The Vodacom United Rugby Championship returns with a bang this weekend after back-to-back rounds of Investec Champions Cup and EPCR Challenge Cup rugby and to the delight of local fans, they will be treated to two mouthwatering South African derbies.
A third local derby, between the two coastal sides, is scheduled a week later and all three these clashes will go a long way in determining the winner of the SA Shield for the 2024/25 season.
The DHL Stormers, the only SA side in the Vodacom URC outside of the top eight on the standings, will host the Emirates Lions (currently in fifth position) in Cape Town on Saturday at 3.45om, while the third-placed Vodacom Bulls will battle it out with the sixth-placed Hollywoodbets Sharks in Durban at 6pm.
With 13 log points separating the Bulls from the 13th-placed Stormers on the table as the teams begin to approach the halfway mark of their campaigns, all four SA sides will be determined to register victories, with those in the top eight hoping to cling onto their spots, while the Stormers will have their sights set on closing in on the teams in the top half of the log.
The clash at the DHL Stadium is set to be gripping as the Stormers look to bounce back from two successive defeats in the Investec Champions Cup against a Lions outfit that have established themselves as a competitive unit and who will want to build on their 43-35 victory against Section Paloise in the EPCR Challenge Cup last weekend.
The Stormers, in particular, will look to make the most of their home ground advantage and with the sides being fairly closely matched on attack this season, with the Lions holding a marginal six-point advantage, it could prove to be a tight encounter.
The Cape side have only won only two of their six UCR fixtures, while the Lions have a strike rate of four out of six, which means the Stormers will have to contend with a team high on confidence, especially after winning two of their four away matches – both of which were abroad.
In Durban, meanwhile, the visiting Bulls and Sharks will still be hurting from defats in the Investec Champions Cup last week and will have all the motivation they need to bounce back strongly and remain on the upper end of the log.
With the Bulls’ track record so far in the competition showing only one defeat in six outings compared to the Sharks’ two and with only two points separating the teams on attack, the match could go down the wire.
The visitors, however, boast a much better defensive record, with 59 points fewer conceded – a strength they will be determined to capitalise on in what marks an important game for both teams.
The rugby year in South Africa will conclude with another key derby, on Saturday, 28 December, between the Stormers and Sharks in Cape Town, which is expected to be equally entertaining given the importance of working their way into good positions to stake a claim for playoff places later in the season.
The ninth-round derby between the Bulls and Lions will take place at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria on Saturday, 22 February.
Match Information
DHL Stormers v Emirates Lions (R8) – Saturday @ DHL Stadium, Cape Town (3.45pm)
Referee: Christopher Alison
TV: SuperSport
Hollywoodbets Sharks v Vodacom Bulls (R8) – Saturday @ Hollywoodbets Kingspark, Durban (6pm)
Referee: Morne Ferreira
TV: SuperSport
DHL Stormers v Hollywoodbets Sharks – Saturday, 28 December @ DHL Stadium, Cape Town (5pm)
Referee: TBC
TV: SuperSport
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