URC: Round 12 Team News: Six Nations stars return to Club action

The wider Six Nations training groups of Ireland, Scotland, Wales and Italy have been depleted for the fallow week, as some of the more fringe talents return to their respective club folds. Last Saturday, the Lions and Sharks clashed in a rescheduled round eight match, as the Johannesburg side triumphed 34-22 over their national rivals, to get one paw upon the South African shield.

Cardiff Rugby welcome Leinster Rugby to the Arms Park on Friday night in a crucial Round 12 clash in the United Rugby Championship. The Blue & Blacks sit fifth in the table, two points behind second-placed Leinster, and are boosted by the return of Wales trio Liam Belcher, Ben Thomas and Mason Grady.

Belcher captains the side from hooker, packing down alongside Rhys Barratt and Javan Sebastian, with Josh McNally and George Nott in the engine room. Alun Lawrence, Dan Thomas and Taine Basham form an athletic back row. Aled Davies partners Callum Sheedy at half-back, with Ben Thomas and Harri Millard in midfield. Grady joins Cam Winnett and Jacob Beetham in the back three. Keiron Assiratti returns from injury among the replacements, while academy back row Evan Rees could make his senior debut from the bench.

Leinster make six changes, with Robbie Henshaw and Jimmy O’Brien returning from injury to start. Max Deegan captains the province on his 150th appearance, lining up in a back row alongside Scott Penny and James Culhane. Harry Byrne links up with Fintan Gunne at half-back, while Henshaw partners Rieko Ioane in midfield. O’Brien starts at full-back, with Joshua Kenny and Ruben Moloney on the wings.

Cardiff Rugby (1–15):
1 Rhys Barratt, 2 Liam Belcher (c), 3 Javan Sebastian, 4 Josh McNally, 5 George Nott, 6 Alun Lawrence, 7 Dan Thomas, 8 Taine Basham, 9 Aled Davies, 10 Callum Sheedy, 11 Mason Grady, 12 Ben Thomas, 13 Harri Millard, 14 Jacob Beetham, 15 Cam Winnett

Replacements:
16 Daf Hughes, 17 Danny Southworth, 18 Keiron Assiratti, 19 Rory Thornton, 20 Evan Rees, 21 Johan Mulder, 22 Ioan Lloyd, 23 Tom Bowen

Leinster Rugby (1–15):
1 Jerry Cahir, 2 John McKee, 3 Andrew Sparrow, 4 Alan Spicer, 5 Brian Deeny, 6 Max Deegan (c), 7 Scott Penny, 8 James Culhane, 9 Fintan Gunne, 10 Harry Byrne, 11 Joshua Kenny, 12 Robbie Henshaw, 13 Rieko Ioane, 14 Ruben Moloney, 15 Jimmy O’Brien

Replacements:
16 Gus McCarthy, 17 Alex Usanov, 18 Rabah Slimani, 19 RG Snyman, 20 Josh Ericson, 21 Luke McGrath, 22 Charlie Tector, 23 Andrew Osborne

Edinburgh Rugby return to Hive Stadium on Friday night for Round 12 of the United Rugby Championship, with Boan Venter set to make his 100th appearance for the club. The prop becomes Edinburgh’s 46th centurion and only the seventh prop to reach the milestone.

Sean Everitt’s side are boosted by the return of Mosese Tuipulotu, who makes his first appearance since May after recovering from a knee injury. Scotland internationals Dylan Richardson and Marshall Sykes are also back from injury to start, while D’arcy Rae and club captain Magnus Bradbury are released from national camp to feature in the Origin Round clash.

Harry Paterson continues at full-back, with Malelili Satala making his first home appearance on the wing opposite Wes Goosen. Tuipulotu slots in at inside centre alongside James Lang, while Ben Vellacott and Ross Thompson combine once more at half-back. In the pack, Venter starts alongside Harri Morris and Rae, with Sykes partnering Glen Young in the engine room. Richardson and Ben Muncaster join Bradbury in the back row.

Scarlets make six changes for the trip to the Scottish capital, with Josh Macleod returning from Wales duty to captain the side. Tom Rogers is also released from international camp and starts on the wing, joining Jac Davies and Tomi Lewis in the back three.

Joe Roberts partners Macs Page in midfield, while Carwyn Leggatt-Jones makes his second URC start at fly-half alongside Archie Hughes. In the forwards, Kemsley Mathias, Marnus van der Merwe and Henry Thomas form the front row, with Jake Ball coming into the second row to partner Sam Lousi. Macleod lines up in the back row with Max Douglas and Fletcher Anderson.

Edinburgh Rugby (1–15):
1 Boan Venter, 2 Harri Morris, 3 D’arcy Rae, 4 Marshall Sykes, 5 Glen Young, 6 Ben Muncaster, 7 Dylan Richardson, 8 Magnus Bradbury (c), 9 Ben Vellacott, 10 Ross Thompson, 11 Wes Goosen, 12 Mosese Tuipulotu, 13 James Lang, 14 Malelili Satala, 15 Harry Paterson

Replacements:
16 Jerry Blyth-Lafferty, 17 James Whitcombe, 18 Ollie Blyth-Lafferty, 19 Callum Hunter-Hill, 20 Connor Boyle, 21 Charlie Shiel, 22 Cammy Scott, 23 Piers O’Conor

Scarlets (1–15):
1 Kemsley Mathias, 2 Marnus van der Merwe, 3 Henry Thomas, 4 Jake Ball, 5 Sam Lousi, 6 Max Douglas, 7 Josh Macleod (c), 8 Fletcher Anderson, 9 Archie Hughes, 10 Carwyn Leggatt-Jones, 11 Tomi Lewis, 12 Joe Roberts, 13 Macs Page, 14 Tom Rogers, 15 Jac Davies

Replacements:
16 Harry Thomas, 17 Alec Hepburn, 18 Harri O’Connor, 19 Jac Price, 20 Jarrod Taylor, 21 Dane Blacker, 22 Ioan Jones, 23 Gabe McDonald

Lions welcome the Stormers to Ellis Park on Saturday afternoon for their rescheduled United Rugby Championship Round 8 clash, with Ruan Venter returning from suspension to bolster the hosts’ back row. Venter slots in at openside flank after serving a four-match ban, joining Siba Mahashe and captain Francke Horn in the loose trio. Mahashe earns a start in a powerful combination, while Darrien Landsberg runs out for his 50th appearance for the franchise alongside Etienne Oosthuizen in the second row.

In the front row, SJ Kotze, PJ Botha and Asenathi Ntlabakanye pack down, with Morne van den Berg and Chris Smith continuing as the half-back pairing. Kelly Mpeku returns on the wing opposite Angelo Davids, with Quan Horn at full-back.

The Stormers, back from a mid-season break, see hooker JJ Kotzé make his 50th appearance for the Cape side. JD Schickerling captains the visitors from the second row alongside Adré Smith, while Evan Roos anchors the back row with Ben-Jason Dixon and Paul de Villiers. Warrick Gelant returns at full-back in one of two backline changes, with Stefan Ungerer starting at scrum-half. Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu directs matters from fly-half as the Stormers look to continue their strong derby form.

Lions (1–15):
1 SJ Kotze, 2 PJ Botha, 3 Asenathi Ntlabakanye, 4 Etienne Oosthuizen, 5 Darrien Landsberg, 6 Siba Mahashe, 7 Ruan Venter, 8 Francke Horn (c), 9 Morne van den Berg, 10 Chris Smith, 11 Angelo Davids, 12 Bronson Mills, 13 Henco van Wyk, 14 Kelly Mpeku, 15 Quan Horn

Replacements:
16 Francois Marais, 17 RF Schoeman, 18 Eddie Davids, 19 Reinhard Nothnagel, 20 Batho Hlekani, 21 Renzo du Plessis, 22 Haashim Pead, 23 Erich Cronje

Stormers (1–15):
1 Ntuthuko Mchunu, 2 JJ Kotzé, 3 Sazi Sandi, 4 Adré Smith, 5 JD Schickerling (c), 6 Paul de Villiers, 7 Ben-Jason Dixon, 8 Evan Roos, 9 Stefan Ungerer, 10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, 11 Leolin Zas, 12 Jonathan Roche, 13 Wandisile Simelane, 14 Dylan Maart, 15 Warrick Gelant

Replacements:
16 André-Hugo Venter, 17 Vernon Matongo, 18 Zachary Porthen, 19 Connor Evans, 20 Marcel Theunissen, 21 Hacjivah Dayimani, 22 Imad Khan, 23 Jurie Matthee

Connacht Rugby return to Dexcom Stadium on Saturday afternoon for a crucial Round 12 clash against table-topping Glasgow Warriors, with Stuart Lancaster making four changes to the side that secured a bonus-point win away to Zebre last time out.

Finn Treacy comes in on the left wing, while Denis Buckley and the fit-again Sam Illo bolster the front row. David O’Connor is handed a start in the second row alongside Joe Joyce, with Dylan Tierney-Martin completing the tight five at hooker. The back row remains unchanged, as captain Paul Boyle is joined by Sean O’Brien and Sean Jansen.

Caolin Blade and Josh Ioane continue their half-back partnership, with Cathal Forde and Harry West again combining in midfield. Shane Jennings features on the right wing, while Sam Gilbert retains the full-back jersey. Jack Carty and Bundee Aki are among the experienced options on the bench.

Glasgow make just one change from the side that defeated Munster before the international break, as Alex Samuel returns to the second row. He partners Jare Oguntibeju, with an unchanged front row of Jamie Bhatti, Seb Stephen and Murphy Walker.

Angus Fraser continues at openside flank alongside Euan Ferrie and Ally Miller in the back row. Ben Afshar and Dan Lancaster link up at scrum-half and fly-half respectively, while captain Stafford McDowall is released from Scotland duty to start at outside centre, partnering Kerr Yule. Josh McKay is named at full-back, with Ollie Smith and Kyle Rowe completing the back three.

Connacht Rugby (1–15):
1 Denis Buckley, 2 Dylan Tierney-Martin, 3 Sam Illo, 4 David O’Connor, 5 Joe Joyce, 6 Paul Boyle (c), 7 Sean O’Brien, 8 Sean Jansen, 9 Caolin Blade, 10 Josh Ioane, 11 Finn Treacy, 12 Cathal Forde, 13 Harry West, 14 Shane Jennings, 15 Sam Gilbert

Replacements:
16 Matthew Victory, 17 Billy Bohan, 18 Jack Aungier, 19 Josh Murphy, 20 Cian Prendergast, 21 Colm Reilly, 22 Jack Carty, 23 Bundee Aki

Glasgow Warriors (1–15):
1 Jamie Bhatti, 2 Seb Stephen, 3 Murphy Walker, 4 Jare Oguntibeju, 5 Alex Samuel, 6 Euan Ferrie, 7 Angus Fraser, 8 Ally Miller, 9 Ben Afshar, 10 Dan Lancaster, 11 Ollie Smith, 12 Kerr Yule, 13 Stafford McDowall (c), 14 Kyle Rowe, 15 Josh McKay

Replacements:
16 Gregor Hiddleston, 17 Patrick Schickerling, 18 Sam Talakai, 19 Alex Craig, 20 Sione Vailanu, 21 Macenzzie Duncan, 22 Jack Oliver, 23 Adam Hastings

The Vodacom Bulls have made several tactical changes for Saturday’s key VURC encounter against the high-flying Hollywoodbets Sharks at Loftus Versfeld (kick-off 17:00).

David Kriel moves from the bench to take over at full-back, flanked by a new wing pairing of Sebastian de Klerk and Kurt-Lee Arendse. The half-back axis remains stable with Embrose Papier at scrum-half and Handre Pollard at fly-half, while Harold Vorster partners the returning Canan Moodie in midfield.

Up front, Jan-Hendrik Wessels shifts to hooker, allowing Alulutho Tshakweni to start at loosehead prop. Morne Smith starts at tighthead prop, while Ruan Nortje returns to the second row alongside Ruan Vermaak. The back row features captain Marcell Coetzee, Elrich Louw, and Nizaam Carr, with Junior Springbok Batho Hlekani providing cover from the bench.

The replacements include experienced internationals Willie le Roux, Paul de Wet, Stravino Jacobs, Marco van Staden, and Cobus Wiese, ensuring firepower in both the forwards and backs. For the VURC Origins Round, Grey College (Bloemfontein), Paarl Gym, and Boland Landbou are the most represented schools in the Bulls’ line-up, each appearing twice.

Vodacom Bulls (1–15):
1 Alulutho Tshakweni, 2 Jan Hendrik Wessels, 3 Morne Smith, 4 Ruan Vermaak, 5 Ruan Nortje, 6 Marcell Coetzee (c), 7 Elrich Louw, 8 Nizaam Carr, 9 Embrose Papier, 10 Handre Pollard, 11 Kurt-Lee Arendse, 12 Harold Vorster, 13 Canan Moodie, 14 Sebastian de Klerk, 15 David Kriel

Replacements:
16 Marco van Staden, 17 Sti Sithole, 18 Wilco Louw, 19 Cobus Wiese, 20 Jeandre Rudolph, 21 Paul de Wet, 22 Willie le Roux, 23 Stravino Jacobs

Hollywoodbets Sharks (1–15):
1 Ox Nche, 2 Eduan Swart, 3 Vincent Koch, 4 Jason Jenkins, 5 Emile van Heerden, 6 Tino Mavesere, 7 Vincent Tshituka, 8 Phepsi Buthelezi, 9 Jaden Hendrikse, 10 Jordan Hendrikse, 11 Makazole Mapimpi, 12 Andre Esterhuizen (c), 13 Jurenzo Julius, 14 Edwill van der Merwe, 15 Jaco Williams

Replacements:
16 Fez Mbatha, 17 Phatu Ganyane, 18 Hanro Jacobs, 19 Corne Rahl, 20 Thomas Dyer, 21 Ross Braude, 22 Siya Masuku, 23 Yaw Penxe

Dragons RFC will be reinforced by the returns of props Chris Coleman and Rodrigo Martinez, as well as Number Eight Shane Lewis-Hughes, as they host Benetton Rugby in Round 12 of the BKT United Rugby Championship at Rodney Parade on Saturday evening (kick-off 17:30).

Coleman is back in league action for the first time since October, while Argentine ace Martinez strengthens the Dragons’ front row. Shane Lewis-Hughes takes his place at number eight after missing previous matches. The backline remains led by fly-half Tinus de Beer and scrum-half Che Hope, with Aneurin Owen and Rio Dyer forming the centre partnership. Full-back and captain Angus O’Brien will direct proceedings from the back, flanked by a combination of Harry Beddall and Rodrigo Martinez in the back three.

For their part, Benetton Rugby are looking to bounce back after a mixed start to Round 12. Head coach Calum MacRae has made several changes, including the return of Malakai Fekitoa in midfield alongside Paolo Odogwu. Jacob Umaga partners Andy Uren at half-back, while Matt Gallagher starts at full-back. Wingers Rhyno Smith and Onisi Ratave complete a potent back three.

The Italian side’s pack is bolstered by the return of Giosué Zilocchi at tighthead prop, Thomas Gallo at loosehead, and Bautista Bernasconi at hooker. In the second row, Giulio Marini partners Eli Snyman, while the back row features Alessandro Izekor, Jadin Kingi, and Riccardo Favretto at number eight. Uren will captain the side from scrum-half. Both teams will wear the socks of the clubs and schools that shaped their rugby journeys, as part of the URC’s Origin Round.

Dragons RFC (1–15):
1 Angus O’Brien (c), 2 David Richards, 3 Fine Inisi, 4 Aneurin Owen, 5 Rio Dyer, 6 Tinus de Beer, 7 Che Hope, 8 Shane Lewis-Hughes, 9 Brodie Coghlan, 10 Rodrigo Martinez, 11 Harry Beddall, 12 Seb Davies, 13 Ryan Woodman, 14 David Richards, 15 Chris Coleman

Replacements:
16 Oli Burrows, 17 Jordan Morris, 18 Owain James, 19 Barny Langton-Cryer, 20 Evan Minto, 21 Rhodri Williams, 22 Fetuli Paea, 23 Cai Evans

Benetton Rugby (1–15):
1 Thomas Gallo, 2 Bautista Bernasconi, 3 Giosué Zilocchi, 4 Giulio Marini, 5 Eli Snyman, 6 Alessandro Izekor, 7 Jadin Kingi, 8 Riccardo Favretto, 9 Andy Uren (c), 10 Jacob Umaga, 11 Rhyno Smith, 12 Malakai Fekitoa, 13 Paolo Odogwu, 14 Onisi Ratave, 15 Matt Gallagher

Replacements:
16 Nicholas Gasperini, 17 Destiny Aminu, 18 Tiziano Pasquali, 19 Scott Scrafton, 20 Nelson Casartelli, 21 Cristiano Tizzano, 22 Filippo Drago, 23 Ignacio Mendy

Munster Rugby have named a heavily refreshed squad for Saturday’s BKT United Rugby Championship Round 12 clash with Zebre Parma at Thomond Park (kick-off 17:30). Jack O’Donoghue will captain a side featuring ten changes from the team that faced Glasgow Warriors last month.

Ireland internationals Michael Milne and Niall Scannell return in the front row alongside Michael Ala’alatoa, while Jean Kleyn and Fineen Wycherley start in the engine room. The back row is completed by Gavin Coombes, O’Donoghue, and Brian Gleeson.

The backline sees JJ Hanrahan return from a hamstring injury to start at out-half, with Paddy Patterson marking his 50th appearance for the province at scrum-half. Tom Farrell and Dan Kelly form the midfield partnership, while Calvin Nash and Shane Daly join Mike Haley in the back three, with Nash returning from a shoulder injury sustained last month.

Zebre Parma arrive in Limerick aiming to build on recent performances, blending youth and experience across the pack and backline. Their forwards will look to compete physically and dominate the set-piece, while their half-back pairing and outside backs will attempt to exploit space in attack.

Munster Rugby (1–15):
1 Michael Milne, 2 Niall Scannell, 3 Michael Ala’alatoa, 4 Jean Kleyn, 5 Fineen Wycherley, 6 Gavin Coombes, 7 Jack O’Donoghue (c), 8 Brian Gleeson, 9 Paddy Patterson, 10 JJ Hanrahan, 11 Mike Haley, 12 Dan Kelly, 13 Tom Farrell, 14 Calvin Nash, 15 Shane Daly

Replacements:
16 Lee Barron, 17 Josh Wycherley, 18 John Ryan, 19 Edwin Edogbo, 20 Alex Kendellen, 21 Ethan Coughlan, 22 Tom Wood, 23 Seán O’Brien

Zebre Parma (1–15):
1 Giovanni Montemauri, 2 Albert Batista, 3 Giulio Bertaccini, 4 Damiano Mazza, 5 Alessandro Ortombina, 6 Bautista Stavile, 7 Samuele Locatelli, 8 Giacomo Ferrari, 9 Gonzalo Garcia, 10 Giacomo da Re, 11 Simone Gesi, 12 Juan Pitinari, 13 Enrique Pieretto Heiland, 14 Matteo Canali, 15 Marco Zanon

Replacements:
16 Giovanni Quattrini, 17 Paolo Buonfiglio, 18 Luca Franceschetto, 19 Guido Volpi, 20 Iacopo Bianchi, 21 Thomas Dominguez, 22 Martin Roger Farias, 23 Marco Zanon

Ospreys have named a strong squad to face Ulster Rugby at the Electric Brewery Field on Saturday 28 February (kick-off 19:45), as part of the BKT United Rugby Championship Origin Round celebrations. Gareth Thomas is set to make his 150th appearance for the Ospreys, with Sam Parry and Jack Walsh serving as co-captains. The front row features Thomas, Parry, and Rhys Henry, while James Fender and Ryan Smith partner in the second row. The back row comprises James Ratti, Ross Moriarty, and Morgan Morse.

In the backline, Jack Walsh and Cormac Foley form the half-back pairing, with Keiran Williams and Owen Watkin in midfield. The back three features Iestyn Hopkins at full-back, flanked by Keelan Giles and Dan Kasende on the wings. Ulster Rugby welcome back four internationals from the Irish Six Nations squad. Eric O’Sullivan, Tom Stewart, and Scott Wilson anchor the front row, while Iain Henderson and Charlie Irvine start in the second row. Bryn Ward, Matty Dalton, and David McCann form the back row.

Nathan Doak and Jack Murphy lead the half-backs, with Jude Postlethwaite and James Hume in the midfield. Michael Lowry starts at full-back, joined by Zac Ward and Werner Kok on the wings. Ulster’s bench features a mix of forwards and backs to provide impact in the second half.

Ospreys (1–15):
1 Gareth Thomas (150), 2 Sam Parry (cc), 3 Rhys Henry, 4 James Fender, 5 Ryan Smith, 6 James Ratti, 7 Ross Moriarty, 8 Morgan Morse, 9 Cormac Foley, 10 Jack Walsh (cc), 11 Keelan Giles, 12 Keiran Williams, 13 Owen Watkin, 14 Dan Kasende, 15 Iestyn Hopkins

Replacements:
16 Lewis Lloyd, 17 Steffan Thomas, 18 Tom Botha, 19 Huw Sutton, 20 Harri Deaves, 21 Reuben Morgan-Williams, 22 Luke Scully, 23 Evardi Boshoff

Ulster (1–15):
1 Eric O’Sullivan, 2 Tom Stewart, 3 Scott Wilson, 4 Iain Henderson (C), 5 Charlie Irvine, 6 Matthew Dalton, 7 Bryn Ward, 8 David McCann, 9 Nathan Doak, 10 Jack Murphy, 11 Zac Ward, 12 Jude Postlethwaite, 13 James Hume, 14 Werner Kok, 15 Michael Lowry

Replacements:
16 Rob Herring, 17 Angus Bell, 18 Bryan O’Connor, 19 Harry Sheridan, 20 Marcus Rea, 21 Conor McKee, 22 Jake Flannery, 23 Ben Carson