It’s another massive round of action in the Vodacom United Rugby Championship this weekend with a top four clash between the Cell C Sharks and Ulster headlining the South African challenge and the most intriguing clash to look out for.
But saying that, there are fascinating storylines in each of the South African clashes this weekend that will enthrall as the Vodacom Bulls look to overcome their horror last visit to Benetton and try not to end their tour without a win. At Emirates Airline Park, the Lions will look for their first home win and composure against the Glasgow Warriors side that has had a gastro outbreak and haven’t seen their coach Franco Smith for much of the tour while the Stormers face a tough final encounter against Cardiff in Wales.
All in all, below is your complete guide to the games that matter this weekend.
Friday 21 October ‘
BENETTON RUGBY v VODACOM BULLS
At Stadio Monigo, Treviso, 6.30pm kickoff.
Referee: Frank Murphy (IRFU, 67 th competition game)
Assistant: Filippo Russo, Alex Frasson (both FIR)
TMO: Olly Hodges (IRFU)
This will be the Bulls first visit to Stadio Monigo since their horror game in the final of the Rainbow Cup and it comes at a crucial juncture for Jake White’s side. While they are still expected to do well in the tournament, they have lost both their tour matches and looked ineffective and off-the-boil in defeats to Glasgow Warriors and Munster and will be hoping to grab some crucial points on the road before returning to their Loftus Versfeld fortress. Benetton are unbeaten at home this season and have rested players last week for this clash, so it’s sure to be a cracker.
Key Stats
BENETTON
Benetton’s average of 30.8 kicks in play per match is the highest in the league
Toa Halafihi is back at it for Benetton: he has won as many turnovers as any other player in URC 2 so far (six). He made three last weekend alone – as many as any other player in round five
A name forever engraved in the history of Italian rugby after his heroics in the 2022 Six Nations, Edoardo Padovani has continued his form for his club and is currently their top try scorer (three)
VODACOM BULLS
The Bulls have currently beaten the fewest players per match in the URC (10.8)
Bulls wing David Kriel has missed more tackles than any other player in the league, slipping off 13. This makes his tackle success rate a disappointing 57 per cent
The Bulls have conceded the most penalties in the league for foul play thus far in the season, getting pinged for an offence in this category a total of 14 times
Did You Know?
One area in which these teams are very contrasting is the maul. The Bulls have formed more mauls than any other side this season (44), whereas Benetton have set up to drive a league-low 22 times.
Having played one another twice in the league before, it is one-all between Benetton and the Bulls. Last season, they both won at home. Benetton have won their last five league matches at home.
Saturday 22 October
EMIRATES LIONS v GLASGOW WARRIORS
At Emirates Airline Park, Johannesburg, 4.05pm kick off.
Referee: Eoghan Cross (IRFU, 5 th competition game)
Assistants: AJ Jacobs, Cwengile Jadezweni (both SARU)
TMO:Chris Busby (IRFU)
This will be a massive game for the home side after their heroics on tour weren’t match on their return against Ulster. The Lions still haven’t won a game at home this year, and their frantic approach has prompted their coaching team to call for more composure.
It’s hard to guage how much Glasgow Warriors will be affected by the late arrival of Franco Smith and the much-publicised gastro flu that swept through their playing ranks this week, but they were under-performing by their own standards against the Sharks and will be looking for a better performance this weekend.
Key stats
EMIRATES LIONS
Only seven players have played 400 minutes in this year’s URC (the maximum possible thus far). Four of them are Emirates Lions players: Andries Coetzee, Francke Horn, Quan Horn, and Reinhard Nothnagel
No 8 Francke Horn is currently the highest scoring forward in the league having crossed the whitewash five times so far this season. He scored two of these against Ulster last weekend
Andries Coetzee has made 37 carries for the Lions this season, the highest number of any back in his squad, and has also made a squad-high 264 metres – 40 of which have been in contact.
GLASGOW WARRIORS
The Warriors have been exceptional at winning back possession so far this season, pinching the ball back from their opposition on a league-high 42 occasions
However, they have lost the ball at the scrum themselves six times, making their rate of scrum success a league-low 73 per cent
Glasgow Warriors prop Jamie Bhatti is the most heavily penalised player in the league, having conceded a total of ten penalties. Six of these offences have been at the scrum, which is clearly being heavily penalised as the five players with the highest penalty counts in the league all play prop
Did You Know?
The only time that these two sides have met in the league, Glasgow narrowly defeated the Emirates Lions 13-9 in Glasgow.
The Emirates Lions have won a very respectable three of their first five league matches, placing them in fifth position in the URC 2 table.
Glasgow Warriors have alternated between losses and wins since the start of the season, does that mean they’re due a win away from home this weekend? History would suggest otherwise: they have lost their last nine away matches.
CELL C SHARKS v ULSTER RUGBY
At Hollywoodbets Kings Park, Durban, 6.15pm kick off.
Referee: Sam Grove-White (SRU, 29th competition game)
Assistant: Jaco Peyper, Griffin Colby (both SARU)
TMO: Ben Blain (SRU)
The Cell C Sharks are on a high after their big win over Glasgow Warriors last week and believe in their power play with a man-of-the-match introduction for Springbok Eben Etzebeth but Ulster have shown they are one of the top sides in the competition, making this a mouth-watering clash and possibly the clash of the weekend.
Ulster’s ability to stave off 33 degree heat and altitude to beat the Lions in a 10-try thriller underlined their pedigree and make them very difficult opposition indeed as they look to be the first side to achieve a double win in South Africa in the URC.
Key stats
CELL C SHARKS
The Sharks have taken the utmost care with ball in hand in their matches so far this season, conceding a league-low 33 turnovers
Their ability to retain the ball is likely related to their power in the carry. Currently, the Cell C Sharks boast the highest rate of gainline success in the league (62 per cent)
Boeta Chamberlain has made four try assists so far this season, as many as any player in the URC (=John Cooney)
Jaden Hendrikse kicked the ball 14 times last weekend against the Glasgow Warriors. Of these 14, a round-high 6 were retained – the joint-highest figure in a single match so far this season.
ULSTER
Correlation may not imply causation, but Ulster’s discipline – they’ve conceded a league-low 40 penalties – is surely linked to the fact that they have also scored the most points in the league so far (190)
Holding onto the ball for as long as possible, Ulster have made more passes than any other team (754)
Ulster have retained the ball from 97 per cent of their mauls. Not only is this more than any other team, but this is higher than the retention rate of any side in the league at the ruck
Ulster’s John Cooney is the top-points scorer in the league, having scored a total of 59 so far this season.
Did You Know?
Neither the Sharks nor Ulster have been penalised with a yellow card so far this season. In fact, Ulster are yet to be shown a card of any colour.
Both the Sharks and Ulster have performed solidly so far this season, making this weekend’s fixture a clash between two top-four sides.
CARDIFF RUGBY v DHL STORMERS
At Cardiff Arms Park, Cardiff, 8.35pm kickoff.
Referee: Andrea Piardi (FIR, 28th competition game)
Assistant: Simon Rees, Carwyn Williams (both WRU)
TMO: Stefano Roscini (FIR)
The Stormers are still a bit miffed at the way the Ospreys stopped their maul last weekend and expect a similar “illegal” tactic from Cardiff, but with all the attention on it, the likelihood is that it will be policed better. Still, they are on a 15-match unbeaten run and will be looking for a strong finish to their tour before returning home and continuing the defence of their title. Cardiff have had a string of good results and will be tough opposition in a night game in the Welsh capital.
Key Stats
CARDIFF RUGBY
Cardiff’s tenacity in defence has seen them rack up a huge total of 797 tackles so far this season, a league-high average of 159.4 per match
As it stands, Thomas Young is the URC’s top tackler, having stopped 78 opposition players in their tracks
Cardiff have the lowest rate of lineout success on their own throw in the league (77 per cent)
DHL STORMERS
The Stormers stats are fascinating considering they now haven’t lost in the league in their last 15 matches. Seemingly controlling the game from an armchair, they have made the fewest:
- Carries (292), contact metres (159), and passes (360)
- Tackles (471) and turnovers won (14)
- Kicks (62)
And have the lowest ball retention rate at the ruck in the league (92 per cent). They have played one less match than everyone but the Sharks, but their match averages in these metrics are also the lowest in the league (excluding tackles). How are they doing this?
Did You Know?
The DHL Stormers’ draw with the Ospreys in round five was the closest they have come to defeat in their last 15 league matches.
In the one league meeting between these sides, Cardiff were soundly beaten away from home, 40-3. They didn’t score a single point in the second half.
Cardiff have won three of their last four at hom