Teams named for final pool round in Europe

The five South African teams in action over the coming days in the final round of pool action of the Heineken Champions Cup and the EPCR Challenge Cup have been named.

The Vodacom Bulls - with a new captain in Nizaam Carr and some serious impact off the bench - are in action on Friday night in France against Lyon (22h00 SA time).

On Saturday, the Cell C Sharks face Harlequins in London (15h00 SA time) without the Springbok duo of Makazole Mapimpi (suspended) and Bongi Mbonambi (injured), before the DHL Stormers host ASM Clermont Auvergne in Cape Town (19h30) with a new halfback pairing of Stefan Ungerer and Kade Wolhuter, and the returning Evan Roos on the bench.

The two EPCR Challenge Cup games featuring SA teams hunting spots in the playoffs are both on Sunday.

The Emirates Lions have Jordan Hendrikse back at flyhalf when they take on Dragons in Newport, Wales at 15h00 (SA time), and the Toyota Cheetahs, under the captaincy of Victor Sekekete, take on Section Paloise in Parma, Italy at 17h15 (SA time).

Check out our full preview by clicking here.

The teams are:

Vodacom Bulls: 15 Kurt-Lee Arendse, 14 Canan Moodie, 13 Wandisile Simelane, 12 Cornal Hendricks, 11 David Kriel, 10 Johan Goosen, 9 Embrose Papier, 8 Nizaam Carr (captain), 7 Cyle Brink, 6 Marco van Staden, 5 Janko Swanepoel, 4 Ruan Vermaak, 3 Francois Klopper, 2 Bismarck Du Plessis, 1 Simphiwe Matanzima. Replacements: 16 Johann Grobbelaar, 17 Gerard Steenekamp, 18 Mornay Smith, 19 Ruan Nortje, 20 Elrigh Louw, 21 Zak Burger, 22 Chris Smith, 23 Lionel Mapoe.

Cell C Sharks: 15 Aphelele Fassi, 14 Marnus Potgieter, 13 Lukhanyo Am, 12 Ben Tapuai, 11 Thaakir Abrahams, 10 Curwin Bosch, 9 Jaden Hendrikse, 8 Phepsi Buthelezi, 7 Vincent Tshituka, 6 Siya Kolisi (captain), 5 Gerbrandt Grobler, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Thomas du Toit, 2 Kerron van Vuuren, 1 Ox Nche. Replacements: 16 Dan Jooste, 17 Ntuthuko Mchunu, 18 Carlu Sadie, 19 Hyron Andrews, 20 Sikhumbuzo Notshe, 21 Grant Williams, 22 Lionel Cronje, 23 Francois Venter.

DHL Stormers: 15 Damian Willemse, 14 Suleiman Hartzenberg, 13 Ruhan Nel, 12 Dan du Plessis, 11 Angelo Davids, 10 Kade Wolhuter, 9 Stefan Ungerer, 8 Hacjivah Dayimani, 7 Willie Engelbrecht, 6 Deon Fourie, 5 Marvin Orie, 4 Connor Evans, 3 Neethling Fouche, 2 Joseph Dweba, 1 Steven Kitshoff (captain). Replacements: 16 JJ Kotze, 17 Ali Vermaak, 18 Brok Harris, 19 Ben-Jason Dixon, 20 Evan Roos, 21 Herschel Jantjies, 22 Jean-Luc du Plessis, 23 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu.

Emirates Lions: 15 Andries Coetzee, 14 Quan Horn, 13 Henco van Wyk, 12 Marius Louw (captain), 11 Edwill vd Merwe, 10 Jordan Hendrikse, 9 Andre Warner, 8 Emmanuel Tshituka, 7 Emile van Heerden, 6 Jaco Kriel, 5 Darrien Landsberg, 4 Willem Alberts, 3 Asenathi Ntlabakanye, 2 Michael van Vuuren, 1 JP Smith. Replacements: 16 PJ Botha, 17 Morgan Naude, 18 Ruan Smith, 19 Pieter Janse van Vuren, 20 Ruhan Straeuli, 21 JC Pretorius, 22 Morne vd Berg, 23 Rynhardt Jonker.

Toyota Cheetahs: 15 Tapiwa Mafura, 14 Daniel Kasende, 13 David Brits, 12 Reinhardt Fortuin, 11 Munier Hartzenberg, 10 Siya Masuku, 9 Rewan Kruger, 8 Jeandre Rudolph, 7 Friedle Olivier, 6 Daniel Maartens, 5 Victor Sekekete (captain), 4 Rynier Bernardo, 3 Aranos Coetzee, 2 Louis vd Westhuizen, 1 Schalk Ferreira. Replacements: 16 Marco Janse van Rensburg, 17 Alulutho Tshakweni, 18 Hencus van Wyk, 19 Mzwanele Zito, 20 Roelof Smit, 21 Branden de Kock, 22 Robert Ebersohn, 23 Andell Loubser.

Heineken Champions Cup EPCR Challenge Cup Vodacom Bulls Cell C Sharks DHL Stormers Emirates Lions Toyota Cheetahs

Leaders grab crucial away wins in fifth round...

Suzuki Griquas and the Airlink Pumas maintained their unbeaten record in the SA Cup when both again scored important awa...

A weekend that intensified the Vodacom URC logjam...

The Emirates Lions made a strong statement but the two teams that won in South Africa were arguably the biggest winners ...

Lions roar in frustrating round for SA teams...

The Emirates Lions registered the only victory for SA’s teams in a frustrating round in the Vodacom United Rugby Champio...

Dames and Daisies remain on winning track...

The Sanlam Boland Dames scored six tries in their 35-15 victory over DHL Western Province to maintain their good start t...

Test of character for SA Cup frontrunners...

The three teams at the top of the SA Cup log – Suzuki Griquas, the Airlink Pumas and Toyota Cheetahs – will have their c...

Balance in Blitzbok squad excites Snyman

Winning in the Land of the Long White Cloud is never easy, but Springbok Sevens assistant coach Philip Snyman knows what it takes and he is excited about the prospect of this weekend’s HSBC New Zealand Sevens in Hamilton.

Victories key as SA teams chase European playoffs

Victories will be front of mind for the five South African teams in action in the Heineken Champions Cup and EPCR Challenge Cup competitions this weekend as they attempt to qualify for playoff spots in the closing pool round of the European showpieces.

Soyizwapi: Continuous growth important in NZ

Morning, noon or night, the Blitzboks know they have to be switched on and ready to deliver as they aim to continue their growth as a squad at the HSBC New Zealand Sevens this weekend.

Quest for home advantage ups ante in final round

The decision to do away with the double leg format in the Heineken Champions Cup round of 16 has significantly upped the ante for the teams as they head into the final round of the pool phase of the competition this weekend.

SA Rugby pays tribute to three fallen heroes

Mr Mark Alexander, President of SA Rugby, paid tribute to three former national players, Mncedi Baart, Dennis Mzwandile Njadu and Melvyn Roy “Snowy” Suter, all of whom passed away in the past few weeks.

Unbeaten Blitzboks face France in Hamilton QF

A late try by Zain Davids against Argentina ensured that the Springbok Sevens team finished the opening day of the HSBC New Zealand Sevens in Hamilton unbeaten as they progressed to the quarter-finals with three wins in Hamilton on Saturday.

Strong second half steers Stormers to home playoff

The DHL Stormers delivered a strong second-half performance in their Heineken Champions Cup match against ASM Clermont Auvergne at the DHL Stadium in Cape Town on Saturday to overturn a 6-3 halftime deficit into a 30-16 victory for a favourable playoff spot.

Quins too good for Sharks in London

Harlequins won an exciting and free-flowing Heineken Champions Cup match against the Cell C Sharks by 39-29 (half-time 24-22) on a sunny afternoon at the Twickenham Stoop in London on Saturday, with the visitors grabbing a crucial try-scoring bonus point late in the game.

Ngcobo: Better execution needed by Blitzboks

The Springbok Sevens team dropped two close results at the HSBC New Zealand Sevens on Sunday and finished in a disappointing seventh place at the FMG Stadium in Hamilton, as well as sliding to fourth on the overall HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series standings for the 2023 season.

Lions’ strong start ensures playoff spot

Jordan Hendrikse kicked 20 points as the Emirates Lions secured their place in the EPCR Challenge Cup playoffs with a 30-25 victory over the Dragons on a chilly afternoon at the CCB Centre for Sporting Excellence in Ystrad Mynachon on Sunday afternoon, with the team from Johannesburg starting strongly to lead by 27-5 at the break.