Owen Lane back for Blues, Jed Holloway set for debut

David Skippers

Cardiff's Owen Lane hands off Edinburgh's Jaco van der Walt during the Challenge Cup, Quarter Final at BT Murrayfield, Edinburgh.

There are five games scheduled for Saturday with the Southern Kings, Cardiff Blues, Zebre, Cheetahs and Connacht all hosting their respective matches.

Southern Kings v Munster

The Southern Kings have made several changes to their line-up to face Munster with prop Juan Schoeman making his debut.

Schoeman, who is on loan from the Sharks, replaces Alulutho Tshakweni in the front-row, while Aston Fortuin and Ruaan Lerm also come into the pack for JC Astle and Bobby de Wee respectively.

In the backline, Yaw Penxe, Howard Mnisi and Christopher Hollis are out of the squad with Masixole Banda, Tertius Kruger and Courtney Winnaar their replacements.

Meanwhile, Munster head coach Johann van Graan has named his side for this fixture at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium.

There are four changes to the side that defeated Dragons in the opening round at Thomond Park, with Liam O’Connor, Darren O’Shea, Alby Mathewson and Dan Goggin all coming into the starting line-up.

O’Connor joins Kevin O’Byrne and Stephen Archer in the front-row, while O’Shea partners Fineen Wycherley in the engine room.

It’s as you were in the back-row of Jack O’Donoghue, Tommy O’Donnell and Arno Botha, with O’Donnell taking over the captaincy duties this week.

Mathewson joins JJ Hanrahan as the half-back pairing, and with Rory Scannell switching to the 12 jersey. Goggin comes in at outside centre in an otherwise unchanged backline.

Named in the replacements is Academy hooker Diarmuid Barron, and the province’s short-term signing, Jed Holloway, who is line to make his PRO14 debut.

The teams:

Southern Kings: 15 Masixole Banda, 14 Andell Loubser , 13 Tertius Kruger, 12 JT Jackson, 11 Courtney Winnaar, 10 Demetri Catrakilis, 9 Stefan Ungerer, 8 Ruaan Lerm, 7 Martinus Burger , 6 Lusanda Badiyana (c), 5 Aston Fortuin, 4 Jerry Sexton, 3 Pieter Scholtz, 2 Alandre Van Rooyen, 1 Juan Schoeman
Replacements: 16 Jacques Du Toit, 17 Alulutho Tshakweni, 18 Rossouw de Klerk, 19 Bobby de Wee, 20 Elrigh Louw, 21 Josh Allderman, 22 Sibusiso Sithole, 23 Josiah Twum-Boafo

Munster: 15 Mike Haley, 14 Darren Sweetnam, 13 Dan Goggin, 12 Rory Scannell, 11 Shane Daly, 10 JJ Hanrahan, 9 Alby Mathewson, 8 Arno Botha, 7 Tommy O’Donnell (c), 6 Jack O’Donoghue, 5 Fineen Wycherley, 4 Darren O’Shea, 3 Stephen Archer, 2 Kevin O’Byrne, 1 Liam O’Connor
Replacements: 16 Diarmuid Barron, 17 James Cronin, 18 Jeremy Loughman, 19 Jed Holloway, 20 Billy Holland, 21 Neil Cronin, 22 Tyler Bleyendaal, 23 Chris Cloete

Venue: Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium
Kick-off: 16:00 local (15:00 BST, 14:00 GMT)
Referee: Dan Jones (Wales)
Assistant referees: Mike Adamson (Scotland), Paul Mente (South Africa)
TMO: Christie du Preez (South Africa)

Zebre v Dragons

There are several changes to Zebre’s run-on side which lost their season opener at Edinburgh last week.

In the back-line, Michelangelo Biondelli replaces Francois Brummer at fly-half while Charlie Walker shifts from full-back to the right wing with Massimo Cioffi coming in to wear the number 15 jersey.

James Elliott shifts from the right wing to outside centre while Pierre Bruno takes over from Paula Balekana on the left.

Biagi comes into the second-row as a replacement for Ian Nagle which is the only alteration to the pack.

Meanwhile, Dragons prop Ryan Bevington will make his 100th appearance in the PRO14 when they tackle their Italian opponents on Saturday.

Former Wales international Bevington hits the milestone as he is called into the team as one of five changes made by director of rugby Dean Ryan.

Two changes in the back-row see returns for fit-again number eight Harrison Keddie and Wales U20 ace Taine Basham.

Centre Tyler Morgan makes his first start of the season, as he links up with Jack Dixon in midfield.

The final change is a starting spot for wing Will Talbot-Davies. Ashton Hewitt misses the game with a facial injury sustained at Munster last weekend. Hooker Rhys Lawrence returns among the replacements in Italy.

The teams:

Zebre: 15 Massimo Cioffi, 14 Charlie Walker, 13 James Elliott, 12 Enrico Lucchin, 11 Pierre Bruno, 10 Michelangelo Biondelli, 9 Joshua Renton, 8 Giovanni Licata, 7 Johan Meyer, 6 Iacopo Bianchi, 5 George Biagi (c), 4 Mick Kearney, 3 Alexandru Tarus, 2 Marco Manfredi, 1 Danilo Fischetti
Replacements:
16 Massimo Ceciliani, 17 Daniele Rimpelli, 18 Giosué Zilocchi, 19 Samuele Ortis, 20 Apisai Tauyavuca, 21 Nicolò Casilio, 22 Leonardo Mantelli, 23 Federico Mori

Dragons: 15 Jordan Williams, 14 Will Talbot-Davies, 13 Tyler Morgan, 12 Jack Dixon, 11 Owen Jenkins, 10 Sam Davies, 9 Rhodri Williams (c), 8 Harrison Keddie, 7 Taine Basham, 6 Lewis Evans, 5 Matthew Screech, 4 Joe Davies, 3 Leon Brown, 2 Richard Hibbard, 1 Ryan Bevington
Replacements: 16 Rhys Lawrence, 17 Brok Harris, 18 Lloyd Fairbrother, 19 Max Williams, 20 Huw Taylor, 21 Tavis Knoyle, 22 Jacob Botica, 23 Adam Warren

Venue: Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi
Kick-off: 18:00 local (17:00 BST, 16:00 GMT)
Referee: Sean Gallagher (Ireland)
Assistant referees: Andrea Piardi (Italy), Jonny Erskine (Ireland)
TMO: Leo Colgan (Ireland)

Cardiff Blues v Edinburgh

Owen Lane makes his first start of the season as Cardiff Blues make just one change for their PRO14 clash with Edinburgh.

Lane, who made his Wales debut in the summer, missed last week’s bonus-point victory over the Southern Kings due to a niggle but has been given the all-clear for the Arms Park encounter.

Number eight Nick Williams has also recovered from the arm injury he suffered against the Kings and continues to captain the side in the absence of Ellis Jenkins.

Lane starts in the back three with Matthew Morgan and Aled Summerhill, who both shone in South Africa. Meanwhile, Willis Halaholo and Garyn Smith continue in the centre and Lloyd Williams and Jarrod Evans at half back.

Williams captains the side with Olly Robinson, who made his 50th Cardiff Blues appearance last week, and Josh Turnbull also starting in the back-row.

Seb Davies and Rory Thornton combine in the second-row, while Brad Thyer, Liam Belcher and Dmitri Arhip continue to pack down in the front-row.

Meanwhile, summer signing Mike Willemse is named in the starting line-up as Edinburgh make just one change for their trip to face the Blues at Cardiff Arms Park.

The inclusion of South African hooker, Willemse – who replaces the injured Dave Cherry to make his first start for the club – is the only alteration to the starting XV that defeated Zebre 50-15 last weekend as head coach Richard Cockerill names a settled side for Saturday evening’s contest.

An unchanged back three sees Damien Hoyland named at full-back with wingers Jamie Farndale – who scored his first try for the club in Saturday’s win over Zebre – and Duhan van der Merwe selected on the flanks.

Mark Bennett once again gets the nod at outside centre following his impressive three-try performance last weekend, while Matt Scott – who also touched down against Zebre – continues alongside him in midfield.

South African duo Nic Groom – who once again skippers the side following Saturday’s try-scoring debut – and Jaco van der Walt continue their half-back partnership.

The inclusion of Willemse at hooker is the only alteration to an otherwise unchanged front-row as the former Southern Kings man packs down alongside props Pierre Schoeman and Pietro Ceccarelli.

Murray Douglas and club centurion Fraser McKenzie continue in the second-row, while number eight Nick Haining anchors a back-row trio that once again features flankers Lewis Carmichael and Luke Crosbie.

The teams:

Cardiff Blues: 15 Matthew Morgan, 14 Owen Lane, 13 Garyn Smith, 12 Willis Halaholo, 11 Aled Summerhill, 10 Jarrod Evans, 9 Lloyd Williams, 8 Nick Williams (c), 7 Olly Robinson, 6 Josh Turnbull, 5 Rory Thornton, 4 Seb Davies, 3 Dmitri Arhip, 2 Liam Belcher, 1 Brad Thyer
Replacements: 16 Kristian Dacey, 17 Corey Domachowski, 18 Scott Andrews, 19 Shane Lewis-Hughes, 20 Will Boyde, 21 Lewis Jones, 22 Jason Tovey, 23 Harri Millard.

Edinburgh: 15 Damien Hoyland, 14 Jamie Farndale, 13 Mark Bennett, 12 Matt Scott, 11 Duhan van der Merwe, 10 Jaco van der Walt, 9 Nic Groom (c), 8 Nick Haining, 7 Luke Crosbie, 6 Lewis Carmichael, 5 Murray Douglas, 4 Fraser McKenzie, 3 Pietro Ceccarelli, 2 Mike Willemse, 1 Pierre Schoeman
Replacements: 16 Cameron Fenton, 17 Jamie Bhatti, 18 Murray McCallum, 19 Mesu Kunavula, 20 Ally Miller, 21 Charlie Shiel, 22 Simon Hickey, 23 George Taylor

Venue: Cardiff Arms Park
Kick-off: 17:15 BST (16:15 GMT)
Referee: Frank Murphy (Ireland)
Assistant referees: Ben Whitehouse (Wales), Robert O’Sullivan (Ireland)
TMO: Olly Hodges (Ireland)

Cheetahs v Ulster

The Cheetahs opened their campaign on a high note last week but will be hosting a determined Ulster side in Bloemfontein on Saturday.

The two teams have met twice before, with Ulster victorious in Belfast in the Cheetahs’ very first PRO14 game and the two sides sharing a 39-all draw in Bloemfontein a year later.

There is only one change to the 23 which faced Glasgow Warriors last week with Neethling Fouche, who will be making his PRO14 debut, replacing Luan de Bruin on the bench.

Meanwhile, new Ulster signing Bill Johnston will make his competitive Ulster debut this Saturday against the Cheetahs.

Johnston is the sole change to the Ulster squad that opened the 2019/20 season with a bonus point home win over Ospreys last Friday night.

The 22-year-old fly-half will partner John Cooney at half-back, with the pairing of James Hume and Luke Marshall continuing in midfield.

Craig Gilroy, who marked his return to playing action last week with a brace of tries, retains his right wing berth, with Rob Lyttle on the left. Matt Faddes, another summer signing, who touched down on his debut against Ospreys, is once again named at full-back.

The pack remains unchanged with hooker Rob Herring captaining the side alongside Jack McGrath and Tom O’Toole in the front-row. Sam Carter and Kieran Treadwell continue in the second-row, with Matthew Rea, Sean Reidy and Greg Jones selected as the loose forward trio.

On the bench, John Andrew, Eric O’Sullivan, Ross Kane, Alan O’Connor and Clive Ross will provide the forwards back-up, with David Shanahan, Michael Lowry and Louis Ludik covering the back-line options.

The teams:

Cheetahs: 15 Rhyno Smith, 14 William Small-Smith, 13 Benhard Janse van Rensburg, 12 Dries Swanepoel, 11 Anthony Volmink, 10 Tian Schoeman, 9 Ruan Pienaar (c), 8 Henco Venter, 7 Junior Pokomela, 6 Gerhard Olivier, 5 Walt Steenkamp, 4 Sintu Manjezi, 3 Erich de Jager, 2 Joseph Dweba, 1 Ox Nche
Replacements: 16 Reinach Venter, 17 Boan Venter, 18 Neethling Fouche, 19 JP du Preez, 20 Sias Koen, 21 Jasper Wiese, 22 Tian Meyer, 23 Louis Fouche

Ulster: 15 Matt Faddes, 14 Craig Gilroy, 13 Luke Marshall, 12 James Hume, 11 Rob Lyttle, 10 Bill Johnston, 9 John Cooney, 8 Greg Jones 7 Sean Reidy, 6 Matthew Rea, 5 Sam Carter, 4 Kieran Treadwell, 3 Tom O’Toole, 2 Rob Herring (c), 1 Jack McGrath
Replacements: 16 John Andrew, 17 Eric O’Sullivan, 18 Ross Kane, 19 Alan O’Connor, 20 Clive Ross, 21 David Shanahan, 22 Michael Lowry, 23 Louis Ludik

Venue: Free State Stadium
Kick-off: 18:15 local (17:15 BST, 16:15 GMT)
Referee: Ian Davies (Wales)
Assistant referees: Craig Evans (Wales), Griffin Colby (South Africa)
TMO: Johan Greeff (South Africa)

Connacht v Benetton

Connacht head coach Andy Friend has made three changes to the Connacht starting team for the visit of Benetton to the Sportsground on Saturday.

Darragh Leader, Peter Robb and Paul Boyle all come into the side as Connacht hope to bounce back from a defeat away to Scarlets on the opening day of the season.

Leader’s inclusion on the wing sees him come into a back three with Matt Healy on the opposite wing and Tiernan O’Halloran at full-back, while Robb will form a midfield partnership with Kyle Godwin.

Conor Fitzgerald and Caolin Blade will continue their half-back partnership with Kieran Marmion named among the replacements.

Paul Boyle at number eight is the only change among the forwards with Captain Jarrad Butler named at openside and Eoghan Masterson at blindside. Masterson’s brother Sean is named among the replacements, with the 21-year-old academy player set for his senior debut having impressed for the Connacht Eagles in their five wins so far in the Celtic Cup.

The front five remains unchanged with Paddy McAllister retained after his debut against Scarlets in a front-row that includes hooker Tom McCartney and Finlay Bealham at tighthead. The side is completed with locks Gavin Thornbury and Quinn Roux.

For Benetton, they have made four changes to their side to take on Connacht, with Luca Sperandio starting ahead of Angelo Esposito at full-back.

Ratuva Tavuyara’s suspension has opened the door for Leonardo Sarto on the right wing while lock Niccolò Cannone is selected ahead of Irné Herbst, who drops out of the 23.

Flanker Giovanni Pettinelli has also been handed a chance to impress with Marco Barbini the player to give way.

On the bench, Marco Fuser, Lodovico Manni and Igancio Brex come into the squad.

The teams:

Connacht: 15 Tiernan O’Halloran, 14 Darragh Leader, 13 Kyle Godwin, 12 Peter Robb, 11 Matt Healy, 10 Conor Fitzgerald, 9 Caolin Blade, 8 Paul Boyle, 7 Jarrad Butler (c), 6 Eoghan Masterson, 5 Quinn Roux, 4 Gavin Thornbury, 3 Finlay Bealham, 2 Tom McCartney, 1 Paddy McAllister
Replacements: 16 Shane Delahunt, 17 Denis Buckley, 18 Dominic Robertson-McCoy, 19 Ultan Dillane, 20 Sean Masterson, 21 Kieran Marmion, 22 Tom Farrell, 23 Stephen Fitzgerald

Benetton: 15 Luca Sperandio, 14 Leonardo Sarto, 13 Joaquin Riera, 12 Alberto Sgarbi (c), 11 Monty Ioane, 10 Ian Keatley, 9 Luca Petrozzi, 8 Toa Halafihi, 7 Giovanni Pettinelli, 6 Marco Lazzaroni, 5 Eli Snyman, 4 Niccolò Cannone, 3 Michele Mancini Parri, 2 Tomas Baravalle, 1 Derrick Appiah
Replacements: 16 Engjel Makelara, 17 Cherif Traore, 18 Filippo Alongi, 19 Marco Fuser, 20 Lodovico Manni, 21 Charly Trussardi, 22 Ian McKinley, 23 Ignacio Brex

Venue: The Sportsground
Kick-off: 19:35 BST (18:35 GMT)
Referee: Rasta Rasivhenge (South Africa)
Assistant referees: Sam Grove-White, Ian Kenny (Scotland)
TMO: Charles Samson (Ireland)