No love will be lost in the Vodacom United Rugby Championship this weekend as the four South African sides continue to pin their hopes on victories to stay in the race for quarter-final spots or the best possible log positions with only three rounds of pool matches remaining.
While the Vodacom Bulls (in third position with 54 points) and Hollywoodbets Sharks (in fourth place with 49 points) will be resolute in their quest to maintain their standing in the top four as they hunt home quarter-finals, the DHL Stormers (in eighth position with 40 points) will give everything to remain in the top eight, which could require winning all three remaining round-robin matches.
The Emirates Lions, meanwhile, are under immense pressure to win their match to keep their faint playoff hopes alive after suffering five successive defeats in the competition.
The Vodacom Bulls will kick-start the action on Friday against the Glasgow Warriors in Pretoria in a repeat of last year’s Grand Final – only this time in Scotland – while Saturday will be action-packed as the Emirates Lions host Connacht in Johannesburg, the DHL Stormers welcome Benetton to Cape Town, and the Hollywoodbets Sharks take on Ulster in Belfast.
The battle between the Vodacom Bulls and second-placed Glasgow Warriors is expected to be a humdinger given how closely matched the teams are on the table and in terms of their performances this season, with only four log points separating them and both sides being tied on 11 victories in their 15 matches to date.
The men from Pretoria can still finish in the top two on the log, should they bag a few good results in their remaining matches, starting in Glasgow.
Spicing up the clash, memories of the Vodacom Bulls’ heart-breaking 21-16 defeat in last year’s Grand Final in Pretoria will still be fresh in their minds – a result they will be determined to avenge.
As if that were not enough, second place on the table will be at stake, as a victory for the Vodacom Bulls, if they win with a bonus point and deny the Warriors a point will see them leapfrog the hosts on the table.
While the Glasgow Warriors will do their utmost to make the most of their home ground advantage – especially with the team on a good run this season with only one defeat suffered at the Scotstoun Stadium in the competition so far – and to build on their superior attack and defensive record in the competition up to now, this is expected to fuel the Vodacom Bulls’ determination to create an upset.
Adding to the visitors’ motivation, they will enter the match with confidence after making history with a 16-13 victory against Munster in Limerick last week and winning five of their last six matches in the showpiece. All this combined is expected to result in a battle of epic proportions.
The Emirates Lions, meanwhile, will enter their clash against Connacht with their backs against the wall after coming off a five-match losing streak. They will also be mindful of the fact that another defeat will, in all likelihood, dash all hopes of them sneaking into the playoffs through the backdoor.
The Johannesburgers will be wary of the fact that Connacht came within inches of defeating the DHL Stormers in Cape Town last week, which will undoubtedly boost their confidence.
Interestingly, the Emirates Lions have won one more match than Connacht in the league stages, although the Irish are currently two log places above them on the table with a four-point buffer. Still, the Gautengers will draw inspiration from the fact that they have conceded 30 points fewer on defence than the visitors, which will be an important focus area for them as Connacht have scored 42 more points in their 15 matches.
With the intense pressure on the Emirates Lions, however, they will see a victory as non-negotiable going into the clash.
The DHL Stormers will also have a heavy load on their shoulders against the fifth-placed Benetton in what they will consider a must-win encounter at the DHL Stadium – a ground where they have had fair success this season, winning four of their six matches, with their defeats being by one and nine points respectively.
They will, however, be wary of the fact that the Italians have proved that they can win away from home with three wins on the road in the bag already, while they also come off an encouraging 42-31 victory against the Emirates Lions in Johannesburg last week.
The Capetonians will take comfort from the fact that they have scored 35 points more than Benetton, who have been marginally better on defence, which should pave the way for a humdinger of a match.
The Hollywoodbets Sharks, in turn, will back themselves to create an upset against Ulster after edging Edinburgh 18-17 in Scotland last week, and with the KwaZulu-Natalians well above the Northern Irish on the standings with three more victories so far to add to a marginally better attack and defensive record, they will have all the motivation they need to bag another vital away win.
They will also take some encouragement from the fact that Ulster have suffered three defeats at home this season, which makes a victory a real possibility if they play to their full potential.
Match Information:
Glasgow Warriors v Vodacom Bulls
Date: Friday, 25 April
Venue: Scotstoun Stadium, Glasgow
SA Time: 20h35
Referee: Andrew Brace
TV: SuperSport
Emirates Lions v Connacht
Date: Saturday, 26 April
Venue: Emirates Airline Park, Johannesburg
SA Time: 16h00
Referee: Hollie Davidson
TV: SuperSport
DHL Stormers v Benetton
Date: Saturday, 26 April
Venue: DHL Stadium, Cape Town
SA Time: 18h15
Referee: Adam Jones
TV: SuperSport
Ulster v Hollywoodbets Sharks
Date: Saturday, 26 April
Venue: Kingspan Stadium, Ulster
SA Time: 20h35
Referee: Ben Whitehouse
TV: SuperSport
Alias Stick
Sourav Chandidas Ganguly is the only cricketer in the world to receive ‘Four-Consecutive Man of The Match Awards
Tan Stallion
More than 80 percent of Africa’s World Cup players play club soccer on teams that are based in Europe.