Crunch time as SA rugby sides eye European playoff spots

Victories will be key for all five SA franchises in the Champions Cup and Challenge Cup as the teams gear up for the penultimate pool round in the competitions this weekend.

In the Champions Cup only the Sharks are ranked in the top four in their pool, with two pool matches remaining, while the Bulls are ranked fifth and the Stormers sixth, making victories important if they are to advance to the round of 16.

The same applies to the Lions and Cheetahs, who are fourth and fifth respectively in their Challenge Cup pools.

The Stormers will kick off the action for the SA teams on Saturday when they host the Sale Sharks in Cape Town, which will be followed by a mouth-watering clash between the Sharks and Toulouse in Durban.

Montpellier host the Lions and Castres Olympique are at home to the Bulls in France, while the Cheetahs host Zebre Parma in Amsterdam on Sunday.

The Stormers will be desperate to register their first win in the competition on Saturday, with victory being essential for them to remain in the race for a playoff spot after two disappointing defeats.

The Capetonians will draw comfort from the fact that the English outfit have won only one of their two matches, but they will be wary that the result was a comprehensive 29-7 victory against Racing 92.

The Stormers will have home-ground advantage, and with three victories in four outings at their home patch in the United Rugby Championship, they will draw immense inspiration from their passionate support base.

That the Sale Sharks have won only two games on the road in the English Premiership will also boost the home team’s confidence about changing their fortunes in the competition around.

The Sharks will be determined to bounce back from their heavy 56-17 defeat against the Leicester Tigers when they line up against Toulouse, but the hosts will have their work cut out as the defending champions from France lead their pool after winning both their opening matches in the competition.

With both sides boasting several international players, it is expected to be a huge battle in front of a vocal Durban home crowd.

The hosts, in particular, will look to use the vastly different summer weather from that in France to their advantage, and their familiarity with the expected hot and humid KwaZulu-Natal weather will boost their confidence going into the clash.

The battle between the Bulls and Castres Olympique is also expected to be thrilling, with the French side leading the Pretoria outfit by four log points in fourth spot in their pool, after winning their most recent outing at home against Munster.

The Bulls, in turn, have suffered defeats in both their Champions Cup matches and have their backs against the wall with no points after defeats against Saracens and the Northampton Saints, which will fuel their motivation to bounce back strongly in the business end of the pool stages. 

SA Rugby Communication