Two matches will take place in the United Rugby Championship on Friday as Cardiff take on Zebre Parma and Munster host Edinburgh.
Cardiff v Zebre Parma
Dai Young has made two changes as Cardiff prepares to host Zebre at Arms Park on Friday night.
The Blues and Blacks head to the United Rugby Championship encounter after a spectacular last-minute victory over reigning champions Leinster. The only change made within the backline is the introduction of Jamie Hill, who gets his first outing of the season in the number nine shirt.
He is paired with fly-half Jarrod Evans, who is making his 99th appearance for his home club. Ben Thomas and Rey Lee-Lo continue their midfield partnership, with Hallam Amos, Owen Lane and Aled Summerhill forming the back three.
The second change to the starting line-up comes bare-headed, with Brad Thyer brought up to the front row alongside Kirby Myhill and Dmitri Arhip. Captain Josh Turnbull, who is appointed at Lock, will make his 216th URC appearance – tying second Ian Keatley among the league’s most capped players.
Rory Thornton has moved into form, having started early against the Dublin side, while the bottom line of Shane Lewis-Hughes, Will Boyde and James Botham are retained.
Keiron Assiratti will provide hooker cover from the bench, having played for Cardiff RFC in the position for the past few weeks. Rhys Carré and James Ratti are also included among the substitutes, having been released from the Wales squad for the weekend’s action, but Willis Halaholo is out after sustaining an eyelid laceration.
In total, 14 of the matches of the 23rd day were produced using the Blues and Blacks course system.
Although they have eight players called up by Italian manager Kieran Crowley for the Six Nations third round tie against Ireland, Zebre will be able to field captain David Sisi, winger Pierre Bruno, center Enrico Lucchin and number eight Renato Giammarioli, who are in their starting lineup. XV while second row Andrea Zambonin was nsmed on the bench.
Meanwhile, props Danilo Fischetti and Giosuè Zilocchi and scrum-half Alessandro Fusco will stay in Rome with the Italian national team.
The big news for Zebre is the return of experienced hooker Luca Bigi, fully recovered from his injury suffered in Toulon last December.
Two rookies find space on the substitutes’ bench. They are New Zealand newcomer Taina Fox-Matamua, who has joined the club in recent weeks, bolstered Zebre’s full-back department and former Italy U20 representative Manfredi Albanese, who has been called up for compensate for the temporary absences of Azzurro Alessandro Fusco and the injured Chris Cook and Marcello Violi.
The teams:
Cardiff: 15 Hallam Amos, 14 Owen Lane, 13 Rey Lee-Lo, 12 Ben Thomas, 11 Aled Summerhill, 10 Jarrod Evans, 9 Jamie Hill, 8 James Botham, 7 Will Boyde, 6 Shane Lewis-Hughes, 5 Rory Thornton, 4 Josh Turnbull (c), 3 Dmitri Arhip, 2 Kirby Myhill, 1 Brad Thyer
Replacements: 16 Keiron Assiratti, 17 Rhys Carre, 18 Will Davies-King, 19 Teddy Williams, 20 James Ratti, 21 Lloyd Williams, 22 Garyn Smith, 23 Matthew Morgan
Zebra: 15 Junior Laloifi, 14 Pierre Bruno, 13 Erich Cronjé, 12 Enrico Lucchin, 11 Asaeli Tuivuaka, 10 Antonio Rizzi, 9 Guglielmo Palazzani, 8 Renato Giammarioli, 7 Iacopo Bianchi, 6 Giovanni Licata, 5 Liam Mitchell, 4 David Sisi (c) , 3 Eduardo Bello, 2 Oliviero Fabiani, 1 Paolo Buonfiglio
Replacements: 16 Luca Bigi, 17 Daniele Rimpelli, 18 Ion Neculai, 19 Andrea Zambonin, 20 Taina Fox-Matamua, 21 Manfredi Albanese, 22 Timothy O’Malley, 23 Jacopo Trulla
Location: Cardiff Arms Park
To start up: 7:35 p.m. GMT
Arbitrator: Joy Neville (IRFU)
Assistant referees: Craig Evans (WRU), Ben Breakspear (WRU)
TMO: Olly Hodges (WRU)
Munster v Edinburgh
Munster’s squad have been named for Friday night’s United Rugby Championship clash against Edinburgh at Thomond Park.
It will be a special occasion for veteran frontline Dave Kilcoyne as he will become just the 12th Munster player to reach the 200 cap milestone for the province. Kilcoyne is one of four changes to the starting XV that lined up against Glasgow last week as the returning international prop crumbles with Diarmuid Barron and Stephen Archer in the front row.
The remaining field is unchanged with Jean Kleyn and Fineen Wycherley in the engine room and captain Jack O’Donoghue, Chris Cloete and Gavin Coombes at the rear.
The bottom line sees the introduction of Craig Casey, Dan Goggin and Calvin Nash. Casey returns from international camp to join Ben Healy at half-backs as Goggin joins Chris Farrell in midfield.
It’s like you were for Mike Haley at fullback and Simon Zebo on the left wing with Nash coming in on the other flank.
Niall Scannell returns from a shoulder injury to be named in the substitutes.
Meanwhile, Edinburgh are once again welcoming a number of Scottish internationals into their starting line-up for this match.
Meanwhile, Mark Bennett (centre), Blair Kinghorn (opener), Ben Vellacott (scrum-half) and Nick Haining (behind) return from the Scottish side to start in the only changes made to the capital’s starting XV.
An unchanged back-three sees Henry Immelman continue at full-back with Argentina internationals Emiliano Boffelli – a try scorer in the recent loss to Leinster – and Ramiro Moyano selected on the opposite wings.
Bennett – who skips the team for the first time in his career at Edinburgh – joins fellow Scottish international center James Lang in midfield, while a new half-back duo sees Kinghorn and scrum-half Vellacott make their first start together since facing London Irish in early January.
Hooker Adam McBurney packs his bags again alongside props Boan Venter and Lee-Roy Atalifo, while locks Glen Young and Marshall Sykes complete the tight five.
In the back row, Ben Muncaster moves up to number eight with Haining returning to the blind flank, while Connor Boyle continues at the open after last weekend’s abrasive performance against Leinster.
The teams:
Muenster: 15 Mike Haley, 14 Calvin Nash, 13 Chris Farrell, 12 Dan Goggin, 11 Simon Zebo 10 Ben Healy, 9 Craig Casey, 8 Gavin Coombes, 7 Chris Cloete, 6 Jack O’Donoghue, 5 Fineen Wycherley, 4 Jean Kleyn, 3 Stephen Archer, 2 Diarmuid Barron, 1 Dave Kilcoyne
Replacements: 16 Niall Scannell, 17 Jeremy Loughman, 18 John Ryan, 19 Alex Kendellen, 20 John Hodnett, 21 Neil Cronin, 22 Jack Crowley, 23 Shane Daly
Edinburgh: 15 Henry Immelman, 14 Ramiro Moyano, 13 Mark Bennett (c), 12 James Lang, 11 Emiliano Boffelli, 10 Blair Kinghorn, 9 Ben Vellacott, 8 Ben Muncaster, 7 Connor Boyle, 6 Nick Haining, 5 Glen Young, 4 Marshall Sykes , 3 Lee-Roy Atalifo, 2 Adam McBurney, 1 Boan Venter
Replacements: 16 Dave Cherry, 17 Sam Grahamslaw, 18 Jake Armstrong, 19 Pierce Phillips, 20 Mesulame Kunavula, 21 Henry Pyrgos, 22 Charlie Savala, 23 Chris Dean
Location: Thomond Park
To start up: 7:35 p.m. GMT
Arbitrator: Ben Whitehouse (WRU)
Assistant referees: Chris Busby (IRFU), Oisin Quinn (IRFU)
TMO: Brian MacNeice (IRFU)
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