PRO14 Preview: Friday

There are four games on Friday with Cardiff Blues, Leinster, Ulster and Cheetahs hosting Connacht, Dragons, Benetton Rugby and Edinburgh respectively.

Cardiff Blues v Connacht

Cardiff Blues have made 10 changes for their return to PRO14 action against Connacht on Friday.

Following two weeks of the Anglo-Welsh Cup, the Blues will be looking to continue their PRO14 form by completing a double over the Irish province.

Head Coach Danny Wilson has made wholesale changes for the clash due to a combination of players returning and others suffering injury.

Jarrod Evans returns from a broken nose to partner Tomos Williams at half-back, while Willis Halaholo and Garyn Smith reform their burgeoning midfield partnership. Matthew Morgan starts at full-back with Owen Lane, who makes his PRO14 debut, and Tom James on the wings.

In the pack, Corey Domachowski, Matthew Rees and Taufa’ao Filise all come back in the front-row, while Olly Robinson and Nick Williams return to the back-row following two weeks off.

Following his return to action last week, Gareth Anscombe takes his place on the bench, with Josh Turnbull recalled back into the matchday squad and is also named amongst the replacements.

Meanwhile, Connacht Head Coach Kieran Keane has named his starting XV to face conference rivals Cardiff Blues.

Connacht go into the fixture without Irish internationals Bundee Aki, Kieran Marmion and Ultan Dillane while Jarrad Butler and Craig Ronaldson remain on the injury list.

Niyi Adeoloukun who scored a decisive try in his first start of the season against the Cheetahs starts again on the wing. Matt Healy on the opposite wing and full-back Tiernan O’Halloran make up the rest of the back three. Eoin Griffin and Tom Farrell make up the centre pairing and while there is no starting position for new signing Pita Ahki, he is named among the replacements.

Jack Carty and Caolin Blade form the half back pairing with Marmion unavailable due to his involvement with the Irish squad. In the pack Dave Heffernan starts at hooker with Denis Buckley and Finlay Bealham in at loosehead and tighthead respectively. The experienced back row includes flankers Eoin McKeon and Jake Heenan with Captain John Muldoon in at number eight.

The teams:

Cardiff Blues: 15 Matthew Morgan, 14 Owen Lane, 13 Garyn Smith, 12 Willis Halaholo, 11 Tom James, 10 Jarrod Evans, 9 Tomos Williams, 8 Nick Williams, 7 Olly Robinson, 6 Macauley Cook, 5 Damian Welch, 4 George Earle, 3 Taufa’ao Filise, 2 Matthew Rees (c), 1 Corey Domachowski
Replacements: 16 Kirby Myhill, 17 Brad Thyer, 18 Anton Peikrishvili, 19 James Down, 20 Josh Turnbull, 21 Lewis Jones, 22 Gareth Anscombe, 23 Harri Millard

Connacht: 15 Tiernan O’Halloran, 14 Niyi Adeolokun, 13 Eoin Griffin, 12 Tom Farrell, 11 Matt Healy, 10 Jack Carty, 9 Caolin Blade, 8 John Muldoon (c), 7 Jake Heenan, 6 Eoin McKeon, 5 James Cannon, 4 Quinn Roux, 3 Finlay Bealham, 2 Dave Heffernan, 1 Denis Buckley
Replacements: 16 Shane Delahunt, 17 Peter McCabe, 18 Conor Carey, 19 Gavin Thornbury, 20 Eoghan Masterson, 21 James Mitchell, 22 Steve Crosbie, 23 Pita Ahki

Date: Friday, 24 November
Venue: Cardiff Arms Park
Kick-off: 19:35 GMT
Referee: Craig Evans (Wales)
Assistant referees: Simon Rees (Wales), Adam Jones (Wales)
TMO: Jon Mason (Wales)

Leinster v Dragons

Leinster coach Leo Cullen is able to recall a number of players from injury including captain Isa Nacewa as well as handing a first senior start to Josh Murphy. Cullen also welcomes back into the squad a number of players that had been involved with Ireland last weekend in the Guinness Series.

Leinster Academy player Jordan Larmour starts at full back with Fergus McFadden selected on the right wing having receovered from a hamstring injury. On the left wing Nacewa captains the side on his first Leinster start since the loss to the Cheetahs in September. It is also his 175th cap for Leinster since his debut in September 2008 against the Cardiff Blues. In that time he has scored 43 tries and a total of 658 points.

In the centre Noel Reid and Rory O’Loughlin are partnered together for the fourth time this season, while Jamison Gibson-Park and Ross Byrne are the half backs selected by Cullen.

In the pack Ed Byrne, Seán Cronin and Michael Bent start in the front row with Ross Molony and Scott Fardy behind them in the second.

In the back row there is a first start for Leinster Academy flanker Josh Murphy who made his debut against Glasgow Warriors off the bench. Murphy is joined by Jordi Murphy at openside who started for Ireland last weekend against Fiji and by Max Deegan who starts at No. 8.

On the bench, Conor O’Brien is in line to make his first senior appearance at the RDS Arena, while Cullen welcomes Andrew Porter and Jack Conan back from Ireland duties.

Should he be introduced Richardt Strauss will win his 150th cap for Leinster against the Dragons, while there is also a first involvement of the season for Ian Nagle who has returned from a pectoral muscle injury.

Meanwhile, Dragons coach Bernard Jackman has made eight changes to last weekend’s line-up; The back three sees the return of wing Ashton Hewitt as he joins Jared Rosser and fullback Angus O’Brien. The centre partnership also has a change as Jack Dixon links up with Adam Warren, whilst the half-backs see the return of British and Irish Lion Gavin Henson and South African scrum-half Sarel Pretorius.

The front row will see 20-year-old hooker Ellis Shipp make his first start for the Region, whilst prop Sam Hobbs returns from injury to also make his first start of the 2017/18 season, they both join tighthead prop Lloyd Fairbrother. The second row has no changes made to it as Joe Davies and Matthew Screech retain their positions and the back-row sees youngster Aaron Wainwright join skipper Ollie Griffiths and number 8 James Benjamin. Whilst the bench sees youngsters Dan Babos and Connor Edwards set for their Pro14 debuts.

The teams:

Leinster: 15 Jordan Larmour, 14 Fergus McFadden, 13 Rory O’Loughlin, 12 Noel Reid, 11 Isa Nacewa (c), 10 Ross Byrne, 9 Jamison Gibson-Park, 8 Max Deegan, 7 Jordi Murphy, 6 Josh Murphy, 5 Scott Fardy, 4 Ross Molony, 3 Michael Bent, 2 Seán Cronin, 1 Ed Byrne
Replacements: 16 Richardt Strauss, 17 Peter Dooley, 18 Andrew Porter, 19 Ian Nagle, 20 Jack Conan, 21 Nick McCarthy, 22 Cathal Marsh, 23 Conor O’Brien

Dragons: 15 Angus O’Brien, 14 Jared Rosser, 13 Adam Warren, 12 Jack Dixon, 11 Ashton Hewitt, 10 Gavin Henson, 9 Sarel Pretorius, 8 James Benjamin, 7 Ollie Griffiths (c), 6 Aaron Wainwright, 5 Matthew Screech, 4 Joe Davies, 3 Lloyd Fairbrother, 2 Ellis Shipp, 1 Sam Hobbs
Replacements: 16 Gerard Ellis, 17 Luke Garrett, 18 Brok Harris, 19 Rynard Landman, 20 Ben Roach, 21 Dan Babos, 22 Arwel Robson, 23 Connor Edwards

Date: Friday, 24 November
Venue: RDS Arena, Dublin
Kick-off: 19:35 GMT
Referee: Sam Grove White (Scotland)
Assistant referees: Dunx McClement (Scotland), Bob Nevins (Scotland)
TMO: Andrew Cymene (Scotland)

Ulster v Benetton Rugby

Paul Marshall could become just the fifth Ulster player to reach the 200 cap milestone, as he is named among the replacements for Friday’s PRO14 clash with Benetton Rugby at Kingspan Stadium.

Christian Lealiifano will captain the side from inside centre, where he is joined in midfield by Louis Ludik. John Cooney and Peter Nelson are paired at half-back, while Craig Gilroy, Tommy Bowe and Charles Piutau form an exciting back three.

Tighthead prop Ross Kane will make his first senior start of the season, with Callum Black and John Andrew joining him in the front row. Kieran Treadwell, who featured in Ireland’s win over Fiji last week, returns to the second row alongside Alan O’Connor.

Aaron Hall and Nick Timoney, both of the Ulster Rugby Academy, are named at openside flanker and number eight respectively, in what will be a senior debut for Ballynahinch clubman Hall. Clive Ross completes the back row.

Fellow Academy forwards Matthew Dalton and Greg Jones are also set for their senior bow, along with South African prop Schalk van der Merwe, as all three are named among the replacements. Rob Herring and Andy Warwick provide the additional front row backup.

Marshall, Darren Cave and Andrew Trimble will offer plenty of backline experience from the bench.

Meanwhile, Benetton Rugby have named a strong back-row for their trip to Ulster that sees Whetu Douglas, Nasi Manu and Robert Barbieri combine. They will play behind Alessandro Zanni and Irné Herbst while in the front-row hooker Tomas Baravalle is flanked by Cherif Traore and Giuseppe Di Stefano.

Giorgio Bronzini and Tommaso Allan will pull the strings while Alberto Sgarbi is captain alongside Ignacio Brex in the midfield, with Andrea Bronzini, Tommaso Benvenuti and Luca Sperandio forming the back-three.

The teams:

Ulster: 15 Charles Piutau, 14 Tommy Bowe, 13 Louis Ludik, 12 Christian Lealiifano, 11 Craig Gilroy, 10 Peter Nelson, 9 John Cooney, 8 Nick Timoney, 7 Aaron Hall, 6 Clive Ross, 5 Alan O’Connor, 4 Kieran Treadwell, 3 Ross Kane, 2 John Andrew, 1 Callum Black
Replacements: 16 Rob Herring, 17 Schalk van der Merwe, 18 Andy Warwick, 19 Matthew Dalton, 20 Greg Jones, 21 Paul Marshall, 22 Darren Cave, 23 Andrew Trimble

Benetton Rugby: 15 Luca Sperandio, 14 Tommaso Benvenuti, 13 Ignacio Brex, 12 Alberto Sgarbi (c), 11 Andrea Bronzini, 10 Tommaso Allan, 9 Giorgio Bronzini, 8 Robert Barbieri, 7 Nasi Manu, 6 Whetu Douglas, 5 Irné Herbst, 4 Alessandro Zanni, 3 Giuseppe Di Stefano, 2 Tomas Baravalle, 1 Cherif Traore
Replacements: 16 Hame Faiva, 17 Nicola Quaglio, 18 Alberto De Marchi, 19 Federico Ruzza, 20 Marco Barbini, 21 Luca Crosato, 22 Marty Banks, 23 Luca Morisi

Date: Friday, 24 November
Venue: Kingspan Stadium, Belfast
Kick-off: 19:05 GMT
Referee: Mike Adamson (Scotland)
Assistant referees: Leo Colgan (Ireland), Shane Kierans (Ireland)
TMO: Peter Fitzgibbon (Ireland)

Cheetahs v Edinburgh

Clayton Blommetjies will be making his return at full-back for the Cheetahs. Daniel Maartens and Craig Barry will be making their PRO14 debuts when they set foot on the field. Maartens is a youngster who came through the ranks, while Barry played for the Western Province.

The two sides have never met before, whilst this is Edinburgh’s first fixture against a South African side in the PRO14.

The Cheetahs defeat to Warriors in round 6 of the Championship spoiled their 100% maximum point winning record in Bloemfontein this season. Edinburgh Rugby have won their last five matches in all competitions since tripping up at Leinster in round 5 of the PRO14.

“We’ll be facing a strong team with great defence and we are looking forward to the challenge. We’ve been working hard last week and this week preparing for the match and we are really excited to run onto the field on Friday evening.” Torsten van Jaarsveld, captain of the Cheetahs.

“We can anticipate good competition from Edinburgh this weekend,” said Coach Rory Duncan.

Meanwhile, the Edinburgh team selection includes seven changes to the side that earned a bonus-point victory over Ospreys at Myreside three weeks ago. In the back-three, wing Duhan van der Merwe makes his competitive debut for the club in his homeland, with Dougie Fife on the opposite flank and Blair Kinghorn at fullback.

In the midfield, James Johnstone remains at outside centre. The former Scotland Sevens man is partnered by Chris Dean, who gets the nod having made his 50th appearance for the club in the victory over Ospreys. The experienced duo of Jason Tovey and Sam Hidalgo-Clyne continue their half-back partnership.

In the forwards, Neil Cochrane starts at hooker having returned from international duty with Scotland and packs down alongside Michele Rizzo and Murray McCallum, who makes his first start of the season. Lock Anton Besler returns to the second row and is partnered by club captain Fraser McKenzie.

An industrious back-row sees the youthful pairing of Luke Crosbie and Lewis Carmichael pack down alongside Viliame Mata, who gets the nod at No.8.

The teams:

Cheetahs: 15 Clayton Blommetjies, 14 Luther Obi, 13 William Small-Smith, 12 Nico Lee, 11 Makazola Mapimpi, 10 Fred Zeilinga, 9 Shaun Venter, 8 Junior Pokomela, 7 Rynier Bernardo, 6 Paul Schoeman, 5 Hugo, Reniel, 4 Carl Wegner, 3 Johan Coetzee, 2 Torsten Van Jaarsveld (c), 1 Charles Marais
Replacements: 16 Jacques du Toit, 17 Ox Nche, 18 Tom Botha, 19 Jasper Wiese, 20 Daniel Maartens, 21 Tian Meyer, 22 Tertius Kruger, 23 Craig Barry

Edinburgh: 15 Blair Kinghorn, 14 Dougie Fife, 13 James Johnstone, 12 Chris Dean, 11 Duhan van der Merwe, 10 Jason Tovey, 9 Sam Hidalgo-Clyne, 8 Viliame Mata, 7 Luke Crosbie, 6 Lewis Carmichael, 5 Fraser McKenzie (c), 4 Anton Bresler, 3 Murray McCallum, 2 Neil Cochrane, 1 Michele Rizzo
Replacements: 16 Cameron Fenton, 17 Rory Sutherland, 18 Kevin Bryce, 19 Callum Hunter-Hill, 20 Magnus Bradbury, 21 Nathan Fowles, 22 Jaco van der Walt, 23 Junior Rasolea

Date: Friday, 24 November
Venue: Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein
Kick-off: 19:30 local (17:30 GMT)
Referee: Quinton Immelman (South Africa)
Assistant referees: Archie Sehlako (South Africa), Jaco Coetzee (South Africa)
TMO: Johan Greeff (South Africa)