United Rugby Championship: Keith Earls and Rhys Webb to hit 200 milestone for Munster and Ospreys while key duo out for Connacht

Adam Kyriacou
Keith Earls and Rhys Webb split

It’s the final weekend of the United Rugby Championship regular season as several teams jostle for positions ahead of the upcoming play-offs.

Check on the team news and view our predictions for each game, below.

Friday

Stormers v Benetton

Prediction: Stormers by 10

The teams:

Stormers: 15 Clayton Blommetjies, 14 Angelo Davids, 13 Dan du Plessis, 12 Damian Willemse, 11 Seabelo Senatla 10 Manie Libbok, 9 Paul de Wet, 8 Evan Roos, 7 Hacjivah Dayimani, 6 Willie Engelbrecht, 5 Marvin Orie, 4 Ruben van Heerden, 3 Neethling Fouche, 2 JJ Kotze, 1 Steven Kitshoff (c)
Replacements: 16 Joseph Dweba, 17 Ali Vermaak, 18 Frans Malherbe, 19 Ernst van Rhyn, 20 Ben-Jason Dixon, 21 Marcel Theunissen, 22 Herschel Jantjies, 23 Ruhan Nel

Benetton: 15 Matteo Minozzi, 14 Edoardo Padovani, 13 Joaquin Riera, 12 Marco Zanon, 11 Marcus Watson, 10 Tomas Albornoz, 9 Dewaldt Duvenage (c), 8 Henry Time-Stowers, 7 Manuel Zuliani, 6 Alessandro Izekor, 5 Riccardo Favretto, 4 Marco Lazzaroni, 3 Filippo Alongi, 2 Siua Maile, 1 Thomas Gallo
Replacements: 16 Bautista Bernasconi, 17 Federico Zani, 18 Nahuel Tetaz , 19 Niccolò Cannone, 20 Lorenzo Cannone, 21 Alessandro Garbisi, 22 Jacob Umaga, 23 Tommaso Menoncello

Venue: Danie Craven Stadium, Stellenbosch
Kick-off: 18:30 local (17:30 BST, 16:30 GMT)
Referee: Hollie Davidson (Scotland)
Assistant Referees: Cwengile Jadezweni (South Africa), Morne Ferreira (South Africa)
TMO: Mike Adamson (Scotland)

Ulster v Edinburgh

Prediction: Ulster by 12

The teams:

Ulster: 15 Mike Lowry, 14 Rob Baloucoune, 13 James Hume, 12 Stewart Moore, 11 Jacob Stockdale, 10 Billy Burns, 9 John Cooney, 8 Duane Vermeulen, 7 Nick Timoney, 6 David McCann, 5 Kieran Treadwell, 4 Alan O’Connor (c), 3 Jeff Toomaga-Allen, 2 Rob Herring, 1 Andy Warwick
Replacements: 16 Tom Stewart, 17 Callum Reid, 18 Gareth Milasinovich, 19 Sam Carter, 20 Harry Sheridan, 21 Nathan Doak, 22 Luke Marshall, 23 Craig Gilroy

Edinburgh: 15 Emiliano Boffelli, 14 Darcy Graham, 13 James Lang, 12 Cammy Hutchison, 11 Duhan van der Merwe, 10 Blair Kinghorn, 9 Henry Pyrgos, 8 Viliame Mata, 7 Hamish Watson, 6 Jamie Ritchie (c), 5 Sam Skinner, 4 Glen Young, 3 Luan de Bruin, 2 Dave Cherry, 1 Pierre Schoeman
Replacements: 16 Stuart McInally, 17 Boan Venter, 18 WP Nel, 19 Pierce Phillips, 20 Connor Boyle, 21 Henry Pyrgos, 22 Mark Bennett, 23 Nathan Sweeney

Venue: Kingspan Stadium, Belfast
Kick-off: 19:35 BST (18:35 GMT)
Referee: Andrea Piardi (Italy)
Assistant Referees: Eoghan Cross (Ireland), Sam Holt (Ireland)
TMO: Matteo Liperini (Italy)

Saturday

Lions v Zebre Parma

Prediction: Lions by 15

The teams:

Lions: 15 Quan Horn, 14 Rabz Maxwane, 13 Manuel Rass, 12 Marius Louw (c), 11 Edwill van der Merwe, 10 Gianni Lombard, 9 Sanele Nohamba, 8 Francke Horn, 7 Ruan Venter, 6 Jaco Kriel, 5 Ruben Schoeman, 4 Willem Alberts, 3 Asenathi Ntlabakanye, 2 PJ Botha, 1 Rhynardt Rijnsburger
Replacements: 16 Morne Brandon, 17 Morgan Naude, 18 Ruan Dreyer, 19 Ruan Delport, 20 Emmanuel Tshituka, 21 Morne van den Berg, 22 Rynhardt Jonker, 23 Andries Coetzee

Zebre Parma: 15 Jacopo Trulla, 14 Kobus van Wyk, 13 Richard Kriel, 12 Enrico Lucchin (c), 11 Simone Gesi, 10 Tiff Eden, 9 Chris Cook, 8 Giacomo Ferrari, 7 Iacopo Bianchi, 6 Guido Volpi, 5 Andrea Zambonin, 4 Leonard Krumov, 3 Matteo Nocera, 2 Luca Bigi, 1 Paolo Buonfiglio
Replacements: 16 Marco Manfredi, 17 Juan Pitinari, 18 Muhamed Hasa, 19 David Sisi, 20 Davide Ruggeri, 21 Alessandro Fusco, 22 Geronimo Prisciantelli, 23 Damiano Mazza

Venue: Loftus Versfeld Stadium, Pretoria
Kick-off: 13:00 local (12:00 BST, 11:00 GMT)
Referee: Ben Whitehouse (Wales)
Assistant Referees: Morne Ferreira (South Africa), Stephan Geldenhuys (South Africa)
TMO: Jon Mason (Wales)

Bulls v Leinster

Prediction: Bulls by 3

The teams:

Bulls: 15 Juan Mostert, 14 Sibongile Novuka, 13 Lionel Mapoe, 12 Chris Barend Smit, 11 Wandisile Simelane, 10 Morne Steyn (c), 9 Zak Burger, 8 WJ Steenkamp, 7 Reinhardt Ludwig, 6 Cameron Hanekom, 5 Charlie Ewels, 4 Jacques du Plessis, 3 Sebastian Lombard, 2 Jan-Hendrik Wessels, 1 Simphiwe Matanzima
Replacements: 16 Jacques van Rooyen, 17 Tiaan Lange, 18 Robert Hunt, 19 Merwe Olivier, 20 Mihlali Mosi, 21 Bernard van der Linde, 22 Cornal Hendricks, 23 Kabelo Mokoena

Leinster: 15 Chris Cosgrave, 14 Tommy O’Brien, 13 Liam Turner, 12 Ben Brownlee, 11 Dave Kearney, 10 Sam Prendergast, 9 Nick McCarthy, 8 Max Deegan, 7 Will Connors, 6 James Culhane, 5 Brian Deeny, 4 Alex Soroka, 3 Thomas Clarkson, 2 Tadgh McElroy, 1 Ed Byrne (c)
Replacements: 16 Lee Barron, 17 Michael Milne, 18 Temi Lasisi, 19 Conor O’Tighearnaigh, 20 Liam Molony, 21 Ben Murphy, 22 Charlie Tector, 23 Rob Russell

Venue: Loftus Versfeld Stadium, Pretoria
Kick-off: 16:00 local (15:00 BST, 14:00 GMT)
Referee: Craig Evans (Wales)
Assistant Referees: Adriaan Jacobs (South Africa), Aimee Barrett-Theron (South Africa)
TMO: Jon Mason (Wales)

Dragons v Scarlets

Prediction: Scarlets by 5

The teams:

Dragons: 15 Jordan Williams, 14 Rio Dyer, 13 Sio Tomkinson, 12 Steff Hughes, 11 Ashton Hewitt, 10 Angus O’Brien, 9 Rhodri Williams (c), 8 Aaron Wainwright, 7 Taine Basham, 6 George Nott, 5 Matthew Screech, 4 Ben Carter, 3 Lloyd Fairbrother, 2 Elliot Dee, 1 Rhodri Jones
Replacements: 16 Bradley Roberts, 17 Rob Evans, 18 Chris Coleman, 19 Huw Taylor, 20 Sean Lonsdale, 21 Lewis Jones, 22 Will Reed, 23 Aneurin Owen

Scarlets: 15 Tom Rogers, 14 Steff Evans, 13 Joe Roberts, 12 Johnny Williams, 11 Ryan Conbeer, 10 Sam Costelow, 9 Kieran Hardy, 8 Carwyn Tuipulotu, 7 Josh Macleod (c), 6 Iwan Shenton, 5 Morgan Jones, 4 Vaea Fifita, 3 Javan Sebastian, 2 Ken Owens, 1 Kemsley Mathias
Replacements: 16 Daf Hughes, 17 Wyn Jones, 18 Sam Wainwright, 19 Iestyn Rees, 20 Shaun Evans, 21 Gareth Davies, 22 Dan Jones, 23 Johnny McNicholl

Venue: Principality Stadium, Cardiff
Kick-off: 15:00 BST (14:00 GMT)
Referee: Jaco Peyper (South Africa)
Assistant Referees: Adam Jones (Wales), Elgan Williams (Wales)
TMO: Brian MacNeice (Ireland)

Ospreys v Cardiff

Prediction: Ospreys by 8

The teams:

Ospreys: 15 Michael Collins, 14 George North, 13 Keiran Williams, 12 Owen Williams, 11 Luke Morgan, 10 Gareth Anscombe, 9 Rhys Webb, 8 Morgan Morris, 7 Dan Lydiate, 6 Rhys Davies, 5 Alun Wyn Jones, 4 Adam Beard, 3 Tomas Francis, 2 Sam Parry, 1 Nicky Smith (c)
Replacements: 16 Dewi Lake, 17 Gareth Thomas, 18 Tom Botha, 19 Huw Sutton, 20 Ethan Roots, 21 Reuben Morgan-Williams, 22 Harri Doel, 23 Max Nagy

Cardiff: 15 Rhys Priestland, 14 Mason Grady, 13 Rey Lee-Lo, 12 Max Llewellyn, 11 Jason Harries, 10 Jarrod Evans, 9 Tomos Williams, 8 Taulupe Faletau, 7 Thomas Young, 6 Josh Turnbull (c), 5 Seb Davies, 4 James Ratti, 3 Keiron Assiratti, 2 Liam Belcher, 1 Corey Domachowski
Replacements: 16 Kristian Dacey, 17 Rhys Carré, 18 Dillon Lewis, 19 Teddy Williams, 20 James Botham, 21 Lloyd Williams, 22 Ben Thomas, 23 Harri Millard

Venue: Principality Stadium, Cardiff
Kick-off: 17:15 BST (16:15 GMT)
Referee: Frank Murphy (Ireland)
Assistant Referees: Gareth Newman (Wales), Gwyn Morris (Wales)
TMO: Olly Hodges (Ireland)

Sharks v Munster

Prediction: Sharks by 5

The teams:

Sharks: 15 Boeta Chamberlain, 14 Werner Kok, 13 Lukhanyo Am, 12 Ben Tapuai, 11 Makazole Mapimpi, 10 Curwin Bosch, 9 Grant Williams, 8 Sikhumbuzo Notshe, 7 Vincent Tshituka, 6 Siya Kolisi (c), 5 Gerbrandt Grobler, 4 Jeandre Labuschagne, 3 Thomas du Toit, 2 Bongi Mbonambi, 1 Ox Nche
Replacements: 16 Kerron van Vuurren, 17 Ntuthuko Mchunu, 18 Carlu Sadie, 19 Reniel Hugo, 20 Phepsi Buthelezi, 21 Cameron Wright, 22 Rohan Janse van Rensburg, 23 Aphelele Fassi

Munster: 15 Mike Haley, 14 Calvin Nash, 13 Antoine Frisch, 12 Malakai Fekitoa, 11 Shane Daly, 10 Jack Crowley, 9 Conor Murray, 8 Gavin Coombes, 7 Alex Kendellen, 6 Peter O’Mahony (c), 5 Fineen Wycherley, 4 Jean Kleyn, 3 Stephen Archer, 2 Diarmuid Barron, 1 Jeremy Loughman
Replacements: 16 Scott Buckley, 17 Josh Wycherley, 18 Keynan Knox, 19 Edwin Edogbo, 20 Jack O’Donoghue, 21 Craig Casey, 22 Ben Healy, 23 Keith Earls

Venue: Hollywoodbets Kings Park, Durban
Kick-off: 18:15 local (17:15 BST, 16:15 GMT)
Referee: Mike Adamson (Scotland)
Assistant Referees: Cwengile Jadezweni (South Africa), Griffin Colby (South Africa)
TMO: Hollie Davidson (Scotland)

Glasgow Warriors v Connacht

Prediction: Glasgow by 7

The teams:

Glasgow Warriors: 15 Huw Jones, 14 Cole Forbes, 13 Stafford McDowall (c), 12 Sam Johnson, 11 Jamie Dobie, 10 Tom Jordan, 9 Ali Price, 8 Jack Dempsey, 7 Sione Vailanu, 6 Rory Darge, 5 Richie Gray, 4 Scott Cummings, 3 Lucio Sordoni, 2 Fraser Brown, 1 Allan Dell
Replacements: 16 Johnny Matthews, 17 Jamie Bhatti, 18 Zander Fagerson, 19 JP du Preez, 20 Lewis Bean, 21 Matt Fagerson, 22 George Horne, 23 Domingo Miotti

Connacht: 15 Tiernan O’Halloran, 14 John Porch, 13 Tom Farrell, 12 Cathal Forde, 11 Byron Ralston, 10 Jack Carty (c), 9 Caolin Blade, 8 Cian Prendergast, 7 Conor Oliver, 6 Josh Murphy, 5 Niall Murray, 4 Oisín Dowling, 3 Finlay Bealham, 2 Dylan Tierney-Martin, 1 Denis Buckley
Replacements: 16 Eoin de Buitléar, 17 Peter Dooley, 18 Sam Illo, 19 Darragh Murray, 20 Shamus Hurley-Langton, 21 Kieran Marmion, 22 Tom Daly, 23 Shane Jennings

Venue: Scotstoun Stadium, Glasgow
Kick-off: 19:35 BST (18:35 GMT)
Referee: Gianluca Gnecchi (Italy)
Assistant Referees: David Sutherland (Scotland), Sam O’Neil (Scotland)
TMO: Stefano Roscini (Italy)

READ MORE: Josh Navidi: A uniquely special player for Cardiff and Wales who deserved many more caps

Benetton Treviso Keith Earls Rhys Webb

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