Hostilities and local rivalries resume in the Vodacom URC this weekend.
The Stormers host a resurgent Sharks in a blockbuster derby at Cape Town Stadium on Saturday night, while the two Gauteng sides have remained in Europe for encounters in Wales and Scotland.
The South African clubs have a game in hand on most of their URC overseas rivals due to their round-eight fixtures only being played in February/March.
The Stormers – despite a wobble in the Investec Champions Cup – are still unbeaten and top of the URC log with 36 points. However, only six points separate the Stormers in first and Munster in sixth. In between are European heavyweights Glasgow, Ulster, Cardiff and Leinster.
The Lions sit seventh with 21 points, but nine points behind Munster. The Vodacom Bulls are 11th with 16 points, while the Sharks have ground to make up as they lie 14th with 14 points.
The STORMERS boast an outstanding record in the URC thus far. Played eight, won eight, and a points difference of 136.
Their most recent URC outing saw John Dobson’s men beat the Bulls 13-8 in an epic north-south derby at a sold-out Cape Town Stadium in early January.
But since then the Cape side copped a 61-10 walloping away to Harlequins and scraped an unconvincing 39-26 win against the Leicester Tigers to qualify for the Investec Champions Cup playoffs.
MORE: Sacha hails Stormers’ resolve
It is a long way from their imperious form from earlier in the season when they swept all before them. The hosts will have to be on top of their game against a Sharks team who, despite dropping out of the Champions Cup, appear to have turned the corner under interim coach JP Pietersen.
ALSO: Stormers’ big guns return for Sharks derbies
The Stormers are set to welcome back key players like captain Salmaan Moerat, Warrick Gelant and Springbok stars Damian Willemse and Cobus Reinach for the clash.
The SHARKS may sit perilously close to the bottom of the URC log but that doesn’t tell the full story of their season. It also disguises the fact that they are only five points off eighth and the last of the quarter-final places.
The Sharks lost five of their opening seven games of the season across the URC and Champions Cup, drawing one, and managing a lone win against the Scarlets. That was the cue for the Sharks to part ways with John Plumtree as head coach and install Pietersen in the hot seat.
Since then, the Durban-based side has won three from five and the only two losses was a heart-breaking last-second defeat to the Lions and a loss away to Sale with a young and inexperienced outfit.
JP: Sharks showed killer instinct
There is real belief again in the Sharks ranks and they will arrive in Cape Town with a point to prove.
To add extra spice to the encounter, the reverse fixture at the Shark Tank takes place a week later. Fasten your seatbelts rugby fans.
The LIONS are well-placed on the URC log and on an upward curve. Yet, there will be some regret as to what could have been and that may well prove a strong driving factor for Ivan van Rooyen and his team.
A magical win after the hooter sounded over the Sharks in Durban in their last URC outing ignited their season after a run of losses.
They followed that up with a crucial win over Lyon in the EPCR Challenge Cup and then had everything to play for in their last pool game away to Perpignan. The Lions gave it everything but could only manage a 20-20 draw which meant the French side progressed to the playoffs due to a seven-point better points difference than the men from Joburg.
ALSO: Lions crash out of Challenge Cup
The Lions can now focus all their attention on the URC and will carry great form into their clash away to the ninth-placed Ospreys on Friday night.
The VODACOM BULLS have been one of the main storylines of the local rugby season and for all the wrong reasons. Seven consecutive losses across all competitions for a Springbok-laden outfit told a sorry tale.
It’s been desperation stakes for Johan Ackermann and his men, but when they really needed it, they stepped up in a big way with an inspired 26-24 away win over Pau which enabled them to qualify for the Champions Cup playoffs.
WATCH: Bulls’ brilliant 90m try stuns Pau
It was everything Ackermann had demanded and what rugby fans would have expected from the Bulls.
That win over Pau will give the Bulls enormous self-belief returning to URC action away to Edinburgh on Friday night. A single place and a single point separates the men from Pretoria from their hosts above them in what is shaping up to be a crucial encounter in the race towards the playoffs.
MORE: Ackers hails Bulls’ character after gritty Pau win
Round 9 results:
Dragons 28 Scarlets 5
Ospreys 33 Cardiff 22
Ulster 28 Munster 3
Sharks 22 Lions 23
Stormers 13 Bulls 8
Benetton 14 Edinburgh 15
Leinster 52 Connacht 17
Glasgow 47 Zebre 10
Round 10 fixtures (SA times):
Friday, 23 January
Ospreys vs Lions, 9:45pm
Edinburgh vs Bulls, 9:45pm
Munster vs Dragons, 9:45pm
Saturday, 24 January
Scarlets vs Ulster, 5pm
Connacht vs Leinster, 7:30pm
Stormers vs Sharks, 7:30pm
Zebre Parma vs Glasgow Warriors, 9:45pm
Cardiff vs Benetton, 9:45pm
Photo: Grant Pitcher/Gallo Images
The post State of the URC: Stormers steel for Sharks attack appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.