bulls and Lions will kick off the action on Saturday at Loftus Versfeld at 13:30 (11:30 GMT), with the Jukskei Derby being followed directly by the Coastal Derby between the Stormers and Sharks at DHL Stadium at 16:00 (14:00 GMT).

Friday’s action sees Franco Smith’s Glasgow Warriors get the round underway against Connacht at Scotstoun Stadium, while the Dragons host the Ospreys at Rodney Parade.

The Ospreys will be looking to respond after their defeat to the Lions.

On Saturday, Zebre host Edinburgh at Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi, with the Scottish side riding high after their impressive victory over the Stormers.

Scarlets take on Benetton before a heavyweight Irish derby sees Ulster face Munster at the Affidea Stadium.

The defending champions will close out the weekend when they host Corniel van Zyl’s Cardiff at the Laya Arena.

Stats set to count little at Loftus?

The Jukskei Derby is expected to be a thriller – not only given the rivalry between the two Gauteng-based teams, but also the fact that both sides will be desperate to stay in the top half of the table early in the competition to give themselves the best possible chance of securing play-off places later in the season.

Spicing up the clash, the men from Pretoria are currently the best attacking team in the competition, with 69 points scored compared to 62 by the Johannesburgers, while they also boast a better defensive record, with 39 points conceded so far compared to 45 – statistics that will undoubtedly boost their confidence going into the clash.

However, the Bulls will not underestimate the Lions, who were in good form in South Africa last season, losing only one home game 60km away from Pretoria. They will also draw confidence from their 43-33 victory against Ivan van Rooyen’s team in a repeat of this match last year.

Johann Ackermann’s team managed to avenge that defeat in Johannesburg later in the season, registering a comprehensive 52-17 victory, which will set the scene for a gripping encounter.

Friend to foe in the Cape

The coastal clash between DHL Stormers and Sharks is expected to be equally intense. The Durbanites, second on the list of top-scoring teams with 67 points, are lining up against the best defensive side in the tournament, with the Capetonians having leaked only 32 points compared to 44 by the Durbanites.

This means the visitors, whose returning cohort of Springboks made an immediate impact last weekend, will have to be accurate in their execution to breach John Dobson’s team’s strong defensive line and ensure they come out on top in Cape Town and win their third successive match.

The Stormers will also be well aware that a victory would give them the big boost they need to close the gap between themselves and the Sharks in the standings and possibly leapfrog them if they were to come away with a bonus-point victory.

In addition to this, JP Pietersen’s side will be wary of the fact that the Stormers suffered only two defeats at home last season – one of which was against the Sharks. On the flip side, the fact that the Durbanites won both matches against them last season will see them enter the match with confidence.

To give the Sharks an extra edge, the team will again field a Bok heavy, which include Eben Etzebeth, Ethan Hooker, Andre Esterhuizen, Ox Nche just to name a few.

The Stormers will also welcome back a handful of Springboks, including Damian Willemse, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Cobus Reinach, Paul de Villiers, Wilco Louw and Deon Fourie, which will add to their armour going into the match.

URC backs breast Cancer Awareness month

The URC also announced that it will support Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October, with various initiatives being activated across the tournament. These include pink armbands being worn by match officials, pink on-field branding and campaign activity.

The initiative will have particular significance for the South African teams, who recently received the news that Aimee Barrett-Theron, one of the country’s regular URC match officials and one of the most experienced Test referees, is currently on a recovery journey after being diagnosed with breast cancer.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 9

Glasgow Warriors v Connacht

(Scotstoun Stadium, Glasgow – Kick-off: 19.45 IRE & UK; 18.45 GMT)

Prediction: 

Rugby365: Glasgow by 12 points

Teams:

Glasgow Warriors: 15 Josh McKay, 14 Kyle Rowe, 13 Ollie Smith, 12 Sione Tuipulotu (captain), 11 Fergus Watson, 10 Dan Lancaster, 9 Jamie Dobie, 8 Macenzzie Duncan, 7 Rory Darge, 6 Matt Fagerson, 5 Scott Cummings, 4 Max Williamson, 3 Fin Richardson, 2 Gregor Hiddleston, 1 Nathan McBeth
Replacements: 16 Seb Stephen, 17 Patrick Schickerling, 18 Sam Talakai, 19 Gregor Brown, 20 Jare Oguntibeju, 21 Ally Miller, 22 George Horne, 23 Bayley Kuenzle

Connacht: 15 Josh Ioane, 14 Shayne Bolton, 13 Bundee Aki, 12 Cathal Forde, 11 Mack Hansen, 10 Ciarán Frawley, 9 Caolin Blade, 8 Sean Jansen, 7 Paul Boyle, 6 Cian Prendergast (captain), 5 Niall Murray, 4 Darragh Murray, 3 Sam Illo, 2 Eoin de Buitléar, 1 Billy Bohan
Replacements: 16 Matthew Victory, 17 Francois van Wyk, 18 Finlay Bealham, 19 Josh Murphy, 20 Shamus Hurley-Langton, 21 Colm Reilly, 22 Sean Naughton, 23 Sam Gilbert

Referee: Ben Breakspear (Wales)
Assistant referees: Hollie Davidson (Scotland), Finlay Brown (Scotland)
TMO: Aled Griffiths (Wales)

Dragons RFC v Ospreys

(Rodney Parade, Newport – Kick-off: 19.45 IRE & UK; 18.45 GMT)

Prediction:

Rugby365: Dragons by five points

Teams:

Dragons: 15 Huw Anderson, 14 Rio Dyer, 13 Fetuli Paea, 12 Aneurin Owen, 11 Anzelo Tuitavuki, 10 Tinus de Beer, 9 Che Hope, 8 Harri Keddie, 7 Harry Beddall, 6 Shane Lewis-Hughes, 5 Ben Carter (captain), 4 Seb Davies, 3 Robert Hunt, 2 Elliot Dee, 1 Rodrigo Martinez
Replacements: 16 Brodie Coghlan, 17 Rhodri Jones, 18 Chris Coleman, 19 Barny Langton-Cryer, 20 Thomas Young, 21 Rhodri Williams, 22 Angus O’Brien, 23 Fine Inisi

Ospreys: 15 Tom Rogers, 14 Marika Koroibete, 13 Evardi Boshoff, 12 Keiran Williams, 11 Keelan Giles, 10 Dan Edwards, 9 Kieran Hardy, 8 Morgan Morris, 7 Ross Moriarty, 6 Liam Wright, 5 Ryan Smith, 4 Rhys Davies, 3 Tom Botha, 2 Sam Parry (captain), 1 Gareth Thomas
Replacements: 16 Efan Daniel, 17 Steffan Thomas, 18 Rhys Henry, 19 Lewis Jones, 20 Morgan Morse, 21 Reuben Morgan Williams, 22 Lawson Creighton, 23 Lalakai Foketi

Referee: Robbie Jenkinson (Ireland)
Assistant referees: Ben Whitehouse (Wales), Amber Stamp-Dunstan (Wales)
TMO: Olly Hodges (Ireland)

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 10

Bulls v Lions

(Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria – Kick-off: 13.30 SAST; 11.30 GMT)

Prediction: 

Rugby365: Bulls by seven points

Teams: 

Bulls: 15 Willie le Roux, 14 Canan Moodie, 13 Stedman Gans, 12 Harold Vorster, 11 Sebastian de Klerk, 10 Curwin Bosch, 9 Paul de Wet, 8 Cameron Hanekom, 7 Hanro Liebenberg (captain), 6 Jeandre Rudolph, 5 JF van Heerden, 4 Ruan Vermaak, 3 Francois Klopper, 2 Johan Grobbelaar, 1 Gerhard Steenekamp
Replacements: 16 Marco van Staden, 17 Alu Tshakweni, 18 Khutha Mchunu, 19 Cobus Wiese, 20 Elrigh Louw, 21 Keagan Johannes, 22 Handre Pollard, 23 Cheswill Jooste

Lions: 15 Quan Horn, 14 Kelly Mpeku, 13 Ethan Adams, 12 Henco van Wyk, 11 Richard Kriel, 10 Chris Smith, 9 Morne van den Berg, 8 Francke Horne (captain), 7 Siba Qoma, 6 JC Pretorius, 5 Hyron Andrews, 4 Dylan Sjoblom, 3 Sebastian Lombard, 2 PJ Botha, 1 Boan Venter
Replacements: 16 Morne Brandon, 17 SJ Kotze, 18 RF Schoeman, 19 JP du Preez, 20 Batho Hlekani, 21 Siba Mahashe, 22 Nico Steyn, 23 Boeta Chamberlain.

Referee: Hanru van Rooyen (South Africa)
Assistant referees: Christopher Allison (South Africa), Jonathan Lottering (South Africa)
TMO: Aimee Barrett-Theron (South Africa)

Stormers v Sharks

(DHL Stadium, Cape Town – Kick-off: 16.00 SAST; 14.00 GMT)

Prediction: 

Rugby365: Stormers by nine points

Teams: 

Stormers: 15 Damian Willemse, 14 Seabelo Senatla, 13 Ruhan Nel (captain), 12 Jonathan Roche, 11 Leolin Zas, 10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, 9 Cobus Reinach, 8 Hacjivah Dayimani, 7 Siya Kolisi, 6 Paul de Villiers, 5 JD Schickerling, 4 Adré Smith, 3 Wilco Louw, 2 André-Hugo Venter, 1 Ntuthuko Mchunu.
Replacements: 16 Deon Fourie, 17 Vernon Matongo, 18 Neethling Fouché, 19 Riley Norton, 20 Connor Evans, 21 Evan Roos, 22 Haashim Pead, 23 Wandisile Simelane.

Sharks: 15 Zekhethelo Siyaya, 14 Edwill van der Merwe, 13 Jurenzo Julius, 12 Andre Esterhuizen (captain), 11 Ethan Hooker, 10 Vusi Moyo, 9 Jaden Hendrikse, 8 Phepsi Buthelezi,7 Manu Tshituka, 6 Matt Romao, 5 Darrien Landsberg, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Thomas du Toit, 2 Eduan Swart,1 Ox Nche
Replacements: 16 Esethu Mnebelele, 17 Cameron Dawson, Vincent Koch, Jason Jenkins, Stephan Lewies, Nick Hatton, Ivan van Zyl, Gianni Lombard

Referee: Morné Ferreira (South Africa)
Assistant referees: Griffin Colby (South Africa), Stephan Geldenhuys (South Africa)
TMO: Quinton Immelman (South Africa)

Zebre Parma v Edinburgh

(Stadio Lanfranchi, Parma – Kick-off: 16.00 CEST; 15.00 IRE & UK; 14.00 GMT)

Prediction: 

Rugby365: Edinburgh by 15 points

Teams: 

Zebre: 15 Giovanni Montemauri, 14 Mirko Belloni, 13 Giulio Bertaccini, 12 Damiano Mazza, 11 Simone Gesi, 10 Giacomo Da Re, 9 Alessandro Fusco (captain), 8 Davide Ruggeri, 7 Samuele Locatelli, 6 Alessandro Ortombina, 5 Leonard Krumov, 4 Matteo Canali, 3 Juan Barbotti, 2 Tommaso Di Bartolomeo, 1 Sergio Pelliccioli
Replacements: 16 Francisco Minervino, 17 Federico Pisani, 18 Filippo Alongi, 19 Giacomo Ferrari, 20 Bautista Stavile, 21 Patricio Baronio, 22 Tommaso Allan, 23 Marco Zanon

Edinburgh: 15 Piers O’Conor, 14 Malelili Satala, 13 Matt Currie, 12 Mosese Tuipulotu, 11 Geordie Gwynn, 10 James Grayson, 9 Hector Patterson, 8 Magnus Bradbury, 7 Freddy Douglas, 6 Liam McConnell, 5 Glen Young, 4 Callum Hunter-Hill, 3 Ollie Blyth-Lafferty, 2 Ewan Ashman, 1 Pierre Schoeman
Replacements: 16 Harri Morris, 17 Jamie Stewart, 18 Paul Hill, 19 Marshall Sykes, 20 Tom Currie, 21 Conor McAlpine, 22 Cammy Scott, 23 Rory McHaffie

Referee: Adam Jones (Wales)
Assistant referees: Clara Munarini (Italy), Riccardo Angelucci (Italy)
TMO: Keith David (Wales)

Scarlets v Benetton

(Parc y Scarlets, Llanelli – Kick-off: 17.30 IRE & UK; 18.30 CEST; 16.30 GMT)

Prediction: 

Rugby365: Scarlets by five points

Teams: 

Scarlets: 15 Blair Murray, 14 Ellis Mee, 13 Eddie James, 12 Joe Hawkins, 11 Macs Page, 10 Sam Costelow, 9 Dane Blacker, 8 Osian Williams, 7 Josh Macleod, 6 Sam Lousi, 5 Alex Groves, 4 Will Evans, 3 Henry Thomas, 2 Ryan Elias, 1 Kemsley Mathias
Replacements: 16 John McKee, 17 Sam O’Connor, 18 Harri O’Connor 19 Harvey Cuckson, 20 Fletcher Anderson, 21 Gareth Davies, 22 Joe Roberts, 23 Johnny Williams

Benetton: 15 Matt Gallagher, 14 Louis Lynagh, 13 François Mey, 12 Leonardo Marin, 11 Onisi Ratave, 10 Jacob Umaga, 9 Alessandro Garbisi, 8 Michele Lamaro (captain), 7 Federico Ruzza, 6 Giulio Marini, 5 Mattia Midena, 4 Niccolò Cannone, 3 Giosué Zilocchi, 2 Siua Maile, 1 Mirco Spagnolo
Replacements: 16 Bautista Bernasconi, 17 Matias Medrano, 18 Simone Ferrari, 19 Sootala Fa’aso’o, 20 Jadin Kingi, 21 Louis Werchon, 22 Jean Smith, 23 Federico Zanandrea

Referee: Peter Martin (Ireland)
Assistant referees: Ben Connor (Wales), Marcus Caudle (Wales)
TMO: Leo Colgan (Ireland)

Ulster v Munster

(Affidea Stadium, Belfast – Kick-off: 17.30 IRE & UK; 16.30 GMT)

Prediction: 

Rugby365: Munster by three points

Teams: 

Ulster: 15 Ethan McIlroy, 14 Robert Baloucoune, 13 Jamie Benson, 12 Stuart McCloskey, 11 Jacob Stockdale, 10 Jack Murphy, 9 Nathan Doak, 8 Juarno Augustus, 7 Nick Timoney, 6 Cormac Izuchukwu, 5 Eli Snyman, 4 Ben Donnell, 3 Keynan Knox, 2 Tom Stewart (c), 1 Eric O’Sullivan
Replacements: 16 Henry Walker, 17 Tom O’Toole, 18 Tom McAllister, 19 James McNabney, 20 David McCann, 21 Matthew Devine, 22 Jake Flannery, 23 Chay Mullins

Munster: 15 Ben O’Connor, 14 Shane Daly, 13 Alex Nankivell, 12 Dan Kelly, 11 Seán O’Brien, 10 JJ Hanrahan, 9 Craig Casey, 8 Gavin Coombes, 7 Alex Kendellen, 6 Jack O’Donoghue, 5 Tadhg Beirne (c), 4 Evan O’Connell, 3 Kieran Brookes, 2 Marnus van der Merwe, 1 Jeremy Loughman
Replacements: 16 Diarmuid Barron, 17 Josh Wycherley, 18 Jack Aungier, 19 Tom Ahern, 20 Brian Gleeson, 21 Ben O’Donovan, 22 Charlie O’Shea, 23 John Hodnett

Referee: Craig Evans (Wales)
Assistant referees: Jack MacNeice (Ireland), Max Weston (Ireland)
TMO: Aled Griffiths (Wales)

Leinster v Cardiff

(Laya Arena, Dublin – Kick-off: 19.45 IRE & UK; 18.45 GMT)

Prediction: 

Rugby365: Leinster by 18 points

Teams: 

Leinster: 15 Hugo Keenan, 14 Joshua Kenny, 13 Garry Ringrose, 12 Jamie Osborne, 11 Jimmy O’Brien, 10 Sam Prendergast, 9 Oliver Coffey, 8 Jack Conan, 7 Scott Penny, 6 Max Deegan, 5 James Ryan, 4 Joe McCarthy, 3 Tadhg Furlong, 2 Dan Sheehan (captain), 1 Alex Usanov
Replacements: 16 Rónan Kelleher, 17 Peter Dooley, 18 Thomas Clarkson, 19 Alan Spicer, 20 Josh Ericson, 21 Fintan Gunne, 22 Caspar Gabriel, 23 Robbie Henshaw

Cardiff: 15 Matty Young, 14 Jacob Beetham, 13 Harri Millard, 12 Le Roux Malan, 11 Mason Grady, 10 Callum Sheedy, 9 Aled Davies, 8 Taulupe Faletau, 7 Dan Thomas, 6 Alex Mann, 5 Teddy Williams, 4 Josh McNally, 3 Javan Sebastian, 2 Liam Belcher (captain), 1 Danny Southworth
Replacements: 16 Evan Lloyd, 17 Rhys Barratt, 18 Sam Wainwright, 19 George Nott, 20 Semisi Paea, 21 Johan Mulder, 22 Jarrod Evans, 23 Steffan Emanuel

Referee: Sam Grove-White (Scotland)
Assistant referees: Keane Davison (Ireland), Jonathan Erskine (Ireland)
TMO: Andrew McMenemy (Scotland)