SA teams reload for Welsh challenge

The Sharks, Vodacom Bulls, Stormers and Lions resume their march to the URC playoffs after a brief hiatus, with all four sides in action on home soil in round 17.

The Bulls and Sharks are sure of a place in the playoffs with two rounds of league fixtures remaining. The Stormers and Lions must capitalise on home advantage to join them in the knockout stages.

The Sharks kick off the round against Ospreys at Kings Park on Friday evening, seeking to avenge their 19-5 defeat in London last season. John Plumtree’s men occupy fourth spot (53 points) after their comeback victory against Ulster a week ago in Belfast, where they overturned a 19-0 deficit to triumph 22-19.

The Durbanites beat Ospreys 25-10 the last time the teams met in KZN, but have twice lost to the Welsh outfit since 2021-22.

Saturday afternoon sees the third-placed Bulls (58 pts) welcome Cardiff to Loftus Versfeld. Jake White’s charges, who last time out beat defending champions Glasgow Warriors 26-19 in Scotland, will be confident against Cardiff, having hammered the Welshmen 45–9 in Pretoria in 2023, and edged them 18-12 at Arms Park last term.

Later, the Stormers, in sixth (45 pts), host Dragons at Cape Town Stadium for the first time, eager to build on previous wins over the Welsh club in Gqeberha and Newport after an early stumble in Wales three seasons ago.

John Dobson’s troops thrashed Benetton 56-5 in their most recent outing, a commanding display headlined by the sensational Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu.

The Lions round off the weekend, chasing a third straight victory against Scarlets. Ivan van Rooyen’s Pride injected life into their slender playoff hopes with a 26-7 demolition of Connacht in round 16. Currently 13th (35 pts), they trail eighth-placed Benetton by six points.

The table shows log-leaders Leinster already qualified alongside Glasgow. Meanwhile, 10 teams – from fifth-placed Cardiff to 14th-placed Connacht – remain separated by just 11 points in the battle for the remaining playoff spots.

The URC paused for European cup semi-finals, which saw Leinster’s hopes of a fourth consecutive Investec Champions Cup final appearance dashed in a thrilling defeat to Northampton Saints in Dublin. 

In the EPCR Challenge Cup, Edinburgh, currently 10th on the URC log, fought valiantly but went down to Bath at Hive Stadium.

Round 16 results:
Zebre 25-25 Edinburgh
Cardiff 26-21 Munster
Glasgow 19-26 Bulls
Lions 26-7 Connacht
Ospreys 57-24 Dragons
Stormers 56-5 Benetton
Scarlets 35-22 Leinster
Ulster 19-22 Sharks

Round 17 fixtures:
Friday, 9 May
Sharks vs Ospreys (7pm)
Munster vs Ulster (8:35pm)
Saturday, 10 May
Bulls vs Cardiff (4pm)
Benetton vs Glasgow (6:15pm)
Stormers vs Dragons (6:15pm)
Leinster vs Zebre (6:15pm)
Connacht vs Edinburgh (8:35pm)
Sunday, 11 May
Lions vs Scarlets (3pm)

Photo: @Springboks/Twitter