SATURDAY 28TH SEPTEMBER
Emirates Lions v Ulster Rugby, 11.55am KO, Emirates Airlines Park, Johannesburg
The Lions will be looking to bounce back from their last-gasp Currie Cup final defeat to the Sharks, as they become the first South African side to take the field in the BKT URC this season. The Rainbow Nation derbies originally scheduled for Round 1 were postponed until the new year, because of a clash with the closing stages of the Currie Cup.
It looked as though the Lions were going to lift that trophy as they led going into the dying seconds of the final, only to suffer the heartbreak of being beaten by a last minute penalty. Now the Lions open their league campaign against Ulster, who’s enjoyed a dramatic win over defending URC champions Glasgow last weekend.
Ulster Coach Richie Murphy said: “The lads rolled up their sleeves and, in the end, got the job done. “But we are going to have to learn quickly, because that’s not going to be good enough on most nights. “We didn’t play our best rugby by a long way.”
Vodacom Bulls v Edinburgh Rugby, 2pm KO Loftus Versfeld Stadium, Pretoria
After reaching two finals in the first three seasons of the URC, the Bulls now embark on a quest to go that one step further and claim the title. Coach Jake White said: “Everyone in our club would be on the same page that we have exceeded where we should be up to now.
“I’m looking forward to seeing how we can kick on and learn from the lessons of the last three years. These are very exciting times for the Bulls. I’m hoping with the squad we have now we will be able to change the team around in the season, so we don’t lose our legs in the back end of the competition.”
Edinburgh coach Sean Everitt will be looking for an improvement in his team’s kicking game after pointing to that as the main problem area following the 33-31 defeat at home to Leinster last weekend.
Zebre Parma v Munster Rugby, 3pm KO, Sergio Lanfranchi Stadium, Parma
Munster travel out to northern Italy with coach Graham Rowntree encouraged by the resolve shown in the Round 1 win over Connacht. It was a ten-try rollercoaster in Limerick with the lead changing hands a number of times before replacement fly-half Tony Butler landed a couple of key conversions to seal a 35-33 Munster victory.
“Crikey, Connacht were good with how physical they were in their carry, their ruck, their shapes in attack and how they got to the edge, so we had to be good too,” said Rowntree.
“I’m chuffed with the resolve we showed to stick in the game. We were snatching at things a bit, but we wrestled control again at the end. There’s plenty to work on, but we were delighted with the win.”
Zebre will also take heart from the way they rallied against Cardiff at the Arms Park claiming two second half tries to secure a losing bonus point in a 22-17 defeat.