Round 15 URC Team Announcements
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FRIDAY, APRIL 18
Edinburgh Rugby v Hollywoodbets Sharks
Hive Stadium, Edinburgh – KO 19.35 IRE & UK / 20.35 ITA / 20.35 SA
Referee: Andrew Brace (IRFU, 102nd league game)
AR 1: Mike Adamson (SRU) AR 2: Jonny Perriam (SRU)
TMO: Brian McNeice (IRFU)
Live on: Premier Sports, SuperSport, Flo Rugby & URC.tv
Edinburgh Rugby: Wes Goosen, Harry Paterson Matt Currie, James Lang, Ross McCann, Ross Thompson, Ali Price, Pierre Schoeman, Ewan Ashman, D’arcy Rae, Sam Skinner, Grant Gilchrist (CAPT), Jamie Ritchie, Ben Muncaster, Magnus Bradbury
Replacements: Dave Cherry, Boan Venter, Angus Williams, Glen Young, Freddy Douglas, Charlie Shiel, Cammy Scott, Mosese Tuipulotu
Hollywoodbets Sharks: Aphelele Fassi, Ethan Hooker, Lukhanyo Am, Andre Esterhuizen, Makazole Mapimpi, Jordan Hendrikse, Jaden Hendrikse, Ox Nche, Bongi Mbonambi, Vincent Koch, Eben Etzebeth (CAPT), Emile van Heerden, Phepsi Buthelezi, Vincent Tshituka, Siya Kolisi
Replacements: Fez Mbatha, Ntuthuko Mchunu, Hanro Jacobs, Jason Jenkins, James Venter, Grant Williams, Siya Masuku, Jurenzo Julius
Edinburgh Rugby Head Coach Sean Everitt: “Tomorrow night is another exciting opportunity for this team, in part three of the ‘Biltong series’! [The third South African opponent in as many weeks]. The Lions and Bulls were stern tests and we know tomorrow night will be no different. We know they will have 12 springboks in their starting lineup and a few on the bench, so we know the challenge they will bring. We will have to will front up as we have in the previous two successful weeks.”
Hollywoodbets Sharks Head Coach John Plumtree said: “The squad is back to full strength for the first time since the game against Glasgow which is good, that was a long time ago, and hopefully we will keep all the bodies nice and healthy in the build-up to the finals. We’ve had good preparation, although we haven’t played for a couple of weeks, and we just want to have a good tour, try and set ourselves up for a home quarter and potentially a home semi if we win our next four games. But for now, our focus is to do well on this tour. Edinburgh is going to be a tough game, they’re in good form and their confidence will be really high, so we know it’s going to be a tough match.”
SATURDAY, APRIL 19
Emirates Lions v Benetton
Emirates Airline Park, Johannesburg – KO 12.45 IRE & UK / 13.45 ITA / 13.45 SA
Referee: Craig Evans (WRU, 65th league game)
AR 1: Griffin Colby (SARU) AR 2: Hanru van Rooyen (SARU)
TMO: Adam Jones (WRU)
Live on: SuperSport, Premier Sports, Flo Rugby & URC.tv
Emirates Lions: Quan Horn, Tapiwa Mafura, Rynhardt Jonker, Marius Louw, Edwill van der Merwe, Kade Wolhuter, Morne van den Berg, Juan Schoeman, PJ Botha, Asenathi Ntlabakanye, Ruben Schoeman, Darrien Landsberg, JC Pretorius, Ruan Venter, Francke Horn (CAPT)
Replacements: Jaco Visagie, SJ Kotze, RF Schoeman, Ruan Delport, Siba Qoma, Nico Steyn, Renzo du Plessis, Kelly Mpeku
Benetton: Leonardo Marin, Ignacio Mendy, Tommaso Menoncello, Ignacio Brex, Paolo Odogwu, Jacob Umaga, Alessandro Garbisi, Thomas Gallo, Bautista Bernasconi, Simone Ferrari, Niccolò Cannone, Federico Ruzza (CAPT), Riccardo Favretto, Manuel Zuliani, Lorenzo Cannone
Replacements: Siua Maile, Ivan Nemer, Giosuè Zilocchi, Scott Scrafton, Eli Snyman, Michele Lamaro, Andy Uren, Rhyno Smith
Benetton Head Coach Marco Bortolami said: “After the match against Castres, tomorrow's game represents a chance for redemption for us. It was important to recover our energy in view of the match against the Lions. We know their strengths and we will be ready to face them”
DHL Stormers v Connacht
DHL Stadium, Cape Town – KO 15.00 IRE & UK / 16.00 ITA / 16.00 SA
Referee: Sam Grove-White (SRU, 52nd league game)
AR 1: Cwengile Jadezweni (SARU) AR 2: Stephan Geldenhuys (SARU)
TMO: Hollie Davidson (SRU)
Live on: SuperSport, RTÉ, Premier Sports, Flo Rugby & URC.tv
DHL Stormers: Warrick Gelant, Suleiman Hartzenberg, Dan du Plessis, Damian Willemse, Seabelo Senatla, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Stefan Ungerer, Ali Vermaak, André-Hugo Venter, Sazi Sandi, Salmaan Moerat (CAPT), Ruben van Heerden, Paul de Villiers, Marcel Theunissen, Evan Roos
Replacements: JJ Kotze, Vernon Matongo, Brok Harris, JD Schickerling, Louw Nel, Deon Fourie, Paul de Wet, Ben Loader
Connacht: Piers O’Conor, Chay Mullins, David Hawkshaw, Cathal Forde, Shane Jennings, Jack Carty, Ben Murphy, Peter Dooley, Dylan Tierney-Martin, Finlay Bealham, Oisín Dowling, Darragh Murray, Cian Prendergast (CAPT), Conor Oliver, Paul Boyle
Replacements: Dave Heffernan, Jordan Duggan, Jack Aungier, Josh Murphy, Joe Joyce, Matthew Devine, Santiago Cordero, Sean Jansen
DHL Stormers Director of Rugby John Dobson said: "It has been more than two months since we played at home and we are really excited to see what this team can do on Saturday. We have got some key players back in the mix and the build-up has been good. We understand just how important this run of games is in the context of our season and will be going all-out to make our supporters proud."
Connacht Interim Head Coach Cullie Tucker said: "We've had a good first week in South Africa and are really excited by tomorrow's opportunity. We're only three points off the playoff spots and we've a clear idea of what we need to do to win and how we go about doing it. The Stormers are a very strong side, especially at home, so it's a massive task ahead of us but we're confident in our abilities."
Ospreys v Cardiff Rugby
Principality Stadium, Cardiff – KO 15.00 IRE & UK / 16.00 ITA / 16.00 SA
Referee: Ben Connor (WRU, 2nd league game)
AR 1: Ben Whitehouse (WRU) AR 2: Ben Breakspear (WRU)
TMO: Aled Griffiths (WRU)
Live on: BBC Wales, Premier Sports, SuperSport, Flo Rugby & URC.tv
Ospreys: Jack Walsh, Daniel Kasende, Evardi Boshoff, Keiran Williams, Keelan Giles, Dan Edwards, Reuben Morgan-Williams, Gareth Thomas, Sam Parry, Tom Botha, James Fender, James Ratti, Tristan Davies, Jac Morgan (CAPT), Morgan Morse
Replacements: Dewi Lake, Garyn Phillips, Ben Warren, Will Spencer, Lewis Lloyd, Kieran Hardy, Owen Williams, Iestyn Hopkins
Cardiff Rugby: Cam Winnett, Josh Adams, Harri Millard, Ben Thomas, Gabriel Hamer-Webb, Callum Sheedy, Johan Mulder, Corey Domachowski, Liam Belcher, Keiron Assiratti, Ben Donnell, Teddy Williams, Alex Mann, James Botham, Taulupe Faletau
Replacements: Evan Lloyd, Danny Southworth, Rhys Litterick, Rory Thornton, Alun Lawrence, Thomas Young, Aled Davies, Rory Jennings
Ospreys Head Coach Mark Jones said: This is a big fixture for us. We feel like we need to get some good points out of this game (to make the Top Eight) but first and foremost, we need to put in a good performance. We’re really excited by what’s on the line for both teams at Judgement Day, and by what a result could set up for the next three URC games that follow.”
Cardiff Rugby Head Coach Matt Sherratt said: “Judgement Day is always a great occasion. The Principality is the home of rugby in Wales and you have four Welsh teams, stacked with Welsh talent playing in one day. There’s an extra bit of spice this year because the league table is so tight. Ourselves, Ospreys and Scarlets are right in the fight for the top eight. We know each other pretty well and as with all derbies, it will be a one off occasion. But they are a quality team, who have added to their game through the season and have enjoyed some good form in recent weeks, so it will be a big challenge but it is one we are excited for.”
Munster v Vodacom Bulls
Thomond Park, Limerick – KO 17.15 IRE & UK / 18.15 ITA / 18.15 SA
Referee: Andrea Piardi (FIR, 51st league game)
AR 1: Andrew Cole (IRFU) AR 2: Sam Holt (IRFU)
TMO: Stefano Roscini (FIR)
Live on: RTÉ, Premier Sports, SuperSport, Flo Rugby & URC.tv
Munster: Thaakir Abrahams, Seán O’Brien, Tom Farrell, Alex Nankivell, Andrew Smith, Jack Crowley, Craig Casey, Josh Wycherley, Niall Scannell, Oli Jager, Jean Kleyn, Tadhg Beirne (CAPT), Tom Ahern, Peter O’Mahony, Alex Kendellen
Replacements: Lee Barron, Mark Donnelly, Stephen Archer, Fineen Wycherley, Jack O’Donoghue, Conor Murray, Diarmuid Kilgallen, Ruadhán Quinn
Vodacom Bulls: Devon Williams, Sebastian de Klerk, David Kriel, Harold Vorster, Canan Moodie, Johan Goosen, Embrose Papier, Jan-hendrik Wessels, Akker van der Merwe, Wilco Louw, Cobus Wiese, Ruan Nortje (CAPT), Marcell Coetzee, Jannes Kirsten, Cameron Hanekom
Replacements: Johann Grobbelaar, Simphiwe Matanzima, Mornay Smith, JF van Heerden, Nizaam Carr, Zak Burger, Keagan Johannes, Stravino Jacobs
Dragons RFC v Scarlets
Principality Stadium, Cardiff – KO 17.30 IRE & UK / 18.30 ITA / 18.30 SA
Referee: Aimee Barrett-Theron (SARU, 11th league game)
AR 1: Mike English (WRU) AR 2: Gwyn Morris (WRU)
TMO: Keith David (WRU)
Live on: S4C, Premier Sports, SuperSport, Flo Rugby & URC.tv
Dragons RFC: Ewan Rosser, Ashton Hewitt, Aneurin Owen (CAPT), Scott Williams, Jared Rosser, Angus O’Brien, Rhodri Williams, Dylan Kelleher-Griffiths, Elliot Dee, Paula Latu, Ben Carter, Ryan Woodman, Shane Lewis-Hughes, Taine Basham, Aaron Wainwright
Replacements: Brodie Coghlan, Rhodri Jones, Chris Coleman, Barny Langton-Cryer, Dan Lydiate, Dane Blacker, Will Reed, Joe Westwood
Scarlets : Blair Murray, Tom Rogers, Macs Page, Eddie James, Ellis Mee, Ioan Lloyd, Gareth Davies, Alec Hepburn, Marnus van der Merwe, Henry Thomas, Alex Craig, Sam Lousi, Vaea Fifita, Josh Macleod (CAPT), Taine Plumtree
Replacements : Ryan Elias, Sam O’Connor, Sam Wainwright, Jac Price, Jarrod Taylor, Archie Hughes, Joe Roberts, Ioan Nicholas
Dragons RFC Head Coach Filo Tiatia said: “Scarlets are a good side and I enjoyed watching both derby games (with Ospreys) back-to-back. We’ve had a good look at Scarlets, and we’ve had a reminder of New Year’s Day and some of the areas we weren’t great at, so we are better.”
“We have back-to-back derby games before we go to Africa. We have some big challenges coming up that we have got to embrace and look forward to.”
Scarlets Head Coach Dwayne Peel said: “It’s undoubtedly an important game in terms of our league ambitions. The Dragons will be ultra-competitive. They have some top operators and they will want to get amongst us. The fact that both games are important for league positions adds a bit of added spice to the Judgement Day occasion. For our younger players who haven’t played at the stadium before, it will be a special day for them and a great experience.”
Leinster v Ulster
Aviva Stadium, Dublin – KO 19.35 IRE & UK / 20.35 ITA / 20.35 SA
Referee: Gianluca Gnecchi (FIR, 38th league game)
AR 1: Andrew Fogarty (IRFU) AR 2: Tómas O’Sullivan (IRFU)
TMO: Stefano Penne (FIR)
Live on: TG4, Premier Sports, SuperSport, Flo Rugby & URC.tv
Leinster: Jamie Osborne, Tommy O’Brien, Garry Ringrose, Robbie Henshaw, Jimmy O’Brien, Ciarán Frawley, Luke McGrath (CAPT); Jack Boyle, Gus McCarthy, Thomas Clarkson, Joe McCarthy, Diarmuid Mangan, Alex Soroka, Scott Penny, James Culhane
Replacements: Dan Sheehan, Andrew Porter, Tadhg Furlong, RG Snyman, Max Deegan, Fintan Gunne, Sam Prendergast, Liam Turner
Ulster: Michael Lowry, Zac Ward, Jude Postlethwaite, Stuart McCloskey, Jacob Stockdale, Jack Murphy, Nathan Doak, Andrew Warwick, Rob Herring, Tom O’Toole, Alan O’Connor (CAPT), Cormac Izuchukwu, James McNabney, Nick Timoney, David McCann
Replacements: Tom Stewart, Callum Reid, Scott Wilson, Matthew Dalton, Kieran Treadwell, John Cooney, Stewart Moore, Matty Rea
Leinster Senior Coach Jacques Nienaber said: "Derby matches and Interprovincials are always big matches, and crunch matches, and it will be tough for us. We will have to flick the switch early in the week to get our heads off what happened in the European games and get fully focused for Ulster as they will come with everything they have and we expect nothing less."
Ulster Head Coach Richie Murphy said: “We are preparing to go down there and win the game. We have a clear plan and it’s up to us to see if we can implement that and put them under pressure.”
Zebre Parma v Glasgow Warriors
Stadio Lanfranchi, Parma – KO 19.35 IRE & UK / 20.35 ITA / 20.35 SA
Referee: Peter Martin (IRFU, 6th league game)
AR 1: Federico Vedovelli (FIR) AR 2: Riccardo Angelucci (FIR)
TMO: Mark Patton (IRFU)
Live on: Sky Italia, Premier Sports, SuperSport, Flo Rugby & URC.tv
Zebre Parma: Geronimo Prisciantelli, Jacopo Trulla, Fetuli Paea, Damiano Mazza, Simone Gesi, Giacomo Da Re, Alessandro Fusco, Danilo Fischetti (CAPT), Tommaso Di Bartolomeo, Muhamed Hasa, Matteo Canali, Leonard Krumov, Davide Ruggeri, Bautista Stavile, Giovanni Licata
Replacements: Luca Bigi, Paolo Buonfiglio, Juan Pitinari, Rusiate Nasove, Giacomo Ferrari, Gonzalo Garcia, Luca Morisi, Scott Gregory
Glasgow Warriors: Josh McKay, Sebastian Cancelliere, Ollie Smith, Stafford McDowall, Kyle Steyn (CAPT), Adam Hastings, Jamie Dobie; Jamie Bhatti, Gregor Hiddleston, Fin Richardson, Jare Oguntibeju, Alex Samuel, Euan Ferrie, Sione Vailanu, Jack Mann
Replacements: Johnny Matthews, Patrick Schickerling, Sam Talakai, Max Williamson, Rory Darge, Sean Kennedy, Tom Jordan, Facundo Cordero
Zebre Parma Head Coach Massimo Brunello said: “This weekend we’re up against the reigning champions, currently second in the standings. They’re a spectacular yet efficient team, whose main strength lies in their consistency. We’ll need to be very strong in defense, but also sharp in regaining possession, to limit their attacking opportunities. It’s going to take real solidity, especially in contact situations, to stop them from imposing their game."
Glasgow Warriors Head Coach Franco Smith said: “Zebre are a team that can hurt any team when presented with an opportunity, and we have seen the significant progress they have made across this season both in Parma and on the road. We are pleased to welcome Josh and Gregor back into our matchday squad, with both men having worked diligently with our medical and S&C teams to put themselves in the best shape possible. We know that there is little margin for error in a league as tightly contested as the URC, and we know we must be at our best tomorrow night.”
