URC team news: How to watch Round Two, kick-off times and match officials
Dewaldt Duvenage will play his 100th game for the Stormers.
The 2025/26 United Rugby Championship (URC) season continues with three matches on Friday, four on Saturday and one on Sunday. Here’s the team news and how to watch.
After thumping Leinster, the Stormers kick off the round against the Ospreys before Edinburgh face Ulster and the Dragons host the Sharks in the Friday fixtures.
On Saturday, Connacht face Scarlets, Benetton host Glasgow Warriors, the Bulls meet Leinster and Munster host Cardiff before Sunday sees Zebre face the Lions.
Here’s the URC team news and much more.
Friday
Stormers v Ospreys
Stormers: 15 Wandisile Simelane, 14 Seabelo Senatla, 13 Ruhan Nel (c), 12 Dan du Plessis, 11 Leolin Zas, 10 Jurie Matthee, 9 Dewaldt Duvenage, 8 Evan Roos, 7 Connor Evans, 6 Marcel Theunissen, 5 JD Schickerling, 4 Adré Smith, 3 Neethling Fouché, 2 André-Hugo Venter, 1 Vernon Matongo
Replacements: 16 JJ Kotze, 17 Ali Vermaak, 18 Sazi Sandi, 19 Ruben van Heerden, 20 Ben-Jason Dixon, 21 Paul de Villiers, 22 Stefan Ungerer, 23 Clinton Swart
Ospreys: 15 Jack Walsh, 14 Dan Kasende, 13 Phil Cokanasiga, 12 Keiran Williams, 11 Keelan Giles, 10 Dan Edwards, 9 Kieran Hardy, 8 Ross Moriarty, 7 Harri Deaves, 6 James Ratti, 5 Huw Sutton, 4 Rhys Davies, 3 Rhys Henry, 2 Dewi Lake (c), 1 Gareth Thomas
Replacements: 16 Lewis Lloyd, 17 Cam Jones, 18 Tom Botha, 19 James Fender, 20 Morgan Morse, 21 Reuben Morgan Williams, 22 Tom Florence, 23 Iestyn Hopkins
Venue: DHL Stadium, Cape Town
Kick-off: 18.00 IRE & UK / 19.00 ITA & SA
Referee: Peter Martin (IRFU, 7th league game)
Assistant Referees: Hanru van Rooyen (SARU), JD Jadezweni (SARU)
TMO: Federico Vedovelli (FIR)
Live on: SuperSport, Premier Sports, Flo Rugby & URC.tv
Edinburgh v Ulster
Edinburgh: 15 Wes Goosen, 14 Darcy Graham, 13 Piers O’Conor, 12 James Lang, 11 Duhan van der Merwe, 10 Ben Healy, 9 Ben Vellacott, 8 Magnus Bradbury (c), 7 Hamish Watson, 6 Liam McConnell, 5 Grant Gilchrist, 4 Marshall Sykes, 3 D’arcy Rae, 2 Ewan Ashman, 1 Pierre Schoeman
Replacements: 16 Paddy Harrison, 17 James Whitcombe, 18 Angus Williams, 19 Sam Skinner, 20 Freddy Douglas, 21 Charlie Shiel, 22 Findlay Thomson, 23 Harry Paterson
Ulster: 15 Stewart Moore, 14 Werner Kok, 13 James Hume, 12 Stuart McCloskey, 11 Zac Ward, 10 Jack Murphy, 9 Nathan Doak, 8 Nick Timoney, 7 Sean Reffell, 6 Cormac Izuchukwu, 5 Harry Sheridan, 4 Iain Henderson (c), 3 Tom O’Toole, 2 Tom Stewart, 1 Callum Reid
Replacements: 16 Rob Herring, 17 Sam Crean, 18 Scott Wilson, 19 David McCann, 20 Juarno Augustus, 21 Conor McKee, 22 Jake Flannery, 23 Jude Postlethwaite
Venue: Hive Stadium, Edinburgh
Kick-off: 19.00 IRE & UK / 20.00 ITA & SA
Referee: Chris Allison (SARU, 5th league game)
Assistant Referees: David Sutherland (SRU), Sam O’Neil (SRU)
TMO: Griffin Colby (SARU)
Live on: Premier Sports, SuperSport, Flo Rugby & URC.tv
Dragons v Sharks
Dragons: 15 Angus O’Brien (cc), 14 Rio Dyer, 13 Fetuli Paea, 12 Aneurin Owen, 11 Fine Inisi, 10 Tinus de Beer, 9 Rhodri Williams, 8 Aaron Wainwright, 7 Shane Lewis-Hughes, 6 Ryan Woodman, 5 Ben Carter (cc), 4 Matthew Screech, 3 Rob Hunt, 2 Brodie Coghlan, 1 Wyn Jones
Replacements: 16 Oli Burrows, 17 Rodrigo Martinez, 18 Chris Coleman, 19 Levi Douglas, 20 Harri Keddie, 21 Che Hope, 22 Harri Ackerman, 23 Huw Anderson
Sharks: 15 Edwill van der Merwe, 14 PK Sobahle, 13 Jurenzo Julius, 12 Lukhanyo Am, 11 Christie Grobbelaar, 10 Jean Smith, 9 Jaden Hendrikse, 8 Vincent Tshituka (c), 7 Manu Tshituka, 6 Phepsi Buthelezi, 5 Marvin Orie, 4 Deon Slabbert, 3 Ruan Dreyer, 2 Fez Mbatha, 1 Simphiwe Matanzima
Replacements: 16 Eduan Swart, 17 Cameron Dawson, 18 Cebo Dlamini, 19 Bathobele Hlekani, 20 Nick Hatton, 21 Ross Braude, 22 Francois Venter, 23 Hakeem Kunene
Venue: Rodney Parade, Newport
Kick-off: 20.05 IRE & UK / 21.05 ITA & SA
Referee: Fillipo Russo (FIR, 6th league game)
Assistant Referees: Ben Whitehouse (WRU), Lucas Yendle (WRU)
TMO: Stefano Roscini (FIR)
Live on: S4C, Premier Sports, SuperSport, Flo Rugby & URC.tv
Saturday
Connacht v Scarlets
Connacht: 15 Sean Naughton, 14 Chay Mullins, 13 David Hawkshaw, 12 Cathal Forde, 11 Shayne Bolton, 10 Jack Carty, 9 Ben Murphy, 8 Sean Jansen, 7 Paul Boyle, 6 Cian Prendergast (c), 5 Joe Joyce, 4 Darragh Murray, 3 Jack Aungier, 2 Dave Heffernan, 1 Denis Buckley
Replacements: 16 Eoin de Buitléar, 17 Jordan Duggan, 18 Sam Illo, 19 David O’Connor, 20 Sean O’Brien, 21 Matthew Devine, 22 Hugh Gavin, 23 Finn Treacy
Scarlets: 15 Blair Murray,14 Tom Rogers, 13 Joe Roberts, 12 Johnny Williams (c), 11 Ellis Mee, 10 Joe Hawkins, 9 Gareth Davies, 8 Taine Plumtree, 7 Dan Davis, 6 Jarrod Taylor, 5 Jake Ball, 4 Max Douglas, 3 Henry Thomas, 2 Harry Thomas, 1 Alec Hepburn
Replacements: 16 Kirby Myhill, 17 Sam O’Connor, 18 Harri O’Connor, 19 Tristan Davies, 20 Osian Williams, 21 Dane Blacker, 22 Ioan Nicholas, 23 Macs Page
Venue: Dexcom Stadium, Galway
Kick-off: 13.45 IRE & UK / 14.45 ITA & SA
Referee: Mike Adamson (SRU, 92nd league game)
Assistant Referees: Eoghan Cross (IRFU), Max Weston (IRFU)
TMO: Colin Brett (SRU)
Live on: TG4, Premier Sports, SuperSport, Flo Rugby & URC.tv
Ex-Ireland international’s ‘not proud’ reflection on playing with 24 concussions in final season
Benetton v Glasgow Warriors
Benetton: 15 Matt Gallagher, 14 Louis Lynagh, 13 Tommaso Menoncello, 12 Malakai Fekitoa, 11 Paolo Odogwu, 10 Jacob Umaga, 9 Alessandro Garbisi, 8 So’otala Fa’aso’o, 7 Michele Lamaro (c), 6 Alessandro Izekor, 5 Eli Snyman, 4 Riccardo Favretto, 3 Simone Ferrari, 2 Siua Maile, 1 Mirco Spagnolo
Replacements: 16 Nicholas Gasperini, 17 Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro, 18 Giosué Zilocchi, 19 Niccolò Cannone, 20 Lorenzo Cannone, 21 Louis Werchon, 22 Giuliano Avaca, 23 Rhyno Smith
Glasgow Warriors: 15 Josh McKay, 14 Kyle Steyn (c), 13 Stafford McDowall, 12 Sione Tuipulotu, 11 Kyle Rowe, 10 Adam Hastings, 9 Jamie Dobie, 8 Matt Fagerson, 7 Macenzzie Duncan, 6 Gregor Brown, 5 Alex Samuel, 4 Jare Oguntibeju, 3 Fin Richardson, 2 Johnny Matthews, 1 Rory Sutherland
Replacements: 16 Gregor Hiddleston, 17 Patrick Schickerling, 18 Sam Talakai, 19 Max Williamson, 20 Scott Cummings, 21 Euan Ferrie, 22 George Horne, 23 Dan Lancaster
Venue: Stadio Monigo, Treviso
Kick-off: 17.30 IRE & UK / 18.30 ITA & SA
Referee: Ben Connor (WRU, 4th league game)
Assistant Referees: Franco Rosella (FIR), Lorenzo Pedezzi (FIR)
TMO: Aled Griffiths (WRU)
Live on: Sky Italia, Premier Sports, SuperSport, Flo Rugby & URC.tv
Bulls v Leinster
Bulls: 15 Devon Williams, 14 Sebastian de Klerk, 13 David Kriel, 12 Harold Vorster, 11 Stravino Jacobs, 10 Keagan Johannes, 9 Embrose Papier, 8 JJ Theron, 7 Mpilo Gumede, 6 Marcell Coetzee, 5 JF van Heerden, 4 N JV Rensburg, 3 Mornay Smith, 2 Johann Grobbelaar, 1 Gerhard Steenekamp
Replacements: 16 Juann Else, 17 Alulutho Tshakweni, 18 Francois Klopper, 19 Sintu Manjezi, 20 Nama Xaba, 21 Zak Burger, 22 Stedman Gans, 23 Willie le Roux
Leinster: 15 Jimmy O’Brien, 14 Tommy O’Brien, 13 Hugh Cooney, 12 Robbie Henshaw, 11 Andrew Osborne, 10 Sam Prendergast, 9 Luke McGrath (c), 8 Max Deegan, 7 Will Connors, 6 Alex Soroka, 5 Ryan Baird, 4 Brian Deeny, 3 Thomas Clarkson, 2 Gus McCarthy, 1 Paddy McCarthy
Replacements: 16 John McKee, 17 Jack Boyle, 18 Rabah Slimani, 19 Diarmuid Mangan, 20 Scott Penny, 21 James Culhane, 22 Fintan Gunne, 23 Ciarán Frawley
Venue: Loftus Versfeld Stadium, Pretoria
Kick-off: 17.30 IRE & UK / 18.30 ITA & SA
Referee: Adam Jones (WRU, 46th league game)
Assistant Referees: Sean Miller (SARU), AJ Jacobs (SARU)
TMO: Gianluca Gnecchi (FIR)
Live on: SuperSport, Premier Sports, Flo Rugby & URC.tv
Munster v Cardiff
Munster: 15 Ben O’Connor, 14 Shane Daly, 13 Dan Kelly, 12 Alex Nankivell, 11 Thaakir Abrahams, 10 Jack Crowley, 9 Ethan Coughlan, 8 Gavin Coombes, 7 Ruadhán Quinn, 6 Tom Ahern, 5 Fineen Wycherley, 4 Jean Kleyn, 3 Oli Jager, 2 Niall Scannell (c), 1 Jeremy Loughman
Replacements: 16 Diarmuid Barron, 17 Josh Wycherley, 18 Ronan Foxe, 19 Jack O’Donoghue, 20 Brian Gleeson, 21 Paddy Patterson, 22 Tony Butler, 23 Seán O’Brien
Cardiff: 15 Jacob Beetham, 14 Josh Adams, 13 Harri Millard, 12 Rory Jennings, 11 Tom Bowen, 10 Callum Sheedy, 9 Johan Mulder, 8 Alun Lawrence, 7 Dan Thomas, 6 Alex Mann, 5 Teddy Williams, 4 Josh McNally, 3 Javan Sebastian, 2 Liam Belcher (c), 1 Danny Southworth
Replacements: 16 Daf Hughes, 17 Rhys Barratt, 18 Sam Wainwright, 19 Ben Donnell, 20 Taine Basham, 21 Aled Davies, 22 Ioan Lloyd, 23 Steff Emanuel
Venue: Thomond Park, Limerick
Kick-off: 19.45 IRE & UK / 20.45 ITA & SA
Referee: Griffon Colby (SARU, 8th league game)
Assistant Referees: Keane Davison (IRFU), Shane Gaughan (IRFU)
TMO: Chris Allison (SARU)
Live on: TG4, Premier Sports, SuperSport, Flo Rugby & URC.tv
Sunday
Zebre Parma v Lions
Zebre Parma: 15 Giovanni Montemauri, 14 Mirko Belloni, 13 Giulio Bertaccini, 12 Damiano Mazza, 11 Simone Gesi, 10 Giacomo Da Re, 9 Alessandro Fusco, 8 Muhamed Hasa, 7 Tommaso Di Bartolomeo, 6 Ion Neculai, 5 Alessandro Ortombina, 4 Leonard Krumov (c), 3 Samuele Locatelli, 2 Bautista Stavile, 1 Davide Ruggeri
Replacements: Giampietro Ribaldi, Juan Pitinari, Matteo Nocera, Guido Volpi, Giacomo Ferrari, Thomas Dominguez, Marco Zanon, Martin Roger Farias
Lions: 15 Quan Horn, 14 Eduan Keyter, 13 Henco van Wyk, 12 Richard Kriel, 11 Angelo Davids, 10 Chris Smith, 9 Nico Steyn, 8 Francke Horn (c), 7 Ruan Venter, 6 Renzo du Plessis, 5 Ruan Delport, 4 Etienne Oosthuizen, 3 RF Schoeman, 2 Franco Marais, 1 SJ Kotze
Replacements: 16 Morne Brandon, 17 Heiko Pohlmann, 18 Asenathi Ntlabakanye, 19 Darrien Landsberg, 20 WJ Steenkamp, 21 Haashim Pead, 22 Lubabalo Dobela, 23 Rynhardt Jonker
Venue: Stadio Lanfranchi, Parma
Kick-off: 15.00 IRE & UK / 16.00 ITA & SA
Referee: Craig Evans (WRU, 69th league game)
Assistant Referees: Manuel Bottino (FIR), Luca Bisetto (FIR)
TMO: Aled Griffiths (WRU)
Live on: Sky Italia, Premier Sports, SuperSport, Flo Rugby & URC.tv