International Rugby

URC ROUND 11 – ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW

Published

3 months ago

30th January 2026

Keo

The Sharks host the Stormers in one of two South African URC derbies to end the first half of the league season. The Lions are at home to the Bulls in the northern derby. Here’s everything you need to know for the weekend’s Round 11 showdowns.

The South African teams have all chosen the best available squads in the last Saturday of the month and the last Saturday of URC action until the league resumes in the last weekend of February.

The Six Nations takes priority in February, with the first three rounds played before the URC starts up again for the last eight league matches and the play-offs.

The Stormers, beaten for the first time in the league last Saturday, get the chance of redemption in Durban. It was the Sharks who beat them in Cape Town. The same is true of the Lions and Bulls derby. The Lions earlier in the league, won at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria.

Several of the Northern Hemisphere clubs are severely understrength for Round 11, as the leading current internationals have been in camp with their respective national teams preparing for next weekend’s Six Nations opening round.

It makes for a punter’s nightmare in these matches because the form guide is not a measurement with so many frontline players missing.

WATCH: KEO & ZELS ON SHARKS, STORMERS, LIONS & BULLS

AFRICA PICKS RUGBY: Keo calls the South African derbies

#BENvSCA

Nelson Casartelli in line for his debut for Benetton if called upon from the bench
First Vodacom URC start for 18-year-old Scarlets fly-half Carwyn Leggatt-Jones

#GLAvMUN

Dylan Cockburn and Matthew Urwin could make professional debuts for Glasgow Warriors if called upon from the bench
21-year-old Munster Academy back row Seán Edogbo keeps his place in the side with 19-year-old Academy out-half Tom Wood among the replacements and in line for his debut for the province

#LIOvBUL

Springbok Quan Horn named at full-back for the Lions alongside Angelo Davids and Richard Kriel
Embrose Papier starts for the Vodacom Bulls

#SHAvSTO

Siya Kolisi and Vincent Tshituka come into Hollywoodbets Sharks starting XV
Evan Roos and Adre Smith return from injury for DHL Stormers

#ZEBvCON

Leonard Krumov will captain Zebre Parma
Jordan Duggan, Jack Aungier, Joe Joyce, Sean O’Brien and Chay Mullins come into Connacht’s starting XV

#LEIvEDI

Ciarán Mangan and Ruben Moloney will make their first starts for Leinster in the Vodacom URC
Edinburgh welcome back Freddy Douglas, Magnus Bradbury and Duhan van der Merwe from Scotland camp

#OSPvDRA

Sam Parry and Jack Walsh co-captain the Ospreys side
Seb Davies returns in second row for Dragons RFC

#ULSvCAR

First starts of season for Ulster’s Marcus Rea, Ben Carson and Ethan McIlroy with Ben Moxham named upon his return from injury
Leigh Halfpenny named in Cardiff Rugby matchday squad to face Ulster, 17 years after making his debut for the club in Belfast

FRIDAY, JANUARY 30

Benetton v Scarlets

Stadio Monigo, Treviso – KO 19.45 IRE & UK / 20.45 ITA / 21.45 SA

Referee: Andrew Brace (IRFU, 113th league game)

AR 1: Clara Munarini (FIR) AR 2: Bisetto Luca (FIR)

TMO: Olly Hodges (IRFU)

Live on: Sky Italia, S4C, Premier Sports, SuperSport, Flo Rugby & URC.tv

Benetton: Rhyno Smith, Ignacio Mendy, Paolo Odogwu, Malakai Fekitoa, Onisi Ratave, Nicolas Roger Farias, Andy Uren (CAPT), Thomas Gallo, Siua Maile, Marcos Gallorini, Giulio Marini, Eli Snyman, Alessandro Izekor, Jadin Kingi, So’otala Fa’aso’o

Replacements: Bautista Bernasconi, Destiny Aminu, Tiziano Pasquali, Scott Scrafton, Nelson Casartelli, Alessandro Garbisi, Matt Gallagher, Filippo Drago

Scarlets: Jac Davies, Macs Page, Joe Roberts, Johnny Williams (CAPT), Tomi Lewis; Carwyn Leggatt-Jones, Gareth Davies, Alec Hepburn, Marnus van der Merwe, Archer Holz, Jac Price, Sam Lousi, Max Douglas, Jarrod Taylor, Fletcher Anderson

Replacements: Harry Thomas, Josh Morse, Henry Thomas, Jake Ball, Dan Davis, Dane Blacker, Billy McBryde, Iori Badham

Benetton Head Coach Calum MacRae said: “Scarlets are one of the Vodacom URC teams that uses the kicking game the most and builds their opportunities through territorial control. The aerial game is an area we definitely need to improve”

Scarlets Interim Director of Rugby Nigel Davies said: “We have looked at these Vodacom URC games, Ulster and Benetton, as a two-game series and it’s important we back up last weekend’s win – we’ve done the first bit, now our focus is on another massive game.

“Benetton have recruited well, are coached well and play a good brand of rugby. Like us, they have players missing but will still be very strong. We have selected a side with a lot of talented young players who I am excited to see step up to the challenge on Friday night.”

Glasgow Warriors v Munster Rugby

Scotstoun Stadium, Glasgow – KO 19.45 IRE & UK / 20.45 ITA / 21.45 SA

Referee: Craig Evans (WRU, 72nd league game)

AR 1: Ian Kenny (SRU) AR 2: David Sutherland (SRU)

TMO: Adam Jones (WRU)

Live on: Premier Sports, TG4, SuperSport, Flo Rugby & URC.tv

Glasgow Warriors: Josh McKay, Kyle Rowe, Stafford McDowall (CAPT), Kerr Yule, Ollie Smith, Dan Lancaster, Ben Afshar, Jamie Bhatti, Seb Stephen, Murphy Walker, Alex Craig, Jare Oguntibeju, Euan Ferrie, Angus Fraser, Ally Miller

Replacements: Grant Stewart, Nathan McBeth, Sam Talakai, Dylan Cockburn, Sione Vailanu, Macenzzie Duncan, Jack Oliver, Matthew Urwin

Munster Rugby: Mike Haley, Thaakir Abrahams, Shane Daly, Dan Kelly, Diarmuid Kilgallen, Tony Butler, Ethan Coughlan, Josh Wycherley, Diarmuid Barron (CAPT), Oli Jager, Evan O’Connell, Fineen Wycherley, Seán Edogbo, Ruadhán Quinn, Brian Gleeson

Replacements: Lee Barron, Mark Donnelly, John Ryan, Gavin Coombes, Jack O’Donoghue, Paddy Patterson, Tom Wood, Seán O’Brien

Glasgow Warriors Head Coach Franco Smith said: “We are looking forward to seeing our full squad involved this weekend, with everyone eager to finish this block in the right manner.”

“Munster are a proud club with a strong heritage of challenging across all competitions – they will be pushing for the top four once again this season and will bring a strong, physical challenge tomorrow night.

“Everyone is looking forward to the test that lies ahead, and running out in front of what’s set to be another sold out Scotstoun.”

SATURDAY, JANUARY 31

Lions v Vodacom Bulls

Ellis Park, Johannesburg – KO 12.30 IRE & UK / 13.30 ITA / 14.30 SA

Referee: Morne Ferreira (SARU, 20th league game)

AR 1: Hanru van Rooyen (SARU) AR 2: Sean Muller (SARU)

TMO: Egon Seconds (SARU)

Live on: SuperSport, Premier Sports, Flo Rugby & URC.tv

Lions: Quan Horn, Angelo Davids, Henco van Wyk, Bronson Mills, Richard Kriel, Chris Smith, Morne van den Berg, SJ Kotze, PJ Botha, Asenathi Ntlabakanye, Ruben Schoeman, Reinhard Nothnagel, Jarod Cairns, Batho Hlekani, Francke Horn (CAPT)

Replacements: Morne Brandon, RF Schoeman, Conraad van Vuuren, Etienne Oosthuizen, Darrien Landsberg, Renzo du Plessis, Haashim Pead, Erich Cronje

Vodacom Bulls: Devon Williams, Stravino Jacobs, Stedman Gans, Harold Vorster, Kurt-Lee Arendse, Handre Pollard, Embrose Papier, Jan-Hendrik Wessels, Johan Grobbelaar, Wilco Louw, Ruan Vermaak, Reinhardt Ludwig, Marcell Coetzee (CAPT), Elrich Louw, Jeandre Rudolph

Replacements: Marco van Staden, Alu Tshakweni, Mornay Smith, Cobus Wiese, Mpilo Gumede, Nizaam Carr, Keagan Johannes, David Kriel

Vodacom Bulls Head Coach Johan Ackermann said: “The DNA of the Lions of being a running team is still there, so I expect them to play a fast game at Ellis Park because it was always one of our go-to strategies when I coached there. I think it will be an entertaining game.”

ANDRE THE GIANT SLAUGHTERS STORMERS IN CAPE TOWN

Hollywoodbets Sharks v DHL Stormers

Hollywoodbets Kings Park, Durban – KO 15.00 IRE & UK / 16.00 ITA / 17.00 SA

Referee: Christopher Allison (SARU, 7th league game)

AR 1: Griffin Colby (SARU) AR 2: Jonathan Lottering (SARU)

TMO: Quinton Immelman (SARU)

Live on: SuperSport, Premier Sports, Flo Rugby & URC.tv

Hollywoodbets Sharks: Aphelele Fassi, Edwill van der Merwe, Ethan Hooker, Andre Esterhuizen (CAPT), Jaco Williams, Jordan Hendrikse, Grant Williams, Ox Nche, Fez Mbatha, Hanro Jacobs, Corne Rahl, Emile van Heerden, Siya Kolisi, Vincent Tshituka, Phepsi Buthelezi

Replacements: Eduan Swart, Phatu Ganyane, Vincent Koch, Jason Jenkins, Nick Hatton, Jaden Hendrikse, Siya Masuku, Jurenzo Julius

DHL Stormers: Damian Willemse, Dylan Maart, Wandisile Simelane, Jonathan Roche, Leolin Zas, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (CAPT), Cobus Reinach, Oli Kebble, André-Hugo Venter, Neethling Fouché, Adré Smith, Ruben van Heerden, Paul de Villiers, Ben-Jason Dixon, Evan Roos

Replacements: JJ Kotzé, Ntuthuko Mchunu, Zachary Porthen, JD Schickerling, Marcel Theunissen, Stefan Ungerer, Jurie Matthee, Warrick Gelant

Zebre Parma v Connacht Rugby

Stadio Lanfranchi, Parma – KO 15.00 IRE & UK / 16.00 ITA / 17.00 SA

Referee: Ben Whitehouse (WRU, 113th league game)

AR 1: Fillipo Russo (FIR) AR 2: Lorenzo Pedezzi (FIR)

TMO: Keith David (WRU)

Live on: Sky Italia, TG4, Premier Sports, SuperSport, Flo Rugby & URC.tv

Zebre Parma: Giovanni Montemauri, Mirko Belloni, Giulio Bertaccini, Marco Zanon, Simone Gesi, Martin Roger Farias, Gonzalo Garcia, Paolo Buonfiglio, Giampietro Ribaldi, Enrique Pieretto, Matteo Canali, Leonard Krumov (CAPT), Giacomo Ferrari, Iacopo Bianchi, Davide Ruggeri

Replacements: Shilo Klein, Luca Franceschetto, Juan Pitinari, Franco Carrera, Alessandro Ortombina, Thomas Dominguez, Enrico Lucchin, Bautista Stavile

Connacht Rugby: Sam Gilbert, Shane Jennings, Harry West, Cathal Forde, Chay Mullins, Josh Ioane, Caolin Blade, Jordan Duggan, Dylan Tierney-Martin, Jack Aungier, Josh Murphy, Joe Joyce, Paul Boyle (CAPT), Sean O’Brien, Sean Jansen

Replacements: Matthew Victory, Peter Dooley, Fiachna Barrett, David O’Connor, Niall Murray, Ben Murphy, Sean Naughton, Oisín McCormack

Connacht Rugby Head Coach Stuart Lancaster said: “We were all gutted not to win last week on such a special night for the club, but we’ve had to quickly move on. The same amount of points are on offer this weekend and we know a win will keep us in the hunt for a playoff spot.

We’re obviously missing the lads away on Ireland duty but overall, we’ve been able to keep selection relatively consistent these last few weeks, particularly in the backs. It’s been a long stretch of games, but we’ll do everything we can to finish it on a high and hopefully head into the next block of games with a spring in our step.”

Leinster Rugby v Edinburgh Rugby

Aviva Stadium, Dublin – KO 17.30 IRE & UK / 18.30 ITA / 19.30 SA

Referee: Andrea Piardi (FIR, 59th league game)

AR 1: Eoghan Cross (IRFU) AR 2: Shane Gaughan (IRFU)

TMO: Matteo Liperini (FIR)

Live on: Premier Sports, SuperSport, Flo Rugby & URC.tv

Leinster Rugby: Andrew Osborne, Joshua Kenny, Rieko Ioane, Ciarán Mangan, Ruben Moloney, Charlie Tector, Luke McGrath (CAPT), Jerry Cahir, John Mckee, Andrew Sparrow, RG Snyman, Brian Deeny, Max Deegan, Scott Penny, Diarmuid Mangan

Replacements: Gus McCarthy, Alex Usanov, Niall Smyth, Conor O’Tighearnaigh, Josh Ericson, Will Connors, Fintan Gunne, Hugo McLaughlin

Edinburgh Rugby: Harry Paterson, Malelili Satala, Wes Goosen, James Lang, Duhan van der Merwe, Ross Thompson, Ben Vellacott; Boan Venter, Jerry Blyth-Lafferty, Paul Hill, Callum Hunter-Hill, Glen Young, Ben Muncaster, Freddy Douglas, Magnus Bradbury (CAPT)

Replacements: Harri Morris, Mikey Jones, Ollie Blyth-Lafferty, Tom Dodd, Connor Boyle, Charlie Shiel, Cammy Scott, Piers O’Conor

Leinster Rugby Assistant Coach Robin McBryde said: “Edinburgh are a pretty cohesive bunch. I think they’ll be hurting after their result last weekend. They’ll be keen to finish this block on a high as well. It’s always good to finish on a victory before any sort of break because the result sits with you. So it’ll be tough enough. We’ve just got to improve on certain aspects of the game from last Saturday and really knuckle down.”

Edinburgh Rugby Head Coach Sean Everitt said: “Going away to Leinster is one of the toughest tests in the Vodacom URC, but it’s a challenge we’re ready to embrace – we’re going over there to have a real crack at it.

“Magnus [Bradbury] resumes the captaincy and his experience in these big away fixtures is invaluable for the group.

“We know exactly what we are capable of when we put it all together. The key for us this week is a complete 80-minute performance to get the result we want.”

Ospreys v Dragons RFC

Electric Brewery Field, Bridgend – KO 19.45 IRE & UK / 20.45 ITA / 21.45 SA

Referee: Ben Connor (WRU, 7th league game)

AR 1: Ben Breakspear (WRU) AR 2: Carwyn Sion (WRU)

TMO: Jenny Davies (WRU)

Live on: S4C, Premier Sports, SuperSport, Flo Rugby & URC.tv

Ospreys: Iestyn Hopkins, Dan Kasende, Phil Cokanasiga, Keiran Williams, Keelan Giles, Jack Walsh (C.CAPT), Reuben Morgan-Williams, Gareth Thomas, Sam Parry (C.CAPT), Tom Botha, James Fender, Ryan Smith, James Ratti, Ross Moriarty, Morgan Morse

Replacements: Lewis Lloyd, Steffan Thomas, Rhys Henry, Marco de Witt, Gwilym Evans, Cormac Foley, Max Nagy, Harri Houston

Dragons RFC: Angus O’Brien (CAPT), David Richards, Fine Inisi, Aneurin Owen, Rio Dyer, Tinus de Beer, Che Hope, Wyn Jones, Brodie Coghlan, Robert Hunt, Levi Douglas, Seb Davies, Ryan Woodman, Harry Beddall, Harri Keddie

Replacements: Oli Burrows, Jordan Morris, Cebo Dlamini, Shane Lewis-Hughes, Evan Minto, Rhodri Williams, Fetuli Paea, Cai Evans

Dragons RFC Coach Dale MacLeod said: “Ospreys will be tough. They are a team with a big forward pack, they general start well and are tough to beat at home.

“It’s exciting that all four Welsh teams are starting to put some performances together, through all the emotion going on.

“They’ll be two good teams playing, I don’t think there will be much in it, and it will be about who holds their head, stays in the game, and owns the little moments.

“We’re looking forward to it, they will be too, so it’s going to be a massive challenge.”

Ulster Rugby v Cardiff Rugby

Affidea Stadium, Belfast – KO 19.45 IRE & UK / 20.45 ITA / 21.45 SA

Referee: Hollie Davidson (SRU, 26th league game)

AR 1: Robbie Jenkinson (IRFU) AR 2: Sam Holt (IRFU)

TMO: Mike Adamson (SRU)

Live on: Premier Sports, SuperSport, Flo Rugby & URC.tv

Ulster Rugby: Ethan McIlroy, Werner Kok, James Hume, Ben Carson, Zac Ward, Jack Murphy, Conor McKee, Angus Bell, Rob Herring, Scott Wilson, Iain Henderson (CAPT), Charlie Irvine, Matthew Dalton, Marcus Rea, David McCann

Replacements: James McCormick, Sam Crean, Bryan O’Connor Harry Sheridan, Lorcan McLoughlin, David Shanahan, Jake Flannery, Ben Moxham

Cardiff Rugby: Cam Winnett, Ioan Lloyd, Harri Millard, Steffan Emanuel, Tom Bowen, Callum Sheedy, Johan Mulder, Rhys Barratt, Evan Lloyd, Javan Sebastian, Josh McNally (CAPT), George Nott, Alun Lawrence, Dan Thomas, Taine Basham

Replacements: Daf Hughes, Danny Southworth, Joe Cowell, Rory Thornton, Lucas de la Rua, Aled Davies, Elijah Evans, Leigh Halfpenny

Cardiff Rugby Coach Corniel van Zyl said: “There’s a real excitement about going up to Belfast and putting in a good performance. That’s been the big aim for the week.

“Like every club at this stage of the season, we’re in the same boat. We are missing players to the international game, and it tests our squad. But it is an opportunity and that’s how we’re treating it.

“What we’ve seen from Ulster is a team that’s very good at keeping the ball in hand and moving the point of contact. We’ll have to be very good defensively to stay in front of them and keep them out.

“They’re very potent in the 22. They’re probably one of the top teams for points scored per entry, so we’ll have to be smart around that.”