Welsh invasion as Vodacom URC playoffs move into sight

South Africa’s four Vodacom United Rugby Championship teams are preparing for a Welsh invasion and will have everything to play for this weekend as the cross-hemisphere spectacle reaches the penultimate pool round.

While the Vodacom Bulls have secured their spot in the top four already, all eyes will be on the Hollywoodbets Sharks, who are looking to seal a home quarterfinal, as well as the DHL Stormers and Emirates Lions, who have to win their matches with the Race to Eight in full force.

Log-leaders Leinster (67 points), the second-placed defending champions, the Glasgow Warriors (59), and the Vodacom Bulls (58) are already guaranteed of home quarterfinals, but the men from Pretoria will do everything in their power in the last two rounds to sneak into second place.

A victory for the Hollywoodbets Sharks (in fourth place with 53 points), in turn, will see them cement an invaluable home quarterfinal as they lead fifth-placed Cardiff by seven log points.

The DHL Stormers (in sixth place with 45 points), in turn, could hop into fifth position if they win their match and the Vodacom Bulls defeat Cardiff, while the Emirates Lions must win both their remaining matches with bonus points to keep their hazy hopes of a playoff spot alive. Adding to the pressure on the Johannesburgers, defeat this weekend will shatter their chances of making the playoffs.

The Hollywoodbets Sharks will meet the 11th-placed Ospreys in Durban on Friday, while two matches will play out on Saturday – between the Vodacom Bulls and Cardiff in Pretoria, and the DHL Stormers and last-placed Dragons in Cape Town. The Emirates Lions, meanwhile, will wrap up the action on Sunday afternoon when they host the seventh-placed Scarlets in Johannesburg.

SIGNIFICANT REMAINING ROUNDS

The two remaining rounds will have extra significance for a handful of local players, including the DHL Stormers trio of Ruben van Heerden, Leolin Zas and Warrick Gelant, Jordan Hendrikse and Siya Kolisi of the Hollywoodbets Sharks, and the Emirates Lions duo of Edwill van der Merwe and Quan Horn, who are in contention for the Vodacom URC Awards, which will be announced at the conclusion of the pool stages.

In Durban, the Hollywoodbets Sharks will be hunting their third victory in a row after defeating Edinburgh and Ulster on the road in their last two outings, and with the favourable KwaZulu-Natal weather conditions and their passionate home crowd behind them to add to the confidence they built up on tour, they will have all the motivation they need to register a victory against the Ospreys.

With 11 wins in their 16 matches to date to only seven by the Welsh outfit, the Durbanites will enter the match as favourites on paper, however, they will be careful to take this for granted as Ospreys have scored four more tries than them on attack this season and only conceded seven more points on defence, meaning it could be a tight battle.

They will also be mindful of the fact that the visitors are also still in the Race to Eight if they deliver two good performances in the next two weeks, which will add to their desperation to create an upset.

The Vodacom Bulls, meanwhile, will have their sights set on registering their sixth successive Vodacom URC victory when they lock horns with Cardiff – and similarly to the Hollywoodbets Sharks – they will enter the match high on confidence after toppling Munster and defending champions, Glasgow, abroad in their last two outings.

The men from Pretoria, however, will be up against a determined Cardiff side, who are fully aware of the fact that a victory would entrench their spot in the top eight on the log, while a defeat could see them drop down the table, and place their playoff hopes in jeopardy as the face the DHL Stormers in Cape Town next week.

BULLS THE FAVOURITES

That said, the Vodacom Bulls will enter the match as the overwhelming favourites with a superior record on attack and defence – areas they will be determined to build on to come out on top this weekend.

The DHL Stormers, in turn, will target a full house of points when they take on the Dragons at the DHL Stadium, especially with the visitors boasting only one win to eight by the hosts in the competition to date.

The statistics also sway heavily in the Capetonians’ favour with 425 points scored and 382 conceded to 308 and 534 points respectively by the Dragons. But with nothing left to lose, the Welsh side will be fired up and resolute in their quest to make a strong statement and salvage some pride in their last two matches of the season.

In Johannesburg, the match-up between the Emirates Lions and Scarlets is expected to be a gripping affair with both teams playing for survival.

Spicing things up, the Johannesburgers will back themselves going into the match despite lying six places below the Scarlets following their 26-7 victory against Connacht in their last match, defying all odds.

Bolstering their confidence, the Emirates Lions have suffered only one defeat at home this season. The Scarlets, however, have been more effective on attack and defence, meaning the hosts will have to deliver a top-drawer performance to come away with a win.

Given all the permutations for the teams in the Race to Eight, all four matches will contribute to what is expected to be a thrilling penultimate pool round.

HOLLYWOODBETS SHARKS V OSPREYS

Date: Friday, 9 May

Venue: Hollywoodbets Kings Park, Durban

SA Time: 7pm

Referee: Gianluca Gnecchi

TV: SuperSport

VODACOM BULLS V CARDIFF

Date: Saturday, 10 May

Venue: Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria

SA Time: 4pm

Referee: Eoghan Cross

TV: SuperSport