It will be a case of sink or swim for the five South African franchises participating in the Investec Champions Cup and EPCR Challenge Cup competitions this weekend as the pool stage reaches a close with the first playoff round, which will play out in April, moving into view.
The Hollywoodbets Sharks and DHL Stormers – who are both in fourth place in their pools – will have one last roll of the dice to secure playoff spots in the Investec Champions Cup, while the Emirates Lions and Toyota Cheetahs – both ranked fifth in their groups – will be under immense pressure to register victories to keep their EPCR Challenge Cup playoff hopes alive.
The Vodacom Bulls, meanwhile, will wrap up their 2024/25 Investec Champions Cup campaign after dropping out of the race following their defeat last weekend, although they can still sneak into the EPCR Challenge Cup playoffs.
With a logjam on all their respective tables, victories and a bit of luck from the competing teams will be essential to see them make it beyond the pool stages.
The Vodacom Bulls will get the action underway on Saturday when they host Stade Francais Paris in Pretoria at 15h00, while the DHL Stormers will line up against Racing 92 in the French capital later that evening at 22h00.
The Hollywoodbets Sharks will wrap up the Investec Champions Cup pool action for SA’s teams on Sunday when they take on log-leaders, Union Bordeaux-Begles, in France at 15h00.
Both EPCR Challenge Cup matches will play out on Saturday, with the Emirates Lions welcoming the Dragons to Johannesburg at 17h15, while the Toyota Cheetahs will battle it out with Lyon in France at 19h30.
Investec Champions Cup
The Vodacom Bulls will be determined to finish their campaign on a winning note with their first victory in the competition this season when they lock horns with Stade Francais, and they will undoubtedly try to capitalise on the summer conditions to give them a physical edge.
They will draw comfort from the fact that the French club have only won one match so far this season – a high-scoring 45-35 victory against the Northampton Saints last week – although that would certainly give the visitors a mental boost going into the match.
With the Pretoria outfit playing at home, they could be tempted to select more of their first-choice players after a gallant young outfit held out Castres for a large part of last week’s game, especially with an eye on delivering a performance their passionate fans can be proud of after three disappointing defeats in the competition.
The DHL Stormers, meanwhile, will have their work cut out against Racing 92 at La Defense Arena in Paris, given the fact that both teams have won only one match this season – with both victories being on their home patches.
While the hosts will be desperate to bounce back from successive defeats after beating Harlequins 23-12 in their opening match of the season in Paris, the Capetonians will enter the match with confidence after banking their first victory in style with a comprehensive 40-0 win against the Sale Sharks last weekend.
Sale and Racing 92 are also still in the playoff race, however, a victory is essential for the Cape side to qualify, especially if they want to keep their fate in their own hands as the Sale Sharks face Toulon at home in the final match of the round, which means they will know exactly what they have to do to qualify when they take the field.
The Hollywoodbets Sharks will also be up against it at Stade Chabane-Delmas against Pool One log-leaders the Bordeaux-Begles, who are currently one of only four unbeaten teams in the competition and who boast a full house of points.
The French outfit have been particularly effective on attack and hold the record for the most tries scored in the competition so far with an impressive 23 tries in three matches to only eight by the Durbanites, meaning they will have to deliver a top-class display all around to come away with a victory.
Piling the pressure on the visitors, Ulster and the Exeter Chiefs – who trail them on the log with no points – face one another on Friday, and if either of them register a big victory, the KwaZulu-Natalians will need a bonus point from the match or bank on points’ difference to qualify.
Fortunately for the Hollywoodbets Sharks, they will enter the match knowing exactly what the permutations are for them to cement their place in the playoffs by the time they take the field.
EPCR Challenge Cup
The Emirates Lions will rely on their more effective attack and the favourable local weather conditions to boost their hopes of a victory against the Dragons – who are currently above them on the log table on points’ difference – when they meet at Emirates Airline Park in an all or nothing match for both teams.
With Montpellier, Pau, and the Ospreys having already qualified for the playoffs, there is a three-way race between the Dragons, Emirates Lions, and Newcastle Falcons for the last remaining playoff spot in the pool, although the winner of this match will in all likelihood book that spot as the Falcons are languishing at the foot of the log with no points and face the challenge of taking on the unbeaten Montpellier in their final pool match.
The Toyota Cheetahs will also have to deliver a fine performance against Lyon at the Matmut Stadium de Gerland to book their place in the top four, especially given that they are level on six points with Perpignan.
Perpignan are up against Zebre Parma, who boast only two bonus points for their efforts so far this season. Cardiff, who face Connacht on Friday, are also in the race for that playoff spot and they currently hold a one-point lead over the trailing Perpignan and Toyota Cheetahs on the table.
Depending on the outcome of Friday’s match, the Free Staters could find themselves in a similar situation to the DHL Stormers where they have to win to stay in control of their destiny, as Perpignan and Zebre Parma only take the field on Sunday, meaning the Frenchmen will know exactly what they need to do to qualify when they run onto the park.
The Toyota Cheetahs will be bracing themselves for a challenging encounter as Lyon have won two of their three matches to only one by the Free Stater’s, although the visitors will draw inspiration from their last-gasp 22-18 victory against Zebre Parma last week and their dramatic 20-20 draw against Perpignan in their opening game.
Match information – Investec Champions Cup Round 4:
Vodacom Bulls v Stade Francais Paris
Date: Saturday, 18 January
Venue: Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria
SA Time: 15h00
Referee: Adam Leal
TV: SuperSport
Racing 92 v DHL Stormers
Date: Saturday, 18 January
Venue: La Defense Arena, Paris
SA Time: 22h00
Referee: Anthony Woodthorpe
TV: SuperSport
Bordeaux-Begles v Hollywoodbets Sharks
Date: Sunday, 19 January
Venue: Stade Chabane-Delmas, Bordeaux
SA Time: 15h00
Referee: Christophe Ridley
TV: SuperSport
Match Information – EPCR Challenge Cup Round 4:
Emirates Lions v Dragons
Date: Saturday, 18 January
Venue: Emirates Airline Park, Johannesburg
SA Time: 17h15
Referee: Evan Urruzmendi
TV: SuperSport
Lyon v Toyota Cheetahs
Date: Saturday, 18 January
Venue: Matmut Stadium de Gerland, Lyon
SA Time: 19h30
Referee: Sara Cox
TV: SuperSport
Sky
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Asif Karim has also played tennis for his country in the Davis Cup.