The four South African Vodacom United Rugby Championship franchises will have everything to play for this weekend in round 13 of the cross-hemisphere series, as the playoff stages draw nearer and every match proves to be vital in their hopes of securing quarter-final berths.
It will be a blockbuster weekend for SA’s diehard rugby fans, with all four teams in action on local soil.
The Vodacom Bulls host Cardiff in Pretoria on Friday, the Fidelity Securedrive Lions meet Edinburgh in Johannesburg and the Hollywoodbets Sharks take on Munster in Durban on Saturday, and the DHL Stormers welcome the Dragons to Cape Town on Sunday.
With only six pool rounds remaining, only 15 points separate log-leaders, the Glasgow Warriors, and the ninth-placed Connacht.
Fourteen teams are still in the running to finish in the top eight. The DHL Stormers, Vodacom Bulls, and Fidelity Securedrive Lions, will be desperate to remain at the top end of the standings, while the Hollywoodbets Sharks will give everything to claw their way closer to the top eight to keep alive their quarter-final hopes.
The second-placed DHL Stormers will enter their match against the 14th-placed Dragons knowing that a bonus-point win could possibly push them back into the top spot on the table if Glasgow falter against Leinster with neither team securing a bonus point, while the Gauteng-based teams will try to close in on the sixth-placed Munster.
The 11th-placed Hollywoodbets Sharks, meanwhile, will know they need to win almost all their remaining games to force their way into the top eight, which will pave the way for a thrilling weekend of action.
The Vodacom Bulls will have their sights set on bouncing back from their disappointing 32-19 defeat against the DHL Stormers last weekend when they line up against Cardiff at Loftus Versfeld, but they will be wary of the visitors who have lost only four of their 12 matches to date, and who defeated Leinster in their last outing.
The men from Pretoria, however, will draw inspiration from the fact that they have only suffered two defeats at their fortress this season, while Cardiff have only won two away from home.
The Vodacom Bulls also boast a far superior attack with 83 points more scored than their opponents. Cardiff’s defence, however, has been superior, which means the hosts will have to ensure that they convert their opportunities into points – an area which cost them dearly last weekend.
In Johannesburg, the Fidelity Securedrive Lions will back themselves to secure a third home win in a row after coming off morale-boosting victories against the Hollywoodbets Sharks and DHL Stormers, which will be bolstered by their much more effective attacking statistics and only one home defeat to their name at Ellis Park in the competition this season.
They will also take confidence from the fact that they are currently five log positions above Edinburgh, with six victories to four by the Scots, however, they will be wary of underestimating the visitors, who have only suffered one defeat on the road by more than eight points.
While the teams are closely matched on defence, the Johannesburgers have scored close to 90 points more on attack, which will add to their confidence going into the encounter.
The Hollywoodbets Sharks, meanwhile, will be determined to hit their straps from the outset against Munster at Hollywoodbets Kings Park to get a stronghold on the match, especially with the side trailing the Irish giants by five log positions and with half the number of victories to their name after 12 rounds.
With the Durbanites coming off two successive defeats, they will be mindful that it would take similarly strong performances to those they delivered to beat the DHL Stormers two weeks in a row to secure the desired result.
With the Hollywoodbets Sharks boasting only an eight-point advantage in terms of points scored, tightening up their defence will be a key department for them to bag a victory and claw their way closer to playoff contention.
The DHL Stormers will enter their match against the Dragons as firm favourites after finding their form last weekend against the Vodacom Bulls following a three-match losing run, and given their track record in the competition so far, with nine victories to only two by the Welshmen.
While they will certainly not underestimate the Dragons through their own experiences in the tournament, they will count on their home ground advantage and superior attack and defence to rediscover the form that saw them win their first eight matches.
Fuelling their motivation, they are once again in a favourable position to secure a possible home playoff spot if the results in their next six matches go their way, which will certainly boost their confidence with an eye on the business end of the competition.
Match Information:
Vodacom Bulls v Cardiff
Date: Friday, 20 March
Venue: Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria
SA Time: 19h00
Referee: Eoghan Cross
TV: SuperSport
Fidelity Securedrive Lions v Edinburgh
Date: Saturday, 21 March
Venue: Ellis Park, Johannesburg
SA Time: 14h45
Referee: Gianluca Gnecchi
TV: SuperSport
Hollywoodbets Sharks v Munster
Date: Saturday, 21 March
Venue: Hollywoodbets Kings Park, Durban
SA Time: 17h00
Referee: Sam Grove-White
TV: SuperSport
DHL Stormers v Dragons
Date: Sunday, 22 March
Venue: DHL Stadium, Cape Town
SA Time: 15h00
Referee: Andrew Brace
TV: SuperSport
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The Confederation of African Rugby is the governing body of rugby union within Africa and currently has 37 members. It runs various rugby tournaments within Africa including the CAR Super 16 and the Africa Cup.
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Sport Trivia: Which South African who played between 1949 and 1960 was named a Wisden Cricketer of the year in 1956? Answer: Hugh Tayfield. Hugh Tayfield once bowled 137 consecutive dot balls in a 1956/57 Test match against England which was held in Durban. Statistics for bowlers who have played 20 or more tests show that Hugh Tayfield conceded only 1.64 runs per over during his test career.