Benetton and Glasgow kick off the new United Rugby Championship season in Italy on Friday at 6.30pm.
And while Cape Town’s defending champion Stormers won’t be in action this week, there will be some South African flavour on the weekend when the Lions host the Bulls in the trans-Jukskei derby on Saturday at 4.05pm.
It all kicks off with a Jukskei Derby this Saturday in the Park 🔥 @Vodacom #URC is BACK 💪 pic.twitter.com/G4b6uqJ0XN
— Official Blue Bulls (@BlueBullsRugby) September 13, 2022
The Bulls enter the match as hot favourites after signing a number of players including Lions ace Wandisile Simelane and Springbok wing Sbu Nkosi from the Sharks.
Captain Marcell Coetzee expects a big season from the Loftus outfit and tells the teams’ website: “It’s the first URC game and everyone is excited. It has been a gruelling six weeks of pre-season and now everyone is just looking forward to the first game.
Grobbies is anticipating a physical clash at the Park 💪 Watch the full episodes of ‘No Holds Barred’ on the Vodacom Bulls app: https://t.co/Yy2rD3Y0k8@Vodacom #URC pic.twitter.com/6FRrmHAoCS
— Official Blue Bulls (@BlueBullsRugby) September 15, 2022
“We know the quality of the Lions and their leadership under Jaco Kriel and Reinhard Nothnagel. They are brilliant at the breakdown and other areas of their game…
“We should be in for a good game.”
There are great whites and then there’s Jake White.
— Official Blue Bulls (@BlueBullsRugby) September 9, 2022
This is what he had to say at the @Vodacom #URC Season 2 launch 👇![CDATA[]]>🔊 #UnitedWeRise pic.twitter.com/mgrPbqdGy3
Weekends URC fixtures
Friday: Benetton v Glasgow (6.30pm)
Saturday: Zebre v Leinster (2pm), Cardiff v Munster (4.05pm), Lions v Bulls (4.05pm), Scarlets v Ospreys (6.15pm), Edinburgh v Dragons (8.35pm), Ulster v Connacht (8.35pm).