URC Round 3 Preview

Cardiff Rugby v Glasgow Warriors, 7.35pm, Friday

Entertainment will be the name of the game for Cardiff when they welcome the BKT URC champions to the Arms Park.

The Welsh side have made a flying start to the season, with bonus point victories over Zebre Parma and the Scarlets putting them second in the table.

They will be looking to continue those winning ways against Glasgow, while putting on the style in the process.

Centre Ben Thomas said: “We are in the entertainment business and that’s something we put a big focus on here, making sure we entertain our fans because that’s what keeps them coming back and ultimately pays the bills.

“We want to make sure our fans enjoy the experience and if that means playing a bit of exciting rugby that’s what we will do. That brand of rugby is in us as a group and as a club.

“We are very good when it’s a loose ball in transition, but it’s also about the basics, our kick chase or managing games in the last 20 minutes.”

Second row Teddy Williams added: “We definitely want to entertain the people who come and watch. There’s a lot to do in the city and we want to make sure people come back to watch us.

“I think most people would prefer to play that brand of rugby. It’s definitely more enjoyable and I think it suits us as well, it suits the players we have got.”

Giving the perspective from the visiting camp, Glasgow back row Matt Fagerson said: “Cardiff have always been a tough outfit at the Arms Park.

“They are very proud when they play at home and, from what I’ve seen from their first couple of games, they have got a bit of a spring in their step.

“They are playing much more expansive rugby this year and they have always had a bit of a physical edge, especially at home, so we are absolutely not taking them lightly.

“It should be a great occasion. You are in the middle of the capital of Wales. Cardiff is a fantastic place. They love their rugby there and the atmosphere is always great.

“Hopefully they can sell it out and have a great game under the Friday night lights.”

Cardiff have made just one change with Harri Millard coming in on the wing, but Glasgow show nine from their 42-10 victory over Benetton Rugby, along with three positional switches.

 

Scarlets v Connacht Rugby, 7.35pm, Friday

The Scarlets have been boosted by the return of Tongan Test second row Sam Lousi as they go in search of their first win of the season.

Giving his assessment of Connacht, coach Dwayne Peel said: “We know what their DNA is. They play with some good structure, some good shape, they play a lot with the ball in hand, they have power up front as well.

“They are going to be a difficult side to break down.

“We had an entertaining game against them out in Galway last year, so I’m not expecting anything different.

“It will be highly combative and I’m sure it will be a good game.

“You have got two highly competitive sides who want to compete and we are looking forward to the challenge.

“We need to make sure our speed of ball is quick enough at the breakdown and that we execute in the right areas.

“We are a team that wants to play with the ball.”

Having come from behind to beat the Sharks 36-30 last weekend, Connacht have been further boosted by the return of Ireland centre Bundee Aki, while fly-half Jack Carty also comes into the side.

Head coach Pete Wilkins says that midfield duo will bring “a wealth of experience and quality” for the trip to Llanelli.

Emirates Lions v Edinburgh Rugby, 12.45pm, Saturday

Former Springboks star Breyton Paulse has tipped the Lions to be the surprise packages of the BKT URC this season.

The team from Johannesburg have certainly made an impressive start to the campaign, playing some sparkling rugby during a 35-22 bonus point victory over Ulster.

Now they play host to Edinburgh, with 64-cap winger Paulse expecting big things from them.

“I think a team who is maybe going to surprise a few people will be the Lions,” he said.

“They punch right above their weight and those guys play for each other.

“It’s like the old days. It’s a bunch of guys who are good  friends and they get together and go out on the pitch.

“It’s all a question of whether they can get the consistency right. Last season, they were so good one week and so bad the next, but I just feel they have learned a lot and I do feel they are going to surprise a lot of the heavyweights of the URC.”

Edinburgh are looking for their first win of the season after two narrow defeats - 33-31 at home to Leinster and 22-16 away to the Bulls.

Lions skipper Francke Horn, who scored one of the five tries against Ulster, said: “It’s our last home game for a while, so we are really looking forward to putting in a good performance before we go on a three week tour.

“Obviously, Edinburgh narrowly lost against the Bulls, so they would feel they are in for the money this weekend.

“So it’s going to be a really tough, but exciting game.”

 

Vodacom Bulls v Ulster Rugby, 3pm, Saturday

Bulls boss Jake White heads into the meeting with Ulster encouraged by the winning mentality his team showed in their opening BKT URC fixture against Edinburgh.

They were pushed all the way by the Scottish side in Pretoria before eventually coming out on top 22-16.

“There’s no doubt that, a couple of years ago, we wouldn’t have been good enough, under that pressure, to win that game,” said White.

“We’ve struggled to beat Edinburgh in the last three years – it’s been tough games against them.

“They don’t give you lots of room, they don’t give you lots of space. They don’t allow you to run onto the ball and yet we still scored three tries and found a way to win.

“I’ve coached long enough to know there would be many teams who wouldn’t have won that game in the last 20 minutes.

“There was a lot to be chuffed about, a lot to be positive about. The things that didn’t work, I know we will be able to get those things right.”

For Ulster, it’s a second successive big test out in South Africa following last weekend’s 35-22 defeat to the Lions in Johannesburg.

Coach Richie Murphy described that game as “a difficult day at the office” but that he was happy to get four tries and a point out of it.

 

Dragons RFC v Hollywoodbets Sharks, 5.15pm, Saturday

After nine years with Gloucester in the English Premiership, new Dragons fly-half Lloyd Evans is excited by the new challenges facing him in the BKT URC.

The meeting with South Africa’s Sharks comes after games against Welsh (Ospreys) and Irish (Leinster) opposition in the opening two rounds of the multi-country league.

“In this competition, you are travelling to teams all over the place and lots of different styles,” said Evans.

“The Ospreys game and the Leinster game were completely different, different tempo, but it is exciting for me facing those different challenges.

“It’s been about getting time in the saddle and integrating into the team for me.”

Reflecting on last weekend’s 34-6 defeat to Leinster at the Aviva Stadium, he said: “We were proud of the effort for 50 or 60 minutes. We matched them physically and were in the game, but it tailed off towards the end.

“There were positives, but it was a tough one to take when you look at the score.

“We have a big home game now against the Sharks and we must target that. We need to go again.”

The Sharks will also be looking for a response having lost 36-30 to Connacht in Galway after letting a 27-7 lead slip away.

Benetton Rugby v Leinster Rugby, 5.15pm, Saturday

Ireland star Josh van der Flier says Leinster are “hungry and excited” and ready to give it “another big shot” in search of that elusive silverware.

They have now gone three seasons without winning a trophy, but they have certainly made an impressive start to the new campaign, recording bonus point victories over Edinburgh and the Dragons to top the table.

Flanker Van der Flier said: “It was obviously tough not to win anything last year because everyone wants to win. It means everything to everyone here in Leinster.

“But there is definitely a huge amount of excitement for the year ahead.

“We have a great coaching staff, a lot of great players and a lot of depth in our squad, so there’s no reason we can’t give it another big shot this year. We are in a great position. We are very hungry and excited for the year ahead.”

Giving his thoughts on the trip to Treviso, coach Jacques Nienaber said: “That’s going to be a tough challenge for us over there. They get a big chunk of their Italy squad back, so it will be a proper Test match vibe, I would say.”

Zebre Parma v DHL Stormers, 7.35pm, Saturday

After seeing his team all shook up in front of Elvis impersonators last weekend, Stormers coach John Dobson admits he is anxious taking on a Zebre team

who recorded a stunning 42-33 victory over Munster.

Dobson’s team suffered a chastening 37-24 Round 2 defeat to the Ospreys at the Brewery Field, where they led 13-3 at one point.

“It was certainly a disappointing result for us,” he said.

“They moved us to a club ground in Bridgend. It was tricky, it was windy.

“It was the world’s biggest Elvis impersonation festival that weekend, in Porthcawl, so there were a lot of Elvises at the game.

“The Ospreys are the best Welsh team, we were playing away on Saturday night in Bridgend watched by Elvis. It sounds like an excuse, but it was a disappointing outcome.

“We thought we had exorcised the ghosts of poor starts to the season in away games, but we clearly haven’t.

“They kicked a lot of contestables on to us and we were just a bit poor in that second half.

“Our lineouts were great, our scrums were great, our defence was good, but we just turned over too much ball and lost the contestable game.”

Reflecting on the challenge presented by buoyant Zebre, he said: “This is a hell of a long way from a gimme and that’s why I am anxious.

“They are young, Italian and fearless and a tough team to break down. It was a good Munster side they beat.

“You don’t want to play Zebre early on in the season, especially away from home, because they have still got hope and belief.

“Right now, they are on a ride and we are on a precipice.

“We didn’t get any points out of last Saturday, so if we lose to Zebre we will feel like we have a dagger to our throats.

“This is absolutely mission critical for us, otherwise we really are going to be under a lot of pressure. We need this one desperately.”

Munster Rugby v Ospreys, 7.35pm, Saturday

New skipper Tadhg Beirne says Munster have to right the wrongs and raise their standards after the shock defeat to Zebre.

The Irish province suffered their first loss against Italian opposition since 2013 as they leaked six tries in going down 42-33 in Parma.

They have now conceded 75 points in their first two URC matches following a 35-33 victory over Connacht in Round 1.

So it’s little surprise to hear Beirne say the focus has been on defence ahead of this weekend’s meeting with the Ospreys in Cork.

Reflecting on the loss to Zebre, the Ireland star forward said: “We know we didn’t perform well. Our standards weren’t good enough and it’s only natural people are going to criticise us when we play poorly.

“Our defence wasn’t up to scratch, nowhere near it really, which is very uncharacteristic of us, as we have had one of the best defences in the league over the last couple of years.

“We didn’t perform in that area against Connacht either,

so that has been the main topic of conversation this week - fixing a lot of what we did in defence.

“We weren’t physical enough and we were getting our roles wrong.

“At times, it probably was attitude in terms of wanting to be more psychical, at times it was detail in terms of how we defended, the way in which we leaked line breaks and stuff like that.

“We just gave soft tries away at the end of the day. It’s disappointing. It’s on us to fix that so it doesn’t happen again against the Ospreys.

“We know we have a lot to work on. It’s very much on us to get our performance better. It’s about fixing those wrongs and getting it right on Saturday.”

Ospreys coach Toby Booth praised his team’s “never-say-die attitude” after they came from 13-3 down to claim a 37-24 bonus point victory over the Stormers in Bridgend last weekend.

“It shows they are a tight group that cares about each other,” he said.

“It means you are going to finish strong and not go away. We showed we are a good team.”