Tag: Rugby

The Reds have continued to shore up their squad for 2019 and beyond, with experienced prop JP Smith re-signing for a further two years.

Smith, along with twin brother Ruan, joined the Reds ahead of the 2018 Super Rugby season. Both are now contracted through 2020.

JP featured in all but one of the Reds’ games this year, contributing greatly to one of the most dominant scrums in the competition.

Originally from South Africa, the Smiths emigrated to Toowoomba with their family as teenagers, where they attended Toowoomba Grammar School. The pair always held aspirations to represent the Reds and finally achieved their goal earlier this season, after a number of years playing interstate and abroad.

“Ever since our family moved here, it has been our dream to play for Queensland,” Smith said.

“The Rugby community here has been so supportive, so it is great to be able to call Ballymore home and to settle here for the next two years.

“We felt we made good progress this year, but there is still a lot of room for improvement. We established a standard around our set piece place, so now the challenge is for us to be consistent with that.”

Reds head coach Brad Thorn said the squad was coming together for 2019, with hard work and competition within the group the keys to driving future success.

“JP came into the program ahead of the 2018 season and has really bought into what we’re trying to achieve in the forwards.

“We’ve had a strong focus on consistent, dominant set piece performances and the hard work of him and his teammates in that space has been key.”

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Your one-stop spot for all the Rugby Championship team line-ups.

Saturday

New Zealand v South Africa
Westpac Stadium, Wellington

New Zealand: 15 Jordie Barrett, 14 Ben Smith, 13 Anton Lienert-Brown, 12 Ryan Crotty, 11 Rieko Ioane, 10 Beauden Barrett, 9 Aaron Smith, 8 Kieran Read (c), 7 Sam Cane, 6 Liam Squire, 5 Scott Barrett, 4 Samuel Whitelock, 3 Owen Franks, 2 Codie Taylor, 1 Karl Tu’inukuafe
Replacements: 16 Liam Coltman, 17 Tim Perry, 18 Ofa Tuungafasi, 19 Patrick Tuipulotu, 20 Ardie Savea, 21 TJ Perenara, 22 Sonny Bill Williams, 23 Damian McKenzie

South Africa: 15 Willie le Roux, 14 Jesse Kriel, 13 Lukhanyo Am, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Aphiwe Dyantyi, 10 Handré Pollard, 9 Faf de Klerk, 8 Warren Whiteley, 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 6 Siya Kolisi (c), 5 Franco Mostert, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Frans Malherbe, 2 Malcolm Marx, 1 Steven Kitshoff
Replacements: 16 Bongi Mbonambi, 17 Beast Mtawarira, 18 Wilco Louw, 19 RG Snyman, 20 Francois Louw, 21 Ross Cronjé, 22 Elton Jantjies, 23 Cheslin Kolbe

Australia v Argentina
CBUS Super Stadium, Gold Coast

Australia: 15 Dane Haylett-Petty, 14 Israel Folau, 13 Reece Hodge, 12 Matt Toomua, 11 Marika Koroibete, 10 Kurtley Beale, 9 Will Genia, 8 David Pocock, 7 Michael Hooper (c), 6 Lukhan Tui, 5 Izack Rodda, 4 Rory Arnold, 3 Allan Alaalatoa, 2 Tatafu Polota-Nau, 1 Scott Sio
Replacements: 16 Folau Faingaa, 17 Sekope Kepu, 18 Taniela Tupou, 19 Adam Coleman, 20 Pete Samu, 21 Nick Phipps, 22 Bernard Foley, 23 Jack Maddocks

Argentina: 15 Emiliano Boffelli, 14 Bautista Delguy, 13 Matias Moroni, 12 Jeronimo De La Fuente, 11 Ramiro Moyano, 10 Nicolas Sanchez, 9 Gonzalo Bertranou, 8 Javier Ortega Desio, 7 Marcos Kremer, 6 Pablo Matera, 5 Tomas Lavanini, 4 Guido Petti, 3 Santiago Medrano, 2 Agustin Creevy, 1 Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro
Replacements: 16 Julian Montoya, 17 Santiago Garcia Botta, 18 Juan Pablo Zeiss, 19 Matias Alemanno, 20 Juan Manuel Leguizamon, 21 Martin Landajo, 22 Bautista Ezcurra, 23 Juan Cruz Mallia

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The Wallabies and Argentina meet for the first time in this year’s Rugby Championship at Robina Stadium on the Gold Coast on Saturday.

There has been plenty of light-hearted exchange of words between the two camps ahead of Saturday’s Round Four encounter. Stephen Larkham got the sledging going when he sarcastically questioned Ledesma’s credentials and took a swipe at the Argentina scrum.

Indeed, this must have stung his former colleague Ledesma, who had admitted in the aftermath of the 46-24 defeat to the All Blacks that his side were ‘torn apart’ at scrum-time.

What is the reason for Argentina’s once-feared scrum having taken a downward turn? Ledesma believes it is because of that once feared reputation, that teams have targeted them or found ways to exploit their weaknesses.

“We got torn apart so we need to get better there,” Ledesma said after his side’s 46-24 defeat to the All Blacks in Nelson last Saturday. “It’s been the same for the last couple of years. Unfortunately, other teams go hard at us there because they consider we’re really strong.”

However, the war of words continued as Ledesma hit back, pointing to the fact that the Wallabies had the worst attack in the competition. And Ledesma does have a point. They have averaged the fewest metres gained of any team in this campaign, averaging just 400 per game after running for only 253 metres against South Africa last week.

All joking aside, this is an in-form Argentina side who are on the up, while the Wallabies were lucky to escape with a win against a Springbok side who didn’t take their chances.

This may therefore be the opportune moment for Los Pumas to improve on their dreadful record against the Wallabies and put themselves in pole position for second position, having lost 15 of the sides’ 16 previous meetings, including the last six on the bounce, in which they have conceded an average of 36 points per match.

With the Springboks unlikely to defeat the mighty All Blacks, this could be a potential final for second place and the Wallabies, with home advantage, should just about have the edge.

Players to watch:

For Wallabies: Israel Folau makes his return to the starting line-up. Kurtley Beale and Matt Toomua will be looking to give those ‘up and unders’ plenty of hang-time for the likes of Folau to chase. Indeed, Folau has the best leap of any player in the modern game, having shown those qualities in the series against Ireland and previous Bledisloe Cup encounter.

For Argentina: Nicolas Sanchez made history in Nelson last weekend, breaking the record of Felipe Contepomi as the Pumas’ highest points-scorer of all time in almost 20 less games. Sanchez has already scored 43 points in this year’s Rugby Championship, chipping in with a couple of tries. He will join Stade Francais in the Top 14 after the November internationals.

Head-to-head: Michael Cheika has opted to keep Dane Haylett-Petty at full-back’ despite Folau’s return to the starting XV, following the former’s assured performance in the win over the Springboks. Haylett-Petty fronts up against Emiliano Boffelli. Both are proven try-scorers, good kickers out of hand and tricky customers capable of the unexpected. These two should come to life more and more as the game goes on and more spaces begin to appear.

Previous results:

2018: Australia won 37-20 in Mendoza
2017: Australia won 45-20 in Canberra
2016: Australia won 21-33 in London
2016: Australia won 36-20 in Perth
2015: Australia won 29-15 in London (RWC semi-final)
2015: Australia won 34-9 in Mendoza
2014: Argentina won 21-17 in Mendoza
2014: Australia won 32-25 in Gold Coast
2013: Australia won 54-17 in Rosario
2013: Australia won 14-13 in Perth

Prediction: The hosts will be too strong at home and consolidate second position. Wallabies by 11.

The teams:

Australia: 15 Dane Haylett-Petty, 14 Israel Folau, 13 Reece Hodge, 12 Matt Toomua, 11 Marika Koroibete, 10 Kurtley Beale, 9 Will Genia, 8 Pete Samu, 7 David Pocock (c), 6 Lukhan Tui, 5 Izack Rodda, 4 Rory Arnold, 3 Allan Alaalatoa, 2 Tatafu Polota-Nau, 1 Scott Sio
Replacements: 16 Folau Faingaa, 17 Sekope Kepu, 18 Taniela Tupou, 19 Adam Coleman, 20 Ned Hanigan, 21 Nick Phipps, 22 Bernard Foley, 23 Jack Maddocks

Argentina: 15 Emiliano Boffelli, 14 Bautista Delguy, 13 Matias Moroni, 12 Jeronimo De La Fuente, 11 Ramiro Moyano, 10 Nicolas Sanchez, 9 Gonzalo Bertranou, 8 Javier Ortega Desio, 7 Marcos Kremer, 6 Pablo Matera, 5 Tomas Lavanini, 4 Guido Petti, 3 Santiago Medrano, 2 Agustin Creevy, 1 Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro
Replacements: 16 Julian Montoya, 17 Santiago Garcia Botta, 18 Juan Pablo Zeiss, 19 Matias Alemanno, 20 Juan Manuel Leguizamon, 21 Martin Landajo, 22 Bautista Ezcurra, 23 Juan Cruz Mallia

Date: Saturday, September 15
Venue: Cbus Super Stadium, Gold Coast
Kick-off: 20:00 local (11:00 BST, 10:00 GMT)
Referee: John Lacey (Ireland)
Assistant referees: Glen Jackson (New Zealand), Paul Williams (New Zealand)
Television match official: Glenn Newman (New Zealand)

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The All Blacks will be brimming with confidence when they take on the Springboks in their Rugby Championship clash in Wellington on Saturday.

The world champions have, once again, been the dominant force in the southern hemisphere’s premier international competition and a bonus-point victory in this fixture against their traditional foes will secure them a third successive tournament win for New Zealand.

The men in black have been in superb form and are sitting pretty at the top of the Rugby Championship table with 15 points after notching bonus-points wins in their three matches against Australia (twice) and Argentina.

By contrast, the Springboks have found the going tough and apart from a hard-fought victory over Argentina in their tournament opener in Durban, have little to crow about as they suffered a defeat against the Pumas in the rematch in Mendoza and also lost to Australia in Brisbane last weekend.

The Springboks are a far cry from the side who started their international campaign on a high when they claimed a 2-1 series victory against England in June. They head into this clash with confidence at a low after those setbacks to Argentina and Australia.

The Boks were their own worst enemies in last weekend’s defeat to the Wallabies in Brisbane as they committed too many unforced errors. A similar performance could see a repeat of last year’s corresponding fixture against the All Blacks in Albany when the world champions cruised to a 57-0 victory.

Despite being overwhelming favourites, the All Blacks expect a tough assignment against the Springboks, who will be determined to return to the victory trail and in doing so claim their first win on New Zealand soil since 2009.

All Blacks assistant coach Ian Foster believes his side are in for a tough assignment against a dangerous opponent.

“We’ve got to prepare to play a team that is going to turn up and play the best game of the year,” he said.

“We always look at ‘what-ifs’ and how they’re going about it.

Foster said he had observed that South Africa had started to trust a more expansive game in recent years and the two countries had played some classic, and very exciting, games during that time.

“We expect that but it is going to be based on a collision and a toughness, you have got to win that battle in any Test but you certainly have to win it this week,” he added.

“We know that if we get our mindset right and our detail in our game right that gives us our best chance of playing well and winning, so there comes a point in the week that we don’t spend a lot of time in the week talking about the opposition, it’s more about us.

“They love the collision, they’re tough there, they carry hard. They take a lot of pride in their set-piece work and they’ve got some backs that really enjoy space out wide if we give it to them. They’ve got a lot of speed.

“It’s not so much are they playing different, it’s just some of the tactics within each part of the game and when you put them under pressure it’s where they go to under those pressure moments and that’s probably what we spend most time looking at.”

Players to watch:

For New Zealand: The All Blacks have plenty of attacking threats but keep an eye on their chief playmaker, Beauden Barrett, who has been brilliant in his two previous appearances – both against Australia – in this year’s tournament. Barrett delivered a virtuoso performance in the second Test against the Wallabies in Auckland in which he finished with a 30-point haul including four tries. That showing will be hard to repeat but the 27-year-old’s brilliance knows no bounds and if his forwards can provide good front-foot ball to him, it could be a long day at the office for the Bok defenders.

For South Africa: If the Springboks want to upset the apple cart their forwards will have to play out of their skins and one player who is expected to lead their charge is their hooker, Malcolm Marx. The 24-year-old is out to prove a point after starting on the replacements bench in the Boks’ narrow defeat to the Wallabies in Brisbane last week. At his best, Marx is arguably the best hooker in the world with his ball carrying and phenomenal work at the breakdown particularly impressive. He will be determined to hit the ground running in Wellington.

Head-to-head: The battle out wide between All Blacks flyer Rieko Ioane and the Springboks’ Jesse Kriel is an intriguing one as both players will be determined to prove a point, albeit for different reasons. Ioane makes his first appearance since the tournament opener against Australia in Sydney – where he sustained a hamstring injury – while Jesse Kriel is occupying an unfamiliar position as he shifts from his preferred outside centre berth to the right wing where he replaces the injured Makazole Mapimpi. On paper, this is a mismatch as the 21-year-old All Blacks is one of the world’s best wings while Kriel’s lack of experience in his new role could prove to be his undoing. It will be interesting to see how the Springbok adapts on the wing, especially defensively against such a superb finisher.

Previous results:

2017: New Zealand won 25-24 in Cape Town
2017: New Zealand won 57-0 in Albany
2016: New Zealand won 57-15 in Durban
2016: New Zealand won 41-13 in Christchurch
2015: New Zealand won 20-18 in London (RWC semi-final)
2015: New Zealand won 27-20 in Johannesburg
2014: South Africa won 27-25 in Johannesburg
2014: New Zealand won 14-10 in Wellington
2013: New Zealand won 38-27 in Johannesburg

Prediction: This will be another one-sided affair with the world champions cruising to an easy win. New Zealand to win by 25 points.

The teams:

New Zealand: 15 Jordie Barrett, 14 Ben Smith, 13 Anton Lienert-Brown, 12 Ryan Crotty, 11 Rieko Ioane, 10 Beauden Barrett, 9 Aaron Smith, 8 Kieran Read (c), 7 Sam Cane, 6 Liam Squire, 5 Scott Barrett, 4 Samuel Whitelock, 3 Owen Franks, 2 Codie Taylor, 1 Karl Tu’inukuafe
Replacements: 16 Liam Coltman, 17 Tim Perry, 18 Ofa Tuungafasi, 19 Patrick Tuipulotu, 20 Ardie Savea, 21 TJ Perenara, 22 Jack Goodhue, 23 Damian McKenzie

South Africa: 15 Willie le Roux, 14 Jesse Kriel, 13 Lukhanyo Am, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Aphiwe Dyantyi, 10 Handré Pollard, 9 Faf de Klerk, 8 Warren Whiteley, 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 6 Siya Kolisi (c), 5 Franco Mostert, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Frans Malherbe, 2 Malcolm Marx, 1 Steven Kitshoff
Replacements: 16 Bongi Mbonambi, 17 Beast Mtawarira, 18 Wilco Louw, 19 RG Snyman, 20 Francois Louw, 21 Ross Cronjé, 22 Elton Jantjies, 23 Cheslin Kolbe

Date: Saturday, September 15
Venue: Westpac Stadium, Wellington
Kick-off: 19:35 local (08:35 BST, 07:35 GMT)
Referee: Nigel Owens (Wales)
Assistant referees: Pascal Gaüzère (France), Nic Berry (Australia)
Television match official: Rowan Kitt (England)

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David Pocock will lead the Wallabies in tomorrow night’s Rugby Championship clash with Argentina at Cbus Super Stadium on the Gold Coast following Michael Hooper’s withdrawal through injury.

Pocock will skipper the side in Hooper’s absence and shifts into the number seven jersey whilst fellow Brumby Pete Samu resumes his role at number eight, after starring against South Africa last weekend.

Hooper trained on Thursday on the Gold Coast but medical staff decided not to risk the 26-year old tomorrow night.

Qantas Wallabies coach Michael Cheika said: “He felt his hamstring a bit at training yesterday afternoon and with his recent history, we just thought it was best not to push it.

“He was really keen to play this weekend but a week off will be a good thing for him to just get it right,” Cheika said.

Australia: 15 Dane Haylett-Petty, 14 Israel Folau, 13 Reece Hodge, 12 Matt Toomua, 11 Marika Koroibete, 10 Kurtley Beale, 9 Will Genia, 8 Pete Samu, 7 David Pocock (c), 6 Lukhan Tui, 5 Izack Rodda, 4 Rory Arnold, 3 Allan Alaalatoa, 2 Tatafu Polota-Nau, 1 Scott Sio
Replacements: 16 Folau Faingaa, 17 Sekope Kepu, 18 Taniela Tupou, 19 Adam Coleman, 20 Ned Hanigan, 21 Nick Phipps, 22 Bernard Foley, 23 Jack Maddocks

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Captain Chris van Zyl will make his first start for Western Province this season against the Golden Lions at Ellis Park on Saturday.

Having played off the replacements bench in the last game against the Pumas, lock Van Zyl takes over the captaincy for the Currie Cup clash in Johannesburg on Saturday.

Van Zyl will partner JD Schickerling in the second row, with Ernst van Rhyn shifting to blindside flank and Kobus van Dyk at openside. Salmaan Moerat and Chris Massyn will provide cover on the replacements bench.

There is one change to the front-row as Michael Kumbirai comes back into the starting line-up at tighthead and Carlu Sadie makes his first appearance of the season among the replacements.

The only change to the backline sees Dan Kriel back at inside centre, with scrum-half Paul de Wet getting an opportunity on the replacements bench.

Western Province head coach John Dobson said that it will take an 80-minute performance to challenge the Golden Lions.

“We know that we will have to be accurate in all areas and sustain our effort until the final whistle if we are to come away with a win this weekend.

“Our preparations have gone well following our bye last week, but the key will be putting those plans into action on Saturday,” he said.

Western Province: 15 Dillyn Leyds, 14 Sergeal Petersen, 13 Ruhan Nel, 12 Dan Kriel, 11 SP Marais, 10 Josh Stander, 9 Jano Vermaak, 8 Juarno Augustus, 7 Ernst van Rhyn, 6 Kobus van Dyk, 5 JD Schickerling, 4 Chris van Zyl (c), 3 Michael Kumbirai, 2 Scarra Ntubeni, 1 Ali Vermaak
Replacements: 16 Chad Solomon, 17 Caylib Oosthuizen, 18 Carlu Sadie, 19 Salmaan Moerat, 20 Chris Massyn, 21 Paul de Wet, 22 Dan du Plessis

Date: Saturday, September 15
Venue: Ellis Park
Kick-off: 15:00 local (13:00 GMT)
Referee: Jaco Peyper
Assistant referees: Stephan Geldenhuys, Griffin Colby
Television match official: Willie Vos

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Golden Lions coach Ivan van Rooyen has named his team to tackle Western Province in a Currie Cup clash at Ellis Park on Saturday.

Springbok full-back Andries Coetzee has made his return to the Golden Lions’ starting line-up for the clash with Western Province at Ellis Park on Saturday.

Coetzee replaces Sylvian Mahuza, who shifts to the right wing at the expense of the injured Madosh Tambwe, who will be out for the remainder of the season, having dislocated his shoulder against the Free State Cheetahs.

The other change comes in the front-row, with Corne Fourie coming back in for Pieter Jansen in the number two jersey.

Golden Lions: 15 Andries Coetzee, 14 Sylvian Mahuza, 13 Lionel Mapoe, 12 Howard Mnisi, 11 Courtnall Skosan, 10 Shaun Reynolds, 9 Dillon Smit, 8 Hacjivah Dayimani, 7 Len Massyn, 6 James Venter, 5 Marvin Orie, 4 Rhyno Herbst, 3 Jacobie Adriaanse, 2 Corne Fourie, 1 Sti Sithole
Replacements: 16 Pieter Jansen, 17 Johannes Jonker, 18 Reinhard Nothnagel, 19 Driaan Bester, 20 Nic Groom, 21 Gianni Lombard, 22 Wandisile Simelane

Date: September 15
Venue: Ellis Park
Kick-off: 14:55 local (12:45 GMT)
Referee: Jaco Peyper
Assistant referees: Stephan Geldenhuys, Griffin Colby
Television match official: Willie Vos

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Worcester Warriors loose forward Cornell du Preez will stay in hospital for a further four weeks after undergoing throat surgery on Monday.

Du Preez sustained the injury five minutes into his debut game against Wasps, having joined the Premiership side from PRO14 side Edinburgh in the off-season.

The South African-born Scotland international was rushed to hospital where it was confirmed he injured his cricoid (cartilage of the larynx), underwent surgery on Monday and will remain in hospital for a further month.

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Five games take place in the PRO14 on Saturday and Sunday with defending champions Leinster opening proceedings against the Dragons.

Saturday

Leinster v Dragons

Leinster boss Leo Cullen has named club captain Johnny Sexton in the team for the first time this season, while a number of other internationals are also selected in the match-day 23.

Rob Kearney comes in at full back which means that Jordan Larmour moves to the right wing from last week, while Dave Kearney comes onto the left wing.

In the centre Robbie Henshaw and Garry Ringrose are partnered for the first time this season with Ringrose making his first appearance.

In the half backs Jamison Gibson-Park starts again with Sexton outside him.

Ed Byrne makes his first start of the new campaign from loosehead prop, as does Andrew Porter at tighthead. Seán Cronin is selected between them at hooker.

Scott Fardy is joined by James Ryan for his seasonal bow, while in the back row Max Deegan, Josh van der Flier and Jack Conan complete the pack.

It will be van der Flier’s first game since injuring his ACL in February during the Six Nations against France.

On the bench there is a possible debut for Meath man Hugh O’Sullivan at scrumhalf, while Caelan Doris is also in line for his first game at the RDS Arena having played away from home for both his caps to date. Peter Dooley is also in line to win his 50th Leinster cap.

For the Dragonas, Wing Hallam Amos will make his 100th appearance as the Men of Gwent travel to Dublin.

Amos clocks up a century of games as Head Coach Bernard Jackman makes three changes to the starting line-up for the fixture at the RDS Arena.

Back row Nic Cudd comes in at openside flanker for his first start of the season while there is also a place in the front row for prop Lloyd Fairbrother. Ollie Griffiths and Leon Brown are among the replacements.

Centre Adam Warren takes the place of the injured Tyler Morgan in midfield. Jarryd Sage is named on the bench.

The teams:

Leinster: 15 Rob Kearney, 14 Jordan Larmour, 13 Garry Ringrose, 12 Robbie Henshaw, 11 Dave Kearney, 10 Johnny Sexton (c), 9 Jamison Gibson-Park, 8 Jack Conan, 7 Josh van der Flier, 6 Max Deegan, 5 James Ryan, 4 Scott Fardy, 3 Andrew Porter, 2 Seán Cronin, 1 Ed Byrne
Replacements: 16 Bryan Byrne, 17 Peter Dooley, 18 Tadhg Furlong, 19 Ross Molony, 20 Caelan Doris, 21 Hugh O’Sullivan, 22 Noel Reid, 23 Joe Tomane

Dragons: 15 Jordan Williams, 14 Dafydd Howells, 13 Adam Warren, 12 Jack Dixon, 11 Hallam Amos, 10 Josh Lewis, 9 Rhodri Williams, 8 Ross Moriarty 7 Nic Cudd, 6 Aaron Wainwright, 5 Cory Hill (c), 4 Matthew Screech, 3 Lloyd Fairbrother, 2 Elliot Dee, 1 Brok Harris,
Replacements: 16 Richard Hibbard, 17 Ryan Bevington, 18 Leon Brown, 19 Brandon Nansen, 20 Ollie Griffiths, 21 Tavis Knoyle, 22 Arwel Robson, 23 Jarryd Sage

Venue: RDS Arena, Dublin
Kick-off: 17:15 BST (16:15 GMT)
Referee: Quinton Immelman (South Africa)
Assistant referees: Joy Neville (Ireland), Mark Patton (Ireland)
TMO: Olly Hodges (Ireland)

Scarlets v Benetton

Scarlets head coach Wayne Pivac has kept an unchanged backline with Johnny McNicholl making it through a late fitness test after coming off the field last weekend against Leinster.

Two personnel changes have been made to the pack with loosehead prop Rob Evans and back-row Josh Macleod both suffering shoulder injuries in the victory. Phil Price comes into the front-row while Blade Thomson moves to the number eight position in place of Macleod with Ed Kennedy coming in to the blindside flank.

On the replacements bench, loosehead prop Wyn Jones makes a timely return from a calf injury, suffered on Wales’ summer tour to Argentina.

Australian back Paul Asquith makes a long-awaited return from the knee injury sustained in the European Rugby Champions Cup clash against La Rochelle in March.

Meanwhile, Luca Sperandio lines up at full-back for Benetton, alongside wings Ratuva Tavuyara and Monty Ioane. Marco Benvenuti and Luca Morisi will be right and left centre respectively.

At half-back are Dewaldt Duvenage and Tommaso Allan, while the front-row consists of Nicola Quaglio, Hame Faiva and Simone Ferrari.

Locks will be Marco Fuser and Irnè Herbst with the back-row seeing Marco Lazzaroni, Abraham Steyn and captain Robert Barbieri completing the XV chosen by head coach Kieran Crowley.

The teams:

Scarlets: 15 Leigh Halfpenny, 14 Tom Prydie, 13 Kieron Fonotia, 12 Hadleigh Parkes, 11 Johnny McNicholl, 10 Dan Jones, 9 Gareth Davies, 8 Blade Thomson, 7 James Davies, 6 Ed Kennedy, 5 Steve Cummins, 4 Jake Ball, 3 Samson Lee, 2 Ken Owens (c), 1 Phil Price
Replacements: 16 Ryan Elias, 17 Wyn Jones, 18 Werner Kruger, 19 David Bulbring, 20 Dan Davis, 21 Sam Hidalgo-Clyne, 22 Paul Asquith, 23 Ioan Nichola

Benetton: 15 Luca Sperandio, 14 Ratuva Tavuyara, 13 Marco Zanon, 12 Luca Morisi, 11 Monty Ioane, 10 Tommaso Allan, 9 Dewaldt Duvenage, 8 Robert Barbieri (c), 7 Abraham Steyn, 6 Marco Lazzaroni, 5 Marco Fuser, 4 Irné Herbst, 3 Simone Ferrari, 2 Hame Faiva, 1 Nicola Quaglio
Replacements: 16 Engjel Makelara, 17 Cherif Traore, 18 Tiziano Pasquali, 19 Alessandro Zanni, 20 Marco Barbini, 21 Giorgio Bronzini, 22 Antonio Rizzi, 23 Alberto Sgarbi

Venue: Parc y Scarlets, Llanelli
Kick-off: 17:15 BST (16:15 GMT)
Referee: Lloyd Linton (Scotland)
Assistant referees: Mike Adamson (Scotland), Simon Mills (Wales)
TMO: Jon Mason (Wales)

Cheetahs v Glasgow Warriors

Cheetahs boss Franco Smith has made several alterations to his pack for the visit of Glasgow Warriors on Saturday.

The Bloemfontein-based outfit have completely altered the front-row with Charles Marais, Joseph Dweba and Aranos Coetzee coming into the XV.

At lock, JP du Preez retains his place but he is partnered by Walt Steenkamp, while the back-row sees Gerhard Olivier start, with Aidon Davis shifting to number eight.

In the backline, Tian Meyer and Shaun Venter alternate, with the scrum-half also captaining the team for the encounter.

Meanwhile, Ali Price starts for Glasgow Warriors as they name another settled side to face the Toyota Cheetahs.

The Warriors will be looking to replicate their Bloemfontein performance from last season, taking all five points from their Conference A rivals in a thrilling 29-26 victory.

Scrum-half Price starts for the first time this season, as do Alex Dunbar and Ruaridh Jackson. All three are brought into the starting XV.

Adam Hastings starts at fly-half following his Man of the Match performance against Munster at Scotstoun last Friday.

Pete Horne is Dunbar’s partner in midfield and DTH van der Merwe and Tommy Seymour complete the back three.

There is just one change to the pack that played so well against Munster, Scott Cummings starting in the engine room with Rob Harley moving to the blindside flank.

Oli Kebble starts in the country of his birth, with Fraser Brown and Zander Fagerson joining him in the front-row.

Jonny Gray is Cummings’ partner in the second-row while Callum Gibbins and Adam Ashe complete the pack.

On the bench, Huw Jones is fit to play and named in a Glasgow 23 for the first time since April.

The teams:

Cheetahs: 15 Malcolm Jaer, 14 William Small-Smith, 13 Benhard Janse van Rensburg, 12 Nico Lee, 11 Rabz Maxwane, 10 Tian Schoeman, 9 Tian Meyer (c), 8 Aidon Davis, 7 Junior Pokomela, 6 Gerhard Olivier, 5 JP du Preez, 4 Walt Steenkamp, 3 Aranos Coetzee, 2 Joseph Dweba, 1 Charles Marais
Repacements: 16 Jacques du Toit, 17 Ox Nche, 18 Gunther van Rensburg, 19 Dennis Visser, 20 Niell Jordaan, 21 Marnus van der Merwe, 22 Shaun Venter, 23 Ryno Eksteen

Glasgow: 15 Ruaridh Jackson, 14 Tommy Seymour, 13 Alex Dunbar, 12 Pete Horne, 11 DTH van der Merwe, 10 Adam Hastings, 9 Ali Price, 8 Adam Ashe, 7 Callum Gibbins (c), 6 Rob Harley, 5 Jonny Gray, 4 Scott Cummings, 3 Zander Fagerson, 2 Fraser Brown, 1 Oli Kebble
Replacements: 16 George Turner, 17 Alex Allan, 18 D’Arcy Rae, 19 Matt Fagerson, 20 Chris Fusaro, 21 George Horne, 22 Nick Frisby, 23 Huw Jones

Venue: Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein
Kick-off: 19:30 local (18:30 BST, 17:30 GMT)
Referee: Frank Murphy (Ireland)
Assistant referees: Andrew Brace (Ireland), Cwengile Jadezweni (South Africa)
TMO: Shaun Veldsman (South Africa)

Zebre v Cardiff Blues

Zebre are back in front of the home crowd after the bonus-point win in the competition opener against the Southern Kings and have made four changes to their side.

They are in the hunt for a second win of the season after their defeat in Ireland against Connacht last weekend.

There is one alteration in the backs, with centre Tommaso Boni starting for the first time this season, while there are three changes in the pack. Hooker Massimo Ceciliani will earn his first start for Zebre, while tighthead prop Dario Chistolini and back-rower Jimmy Tuivaiti also start.

Italian internationals, centre Tommaso Castello and back-rower Giovanni Licata, return from injury and are amongst the replacements, with the latter ready for his seasonal debut in the PRO14 after missing the first two games.

For Cardiff, they have made six changes for what has been billed a must-win clash against Zebre in the PRO14.

Following two agonising defeats to Leinster and Benetton in the closing stages, the Blues are determined to respond.

Head coach John Mulvihill has reshuffled his starting XV to ensure players are given opportunities but also that his side finish the encounter strongly with plenty of leaders on the pitch.

Three changes come in the pack with Dillon Lewis starting ahead of Dmitri Arhip, who drops to the replacements.

And there is a new look back-row with Josh Navidi at number eight and Olly Robinson, who captains the team, on the openside flank, with Nick Williams on the bench and Ellis Jenkins given a rest week.

In the backs there are three more changes with Garyn Smith handed his first competitive start of the season and half-backs Tomos Williams and Gareth Anscombe stepping up from the bench.

There are further changes among the replacements with former Wales Under-20s prop Rhys Carre set to make his PRO14 debut.

The teams:

Zebre: 15 Edoardo Padovani, 14 Mattia Bellini, 13 Giulio Bisegni, 12 Tommaso Boni, 11 Giovanbattista Venditti, 10 Carlo Canna, 9 Marcello Violi, 8 Renato Giammarioli, 7 Johan Meyer, 6 Jimmy Tuivaiti, 5 George Biagi (c), 4 David Sisi, 3 Dario Chistolini, 2 Massimo Ceciliani, 1 Andrea Lovotti,
Replacements: 16 Oliviero Fabiani, 17 Daniele Rimpelli, 18 Giosué Zilocchi, 19 Apisai Tauyavuca, 20 Giovanni Licata, 21 Guglielmo Palazzani, 22 Francois Brummer, 23 Tommaso Castello

Cardiff: 15 Matthew Morgan, 14 Jason Harries, 13 Garyn Smith, 12 Rey Lee-Lo, 11 Owen Lane, 10 Gareth Anscombe, 9 Tomos Williams, 8 Josh Navidi, 7 Olly Robinson (c), 6 Josh Turnbull, 5 Rory Thornton, 4 George Earle, 3 Dillon Lewis, 2 Kristian Dacey, 1 Brad Thyer
Replacements: 16 Kirby Myhill, 17 Rhys Carre, 18 Dmitri Arhip, 19 Macauley Cook, 20 Nick Williams, 21 Lloyd Williams, 22 Jarrod Evans, 23 Harri Millard

Venue: Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi, Parma
Kick-off: 20:35 local (19:35 BST, 18:35 GMT)
Referee: George Clancy (Ireland)
Assistant referees: Jonny Erskine (Ireland), Matteo Liperini (Italy)
TMO: Stefano Roscini (Italy)

Sunday

Southern Kings v Ulster

Kings have made four changes to for their Pro14 clash against Irish side, Ulster, at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on Sunday.

Two changes in the Kings forwards pack will see the side’s most capped player, Schalk Ferreira, making his first start of the new season at loosehead prop, while John-Charles Astle will start at lock alongside Schalk Oelofse.

Full-back Michael Botha, who was ruled out of last weekend’s match against Dragons due to a groin injury, will be back in the No15 jersey after making a full recovery.

The versatile Yaw Penxe shifts to the right wing for the match, replacing Michael Makase, who is out of the match-day squad for this week.

The other change in the backline will see Godlen Masimla starting ahead of Rudi van Rooyen, who moves to the bench, at scrum-half.

The Port Elizabeth-based Kings are keen to get their home leg of the competition off to a good start after opening the campaign with two matches on the road against Zebre and Dragons.

For Ulster, there are three changes to the starting team as Tom O’Toole, Alan O’Connor and Sean Reidy are all recalled to the starting pack, while the backline remains in situ for the third consecutive game.

O’Toole has recovered from a concussion suffered against Scarlets in Round 1 and takes his place in the front row alongside Andy Warwick and skipper Rob Herring. O’Connor joins Kieran Treadwell in the engine room, with Reidy, Marcell Coetzee and Nick Timoney selected in the back row.

John Cooney and Billy Burns continue in the half back positions, while Stuart McCloskey and Darren Cave are again paired in midfield.

Craig Gilroy, who became Ulster’s record try-scorer in PRO14 Rugby last weekend, is named on the right wing and Henry Speight is on the opposite flank.

Will Addison, who made 28 carries in last week’s win over Edinburgh, a historical record for an Ulster player, will line out at fullback.

Adam McBurney, Eric O’Sullivan and Wiehahn Herbst will provide front-row cover, with Jean Deysel and Matthew Rea listed as the other forward replacements.

The trio of David Shanahan, Angus Curtis and Angus Kernohan, who have been on bench duty for the opening two rounds, will again provide cover for the backs.

The teams:

Southern Kings: 15 Michael Botha, 14 Yaw Penxe, 13 Harlon Klassen, 12 Berton Klassen, 11 Bjorn Basson, 10 Masixole Banda, 9 Godlen Masimla, 8 Andisa Ntsila, 7 Martinus Burger, 6 Stephan de Wit, 5 John-Charles Astle, 4 Schalk Oelofse, 3 Luvuyo Pupuma, 2 Michael Willemse (captain), 1 Schalk Ferreira
Replacements: 16 Alandre van Rooyen, 17 Xandre Vos, 18 Justin Forwood, 19 Bobby de Wee, 20 Ruaan Lerm, 21 Rudi van Rooyen, 22 Martin Du Toit, 23 Ntabeni Dukisa

Ulster: 15 Will Addison, 14 Craig Gilroy, 13 Darren Cave, 12 Stuart McCloskey, 11 Henry Speight, 10 Billy Burns, 9 John Cooney, 8 Nick Timoney, 7 Sean Reidy, 6 Marcell Coetzee, 5 Kieran Treadwell, 4 Alan O’Connor, 3 Tom O’Toole, 2 Rob Herring (c), 1 Andy Warwick
Replacements: 16 Adam McBurney, 17 Eric O’Sullivan, 18 Wiehahn Herbst, 19 Jean Deysel, 20 Matthew Rea, 21 David Shanahan, 22 Amgus Curtis, 23 Angus Kernohan

Venue: Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Port Elizabeth
Kick-off: 14:15 local (13:15 BST, 12:15 GMT)
Referee: Sam Grove-White (Scotland)
Assistant referees: Ben Whitehouse (Wales), Ruhan Meiring (South Africa)
TMO: Johan Greeff (South Africa)

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Filipo Daugunu has re-signed for two years, while Aidan Toua, Chris Feauai-Sautia and Alex Mafi have all secured their future at the Reds through 2019.

Reds head coach Brad Thorn said it was great to confirm all four players will remain in Queensland for next season – and for Daugunu through 2020.

“It’s been a good first year for Filipo. He knows he has plenty of development to go and it is exciting to think what he could achieve once he reaches his full potential,” said Thorn.

“He was pretty raw when he joined us, but he offers genuine pace and excitement in attack and he’s not afraid to get physical either. He will only get better the more he trains and works on his game.

“Aidan returned to Ballymore last year because he loves this place and wants to contribute to what we’re building here in Queensland. He’s an experienced player who came through the Queensland pathway as a youngster and understands the game well.

“I really like Chris’ approach to rugby. He’s a quiet achiever who leads through his actions more than his words and is a very humble member of our squad. Chris gives us options in the centres and on the wing and is a powerful ball runner with a solid defence.

“Every time Alex has been presented with an opportunity with the Queensland Reds he’s taken it with both hands. He’s impressed us with performances through our Queensland pathway and was a regular member of our Reds 23 last season. We expect his performances to keep on improving,” said Thorn.

Daugunu (23) sprung onto the local rugby scene with Queensland Premier Rugby side Wests in 2017, before hitting the national spotlight as the leading try scorer in the National Rugby Championship that year, helping Bond University Queensland Country claim its first title. The Fijian speedster made his Super Rugby debut in the Reds’ first game of 2018 and went on to play 14 games in total, scoring six tries.

A product of the Queensland pathway, Toua’s (28) performance at schoolboy level for Anglican Church Grammar School in Brisbane saw him play for the Australian Schoolboys and Australian U20s sides, before he made his debut for the Reds in 2011. After a stint in Europe he returned to Australian rugby in 2016 and re-joined Queensland in 2018, featuring in 13 games for the Reds to take his overall Super Rugby tally to 53 caps.

Chris (24) returned playing for the Reds in the 2018 Super Rugby season after missing all of 2017 due to injury. A product of the Queensland Pathway with Australian Schoolboys and both Queensland and Australian U20’s, Chris holds the record as the equal most-capped Australian Schoolboy in history. He’s played 57 games for the Reds and scored 65 points (13T) since making his Queensland debut in 2012 and has also played two Tests for the Wallabies, both in 2013.

Alex (21) signed with the Reds as an 18-year-old after showing promise as a schoolboys player at St. Joseph’s Nudgee College. He was an integral member of Bond University Queensland Country championship-winning run in the NRC in 2017. He went on to make his Reds debut in the same year and has played 22 Super Rugby matches for the Reds.

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