The teams for Round 9 fixtures of the Vodacom United Rugby Championship have been named with all details of match officials and broadcast information below.
TEAM NEWS HEADLINES
#SHAvOSP
- Makazole Mapimpi has returned to the club from Springbok duty and has been named on the wing
- Rhys Webb is set to captain the side, with backrower Will Hickey set to make his second start in succession for the Ospreys
#EDIvMUN
- Scotland internationalists return to Edinburgh Rugby – Mark Bennett, Blair Kinghorn, Pierre Schoemman, Darcy Graham, Duhan van der Merwe, Viliame Mata
- John Ryan starts on his 200th appearance for Munster province, becoming the 13th player to reach the landmark while Peter O’Mahony captains the sid
#STOvDRA
- First appearance of the season for DHL Stormers – Tristan Leyds, Ruhan Nel, Lee-Marvin Mazibuko and Deon Fourie. Mnombo Zwelendaba to make his debut off the bench.
- Seven changes for Dragons RFC, with Bradley Roberts returning from Wales duty
#ZEBvGLA
- There are two debutants on the bench for Zebre Parma – Gonzalo Garcia and Kobus Van Wyk
- Glasgow Warriors make six changes from last weekend – Smith, Tuipulotu, Z Fagerson, Gray, Wilson, M Fagerson
#CONvBEN
- Mack Hansen has recovered from injury that he picked up on Ireland duty to line out for Connacht in tomorrow’s meeting with Benetton
- Dewaldt Duvenage captains Benetton
#BULvCAR
- Vodacom Bulls given a boost by the return of its Springbok players, as Marco Van Staden, Johan Goosen, Canan Moodie, Cornal Hendricks and Kurt-Lee Arendse return to the matchday 23
- Jason Harries will make his 50th appearance for the club as Cardiff
#LEIvULS
- Seven starters part of the Leinster XV that defeated Ulster earlier this season
- Ulster’s Ireland internationals return to action and Iain Henderson is back to lead the charge
#LIOvSCA
- Springbok Jaco Kriel returns to the Emirates Lions starting XV after a lengthy period on the sidelines
- Six changes to Scarlets starting XV – Sam Costelow returns at 10 and Vaea Fifta back in the side
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 2
Cell C Sharks v Ospreys
Hollywoodbets Kings Park, Durban – KO 17.10 IRE & UK / 18.10 ITA / 19.10 SA
Referee: Eoghan Cross (IRFU, 6th league game)
AR 1: Stephan Geldenhuys (SARU) AR 2: Griffin Colby (SARU)
TMO: Sam Grove-White (SRU)
Live on: SuperSport, BBC Wales, Viaplay, TG4, Discovery +, Premier Sports & URC.tv
Cell C Sharks: Boeta Chamberlain, Marnus Potgieter, Francois Venter, Ben Tapuai, Makazole Mapimpi, Curwin Bosch, Jaden Hendrikse, Ox Nche, Bongi Mbonambi, Carlu Sadie, Vincent Tshituka, Gerbrandt Grobler, Sikhumbuzo Notshe, Jeandre Labuschagne, Phepsi Buthelezi (CAPT)
Replacements : Dan Jooste, Ntuthuko Mchunu, Khutha Mchunu, Hyron Andrews, James Venter, Grant Williams, Nevaldo Fleurs, Rohan Janse van Rensburg
Ospreys: Max Nagy, Luke Morgan, Michael Collins, Tiaan Thomas-Wheeler, Keelan Giles, Jack Walsh, Rhys Webb (CAPT), Rhys Henry, Sam Parry, Tom Botha, Bradley Davies, Huw Sutton, Ethan Roots, Will Hickey, Morgan Morris
Replacements: Scott Baldwin, Garyn Phillips, Ben Warren, Jack Regan, Harri Deaves, Reuben Morgan-Williams, Luke Scully, Cai Evans
Ospreys Attack Coach Richard Fussell said: “We’re expecting a reaction from the Cell C Sharks after the Cardiff game. Whether it’s a change on the field or an attitude change from them, they’re going to come out all guns blazing. But we’re going to focus on ourselves, as we showed against the Bulls, when we get ourselves right we can be a formidable outfit.”
Edinburgh Rugby v Munster
The DAM Health Stadium, Edinburgh – KO 19.35 IRE & UK / 20.35 ITA / 21.35 SA
Referee: Mathieu Raynal (FFR, 3rd league game)
AR 1: Ian Kenny (SRU) AR 2: Ross Mabon (SRU)
TMO: Philippe Bonhoure (FFR)
Live on: Viaplay, TG4, SuperSport, Premier Sports, Discovery + & URC.tv
Edinburgh Rugby: Wes Goosen, Darcy Graham, Mark Bennett, Chris Dean, Duhan van der Merwe, Blair Kinghorn, Ben Vellacott, Pierre Schoeman, Paddy Harrison, Luan de Bruin, Jamie Hodgson, Grant Gilchrist (CO-CAPT), Jamie Ritchie (CO-CAPT), Luke Crosbie, Viliame Mata
Replacements: Tom Cruse, Boan Venter, WP Nel, Marshall Sykes, Nick Haining, Charlie Shiel, Jaco van der Walt, James Lang
Munster: Munster: Shane Daly; Calvin Nash, Antoine Frisch, Rory Scannell, Simon Zebo; Joey Carbery, Craig Casey; Jeremy Loughman, Niall Scannell, John Ryan; Jean Kleyn, Tadhg Beirne; Peter O’Mahony (CAPT), John Hodnett, Gavin Coombes.
Replacements: Diarmuid Barron, Josh Wycherley, Roman Salanoa, Jack O’Donoghue, Alex Kendellen, Paddy Patterson, Jack Crowley, Patrick Campbell.
Edinburgh Rugby Head Coach Mike Blair said: “First and foremost, this week has been really tough for all connected to Scottish rugby.
“Doddie was such a huge figure and the enormity of what he managed to achieve to raise both awareness and money in the fight against MND is unmeasurable – the thoughts of all of us at Edinburgh Rugby go out to his family, friends and former teammates.
“As a squad, we’ve spoken a lot about Doddie this week and what he stood for. It’s brilliant that we’re able to pay tribute to a real icon of Scottish rugby tomorrow night and it will be an emotional moment as we celebrate his life pre-match.
Munster Forwards Coach Andi Kyriacou said: “ Edinburgh have had a lot of success around their maul, and it’s something we have highlighted – we’ve had some good tests in that area from Ulster and South Africa – we feel that we are in a good position to face what’s coming at us on the weekend.”
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 3
DHL Stormers v Dragons RFC
Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Port Elizabeth – KO 12.00 IRE & UK / 13.00 ITA / 14.00 SA
Referee: Frank Murphy (IRFU, 70th league game)
AR 1: Aimee Barrett-Theron (SARU) AR 2: Christopher Allison (SARU)
TMO: Ben Blain (SRU)
Live on: SuperSport, S4C, Viaplay, Premier Sports & URC.tv
DHL Stormers: Clayton Blommetjies, Tristan Leyds, Ruhan Nel, Dan du Plessis, Leolin Zas, Manie Libbok, Herschel Jantjies, Kwenzo Blose, Joseph Dweba, Neethling Fouche, Salmaan Moerat (CAPT), Marvin Orie, Nama Xaba, Willie Engelbrecht, Hacjivah Dayimani
Replacements: JJ Kotze, Brok Harris, Lee-Marvin Mazibuko, Connor Evans, Deon Fourie, Paul de Wet, Kade Wolhuter, Mnombo Zwelendaba
Dragons RFC: Angus O’Brien, Sio Tomkinson, Steff Hughes, Max Clark, Jordan Williams, JJ Hanrahan, Rhodri Williams; Aki Seiuli, Bradley Roberts, Lloyd Fairbrother, Matthew Screech, Sean Lonsdale, Huw Taylor, Aaron Wainwright, Ross Moriarty (CAPT)
Replacements: James Benjamin, Josh Reynolds, Chris Coleman, Harri Keddie, Ben Fry, Lewis Jones, Will Reed, Aneurin Owen
DHL Stormers Head Coach John Dobson said: “We know that the people of Gqeberha have plenty of passion for our team, so we can’t wait to get out there and experience thE atmosphere at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium.
“There have been a number of changes and we are excited to see how the players coming in make an impact on Saturday,” he said.
Dragons RFC Head Coach Dai Flanagan said: “We are most certainly going up a level against the Stormers.”
“Their squad is very strong. They had a lot of development players in the side against the Scarlets, but it didn’t change the way they play.
“They have a DNA and they challenged the Scarlets a lot; they have line speed in defence and play a bit more with their back line than then opposition we faced last week.
“I’m sure they’ll have some internationals back this weekend because they go to Clermont after us and, if it was me, I’d want them involved.
“We are preparing for the very best Stormers team, and we have to be ready.”
Zebre Parma v Glasgow Warriors
Stadio Lanfranchi, Parma – KO 13.00 IRE & UK / 14.00 ITA / 15.00 SA
Referee: Tual Trainini (FFR, 2nd league game)
AR 1: Franco Rosella (FIR) AR 2: Gabriel Chirnoaga (FIR)
TMO: Eric Briquet-Campin (FFR)
Live on: Eurosport, Discovery + , Viaplay, SuperSport, Premier Sports & URC.tv
Zebre Parma: Lorenzo Pani , Pierre Bruno, Erich Cronjé, Enrico Lucchin, Simone Gesi, Geronimo Prisciantelli, Chris Cook, Luca Rizzoli, Marco Manfredi, Matteo Nocera, David Sisi (CAPT), Andrea Zambonin, Taina Fox-Matamua, Mj Pelser, Matt Kvesic
Replacements: Jacques Du Toit, Daniele Rimpelli, Ion Neculai, Jan Uys, Giacomo Ferrari, Gonzalo Garcia, Franco Smith Jr, Jacobus Van Wyk
Glasgow Warriors: Ollie Smith, Sebastian Cancelliere, Sione Tuipulotu, Stafford McDowall, Kyle Steyn (CAPT), Tom Jordan, George Horne; Oli Kebble, Fraser Brown, Zander Fagerson, Sintu Manjezi, Richie Gray, Ryan Wilson, Sione Vailanu, Matt Fagerson
Replacements: Johnny Matthews, Jamie Bhatti, Murphy Walker, JP du Preez, Lewis Bean, Gregor Brown, Jamie Dobie, Domingo Miotti
Zebre Parma Head Coach Fabio Roselli: “After more than a month since our last home game, we are looking forward to playing in the Lanfranchi Stadium and embracing our fans again. We are facing a dangerous team, coached by a head coach who knows our game and system well.”
“Glasgow Warriors have shown that they can set the pace of the game and score easily when they want to. They make the lineout their strong point and build several tries from this set piece. Once again, it is a good challenge for our forwards. We expect a marked improvement on defence, especially on the drive. We know how to put pressure on our opponents, especially with the scrum and our game identity.”
“Rain is currently forecast for tomorrow, but it will not be a factor for us. We are very happy and excited to finally see Garcia and Van Wyk performing on the field”.
Glasgow Warriors Head Coach Franco Smith said: “We’re looking forward to the challenge of Zebre tomorrow in Parma and we’re pleased to welcome back a number of internationals for it.
“Against Leinster we created a number of opportunities, however, we weren’t able to convert those into points.
“Tomorrow’s game is an opportunity for us to play our brand of rugby and showcase the hard work we have put in in training this week.”
Connacht v Benetton
The Sportsground, Galway – KO 15.15 IRE & UK / 16.15 ITA / 17.15 SA
Referee: Marius van der Westhuizen (SARU, 14th league game)
AR 1: Stuart Douglas (IRFU) AR 2: John Carvill (IRFU)
TMO: Mike Adamson (SRU)
Live on: RTÉ, Viaplay, Discovery +, Premier Sports, SuperSport & URC.tv
Connacht: John Porch, Diarmuid Kilgallen, Tom Farrell, Bundee Aki, Mack Hansen, Jack Carty (CAPT), Kieran Marmion, Denis Buckley, Dave Heffernan, Finlay Bealham, Oisín Dowling, Niall Murray, Cian Prendergast, Conor Oliver, Paul Boyle
Replacements: Dylan Tierney-Martin, Peter Dooley, Jack Aungier, Gavin Thornbury, Jarrad Butler, Caolin Blade, Tom Daly, Tiernan O’Halloran
Benetton: Rhyno Smith, Marcus Watson, Tommaso Menoncello, Marco Zanon, Edoardo Padovani, Jacob Umaga, Dewaldt Duvenage (CAPT), Ivan Nemer, Giacomo Nicotera, Filippo Alongi, Niccolò Cannone, Scott Scrafton, Manuel Zuliani, Michele Lamaro, Giovanni Pettinelli
Replacements: Lapo Frangini, Thomas Gallo, Nahuel Tetaz, Marco Lazzaroni, Alessandro Izekor, Alessandro Garbisi, Joaquin Riera, Ignacio Mendy
Connacht Director of Rugby Andy Friend says: “Last weekend was another frustrating performance for various reasons, and whilst our intent and attitude were excellent, the bottom line was that we didn’t deliver our best performance. That said, I was pleased with the way the players dug out a bonus point which could be crucial at the end of the season.
Tomorrow we’re back at the Sportsground against a very confident Benetton team. If we wish to be the victors at the end of 80 minutes, we must bring a level of energy and physicality that we know that we’re capable of for the full game. We are a team that is creating plenty of opportunities, we just need to be better at capitalising on those.”
Vodacom Bulls v Cardiff Rugby
Loftus Versfeld Stadium, Pretoria – KO 18.00 IRE & UK / 19.00 ITA / 20.00 SA
Referee: Sam Grove-White (SRU, 30th league game)
AR 1: Cwengile Jadezweni (SARU) AR 2: Griffin Colby (SARU)
TMO: Eoghan Cross (IRFU)
Live on: SuperSport, S4C, Viaplay, Discovery +, Premier Sports & URC.tv
Vodacom Bulls: Gerhard Steenekamp, Johan Grobbelaar, Mornay Smith, Ruan Vermaak, Ruan Nortje (CAPT), Marco Van Staden, Cyle Brink, Elrigh Louw, Zak Bruger, Johan Goosen, Canan Moodie, Harold Vorster, Cornal Hendricks, David Kriel, Kurt-Lee Arendse
Replacements: Jan-Hendrik Wessels, 17. Simphiwe Matanzima, 18. Francois Klopper, 19. Janko Swanepoel, 20. Nizaam Carr, 21. Embrose Papier, 22. Chris Smith, 23. Lionel Mapo
Cardiff Rugby: Cameron Winnett; Jason Harries, Mason Grady, Ben Thomas, Aled Summerhill; Jarrod Evans, Lloyd Williams; Rhys Carré, Kristian Dacey, Dmitri Arhip, Lopeti Timani, Seb Davies, Josh Turnbull (capt.), Thomas Young, James Botham
Replacements: Kirby Myhill, Corey Domachowski, Will Davies-King, Teddy Williams, Shane Lewis-Hughes, James Ratti, Ellis Bevan, Harri Millard
Vodacom Bulls Director of Rugby Jake White said: “It is nice to know that we have backup from the guys who have done national duty, guys who were part of that side that did so well at Twickenham. So, having our returning Boks has been great for us because they have brought about a positive vibe into the training environment and I find that important because it helps elevate our training tempo and helps improve everyone on the park.”
“We need to play well against Cardiff, a side that will be beaming with confidence having beaten both the Stormers and Sharks, two sides who have finished above them in the season gone, so they will be on a high knowing they have beaten two strong South African sides already” he added.
Cardiff Rugby Director of Rugby Dai Young said: “We were really pleased with our performance and result last week against the Sharks but this week presents an even greater challenge.
“The Vodacom Bulls are a formidable side, arguably the most physical of the South African outfits, they had a good win against the Ospreys and are home at Loftus Versfeld.
“We can take some confidence and momentum into the game but we are under no illusions of how big a challenge we face and we have to bring that same level of performance and intensity we saw last week.
Leinster v Ulster
RDS Arena, Dublin – KO 19.35 IRE & UK / 20.35 ITA / 21.35 SA
Referee: Christophe Ridley (RFU, 2nd league game)
AR 1: Oisin Quinn (IRFU) AR 2: Kieran Barry (IRFU)
TMO: Rowan Kitt (RFU)
Live on: TG4, Viaplay, SuperSport, Discovery +, Premier Sports & URC.tv
Leinster: Hugo Keenan, Jimmy O’Brien, Garry Ringrose (CAPT), Jamie Osborne, James Lowe, Ross Byrne, Jamison Gibson-Park, Cian Healy, Rónan Kelleher, Michael Ala’alatoa, James Ryan, Jason Jenkins, Ryan Baird, Josh van der Flier, Jack Conan
Replacements: Dan Sheehan, Andrew Porter, Tadhg Furlong, Ross Molony, Caelan Doris, Nick McCarthy, Charlie Tector, Liam Turner
Ulster: Michael Lowry, Ethan McIlroy, James Hume, Stuart McCloskey, Stewart Moore, Billy Burns, John Cooney, Andy Warwick, Tom Stewart, Marty Moore, Alan O’Connor, Kieran Treadwell, Iain Henderson (CAPT), Marcus Rea, Nick Timoney.
Replacements: Rob Herring, Callum Reid, Tom O’Toole, Sam Carter, Duane Vermeulen, Nathan Doak, Jacob Stockdale, Matty Rea.
Leinster Head Coach Leo Cullen said: “It’s a huge game! It’s what you want at this time of year. It’s a derby game leading into Europe, which is a nice lead-in and focuses the mind very quickly. We saw in the Munster and Connacht games – they are games of high-intensity and can be a bit chaotic.”
“Ulster are going well. They are very well organised, with a strong set piece game and a strong kicking game. It’ll be a good challenge for our side tomorrow.”
Head Coach, Dan McFarland, said: “We’ve four big games before Christmas, and the first one is against Leinster. I don’t think there’s a tougher task in club rugby. They have so many quality players, but it’s a challenge we absolutely relish.”
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 4
Emirates Lions v Scarlets
Emirates Airline Park, Johannesburg – KO 11.30 IRE & UK / 12.30 ITA / 13.30 SA
Referee: Ben Blain (SRU, 27th league game)
AR 1: Aimee Barrett-Theron (SARU) AR 2: Christopher Allison (SARU)
TMO: Frank Murphy (IRFU)
Live on: SuperSport, S4C, Viaplay, Discovery +, Premier Sports & URC.tv
Emirates Lions: Quan Horn, Rabz Maxwane, Henco van Wyk, Marius Louw, Edwill van der Merwe, Jordan Hendrikse, Sanele Nohamba, Sti Sithole, PJ Botha, Ruan Dreyer, Ruben Schoeman, Reinhard Nothnagel (CAPT), Jaco Kriel, Darrien Landsberg, Emmanuel Tshituka
Replacements: Jaco Visagie, JP Smith, Asenathi Ntlabakanye, Ruan Venter, Sibusiso Sangweni, Andre Warner, Gianni Lombard, Zander du Plessis
Scarlets: Johnny McNicholl, Tom Rogers, Jonathan Davies (CAPT), Scott Williams, Ryan Conbeer, Sam Costelow, Gareth Davies, Kemsley Mathias, Taylor Davies, WillGriff John, Sam Lousi, Vaea Fifita, Aaron Shingler, Dan Davis, Blade Thomson
Replacements: Shaun Evans, Phil Price, Javan Sebastian, Sione Kalamafoni, Tomás Lezana, Dane Blacker, Rhys Patchell, Steff Evans
Emirates Lions Coach Ivan Rooyen said: “We know Scarlets are a team who enjoy attacking and keeping ball in play. If you look at their game against the DHL Stormers last week, the last 15-20 minutes featured plenty attack from them which puts teams under huge defensive pressure. Reflecting on our fixture against them last year, we learnt huge defensive lessons and it’s something we’ve taken stock of ahead of Sunday.”
Scarlets head coach Dwayne Peel said: “It is going to be another big challenge. We need to manage the game and we have to cut out the errors because that will cost us. The Lions are a physical side, who want to play territory and put pressure on you. For us, we have to be bold, if you are not bold out here then it is a tough place to come.”
