The four South African Vodacom United Rugby Championship franchises will target another perfect run of home victories in a gripping round of action this weekend, where victories, preferably with bonus-points, will be essential to keep them in the running for playoff spots as the end of the pool phase moves into view.
The Hollywoodbets Sharks will take the field first against Cardiff in Durban on Friday evening, while a jam-packed Saturday will see the Vodacom Bulls host Munster in Pretoria, the Fidelity Securedrive Lions take on the Dragons in Johannesburg, and the DHL Stormers will wrap up the action against Edinburgh in Cape Town.
With only 15 points separating log-leaders, the Glasgow Warriors and the ninth-placed Connacht – who are level on 35 log points with the eighth-placed Vodacom Bulls – and the 11th-placed Hollywoodbets Sharks trailing them by six points, the race is still wide open for several teams to play themselves into contention for quarter-final berths.
The match-up at Hollywoodbets Kings Park between the Hollywoodbets Sharks and fifth-placed Cardiff will be crucial for the hosts, as a defeat could deal a huge blow to their playoff hopes, given the intense scramble higher up on the table.
The Durbanites will rely heavily on their shift in form following their 45-0 victory against Munster last week, which was a welcome result after successive defeats in their two previous outings, as they look to make a strong statement against Cardiff, who come off a heavy 40-7 defeat against the Vodacom Bulls. That result, however, will inspire the visitors significantly to avoid the same fate and remain within range of the top four sides for a possible home quarter-final.
The Welsh outfit may have won three matches more than the KwaZulu-Natalians, but they will be wary of their hosts, who have scored 54 points more in the competition so far. But the Hollywoodbets Sharks will be under pressure to deliver another top-notch defensive effort as they have conceded 333 points to 250 by Cardiff.
Making a victory even more important for the Hollywoodbets Sharks, they have a two-week overseas tour coming up, which should give them all the motivation they need to build winning momentum.
The Vodacom Bulls, in turn, will be inspired by the Durbanites’ comprehensive victory against Munster when the teams line up at Loftus Versfeld in a match that will be vital for the hosts to win to remain in the top half of the standings.
With home ground advantage counting in the Vodacom Bulls’ favour and the team coming off a good win against Cardiff, combined with the fact that they have suffered only two defeats at home this season, their tails will be up going into the game.
They will also draw inspiration from the fact that the Irish giants have not been as dominant as they would have liked to be this season, with a few tight results, while the Pretoria outfit’s attack has also been better than Munster’s.
The seventh-placed Emirates Lions will back themselves to build on their impressive form of late, which has bagged them three home wins in a row, especially with the Dragons lying in second-last place on the table.
They will, however, be careful about underestimating the visitors, who put up a brave fight against the DHL Stormers last week, going down by only eight points, while they have also been more effective on defence this season.
Should the Fidelity Securedrive Lions be able to build on their steadily improving attacking displays in the last few weeks, though, the Dragons could be tested to the limit on defence.
The second-placed DHL Stormers will enter their encounter against the 13th-placed Edinburgh as the firm favourites despite having to work hard for their win against the Dragons last week.
The permutations will be particularly important for the hosts, as a third successive win could either keep them in second place on the standings or they could jump back to the top of the table if they record a bonus-point win and Glasgow slip up against Benetton and do not secure a bonus point.
Their confidence will also be boosted by the fact that Edinburgh have suffered defeats in four of their last five matches and find themselves with their backs against the wall, having to win all their remaining games with bonus points to keep alive their faint hopes of sneaking into the top eight.
In addition, all the statistics favour the DHL Stormers, although they will be mindful that Edinburgh have nothing to lose, which could make them a dangerous prospect.
Match Information:
Hollywoodbets Sharks v Cardiff
Date: Friday, 27 March
Venue: Hollywoodbets Kings Park, Durban
SA Time: 19h00
Referee: Gianluca Gnecchi
TV: SuperSport
Vodacom Bulls v Munster
Date: Saturday, 28 March
Venue: Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria
SA Time: 14h00
Referee: Hollie Davidson
TV: SuperSport
Fidelity Securedrive Lions v Dragons
Date: Saturday, 28 March
Venue: Ellis Park, Johannesburg
SA Time: 16h30
Referee: Robbie Jenkinson
TV: SuperSport
DHL Stormers v Edinburgh
Date: Saturday, 28 March
Venue: DHL Stadium, Cape Town
SA Time: 19h00
Referee: Eoghan Cross
TV: SuperSport
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