Tag: Rugby

The Ospreys have confirmed that Lloyd Ashley and Scott Williams are set for extended spells on the sidelines after sustaining injuries last weekend.

Ashley injured his AC joint on Friday evening playing for the Ospreys Development team against Scarlets A in Bridgend and is looking at a spell on the sidelines of six to eight weeks.

Williams suffered a hamstring injury during Saturday night’s Liberty Stadium bonus point win over the Cheetahs. The medical team completed their investigations earlier this week and the summer signing has begun his rehab programme, looking at a best case scenario of a similar six to eight week recovery timescale.

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Clermont Auvergne remain the only team in the Top 14 with a 100 per cent record and they will look to continue that fine form at Pau this weekend.

Toulouse are also undefeated, however, having drawn against Lyon in the opening round and Les Rouge et Noir will attempt to keep that record intact against Racing 92 in the standout match on Saturday.

On Sunday, Perpignan visit La Rochelle looking to win their first Top 14 encounter for four years, while Stade Francais host Toulon in what should be an enthralling contest.

Saturday
Lyon vs Montpellier
Agen vs Bordeaux-Bègles
Castres vs Grenoble
Pau vs Clermont Auvergne
Toulouse vs Racing 92

Sunday
La Rochelle vs Perpignan
Stade Francais vs Toulon

Lyon vs Montpellier
Matmut Stadium de Gerland

After getting their campaign up and running with a triumph over La Rochelle in Round Two, Montpellier followed that up with a creditable draw at Bordeaux.

They will therefore attempt to take that momentum into their encounter against Lyon, but Pierre Mignoni’s men will present mightily stern opposition.

It was a slightly inauspicious start from last season’s fifth place finishers, after failing to overcome Toulouse and going down to Castres a week later, but a narrow victory over Perpignan moved them up to ninth in the table.

It is a tough game to call but, with home advantage, Mignoni’s charges will think that they can make it successive victories.

Last season’s result: Lyon won 32-24
Kick-off: 14:45 local (12:45 GMT)
Referee: Romain Poite
Assistant referees: Maxime Chalon, Arnaud Blondel
TMO: Eric Gonthier

Agen vs Bordeaux-Bègles
Stade Armandie

Similar to Lyon and Montpellier, who have exactly the same record as Bordeaux, Rory Teague’s outfit have endured an inconsistent opening.

They showed their credentials with a dominant victory over Pau in Round One but have not won since then. UBB succumbed to Stade before drawing with Montpellier and will look to get back on track this weekend against Agen.

Philippe Sella’s men have been pretty dreadful on their travels so far this season but were triumphant in their only home match, defeating Perpignan at the Stade Armandie.

If Bordeaux have genuine ambitions of reaching the play-offs in 2018/19, these are the matches where they should emerge victorious, but Agen will believe that this is a winnable encounter.

Last season’s result: Bordeaux won 15-10
Kick-off: 18:00 local (16:00 GMT)
Referee: Cyril Lafon
Assistant referees: Mathieu Noirot, Thierry Guilloton
TMO: Mourad Zitouni

Castres vs Grenoble
Stade Pierre-Fabre

Three games, two bonus-points for Grenoble, but the all-important victory remains elusive and they now head to defending champions Castres.

Most expected Perpignan to be the better of the two newly-promoted outfits, but so far it is the Stade des Alpes side that have been the more competitive.

They could have beaten both Toulouse and Pau, while they only succumbed to La Rochelle by seven points in Round One, but ultimately it is about results and they have yet to taste success.

It is highly unlikely to come at the Stade Pierre-Fabre on Saturday, particularly with Christophe Urios’ men enjoying a good start to the campaign, so expect the hosts to win comfortably.

Last season’s result: Did not play
Kick-off: 18:00 local (16:00 GMT)
Referee: Julien Castaignede
Assistant referees: Jonathan Dufort, Jacques de Lemos
TMO: Laurent Sclafer

Pau vs Clermont
Stade du Hameau

At the moment, it is hard to look beyond Clermont. They have begun this campaign outstandingly and have yet to score fewer than 40 points in a match after their 42-20 thrashing of Stade Francais last weekend.

That followed a 67-23 triumph over Agen and a hugely impressive 40-17 win against Stade’s Parisian rivals, Racing 92, at the U Arena.

Pau have enough ability to halt the Auvergne juggernaut and have done well to recover from their Round One disappointment, where they were overwhelmed by Bordeaux, but Franck Azema’s men are currently the best team in France.

Simon Mannix’s charges did emerge victorious in the corresponding fixture last year but Les Jaunards appear a revitalised side this season.

Last season’s result: Pau won 22-21
Kick-off: 18:00 local (16:00 GMT)
Referee: Thomas Charabas
Assistant referees: Tual Trainini, Richard Duhau
TMO: Eric Briquet-Campin

Toulouse vs Racing 92
Stade Ernest-Wallon

The game of the day on Saturday sees two giants of the French game go head-to-head as Toulouse look to maintain their unbeaten start to the campaign.

Although Les Rouge et Noir reside one place below Racing 92 in the table, they will arguably be more content with their first three matches.

While the Parisians were excellent in dispatching Toulon in the opening round, they were shocked a week later by Clermont Auvergne, who dominated from the kick-off, and handed them their first ever defeat at the U Arena.

Racing did respond well by thrashing Agen but Ugo Mola’s men, who drew with Lyon and beat Grenoble and La Rochelle, will expect to make it three victories in a row.

Last season’s result: Toulouse won 42-27
Kick-off: 20:45 local (18:45 GMT)
Referee: Adrien Descottes
Assistant referees: Thierry Mallet, Sebastien Hebert
TMO: Sebastien Minery

La Rochelle vs Perpignan
Stade Marcel-Deflandre

A match between two sides still finding their feet this season, although for slightly differing reasons. For Perpignan, it already appears that a campaign of struggle beckons, while the hosts, who harbour play-off ambitions, are still coming to terms with a change in coaching staff.

Patrice Collazo’s departure has left a void until November, when replacement Jono Gibbes joins from Waikato, and they are struggling for fluency.

They ended the game well against Toulouse last weekend and will look to take that momentum into Sunday, where the league leaders from the 2017 campaign will be expected to dispatch the newly-promoted outfit.

Last season’s result: Did not play
Kick-off: 12:30 local (10:30 GMT)
Referee: Pierre Brousset
Assistant referees: Ludovic Cayre, Laurent Breil
TMO: Denis Grenouillet

Stade Francais vs Toulon
Stade Jean-Bouin

One bonus-point victory may only be separating these two sides but, while those at Stade are positive following a solid start to the campaign, Toulon are struggling.

That frustration evidently got to Mathieu Bastareaud, who was sent-off against Castres for a nasty cheap shot on an opponent. They somehow escaped with a narrow 28-27 victory against the defending champions but new boss Patrice Collazo has not yet found the right formula.

In contrast, the Parisians seem revitalised, despite being outplayed by Clermont Auvergne last weekend, having secured impressive victories over Perpignan and Bordeaux.

At home, with the crowd buoyant and Collazo’s men not yet at their best, Stade should fancy themselves in the final game of Round Four.

Last season’s result: Toulon won 19-15
Kick-off: 16:50 local (14:50 GMT)
Referee: Mathieu Raynal
Assistant referees: Vincent Blasco-Baque, Bruno Gabaldon
TMO: Patrick Dellac

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Northampton Saints have been dealt a blow with the news that Ken Pisi requires shoulder surgery and could be sidelined for up to 12 weeks.

The Samoan wing dislocated his shoulder in last Friday’s 25-18 victory against Harlequins at Franklin’s Gardens.

Pisi, who has undergone surgery and is expected to be out for a minimum of 12 weeks, has been replaced in the Saints’ starting line-up by Taqele Naiyaravoro.

“I thought Kenny was just coming into his game nicely, but he’s had a shoulder dislocation and goes in for an operation on Monday,” Saints boss Chris Boyd told the Northampton Chronicle and Echo.

“We would expect him to be out for around about 12 weeks.

“But T (Naiyaravoro) has been brought here to do a job for us, he’s itching to play and he’s going to get a run-out tomorrow.

“He’s a power-based player, a big man who runs hard, and we just need to find ways to get him into the game.

“Generally with big men you try to get them into the tight contest but he’s a great space runner as well so if we can mix it up, that would be great.”

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Four games take place in the Premiership on Saturday, with Wasps and Leicester Tigers closing out the weekend’s action on Sunday at Ricoh Arena.

Saturday

Exeter Chiefs v Sale Sharks

Jack Nowell is one of seven changes the Chiefs have made to their winning formula from that which took to the field against Wasps last time out. He comes in on the right wing in place of Ian Whitten, while Joe Simmonds and Jack Maunder both get their first starts of the season at half-back.

Up front, there is a new-look front-row made up of Ben Moon, Luke Cowan-Dickie and Harry Williams, while Jonny Hill is also added with Sam Skinner sidelined with an ankle injury.

With Jack Yeandle and Gareth Steenson named among the replacements – alongside academy youngster Sam Maunder, who gets his first-ever first-team call-up – Don Armand skippers the side from the back-row.

Meanwhile, Sale Sharks make two changes to their starting fifteen for their Premiership round three game against Exeter Chiefs at Sandy Park on Saturday.

Cameron Neild makes his first start at hooker in the Gallagher Premiership since Round 2 of last years campaign, whilst Tom Curry returns from injury to replace his brother at openside flanker.

Form: Last season’s runners-up Exeter have started the new Premiership Rugby season as if they’ve got a point to prove, with back-to-back bonus-point victories putting them top of the table. Their recent form in the competition is exceptional – in fact Rob Baxter’s men have not been defeated in a Premiership Rugby regular-season fixture since they visited Wasps on 18 February. Sandy Park has also become something of a fortress, with the Chiefs’ only defeat at the venue in the competition since October 2016 was by the narrowest of margins to Worcester last February. Sale have only once recorded a victory in Exeter but that was a convincing 55-12 triumph back in April 2014 – still the only time the Chiefs have conceded 50 points at Sandy Park.

The teams:

Exeter: 15 Phil Dollman, 14 Jack Nowell, 13 Henry Slade, 12 Ollie Devoto, 11 Santiago Cordero, 10 Joe Simmonds, 9 Jack Maunder, 8 Sam Simmonds, 7 Matt Kvesic, 6 Don Armand (c), 5 Jonny Hill, 4 Ollie Atkins, 3 Harry Williams, 2 Luke Cowan-Dickie, 1 Ben Moon
Replacements: 16 Jack Yeandle, 17 Alec Hepburn, 18 Tomas Francis, 19 Toby Salmon, 20 Sean Lonsdale, 21 Sam Maunder, 22 Gareth Steenson, 23 Alex Cuthbert

Sale Sharks: 15 Byron McGuigan, 14 Denny Solomona, 13 Sam James, 12 Mark Jennings, 11 Marland Yarde, 10 AJ MacGinty, 9 Will Cliff, 8 Josh Beaumont, 7 Tom Curry, 6 Jono Ross (c), 5 James Phillips, 4 Bryn Evans, 3 WillGriff John, 2 Cameron Neild, 1 Ross Harrison
Replacements: 16 Rob Webber, 17 Alexandru Tarus, 18 Joe Jones, 19 Josh Strauss, 20 Ben Curry, 21 Gus Warr, 22 Luke James, 23 Paolo Odogwu

Date: Saturday, September 15
Venue: Sandy Park
Kick-off: 15:00 local (14:00 GMT)
Referee: Karl Dickson
Assistant referees: Paul Dix, Philip Watters
Television match official: Stuart Terheege

Harlequins v Bath

Head of rugby Paul Gustard has named his squad for Harlequins’ home fixture against Bath in the Premiership on Saturday afternoon.

The backs are unchanged from the starting XV that travelled to Northampton last week while Luke Wallace and Dino Lamb return in the forwards. Joe Marler, who was a late withdrawal from the Northampton match with a dead leg, joins the returning Dave Ward among Quins’ replacements.

Harlequins enjoyed an excellent start to the season at The Stoop with a 51-23 victory over Sale but were disappointed to lose at Northampton 25-18 last Friday night.

For Bath, they have made three changes to the side that took on Gloucester last weekend, with Tom Ellis, Luke Charteris and Elliott Stooke coming into the starting line-up.

Stooke, a try scorer in last weekend’s 31-31 draw against Gloucester is joined in the second-row by Charteris, who captains the side travelling to Twickenham Stoop. In an unchanged front-row, Nathan Catt is joined by Henry Thomas and Tom Dunn, who scored twice in the West Country derby.

In the back-row, Tom Ellis starts at blindside flanker having made his 50th appearance for Bath Rugby last week, with Sam Underhill at openside and Zach Mercer switching to number eight to complete the pack.

Max Green and Freddie Burns feature in an unchanged half-back pairing, with Green making his second Gallagher Premiership start for the Blue, Black and White.

Joe Cokanasiga and Semesa Rokoduguni occupy the left and right wing respectively, both impressing last week against the Cherry and Whites.

Jamie Roberts remains at inside centre, with Jackson Willison outside him in the number 13 shirt. Tom Homer completes the backline at full-back.

Form: The Paul Gustard reign at the Twickenham Stoop got off to a perfect start when Harlequins beat Sale Sharks on the opening weekend but a defeat away to Northampton Saints in round two proved that nothing comes easy in Premiership Rugby. Gustard will be keen to continue improving Quins’ home record when Sale Sharks come to town – live on BT Sport – on Saturday, with only two home victories in the competition at the Twickenham Stoop in 2018 to their name. Bath Rugby are without a win in the opening two rounds of Premiership Rugby – although they did draw 31-31 with Gloucester having been 21 points down, last time out – and have not been winless in the opening three rounds since the 2005-06 season. However, with only one away win in the competition since January and the last five meetings between the two clubs being won by the home side on the day, Bath will need to buck a recent trend to leave London victorious.

The teams:

Harlequins: 15 Aaron Morris, 14 Nathan Earle, 13 Joe Marchant, 12 Ben Tapuai, 11 Charlie Walker, 10 Marcus Smith, 9 Danny Care, 8 James Chisholm, 7 Chris Robshaw (c), 6 Luke Wallace, 5 Dino Lamb, 4 Matt Symons, 3 Will Collier, 2 Elia Elia, 1 Mark Lambert
Replacements: 16 Dave Ward, 17 Joe Marler, 18 Phil Swainston, 19 Stan South, 20 Renaldo Bothma, 21 Charlie Mulchrone, 22 James Lang, 23 Paul Lasike

Bath: 15 Tom Homer, 14 Semesa Rokoduguni, 13 Jackson Willison, 12 Jamie Roberts, 11 Joe Cokanasiga, 10 Freddie Burns, 9 Max Green, 8 Zach Mercer, 7 Sam Underhill, 6 Tom Ellis, 5 Luke Charteris (c), 4 Elliott Stooke, 3 Henry Thomas, 2 Tom Dunn, 1 Nathan Catt
Replacements: 16 Jack Walker, 17 Jacques van Rooyen, 18 Anthony Perenise, 19 Charlie Ewels, 20 Taulupe Faletau, 21 Chris Cook, 22 Rhys Priestland, 23 Aled Brew

Date: Saturday, September 15
Venue: Twickenham Stoop
Kick-off: 15:00 local (14:00 GMT)
Referee: Matthew Carley
Assistant referees: Roy Maybank, Anthony Woodthorpe
Television match official: David Rose

Northampton Saints v Saracens

Taqele Naiyaravoro will pull on a Black, Green and Gold jersey for the very first time on Saturday as Northampton Saints welcome Saracens to Franklin’s Gardens in the Premiership.

Director of rugby Chris Boyd has made just three changes to the match-day 23 that saw off Harlequins 25-18 last Friday evening to notch up their first win of the new league season.

Naiyaravoro comes into the first-team squad to make his club debut on the wing after arriving from the Sydney-based Waratahs two weeks ago, and joins Ahsee Tuala and Tom Collins – Northampton’s top two metre makers so far this season – in the back three.

Centres Luther Burrell and Piers Francis continue in the midfield, while there is also a familiar combination in the half-backs as Dan Biggar – who notched up 17 points last time out – and Cobus Reinach are selected together again.

England skipper Dylan Hartley comes into the starting XV for the first time this term after scoring the decisive try against Harlequins, and will co-captain the side alongside front-row partner Alex Waller.

But there is another change in Saints’ front-row as England Under-20 international Ehren Painter is handed his first ever Northampton start at tighthead prop, with Ben Franks instead switching to the bench.

Last weekend’s man-of-the-match David Ribbans and Courtney Lawes make up Northampton’s engine room, while James Haskell, Heinrich Brüssow and Teimana Harrison complete the line-up in the back-row.

And Mikey Haywood returns to the matchday squad for the first time this season to take his place amongst the replacements, and he will hope to make an impact in the second half alongside the likes of Api Ratuniyarawa, Jamie Gibson, Andy Symons and Harry

Meanwhile, Mako Vunipola will make his 100th Premiership appearance when Saracens take on Northampton Saints at Franklin’s Gardens on Saturday.

The loosehead prop is selected from the outset for the third game running with brother Billy raring to go at number eight following his return to action last weekend. The 25-year-old came off the bench to score, as did Liam Williams who grabbed a 25-minute hat-trick.

David Strettle has recovered from a head knock to join the Welshman in the back three while Nick Tompkins and Will Skelton also come into the side.

George Kruis (ankle) is back on bench but there is no place in the 23 for Jackson Wray after his collision with George Smith last weekend.

Form: Northampton Saints beat Saracens in one of the most memorable Premiership Rugby Finals of all-time back in 2014 and if Saturday’s clash provides half that drama, then the fans are in for a treat. Locked at 14-14 after 80 minutes, Charlie Hodgson’s two extra-time penalties to Stephen Myler’s one looked to have given Saracens the title until Alex Waller rumbled over the whitewash with 100 minutes played to hand Saints an incredible victory. However, Mark McCall’s men have won their last seven encounters with Northampton in all competitions and have won on their last five visits to Franklin’s Gardens, including the victory over Exeter Chiefs in the final of the Anglo-Welsh Cup in 2015. Saracens also bring a lengthy unbeaten streak to the table – having not been beaten in Premiership Rugby since they visited Sandy Park to face Exeter Chiefs in early March. But they did receive some bad news this week as McCall confirmed that centre Duncan Taylor is out until next June with a double cruciate ligament rupture sustained in an A-team game earlier this month.

The teams:

Northampton Saints: 15 Ahsee Tuala, 14 Taqele Naiyaravoro, 13 Luther Burrell, 12 Piers Francis, 11 Tom Collins, 10 Dan Biggar, 9 Cobus Reinach, 8 Teimana Harrison, 7 Heinrich Brüssow, 6 James Haskell, 5 Courtney Lawes, 4 David Ribbans, 3 Ehren Painter, 2 Dylan Hartley, 1 Alex Waller
Replacements: 16 Mike Haywood, 17 Francois Van Wyk, 18 Ben Franks, 19 Api Ratuniyarawa, 20 Jamie Gibson, 21 Alex Mitchell, 22 Andrew Symons, 23 Harry Mallinder

Saracens: 15 Liam Williams, 14 David Strettle, 13 Nick Tompkins, 12 Brad Barritt, 11 Alex Lewington, 10 Alex Goode, 9 Ben Spencer, 8 Billy Vunipola, 7 Mike Rhodes, 6 Nick Isiekwe, 5 Will Skelton, 4 Maro Itoje, 3 Vincent Koch, 2 Jamie George, 1 Mako Vunipola
Replacements: 16 Christopher Tolofua, 17 Richard Barrington, 18 Titi Lamositele, 19 George Kruis, 20 Ben Earl, 21 Richard Wigglesworth, 22 Alex Lozowski, 23 Sean Maitland

Date: Saturday, September 15
Venue: Franklin’s Gardens
Kick-off: 15:00 local (14:00 GMT)
Referee: JP Doyle
Assistant referees: Christophe Ridley, Peter Allan
Television match official: Keith Lewis

Worcester Warriors v Newcastle

Warriors welcome Francois Hougaard back to the starting line-up for Saturday’s Premiership clash with Newcastle Falcons at Sixways.

The scrum-half recovers from a rib knock to start alongside Duncan Weir as Warriors go in search of their first win of the season.

Elsewhere, Simon Kerrod starts in the front-row in place of the injured Nick Schonert (concussion), while Joe Taufete’e is handed his first start of the season at hooker in place of Niall Annett (illness).

Anton Bresler (groin) and Jack Singleton (neck) have recovered from injury and are named among the replacements for the clash.

Chris Pennell, Bryce Heem and Josh Adams form a potent back three while

Francois Venter and Ryan Mills continue their midfield partnership.

Kerrod and Taufete’e join Callum Black in the front-row while Pierce Phillips and Darren Barry keep their spots in the second-row. Skipper GJ van Velze leads from the back-row next to Sam Lewis and Marco Mama.

Gareth Milasinovich is added to the replacements off the back of an impressive showing for Worcester Cavaliers on Monday night in their win over Leicester Tigers.

Meanwhile, Johnny Williams makes his first Gallagher Premiership appearance for Newcastle Falcons.

The former London Irish centre shone for the Falcons during pre-season, scoring a try in the 42-17 away victory over European and Pro 14 champions Leinster, and comes into the side in place of Josh Matavesi following the injury he picked up at Leicester Tigers last weekend.

Adam Radwan replaces the injured Vereniki Goneva on the right wing, Newcastle otherwise unchanged from the side which scored five tries last time out at Welford Road.

Form: The only sides to have lost both their opening two matches square off at Sixways as 11th-placed Worcester Warriors and bottom side Newcastle Falcons look to start climbing the table. The Warriors have lost their last three Gallagher Premiership Rugby matches, while their only victory in the first three rounds of the tournament in any season since 2012 was 13-12 at home to Northampton in 2015. Worcester’s summer signing Cornell du Preez remains in hospital after sustaining a nasty injury to his throat in the game against Wasps earlier this month, while prop Craig Mitchell has joined the Falcons on a three-month deal this week. Newcastle have slipped to four straight Premiership Rugby defeats but have not lost five in succession in the tournament since season 2015/16. However, they will have to overturn a disappointing record at Sixways that has seen them record just a solitary victory at the venue since 2004 – which came in October 2013.

Newcastle Falcons: 15 Simon Hammersley, 14 Adam Radwan, 13 Chris Harris, 12 Johnny Williams, 11 Sinoti Sinoti, 10 Toby Flood, 9 Sonatane Takulua, 8 Callum Chick, 7 Will Welch (c), 6 Mark Wilson, 5 Will Witty, 4 Calum Green, 3 Logovi’i Mulipola, 2 George McGuigan, 1 Sami Mavinga,
Replacements: 16 Santiago Socino, 17 Adam Brocklebank, 18 Jack Payne, 19 Tevita Cavubati, 20 Gary Graham, 21 Sam Stuart, 22 Joel Hodgson, 23 Tom Penny

Worcester Warriors: 15 Chris Pennell, 14 Bryce Heem, 13 Francois Venter, 12 Ryan Mill, 11 Josh Adams, 10 Duncan Weir, 9 Francois Hougaard, 8 GJ van Velze (c), 7 Sam Lewis, 6 Marco Mama, 5 Darren Barry, 4 Pierce Phillips, 3 Simon Kerrod, 2 Joe Taufete’e, 1 Callum Black
Replacements: 16 Jack Singleton, 17 Ryan Bower, 18 Gareth Milasinovich, 19 Anton Bresler, 20 Alafoti Faosiliva, 21 Michael Heaney, 22 Jono Lance, 23 Ashley Beck

Date: Saturday, September 15
Venue: Sixways
Kick-off: 15:00 local (14:00 GMT)
Referee: Wayne Barnes
Assistant referees: Jack Makepeace, Steve Lee
Television match official: Trevor Fisher

Sunday

Wasps v Leicester Tigers

Director of rugby Dai Young hands a Wasps debut to Michael Le Bourgeois, while Lima Sopoaga is named to start for the first time, as his club play Leicester Tigers at the Ricoh Arena on Sunday.

There are five changes to the starting XV from Saturday’s game against Exeter Chiefs.

Wasps debutant Le Bourgeois replaces the injured Gaby Lovobalavu, to join Juan de Jongh in the centres.

Sopoaga gets a first start for Wasps, moving from the bench to starting at 10, alongside half back-partner Dan Robson.

James Gaskell swaps roles with Will Rowlands to start in the second-row beside captain Joe Launchbury.

Ashley Johnson replaces the injured Brad Shields at six, while Nizaam Carr returns from injury to replace Joe Atkinson, who is rested after putting in a couple of strong shifts. Nathan Hughes rounds out the back-row at number eight.

The front-row of Ben Harris, Tommy Taylor and Kieran Brookes and the back three of Christian Wade, Josh Bassett and Elliot Daly remain unchanged from last week.

New signing Ben Morris could make his Wasps bow from amongst the replacements and is joined on an impactful bench by Tom Cruse, Zurabi Zhvania, Will Stuart, Rowlands, Joe Simpson, Billy Searle and Rob Miller.

Meanwhile, international duo Dan Cole and Manu Tuilagi hit Leicester Tigers landmarks in Sunday’s Premiership Round 3 fixture against Wasps.

Tighthead prop Cole makes his 200th appearance for the club and Tuilagi is in line for his 100th starting appearance in Tigers colours.

Cole, with 82 Test caps for England to his name as well as two tours with the British & Irish Lions, made his Tigers debut against Bath in October 2007.

Tuilagi, winner of the Citizen Try of the Week poll for his score against Newcastle Falcons last weekend, made his first-team debut in 2008.

Guy Thompson and Gareth Owen come into the team this week and interim head coach Geordan Murphy includes England Under-20s forwards Joe Heyes and Sam Lewis among 12 Tigers academy graduates in the matchday squad.

Form: Perhaps the most memorable clash between the side in recent years was their Premiership Rugby semi-final on 20 May 2017 when Josh Bassett’s 78th-minute try in the corner sent Wasps to the final for the first time in nine years. The Tigers came so close that day but their only previous win at the Ricoh Arena was in fact on their first visit in May 2015. However, Leicester’s 16-15 victory at Welford Road in March at least ended a run of five successive defeats to Wasps in Premiership Rugby and their only defeat away from home in the competition since February was at Exeter on the opening weekend Wasps were defeated 42-31 by Exeter last weekend, in a game that also saw back-rower Brad Shields sustain a broken cheekbone – an injury that will sideline him for three to eight weeks.

The teams:

Wasps: 15 Elliot Daly, 14 Christian Wade, 13 Juan de Jongh, 12 Michael Le Bourgeois, 11 Josh Bassett, 10 Lima Sopoaga, 9 Dan Robson, 8 Nathan Hughes, 7 Nizaam Carr, 6 Ashley Johnson, 5 James Gaskell, 4 Joe Launchbury (c), 3 Kieran Brookes, 2 Tommy Taylor, 1 Ben Harris
Replacements: 16 Tom Cruse, 17 Zurabi Zhvania, 18 Will Stuart, 19 Will Rowlands, 20 Ben Morris, 21 Joe Simpson, 22 Billy Searle, 23 Rob Miller

Leicester Tigers: 15 Telusa Veainu, 14 Adam Thompstone, 13 Manu Tuilag, 12 Gareth Owen, 11 Jonny May, 10 George Ford, 9 Ben Young, 8 Sione Kalamafoni, 7 Guy Thompson, 6 David Denton, 4 Mike Williams, 5 Will Spencer, 3 Dan Cole, 2 Tom Youngs (c), 1 Greg Bateman
Replacements: 16 Jimmy Stevens, 17 David Feao, 18 Joe Heyes, 19 Harry Wells, 20 Sam Lewis, 21 Ben White, 22 Tom Hardwick, 23 Jordan Olowofela

Date: Sunday, September 16
Venue: Ricoh Arena
Kick-off: 15:00 local (14:00 GMT)
Referee: Ian Tempest
Assistant referees: Hamish Smales, Jonathan Healy
Television match official: Malcolm Sinclair

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The Free State Cheetahs have made three changes to the starting XV for the Currie Cup clash with the Griquas in Kimberley on Saturday.

Johan Kotze is at prop with Kevin Stevens providing cover on the bench. Niell Jordaan has been selected for the PRO14 side, which gives Daniel Maartens the opportunity to start on flank.

Abongile Nonkontwana moves to the number seven position and Stephan Malan goes to eight. Vuyani Maqina will replace the injured Lloyd Greeff (ankle) on the left wing. Stefan van Schalkwyk and Ryno Eksteen are new to the bench. Van Schalkwyk will be making his Currie Cup debut when he sets foot to field.

Free State Cheetahs: 15 Adriaan Carelse, 14 Ali Mgijima, 13 Care-Jan Coetzee, 12 Tertius Kruger, 11 Vuyani Maqina, 10 Ernst Stapelberg, 9 Rudy Paige (c), 8 Stephan Malan, 7 Nardus Erasmus, 6 Daniel Maartens, 5 Louis Conradie, 4 Abongile Nonkontwana, 3 Stephan van Schalkwyk, 2 Reinach Venter, 1 Johan Kotze
Replacements: 16 Hanno Snyman, 17 Kevin Stevens, 18 Raymond Woest, 19 Luigi van Jaarsveld, 20 Jannes Snyman, 21 Dian Badenhorst, 22 Reinhardt Erwee

Date: Saturday, September 15
Venue: Tafel Lager Park
Kick-off: 17:00 local (16:00 BST, 15:00 GMT)
Referee: Marius van der Westhuizen
Assistant referees: Jaco Kotze, Nico Schmahl
Television match official: JJ Wagner

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Gloucester head coach Johan Ackermann revealed that his half-time pep-talk against Bristol on Friday helped his side to stage a stunning fightback.

Trailing 13-3 after 40 minutes of their Premiership clash at Kingsholm, the Cherry and Whites scored 32 unanswered points in the second half to clinch a 35-13 victory over the Bears.

Experienced win Charlie Sharples led the fightback with two-well taken tries and Billy Twelvetrees also contributed 10 points courtesy of two penalties and two conversions.

“Obviously we (the coaching staff) made it quite clear that we were not happy with the way we played,” said Ackermann.

“The intensity that we played at (in the first half) made us look disorganised. It didn’t look like we worked hard enough for each other.

“So, we just cleared up that communication and also the fact that we have to be more direct before we can get the space.”

Ackermann said motivating his players after their poor start to the match was not a difficult task at half-time.

“I think the players knew they were not performing well so it was quite easy (to motivate them), it wasn’t really something that needed to be fixed tactically,” he added.

“It was more the physicality and the mental side that needed to be fixed. So, I challenged the guys and told them they have a responsibility towards the team and luckily they took it to heart and it was good.”

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Edinburgh claimed their first victory of the PRO14 season against Connacht, while Munster bounced back to winning ways in style with a drubbing of Ospreys.

Edinburgh 17-10 Connacht

Edinburgh saw off Connacht 17-10 in a hard-fought contest at Murrayfield, having led 10-0 at half-time.

The hosts came into the match desperate for victory after narrow defeats to Ospreys and Ulster in their first two fixtures.

They suffered a blow ahead of kick-off as Simon Hickey dropped out of the starting XV due to injury and was replaced by Jaco van der Walt, with Jamie Farndale coming onto the bench.

Nevertheless, Edinburgh applied most of the early pressure, enjoying the lion’s share of territory and possession in the opening minutes. Connacht held firm at first, but the balance tipped when their skipper, Jarrad Butler, was yellow carded 24 minutes into the game for a deliberate knock-on.

Almost immediately afterwards, Duhan van der Merwe scored the opening try of the game in the corner, with van der Walt adding the extras from the conversion.

Both sides enjoyed spells on attack between the opening try of the game and the half-time whistle, but the only additional score came through a van der Walt penalty right before the break.

It took 15 minutes after half-time before either side could add to the scoreboard, but crucially, it was Edinburgh who broke the deadlock once again through Pierre Schoeman following a powerful lineout drive.

Van der Walt’s conversion left the score at 17-0, but Connacht enjoyed a late surge to bring the game back to life.

A fine pass from Jack Carty set Niyi Adeolokun up to go over, and after Carty had added the conversion 62 minutes in, he clawed back some more ground with a penalty 13 minutes later.

However, it was too little, too late as Connacht failed to make it back-to-back wins after their triumph over Zebre. For Edinburgh, however, it was a case of third time lucky.

The scorers:

For Edinburgh:
Tries: Van der Merwe, Schoeman
Cons: Van der Walt 2
Pen: Van der Walt

For Connacht:
Try: Adelokun
Con: Carty
Pen: Carty
Yellow Card: Butler

The teams:

Edinburgh: 15 Blair Kinghorn, 14 Dougie Fife, 13 James Johnstone, 12 Matt Scott, 11 Duhan van der Merwe, 10 Jaco van der Walt, 9 Henry Pyrgos, 8 Luke Hamilton, 7 Hamish Watson, 6 Jamie Ritchie, 5 Grant Gilchrist, 4 Ben Toolis, 3 WP Nel, 2 Stuart McInally (c), 1 Pierre Schoeman
Replacements: 16 Ross Ford, 17 Allan Dell, 18 Simon Berghan, 19 Fraser McKenzie, 20 Magnus Bradbury, 21 Sean Kennedy, 22 Jamie Farndale, 23 Juan Pablo Socino

Connacht: 15 Tiernan O’Halloran, 14 Niyi Adeolokun,13 Eoin Griffin, 12 Kyle Godwin, 11 Matt Healy, 10 Jack Carty, 9 Kieran Marmion, 8 Paul Boyle, 7 Jarrad Butler, 6 Sean O’Brien, 5 Ultan Dillane, 4 Gavin Thornbury, 3 Finlay Bealham, 2 Dave Heffernan, 1 Conan O’Donnell
Replacements: 16 Shane Delahunt, 17 Peter McCabe, 18 Dominic Robertson-McCoy, 19 James Cannon, 20 Colby Fainga’a, 21 Caolin Blade, 22 Craig Ronaldson, 23 Bundee Aki

Referee: Ian Davies (Wales)
Assistant referees: Craig Evans (Wales), Ian Kenny (Scotland)
Television match official: Neil Paterson (Scotland)

Munster 49-13 Ospreys

After victories over Edinburgh and the Cheetahs in their first two games, Ospreys could have been forgiven for feeling confident ahead of their visit to Irish Independent Park.

However, they were in for a rude awakening.

On his return from injury, Chris Cloete was in fine form for Munster, winning several turnovers in the early minutes.

It was evident from the get-go that the hosts were hungry to bounce back from defeat to Glasgow.

They opened the scoring with a penalty try off a driving maul in the 16th minute after successive infringements from Giorgi Nemsadze.

Nemsadze picked up a yellow card for his sins, and things went from bad to worse when Joey Carbery ran in for a magnificent solo try in the 22nd minute, although Ospreys got on the board through Sam Davies penalties either side of that.

James Cronin crashed over in the 28th minute to stretch the lead, and then Ospreys were reduced to 14 men again when Adam Beard was yellow-carded for an infringement at the maul.

Straight afterwards, Rhys Marshall profited off a drive from close range to send Munster into the break 28-6 up.

The hosts then picked up where they left off once the match had restarted, with Marshall scoring another try, almost identical to the first.

Just five minutes after the half had got underway, Munster had another try to their name, with Peter O’Mahony having initiated the move by cutting out a Sam Davies pass and Arno Botha finishing off after a well-executed attack down the left.

Luke Morgan scored a fantastic solo try with 20 minutes remaining on the clock to give Ospreys some consolation, but the Irish side capped off the win with a try from Darren Sweetnam.

The scorers:

For Munster:
Tries: Penalty try, Carbery, Cronin, Marshall 2, Botha, Sweetnam
Cons: Carbery 5, Keatley

For Ospreys:
Try: Morgan
Con: Davies
Pens: Davies 2
Yellow Cards: Nemsadze, Beard

The teams:

Munster: 15 Mike Haley, 14 Andrew Conway, 13 Sammy Arnold, 12 Dan Goggin, 11 Darren Sweetnam, 10 Joey Carbery, 9 Duncan Williams, 8 Arno Botha, 7 Chris Cloete, 6 Peter O’Mahony (c), 5 Darren O’Shea, 4 Tadhg Beirne, 3 Stephen Archer, 2 Rhys Marshall, 1 James Cronin
Replacements: 16 Mike Sherry, 17 Dave Kilcoyne, 18 John Ryan, 19 Jean Kleyn, 20 Tommy O’Donnell, 21 James Hart, 22 Ian Keatley, 23 Jaco Taute

Ospreys: 15 James Hook, 14 Tom Williams, 13 Joe Thomas, 12 Cory Allen, 11 Luke Morgan, 10 Sam Davies, 9 Tom Habberfield, 8 Morgan Morris, 7 Sam Cross, 6 Olly Cracknell (c), 5 Adam Beard, 4 Giorgi Nemsadze, 3 Tom Botha, 2 Scott Baldwin, 1 Rhodri Jones
Replacements: 16 Nicky Smith, 17 Ifan Phillips, 18 Alex Jeffries, 19 James Ratti, 20 Guido Volpi, 21 Matthew Aubrey, 22 Tiaan Thomas-Wheeler, 23 Hanno Dirksen

Referee: Stuart Berry (South Africa)
Assistant referees: Sean Gallagher (Ireland), Paul Haycock (Ireland)
Television match official: Simon McDowell (Ireland)

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South Africa caused a major shock in their Rugby Championship Test with New Zealand as they claimed a 36-34 win in Wellington on Saturday.

In a thrilling match filled with plenty of drama, the Boks were deserved winners as they held the lead for most of the match.

The All Blacks outscored their visitors by six tries to five although poor goalkicking from Beauden Barrett cost the world champions in the end as he missed four shots at goal.

The win is a momentous result for the Springboks as it is their first triumph on New Zealand soil since 2009 and this is the All Blacks’ first defeat in the Rugby Championship since 2015.

South Africa were under the cosh early on when Handré Pollard’s kick to get the game underway went over the deadball line and, after an extended period camped inside the Boks’ half, the All Blacks opened the scoring. Jordie Barrett gathered a pass from his brother Beauden and glided through a gaping hole in the visitors’ defence before crossing for the opening try.

The older Barrett failed with the conversion attempt but the All Blacks continued to dominate and spent long periods inside South Africa’s half during the next 10 minutes.

And in the 16th minute, Ben Smith made a superb line break down the right-hand wing before throwing an inside pass to Aaron Smith, who cantered in for an easy five-pointer.

Barrett made up for his earlier miss and added the extras which gave the world champions a deserved 12-0 lead.

The visitors did not panic, however, and struck back midway through the half with a well-taken try from Aphiwe Dyantyi after good work from Malcolm Marx and Willie le Roux in the build-up.

That try was converted by Pollard and, although the Boks were trailing by five points, they were the dominant side for the next 15 minutes and were rewarded with two further tries during that period.

First, Jordie Barrett took a quick lineout just outside his 22 but the throw was an inaccurate one and Le Roux gathered the bouncing ball from under the nose of Rieko Ioane before crossing for the visitors’ second try.

And in the 32nd minute, the Boks went further ahead when Marx crossed the whitewash off the back of a lineout drive deep inside the All Blacks’ 22. Pollard converted both those tries which meant South Africa had their tails up with the score 21-12 in their favour.

The All Blacks needed a response and that came in the 38th minute when the ball was shifted to Ioane, who found himself in space out wide and he had an easy run-in for his side’s third try.

The Boks would have the final say of the half, however, when just before half-time Pollard added a penalty which gave his side a 24-17 lead at the interval.

The visitors made a dream start to the second half when two minutes after the restart Cheslin Kolbe intercepted a pass from Anton Lienert-Brown before racing away to score his side’s fourth try.

Pollard’s conversion was successful which meant the Springboks were leading 31-17 but the All Blacks struck back 10 minutes later when Ioane gathered a pass from Beauden Barrett before stepping past Kolbe on his way over the tryline.

But despite that score, the Springboks continued to attack and in the 57th minute Dyantyi rounded off a flowing move – in which RG Snyman, Steven Kitshoff, Elton Jantjies and Warren Whiteley all handled the ball superbly – which gave his side a 36-24 lead.

That boosted the Boks’ confidence but it did not deter the All Blacks who came roaring back in the 61st minute when Codie Taylor crossed the whitewash after a lineout drive close to the visitors’ tryline.

The final quarter saw the All Blacks launching several attacks deep inside the Springboks’ half as they looked to retain their unbeaten record in the competition. In the 67th minute, South Africa were reduced to 14 men when Willie le Roux was yellow carded for taking Ioane out from an offside position close to the Boks’ tryline.

With a numerical advantage, the All Blacks upped the ante on attack and were rewarded when Ardie Savea crossed the whitewash in the 74th minute after another lineout drive deep inside Bok territory.

The closing stages were a tense affair with the world champions continuing to attack close to the Boks’ tryline but the visitors kept them at bay with a heroic defensive effort and held on for a memorable win.

The scorers:

For New Zealand:
Tries: J Barrett, A Smith, Ioane 2, Taylor, Savea
Cons: B Barrett 2

For South Africa:
Tries: Dyantyi 2, Le Roux, Marx, Kolbe
Cons: Pollard 4
Pen: Pollard
Yellow Card: Le Roux

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

Referee: Nigel Owens (Wales)
Assistant referees: Pascal Gaüzère (France), Nic Berry (Australia)
Television match official: Rowan Kitt (England)

By David Skippers

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Gloucester retained their unbeaten status in the Premiership when they claimed a deserved 35-13 victory over Bristol at Kingsholm on Friday.

It was a game of two halves as Bristol were the dominant side during the opening period and led 13-3 at half-time but a different Gloucester came out of the changing room and dominated the second half.

Gloucester eventually outscored their opponents by five tries to one with Charlie Sharples leading the way with a deserved brace and their other tries were scored by Gerbrandt Grobler, Ed Slater and Matt Banahan.

Bristol made their intentions known from the outset as they ran the ball from all areas of the field but they were met by a solid defensive effort from the Cherry and Whites.

Gloucester opened the scoring in the ninth minute when Billy Twelvetrees landed a penalty after George Smith was blown up for illegal play at a ruck.

The visitors drew level two minutes later when Ian Madigan added a three-pointer of his own off the kicking tee after Ruan Ackermann infringed on defence.

Bristol were slowly gaining the upper hand and took the lead in brilliant fashion in the 17th minute. This, after Madigan delivered a perfectly-weighted kick ahead which was gathered out wide by Steven Luatua and he did well to get a pass out to Luke Morahan, who crossed for the opening try.

Madigan added the extras and 10 minutes later he slotted another penalty after Jason Woodward infringed at a breakdown.

Gloucester were under the cosh but upped the ante on attack during the final 10 minutes of the half but although they were camped inside Bristol’s half for large periods, they could not breach their opponents’ tryline.

In the 34th minute they thought they had scored their first try when Jake Polledri crossed the whitewash but his effort was disallowed by the television match official, who could not see a clear grounding of the ball.

Bristol breathed a collective sigh of relief and held onto their lead until the interval.

Gloucester came out firing in the second half, however, and one minute after the restart Grobler barged over from close quarters for his first try in his first competitive start for the Cherry and Whites.

Things went pear-shaped for the visitors in the 48th minute when Smith was sent to the sin bin for a cynical defensive foul close to his tryline and his indiscretion proved costly as Gloucester would score 12 unanswered points during the Wallaby flanker’s stint on the sidelines.

Two minutes after his departure, Gloucester’s inside backs created space for Sharples, who dotted down under the posts with Twelvetrees’ conversion giving the hosts a 17-13 lead.

And three minutes later, Callum Braley drew in a defender deep inside Bristol territory before offloading to Sharples, who cantered in for his 50th Premiership try.

Gloucester had their tails up now and in the 64th minute their captain, Slater, secured their bonus point when he dotted down from close range. Twelvetrees failed with the conversion attempt but he made up for that miss when he added his second penalty five minutes later.

Despite having the game in the bag, Gloucester continued to attack and they finished the match on a high when Banahan dotted down in the left-hand corner in injury time.

The scorers:

For Gloucester:
Tries: Grobler, Sharples 2, Slater, Banahan
Cons: Twelvetrees 2
Pens: Twelvetrees 2

For Bristol:
Try: Morahan
Con: Madigan
Pens: Madigan 2
Yellow Card: Smith

Gloucester: 15 Jason Woodward, 14 Charlie Sharples, 13 Henry Trinder, 12 Billy Twelvetrees, 11 Matt Banahan, 10 Danny Cipriani, 9 Callum Braley, 8 Ruan Ackermann, 7 Lewis Ludlow, 6 Jake Polledri, 5 Gerbrandt Grobler, 4 Ed Slater (c), 3 Fraser Balmain, 2 Franco Marais, 1 Val Rapava Ruskin
Replacements: 16 James Hanson, 17 Josh Hohneck, 18 Ciaran Knight, 19 Freddie Clarke, 20 Ben Morgan, 21 Ben Vellacott, 22 Mark Atkinson, 23 Tom Hudson

Bristol: 15 Piers O’Conor, 14 Luke Morahan, 13 Siale Piutau, 12 Tusi Pisi, 11 Ryan Edwards, 10 Ian Madigan, 9 Harry Randall, 8 Jack Lam, 7 George Smith, 6 Steve Luatua (c), 5 Chris Vui, 4 Joe Joyce, 3 John Afoa, 2 Shaun Malton, 1 Yann Thomas
Replacements: 16 Harry Thacker, 17 Jake Woolmore, 18 Jake Armstrong, 19 Ed Holmes, 20 Nick Haining, 21 Nic Stirzaker, 22 Callum Sheedy, 23 Zane Kirchner

Referee: Tom Foley
Assistant referees: Wayne Falla, Adam Leal
Television match official: Sean Davey

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The Blue Bulls provisionally moved to the top of the Currie Cup table after claiming a 39-29 victory over the Pumas in Pretoria on Friday.

The home side were made to work for this result but were deserved winners in the end as they outscored the Pumas by six tries to four with Jade Stighling leading the way with a brace.

The Pumas made the brighter start and opened the scoring courtesy of a Chris Smith penalty in the eighth minute but that lead was short-lived as the Blue Bulls struck back via a try from close quarters by their captain, Hanro Liebenberg, two minutes later.

The hosts soon extended their lead when Stighling crossed for a deserved try after the ball went through six phases in the build-up.

Manie Libbok converted both tries which gave the Bulls a 14-3 lead but they suffered a setback in the 15th minute when Johnny Kotze was yellow carded for an off-the-ball hit on Smith.

But despite being a man down, the Bulls continued to dominate and in the 22nd minute Dayan van der Westhuizen rounded off a flowing move which gave his side a 19-3 lead.

That scoreline did not deter the visitors and they struck back with well-taken tries from Marnus Schoeman and Marko Janse van Rensburg which meant the Bulls held a slender 19-17 lead after 33 minutes.

The Bulls finished the half stronger though and a converted Stighling try and a penalty from Libbok meant they held a 27-17 lead at half-time.

The hosts continued to dominate after the interval and in the 54th minute Jaco Visagie and Ivan van Zyl traded passes at a short lineout, close to the Pumas’ 10-metre line, before the latter crossed for his side’s fifth try.

Once again, the Pumas refused to surrender and replied with a try from Neil Maritz which meant the Bulls were leading 34-24 after 62 minutes.

The hosts sealed their victory in the 76th minute when Jano Venter outpaced the cover defence before scoring his side’s sixth try but the Pumas finished stronger and secured a bonus point when Morné Joubert crossed for his team’s fourth try in the game’s closing stages.

The scorers:

For Blue Bulls:
Tries: Liebenberg, Stighling 2, Van der Westhuizen, Van Zyl, Venter
Cons: Libbok 3
Pen: Libbok
Yellow Card: Kotze

For Pumas:
Tries: Schoeman, Janse van Rensburg, Maritz, Joubert
Cons: Smith 3
Pen: Smith

Blue Bulls: 15 Divan Rossouw, 14 Jade Stighling, 13 Johnny Kotze, 12 Franco Naude, 11 Duncan Matthews, 10 Manie Libbok, 9 Ivan van Zyl, 8 Hanro Liebenberg (c), 7 Nic de Jager, 6 Ruan Steenkamp, 5 Eli Snyman, 4 Hendre Stassen, 3 Dayan van der Westhuizen, 2 Jaco Visagie, 1 Matthys Basson
Replacements: 16 Edgar Marutlulle, 17 Conrad van Vuuren, 18 Ruan Nortje, 19 Jano Venter, 20 Andre Warner, 21 Tinus de Beer, 22 Dylan Sage

Pumas: 15 Devon Williams, 14 Morné Joubert, 13 Neill Maritz, 12 Ryan Nell, 11 Ruwellyn Isbel, 10 Christopher Smith, 9 Stefan Ungerer, 8 Willie Engelbrecht, 7 Stefan Willemse, 6 Marnus Schoeman, 5 Hugo Kloppers (c), 4 Le Roux Roets, 3 Andrew Beerwinkel, 2 Marko Janse van Rensburg, 1 Khwezi Mona
Replacements: 16 Simon Westraadt, 17 De-Jay Terblanche, 18 Hilton Lobberts, 19 Francois Kleinhans, 20 Abrie Griesel, 21 Kobus Marais, 22 Henko Marais

Referee: Rasta Rasivhenge
Assistant referees: Jaco Pretorius, Christopher Allison
Television match official: Lesego Legoete

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