Apart from Nelspruit, South African eyes will be on Johannesburg, Pretoria, Bridgend and Galway on Saturday as the four local franchises get their Vodacom United Rugby Championship season underway.
The pressure will be on from the outset after the Vodacom Bulls and DHL Stormers had filled four of the six finals berths in the last three seasons, while the Hollywoodbets Sharks and Emirates Lions will have their sights set on going all the way in the coming months.
With last week’s opening round derbies moved to early in 2025, the Emirates Lions, Vodacom Bulls, DHL Stormers and Hollywoodbets Sharks will all be in action this weekend when they face Ulster, Edinburgh, Ospreys and Connacht respectively.
While Ulster and Connacht go into their matches this weekend following victories in the opening round, Edinburgh and Ospreys lost by small margins last weekend and will be eager to get back on track.
Ulster will travel to Johannesburg keen to keep their unbeaten record against the Emirates Lions intact, with the team from Northern Ireland winning all three of their previous encounters against the Gautengers, with their last visit to Emirates Airline Park ending in a 39-37 win.
However, the Emirates Lions’ only defeat in their last five Vodacom URC matches in Johannesburg was when Munster beat them 33-13 in round 15 last year.
Up the N1 in Pretoria, the Vodacom Bulls will be keen to start the season on a winning note after their six-game winning run in the competition ended with their defeat to Glasgow in last season’s final.
The Vodacom Bulls will fancy their chances against Edinburgh, who have won only two of their last 10 Vodacom URC matches against South African opponents – both at home in Scotland, to the Emirates Lions and Vodacom Bulls late last year.
Furthermore, the last three encounters between these two teams have been won by the home side.
After the Springboks’ Castle Lager Rugby Championship Test against Argentina in Nelspruit, the focus will shift north, where the DHL Stormers and Hollywoodbets Sharks kick off their campaigns on the road.
Looking back at the three previous encounters between the DHL Stormers and Ospreys, honours are even, with one win apiece, while their match in Swansea in October 2022 ended in a draw.
The DHL Stormers will take some heart from their record in Wales though, there they are in the black, having won three, lost two and drawn one of their six matches in the Principality.
It won’t be easy though as Ospreys have a good home record – they have lost only one of their last six Vodacom URC home games, 17-27 to Munster in Swansea in March, while they have won three from six at Dunraven Brewery Field in Bridgend.
In Ireland, the Hollywoodbets Sharks will have a tough task against Connacht in Galway, a venue South African teams have struggled at in the past.
Connacht’s most recent victory over a South African opponent was when they visited Durban in November 2023, winning 13-12, while the Hollywoodbets Sharks also lost on their only previous visit to Galway, 24-12 in January 2023.
But the men from Durban, who won the EPCR Challenge Cup last season, will take a lot of confidence with them into the match, as they had to dig very deep in their last two Carling Currie Cup matches to take the title this season, with away victories in the semi-final and final in the last fortnight.
Match information:
Emirates Lions v Ulster
Date: Saturday, 28 September
Venue: Emirates Airline Park, Johannesburg
SA Time: 12h55
Referee: Sam Grove-White
TV: SuperSport
Vodacom Bulls v Edinburgh
Date: Saturday, 28 September
Venue: Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria
SA Time: 15h00
Referee: Ben Breakspear
TV: SuperSport
Ospreys v DHL Stormers
Date: Saturday, 28 September
Venue: Dunraven Brewery Field, Bridgend
SA Time: 20h35
Referee: Andrew Brace
TV: SuperSport
Connacht v Hollywoodbets Sharks
Date: Saturday, 28 September
Venue: Dexcom Stadium, Galway
SA Time: 20h35
Referee: Federico Vedovelli
TV: SuperSport
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