Everything on the line for SA teams in pivotal URC weekend
by KickOff Rugby · KickOffThere will be no room for error for the four South African teams in the United Rugby Championship in the third-last round of pool matches this weekend, with every result set to have notable implications for their playoff hopes.
The Sharks, who must win all their remaining matches with bonus points and hope that several other teams stumble for them to qualify for the quarter-finals, will set the weekend’s action in motion for the SA teams when they line up against Edinburgh in Scotland on Friday night.
READ | Sharks owner blasts URC after Ospreys scrum controversy
Three matches, meanwhile, will play out on Saturday: the Stormers host the Glasgow Warriors in a table-topping clash in Cape Town, followed by an exciting battle between the Lions and Connacht in Johannesburg, and the Bulls take on the Scarlets in Wales.
While a bonus-point victory for the second-placed Stormers against the log-leading Warriors could see them leap back up to the top spot on the standings, the fourth-placed Lions will go in search of their sixth win in a row against the ninth-placed Connacht, who trail them by only four log points, in the Johannesburgers’ last home game in the league stages, which makes a victory vital for their playoff hopes.
The eighth-placed Bulls will go up against the 14th-placed Scarlets, with a victory set to see them remain in the top half of the table, while the 11th-placed Sharks will have their work cut out against the 12th-placed Edinburgh, as a defeat could deal the killer blow to their playoff hopes.
The Durbanites will brace themselves for a tough outing against Edinburgh at the Hive Stadium after being left gutted against the Ospreys last week, and with the knowledge that the home side will be playing purely for pride after already being knocked out of playoff contention.
Spicing up the match, the KwaZulu-Natalians have registered only one more victory than the hosts in the competition thus far, and although they will draw comfort from the fact that they have scored 39 more points, their defence has been evenly matched.
Edinburgh have experienced mixed results on their home patch this season, which will give the Sharks hope of finishing their tour on a positive note, although they will have to place a massive emphasis on converting their point-scoring chances into points – an area that has let them down at crucial times this season – to change their fortunes and return to winning ways.
The Stormers will have everything to play for against the Glasgow Warriors, with a win set to see them climb to the top of the table or remain in second place, depending on Leinster’s result, to remain in a strong position for a home quarter-final, and to make up for their disappointing defeat against Connacht last week.
READ | Gaza’s message to Stormers wonderkid Muller: ‘Trust your natural instinct’
With home-ground advantage and the inspiration of leaping further up the table set to fuel their motivation immensely, the Capetonians will have everything to play for, but they will be wary of the fact that the visitors will be hellbent on avenging their big defeat last week against the Lions, and holding onto their first-place standing, which has all the makings for a gripping encounter.
The Stormers will also want to keep their impressive home-win record intact, with only two defeats at the stadium in the competition this season, but with the tournament at a knife’s edge with a handful of teams still able to overtake them on the table in the next two weeks, and a tour to Ireland and Wales lying ahead, there will be no lack of motivation.
In Johannesburg, the in-form Lions, who have been on fire at home in the last five rounds, will have their sights set on wrapping up a rewarding six-match winning streak when they line up against Connacht at Ellis Park. However, they will be careful not to underestimate the Irishmen, who come off a confidence-boosting upset against the Stormers, and who are still well in contention for a quarter-final berth as the pool stages draw to a close.
The Johannesburgers may have won only one more match than the visitors, but they boast the bragging rights as the best team on attack this season – something they will look to build on against Connacht. They will, however, be mindful of the fact that the Irish outfit have won their last three successive away matches, which they too will want to build on before their challenging home match against Munster next.
The Bulls, meanwhile, will back themselves to register their first victory ever at Parc y Scarlets against the Scarlets. The men from Pretoria, who are currently six log positions ahead of the Welshmen, come off three successive wins and know that they have two home games remaining to finish off the league stages.
READ | Junior Boks to face Fiji, Georgia and Chile in crucial World Championship prep series
They will also draw inspiration from the fact that the Scarlets have won only three of their home games this season, but they will be wary of underestimating the hosts, who put up a brave fight against Cardiff last week, and who will be looking to give their supporters something to smile about in what marks their second-last home game of their campaign.
On paper, the only aspect the Scarlets come close to their guests in terms of stats is on defence, but if the Bulls continue their fine form on attack and build on the defensive effort that saw them concede only one try against the Dragons last week, they will have full belief that another sterling performance all around should set them up for a fourth successive victory.
SA URC fixtures this weekend
Edinburgh v Sharks
Date: Friday, 24 April
Venue: Hive Stadium, Edinburgh
SA Time: 20h45
Referee: Ben Breakspear
TV: SuperSport
Stormers v Glasgow Warriors
Date: Saturday, 25 April
Venue: DHL Stadium, Cape Town
SA Time: 13h45
Referee: Eoghan Cross
TV: SuperSport
Lions v Connacht
Date: Saturday, 25 April
Venue: Ellis Park, Johannesburg
SA Time: 16h00
Referee: Filippo Russo
TV: SuperSport
Scarlets v Bulls
Date: Saturday, 25 April
Venue: Parc y Scarlets, Llanelli
SA Time: 20h45
Referee: Gianluca Gnecchi
TV: SuperSport