URC Fixtures – Connacht, Leinster, Munster and Ulster starting teams

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We have the starting teams and the opposition for Connacht, Leinster, Munster, and Ulster on round 12 of the URC.
The teams for Friday night’s Round 12 fixtures of the BKT United Rugby Championship have been named with all details of match officials and broadcast information below.

TEAM NEWS HEADLINES

#GLAvCAR
Duncan Munn in line to make his Glasgow Warriors debut if called upon from the replacements
Cardiff Rugby have been boosted by the return of four Wales internationals to the match day squad
#OSPvMUN
Owen Watkin is named in Ospreys match day squad following his Guinness Six Nations campaign with Wales
Mike Haley makes his 100th appearance and 100th start for Munster

FRIDAY, MARCH 22

Glasgow Warriors v Cardiff Rugby
Scotstoun Stadium, Glasgow – KO 19.35 IRE & UK / 20.35 ITA / 21.35 SA
Referee: Frank Murphy (IRFU, 82nd league game)
AR 1: Mike Adamson (SRU) AR 2: Sam O’Neil (SRU)
TMO: Colin Stanley (IRFU)
Live on: Viaplay, SuperSport, Premier Sports, Flo Rugby & URC.tv

Glasgow Warriors: Josh McKay, Sebastian Cancelliere, Stafford McDowall, Tom Jordan, Kyle Steyn (CAPT), Duncan Weir, Jamie Dobie, Nathan McBeth, Johnny Matthews, Lucio Sordoni, Max Williamson, Alex Samuel, Euan Ferrie, Matt Fagerson, Jack Dempsey
Replacements: Gregor Hiddleston, Allan Dell, Oli Kebble, Sintu Manjezi, Ally Miller, Henco Venter, George Horne, Duncan Munn

Cardiff Rugby: Jacob Beetham, Mason Grady, Max Clark, Ben Thomas, Aled Summerhill, Timus de Beer, Ellis Bevan: Rhys Carré, Liam Belcher (CAPT), Will Davies-King, Shame Lewis-Hughes, Teddy Williams, Ben Donnell, Thomas Young, Mackenzie Martin
Replacements: Efan Daniel, Rhys Barratt, Ciaran Parker, Seb Davies, Ellis Jenkins, Matthew Aubrey, Willis Halaholo, Owen Lane

Glasgow Warriors Head Coach Franco Smith said: “Everyone is looking forward to being back at home tomorrow night. We know that we will need to be at our best tomorrow night – Cardiff will pose a strong challenge, with a powerful pack of forwards and some high-quality backs that will test us around the park. It is also an exciting opportunity for Duncan Munn to represent this club for the first time in a competitive match – he is a local boy proud to pull on the Glasgow shirt, and he has earned his place in the matchday squad.”

Cardiff Rugby Head Coach Matt Sherratt said: “It’s great to get a few of the Wales boys back and they have had a really positive impact in training this week. The intensity and quality of the sessions have been great and we are looking forward to a big challenge this weekend against Glasgow. They are one of the form teams in the competition. Franco Smith has done a good job there and you can see his traits in the team. They attack the short sides, they are good on the counter-attack, have some innovative strike plays and all of that is combined with one of the best defences in the BKT URC. So like I’ve said, it is a big challenge and it is crucial that we show the same kind of character and fight that we have shown at home. We have a period of games on the road now and it is a good opportunity to test ourselves with a number of players continuing to return to availability.”

Ospreys v Munster
Swansea.com Stadium, Swansea – KO 19.35 IRE & UK / 20.35 ITA / 21.35 SA
Referee: Hollie Davidson (SRU, 12th league game)
AR 1: Rhys Jones (WRU) AR 2: Carwyn Williams (WRU)
TMO: Sam Grove-White (SRU)
Live on: BBC Wales, TG4, Viaplay, SuperSport, Premier Sports, Flo Rugby & URC.tv

Ospreys: Iestyn Hopkins, Alex Cuthbert, Evardi Boshoff, Keiran Williams, Keelan Giles, Owen Williams, Reuben Morgan-Williams, Nicky Smith, Sam Parry, Tom Botha, James Ratti, Rhys Davies, Jeandre Rudolph, Justin Tipuric (CAPT), Morgan Morris
Replacements: Lewis Lloyd, Garyn Phillips, Rhys Henry, Huw Sutton, Harri Deaves, Cameron Jones, Jack Walsh, Owen Watkin

Munster: Mike Haley, Seán O’Brien, Antoine Frisch, Rory Scannell, Shane Daly, Joey Carbery, Craig Casey, Josh Wycherley, Niall Scannell, John Ryan; Tom Ahern, RG Snyman, John Hodnett, Alex Kendellen (CAPT), Gavin Coombes
Replacements: Eoghan Clarke, Jeremy Loughman, Stephen Archer, Jack O’Donoghue, Ruadhán Quinn, Ethan Coughlan, Tony Butler, Shay McCarthy

Ospreys Head Coach Toby Booth said: “Our home form has been good this season, continuing that is important in order for us to establish ourselves as competitors (for the top eight). Munster, as always, will provide a tough opposition so it’s important we start well and impose ourselves on the game as soon as we can.”

TEAM NEWS HEADLINES

#GLAvCAR

  • Duncan Munn in line to make his Glasgow Warriors debut if called upon from the replacements
  • Cardiff Rugby have been boosted by the return of four Wales internationals to the match day squad

#OSPvMUN

  • Owen Watkin is named in Ospreys match day squad following his Guinness Six Nations campaign with Wales
  • Mike Haley makes his 100th appearance and 100th start for Munster

#SHAvULS

  • Lukhanyo Am captains the Hollywoodbets Sharks
  • Iain Henderson captains the Ulster side as Tom O’Toole and Stuart McCloskey return from Ireland duties to start

#SCAvBEN

  • Six of Wales’ Guinness Six Nations squad return with Tom Rogers back from injury
  • Eli Snyman will captain the Benetton side

#STOvEDI

  • Salmaan Moerat captains the DHL Stormers on his first start after returning from injury
  • WP Nel makes his 200th appearance for Edinburgh Rugby with Jake Henry set to make his professional debut

#CONvLIO

  • Five changes to the Connacht side that beat Scarlets three weeks ago, with all of them coming in the pack – Denis Buckley, Tadgh McElroy, Joe Joyce, Conor Oliver and Sean O’Brien come into the side
  • Jaco Visagie set to make his 50th appearance for Emirates Lions if called upon from the replacements

#ZEBvLEI

  • Jacopo Trulla will make his 50th appearance for Zebre Parma
  • Ed Byrne set to make his 100th appearance for Leinster as academy duo Andrew Osborne and Diarmuid Mangan set to make their debuts

#DRAvBUL

  • Cai Evans returns to Dragons RFC starting XV while Wales international team-mates Elliot Dee and Aaron Wainwright are named on the bench
  • Ruan Nortje makes his 50th appearance for the Vodacom Bulls

FRIDAY, MARCH 22

Glasgow Warriors v Cardiff Rugby

Scotstoun Stadium, Glasgow  – KO 19.35 IRE & UK / 20.35 ITA / 21.35 SA

Referee: Frank Murphy (IRFU, 82nd league game)

AR 1: Mike Adamson (SRU) AR 2: Sam O’Neil (SRU)

TMO: Colin Stanley (IRFU)

Live on: Viaplay, SuperSport, Premier Sports, Flo Rugby& URC.tv

 

Glasgow Warriors: Josh McKay, Sebastian Cancelliere, Stafford McDowall, Tom Jordan, Kyle Steyn (CAPT), Duncan Weir, Jamie Dobie, Nathan McBeth, Johnny Matthews, Lucio Sordoni, Max Williamson, Alex Samuel, Euan Ferrie, Matt Fagerson, Jack Dempsey

Replacements: Gregor Hiddleston, Allan Dell, Oli Kebble, Sintu Manjezi, Ally Miller, Henco Venter, George Horne, Duncan Munn

 

Cardiff Rugby: Jacob Beetham, Mason Grady, Max Clark, Ben Thomas, Aled Summerhill, Timus de Beer, Ellis Bevan: Rhys Carré, Liam Belcher (CAPT), Will Davies-King, Shame Lewis-Hughes, Teddy Williams, Ben Donnell, Thomas Young, Mackenzie Martin

Replacements: Efan Daniel, Rhys Barratt, Ciaran Parker, Seb Davies, Ellis Jenkins, Matthew Aubrey, Willis Halaholo, Owen Lane

 

Glasgow Warriors Head Coach Franco Smith said: “Everyone is looking forward to being back at home tomorrow night. We know that we will need to be at our best tomorrow night – Cardiff will pose a strong challenge, with a powerful pack of forwards and some high-quality backs that will test us around the park. It is also an exciting opportunity for Duncan Munn to represent this club for the first time in a competitive match – he is a local boy proud to pull on the Glasgow shirt, and he has earned his place in the matchday squad.”

 

Cardiff Rugby Head Coach Matt Sherratt said: “It’s great to get a few of the Wales boys back and they have had a really positive impact in training this week. The intensity and quality of the sessions have been great and we are looking forward to a big challenge this weekend against Glasgow. They are one of the form teams in the competition. Franco Smith has done a good job there and you can see his traits in the team. They attack the short sides, they are good on the counter-attack, have some innovative strike plays and all of that is combined with one of the best defences in the BKT URC. So like I’ve said, it is a big challenge and it is crucial that we show the same kind of character and fight that we have shown at home. We have a period of games on the road now and it is a good opportunity to test ourselves with a number of players continuing to return to availability.”

 

Ospreys v Munster

Swansea.com Stadium, Swansea – KO 19.35 IRE & UK / 20.35 ITA / 21.35 SA

Referee: Hollie Davidson (SRU, 12th league game)

AR 1: Rhys Jones (WRU) AR 2: Carwyn Williams (WRU)

TMO: Sam Grove-White (SRU)

Live on: BBC Wales, TG4, Viaplay, SuperSport, Premier Sports, Flo Rugby & URC.tv

 

Ospreys: Iestyn Hopkins, Alex Cuthbert, Evardi Boshoff, Keiran Williams, Keelan Giles, Owen Williams, Reuben Morgan-Williams, Nicky Smith, Sam Parry, Tom Botha, James Ratti, Rhys Davies, Jeandre Rudolph, Justin Tipuric (CAPT), Morgan Morris

Replacements: Lewis Lloyd, Garyn Phillips, Rhys Henry, Huw Sutton, Harri Deaves, Cameron Jones, Jack Walsh, Owen Watkin

 

Munster: Mike Haley, Seán O’Brien, Antoine Frisch, Rory Scannell, Shane Daly, Joey Carbery, Craig Casey, Josh Wycherley, Niall Scannell, John Ryan; Tom Ahern, RG Snyman, John Hodnett, Alex Kendellen (CAPT), Gavin Coombes

Replacements: Eoghan Clarke, Jeremy Loughman, Stephen Archer, Jack O’Donoghue, Ruadhán Quinn, Ethan Coughlan, Tony Butler, Shay McCarthy

Ospreys Head Coach Toby Booth said: “Our home form has been good this season, continuing that is important in order for us to establish ourselves as competitors (for the top eight). Munster, as always, will provide a tough opposition so it’s important we start well and impose ourselves on the game as soon as we can.”

 

SATURDAY, MARCH 23

 

Hollywoodbets Sharks v Ulster

Hollywoodbets Kings Park, Durban – KO 13.00 IRE & UK / 14.00 ITA / 15.00 SA

Referee: Ben Whitehouse (WRU, 98th league game)

AR 1: Cwengile Jadezweni (SARU) AR 2: Griffin Colby (SARU)

TMO: Colin Brett (SRU)

Live on: SuperSport, Viaplay, Premier Sports, Flo Rugby& URC.tv

Hollywoodbets Sharks: Aphelele Fassi, Eduan Keyter, Lukhanyo Am (CAPT), Ethan Hooker, Makazole Mapimpi, Siya Masuka, Jaden Hendrikse, Ntuthuko Mchunu, Bongi Mbonambi, Hanro Jacobs, Eben Etzebeth, Gerbrandt Grobler, Phepsi Buthelezi, Vincent Tshituka, George Cronje

Replacements: Kerron van Vuuren, Ox Nche, Vincent Koch, Corne Rahl, Jeandre Labuschagne, Cameron Wright, Curwin Bosch, Francois Venter

 

Ulster: Will Addison, Ethan McIlroy, James Hume, Stuart McCloskey, Mike Lowry, Billy Burns, John Cooney, Steven Kitshoff, Tom Stewart, Tom O’Toole, Kieran Treadwell, Iain Henderson (CAPT), Harry Sheridan, David McCann, Nick Timoney

Replacements: John Andrew, Andrew Warwick, Scott Wilson, Cormac Izuchukwu, Matty Rea, Nathan Doak, Jude Postlethwaite, Sean Reffell

Scarlets v Benetton

Parc Y Scarlets, Llanelli – KO 15.00 IRE & UK / 16.00 ITA / 17.00 SA

Referee: Chris Busby (IRFU, 38th league game)

AR 1: Rhys Jones (WRU) AR 2: Elliot Mayor (WRU)

TMO: Frank Murphy (IRFU)

Live on: S4C, Viaplay, SuperSport, Premier Sports, Flo Rugby & URC.tv

 

Scarlets: Ioan Lloyd, Tom Rogers, Jonathan Davies, Johnny Williams, Tomi Lewis, Sam Costelow, Gareth Davies (CAPT), Kemsley Mathias, Shaun Evans, Harri O’Connor, Alex Craig, Sam Lousi, Teddy Leatherbarrow, Dan Davis, Vaea Fifita

Replacements: Eduan Swart, Wyn Jones, Sam Wainwright, Morgan Jones, Carwyn Tuipulotu, Kieran Hardy, Eddie James, Steff Evans

 

Benetton: Rhyno Smith, Ignacio Mendy, Malakai Fekitoa, Filippo Drago, Onisi Ratave, Jacob Umaga, Andy Uren, Federico Zani, Siua Maile, Simone Ferrari, Edoardo Iachizzi, Eli Snyman (CAPT), Alessandro Izekor, Toa Halafihi, Lorenzo Cannone

Replacements: Bautista Bernasconi, Ivan Nemer, Tiziano Pasquali, Riccardo Favretto, Manuel Zuliani, Alessandro Garbisi, Tomas Albornoz, Leonardo Marin

Scarlets Head Coach Dwayne Peel said: “We have five home games left out of seven this season. There are plenty of points to be played for. The boys are excited about this weekend, they are positive and looking forward to firing some shots. It is important we go out and play with a bit of style and how we know we can play. The fans want to see us trying to express ourselves and that is definitely what we want to do.”

Benetton Head Coach Marco Bortolami said: “Also for this week, the lineup is influenced by the fact that several players returning from their commitments with Italy in the Six Nations are rested. In any case, I believe that we had good preparation and the boys who were back and available trained very well; I’m happy with that. We’re going to Llanelli to play a match where it will be very important to have control of the game to put them in difficulty. We don’t know what the weather conditions will be yet, but it is very likely that it will rain. Therefore, everything we analysed after the games against Leinster and Glasgow, we will have to be good at bringing it onto the pitch tomorrow and being able to dominate the game.”

 

 

DHL Stormers v Edinburgh Rugby

DHL Stadium, Cape Town  – KO 15.05 IRE & UK / 16.05 ITA / 17.05 SA

Referee: Adam Jones (WRU, 34th league game)

AR 1: AJ Jacobs (SARU) AR 2: Hanru van Rooyen (SARU)

TMO: Sean Brickell (WRU)

Live on: SuperSport, Viaplay, Premier Sports, Flo Rugby& URC.tv

 

DHL Stormers: Damian Willemse, Suleiman Hartzenberg, Wandisile Simelane, Dan du Plessis, Leolin Zas, Manie Libbok, Paul de Wet, Brok Harris, Andre-Hugo Venter, Frans Malherbe, Salmaan Moerat (CAPT), Ruben van Heerden, Nama Xaba, Ben-Jason Dixon, Evan Roos

Replacements: Joseph Dweba, Lizo Gqoboka, Neethling Fouche, Connor Evans, Hacjivah Dayimani, Herschel Jantjies, Jurie Matthee, Ben Loader

 

Edinburgh Rugby: Emiliano Boffelli, Wes Goosen, Mark Bennett, Matt Currie, Jake Henry, Ben Healy, Ben Vellacott, (CAPT), Boan Venter, Dave Cherry, WP Nel, Jamie Hodgson, Sam Skinner, Ben Muncaster, Hamish Watson, Viliame Mata

Replacements: Paddy Harrison, Luan de Bruin, Javan Sebastian, Marshall Sykes, Tom Dodd, Charlie Shiel, Cammy Scott, Chris Dean

 

DHL Stormers Head Coach John Dobson said: “We have some serious players coming back into the mix and after over two months it will be fantastic to be back at DHL Stadium. There has been some good work put in over the last few weeks on the training ground and we are excited about seeing the results of that. We have some big games at home in this period, so it will be important for us to hit the ground running and build some momentum against what is an impressive Edinburgh side,”

 

Edinburgh Rugby Head Coach Sean Everitt said: “We’re delighted to see WP hit 200 appearances for the club. He’s an Edinburgh legend and it’ll be an extremely proud moment for him and his family when he takes to the pitch at DHL Stadium tomorrow evening. This team doesn’t need any added motivation, but I’ve got no doubt they’ll be playing with a bit of extra fire to make it a special day for WP. It’s brilliant to welcome back experienced, quality players like Sam [Skinner] and Ben [Healy] who are both real leaders for us on the park. We’re also very excited to see Jake [Henry] make his professional debut for the club. He has worked extremely hard to get back from injury and he really does deserve this opportunity. The boys have worked tirelessly since arriving in Cape Town at the start of the week and we’re raring to go for what is always a massive challenge at DHL Stadium.”

 

 

Connacht v Emirates Lions

Dexcom Stadium, Galway – KO 17.15 IRE & UK / 18.15 ITA / 19.15 SA

Referee: Craig Evans (WRU, 53rd league game)

AR 1: Robbie Jenkinson (IRFU) AR 2: Oisin Quinn (IRFU)

TMO: Wayne Davies (WRU)

Live on: RTÉ, SuperSport, Viaplay, Premier Sports, Flo Rugby & URC.tv

Connacht: Tiernan O’Halloran, Byron Ralston, David Hawkshaw, Cathal Forde, Andrew Smith, JJ Hanrahan, Caolin Blade (CAPT), Denis Buckley, Tadgh McElroy, Jack Aungier, Niall Murray, Joe Joyce, Cian Prendergast, Conor Oliver, Sean O’Brien

Replacements: Dave Heffernan, Jordan Duggan, Sam Illo, Darragh Murray, Shamus Hurley-Langton, Colm Reilly, Jack Carty, Paul Boyle

 

Emirates Lions: Quan Horn, Richard Kriel, Erich Cronje, Marius Louw (CAPT), Edwill van der Merwe, Jordan Hendrikse, Sanele Nohamba, JP Smith, PJ Botha, Asenathi Ntlabakanye, Etienne Oosthuizen, Reinhard Nothnagel, JC Pretorius, Emmanuel Tshituka, Francke Horn

Replacements: Jaco Visagie, Morgan Naude, Conraad van Vuuren, Darrien Landsberg, Izan Esterhuizen, Hanru Sirgel, Morne van den Berg, Stean Pienaar

Connacht Head Coach Pete Wilkins said: “Tomorrow marks the start of a huge block of games for us both in the BKT URC and EPCR Challenge Cup. We navigated through the Guinness Six Nations period with the two wins we needed, so now we want to build on that for the remainder of the season. The Emirates Lions are getting stronger with every year they’re in this competition, and they’re one of the strongest South African sides away from home. So we’re fully aware of the challenge ahead, and the need for us to be at the top of our game to get the win.”

Zebre Parma v Leinster

Stadio Lanfranchi, Parma– KO 19.35 IRE & UK / 20.35 ITA / 21.35 SA

Referee: Morne Ferreira (SARU, 8th league game)

AR 1: Andrea Piardi (FIR) AR 2: Dante D’Elia (FIR)

TMO: Marius Jonker (SARU)

Live on: Sky Italia, RTÉ, Viaplay, SuperSport, Premier Sports, Flo Rugby & URC.tv

 

Zebre Parma: Jacopo Trulla, Scott Gregory, Luca Morisi, Fetuli Paea, Simone Gesi, Geronimo Prisciantelli, Gonzalo Garcia, Muhamed Hasa, Giampietro Ribaldi, Juan Pitinari, David Sisi, Leonard Krumov, Davide Ruggeri, Iacopo Bianchi, Giovanni Licata (CAPT)

Replacements: Tommaso Di Bartolomeo, Luca Rizzoli, Riccardo Genovese, Matteo Canali, Josh Kaifa, Alessandro Fusco, Damiano Mazza, Pierre Bruno

 

Leinster: Ciarán Frawley, Rob Russell, Liam Turner, Jamie Osborne, Andrew Osborne, Ross Byrne, Luke McGrath, Ed Byrne, Lee Barron, Thomas Clarkson, Ross Molony, Jason Jenkins, Will Connors, Scott Penny (CAPT),  Max Deegan

Replacements: John McKee, Michael Milne,  Michael Ala’alatoa,  Brian Deeny,  Diarmuid Mangan, Fintan Gunne, Sam Prendergast, Henry McErlean

 

Zebre Parma Head Coach Fabio Roselli said: “Leinster is a team that become irrepressible if allowed to play with intensity. Throughout the week we have put an important focus on our defence and contact area. We want to start and finish the game very physically, to put good pressure on the breakdown and generate turnovers to build our big opportunities.”

 

 

Dragons RFC v Vodacom Bulls

Rodney Parade, Newport – KO 19.35 IRE & UK / 20.35 ITA / 21.35 SA

Referee: Eoghan Cross (IRFU, 14th league game)

AR 1: Ben Breakspear (WRU) AR 2: Elgan Williams (WRU)

TMO: Mark Patton (IRFU)

Live on: S4C, SuperSport, Viaplay, Premier Sports, Flo Rugby & URC.tv

 

Dragons RFC: Cai Evans, Ewan Rosser, Joe Westwood, Steff Hughes (CAPT), Corey Baldwin, Will Reed, Rhodri Williams, Rhodri Jones, Brodie Coghlan, Chris Coleman, Matthew Screech, George Nott, Dan Lydiate, Sean Lonsdale, Taine Basham

Replacements: Elliot Dee, Rodrigo Martinez, Luke Yendle, Ben Carter, Harri Keddie, Aaron Wainwright, Dane Blacker, Jared Rosser

 

Vodacom Bulls: Willie Le Roux, Sebastien de Klerk, Canan Moodie, Harold Vorster, Kurt-Lee Arendse, Chris Smith, Zak Burger, Gerhard Steenekamp, Jan-Hendrik Wessels, Wilco Louw, Ruan Vermaak, Ruan Nortje (C.CAPT), Marco van Staden, Mpilo Gumede, Marcell Coetzee (C.CAPT)

Replacements: Johan Grobbelaar, Simphiwe Matanzima, Mornay Smith, Reinhardt Ludwig, Nizaam Carr, Embrose Papier, Johan Goosen, Devon Williams

Dragons RFC Head Coach Dai Flanagan said: “We face a Vodacom Bulls side who are an unbelievable team and are one of the favourites for the league, so we know the challenge we are facing. They’ve got a style of play that all 15 players buy into. They’ve got size, speed, skill set – they’re a formidable test. We’ve got to match them in all aspects of the game and capitalise on opportunities, which we haven’t always done this season. We’re looking forward to getting back to Rodney Parade. We’ve been decent at home, have won three of the last four, and we want to put on a show and get people excited in Gwent again.”

 


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