It will be a case of do-or-die for the DHL Stormers, Vodacom Bulls, and Fidelity Securedrive Lions in the quarter-finals of the Vodacom United Rugby Championship on Saturday as the teams channel all their energy into advancing to the top four to stay in the race for a shot at winning the title.
The Vodacom Bulls will take the field first against Munster in Pretoria (13h00), with the DHL Stormers lining up against Cardiff in Cape Town shortly after (15h30) in the second successive outing between the sides, while the Fidelity Securedrive Lions will have their work cut out against Leinster in Dublin (21h00) in their first Vodacom URC playoff match.
The Glasgow Warriors and Leinster have the inside lane to host the semi-finals if they win this weekend, after finishing in the top two on the standings, but the DHL Stormers and Vodacom Bulls, in particular, will be watching their clashes closely, as slip-ups by them will see the Capetonians and men from Pretoria book home semi-finals if the two SA sides emerge victorious. All this will contribute to a gripping opening playoff round.
The Vodacom Bulls will be determined to replicate the result between themselves and Munster in the pool stages of the competition in a repeat of this encounter and stretch their winning run in the tournament to seven matches. However, they will be bracing themselves for an epic duel after coming away with a narrow 34-31 victory at Loftus Versfeld two months ago.
With home ground advantage favouring the Vodacom Bulls and the team having finished the season one position higher than the fifth-placed Munster with far better attacking statistics, the hosts will enter the match as favourites.
However, Johan Ackermann’s team will be mindful of the fact that Munster’s defence has been more effective, and that the Irishmen will come out guns blazing with a semi-final spot at stake.
The men in blue will also draw comfort from the fact that Munster have suffered a few disappointing defeats on the road this season, but they managed to defeat Leinster in Dublin, which is sure to motivate them to register a surprise victory.
The DHL Stormers find themselves in a precarious situation against Cardiff as they prepare to battle it out at the DHL Stadium after their 22-16 defeat against the Welshmen in Cardiff in their last outing, which has created an air of suspense around their quarter-final.
Ordinarily, there would have been no doubt that the Capetonians would have been the favourites on paper, but with a draw and defeat in their last two matches, they will be under pressure to deliver a top-quality performance to force their way to their first semi-final in the showpiece.
John Dobson’s team trump Cardiff in their attacking and defensive statistics going into the match, but history has proven that this will count for nothing on Saturday.
The visitors have struggled away from home this season, winning only three matches against teams who failed to make the playoffs, but there is no doubt that they will be charged up to register back-to-back victories against the DHL Stormers and make history by progressing to the top four.
Similarly to Cardiff, the Fidelity Securedrive Lions will be determined to make their season even more special by reaching the semi-final for the first time, but they will be under no illusions about the challenge they face against Leinster, who will go all-out to silence their critics after going down in the Investec Champions Cup final last week.
While Leinster’s heavy 41-19 defeat against Bordeaux will fuel the Johannesburgers’ confidence as they look to bounce back from two gut-wrenching defeats in Ireland – one of which was a 31-7 loss against Leinster – they will give everything to avoid suffering the same fate against the Irish giants this week.
Ivan van Rooyen’s men, who remained in Ireland after conclusion of the pool stages to boost their preparations for this encounter, boast a superior attack to Leinster, scoring 17 more points in their 18 matches, but they will go up against a strong defensive outfit, meaning they will have to be accurate in their execution to create an upset.
Glasgow host Connacht in the first quarter-final, which is scheduled for 20h45 (SA time) on Friday evening.
Match Information:
Vodacom Bulls v Munster
Date: Saturday, 30 May
Venue: Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria
SA Time: 13h00
Referee: Andrea Piardi
TV: SuperSport
DHL Stormers v Cardiff
Date: Saturday, 30 May
Venue: DHL Stadium, Cape Town
SA Time: 15h30
Referee: Eoghan Cross
TV: SuperSport
Leinster v Fidelity Securedrive Lions
Date: Saturday, 30 May
Venue: Aviva Stadium, Dublin
SA Time: 21h00
Referee: Sam Grove-White
TV: SuperSport
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