URC

As the United Rugby Championship sparks into action, the UK sides are looking to prevent a repeat of last season's all-South African final.

“You get to a European Cup final and are ahead going into the last couple of minutes. Once more, Cullen and company will rely on the brilliance of flying flyhalf Johnny Sexton. They also reached the final of the European Rugby Champions Cup, before losing to France’s La Rochelle. After their attempt at taming the Lions, the Bulls will host Edinburgh and Connacht. You’ve clearly done a lot of good things to get to that point. The Tshwane side suffered five defeats in their opening six matches, leaving them to play catch-up. But you lose the game and everyone thinks that’s a catastrophe.” In the opening week, they and Durban’s Sharks will sit out the curtain-raising fixtures. It’s just extraordinary with all the competition for places,” he added. Warrick Gelant’s departure to Racing 92 is a big loss, but Springbok hooker Joseph Dweba headlines the Stormers’ new additions. It increases the rest,” he told CapeTalk. “Just seeing the energy, and how we’re training in the group.

Bulls director of rugby Jake White has named his team for their URC opener against the Lions in Johannesburg.

"A lot of hard work went into the past few weeks, and we are pleased with where we are ahead of the start of the season. This has also been a great opportunity for our new recruits to acclimatise in their new environment," White said. Exciting back Wandisile Simelane, who recently joined the Bulls from the Lions, will start at fullback against his former team.

Bulls coach Jake White has pulled a rabbit out of a hat by picking Wandisile Simelane at fullback for Saturday's United Rugby Championship derby against the ...

There are a few new faces in the pack, with former Cheetahs stalwart Mihlali Mosi at No 8 and ex-Lions utility forward Ruan Vermaak at blindside flank in the absence of Bok loose forward Elrigh Louw. David Kriel has had a lot of game-time in the No 15 jersey over the last few seasons, but he has been slotted in at inside centre, alongside veteran Lionel Mapoe in midfield, while Cornal Hendricks will operate at right wing. But, in a move to ensure that the Bulls retain a cutting edge on the counter-attack – which they had in great supply from Springboks Kurt-Lee Arendse and Canan Moodie last season – Simelane will be tasked with launching from the back with his speed and side-stepping skills.

Ahead of their debut season in the EPCR Challenge Cup, South African outfit Lions host Bulls in the opening round of the United Rugby Championship. Lions,

Scarlets host Aviron Bayonnais in the opening round of the EPCR Challenge Cup in December. Meanwhile, Connacht Rugby, who welcome Newcastle Falcons in the opening round of EPCR action, travel to Ulster Rugby this weekend. On Sunday, RC Toulon host ASM Clermont Auvergne.

It is hardly unkind to suggest that both Edinburgh and Glasgow start this new season more in hope than expectation. By Allan Massie.

Indeed one has the impression that when it comes to decision-making the SRU is not even in the room, but lurking in the corridor waiting to hear what’s to be done, where and when. They might, it was reckoned, hope, even intend, to be accepted into the Six Nations, but, whether this was so or not, forcing their way into a northern hemisphere club league might be a means of getting one foot in the door. It was reasonable to think that with the right selection and preparation the Scottish clubs could hold their own or indeed do better than that – and indeed Glasgow did win the title once. Though both Italian clubs have had their moments, they haven’t in rugby terms added to the strength or popularity of the League. Look back a few years and we had an Irish, Scottish, Welsh league – the Pro12 – that made sense, in historical, geographical and rugby terms, though it might have been a poor relation to the French Top14 and the English Premiership. Nevertheless there is precious little to get excited about, and the fact that none of the three players who made their debut in that match is qualified to play for Scotland doesn’t lighten the spirit.

Vodacom United Rugby Championship fans are in for a treat this season with some new innovations set to enhance their passion for the game.

The Bulls have included three debutants in the starting XV for their season-opening match against the Lions at Ellis Park.

We now have a tough encounter against a strong Emirates Lions team that will want to begin their season campaign on a positive note. This has also been a great opportunity for our new recruits to acclimatise in their new environment,” said Bulls director of rugby Jake White. He will make his Bulls and URC debut when he scrums down alongside captain Marcell Coetzee and Ruan Vermaak to complete the starting loose trio.

With just hours until kick off of the 2022 United Rugby Championships, the league that last year established itself as one of the very best in the game has ...

One area that he will need to improve is his line-out throwing which he will have a prime opportunity to do as he throws into the world class Pieter-Steph Du Toi and co in Cape Town. His addition to the Stormers pack offsets the loss of fellow Bok hooker Bongi Mbonambi who has joined Etzebeth in signing for the Sharks. His rise to international fame saw him become a hot commodity in the South African game and it was the Stormers who ultimately got his signature. Now three years removed from playing for the All Blacks, Fifita looks set to follow in the footsteps of his broth Leva in representing Tonga. It is just worth taking into account that Leinster’s area of need in other areas was greater so ultimately his experience may well have proven to be an important factor in the signing. At 32-years-old and with one All Black cap to his name, Ngatai has fourteen years of experience at the professional level. A true enforcer in every sense of the word, the 6’8” behemoth is a huge signing for the Sharks as they look to move past the disappoint of last season. At just twenty-six-years-old the potential for him to play at the highest level is certainly still there. Nkosi who is already a World Cup winner with the Springboks has an opportunity to become a household name the world over. Commanding a salary of nearly $1million per season in France, it is incredible that the Sharks managed to lure him back to South Africa. Should this prove to be the case, two things will happen, firstly Munster supporters will be ecstatic and secondly Fekitoa will be a dominant force tearing defences apart. As a ball carrier he is close to unstoppable whilst in defence he smashes opposition into another galaxy.

Ruan Dreyer while on duty for the Golden Lions in the Currie Cup. Image: Christiaan Kotze/Gallo Images. SA teams in ...

“We have a bit more experience and we have tasted the Champagne when things went well in the team. We definitely want to work on it and take it forward from last year. “I think it is one of our weapons and we pride ourselves in the scrums.

In their first season proper in the URC tournament three of the four South African sides made the playoffs. The Bulls ambushed Leinster, chasing their fifth ...

With Jacob Stockdale back and Will Addison hopefully there soon, the key for McFarland will be to ensure the pack under Iain Henderson delivers a platform. It will be interesting to see what progress the youngest generation of Chris Cosgrave, Sam Prendergast, Jack Boyle and James Culhane, to highlight a few, make this season. It is hardly a surprise that the Bulls, Sharks and Stormers finished in the bottom three in last season’s Currie Cup.

Lions vs Bulls: The Jukskei derby kicks off South African participation in the 2022/23 United Rugby Championship at Ellis Park from 16:05.

(Photo by Christiaan Kotze/Gallo Images) [URC.tv](http://urc.tv/) PRETORIA, SOUTH AFRICA – JUNE 25: Marcell Coetzee (C) of the Vodacom Bulls during the Carling Currie Cup match between Vodacom Bulls and New Nation Pumas at Loftus Versfeld on June 25, 2021 in Pretoria, South Africa.

Do the respective franchises, with their 50-man squads, have the means to compete across international tournaments – the United Rugby Championship and, ...

All three teams should be targeting a place in the playoffs, while the Cheetahs and Lions should be looking to advance to the next round of the Challenge Cup. But as seen last year, the fight for URC playoff spots – and ultimately qualification for the 2023/24 Champions Cup – will be fiercely intense. We saw what transpired, however, when a big club like Leinster attempted to juggle its resources across the URC and the Champions Cup – and came unstuck in both sets of playoffs. Some of the teams may use these matches staged in South Africa to give younger and less experienced players a run, as the conditions will be more favourable than those in Europe. South African derbies are renowned for their physicality, and there may be a negative outcome in the form of injuries. All the coaches will be looking to make an impression in the initial rounds of the European tournaments. The inaugural URC only really sparked to life after the Six Nations concluded and the internationals returned to their respective clubs in late March. The Sharks and Stormers are set to play three of their first five fixtures overseas. SA Rugby and the franchises have agreed to rest the top players at some stage – but if an individual franchise is struggling, they may well opt to send their Boks into battle from the start of December. This year, coach Jacques Nienaber will take an extended squad to Europe, and will field a midweek side – the SA Select XV – against Munster and Bristol. Perhaps the coaches and players will be wiser for that experience last year. The franchises could not have asked for a tougher introduction to Europe in the 2021/22 URC.

Vodacom United Rugby Championship fans are in for a treat this season with some new innovations set to enhance their passion for the game.