We all know what Springbok captain Siya Kolisi meant when he said after winning the World Cup that only South Africans would understand what it meant, but it could also have been codified into “The people back home have just been so damn stressed these past few weeks.”
Which they have been. Hands up all of those who really enjoyed the quarterfinal, semifinal and final and felt any degree of sanguinity over the 80 minutes? Maybe if you just didn’t care that much, or took a tranquiliser it might have been okay, but unlikely. And waiting for the games, with their 9pm kick-offs, would have been stressful too.
Well this weekend should be the first relatively stress free one since early October, but there is still rugby to enjoy, and good rugby at that as the Vodacom United Rugby Championship comes out of the shadows of the World Cup looking to build on what was a highly entertaining first two rounds of the competition.
Of course there will be stress for those who are tribal and really care about the franchise teams they support, but that shouldn’t be felt at this embryonic stage of a competition that is much more like a marathon than a sprint. Instead, this may be a good time to watch the South African teams secure in the knowledge that no matter what the result, they represent the nation that will be World Cup champions for another four years.
POST RWC COMMITMENT TO ENTERTAIN
Judging from the talk coming out of the different camps this week, the usual post World Cup re-set has spawned a universal commitment to entertain, which is particularly necessary in the UK, where so many clubs are financially strapped and some have closed down.
And when it comes to entertainment, it should be hard to beat what we are set to be dished up with in the first Friday night round of games. After a tough start to their campaign with visits to champions Munster and perennial log winners Leinster, the Hollywoodbets Sharks will see their historic first ever URC match in London against the Ospreys as a chance to give proper emphasis to their commitment to return to the attacking DNA of that region after a few seasons where they’ve been way too conservatively minded.
The game is being played at the Harlequins’ home ground of The Stoop and there should be plenty of expatriate South Africans present, as Sharks coach John Plumtree says maybe to have their first beer after a week of massive hangover after the celebrations of what the Boks did in Paris last Saturday.
Ospreys coach Toby Booth has committed to making entertainment the priority too, but if you are a neutral who has to decide between the two Friday night games involving South African coastal teams that kick off at the same time, it is hard to argue against the contention that the one in Glasgow is the one to go for.
REAL SPECTACLE DISHED UP LAST TIME
The Glasgow Warriors and the DHL Stormers dished up a real spectacle and an exciting finish back in January. This game, with the Stormers confident after picking up full points from their first two games to top the log and Glasgow hungry to return to the form that saw them shock Leinster in their last game at the Scotstoun, should deliver the same level of entertainment and excitement.
Capetonians will want a reverse of what happened last time - Glasgow won off the last move of the game - but if it is anything like the January game at the same venue it will be worth waiting up for the 9:35pm kick-off regardless of the end result.
The two other South African teams will be playing their second tour matches, with the Vodacom Bulls hopeful of picking up full points against Zebre in Parma but mindful that the lowly ranked Italians pushed their opponents hard in the first two rounds, while the Emirates Lions are in action on Sunday against Benetton in Treviso.
VODACOM UNITED RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP PREVIEWS AND PREDICTIONS
OSPREYS V HOLLYWOODBETS SHARKS (London, Friday 21.35)
Sharks coach John Plumtree admitted during the week that he had mixed emotions about this game being switched to London, as he started his coaching career back in the 1990s at Swansea. He would love to have visited the Welsh city, where he still has many friends and many memories. However, he is also excited about showing off the Sharks and URC brand to a new market, and weather permitting is intent on seeing his Sharks show off the new attacking identity that he has made his top priority.
It can’t be just about entertainment though as the Sharks have yet to win this season, in fact they have yet to pick up a log point, so pressure will start to build if the don’t get it right against the Welsh team. With Wales playing the Barbarians this weekend, the Ospreys are missing some key players, including the ace openside flanker Justin Tipuric, so this is one occasion where the absence of the Sharks’ World Cup winning Boks is balanced out. They should win with a degree of comfort.
Prediction: Sharks by 10
GLASGOW WARRIORS V DHL STORMERS (Glasgow, Friday 9:35pm)
It might be stretching it to suggest that former Springbok assistant Franco Smith is getting his Glasgow team to ape the style of his countrymen from Cape Town, but the hosts do nonetheless play a highly entertaining and ambitious style of rugby. If Storm Ciaran has abated, which it looks like it has, and it is a clear night in Glasgow we could see a spectacle similar to what was produced on the Scotstoun 4G pitch in January.
Stormers coach John Dobson has been good for a while at knowing how to manage his players and in that sense his selections for this game are interesting, with Ben-Jason Dixon moving to lock in place of Adre Smith, who plays off the bench, and Evan Roos moving to flank to accommodate the highly promising Keke Morabe at No 8. Marcel Theunissen, outstanding in the first two games, is benched. These two teams finished third and fourth last season so it should be a close game.
Prediction: Glasgow to sneak it.
ZEBRE V VODACOM BULLS (Parma, Saturday 3pm)
The Bulls showed some promise in coming back strongly against Ulster in Belfast last week and should feel confident of picking up their first tour win against the competition’s perennial cellar dwellers. However, they will be mindful of the fact that Zebre were competitive in both of the two games played thus far, losing narrowly. So they can’t be underestimated.
The Bulls started off the season with a thumping win over Scarlets and although they don’t have the altitude on their side this time the temperate conditions you usually encounter in Italy at this time of year should bring out the best in some of the young players who have started the season well.
Prediction: Bulls to win by 15
LEINSTER V EDINBURGH (Dublin, Saturday 5:05pm)
Leinster were back on the winning trail last week when they recovered from their shock opening defeat to Glasgow Warriors by comfortably beating the Sharks. So it looks like being business as usual, with Leinster being strong contenders again for log honours, which makes this game a potential litmus test for former Sharks coach Sean Everitt. His men have won two close games, the second one being at home to the Emirates Lions last weekend, but Leinster represent a significant lift in level of opposition.
Prediction: Leinster by 15
SCARLETS V CARDIFF RUGBY (Llanelli, Saturday 7:15pm)
Scarlets coach Dwayne Peel, speaking after his team was well beaten by the Stormers in Stellenbosch last week, sounded a bit miffed that this derby game clashes with the Wales versus Barbarians game being staged as a send-off to former British and Irish Lions and Wales captain Alun-wyn Jones. It means he has to be without his international players for another week, and feels, probably rightly, that an international window shouldn’t coincide with a derby.
Given how poor the Scarlets were in South Africa, it is hard to see them as favourites, even though we admittedly don’t know that much at this stage about Cardiff, who will also be without their internationals.
Prediction: Cardiff to win by 5
MUNSTER V DRAGONS (Limerick, Saturday 7:15pm)
Munster unexpectedly dropped points even though they did well to come back and draw against Benetton off the last move of the game in Treviso last week. The Dragons have been struggling for a while, so although they scored an upset win against Munster in Newport at a corresponding stage of last season, this game should be a comfortable win for the hosts.
Prediction: Munster by 20
CONNACHT V ULSTER (Galway, Saturday 9:35pm)
This clash rivals the one in Glasgow on Friday as the game of the weekend. There is plenty of history between these teams, and even more so after Connacht’s shock win over Ulster in last season’s quarterfinal. That game was played on Ulster’s home ground of Kingspan Stadium to boot, so Dan McFarland’s men will definitely have a score to settle. But Connacht, as they showed last week in beating Glasgow, are a tough obstacle at The Sportsground.
Prediction: Connacht to sneak it.
BENETTON V EMIRATES LIONS (Treviso, Sunday 3:30pm)
The Lions were under the radar last weekend because of the proximity of their game to the World Cup final but they put up a creditable performance in losing narrowly to Edinburgh. Which indeed was what happened when they hosted the Stormers the week before. After coming close two games in succession it would be tempting to say that the Lions are due but it needs to be noted that Benetton drew with the URC champions, Munster, last weekend. So it may be the same again for the Lions…
Prediction: Benetton to win by 8