Local rugby swings back into action on Saturday with the big Vodacom United Rugby Championship derby between the resurgent Vodacom Bulls and faltering DHL Stormers and it will be the prelude to what will be a fascinating trio of international matches.
While the Stormers will be doing exactly as they head to Pretoria what England will be doing when they head across the English Channel on the same day, in other words going as underdogs to a venue where they will be playing to avoid a damaging fourth successive defeat, for France, Scotland and Ireland Guinness Six Nations glory is on the line.
Scotland will be in Dublin for the first game of the riveting final round to what this year has been an unpredictable and dramatic northern hemisphere competition, and thanks to their emphatic win over France at Murrayfield this past weekend they will be playing for their first title of the Six Nations era.
SCOTLAND OUT TO CREATE HISTORY
Scotland, written off when they lost to Italy in Rome in the opening round, have recovered from that blip by winning three in a row - including big wins in Edinburgh over first England and then France that have thrown out the predicted script for the competition.
England coach Steve Borthwick got a bit ahead of himself before the Six Nations kicked off by spinning the Paris ‘Le Crunch’ as a possible Grand Slam decider, but that hope was blown when his team lost 31-20 at Murrayfield in the second week in a result that actually flattered the losers.
There’s a theory that because of an enmity for their southern neighbours that goes back to bitter battles fought many centuries ago Scotland always get up for England and only get up for England. Well, this past weekend they got up for France too, and when they led 47-14 at one point it told the story of how one-sided the game had been.
FRENCH TEMPERAMENT EXPOSED
France did come back with some late tries, but not before their temperamental vulnerability had been exposed. Their late flurry of scoring came after the game had been decided and when the pressure was effectively off. Scotland were given a chance of winning because of their excellent win over England, but few would have predicted them reaching the half century mark.
Had it not been for the concession of the fourth bonus point try with about 10 minutes to go, Scotland would have their fate in their own hands this week. However, the point that the French managed to grab was more than just a consolation - it means that with their superior points difference, a four try bonus point win over England in Paris will secure them the Six Nations title.
They were of course chasing the Grand Slam before they visited Edinburgh, but will have to settle for a second successive win in Europes premier international competition.
Regardless of what happens in Dublin earlier on Saturday, it will all be on the line for the French, as whoever wins at the AVIVA Stadium will take the lead in the Championship. Ireland are currently on 14 points, with France and Scotland on 16.
ENGLAND LIKELY TO FINISH SECOND LAST
The three teams out of the reckoning for the title are Italy, England and Wales, with Italy searching for what would be an encouraging mid-table finish if they can beat the current wooden spoonists, Wales, in Cardiff.
They will head to the principality with confidence sky high following their historic win over England in Rome, a result that has made it highly probable that England will finish second last regardless of what happens in Paris.
Italy currently have a three point lead on England and a win in Cardiff will be enough to confirm that the team that was hoping to use this Six Nations to make a statement and send out a loud warning to the Springboks ahead of the big Nations Cup game to be played in Johannesburg at the beginning of July ends just one place off the basement.
STORMERS NEED TO GET BACK ON THE HORSE
As an aside, it was another weekend of Six Nations rugby that championed the strength of the URC, which swings back into full action after this weekend’s spicy Loftus derby the following week, when the South African teams will all be hosting overseas visitors.
All three winners in the fourth round were nations who have the URC as their bread and butter competition, thus scotching question marks that were raised about the strength of the URC in the first round.
That does mean though that Glasgow Warriors, for instance, will be formidable in the remainder of the competition as they made up the bulk of the Scotland team that beat France and for that matter England, while Benetton contribute a lot of the Italy team that shocked England.
Perhaps the plum games after the completion of the Six Nations, meaning on the weekend of 21 March, will be the Durban clash between the Hollywoodbets Sharks and Munster, a re-run of last year’s controversial quarterfinal that was settled after extra time by a kick off, and Cardiff going to Pretoria.
The Stormers will be hoping both the SA sides can win those games as Munster and Cardiff are challenging their own quest for a top four finish, but first they need to get back on the horse after three successive defeats by upsetting the Bulls in their own corral.
It would be an upset as while the Stormers did win the first round game between the sides in Cape Town on 3 January, much has changed since then.
While the Bulls have recovered from their long sequence of defeats that were introducing early question marks over the reign of their new coach Johan Ackermann by not losing since then, the Stormers have lost four of their last five games - the exception being their scrappy win over an under-strength Leicester Tiger teams in the Investec Champions Cup.
Before they lost their first game of the season when they were humiliated by Harlequins in London, the Stormers were flying - much like England were after 12 successive wins heading into what proved a dramatic turning point for them in Edinburgh a month ago.
With the derby preceding the three Six Nations games, it makes up for an absorbing Saturday afternoon and evening of rugby watching for Supersport subscribers.
VODACOM URC DERBY
Vodacom Bulls v DHL Stormers (Pretoria, Saturday 2pm)
WEEKEND GUINNESS SIX NATIONS RESULTS
Ireland 29 Wales 19
Scotland 50 France 40
Italy 23 England 18
FINAL GUINNESS SIX NATIONS MATCHES
Ireland v Scotland (Dublin, Saturday 4:10pm)
Wales v Italy (Cardiff, Saturday 6:40pm)
France v England (Paris, Saturday 10:10pm)