A packed house is expected tonight at Kingspan Stadium where Ulster will be the first team from the northern Hemisphere to take on South African opposition in the newly-expanded GUINNESS PRO14.
GUINNESS PRO14: Friday, September 1
ULSTER v TOYOTA CHEETAHS, Kingspan Stadium, 7.35pm (live BBC 2 Northern Ireland/SuperSport 1)
Team News: Christian Lealiifano is set to make his first Ulster appearance tonight in the historic GUINNESS PRO14 opener against the Toyota Cheetahs at Kingspan Stadium.
Fellow summer signings Jean Deysel and John Cooney will also make their competitive debuts for the oprovince, having both lined out during the pre-season encounters with Wasps and Northampton Saints.
This evening’s match will mark a momentous chapter in the history of the PRO14 Championship, as Southern Hemisphere sides join the competition for the first time, with the Bloemfontein-based Cheetahs making their maiden trip to Belfast.
A limited number of tickets are still available for the eagerly-awaited round 1 game, priced from just £17 for adults and £12 for juniors. For more information visit www.ulsterrugby.com/buytickets.
Cooney and Lealiifano will have their first chance to form an exciting new half-back partnership, while Stuart McCloskey and Tommy Bowe link up together in midfield. Louis Ludik, Andrew Trimble and Charles Piutau also combine in an experienced back-three.
Chris Henry (pictured above) will captain the side from openside flanker, in what is an abrasive looking back row with the South African duo of Deysel and Marcell Coetzee at blindside and number 8 respectively.
The front five is made up of Kyle McCall, Rob Herring and Wiehahn Herbst in the front row, with Robbie Diack and Alan O’Connor lining out together again in the second row.
Back rower Matthew Rea could earn his first Ulster cap, as he is included in the replacements along with fellow forwards John Andrew, Callum Black, Rodney Ah You and Sean Reidy. David Shanahan, Peter Nelson and Darren Cave will provide the back-line cover from the bench. Unfortunately, Craig Gilroy has a stress fracture in his lower back and is expected to be out of action until late November.
Meanwhile, the Toyota Cheetahs head coach Rory Duncan has announced his team for their PRO14 debut, with captain Niell Jordaan saying that the players ‘are extremely excited to join this world-class Championship’.
The 25-year-old Jordaan (pictured above) leads a youthful side from number 8, with Paul Schoeman and Henco Venter, whose uncle Ruben played 36 times for South Africa in the 1990s, completing an industrious and athletic back row.
Justin Basson and Reniel Hugo, who has also played for Western Province and the Blue Bulls, are the starting second rows and are backed up from the bench by Rynier Bernardo, a familiar name based on his three-year spell in Wales with the Ospreys and Scarlets.
Former South Africa Under-20 hooker Jacques du Toit is joined in the front row by beefy props Charles Marais and Johan Coetzee, a Namibian international, with the loosehead and tighthead both tipping the scales at 19 stone.
The Barbarians-capped Clayton Blommetjies (pictured below), who is more known as a full-back/winger, will partner Shaun Venter at half-back, while Makazole Mapimpi, who signed from the Southern Kings earlier this year, gets a chance to impress on the left wing. Blommetjies steps up at out-half in the injury-enforced absence of Niel Marais and Fred Zeilinga.
There are a couple of current SA Sevens speedsters included, with Rosko Specman starting on the right wing and Cecil Afrika, who also helped South Africa win bronze at last year’s Olympics in Rio and gold in the 2016/17 World Sevens Series, listed on the bench. South Africa ‘A’ international Sergeal Petersen, a former youth sprinting star, completes the back-line along with centres William Small-Smith and Ali Mgijima.
ULSTER: Charles Piutau; Andrew Trimble, Tommy Bowe, Stuart McCloskey, Louis Ludik; Christian Lealiifano, John Cooney; Kyle McCall, Rob Herring, Wiehahn Herbst, Robbie Diack, Alan O’Connor, Jean Deysel, Chris Henry (capt), Marcell Coetzee.
Replacements: John Andrew, Callum Black, Rodney Ah You, Matthew Rea, Sean Reidy, David Shanahan, Peter Nelson, Darren Cave.
TOYOTA CHEETAHS: Sergeal Petersen; Rosko Specman, William Small-Smith, Ali Mgijima, Makazole Mapimpi; Clayton Blommetjies, Shaun Venter; Charles Marais, Jacques du Toit, Johan Coetzee, Justin Basson, Reniel Hugo, Paul Schoeman, Henco Venter, Niell Jordaan (capt).
Replacements: Torsten van Jaarsveld, Ox Nche, Tom Botha, Rynier Bernardo, Gerhard Olivier, Tian Meyer, Cecil Afrika, Ryno Benjamin.
Referee: Andrew Brace (Ireland)
Assistant Referees: Simon Rees (Wales), Leo Colgan (Ireland)
Television Match Official: Jon Mason (Wales)
Match Odds (Paddy Power): Ulster to win: 3/10; Draw: 20/1; Toyota Cheetahs to win: 11/4
Pre-Match Quotes: Les Kiss (Ulster) – “It is an exciting prospect facing these (South African) sides and I think it will really add to the competition – as well as throwing up some new challenges to us and them. The Cheetahs are a good side and they will come and play rugby. That is in their DNA.
“They kick the least of any team in Super Rugby, I think they had 16 on average a game which was well below anyone else. Their back-three is renowned for running the ball, they have a high strike-rate from their own half or even from their own 22, they have a high strike-rate at making line breaks or scoring tries, so they are an exciting team and it will be a massive challenge for us but that is what it is and we have to be ready to stand up.
“(Last week’s 55-15 loss in Northampton was) disappointing and the boys were disappointed. What we’ve been trying to work on doesn’t flow at this stage. We know where we need to get to, we will get there, but we might take a few hits doing it.
“We’re cognisant of the fact that have been good parts of those (pre-season) games and we need to stitch those good parts together more. We can now step up into a place where we’ve given players a lot of time. The team that we had out to finish the (Northampton) game was completely different to what will be out on Friday. But it was a good experience for a lot of young guys.”
Rory Duncan (Toyota Cheetahs) – “The thing that makes me excited, and the players as well, is going in and being able to see how we compare to the northern Hemisphere. It’s something that we’ve wanted for a long time, it’s something our supporters have wanted for a long time, and now they’re going to get the opportunity to see it.
“I normally watched it (the PRO12) with a steak on the fire and a beer in my hand, so that’s going to have to change going forward! We did watch a fair bit, particularly the semi-finals and the final last year, but it wasn’t something we were doing week in, week out, obviously with the Super Rugby, the Currie Cup and following the other competitions.
“Ulster is an exciting fixture to start with and then obviously going to Limerick (to play Munster) as well. They are two tough fixtures to start the competition with. We’re going to face everyone so we may as well get them out of the way first.
“When our team is at full strength, I’m confident that we can put together a team that is going to compete. We will be starting the competition with a few niggles from the back-end of Super Rugby and the start of the Currie Cup, but I’m confident.
“This is an opportunity to compare our strength with the northern Hemisphere and this is what our supporters have been asking for. In terms of player management and player welfare, we’ve been giving the players time off during Super Rugby.
“We’ve also rotated during the Currie Cup with a different team. Really it’s only a challenge up until November time and we have to take into account that we don’t play in the European competitions, so we have those weekends built in.
“We don’t play from December 2 to January 6, so that’s an extended break too. When we come back then it’s on for two weeks and off for two weeks, that sort of thing. During that time the guys will be hungry for rugby.”
Top Scorers – 2016/17 GUINNESS PRO12/Super Rugby: Ulster – Points: Paddy Jackson 106; Tries: Jacob Stockdale 9; Toyota Cheetahs – Points: Fred Zeilinga 108; Tries: Raymond Rhule 6
PREVIOUS MEETINGS:
N/A
MATCH FACTS:
– Ulster finished last season in fifth place in the PRO12, their victory at home to Leinster in round 22 not being enough to make it through to the semi-finals
– The Ulstermen have lost just once at Kingspan Stadium in the PRO12 since February 2016, and that by a single point to Munster in round 7 last season
– Ulster have lost just once on the opening weekend of the PRO12 since 2009 when they visited the Dragons in 2013
– The Toyota Cheetahs will become the first southern Hemisphere side ever to take part in the Championship
– The Cheetahs recently participated in the Super Rugby competition, winning two of their last three matches, against the Sunwolves in Tokyo and fellow PRO14 newcomers, the Southern Kings, in Port Elizabeth. They have not won three successive away games since 2013
– The two teams have never met before
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