Some of them have different reasons why it is the case, but after what was a damaging derby phase for most of them none of the South African teams have much room for error as they resume conflict with foreign teams heading into the final third of the Vodacom URC.
The backlog caused by postponements and rescheduling that some teams had up until this past weekend has now been removed and all the teams in the competition have played 12 games with six to go and it is a tight race for both the coveted top four positions that secure a home quarterfinal and for the top eight positions that secure play-off and Investec Champions Cup qualification.
After the six round derby phase, it is only really the Lions that will feel their challenge was enhanced. They won the Shield for the first time, winning four of the six games against fellow South African teams, with their only blemishes coming against the DHL Stormers in Cape Town in December and against the Bulls in Johannesburg more recently.
That pushed the Lions to seventh on the log, which is as high as they’ve ever been at this point of a URC season, and they will feel that with just eight points separating them from the team currently in fourth, they have a chance of securing a home play-off. Given that they’ve never made the top eight in the previous URC seasons, that will be quite an achievement for them and provide concrete evidence that they are a team on the up.
CONSISTENCY COULD TAKE THE LIONS FAR
But that is where the little room for error comes in - the Lions should fancy their chances of at least cementing a top half position given that most of their remaining games are at home, and coming to the highveld really should be seen as a big disadvantage for visiting teams, but they’ve conspired against themselves too often in the past and have dropped home games they should have been expected to win.
They have two winnable games to play before the break for the first EPCR knock-out games in at the beginning of April, starting with Saturday afternoon’s clash with Edinburgh before they face the Welsh team, the Dragons, the following week. If they get the results they should expect, they could be as high as fifth by the time the break comes as two of the teams separating them from the top four are playing their next two games in South Africa.
TIME FOR SA TEAMS TO HELP EACH OTHER
This certainly is the time for the local sides to be helping each other out, as wins for the Vodacom Bulls and the Hollywoodbets Sharks against Cardiff and Munster respectively in the next fortnight will hurt those two team’s challenges. They’re both currently within touching distance of the three teams locked together effectively in second place, which includes the DHL Stormers, who helped themselves hugely by beating the Bulls last week and are ahead of the other two at the moment on games won (nine against eight).
But if one or both of them leave South Africa without claiming a win, which is entirely possible, they could find themselves left behind in the wake of the top four and vulnerable to being caught by the Lions and even the Bulls. The Stormers play the Dragons on Sunday and then Edinburgh six days later and if they can continue the momentum they picked up at Loftus, and the Bulls and Sharks help them out, they should take a solid platform into the April EPCR break, where they will be in action in a Champions Cup round of 16 clash away to French club, Toulon.
The Bulls play Glasgow in their round of 16 game that same weekend, and will be looking to go there with the restored confidence that will come with wins against Cardiff and Munster under their belt, as well as the greater degree of comfort that those results will give them in their now difficult quest for a top four finish.
SHARKS CAN’T AFFORD TO LOSE - FULL STOP
While the Bulls are still strongly in contention for a top eight finish, and should fancy their chances of making sure of that given most of their remaining games are at home, that is not the story with the Sharks, who are currently 11th and really can’t afford to lose again if they want to make the playoffs and qualify for next year’s Champions Cup.
After appearing to turn their season around with the two impressive wins against the Stormers, the Sharks faltered twice on the highveld, and are currently six points, meaning more than a win, behind the top eight and with some of the other contenders such as Connacht running into form. After Italy’s mostly impressive Guinness Six Nations campaign, Benetton will also be expected to rally after an inconsistent opening few months to the club season.
This week’s fixture list features a potentially decisive clash between the last two winners of the URC, Glasgow and Leinster, who play each other at the Scotstoun on Saturday night. Although it is unlikely all the international players of either side will play, it might be seen as a chance for the Scottish internationals in the Glasgow side to avenge what happened to them at the hands of Ireland in last week’s final round Six Nations game in Dublin.
Should Leinster win it will open the way for them, the Stormers and impressive and dangerous Ulster to draw level or even pass Glasgow on the log. Ulster will be involved in what could be a tough derby against Connacht, with both teams having won well last time out.
VODACOM URC FIXTURES (round 13)
Vodacom Bulls v Cardiff (Pretoria, Friday 19.00)
Ulster v Connacht (Belfast, Friday 21.45)
Scarlets v Zebre (Llanelli, Friday 21.45)
Lions v Edinburgh (Johannesburg, Saturday 14.45)
Benetton v Ospreys (Treviso, Saturday 17.00)
Hollywoodbets Sharks v Munster (Durban, Saturday 17.00)
Glasgow Warriors v Leinster (Glasgow, Saturday 19.30)
DHL Stormers v Dragons (Cape Town, Sunday 15.00)
URC LOG POSITIONS: 1. Glasgow Warriors 45 points; 2. DHL Stormers 41; 3. Ulster 41; 4. Leinster 41; 5. Cardiff 40; 6. Munster 39; 7. Lions 33; 8. Vodacom Bulls 30; 9. Connacht 30; 10. Ospreys 29; 11. Hollywoodbets Sharks 24; 12. Edinburgh 23; 13. Benetton 23; 14. Dragons 20; 15. Scarlets 16; 16. Zebre 12.