Wales’ World Cup captain Dewi Lake is among the internationals returning for Ospreys for the Vodacom URC match against the Bulls in Pretoria on Saturday. Lake has not played since rupturing his hamstring in January, a week before the Six Nations got underway. The 13-Test hooker, who captained Wales at the 2023 World Cup in France, has been named on Ospreys’ bench as Toby Booth’s side strengthened their pack for the duel at Loftus Versfeld, after beating the DHL Stormers in Cape Town. Wales loose forward Justin Tipuric is back to captain Ospreys, who have recalled lock Adam Beard and loosehead ..read more

Jason Jenkins starts at No 5 as head coach Leo Cullen tweaks the Leinster lineup to face the DHL Stormers in Cape Town on Saturday. The Sharks-bound Springbok will pack down in the second row with Brian Deeny in a starting XV that includes several changes from the team that lost to the Lions at Ellis Park last week. Henry McErlean, Liam Turner and Rob Russell comprise the back three, while Charlie Ngatai and Ben Brownlee are partnered in midfield. Cormac Foley and Sam Prendergast will run out at scrumhalf and flyhalf, respectively. TEAM: Harris hits Stormers 150 Michael Milne, John McKee and M ..read more

John Dobson hailed Brok Harris as “one of the greatest DHL Stormers of all time” as the veteran prop makes his 150th appearance in Cape Town on Saturday. Harris will make his 150th appearance for the DHL Stormers in the crunch Vodacom URC clash against Leinster on Saturday night. It will be the 39-year-old’s fifth straight start, a run which includes the Champions Cup playoff against La Rochelle, as the Stormers have experienced an injury crisis at loosehead prop. “Brok, to my mind, is going to go down as one of the greatest Stormers of all time,” Dobson said, during a press conference on Frid ..read more

Brok Harris will become the first player to reach 150 appearances for the DHL Stormers in the Vodacom URC encounter with Leinster in Cape Town on Saturday. Loose forwards Evan Roos and Marcel Theunissen will both bring up the milestone of 50 matches for the DHL Stormers in the clash with the log-leaders, which kicks off at 7.05pm on Saturday. Harris is joined in the front row by Neethling Fouche and Joseph Dweba, while captain Salmaan Moerat will partner Ruben van Heerden in the second row. Roos and Theunissen will link up with Ben-Jason Dixon in the loose trio, with hooker Andre-Hugo Venter a ..read more

Chris Smith starts at flyhalf as Jannes Kirsten makes a long-awaited return in a rejigged Vodacom Bulls lineup to face Ospreys in Pretoria on Saturday. Smith replaces the suspended Johan Goosen and links up with scrumhalf Embrose Papier in the starting XV as one of eight changes to the run-on team that lost to defending champions Munster at Loftus Versfeld in the Vodacom URC last week. Canan Moodie shifts from outside centre to right winger, with Sebastian de Klerk dropped altogether. David Kriel and Harold Vorster will form a new midfield pairing. ALSO: Bulls playmaker cops ban In the pack, C ..read more

Former Springbok skipper Corne Krige has been giving his thoughts on the upcoming Vodacom URC battle between two wounded beasts as the DHL Stormers prepare to host Leinster. The Stormers – Krige’s former team – went down to a surprise 27-21 home defeat to the Ospreys last weekend, while league leaders Leinster were thumped 44-12 by the Lions. Now the two beaten big guns will lock horns in Cape Town on Saturday evening, Speaking on a URC round table, Krige revealed the reaction to the Stormers’ loss at the hands of the Ospreys. “There was quite a bit of a backlash on that,” the former loose for ..read more

The DHL Stormers and Vodacom Bulls bounce back while the Lions spoil Munster’s quest for the Highveld double, according to the SARugbymag.co.za team. Scarlets vs Sharks (Friday, Llanelli, 8:35pm) Devin Hermanus: Scarlets by 10 Rienk de Beer: Sharks by 8 Zelím Nel: Sharks by 7 Juandre Joubert: Scarlets by 3 Simon Borchardt: Sharks by 12 Dylan Jack: Sharks by 9 Grant Craze: Sharks by 10 TEAM: Big guns back for Sharks Ulster vs Benetton (Friday, Belfast, 8:35pm) Devin Hermanus: Ulster by 2 Rienk de Beer: Ulster by 4 Zelím Nel: Ulster by 10 Juandre Joubert: Ulster by 8 Simon Borchardt: Benetton by ..read more

Jordan Hendrikse will earn his 50th cap for the Lions at fullback in the crunch Vodacom URC match against Munster in Johannesburg on Saturday. The Lions have kept a relatively unchanged side from the team that claimed a bonus-point win over Leinster last weekend. The only change to the backline sees Hendrikse promoted to the starting lineup to replace the injured Quan Horn, who picked up a shoulder niggle against Leinster. There is one further rotational switch to the starting pack, as veteran hooker Jaco Visagie starts, while PJ Botha will play from the bench. The Lions are also without centr ..read more

Warrick Gelant and Seabelo Senatla were at the heart of the DHL Stormers’ thrilling comeback win against Leinster at the DHL Stadium in the 2021-22 Vodacom United Rugby Championship. The speedsters, together with Leolin Zas, formed a dangerous back three during a title-winning campaign for the DHL Stormers, as the Capetonians fully embraced the attacking brand of rugby synonymous with the franchise. The first half was a tight affair as both teams tried to stamp their authority – although the DHL Stormers came close in the opening seconds – but neither was unable to cross the try-line. Ruhan Ne ..read more

Handre Pollard is the greatest Springbok flyhalf and without the two-time World Cup winner, documentaries like Chasing the Sun wouldn’t exist, writes MARK KEOHANE. Pollard made a timely recovery from injury to cap a sensational 2023 by kicking the Boks to a World Cup title defence in France. The 69-Test pivot again proved to be the man for the big occasion, replicating his 2019 heroics despite a delayed call into South Africa’s squad. Writing for TimesLIVE, Keohane believes Pollard’s late introduction into the tournament changed the Boks’ fortunes and World Cup history. While acknowledging oth ..read more