{"id":367688,"date":"2026-03-27T08:12:12","date_gmt":"2026-03-27T08:12:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/367688\/"},"modified":"2026-03-27T08:12:12","modified_gmt":"2026-03-27T08:12:12","slug":"predictions-teams-kick-off-how-to-watch-referees","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/367688\/","title":{"rendered":"Predictions, teams, kick-off, how to watch, referees"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The United Rugby Championship continues this weekend and it\u2019s another pivotal round with three games on Friday night before five take place on Saturday.<\/p>\n<p>Check on all the URC team news, our predictions, the match officials and more below.<\/p>\n<p>Friday<\/p>\n<p>Sharks v Cardiff<\/p>\n<p>Prediction: Sharks by 15<\/p>\n<p>Sharks: 15 Luan Giliomee, 14 Yaw Penxe, 13 Ethan Hooker, 12 Andre Esterhuizen (c), 11 Makazole Mapimpi, 10 Jordan Hendrikse, 9 Bradley Davids, 8 Nick Hatton, 7 Vincent Tshituka, 6 Phepsi Buthelezi, 5 Emile van Heerden, 4 Jason Jenkins, 3 Hanro Jacobs, 2 Fez Mbatha, 1 Phatu Ganyane<br \/>Replacements: 16 Eduan Swart, 17 Ox Nche, 18 Vincent Koch, 19 Corne Rahl, 20 Jannes Potgieter, 21 Jaden Hendrikse \/ Ross Braude, 22 Jean Smith, 23 Le Roux Malan<\/p>\n<p>Cardiff: 15 Ioan Lloyd, 14 Iwan Stephens, 13 Harri Millard, 12 Ben Thomas, 11 Mason Grady, 10 Callum Sheedy, 9 Johan Mulder, 8 Taulupe Faletau, 7 Dan Thomas, 6 James Botham, 5 Rory Thornton, 4 Josh McNally, 3 Keiron Assiratti, 2 Liam Belcher (c), 1 Corey Domachowski<br \/>Replacements: 16 Daf Hughes, 17 Danny Southworth, 18 Javan Sebastian, 19 Alun Lawrence, 20 Taine Basham, 21 Ellis Bevan, 22 Rory Jennings, 23 Elijah Evans<\/p>\n<p>Venue: Hollywoodbets Kings Park, Durban<br \/>Kick-off: 17.00 IRE &amp; UK \/ 18.00 ITA \/ 19.00 SA<br \/>Referee: Gianluca Gnecchi (FIR, 48th league game)<br \/>Assistant Referees: Morne Ferreira (SARU), Jonathan Lottering (SARU)<br \/>TMO: Marius van der Westhuisen (SARU)<br \/>Live on: SuperSport, Premier Sports, Flo Rugby &amp; URC.tv<\/p>\n<p>Glasgow Warriors v Benetton<\/p>\n<p>Prediction: Glasgow by 14<\/p>\n<p>Glasgow Warriors: 15 Josh McKay, 14 Fergus Watson, 13 Huw Jones, 12 Sione Tuipulotu (c), 11 Ollie Smith, 10 Adam Hastings, 9 Ben Afshar, 8 Macenzzie Duncan, 7 Sione Vailanu, 6 Euan Ferrie, 5 Max Williamson, 4 Jare Oguntibeju, 3 Fin Richardson, 2 Johnny Matthews, 1 Patrick Schickerling<br \/>Replacements: 16 Seb Stephen, 17 Jamie Bhatti, 18 Sam Talakai, 19 Alex Samuel, 20 Alex Craig, 21 Angus Fraser, 22 Jack Oliver, 23 Dan Lancaster<\/p>\n<p>Benetton: 15 Matt Gallagher, 14 Louis Lynagh, 13 Paolo Odogwu, 12 Tomas Medina, 11 Rhyno Smith, 10 Leonardo Marin, 9 Alessandro Garbisi, 8 So\u2019otala Fa\u2019aso\u2019o, 7 Manuel Zuliani, 6 Alessandro Izekor, 5 Federico Ruzza (c), 4 Niccol\u00f2 Cannone, 3 Marcos Gallorini, 2 Bautista Bernasconi, 1 Destiny Aminu<br \/>Replacements: 16 Nicholas Gasperini, 17 Thomas Gallo, 18 Tiziano Pasquali, 19 Scott Scrafton, 20 Mattia Midena, 21 Jadin Kingi, 22 Andy Uren, 23 Filippo Drago<\/p>\n<p>Venue: Scotstoun Stadium, Glasgow<br \/>Kick-off: 19.45 IRE &amp; UK \/ 20.45 ITA \/ 21.45 SA<br \/>Referee: Ben Breakspear (WRU, 18th league game)<br \/>Assistant Referees: Ru Campbell (SRU), Jonny MacKenzie (SRU)<br \/>TMO: Ben Whitehouse (WRU)<br \/>Live on: Premier Sports, SuperSport, Flo Rugby &amp; URC.tv<\/p>\n<p>Leinster v Scarlets<\/p>\n<p>Prediction: Leinster by 20<\/p>\n<p>Leinster: 15 Jimmy O\u2019Brien, 14 Tommy O\u2019Brien, 13 Garry Ringrose, 12 Jamie Osborne, 11 Joshua Kenny, 10 Harry Byrne, 9 Jamison Gibson-Park, 8 Caelan Doris (c), 7 Josh van der Flier, 6 Max Deegan, 5 Brian Deeny, 4 Joe McCarthy, 3 Tadhg Furlong, 2 Dan Sheehan, 1 Andrew Porter<br \/>Replacements: 16 Gus McCarthy, 17 Jerry Cahir, 18 Rabah Slimani, 19 Conor O\u2019Tighearnaigh, 20 Alex Soroka, 21 Fintan Gunne, 22 Sam Prendergast, 23 Robbie Henshaw<\/p>\n<p>Scarlets: 15 Blair Murray, 14 Tom Rogers, 13 Joe Roberts, 12 Johnny Williams, 11 Ellis Mee, 10 Joe Hawkins, 9 Dane Blacker, 8 Fletcher Anderson (c), 7 Dan Davis, 6 Jarrod Taylor, 5 Max Douglas, 4 Sam Lousi, 3 Archer Holz, 2 Harry Thomas, 1 Kemsley Mathias<br \/>Replacements: 16 George Roberts, 17 Sam O\u2019Connor, 18 Henry Thomas, 19 Jake Ball, 20 Tristan Davies, 21 Archie Hughes, 22 Ioan Jones, 23 Macs Page<\/p>\n<p>Venue: Aviva Stadium, Dublin<br \/>Kick-off: 19.45 IRE &amp; UK \/ 20.45 ITA \/ 21.45 SA<br \/>Referee: Aimee Barrett-Theron (SARU, 14th league game)<br \/>Assistant Referees: Peter Martin (IRFU), Chris Lough (IRFU)<br \/>TMO: Quinton Immelman (SARU)<br \/>Live on: Premier Sports, S4C, SuperSport, Flo Rugby &amp; URC.tv<\/p>\n<p>Saturday<\/p>\n<p>Bulls v Munster<\/p>\n<p>Prediction: TBC<\/p>\n<p>Bulls: TBC<\/p>\n<p>Munster: 15 Ben O\u2019Connor, 14 Calvin Nash, 13 Dan Kelly, 12 Alex Nankivell, 11 Se\u00e1n O\u2019Brien, 10 Jack Crowley, 9 Craig Casey (c), 8 Brian Gleeson, 7 Alex Kendellen, 6 Tom Ahern, 5 Fineen Wycherley, 4 Jean Kleyn, 3 Michael Ala\u2019alatoa, 2 Diarmuid Barron, 1 Michael Milne<br \/>Replacements: 16 Niall Scannell, 17 Jeremy Loughman, 18 John Ryan, 19 Edwin Edogbo, 20 Gavin Coombes, 21 Paddy Patterson, 22 JJ Hanrahan, 23 John Hodnett<\/p>\n<p>Venue: Loftus Versfeld Stadium, Pretoria<br \/>Kick-off: 12.00 IRE &amp; UK \/ 13.00 ITA \/ 14.00 SA<br \/>Referee: Hollie Davidson (SRU, 27th league game)<br \/>Assistant Referees: Morne Ferreira (SARU), Jonathan Lottering (SARU)<br \/>TMO: Sam Grove-White (SRU)<br \/>Live on: SuperSport, TG4, Premier Sports, Flo Rugby &amp; URC.tv<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.planetrugby.com\/news\/loose-pass-the-far-too-soon-post-world-cup-coach-merry-go-round-debate-as-global-cross-pollination-continues\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Loose Pass: The far too soon post-World Cup coach \u2018merry-go-round\u2019 debate as global cross-pollination continues<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Connacht v Ospreys<\/p>\n<p>Prediction: TBC<\/p>\n<p>Connacht: TBC<\/p>\n<p>Ospreys: TBC<\/p>\n<p>Venue: Dexcom Stadium, Galway<br \/>Kick-off: 14.15 IRE &amp; UK \/ 15.15 ITA \/ 16.15 SA<br \/>Referee: Federico Vedovelli (FIR, 20th league game)<br \/>Assistant Referees: Andrew Cole (IRFU), Tom\u00e1s O\u2019Sullivan (IRFU)<br \/>TMO: Matteo Liperini (FIR)<br \/>Live on: TG4, Premier Sports, SuperSport, Flo Rugby &amp; URC.tv<\/p>\n<p>Lions v Dragons<\/p>\n<p>Prediction: TBC<\/p>\n<p>Lions: TBC<\/p>\n<p>Dragons: TBC<\/p>\n<p>Venue: Ellis Park, Johannesburg<br \/>Kick-off: 14.30 IRE &amp; UK \/ 15.30 ITA \/ 16.30 SA<br \/>Referee: Robbie Jenkinson (IRFU, 2nd league game)<br \/>Assistant Referees: Hanru van Rooyen (SARU), Stephen Geldenhuys (SARU)<br \/>TMO: Andrew Brace (IRFU)<br \/>Live on: SuperSport, Premier Sports, Flo Rugby &amp; URC.tv<\/p>\n<p>Want more from Planet Rugby? Add us as <a rel=\"noopener nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/preferences\/source?q=planetrugby.com\" target=\"_blank\">a preferred source on Google to your favourites list<\/a> for world-class coverage you can trust.<\/p>\n<p>Stormers v Edinburgh<\/p>\n<p>Prediction: TBC<\/p>\n<p>Stormers: TBC<\/p>\n<p>Edinburgh: TBC<\/p>\n<p>Venue: DHL Stadium, Cape Town<br \/>Kick-off: 17.00 IRE &amp; UK \/ 18.00 ITA \/ 19.00 SA<br \/>Referee: Eoghan Cross (IRFU, 37th league game)<br \/>Assistant Referees: Griffin Colby (SARU), Sean Muller (SARU)<br \/>TMO: Gianluca Gnecchi (FIR)<br \/>Live on: SuperSport, Premier Sports, Flo Rugby &amp; URC.tv<\/p>\n<p>Zebre Parma v Ulster<\/p>\n<p>Prediction: TBC<\/p>\n<p>Zebre Parma: TBC<\/p>\n<p>Ulster: TBC<\/p>\n<p>Venue: Stadio Lanfranchi, Parma<br \/>Kick-off: 19.45 IRE &amp; UK \/ 20.45 ITA \/ 21.45 SA<br \/>Referee: Craig Evans (WRU, 73rd league game)<br \/>Assistant Referees: Fillipo Russo (FIR), Dario Merli (FIR)<br \/>TMO: Keith David (WRU)<br \/>Live on: Sky Italia, Premier Sports, SuperSport, Flo Rugby &amp; URC.tv<\/p>\n<p>READ MORE: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.planetrugby.com\/news\/im-not-on-his-radar-stuart-mccloskeys-bid-to-copy-andre-esterhuizen-shift-laughed-off-by-ireland-coach\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">\u2018I\u2019m not on his radar\u2019 \u2013 Stuart McCloskey\u2019s bid to copy Andre Esterhuizen shift \u2018laughed off\u2019 by Ireland coach<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The United Rugby Championship continues this weekend and it\u2019s another pivotal round with three games on Friday night&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":367689,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[91308,37773,17879,21060,64220,28141,91309,1100,61,60,10562,35475,6999,43,70359,70363,15756,112,80772,13311,14881,91310],"class_list":["post-367688","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-sports","tag-benetton-treviso","tag-bulls","tag-cardiff-rugby","tag-connacht","tag-dragons","tag-edinburgh","tag-glasgow-warriors","tag-home-page","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-leinster","tag-lions","tag-munster","tag-news","tag-ospreys","tag-scarlets","tag-sharks","tag-sports","tag-stormers","tag-ulster","tag-united-rugby-championship","tag-zebre"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/367688","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=367688"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/367688\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/367689"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=367688"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=367688"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=367688"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}