Team Announcements Round 13

The teams for this weekend's Round 13 fixtures of the Vodacom United Rugby Championship have been named with all details of match officials and broadcast information below.

Across the weekend we will see 5 Six Nations International Tier 1 referees & TMO's officiating in Round 13. This is part of building relationships with the southern hemisphere unions & working in close collaboration with World Rugby to support the match officials involved in Vodacom URC fixtures and aid their preparations for the Guinness Six Nations.

TEAM NEWS HEADLINES

#ULSvSTO

• Alan O’Connor to captain the Ulster side
• Ali Vermaak earns his 50th cap for DHL Stormers. Veterans Scarra Ntubeni and Juan de Jongh make their return from injury as they are named among the replacements

#SCAvBUL

• Sam Wainwright makes his first start for Scarlets as Eddie James set for his URC debut if called upon from the bench
• Stravino Jacobs and Jan-Hendrick Wessels returns to the Vodacom Bulls matchday squad

#BENvMUN

• Dewaldt Duvenage will lead out the Benetton side
• Joey Carbery starts on his 50th Munster appearance with Ben Healy also set to play his 50th game for Munster off the bench

#DRAvGLA

• Prop Rhodri Jones returns to Dragons RFC starting line-up. Brodie Coghlan is handed a first senior start for the club
• Stafford McDowall captains Glasgow Warriors in Vodacom URC for the first time

#LEIvCAR

• Scott Penny set for his 50th Leinster appearance. Ireland U20 duo James Culhane and Aitzol King in line for debuts if called from the bench
• Lloyd Williams will move level with Taufa’ao Filise’s appearance record making his 255^th appearance for Cardiff Rugby

#EDIvSHA

• Hamish Watson returns as he starts for Edinburgh Rugby
• Venter duo James and Henco, are named in the starting XV for Cell C Sharks

#CONvLIO

• Tiernan O’Halloran lines out at full back for his 215th Connacht appearance
• Flanker Sibusiso Sangweni and wing Stean Pienaar come into the starting XV

#ZEBvOSP

• Tommaso Boni returns and captains Zebre Parma
• Stephen Myler returns from injury and finds a place on the bench while Nicky Smith is set to captain Ospreys       

FRIDAY, JANUARY 27

Ulster v DHL Stormers

Kingspan Stadium, Belfast – KO 19.35 IRE & UK / 20.35 ITA / 21.35 SA

Referee: Mike Adamson (SRU, 67th league game)

AR 1: Andrew Cole (IRFU) AR 2: Paul Haycock (IRFU)

TMO: Andrew McMenemy (SRU)

Live on: BBC NI, RTÉ, SuperSport, Viaplay, Premier Sports, Discovery + & URC.tv

Ulster: Mike Lowry, Rob Lyttle, James Hume, Stewart Moore, Ben Moxham, Billy Burns, Nathan Doak, Eric O’Sullivan, Tom Stewart, Jeff Toomaga Allen, Alan O’Connor (CAPT), Sam Carter, Harry Sheridan, Nick Timoney, Duane Vermeulen

Replacements: John Andrew, Rory Sutherland, Andrew Warwick, Kieran Treadwell, Jordi Murphy, John Cooney, Ian Madigan, Ethan McIlroy

DHL Stormers: Clayton Blommetjies, Suleiman Hartzenberg, Ruhan Nel, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Cornel Smit, Jean-Luc du Plessis, Stefan Ungerer, Ali Vermaak, JJ Kotze, Brok Harris, Ben-Jason Dixon, Marvin Orie (CAPT), Junior Pokomela, Willie Engelbrecht, Evan Roos

Replacements: Scarra Ntubeni, Kwenzo Blose, Sazi Sandi, Ruben van Heerden, Marcel Theunissen, Herschel Jantjies, Kade Wolhuter, Juan de Jongh

Ulster Assistant Coach Jonny Bell said: "They are going to be a very difficult animal to what we faced last week. They are powerful, but move really fast around the pitch, so we need to control the ball well when we have it and make sure that we are smart defensively."

DHL Stormers Head Coach John Dobson said: "It is another short turnaround this week, but we are excited to see what these combinations can do. We have been bolstered by the return of some experienced players and we will need all of it against a good Ulster side."

Scarlets v Vodacom Bulls

Parc y Scarlets, Llanelli – KO 19.35 IRE & UK / 20.35 ITA / 21.35 SA

Referee: Andrew Brace (IRFU, 86th league game)

AR 1: Adam Jones (WRU) AR 2: Ben Breakspear (WRU)

TMO: Brian MacNeice (IRFU)

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

Scarlets: Johnny McNicholl, Steff Evans, Joe Roberts, Ioan Nicholas, Ryan Conbeer, Sam Costelow, Gareth Davies, Kemsley Mathias, Daf Hughes, Sam Wainwright, Vaea Fifita, Sam Lousi, Aaron Shingler (CAPT), Dan Davis, Sione Kalamafoni

Replacements: Taylor Davies, Steff Thomas, Harri O’Connor, Morgan Jones, Carwyn Tuipulotu, Dane Blacker, Dan Jones, Eddie James

Vodacom Bulls: Johan Goosen, David Kriel, Lionel Mapoe, Harold Vorster, Stravino Jacobs, Chris Smith, Zak Burger, Gerhard Steenekamp, Johan Grobbelaar, Mornay Smith, Ruan Vermaak, Ruan Nortje (CAPT), Marco van Staden, Cyle Brink, Elrigh Louw

Replacements: Jan-Hendrick Wessels, Simphiwe Matanzima, Francois Klopper, Janko Swanepoel, Nizaam Carr, Embrose Papier, Cornal Hendricks, Wandisile Simelane

Scarlets Head Coach Dwayne Peel said: “We are delighted to have topped our Challenge Cup pool, but now it’s about turning our focus to four tough URC matches, starting with the Bulls on Friday night. They bring a lot of physicality, especially up front and have a set-piece that can go after you and wheels on the edge as well. They are a top-four side so it is a good challenge for us.”

Vodacom Bulls Backs Coach Chris Rossouw said: “Looking over the last month, I think we are high in the confidence bar last week. Against the Dragons, at the back of the Stormers and the Sharks, the guys bounced back and they were great on the evening in how they managed the game with great energy and confidence. We obviously took that to Exeter and last week we slipped but I thought it was a great learning curve for many of us who were in France for the first time. Confidence will be important but obviously execution and being clinical on the night will be more important. Scarlets are known as a team that attacks a lot. What they have done over the last two months is to find a balance between their attacking and kicking game, and how we manage that will be crucial for us and make sure we do not get pinned in our own half. They have a great pack of forwards and an experienced backline, that remains one of their strengths so it is important for us to manage the kicking game as a whole.”

SATURDAY, JANUARY 28

Benetton v Munster

Stadio Monigo, Treviso – KO 14.30 IRE & UK / 15.30 ITA / 16.30 SA

Referee: Ben Blain (SRU, 29th league game)

AR 1: Federico Vedovelli (FIR) AR 2: Franco Rosella (FIR)

TMO: Sam Grove-White (SRU)

Live on: Eurosport, Discovery +, TG4, Viaplay, Premier Sports, SuperSport & URC.tv

Benetton: Rhyno Smith, Ignacio Mendy, Marco Zanon, Filippo Drago, Mattia Bellini, Jacob Umaga, Dewaldt Duvenage (CAPT), Nahuel Tetaz, Siua Maile, Tiziano Pasquali, Marco Lazzaroni, Riccardo Favretto, Giovanni Pettinelli, Alessandro Izekor, Henry Stowers

Replacements: Bautista Bernasconi, Thomas Gallo, Filippo Alongi, Nicola Piantella, Carl Wegner, Abraham Steyn, Manfredi Albanese, Marcus Watson

Munster: Shane Daly, Calvin Nash, Antoine Frisch, Malakai Fekitoa, Liam Coombes, Joey Carbery, Paddy Patterson, Josh Wycherley, Niall Scannell (CAPT), Roman Salanoa, Jean Kleyn, Fineen Wycherley, Jack O'Sullivan, John Hodnett, Alex Kendellen

Replacements: Diarmuid Barron, Mark Donnelly, Stephen Archer, Cian Hurley, Ruadhan Quinn, Neil Cronin, Ben Healy, Rory Scannell

Benetton Head Coach Marco Bortolami said: “Munster are a team that has a very clear playing identity, are very strong with forwards and are very disciplined tactically. So we will have to prepare it very well also from this point of view. It's a Munster team that play more with the ball than in the past and are in good form so you'll need the best Benetton to put in a great performance. We will have many players away in the national team and someone injured but we will certainly be able to field a competitive team. We must have faith in the path that has led us to obtain these six consecutive victories and for which we will have to face the week with the right confidence and determination”

Dragons RFC v Glasgow Warriors

Rodney Parade, Newport – KO 15.00 IRE & UK / 16.00 ITA / 17.00 SA

Referee: Frank Murphy (IRFU, 72nd league game)

AR 1: Dewi Phillips (WRU) AR 2: Elliot Mayor (WRU)

TMO: Olly Hodges (IRFU)

Live on: Viaplay, SuperSport, Premier Sports, Discovery +,  & URC.tv

Dragons RFC: Jordan Williams, Jared Rosser, Sio Tomkinson, Jack Dixon, Ashton Hewitt, JJ Hanrahan, Rhodri Williams (CAPT), Rhodri Jones, Brodie Coghlan, Lloyd Fairbrother, Matthew Screech, Ben Carter, George Nott, Sean Lonsdale, Taine Basham

Replacements: James Benjamin, Aki Seiuli, Chris Coleman, Huw Taylor, Ben Fry, Lewis Jones, Sam Davies, Steff Hughes

Glasgow Warriors: Josh McKay, Sebastian Cancelliere, Stafford McDowall (CAPT), Sam Johnson, Cole Forbes, Duncan Weir, Ali Price, Jamie Bhatti, Fraser Brown, Simon Berghan, Lewis Bean, JP du Preez, Thomas Gordon, Sione Vailanu, Jack Dempsey

Replacements: Johnny Matthews, Nathan McBeth, Lucio Sordoni, Alex Samuel, Euan Ferrie, Cameron Neild, Jamie Dobie, Tom Jordan

Dragons RFC Head Coach Dai Flanagan said: “Glasgow will have a lot of internationals away this week, but they have such a strong squad they have nearly two international strength 15s. “It will be a tough game with the style of play and the way they look to play. They have a brand where they can squeeze you if they need to, but they are also an exciting team and score more tries of kick return than anyone else. We need to make sure our kicking is on point.”

Leinster v Cardiff Rugby

RDS Arena, Dublin – KO 17.05 IRE & UK / 18.05 ITA / 19.05 SA

Referee: Jaco Peyper (SARU, 13th league game)

AR 1: Joy Neville (IRFU) AR 2: Andrew Fogarty (IRFU)

TMO: Marius Jonker (SARU)

Live on: RTÉ, S4C, Viaplay, Premier Sports, SuperSport, Discovery + & URC.tv

Leinster: Chris Cosgrave, Max O’Reilly, Liam Turner, Ben Brownlee, Dave Kearney, Harry Byrne, Luke McGrath, Michael Milne, John McKee, Michael Ala’alatoa, Ross Molony, Brian Deeny, Rhys Ruddock(CAPT), Scott Penny, Max Deegan

Replacements: Tadgh McElroy, Marcus Hanan, Thomas Clarkson, James Culhane, Will Connors, Nick McCarthy, Charlie Tector, Aitzol King

Cardiff Rugby: Rhys Priestland, Owen Lane, Rey Lee-Lo, Ben Thomas, Jason Harries, Jarrod Evans, Lloyd Williams, Brad Thyer, Kirby Myhill, Keiron Assiratti, Lopeti Timani, Seb Davies, Josh Turnbull (CAPT), James Botham, James Ratti

Replacements: Kristian Dacey, Corey Domachowski, Will Davies-King, Rory Thornton, Shane Lewis-Hughes, Ellis Bevan, Aled Summerhill, Matthew Morgan

Cardiff Rugby Director of Rugby Dai Young said: “It’s a great achievement for Lloyd to equal Fa’ao and collectively we are all really excited for the challenge ahead. Leinster are unbeaten this season and they don’t lose many games, whether home or away. They are always one of the very best teams in Europe so we know it is going to be a huge test for us. We have about 20 players missing and that leaves about 23 players to select from but we still have a lot of quality and I am confident in the team we have named. We are acutely aware that we need to get everything right but there’s no reason why we can’t go out there, do that and win. We beat them here last year and I think we’ve got a blueprint. You certainly can’t sit back and see what they’ve got, because they’ve got a lot. You have to make sure that you get your game going and start well. Make no bones about it, we’re going to have to be at least nine out of ten to go and get the result but we’ve done it before.”

Edinburgh Rugby v Cell C Sharks

The DAM Health Stadium, Edinburgh – KO 17.15 IRE & UK / 18.15 ITA / 19.15 SA

Referee: James Doleman (NZR, league debut)

AR 1: Jonny Perriam (SRU) AR 2: Ru Campbell (SRU)

TMO: Eric Gauzins (FFR)

Live on: Viaplay, Premier Sports, SuperSport, Discovery + & URC.tv

Edinburgh Rugby: Henry Immelman, Wes Goosen, Mark Bennett (CAPT), James Lang, Jack Blain, Charlie Savala, Ben Vellacott, Boan Venter, Adam McBurney, Murray McCallum, Marshall Sykes, Glen Young, Nick Haining, Hamish Watson, Viliame Mata

Replacements: Dave Cherry, Luan de Bruin, Lee-Roy Atalifo, Jamie Hodgson, Ben Muncaster, Charlie Shiel, Jaco van der Walt, Cammy Hutchison

Cell C Sharks: Aphelele Fassi, Marnus Potgieter, Francois Venter, Ben Tapuai, Thaakir Abrahams, Curwin Bosch, Grant Williams, Ox Nche, Kerron van Vuuren, Thomas du Toit, Hyron Andrews, Gerbrandt Grobler, James Venter, Henco Venter, Phepsi Buthelezi (CAPT)

Replacements: Dan Jooste, Ntuthuko Mchunu, Carlü Sadie, Reniel Hugo, Sikhumbuzo Notshe, Cameron Wright, Lionel Cronje, Yaw Penxe

Edinburgh Rugby Head Coach Mike Blair said: “First and foremost, we’re absolutely delighted to see Hamish [Watson] back fit. He’s one of our most experienced players and someone who has the ability to influence a match with a game-changing piece of skill, turnover or destructive carry. His timely return is a real boost for both us and Scotland. We were obviously really pleased with the performance against Saracens last weekend. It was probably our most physically dominant display of the season so far, which was undoubtedly fuelled by a passionate home support at DAM Health Stadium. We’re really looking forward to getting back out there and representing our fans once again tomorrow night but we’re under no illusions about the side we’re coming up against. Cell C Sharks are one of the most dangerous teams in the league – they possess a hugely physical pack with plenty of size across the board. This is a massive league game for both clubs. We need to replicate last week’s efforts while once again fronting up physically. The Edinburgh supporters will also have a huge role to play, we’ll need their backing from first whistle to last to really drive us forward.”

Connacht v Emirates Lions

The Sportsground, Galway – KO 19.35 IRE & UK / 20.35 ITA / 21.35 SA

Referee: Paul Williams (NZR, 2nd league game)

AR 1: Padraic Reidy (IRFU) AR 2: Stuart Douglas (IRFU)

TMO: Brendan Pickerill (NZR)

Live on: TG4, Viaplay, Premier Sports, SuperSport, Discovery + & URC.tv

Connacht: Tiernan O’Halloran, Diarmuid Kilgallen, Tom Farrell, Cathal Forde, John Porch, Jack Carty (CAPT), Caolin Blade, Peter Dooley, Shane Delahunt, Jack Aungier, Darragh Murray, Niall Murray, Josh Murphy, Conor Oliver, Jarrad Butler

Replacements: Dylan Tierney-Martin, Jordan Duggan, Dominic Robertson-McCoy, Leva Fifita, Shamus Hurley-Langton, Kieran Marmion, Tom Daly, Oran McNulty

Emirates Lions: Quan Horn, Stean Pienaar, Henco van Wyk, Marius Louw (CAPT), Edwill van der Merwe, Jordan Hendrikse, Andre Warner, JP Smith, PJ Botha, Asenathi Ntlabakanye, Willem Alberts, Darrien Landsberg, Sibusiso Sangweni, Emile van Heerden, Emmanuel Tshituka

Replacements: Michael van Vuuren, Morgan Naude, Ruan Smith, Pieter Jansen van Vuren, Jaco Kriel, Morne van den Berg, Manny Rass, Andries Coetzee

Connacht Director of Rugby Andy Friend said: “Tomorrow marks the end of a long block of games for us and one we want to finish on a high. If we get the win we head into the next block well in the running for a playoff spot – while achieving our aim of reaching the Challenge Cup knockouts – so it’s not a bad spot to be in. We’re fully aware however that we need a win tomorrow to put ourselves in that position. The Lions are a formidable outfit and have improved even more since their first season last year, so we know a difficult challenge awaits us.”

Emirates Lions Defence Coach Jaque Fourie said : “Looking back at last week’s game, it’s important for us ahead of Connacht to put together two good halves and start playing positive rugby again. Playing in Galway especially in these conditions will be tough- it’s going to take 23-man effort to achieve a positive result for us. We’ve had a look at the Connacht side, and we know they are tough side at home.  The goal is to come out firing and as I said, put together two good halves of rugby and hopefully beat them on Saturday night.”

SUNDAY, JANUARY 29

Zebre Parma v Ospreys

Stadio Lanfranchi, Parma – KO 15.00 IRE & UK / 16.00 ITA / 17.00 SA

Referee: Eoghan Cross (IRFU, 8th league game)

AR 1: Clara Munarini (FIR) AR 2:  Riccardo Angelucci (FIR)

TMO: Leo Colgan (IRFU)

Live on: Discovery +, S4C, Viaplay, Premier Sports, SuperSport & URC.tv

Zebre Parma: Lorenzo Pani, Kobus van Wyk, Franco Smith Jr, Tommaso Boni (CAPT), Jacopo Trulla, Tiff Eden, Chris Cook, Paolo Buonfiglio, Giampietro Ribaldi, Ion Neculai, Leonard Krumov, Josh Furno, Luca Andreani, Matt Kvesic, Taina Fox-Matamua

Replacements: Jacques Du Toit, Alessio Sanavia, Riccardo Genovese, Jan Uys, Giovanni Licata, Ratko Jelic, Damiano Mazza, Geronimo Prisciantelli

Ospreys: Max Nagy, Luke Morgan, Michael Collins, Tiaan Thomas-Wheeler, Keelan Giles, Jack Walsh, Reuben Morgan-Williams, Nicky Smith (CAPT), Elvis Taione, Tom Botha, Bradley Davies, Huw Sutton, Jack Regan, Harri Deaves, Morgan Morris

Replacements: Tom Cowan-Dickie, Garyn Phillips, Rhys Henry, James Fender, Tristan Davies, Matthew Aubrey, Stephen Myler, Iestyn Hopkins

Ospreys Head Coach Toby Booth said: “Zebre are a team that like to play in the right areas of the pitch. They can be unpredictable. They’ll see an opportunity, being at home and with the players we have that are unavailable for selection. But we see this game as a great opportunity to see where our next crop of players are and to keep the momentum going.”