Victories will be key for all five South African franchises in the Investec Champions Cup and EPCR Challenge Cup as the teams gear up for the penultimate pool round in the respective competitions this weekend.
In the Investec Champions Cup only the Hollywoodbets Sharks are currently ranked in the top four in their pool with two pool matches remaining, while the Vodacom Bulls are currently ranked fifth and the DHL Stormers sixth, making victories important if they are to advance to the Round of 16.
The same applies for the Emirates Lions and Toyota Cheetahs, who are currently in fourth and fifth place respectively in their EPCR Challenge Cup pools.
The DHL Stormers will kick off the action for the SA teams on Saturday when they host the Sale Sharks in Cape Town, which will be followed by a mouth-watering clash between the Hollywoodbets and Toulouse in Durban.
Montpellier host the Emirates Lions, and Castres Olympique are at home to the Vodacom Bulls in France respectively, while the Toyota Cheetahs host Zebre Parma in Amsterdam on Sunday.
Investec Champions Cup
The DHL Stormers will be desperate to register their first victory in the competition on Saturday, when they meet the Sale Sharks at the DHL Stadium, where victory is essential for them to remain in the race a playoff spot after two disappointing defeats.
The Capetonians will draw comfort from the fact that the English outfit have only won one of their two matches, but they will be wary of the fact that result was a comprehensive 29-7 victory against Racing 92.
Fortunately for the DHL Stormers, they will have home ground advantage, and with three victories in four outings at their home patch in the Vodacom United Rugby Championship, they will draw immense inspiration from their passionate support base.
The fact that the Sale Sharks have only won two games on the road in the Gallagher Premiership will also boost the home team’s confidence to change their fortunes in the competition.
The Hollywoodbets Sharks, meanwhile, will be determined to bounce back from their heavy 56-17 defeat against the Leicester Tigers when they line up against Toulouse, but the hosts will have their work cut out as the defending champions from France currently lead their pool after winning both their opening matches in the competition.
With both sides boasting several international players, it is expected to be a battle of huge proportions in front of a vocal Durban home crowd.
The hosts, in particular, will look to use the vastly different summer weather conditions to that in France to their advantage, and their familiarity with the expected hot and humid KwaZulu-Natal weather will certainly boost their confidence mentally going into the clash.
The battle between the Vodacom Bulls and Castres Olympique is also expected to be thrilling, with the French side leading the Pretoria outfit by four log points in fourth spot in their pool, after winning their last outing at home against Munster.
The Vodacom Bulls, in turn, have suffered defeats in both their Investec Champions Cup matches and have their backs against the wall with no points to their name following defeats against Saracens and the Northampton Saints, which will fuel their motivation to bounce back strongly in the business end of the pool stages.
EPCR Challenge Cup
The Emirates Lions will target consecutive wins in the competition and look to hold onto their spot in the top four to boost their playoff hopes when they take on Montpellier away, but they will be wary of the challenge that awaits them as the hosts have won both their matches so far and currently top their log table.
The Johannesburgers, however, will have to step up their defence in particular to achieve this, as Montpellier have scored 11 tries in their last two matches to eight by the Emirates Lions.
The Toyota Cheetahs, in turn, will be on a mission to register their first win in the competition when they face Zebre Parma after a heart-breaking draw and defeat in their first two matches, which has seen them earn only two log points.
The Italians, however, come off two defeats and are at the foot of their log table with one point to their name, which should give the Toyota Cheetahs some comfort. But they will be wary of taking a victory for granted as both teams are in a similarly desperate situation, and this is expected to bring out the best out of both teams.
Match information – Investec Champions Cup Round 3:
DHL Stormers v Sale Sharks
Date: Saturday, 11 January
Venue: DHL Stadium, Cape Town
SA Time: 15h00
Referee: Ludovic Cayre
TV: SuperSport
Hollywoodbets Sharks v Toulouse
Date: Saturday, 11 January
Venue: Hollywoodbets Kings Park, Durban
SA Time: 17h15
Referee: Luke Pearce
TV: SuperSport
Castres Olympique v Vodacom Bulls
Date: Saturday, 11 January
Venue: Stade Pierre Fabre, Castres
SA Time: 22h00
Referee: Matthew Carley
TV: SuperSport
Match Information – EPCR Challenge Cup Round 3:
Montpellier v Emirates Lions
Date: Saturday, 11 January
Venue: GGL Stadium, Montpellier
SA Time: 19h30
Referee: Ben Breakspear
TV: SuperSport
Toyota Cheetahs v Zebre Parma
Date: Sunday, 12 January
Venue: NRCA Stadium, Amsterdam
SA Time: 15h00
Referee: Peter Martin
TV: SuperSport
Magenta
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Redfisher
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