URC Round 8 Preview

Ulster Rugby v Munster Rugby, 7.35pm, Friday

The opening game of the weekend sees an Irish interprovincial showdown between two sides looking to bounce back from Champions Cup disappointment.

Ulster lost both of their first two European group games against French opposition, going down 61-21 in Toulouse and then 40-19 at home to Bordeaux-Begles, while Munster suffered a frustrating 16-14 defeat away to Castres last weekend.

On the back of those results, they have both made changes going into the Kingspan Stadium clash which sees 10th host 11th, looking at the BKT URC table.

Ulster welcome back scrum-half John Cooney from a hamstring injury, while there are three alterations in the pack and a league debut for winger Zac Ward.

As for Munster, they have made no fewer than six changes, with the likes of Gavin Coombes, Tom Ahern, Shane Daly and Jack O’Donoghue drafted into the starting line-up, while Paddy Patterson takes over from the injured Craig Casey at scrum-half.

Benetton Rugby v Zebre Parma, Saturday, 1pm

A game taking place against the backdrop of the big news that Zebre have been put up for sale by the Italian Rugby Federation.

Potential buyers have until January 15 to signal their interest in purchasing the franchise, with requirements including a stadium with at least 5,000 seats, a sufficient financial budget and a commitment to align with the federation’s goals for competitive and commercial growth.

Given their reaction, BKT URC said: 

“We welcome the FIR’s invitation for greater investment into the franchise held by Zebre Parma and the ambition to increase the competitiveness of the Italian teams within the league.

“The BKT URC will provide its full support throughout this process to both Zebre and other interested parties to ensure the higher standards required by the FIR for the franchise align with the requirements of the league. This is viewed as a positive development for both the league and Italian rugby.”

It remains to be seen who will apply for the franchise and just what the future holds for the existing Parma-based club.

In the meantime, Zebre have the little matter of back-to-back Italian derbies to focus on, starting with this weekend’s trip to Treviso.

DHL Stormers v Emirates Lions, 1.45pm, Saturday

The Stormers are looking to dig themselves out of a hole as they go into their first South Africa derby of the URC campaign.

They are down in 13th in the table having won just two of their six league matches, while they have suffered Champions Cup defeats at home to Toulon (24-14) and away to Harlequins (53-16) over the past two weeks.

So they badly need the lift of a victory as they prepare to welcome the Lions to Cape Town.

Reflecting on the season so far, head coach John Dobson said: 

“We got ourselves into a hole with a tough URC start and an injury list like I’ve never seen in my career.”

He admitted it was a “very disappointing performance” against the ‘Quins at the Stoop last Saturday.

“We would’ve liked to have competed more and for the scoreline to be better and I think we could have if a couple things had gone our way, but we’ve got to look at ourselves,” he said.

“We pride ourselves on our defence, we think we’ve got one of the best in world club rugby, but Harlequins undid us there. We got well beaten.”

As for the Lions, they have had a fine season to date, winning five of their eight matches in all competitions and they head into the derby on the back of a six-try 43-35 victory over French club Pau in the Challenge Cup.

Hollywoodbets Sharks v Vodacom Bulls, 4pm, Saturday

There’s set to be a 35,000 sell-out at Kings Park in Durban for this second all-South Africa clash of the weekend.

Both teams go into the game in the wake of Champions Cup defeats, with the Sharks having lost 56-17 at Leicester last weekend and the Bulls going down to both Saracens and Northampton.

So they return to BKT URC action looking for a response.

The Sharks have been bolstered by the return of Springboks stars Siya Kolisi, Ox Nche, Makazole Mapimpi, Vincent Koch and Aphelele Fassi.

Another returning international, centre Andre Esterhuizen, commented: “Coming off a tough loss in the EPCR, bouncing back is our main priority.

“It's a north-south derby, that’s always been great to play in. Historically, playing the Bulls is always tough from a physicality point of view, so we’re bracing ourselves for a big challenge.

“Being at home is a massive boost. You have your own fans behind you, we have a sold out crowd, which we really appreciate. The fans have been showing up in numbers in the last few games and that’s been great for us.

“Having more fans in the stadium is what we want and that makes it easier for us when we play.”

Ospreys v Scarlets, 5.15pm, Saturday

The big story ahead of this west Wales derby in Swansea has been the departure of Ospreys head coach Toby Booth.

He was due to leave at the end of the season, but it was announced on Tuesday that he was departing with immediate effect.

That has seen Mark Jones take the helm, something the former Wales wing had not been expecting.

“I was really surprised when I got the call,” admitted Jones, who had not been due to step up from defensive duties into the top job until next season.

“The first thing that comes into your head is Toby, where he sits in it and his emotions because it’s tough and he’s given a lot to the region.

“His record speaks for itself. He has done a really good job and I have really enjoyed my time working with him.

“But then, as soon as those thoughts pass through your brain, you think about the people in front of you, the job you have got in your hands and the responsibility you have got to the badge.

“These things happen in professional sport. Things can get taken away from you very quickly both as a player and a coach. We know this is in our line of work.”

Scarlets head coach Dwayne Peel expects the events of this week to have a galvanising effect on the Ospreys.

“As you have seen many times when this happens, you can have a bit of a bounce or reaction of some sort,” he said.

"If you look at their squad of competitive international players, they will be up for this, so I am expecting it to be a tight battle.”

Scarlets centre Johnny Williams echoed these thoughts in terms of what he is anticipating from the Ospreys.

"I think they'll be revved up," he said. "When you go through tough times, I think it will only galvanise them and they'll come hard in that regard.

"They are at home as well and they've got a good record against us there. We are aware of that and we know we need to put that right."

The Scarlets haven’t won an away league game in Swansea for seven years, but they have been going well of late, with four victories in their last six matches in all competitions, while the Ospreys have only won three out of nine so far this term.

Summing up his thoughts, Peel said: "Derbies bring a different type of intensity. There is always an emotion to these games and a lot riding on it in terms of local bragging rights.

"There have been some games in Swansea where we’ve not been as good as we would have liked. This year we are determined to go there and do well."

 

Leinster Rugby v Connacht Rugby, 5.30pm, Saturday

It says much about Leinster’s ambitions for this season that they are still not satisfied despite having won nine out of nine in all competitions.

They followed up victories in their first seven URC matches - all but one of them with a bonus point - by beating Bristol and Clermont Auvergne in the Champions Cup.

But following the 15-7 win over Clermont at the Aviva Stadium last Saturday, head coach Leo Cullen commented: “We're not at the level we need to be if we want to be successful”.

Cullen’s assistant on the defensive front, Jacques Nienaber, has been expanding on the point during the week.

“I don’t think we were as good as we could have been against Clermont and the players know that,” said the World Cup-winning former Springbok coach.

“The Bristol performance was awesome. We were very happy with that. I don’t think the Clermont performance was up to that standard.

“In terms of the standards we set ourselves, we were disappointed with what we produced.”

As for Connacht, they will be buoyed by having recorded successive Challenge Cup victories at home to Zebre (43-12) and away to Perpignan (31-18)

Glasgow Warriors v Edinburgh Rugby, 3pm, Sunday

History will be made as club rugby comes to Glasgow's Hampden Park for the first time this weekend.

Around 24,000 tickets have been sold for the 1872 Cup first leg clash at the home of the Scotland football team.

The hope is the final attendance will be close to 28,000 which was the size of the crowd when rugby was last played at the venue - in November 2004, when Scotland lost 31-17 to Australia there.

Looking ahead to the ground-breaking fixture, Glasgow’s managing director Alastair Kellock said: “This is a massive moment in the history of not just our club, but rugby within our city.

“To be able to take one of our biggest games of the season to one of Scotland’s national stadia is a reflection of the journey that we have been on as a club, as we continue to grow the game in our city, the west of Scotland and Caledonia regions.”

Former Test second row Kellock continued: "To be able to take this fixture to Hampden is a reflection of the support upon which this club is built.

“We’re excited by the opportunity it presents, not only on the field but off it as well. We also hope to welcome a new audience that may otherwise not attend a Glasgow Warriors match, especially in the run-up to the festive holidays.

“I firmly believe we have earned the opportunity through our performances to show our club, our values and our players to a new audience on one of Scotland’s biggest stages. We know Glasgow is not just a football city - let’s show that to the world.”

Dragons RFC v Cardiff Rugby, 5.15pm, Thursday, December 26

Round 8 concludes with this Boxing Day east Wales derby.

It’s a rematch from Round 7 at the end of November when Cardiff recorded a 31-23 bonus point victory at the Arms Park.

That was their 19th successive league win over the Dragons who are looking to keep Filo Tiatia at the coaching helm for the rest of the season.