URC 2023/2024: Round 1

[saulan]

Hey friends, we are back!

 

[saulan]

Not loving playing the Lions away first while the World Cup is going on. They actually have no players in the World Cup right now, so pretty smooth and easy transition for them. To be fair I guess we are only missing four (Malherbe, Willemse, Libbok and Deon Fourie). We probably feel that more in the backs. Hoping we can get some points out of it.

Edit: Love that the official URC website currently has The Sharks ranked as "3TH"

 

[TRF_stormer2010]

Bloody hell. You cannot be serious! Suppose we'll have to get used to the NH club calendar during an rwc year.

I actually think we are pretty good. Neethling in for Malherbe is perfect at this level. Gelant is fine for Willemse. Fourie is tough but we'll have to play without him in the near future. Him and Libbok only real misses but we really should be able to handle the Lions coming off an excellent preseason. *should*

Bulls have recruited in a big way. Think they might overtake us this year. Sharks number 3 is a laugh seeing as they are probably 3 in SA. I see they are away to Munster without their Bokke. I don't think they manage that one. At least Munster also have to go at it sans their Bokke.

 

[Al Bangor]

We Are Warriors! Let's Go Glasgow!

 

[saulan]

Useful breakdowns of all the player additions/losses of the South African teams for this year:

Get to know the South African URC teams

The Bulls, Stormers, Sharks and Lions will again gear up and battle the North for the 2023/24 United Rugby Championship ***le.

rugby365.com

 

[munstermuffin]

We are back. The real stuff.

We are flying it in training but never know until the first whistle goes. Would hope we can win and get a good start.

My shock of the week is Glasgow to beat Leinster. I think Leinster are just a bit all over place at the moment with internationals coming back slowly and coaching team also only coming back. Don't worry I'm not saying Leinster gone back just they had/have alot of players away and coaching situation just will be hectic for next 2 or 3 weeks.
Glasgow away is hard at best of times and they have some internationals back.

 

[saulan]

We are back. The real stuff.

We are flying it in training but never know until the first whistle goes. Would hope we can win and get a good start.

My shock of the week is Glasgow to beat Leinster. I think Leinster are just a bit all over place at the moment with internationals coming back slowly and coaching team also only coming back. Don't worry I'm not saying Leinster gone back just they had/have alot of players away and coaching situation just will be hectic for next 2 or 3 weeks.
Glasgow away is hard at best of times and they have some internationals back.

I back this call. Glasgow were also very much on the up last season and were looking very promising going into this year. More hearts in it also for the Glasgow players having more time to get over the WC loss and not having such a devastating knock out, as well as having more of their internationals back.

 

[dullonien]

The start on another underwhelming season for the Welsh regions. Cardiff start in 2nd place, it's only downwards from here!

 

[TRF_stormer2010]

Useful breakdowns of all the player additions/losses of the South African teams for this year:

Get to know the South African URC teams

The Bulls, Stormers, Sharks and Lions will again gear up and battle the North for the 2023/24 United Rugby Championship ***le.

rugby365.com

I knew the Bulls were recruiting but that summary puts it into perspective. I feel with the others the player movement is just that, movement. Minor enough compared to previous years and on the balance somewhat positive for Stormers, meh for Sharks IMO but nothing huge. Lions, don't see them moving up or down massively either. Bulls, Stormers, Munster and Leinster the teams to look out for ITO the ***le IMO. Sharks, Ulster and Glasgow certainly no slouches. I still haven't gotten my head around the Welsh sides TBH.

Really wished with Kitshoff moving on and Mchunu available we'd have picked him up (and made a play for Henco van Wyk, Jurenzo Julius or Canan Moodie at 13) but we should be pushing still. A world class lock also still on my wish list.

Just to get back to the Bulls- a possible 23:
1 Mchunu / Steenekamp
2 Van der Merwe / Grobbelaar
3 W Louw / Lourens
4 Du Plessis
5 Nortje / Kirsten
6 Van Staden / Brink
7 E Louw
8 Coetzee (c)
9 Papier / Burger
10 Goosen / Van der Walt
11 Arendse
12 Vorster
13 Moodie
14 Gans
15 Le Roux / Immelman

Just mad though I think they'd need a year or so to get on the same page perhaps. And I'm leaving out players like Petersen, Simelane, Hendricks etc out of the 23. Mad.

edit: I see Mchunu named in the Sharks starting side to face Munster so don't know how accurate that summary is.

 

[saulan]

Really wished with Kitshoff moving on and Mchunu available we'd have picked him up (and made a play for Henco van Wyk, Jurenzo Julius or Canan Moodie at 13) but we should be pushing still. A world class lock also still on my wish list.

Let's see, we have made a habit recently of picking up not favored players and enabling them to really perform, I'm hoping one of the lock pick ups from the last 15 months really steps up. Would have loved to see Henco van Wyk come through on our end.

Also with you on not having a good sense of the Welsh sides. I don't see them performing well given all the turmoil over the structures and contracting in the last 12 months, and their best teams can be pretty hit and miss, sometimes pitching up and getting some good results before some crumbling (specifically thinking of Ospreys last season).

 

[TRF_stormer2010]

Let's see, we have made a habit recently of picking up not favored players and enabling them to really perform, I'm hoping one of the lock pick ups from the last 15 months really steps up. Would have loved to see Henco van Wyk come through on our end.

Also with you on not having a good sense of the Welsh sides. I don't see them performing well given all the turmoil over the structures and contracting in the last 12 months, and their best teams can be pretty hit and miss, sometimes pitching up and getting some good results before some crumbling (specifically thinking of Ospreys last season).

Agreed. Think Van Heerden has really well. Moerat missed a lot of last season. Should be fine there but depth in quality is troubling. I suppose in the past we had all the names and none of the results in any case.

On the Welsh sides, I think it boils down to recognizibility for me- I struggle with them in that I can connect a city to each side and a core of noticeable players in the URC but struggle with the Welsh apart from Cardiff. Might just be my lack of knowledge/exposure to the areas.

DHL Stormers: 15 Warrick Gelant, 14 Angelo Davids, 13 Ruhan Nel, 12 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, 11 Leolin Zas, 10 Clayton Blommetjies, 9 Herschel Jantjies, 8 Evan Roos, 7 Ben-Jason Dixon, 6 Marcel Theunissen, 5 Ruben van Heerden, 4 Salmaan Moerat (captain), 3 Neethling Fouche, 2 Joseph Dweba, 1 Kwenzo Blose.
Replacements: 16 Andre-Hugo Venter, 17 Lizo Gqoboka, 18 Brok Harris, 19 Gary Porter, 20 Hacjivah Dayimani, 21 Willie Engelbrecht, 22 Paul de Wet, 23 Ben Loader.

That is a pretty strong 23 even without our Bokke.

 

[Welsh Exile]

The start on another underwhelming season for the Welsh regions. Cardiff start in 2nd place, it's only downwards from here!

I see Ioan Lloyd starts at 10 for the Scarlets. Hope he has a stormer in their inevitable 30 point loss.

 

[Bruce_ma gooshvili]

I see Edinburgh signed Everitt as coach after the Sharks dropped him. A bit of a wild gamble but could pay off given how he had the Sharks ticking before the pandemic kicked in. They've probably seen Franco Smith seemingly overachieve at Glasgow and thought it is worth another shot on a Saffa.

Disappointing no Scottish coach was considered appropriate.

 

[Bluemoon]

The start on another underwhelming season for the Welsh regions. Cardiff start in 2nd place, it's only downwards from here!

Given all the changes / challenges the last 24 months with the cuts etc, I'm amazed Cardiff even have a team. Expecting a very hard season or two in blue and black. Dragons and Scarlets probably the most settled, but who knows.

 

[saulan]

Zebre starting their season off well so far. Bonus point by half time against Ulster. Will be interesting to see if they can keep it up in the second half, or crumble which I tend to remember them having a habit of doing last year.

 

[saulan]

Hmm, we not doing penalties for head on head tackles in the URC this year? Just going to continue ignoring the framework?

 

[saulan]

Stormers looking decent without their Springboks, Sacha performing well, as is Dweba. Our loose forwards were also looking pretty decent. Hopefully Moerat's injury isn't anything serious.

Blose getting pulled in the 23rd minute was harsh but needed. That was 4 scrum penalties in a row andGqoboka completely turned things around for us.

Surprise for me is how well Blommetjies has played at the flyhalf role. Really decent performance in the Libbok mould and kicking all his points.

 

[TRF_stormer2010]

Stormers looking decent without their Springboks, Sacha performing well, as is Dweba. Our loose forwards were also looking pretty decent. Hopefully Moerat's injury isn't anything serious.

Blose getting pulled in the 23rd minute was harsh but needed. That was 4 scrum penalties in a row andGqoboka completely turned things around for us.

Surprise for me is how well Blommetjies has played at the flyhalf role. Really decent performance in the Libbok mould and kicking all his points.

Lions bomb squad made me sweat.

We'll need to look long and hard at set piece and play for 80 minutes. Two big work ons but tbf Lions full strength and we'll get afew of our best back. Think the Lions are going to nab a few scalps in Jo'burg.

 

[saulan]

Just got across the line in the end. The player we definitely missed the most was Fourie. We were hitting them back in defense and had opportunities over the ball but nobody who could actually execute. Too many errors in that second half from the team. Backline players looked decent.

 

[Groundhog]

I think it's safe to say off 25 mi utes of rugby that Carbery is back. He was just waiting for Sexton to retire out of respect.

Edogbo will play for Ireland in the next year. Freak