Four matches will take place in the PRO14 on Saturday with two of those happening in South Africa as the Kings and Cheetahs host games.
Kings vs Leinster
Southern Kings head coach Deon Davids has made minimal changes to his side that will face Leinster in an historic PRO14 clash at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium.
It will be the Kings' first home match in the competition as well as the first time that PRO14 matches are played on South African soil and hooker Micheal Willemse will once again have the honour of leading the team onto the field while centre Luzuko Vulindlu will be vice-captain.
Only one change has been made in the Kings backline from the team that did duty against Connacht last weekend – scrum-half Rudi van Rooyen coming in for Godlen Masimla who drops to the bench.
Amongst the front-row, an injury to Rossouw De Klerk has resulted in Luvuyo Pupuma being rewarded for his try-scoring performance against Connacht by being included in the starting XV while Petrus Strauss and Martin Dreyer have been brought onto the bench. There is also a change at lock where Stephan Greeff takes over from Jurie Van Vuuren.
Leinster boss Leo Cullen has confirmed that Jamison Gibson-Park and Isa Nacewa returned to Dublin on Thursday and have successfully applied for a visa from the South African Embassy. The two players will rejoin the squad on Sunday in Cape Town in preparation for the Round 4 game against the Cheetahs next Friday.
Cullen has been able to call upon the services of a number of Irish internationals that have returned from injury.
Joey Carbery has recovered to take up the full-back slot for his first competitive outing of the season, with Adam Byrne on the right wing and Dave Kearney also returning from injury to make his first PRO14 start of the season on the left wing.
Noel Reid has recovered from a hand injury to start in his first game of the season with Rory O’Loughlin outside him in the 13 jersey.
Luke McGrath and Ross Byrne are the half back combination for the second week in a row.
In the pack Ed Byrne makes his first start in Leinster colours at loosehead prop. The Carlow native has had to overcome numerous injuries over the last few seasons which kept him out of the game at one stage for 28 months between October 2014 and February 2017 but he will now earn his 10th cap from the start. The 24 year old made his debut in February 2014.
Beside Byrne is Seán Cronin at hooker and Andrew Porter at tighthead.
Ross Molony is involved for the first time this season in the second row and beside him James Ryan gets his first ever start in Leinster colours having won two Irish caps during the summer tour to USA and Japan.
In the back row Rhys Ruddock captains the side with Jordi Murphy making his competitive return from an ACL injury picked up last November in the Ireland against New Zealand game in Chicago. Finally Jack Conan starts at eight for the second week in a row.
On the bench Cian Healy will win his 175th cap for Leinster should he be introduced.
The teams:
Kings: 15 Masixole Banda, 14 Yaw Penxe, 13 Berton Klaasen, 12 Luzuko Vulindlu, 11 Sibusiso Sithole, 10 Kurt Coleman, 9 Rudi van Rooyen, 8 Andisa Ntsila, 7 Victor Sekekete, 6 Khaya Majola, 5 Dries van Schalkwyk, 4 Stephan Greeff, 3 Luvuyo Pupuma, 2 Micheal Willemse, 1 Schalk Ferreira
Replacements: 16 Stephan Coetzee, 17 Petrus Strauss, 18 Martin Dreyer, 19 Bobby de Wee, 20 Siyabulela Mdaka, 21 Godlen Masimla, 22 Ntabeni Dukisa/Oliver Zono, 23 Jacques Nel
Leinster: 15 Joey Carbery, 14 Adam Byrne, 13 Rory O’Loughlin, 12 Noel Reid, 11 Dave Kearney, 10 Ross Byrne, 9 Luke McGrath, 8 Jack Conan, 7 Jordi Murphy, 6 Rhys Ruddock (c), 5 James Ryan, 4 Ross Molony, 3 Andrew Porter, 2 Seán Cronin, 1 Ed Byrne
Replacements: 16 James Tracy, 17 Cian Healy, 18 Michael Bent, 19 Mick Kearney, 20 Josh van der Flier, 21 Nick McCarthy, 22 Cathal Marsh, 23 Jordan Larmour
Date: Saturday, September 16
Venue: Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Port Elizabeth
Kick-off: 14:15 local (12:15 GMT)
Referee: Ben Whitehouse (Wales)
Assistant referees: Mike Adamson (Scotland), Cwengile Jadezweni (South Africa)
TMO: Johan Greeff (South Africa)
Ospreys vs Munster
Ospreys head coach Steve Tandy has named a side that includes James Hook as they look to beat Munster at the Liberty Stadium on Saturday.
Hook comes in for Kieron Fonotia while Dan Baker replaces Olly Cracknell in the back-row in their only changes to the starting line-up. British & Irish Lions fly-half Dan Biggar is on the bench.
"Munster at the Liberty Stadium is always a huge occasion and this week will be no different. We are really looking forward to Saturday afternoon and testing ourselves against a team that have started really well with back to back home wins in the first two rounds," said Tandy.
"We know what to expect from Munster, in that they’ll be physical, well organised and clinical, and we have to match that. Last week in Glasgow we were certainly able to match another good side physically in a contest that was a real arm wrestle for long periods, we set ourselves up well, but we let ourselves down with that lack of accuracy at key moments that meant we lacked the clinical edge that would have given the scoreboard a different look.
"Back in front of our own supporters this weekend it’s important that there’s a positive reaction and we’ve all got a big part to play in that, to ensure we can start to create some real momentum for two weeks on the road before we come back here to face the Scarlets next month."
Munster director of rugby Rassie Erasmus makes just one change for the trip to Liberty Stadium.
Like last weekend, that one change comes in the half backs with Tyler Bleyendaal returning to captain the side in the 10 jersey.
Should he appear off the bench, Irish international John Ryan will make his 100th appearance for the province having made his debut against Cardiff Blues in September 2011. The former Muskerry, CBC and UCC prop becomes the tenth member of the current squad to reach the career milestone.
James Cronin is also included among the replacements and could make his first appearance of the season having successfully rehabbed a knee injury.
The teams:
Ospreys: 15 Dan Evans, 14 Keelan Giles, 13 Cory Allen, 12 James Hook, 11 Jeff Hassler, 10 Sam Davies, 9 Tom Habberfield, 8 Dan Baker, 7 Justin Tipuric (c), 6 James King, 5 Lloyd Ashley, 4 Bradley Davies, 3 Ma’afu Fia, 2 Sam Parry, 1 Paul James
Replacements: 16 Scott Baldwin, 17 Nicky Smith, 18 Rhodri Jones, 19 Adam Beard, 20 Dan Lydiate, 21 Matthew Aubrey, 22 Dan Biggar, 23 Kieron Fonotia
Munster: 15 Andrew Conway, 14 Darren Sweetnam, 13 Chris Farrell, 12 Jaco Taute, 11 Alex Wootton, 10 Tyler Bleyendaal (c), 9 Duncan Williams, 8 Jack O’Donoghue, 7 Tommy O’Donnell, 6 Sean O’Connor, 5 Billy Holland, 4 Jean Kleyn, 3 Stephen Archer, 2 Rhys Marshall, 1 Liam O’Connor
Replacements: 16 Niall Scannell, 17 James Cronin, 18 John Ryan, 19 Fineen Wycherley, 20 Robin Copeland, 21 James Hart, 22 Rory Scannell, 23 Simon Zebo
Date: Saturday, September 16
Venue: Liberty Stadium, Swansea
Kick-off: 15:15 local (14:15 GMT)
Referee: Stuart Berry (South Africa)
Assistant referees: Dan Jones (Wales), Adam Jones (Wales)
TMO: Tim Hayes (Wales)
Cheetahs vs Zebre
Cheetahs head coach Rory Duncan has made a couple of changes to his team that will run out in Bloemfontein for the first time in a PRO14 fixture.
Sergeal Peterson moves to full-back, replacing Clayton Blommetjies with Luther Obi starting on right wing. Newcomer Ernest Stapelberg will be replacing Robbie Petzer on fly-half.
In the front row props Ox Nche and Tom Botha moves to the starting line-up with Charles Marais and Johan Coetzee providing cover on the bench. Hookers Torsten van Jaarsveld and Jacques du Toit will be switching places with Van Jaarsveld in the starting on number two. Justin Basson will be replacing Rynier Bernardo and Junior Pokomela comes in for the injured Niell Jordaan.
Nico Lee and Chris Dry are new to the bench. Lee will be making his return after a long term injury he sustained in Super Rugby against the Crusaders on April 29.
Luther Obi (right wing), Ernest Stapelberg (fly-half), Junior Pokomela (number eight), will be making their PRO14 debut in the starting line-up. Chris Dry and Nico Lee will be making their debuts when they run onto the field.
Like the Cheetahs, Zebre will be hoping to pick up their first win of the season on Saturday.
Zebre are without the injured Tommaso D'Apice, Luhandre Luus, Andrea Manici, Maxime Mbandà, Matteo Minozzi, Matteo Pratichetti and Riccardo Raffaele.
The teams:
Cheetahs: 15 Sergeal Petersen, 14 Luther Obi, 13 Francois Venter (c), 12 William Small-Smith, 11 Makazole Mapimpi, 10 Ernst Stapelberg, 9 Shaun Venter, 8 Junior Pokomela, 7 Henco Venter, 6 Paul Schoeman, 5 Reniel Hugo, 4 Justin Basson, 3 Tom Botha, 2 Torsten van Jaarsveld, 1 Ox Nche
Replacements: 16 Jacques du Toit, 17 Charles Marais, 18 Johan Coetzee, 19 Rynier Bernardo, 20 Chris Dry, 21 Tian Meyer, 22 Nico Lee, 23 Cecil Afrika
Zebre: 15 Ciaran Gaffney, 14 Giulio Bisegni, 13 Mattia Bellini, 12 Tommaso Castello (c), 11 Gabriele Di Giulio, 10 Carlo Canna, 9 Marcello Violi, 8 Renato Giammarioli, 7 Giovanni Licata, 6 Johan Meyer, 5 George Biagi, 4 David Sisi, 3 Dario Chistolini, 2 Oliviero Fabiani, 1 Andrea Lovotti
Replacements: 16 Sami Panico, 17 Andrea De Marchi, 18 Roberto Tenga, 19 Leonard Krumov, 20 Derick Minnie, 21 Guglielmo Palazzani, 22 Serafin Bordoli, 23 Faialaga Afamasaga
Date: Saturday, September 16
Venue: Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein
Kick-off: 19:30 local (17:30 GMT)
Referee: Andrew Brace (Ireland)
Assistant referees: Seán Gallagher (Ireland), Jaco Peyper (South Africa)
TMO: Marius Jonker (South Africa)
Cardiff Blues vs Glasgow Warriors
Cardiff Blues have made two changes for their PRO14 encounter with Glasgow Warriors on Saturday.
Following last weekend's defeat to Leinster, Wales' Capital Region return to Cardiff Arms Park, targeting their first competitive win of the season.
They have been boosted by the return to fitness of number eight Nick Williams, while centre Willis Halaholo also starts at centre.
The Blues face an in-form Glasgow team but following a memorable win in last season's fixture, and an improved performance against Leinster, head coach Danny Wilson has urged his side to take the next step.
He said: "We want to perform at home no matter what game you are coming off. The important thing for us is to build on the 67 minutes we played against Leinster, which was a much improved performance.
"We played poorly against Edinburgh, and got what we deserved, but for 67 minutes we were a lot better in the hardest away fixture of the season.
"There was an improvement from Edinburgh to Leinster and I need to see an improvement again. We beat Glasgow at home last season and we will be looking to beat them at home again"
The Blues are also boosted by the timely return to fitness of George Earle, who lines up on the bench.
Several first team players remain on the sidelines but Wilson is relieved to have the second-row back in action as the injury list begins to ease.
He added: "We have a tough set of fixtures at the start of the season and that's coincided with the nine first team injuries. They are starting to return or are getting close to a return.
"You have to take the rough with the smooth and get on with it. You have injury periods but that gives opportunity to other players and to young, developing Welsh players."
Meanwhile, Tim Swinson will become the latest Warrior to join the Glasgow centurion club, making his 100th appearance for the club away to Cardiff Blues.
The 30-year-old joined from Newcastle Falcons in 2012 and signed a new contract last season to stay at Scotstoun for a further three years.
Swinson played 120 for the Falcons and becomes only the second player in Glasgow history to play 100 times for both the Warriors and another club, the other being Dougie Hall who represented Edinburgh more than 100 times.
He starts in the second-row as part of an unchanged tight five from Rounds one and two.
Matt Fagerson is the only change in the pack from the Ospreys game, starting at blindside flanker ahead of Ryan Wilson.
Henry Pyrgos will captain the side in Wilson's absence, starting at scrum-half with Finn Russell outside of him.
Alex Dunbar, who was Man of the Match against the Ospreys last weekend, shifts from 13 to 12 and is joined by Nick Grigg in midfield.
Tommy Seymour will make his first appearance of the season, following his summer with the British and Irish Lions, joining Lee Jones and Ruaridh Jackson in the back three.
On the bench, Niko Matawalu is included in a matchday squad for the first time since rejoining the club.
Both George and Peter Horne are named as replacements and Alex Allan and Chris Fusaro are involved for this first time this season.
Glasgow Warriors head coach Dave Rennie said: "It's a great occasion for Tim (Swinson) and his family.
"To play 100 games for two clubs is a hell of an achievement and shows his durability. His physicality and competitive edge is massive within the group and it's great that he gets to join a pretty elite club."
The teams:
Cardiff Blues: 15 Rhun Williams, 14 Alex Cuthbert, 13 Rey Lee-Lo, 12 Willis Halaholo, 11 Tom James, 10 Steve Shingler, 9 Lloyd Williams, 8 Nick Williams, 7 Josh Navidi, 6 Josh Turnbull, 5 Damian Welch, 4 Seb Davies, 3 Keiron Assiratti, 2 Matthew Rees (c), 1 Rhys Gill
Replacements: 16 Kirby Myhill, 17 Brad Thyer, 18 Dillon Lewis, 19 George Earle, 20 Macauley Cook, 21 Tomos Williams, 22 Jarrod Evans, 23 Matthew Morgan
Glasgow: 15 Ruaridh Jackson, 14 Tommy Seymour, 13 Nick Grigg, 12 Alex Dunbar, 11 Lee Jones, 10 Finn Russell, 9 Henry Pyrgos (c), 8 Adam Ashe, 7 Callum Gibbins, 6 Matt Fagerson, 5 Scott Cummings, 4 Tim Swinson, 3 Zander Fagerson, 2 George Turner, 1 Jamie Bhatti
Replacements: 16 Pat MacArthur, 17 Alex Allan, 18 D'arcy Rae, 19 Brian Alainu'uese, 20 Chris Fusaro, 21 George Horne, 22 Peter Horne, 23 Niko Matawalu
Date: Saturday, September 16
Venue: Cardiff Arms Park
Kick-off: 19:35 local (18:35)
Referee: Frank Murphy (Ireland)
Assistant referees: George Clancy (Ireland), Mike English (Wales)
TMO: Simon McDowell (Ireland)
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