URC: Team News for Round 17 - Race to the Play-Offs heats up

The race for the top eight play-off spots is has hit a fever-pitch, and we are set for another blistering weekend of action across the multi-national competition. Currently leading the way at the top of the tree are the Stormers, as the Cape Town side sits just one point ahead of second placed Glasgow Warriors.

The Lions continue upon their greatest season since joining the URC, as the Johannesburg side are sat at third in the table, with only +23 on-field points difference between them and fourth placed Leinster. The Dubliners are steadily chased by their Irish rivals Munster in fifth, before Cardiff, the Bulls and Ulster round of the current sixth, seventh and eighth ranked sides.

Once again, we have all the team news for you ahead of an action-packed weekend in the URC, so that you get right up to speed ahead of this evening's kick-offs. The matches get under-way across Glasgow and Belfast tonight, as Cardiff head up to Scotland and the league-leading Stormers take on Ulster.

With the race for the United Rugby Championship play-offs reaching its defining stretch, Cardiff Rugby travel to Scotstoun knowing a result against the Glasgow Warriors could prove decisive in their pursuit of a top-eight finish. Cardiff arrive in Glasgow carrying momentum after back-to-back Welsh derby victories, and Corniel van Zyl has largely retained the settled combination that has reignited their campaign.

Josh Adams returns from injury and is immediately recalled in midfield, with Ben Thomas shifting to inside centre, while Keiron Assiratti and James Botham also come back into the starting pack. The visitors know the challenge ahead is significant. Glasgow remain one of the competition’s most complete sides despite a recent dip in results, and Cardiff have not won at Scotstoun since 2013. However, with their squad steadily returning to full strength and a play-off place still firmly within reach, belief continues to grow within the Welsh region.

For Glasgow, the fixture doubles as both their final regular season home game and the club’s annual Plaster It Purple match, adding extra emotion to a sold-out Scotstoun occasion. George Horne and Matt Fagerson both return from injury in timely boosts, while Jamie Bhatti, Johnny Matthews and Jack Dempsey are set for their final regular season appearances at the venue this campaign.

Franco Smith has also handed Ally Miller his first start in the second row for Glasgow, alongside Alex Samuel, while the experienced midfield pairing of Sione Tuipulotu and Stafford McDowall remains intact. Captain Kyle Steyn again leads the side from the wing in a backline packed with attacking threat.

With Cardiff chasing history and Glasgow eager to rediscover momentum before the knockout stages, Friday night shapes as a high-stakes encounter between two sides with everything still to play for.

1 Rhys Barratt, 2 Liam Belcher (c), 3 Keiron Assiratti, 4 Josh McNally, 5 Rory Thornton, 6 James Botham, 7 Dan Thomas, 8 Taine Basham, 9 Johan Mulder, 10 Callum Sheedy, 11 Tom Bowen, 12 Ben Thomas, 13 Josh Adams, 14 Jacob Beetham, 15 Cam Winnett.

Replacements: 16 Evan Lloyd, 17 Danny Southworth, 18 Sam Wainwright, 19 George Nott, 20 Alun Lawrence, 21 Ellis Bevan, 22 Rory Jennings, 23 Ioan Lloyd.

1 Jamie Bhatti, 2 Johnny Matthews, 3 Zander Fagerson, 4 Ally Miller, 5 Alex Samuel, 6 Matt Fagerson, 7 Rory Darge, 8 Jack Dempsey, 9 George Horne, 10 Dan Lancaster, 11 Kyle Rowe, 12 Sione Tuipulotu, 13 Stafford McDowall, 14 Kyle Steyn (c), 15 Josh McKay.

Replacements: 16 Gregor Hiddleston, 17 Patrick Schickerling, 18 Sam Talakai, 19 Jare Oguntibeju, 20 Macenzzie Duncan, 21 Sione Vailanu, 22 Ben Afshar, 23 Ollie Smith.

With just two rounds remaining in the regular season, Ulster Rugby return to Belfast knowing every point carries weight as they continue to balance domestic ambitions with their upcoming Challenge Cup final. The visitors, DHL Stormers, arrive at Affidea Stadium equally under pressure, with the play-off race tightening and margins increasingly fine.

Ulster are boosted by the return of Angus Bell, who comes straight back into the starting XV following injury, adding significant scrummaging power to the front row alongside James McCormick and Tom O’Toole. Captain Iain Henderson anchors the pack from lock, while Cormac Izuchukwu shifts to blindside flanker in the only change to the back row, joining Nick Timoney and Juarno Augustus.

In the half-backs, Nathan Doak and Jack Murphy continue their developing partnership, while the midfield pairing of Jude Postlethwaite and Ethan McIlroy remains intact. Werner Kok’s return on the wing adds further pace and physicality to a back three completed by Zac Ward and Michael Lowry.

The Stormers, meanwhile, are led by Deon Fourie, who captains the side in a reshuffled but highly experienced unit. Evan Roos continues his standout season at number eight, equalling a franchise milestone for starts in the jersey, while Ben-Jason Dixon completes a dynamic loose trio.

There are notable changes in the backline, with Damian Willemse shifting into inside centre and Warrick Gelant returning at full-back, adding extra attacking variation. Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu directs play at fly-half, with Imad Khan at scrum-half in a reworked half-back combination.

1 Angus Bell, 2 James McCormick, 3 Tom O’Toole, 4 Iain Henderson (c), 5 Charlie Irvine, 6 Cormac Izuchukwu, 7 Nick Timoney, 8 Juarno Augustus, 9 Nathan Doak, 10 Jack Murphy, 11 Zac Ward, 12 Jude Postlethwaite, 13 Ethan McIlroy, 14 Werner Kok, 15 Michael Lowry.

Replacements: 16 Tom Stewart, 17 Eric O’Sullivan, 18 Scott Wilson, 19 Harry Sheridan, 20 Bryn Ward, 21 Conor McKee, 22 Jake Flannery, 23 Wilhelm De Klerk.

1 Ntuthuko Mchunu, 2 André-Hugo Venter, 3 Sazi Sandi, 4 Adré Smith, 5 Ruben van Heerden, 6 Deon Fourie (c), 7 Ben-Jason Dixon, 8 Evan Roos, 9 Imad Khan, 10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, 11 Leolin Zas, 12 Damian Willemse, 13 Dan du Plessis, 14 Wandisile Simelane, 15 Warrick Gelant.

Replacements: 16 Paul de Villiers, 17 Oli Kebble, 18 Zachary Porthen, 19 Connor Evans, 20 Hacjivah Dayimani, 21 Keke Morabe, 22 Stefan Ungerer, 23 Jurie Matthee.

The Bulls have opted for a significant reshuffle, particularly in the pack where Marco van Staden is selected at hooker, with Wilco Louw at tighthead prop and a new second-row pairing of Ruan Vermaak and JF van Heerden adding physical presence. Captain Marcell Coetzee leads from blindside flanker, joined by Jeandre Rudolph and Cameron Hanekom in a balanced loose trio.

In the backline, Willie le Roux shifts into the fly-half role, partnering Paul de Wet at scrum-half in a key playmaking axis change. The midfield sees Harold Vorster at inside centre and Canan Moodie at outside centre, while Sergeal Petersen and Cheswill Jooste operate on the wings. Kurt-Lee Arendse returns at full-back to complete a dangerous back three.

The bench carries strong impact options, including Johan Grobbelaar, Gerhard Steenekamp, Francois Klopper and Cobus Wiese in the forwards, with Handré Pollard and Embrose Papier offering game management and control in the backs.

Zebre, meanwhile, arrive with Paolo Buonfiglio anchoring the front row at loosehead alongside Giampietro Ribaldi at hooker and Matteo Nocera at tighthead. Franco Carrera and Leonard Krumov form the second row, while Alessandro Ortombina, Davide Odiase and Giovanni Licata make up the back row.

Thomas Dominguez directs the side from scrum-half, linking with Giovanni Licata at number eight, while Martin Roger Farias and Simone Gesi add the back-line and wing threat. Enrico Lucchin and Marco Zanon form the centre partnership, with Mirko Belloni at full-back completing the starting XV.

1 Marco van Staden, 2 Paolo Buonfiglio, 3 Wilco Louw, 4 Ruan Vermaak, 5 JF van Heerden, 6 Marcell Coetzee (c), 7 Jeandre Rudolph, 8 Cameron Hanekom, 9 Paul de Wet, 10 Willie le Roux, 11 Sergeal Petersen, 12 Harold Vorster, 13 Canan Moodie, 14 Cheswill Jooste, 15 Kurt-Lee Arendse.

Replacements: 16 Johan Grobbelaar, 17 Gerhard Steenekamp, 18 Francois Klopper, 19 Cobus Wiese, 20 Mpilo Gumede, 21 Embrose Papier, 22 Handré Pollard, 23 Stedman Gans.

1 Paolo Buonfiglio, 2 Giampietro Ribaldi, 3 Matteo Nocera, 4 Franco Carrera, 5 Leonard Krumov, 6 Alessandro Ortombina, 7 Davide Odiase, 8 Giovanni Licata, 9 Thomas Dominguez, 10 Martin Roger Farias, 11 Simone Gesi, 12 Enrico Lucchin, 13 Marco Zanon, 14 Jacopo Trulla 15. Mirko Belloni.

Replacements: 16 Giovanni Quattrini 17 Luca Fransechetto 18 Ion Neculai 19 Matteo Canali 20 Bautista Stavile 21 Samuele Locatelli 22 Alessandro Fusco 23 Migael Prinsloo

The Sharks come into the clash refreshed after a two-week break, but also reflecting on a season that has fallen short of expectations. Head coach JP Pietersen has made several enforced and tactical changes, with Andre Esterhuizen captaining a side that blends experience and emerging talent. Siya Kolisi starts at flank in what remains an emotional final fortnight of his Sharks stint, adding leadership and physical presence to the pack alongside Ox Nche and Vincent Koch in the front row.

There is intrigue in the backline, where Zekhethelo Siyaya is handed the fly-half responsibilities, tasked with steering a reshaped attack featuring Jurenzo Julius alongside Esterhuizen in midfield. Makazole Mapimpi and Edwill van der Merwe provide finishing threat out wide, with Jaco Williams completing the back three.

Benetton arrive in Durban with momentum of their own after a statement win over Leinster, and sit just three points behind the Sharks in the standings. The Italian side are led by Alessandro Garbisi at scrum-half and Jacob Umaga at fly-half, with Rhyno Smith at full-back offering attacking variety against his former province.

The visitors’ forward pack is anchored by Bautista Bernasconi at hooker and Marcos Gallorini at tighthead, while Niccolò Cannone captains the side from lock. Lorenzo Cannone features at number eight, with Alessandro Izekor and Riccardo Favretto completing a mobile back row designed to compete at pace.

1 Ox Nche, 2 Eduan Swart, 3 Vincent Koch, 4 Jason Jenkins, 5 Emile van Heerden, 6 Siya Kolisi, 7 Vincent Tshituka, 8 Emmanuel Tshituka, 9 Bradley Davids, 10 Zekhethelo Siyaya, 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 Nicholas Hatton, 21 Ross Braude, 22 Jean Smith, 23 Litelihle Bester.

1 Destiny Aminu, 2 Bautista Bernasconi, 3 Marcos Gallorini, 4 Giulio Marini, 5 Niccolò Cannone (c), 6 Riccardo Favretto, 7 Alessandro Izekor, 8 Lorenzo Cannone, 9 Alessandro Garbisi, 10 Jacob Umaga, 11 Ignacio Mendy, 12 Leonardo Marin, 13 Tommaso Menoncello, 14 Louis Lynagh, 15 Rhyno Smith.

Replacements: 16 Nicholas Gasperini, 17 Ivan Nemer, 18 Tiziano Pasquali, 19 Mattia Midena, 20 So’otala Fa’aso’o, 21 Federico Ruzza, 22 Andy Uren, 23 Federico Zanandrea.

The Ospreys have named a settled and physical starting XV, with captain Jac Morgan leading from openside flanker. The pack features Steffan Thomas, Sam Parry and Tom Botha in the front row, while Rhys Davies and Ryan Smith form the second-row partnership. James Ratti, Morgan Morris and Morgan Morris complete a powerful back row alongside Morgan.

In the half-backs, Kieran Hardy starts at scrum-half with Dan Edwards at fly-half, while Keiran Williams partners Owen Watkin in the midfield. The back three sees Jack Walsh at full-back, with Luke Morgan and Iestyn Hopkins providing width on the wings.

The Scarlets arrive with a strong returning core, including skipper Josh Macleod back at openside flanker after injury, and Tom Rogers returning on the wing. The visitors’ pack is anchored by Kemsley Mathias, Ryan Elias and Henry Thomas in the front row, with Jac Price joining Max Douglas in the second row following a late change.

Their back row of Macleod, Taine Plumtree and Fletcher Anderson offers balance and mobility, while Joe Hawkins and Dane Blacker continue their half-back partnership. In midfield, Joe Roberts and Eddie James provide consistency, with Blair Murray at full-back completing the back three alongside Rogers and Macs Page.

1 Steffan Thomas, 2 Sam Parry, 3 Tom Botha, 4 Rhys Davies, 5 Ryan Smith, 6 James Ratti, 7 Jac Morgan (c), 8 Morgan Morris, 9 Kieran Hardy, 10 Dan Edwards, 11 Luke Morgan, 12 Keiran Williams, 13 Owen Watkin, 14 Iestyn Hopkins, 15 Jack Walsh.

Replacements: 16 Lewis Lloyd, 17 Garyn Phillips, 18 Ben Warren, 19 Huw Sutton, 20 Ross Moriarty, 21 Reuben Morgan-Williams, 22 Keelan Giles, 23 Evardi Boshoff.

1 Kemsley Mathias, 2 Ryan Elias, 3 Henry Thomas, 4 Jac Price, 5 Max Douglas, 6 Taine Plumtree, 7 Josh Macleod (c), 8 Fletcher Anderson, 9 Dane Blacker, 10 Joe Hawkins, 11 Macs Page, 12 Eddie James, 13 Joe Roberts, 14 Tom Rogers, 15 Blair Murray.

Replacements: 16 Harry Thomas, 17 Josh Morse, 18 Harri O’Connor, 19 Dan Davis, 20 Jarrod Taylor, 21 Archie Hughes, 22 Carwyn Leggatt-Jones, 23 Ioan Jones.

Leinster Head Coach Leo Cullen has named a strong matchday 23, with James Ryan captaining the side from lock alongside Brian Deeny. The front row sees Thomas Clarkson and Ed Byrne either side of John McKee, while Max Deegan returns at blindside flanker, Will Connors lines up at openside, and James Culhane starts at number eight.

The half-back pairing of Luke McGrath and Sam Prendergast continues to steer the attack, with Jamie Osborne partnering Rieko Ioane in midfield. The back three features Jimmy O’Brien and Joshua Kenny on the wings, with Ciarán Frawley at full-back. The bench is packed with experience, including Dan Sheehan, Andrew Porter and Rabah Slimani in the front row cover, while Diarmuid Mangan and Scott Penny reinforce the pack. Fintan Gunne provides scrum-half cover, with Hugh Cooney and Hugo Keenan rounding out the replacements.

The Lions arrive in Dublin with confidence after a strong home run, and have made a settled selection under Ivan van Rooyen. Chris Smith directs play at fly-half alongside Morne van den Berg, while Richard Kriel brings up his 50th appearance in midfield. Erich Cronje and Angelo Davids provide width out wide, with Quan Horn at full-back.

Up front, Etienne Oosthuizen returns to the second row, joining Reinhard Nothnagel, while Ruan Venter shifts to openside flanker. Francke Horn captains the side from number eight, leading a physical forward unit designed to disrupt Leinster’s rhythm and turn defence into attacking momentum.

15 Ciarán Frawley, 14 Joshua Kenny, 13 Rieko Ioane, 12 Jamie Osborne, 11 Jimmy O’Brien, 10 Sam Prendergast, 9 Luke McGrath (c), 1 Ed Byrne, 2 John McKee, 3 Thomas Clarkson, 4 Brian Deeny, 5 James Ryan, 6 Max Deegan, 7 Will Connors, 8 James Culhane.

Replacements: 16 Dan Sheehan, 17 Andrew Porter, 18 Rabah Slimani, 19 Diarmuid Mangan, 20 Scott Penny, 21 Fintan Gunne, 22 Hugh Cooney, 23 Hugo Keenan.

15 Quan Horn, 14 Erich Cronje, 13 Henco van Wyk, 12 Richard Kriel, 11 Angelo Davids, 10 Chris Smith, 9 Morne van den Berg, 1 SJ Kotze, 2 PJ Botha, 3 Asenathi Ntlabakanye, 4 Etienne Oosthuizen, 5 Reinhard Nothnagel, 6 Siba Mahashe, 7 Ruan Venter, 8 Francke Horn (c).

Replacements: 16 Franco Marais, 17 Eddie Davids, 18 Sebastian Lombard, 19 Darrien Landsberg, 20 Batho Hlekani, 21 JC Pretorius, 22 Nico Steyn, 23 Kelly Mpeku.

Aaron Wainwright will bring up his 100th league appearance for the Dragons and make his final home appearance for the region, captaining a side selected by Filo Tiatia that shows six changes from the European semi-final defeat in Montpellier. He lines up in a back row alongside Thomas Young and Harrison Keddie, while Seb Davies partners Ben Carter in the second row.

There is a reshaped front row with Dillon Lewis and Brodie Coghlan returning alongside Rodrigo Martinez, while Rhodri Williams comes back at scrum-half to partner Tinus de Beer. Jared Rosser is recalled on the wing to complete the backline changes. The Dragons bench includes Ryan Woodman, who is set for his 50th appearance, alongside Rhodri Jones and Harri Ackerman, adding experience and versatility late in the contest.

Edinburgh arrive in South Wales with momentum after consecutive wins and have made four changes, including the return of Duhan van der Merwe on the wing following injury. Harry Paterson starts at full-back, while Ross Thompson comes in at fly-half to direct play alongside scrum-half Hector Patterson.

Up front, Pierre Schoeman reaches 150 appearances at loosehead prop, while Callum Hunter-Hill joins Grant Gilchrist in the second row, with Gilchrist captaining the side. The back row remains unchanged with Glen Young, Tom Currie and Freddy Douglas providing balance and mobility.

With milestone moments, returning internationals and play-off implications all in play, Rodney Parade sets the stage for a physical and emotional finale to the Dragons’ home campaign.

15 Angus O’Brien, 14 Jared Rosser, 13 Fine Inisi, 12 Aneurin Owen, 11 Rio Dyer, 10 Tinus de Beer, 9 Rhodri Williams, 1 Rodrigo Martinez, 2 Brodie Coghlan, 3 Dillon Lewis, 4 Seb Davies, 5 Ben Carter, 6 Harrison Keddie, 7 Thomas Young, 8 Aaron Wainwright (c).

Replacements: 16 Elliot Dee, 17 Rhodri Jones, 18 Chris Coleman, 19 Matthew Screech, 20 Ryan Woodman, 21 Niall Armstrong, 22 Harri Ackerman, 23 Huw Anderson.

15 Harry Paterson, 14 Darcy Graham, 13 Mosese Tuipulotu, 12 Findlay Thomson, 11 Duhan van der Merwe, 10 Ross Thompson, 9 Hector Patterson, 1 Pierre Schoeman, 2 Ewan Ashman, 3 Ollie Blyth-Lafferty, 4 Callum Hunter-Hill, 5 Grant Gilchrist (c), 6 Glen Young, 7 Freddy Douglas, 8 Tom Currie.

Replacements: 16 Dylan Richardson, 17 Boan Venter, 18 Paul Hill, 19 Marshall Sykes, 20 Liam McConnell, 21 Magnus Bradbury, 22 Charlie Shiel, 23 Piers O’Conor.

Over 12,000 supporters are expected for Connacht’s final home game of the season, with Stuart Lancaster’s side still firmly in the hunt for a top-eight finish. The Connacht boss has named a settled and experienced matchday 23, with Cian Prendergast captaining from number eight in a back row alongside Shamus Hurley-Langton and Sean Jansen. Josh Murphy partners Darragh Murray in the second row, while Billy Bohan, Dylan Tierney-Martin and Sam Illo form the front row.

Josh Ioane returns from injury to start at fly-half, with Ben Murphy alongside him at scrum-half. Bundee Aki is restored at inside centre, linking with Harry West in midfield, while Sam Gilbert starts at full-back with Shane Jennings and Shayne Bolton on the wings. Jack Carty is named among the replacements in what will be his final appearance at Dexcom Stadium before retirement.

Munster arrive in Galway with five changes to their starting XV, including the return of Mike Haley at full-back and Fineen Wycherley in the pack. Michael Ala’alatoa and Edwin Edogbo also come into the forwards, while Dan Kelly starts in midfield alongside Alex Nankivell. Craig Casey captains from scrum-half with JJ Hanrahan at fly-half, while Gavin Coombes anchors an unchanged back row. The bench carries added experience, with Alex Kendellen set to bring up his 100th Munster appearance.

15 Sam Gilbert, 14 Shane Jennings, 13 Harry West, 12 Bundee Aki, 11 Shayne Bolton, 10 Josh Ioane, 9 Ben Murphy, 1 Billy Bohan, 2 Dylan Tierney-Martin, 3 Sam Illo, 4 Darragh Murray, 5 Josh Murphy, 6 Cian Prendergast (c), 7 Shamus Hurley-Langton, 8 Sean Jansen.

Replacements: 16 Eoin de Buitléar, 17 Peter Dooley, 18 Finlay Bealham, 19 Joe Joyce, 20 Paul Boyle, 21 Matthew Devine, 22 Jack Carty, 23 Seán Naughton.

15 Mike Haley, 14 Shane Daly, 13 Alex Nankivell, 12 Dan Kelly, 11 Andrew Smith, 10 JJ Hanrahan, 9 Craig Casey (c), 1 Jeremy Loughman, 2 Diarmuid Barron, 3 Michael Ala’alatoa, 4 Edwin Edogbo, 5 Fineen Wycherley, 6 Tom Ahern, 7 John Hodnett, 8 Gavin Coombes.

Replacements: 16 Lee Barron, 17 Josh Wycherley, 18 Conor Bartley, 19 Jack O’Donoghue, 20 Brian Gleeson, 21 Ben O’Donovan, 22 Seán O’Brien, 23 Alex Kendellen.