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URC Round 15 Team Sheets

The teams for Friday’s Round 15 fixtures of the Vodacom United Rugby Championship have been named with all details of match officials and broadcast information below.

After Round 14, just three points separate 5th – 11th place, with only four rounds remaining. This weekend, the Race To The Eight continues. Every game counts.

TEAM NEWS HEADLINES

#SCAvSHA
Second row Morgan Jones comes into Scarlets starting XV
Werner Kok will make his 50th appearance for Hollywoodbets Sharks
#ULSvBEN
Ulster development player, Reuben Crothers, starts in the back row
Marco Zanon and Tommaso Menoncello make up Benetton’s’ centre pairing

FRIDAY, APRIL 26

Scarlets v Hollywoodbets Sharks
Parc Y Scarlets, Llanelli – KO 19.35 IRE & UK / 20.35 ITA & SA
Referee: Mike Adamson (SRU, 80th league game)
AR 1: Ben Breakspear (WRU) AR 2: Dewi Phillips (WRU)
TMO: David Sutherland (SRU)
Live on: BBC Wales, Premier Sports, SuperSport, Flo Rugby & URC.tv

Scarlets: Ioan Nicholas, Tom Rogers, Johnny Williams, Eddie James, Tomi Lewis, Sam Costelow, Gareth Davies, Kemsley Mathias, Ryan Elias (CAPT), Sam Wainwright, Morgan Jones, Sam Lousi, Taine Plumtree, Dan Davis, Vaea Fifita
Replacements: Shaun Evans, Steff Thomas, Harri O’Connor, Jac Price, Carwyn Tuipulotu, Kieran Hardy, Dan Jones, Ryan Conbeer

Hollywoodbets Sharks: Aphelele Fassi, Werner Kok, Lukhanyo Am (CAPT), Ethan Hooker, Makazole Mapimpi, Siya Masuku, Grant Williams, Ox Nche, Fez Mbatha, Vincent Koch, Eben Etzebeth, Emile van Heerden, Phepsi Buthelezi, Lappies Labuschagne, Vincent Tshituka
Replacements: Kerron van Vuuren, Ntuthuko Mchunu, Hanro Jacobs,Corne Rahl, Gerbrandt Grobler, Jaden Hendrikse, Boeta Chamberlain, Francois Venter

Scarlets Head Coach Dwayne Peel said: “We were obviously disappointed by the result in Edinburgh last weekend especially after leading the game on the hour mark. We spoke about showing fight and playing with a bit of freedom and there were elements of that in our game. We need to stay in that fight for 80 minutes. This week, we have prepared for the best version of the Sharks, they can put out a Springbok pack if they want and that is a massive challenge and an exciting one. Every time you play a South African side it is going to be physical and you have to step up.”

Ulster v Benetton
Kingspan Stadium, Belfast – KO 19.35 IRE & UK / 20.35 ITA & SA
Referee: Sam Grove-White (SRU, 42nd league game)
AR 1: Robbie Jenkinson (IRFU) AR 2: Padraig Reidy (IRFU)
TMO: Sean Brickell (WRU)
Live on: BBC NI, RTÉ, Premier Sports, SuperSport, Flo Rugby & URC.tv

Ulster: Mike Lowry, Rob Baloucoune, Will Addison, Stuart McCloskey, Jacob Stockdale, Billy Burns, John Cooney, Eric O’Sullivan, Tom Stewart, Scott Wilson, Harry Sheridan, Alan O’Connor (CAPT), Dave Ewers, Reuben Crothers, David McCann
Replacements: John Andrew, Andrew Warwick, James French, Cormac Izuchukwu, Greg Jones, Dave Shanahan, Luke Marshall, Ethan McIlroy

Benetton: Jacob Umaga, Leonardo Marin, Tommaso Menoncello, Marco Zanon, Rhyno Smith, Tomas Albornoz, Andy Uren, Thomas Gallo, Giacomo Nicotera, Simione Ferrari, Scott Scrafton, Edoardo Iachizzi, Alessandro Izekor, Michele Lamaro (CAPT), Lorenzo Cannone
Replacements: Gianmarco Lucchesi, Ivan Nemer, Tiziano Pasquali, Niccolò Cannone, Riccardo Favretto, Toa Halafihi, Alessandro Garbisi, Filippo Drago

Ulster Defence Coach Jonny Bell said: “This game is hugely important. It’s such a competitive league. You can quickly jump up or jump down the table, a win this weekend would be great for us.”

Benetton Head Coach Marco Bortolami said: “In the lineup we have some returns from last week, but unfortunately Ratave has also joined the injured list. The starting XV has been chosen to cope with the qualities of Ulster, tomorrow’s opponents, while also taking into account adjustments in some roles. Ulster is a very high-performance team that works a lot with the forwards: for this reason I chose to bring six forwards and two midfielders on the bench; to be competitive on a physical level for the entire 80 minutes.”

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  2. Australia beat England by 45 runs in the first ever cricket Test as well as the Centenary Test in 1977. Australia beat England in the first ever Test match by 45 runs held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in 1877. Hundred years later the opposition were the same, the venue was the same and the result as well!