URC Round 16 Preview

Cardiff Rugby v Munster Rugby, 7.35pm, Friday

James Botham says Cardiff will have to produce their best performance of the season to come out on top in their huge clash with play-off rivals Munster.

The Arms Park is set to be packed for the all-important meeting between sixth and seventh in the BKT URC table with just a point separating the two teams.

“It’s nice to be playing for something,” said Wales flanker Botham.

“It’s the first time since I’ve been here that we’ve been in the top eight at this stage of the season and I’ve been here since 2016. So it’s going to be a huge game.”

Looking at Munster, he said: 

“They are very good at the contact area. They hold up and slow ball down, which kind of suits their game.

“But they have got threats all across the board really.

“So it will be a case of us having to play the best we have played all season to get the five points.”

This will be Cardiff’s last home game of the campaign, with two fixtures out in South Africa to come in the final two rounds.

“The fans have been great all season,” said Botham.

“To give ourselves the best shot of the play-offs and also to finish on a high for the fans would be massive.

“As I say, I’ve been here nearly ten years now and it means everything. To have a chance of getting any sort of silverware would be amazing.

“So I can’t wait for the game and it will be interesting to see how it pans out.”

Echoing Botham, head coach Matt Sherratt added: “It has to be our best performance this season and I have said this to the players.

"It's a game with a lot riding on it, in a league that's incredibly tight and against a brilliant team full of internationals with massive history.

“Them being a point behind us in the table has probably sharpened their senses.”

Munster assistant coach Mossy Lawler commented: “We’re seventh in the table, we’ve three games left and two of them are at home. So, from our point of view, it’s what we can control. If we win our games, we stay in the top eight.”

The visitors have made seven changes from their narrow 16-13 home defeat to the Bulls in Round 15 with Gavin Coombes, Mike Haley, Calvin Nash and Craig Casey returning from injury/illness, while loosehead prop Michael Milne makes his debut after joining from Leinster on loan.

As for Cardiff, they welcome back second row Josh McNally who was away playing for the RAF against the Navy last weekend. He will be looking to celebrate having just signed a contract extension.

Glasgow Warriors v Vodacom Bulls, 7.35pm, Friday

Second hosts third at Scotstoun in what is set to be a titanic tussle.

Glasgow coach Franco Smith has made eight changes to the starting line-up from last weekend’s hard fought win away to Zebre, while Scotland lock Scott Cummings is back on duty for the first time since January.

Giving his thoughts, South African Smith said: “The Vodacom Bulls will pose an extremely physical test, one we know we will need to match across the field.

“Training this week has been fully focused on ensuring we display the best version of ourselves and we look forward to running out in front of what promises to be a sold-out Scotstoun.”

In the wake of last weekend’s win away to Munster, the visitors from Pretoria have moved skipper Ruan Nortje from lock to the back row, while Springboks star Willie Le Roux returns among the back division replacements.

It’s the Vodacom Bulls’ first meeting with Glasgow since they were beaten by them in last season’s grand final at Loftus Versfeld.

“We had an opportunity that we missed (on that occasion), but this game has nothing to do with revenge,” said their coach Jake White.

“It allows us now to play the same club that beat us and see how we do when playing against the champions. It is always nice to measure yourself against the winners of the competition.”

Zebre Parma v Edinburgh Rugby, 7.35pm, Friday

This fixture has been brought forward because Saturday will be a day of mourning in Italy, with the funeral of Pope Francis taking place in Rome.

Edinburgh welcome back Scotland internationals Darcy Graham and Hamish Watson as they look to respond to last weekend’s final play defeat at home to the Sharks.

Head coach Sean Everitt said: “This is a really important fixture for us as we look to bounce back. We know Zebre are a talented side and they’ve shown they can be very strong at home.

“It’s vital we go to Parma, put in another strong performance and maintain momentum as we enter the business end of the campaign. The return of Darcy and Hamish is a real boost.”

Zebre coach Massimo Brunello said: “We’ve lost a day of preparation, but that doesn’t scare us. I’m confident the boys will give their all. We'll try to build on the good performance against Glasgow. We want to be competitive.”

Ospreys v Dragons RFC, 3pm, Saturday

Wales star Dewi Lake admits the Ospreys have made it tough for themselves to make the play-offs, but says they will draw inspiration from what they achieved last season.

A year ago, they were given just a two per cent chance of finishing in the top eight going into Round 18, but overcame those odds to force their way in.

They are up against it once again this term following successive league defeats to the Scarlets and Cardiff, especially as they have to travel to South Africa for the final two rounds.

But hooker Lake insists they have not given up hope as they head into another derby clash - with the Dragons.

“We have made it tough for ourselves again with results not going our way in the last couple of league games,” he said.

“The top eight is our objective and we know we are probably looking at three wins from three to secure that.  There’s no hiding away from that. So that’s our goal, that’s our focus. Nothing is ever out of reach.

“That’s evident from how we snuck into the play-offs with the final game last year.”

As well as losing their last two matches in the league, the Ospreys also bowed out of the Challenge Cup this month, suffering a narrow quarter-final defeat to Lyon which was tough to take.

“We have gone through peaks and troughs over the last few weeks, but the disappointments add fuel to the fire,” said Lake.

“We know what we need to do to get into that final eight and extend our season and that’s given us a massive boost in motivation.”

Coach Mark Jones added: “We said we needed three out of four and now there’s only three left, so the maths is pretty simple, isn’t it?

“We have got another local rival this week and then we have got a great opportunity to go to South Africa on tour and get stuck into two tasty fixtures over there.

“There’s no reason why we can’t get three wins. We have been to South Africa and won before. The expectation is we are going to need to do it again, we are going to need to do it twice.”

Giving his take on the 13th-placed Ospreys, Dragons coach Filo Tiatia said: “They are a very good side. We beat them at Rodney Parade in the first game of the season, so they will be waiting for us.

“We are under no illusions about their DNA and what’s coming. They will be tough, but we are excited for it.”

Emirates Lions v Connacht Rugby, 3pm, Saturday

It’s must-win territory for both of these teams if they are to have any chance of forcing their way into the play-off mix.

They are down in 14th and 12th in the table respectively going into the Johannesburg clash, but still in with a mathematical chance of making the knock-out stage.

However, there is no room for error with both of them having gone through a rocky patch in the BKT URC.

The Emirates Lions have lost their last four league games, while their Irish guests have suffered three successive defeats.

However, Connacht did pick up two points last weekend in a dramatic 34-29 defeat to the Stormers in Cape Town where they had a final play try chalked off.

Coach Cullie Tucker said: “We weren’t given much of a chance by the media over here, but the boys put in a great shift.

“We have got some very good characters who announced themselves and told the people who they are. To score a try at the end to win the game and to have it chalked off is pretty frustrating.”

He continued: “We are in the land of physicality and the Lions are another very physical team, with a strong set-piece, while they have some fantastic individual rugby players.

“They will stretch us, they will test us and then you’ve got the altitude on top of that. It will be another incredibly tough test, but the boys are in good spirits and we are really looking forward to it.”

Scarlets v Leinster Rugby, 5.15pm, Saturday

Scarlets coach Dwayne Peel has been outlining what he believes it will take to beat the in-form team in world rugby.

That’s how he describes league leaders Leinster who have only lost once in all competitions this season.

Peel’s men have to become just the second side to beat them if they are to keep their play-off hopes alive.

“It’s going to be a big occasion against the team in the best form in world club rugby,” said the former Wales scrum-half.

“They are a fantastic side. They have won 20 out of 21 this season and you’ve seen how good they’ve been over the last few weeks.

“But I don’t see it as a daunting thing. It’s obviously going to be a massive challenge, but it’s also an opportunity for us to have a go at them and try and make them uneasy.

“You’ve got to try and upset the rhythm of their game and get in amongst them.”

In terms of how to break down Leinster’s notoriously mean defence, Peel said: “You’ve got to be brave and you’ve got to be bold. You have got to be smart as well.

“Their defensive set-up is very aggressive. They come off the line and they want to hit you behind the gain-line.

“They are very intense defensively. You look at their last two European games against Harlequins and Glasgow - two pretty efficient attacking sides - and they nilled them both.

“So you’ve got to play in the right areas, you’ve got to be accurate and you’ve got to be as physical as you can be.

“I want to see us show a bit of character and try and upset them the best we can. You want to test yourselves against the best and we are excited about it.”

On the play-off battle facing the ninth-placed Scarlets, Peel said: “It’s so congested between fifth and 11th, 12th.

“There’s a lot of rugby to be played, with sides playing each other, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it goes down to the last week.”

Adding the players’ perspective on the home showdown with Leinster, skipper Josh Macleod said: “The support has been great all season and hopefully we will have a decent turn-out. It’s a big game for us in the context of the league.”

DHL Stormers v Benetton Rugby, 5.15pm, Saturday

Stormers coach John Dobson is hoping the major scare at home to Connacht last weekend will serve as a timely wake-up call for his team.

It looked as though they were going to suffer a shock defeat when the visitors’ Argentine back three star Santiago Cordero touched down in the final play.

But the score was ruled out for obstruction in the build-up, meaning the Stormers held on to win 34-29.

“That was a helluva wake-up call. That performance won’t get us close to Benetton,” admitted Dobson.

“We all accept that. It was our worst defensive performance in years. Defensively we were very poor. We were horribly exposed.

“I thought we’d lost the game and, honestly, I thought we deserved to. We are not going to go far in this tournament if we defend like that.

“Either we change or we just go play three more home games and that’s going to be it.”

Ulster Rugby v Hollywoodbets Sharks, 7.35pm, Saturday

Ulster coach Richie Murphy has been giving his thoughts on just how many points he feels they need to make the play-offs.

After this weekend’s Belfast showdown with the fourth-placed Sharks, they then travel to two more top eight teams - Munster and Edinburgh - in the final rounds.

“It’s very hard to know what you need to get into the top eight, but 47, 48 points would probably do it,” said Murphy, whose team currently lie 10th, three points off the play-offs.

“We are on 37 at the moment, so we’d be pretty happy with 10 or 11 more points, whether that be three wins or picking up a couple of bonus points.

“It’s going to be very tight because a lot of the teams have to play against each other.

“We’ve got a difficult run-in, but it’s three finals in order to play another final after that and then we just keep moving on.”