The Vodacom United Rugby Championship will be back to full throttle this weekend as the competition reaches round 13 and the race for playoff spots sears to new heights, with 15 of the 16 teams still in the race to qualify for the quarter-finals.
With the Six Nations playing out between the end of January and last weekend, the domestic Vodacom URC teams had time to catch up on their postponed matches and squeeze in a number of derbies, but this week, all 16 teams are back in action in what promises to be a blockbuster round.
The eighth-placed Emirates Lions will launch the action for the domestic teams on Friday when they meet the sixth-placed Cardiff in Wales, while SA’s die-hard fans will have loads of action to look forward to on Saturday.
Three matches will play out on Saturday with SA Shield winners, the Hollywoodbets Sharks (who are currently in fourth place on the standings), hosting the 15th placed Zebre Parma in Durban; the Vodacom Bulls (third) welcoming log-leaders Leinster to Pretoria, and the 10th placed Scarlets taking on the 12th placed DHL Stormers in Llanelli.
With only four log points separating the Emirates Lions and Zebre Parma on the standings, every point will count going forward and bonus points will be vital, setting the scene for an exhilarating road to the final stages.
The battle between Cardiff and the Emirates Lions in Wales could prove to be a humdinger as both teams look to bounce back from defeats in their last outing and remain in the top eight on the table, and with only two points separating them, a defeat for either team could serve as a big blow.
Interestingly, the Johannesburgers have won one more match than their Welsh counterparts, which will boost their confidence, while they also defeated the Dragons and Zebre Parma on tour early in the season.
Cardiff, in particular, will want to find some winning momentum on their home patch where they have won only three matches, which will fuel their motivation, but these statistics will make the Emirates Lions even more hungry to come away with a win.
The visitors will also draw inspiration from the fact that they have been more effective on attack and defence this season, scoring 17 more points and conceding an impressive 52 points fewer in their 12 matches to date, meaning the main difference between the sides on the standings is Cardiff’s nine bonus points to five by the Emirates Lions.
The Hollywoodbets Sharks will target a victory against Zebre Parma at Hollywoodbets Kings Park where they will enter the match as firm favorites being nine log positions ahead of the visitors and coming off a morale-boosting victory against the Emirates Lions two weekends ago.
Bolstering their confidence, they have an impeccable track record at home this season where they remain unbeaten and have claimed several big scalps.
But the Durbanites will be careful not to write off the visitors – who are enjoying one of their best seasons in recent years, with victories over Munster, Ospreys, Benetton, Edinburgh and the Dragons this season – while three of their defeats have been by four points or fewer, which will charge them up to create an upset and remain in the playoff race.
The KwaZulu-Natalians boast a far better record on attack and defence – areas of their game they will try to use to their advantage on Saturday.
The clash between the Vodacom Bulls and Leinster at Loftus Versfeld is also expected to be gripping with the hosts being determined to end the Irish giant’s unbeaten run in the competition and to close the gap on the table, while also possibly overtaking the second-placed Glasgow Warriors if they go down against Munster on Friday.
Both teams have been in fine form this season, although the Vodacom Bulls will be wary of the fact that Leinster are the best defensive team in the tournament with only 166 points conceded in their 12 matches up to now, meaning they will have to be extremely efficient on attack and ensure that they convert their chances into points.
In turn, both the DHL Stormers and Scarlets will be desperate to change their fortunes in the competition when they meet in Llanelli with three and two successive defeats respectively to their names going into the match and both teams both locked on 28 log points.
A victory for either team could see them possibly leap into the top half of the standings depending on other results, which will fuel their motivation going into the match.
Interestingly the teams have been well balanced in terms of attacking statistics, with the Scarlets scoring only one point more than the Capetonians, but the visitors have leaked 38 points more than the Welshman, meaning they will have to tighten up their defence to come away with a win.
While both teams have won five of their 12 matches to date, the DHL Stormers have had disappointing results on the road, losing three of their four matches – a record they will want to rectify this weekend.
Match Information:
Cardiff v Emirates Lions
Date: Friday, 21 March
Venue: Cardiff Arms Park, Cardiff
SA Time: 21h35
Referee: Federico Vedovelli
TV: SuperSport
Hollywoodbets Sharks v Zebre Parma
Date: Saturday, 22 March
Venue: Hollywoodbets Kings Park, Durban
SA Time: 14h45
Referee: Sam Grove-White
TV: SuperSport
Vodacom Bulls v Leinster
Date: Saturday, 22 March
Venue: Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria
SA Time: 17h00
Referee: Ben Whitehouse
TV: SuperSport
Scarlets v DHL Stormers
Date: Saturday, 22 March
Venue: Parc Y Scarlets, Llanelli
SA Time: 17h00
Referee: Eoghan Cross
TV: SuperSport
Sugar Apple
Sport Trivia: Which South African scored the winning goal in the 1953 FA Cup final? Answer: Bill Perry. Bill Perry was born in Johannesburg in 1930 and was playing as a midfielder for Blackpool FC at the time. He scored the winning goal against Bolton in injury time.
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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.