Final push for SA teams as URC pool stages conclude

SA’s three United Rugby Championship (URC) quarterfinalists, the Bulls, Sharks, and Stormers, will have their sights set on building winning momentum with an eye on the playoffs as the curtain drops on the pool stages this weekend, while the Lions will look to wrap up their campaign on a high note.

The Bulls will be guaranteed a second-place finish if they do not lose their final pool match, but they will be aware of the need to maintain winning momentum with a home quarterfinal already lined up.

The Sharks will do everything in their power to leap into third place above the Glasgow Warriors, who face off against log-leaders Leinster; and the Stormers will be determined to hold onto their fifth place standing for an easier route to the grand final should these teams emerge as one of the last two standing in the cross-hemisphere spectacle.

The Stormers kick off the weekend’s action on Friday against Cardiff in Cape Town, while a jam-packed Saturday awaits as the Bulls take on the Dragons in Pretoria, the Lions host the Ospreys in Johannesburg, and the Sharks meet the Scarlets in Durban.

In Cape Town, the Stormers will enter their match against Cardiff as the overwhelming favourites with home ground advantage and three successive victories in the competition to their name, to add to the fact that they will be high on confidence after securing their quarterfinal spot last weekend.

The Capetonians will also draw inspiration from the fact that the Welsh outfit have won only three away games this season, but they will be careful about underestimating the ninth-placed opposition who still have one last shot of sneaking into the playoffs.

The Bulls, meanwhile, will enter their clash against the last-placed Dragons with the odds stacked heavily in their favour after coming off six consecutive wins in the tournament and only one defeat at Loftus Versfeld this season.

With 167 more points scored than the Dragons and 236 fewer points conceded in their 17 matches to date, they will have all the confidence they need to come away with their 14th victory of the season.

The Lions will have all the makings of a desperate team to finish their season on a positive note against the Ospreys at Ellis Park after suffering four defeats in their past five URC outings — the last of which was a heart-wrenching 32-19 defeat against the Scarlets.

In Durban, the Sharks will have all the motivation they need to emerge victorious against sixth-placed Scarlets, but they will be wary that the visitors come off a morale-boosting victory against the Lions, while they also went down by fewer than seven points in four of their five away games to add to a draw, which could pave the way for a mighty battle. 

That said, the KwaZulu-Natalians come off three vital victories in a row — only one of which was at home — and they will be well aware that they need to improve on their performance against the Ospreys last week to deliver the standard of rugby required to secure a semifinal berth at the end of May.

SA Rugby Media