The upcoming URC match between the Stormers and Ulster at DHL Stadium on Saturday draws immense anticipation. With its broadcast slated for 5.15 PM Irish time on Premier Sports, Richie Murphy, the Ulster side’s acting coach, is no stranger to the magnitude of his role, more so as the season draws closer to its peak limiting chances for qualification and securing home advantage.
The defeat by the Sharks, 22-12, during their opening South African journey only having undertaken three training sessions led by Murphy, has placed the Stormers as a significant hurdle come Saturday. Notably, Stormers trumped Edinburgh, who is in the sixth spot, 43-21 just last week.
Chasing a coveted spot in the top four, the team from Cape Town has Munster only slightly ahead in the fourth spot, and Ulster intends to stay in the leading octet. Ulster is currently seventh but the competition remains tight.
A significant off-field event for Ulster is Jonny Petrie’s stepping down from his role as CEO earlier this week, with Hugh McCauley taking over as the temporary replacement.
Captain Rob Herring will make a return post-injury to lead the Ulster side, while a bigger blow is the absence of Iain Henderson due to sickness. With the inclusion of wing Robert Baloucoune, there looked to be optimism regarding speed on the wide side, given Ulster manages to incorporate him effectively in the game. Meanwhile, Nathan Doak will be seen playing in the outhalf.
With just six matches remaining in the regular season, Ulster is striving to resurrect their URC campaign and make it to the playoffs, with Stormers being an unlikely platform for a turnaround. Failure to reach the playoffs would only double the financial around the cash-crunched province.
To qualify for the forthcoming season’s Champions Cup and avert further financial strain, a top-eight finish becomes crucial, emphasising the importance of each point.
However, Ulster’s track record in Cape Town doesn’t exude optimism, having been defeated on their two previous visits to the DHL Stadium.
Joining Herring in the front row is the double World Cup-winning Springbok, Steven Kitshoff, pitted against his ex-captained team, while Tom O’Toole starts as the tighthead prop. Local fans would also recall the time when the Springbok prop won the maiden URC title in 2022 with Stormers clinching the final against the Bulls.
Ulster, with their latest victory being their only one in their last five encounters, play against the Stormers, who have a promising record of securing four out of their past five matches, along with a positive point difference of nineteen. In contrast, Ulster stand with a -41 points difference from their last five games. On the bright side, Ulster anticipate less heated playing situations as compared to their last game at Durban’s Shark Tank.
The Stormers field comprises potential such as Mannie Libock, the Springbok halfback renowned for his swift breaks and Damian Willemse, a World Cup champion who is delegated to play as an inside centre this week. Willemse downplayed the number of mistakes said, “Despite us making a number of errors during our games, if we can amplify what we perform best at, then I believe we can achieve a lot in this contest. We acknowledge Ulster as a formidable team. We expect it to be a tough battle.”
Ulster needs to step up their discipline; in the previous game, they conceded 11 penalties and two yellow cards, marking total of four yellow cards in the past three encounters.
Ulster’s team lineup is: M Lowry, R Baloucoune, J Hume, S McCloskey, E McIlroy, N Doak, J Cooney, S Kitshoff, R Herring (captain), T O’Toole, H Sheridan, K Treadwell, M Rea, D McCann, N Timoney. The substitutes for Ulster are: T Stewart, A Warwick, S Wilson, C Izuchukwu, M Rea, D Shanahan, J Flannery, S Moore.
Contrarily, the Stormers lineup is: W Gelant, S Hartzenberg, D du Plessis, D Willemse, L Zas, M Libbok, P de Wet, B Harris, J Dweba, N Fouche, S Moerat (captain), R van Heerden, W Engelbrecht, H Dayimani, E Roos. The substitutes for the Stormers include: JJ Kotze, L Lyons, F Malherbe, A Smith, B-Jason Dixon, M Theunissen, H Jantjies, B Loader.
The match official is S Grove-White from the SRU.