SA teams gain from having depth tested

The Rugby World Cup final that takes centre stage this weekend has ensured that the South African teams participating in the Vodacom United Rugby Championship will pay the price for the success of the national team for some time yet, but their is a flip side.

There’s been a lot of talk about the need to grow depth at the start of the second season where teams will be committed to both the URC and the Champions Cup, and by being sent in to the coalface for an extended run of matches, the fringe players are getting their chance to develop into diamonds.

Well, okay, let’s not get carried away, some of them will, some of them won’t get that far, but in all cases there has to be some advantage to be being exposed to opposition teams who, because Ireland, Wales, Italy and Scotland all exited the RWC at much a much earlier stage than the Boks, are now starting to get their international players back.

The Scottish teams already had them back last week, with Scottish internationals like Huw Jones and Rory Darg playing a big part in their teams upset but well deserved win over Leinster at the Scotstoun. The Scots made their World Cup exit at the end of the pool stage whereas Ireland survived for another week, so it will be interesting to see when the teams are announced on Friday and Saturday (URC teams generally get announced the day before the game) how many Irish stars will be back.

The Hollywoodbets Sharks, who will continue to be without an entire first choice front row, the ma rated as arguably the best No 4 lock in the world, two scrumhalves and Lukhanyo Am for the next few weeks, should be particularly interested as they face a Leinster team at RDS Arena that is under rare pressure after losing to Glasgow.

It isn’t known how many of the Scarlets international players will be added to the group that lost so comprehensively to the Vodacom Bulls last week when they face the DHL Stormers in Stellenbosch in the first game involving a South African team on Saturday. However, knowing the Stormers coach John Dobson he will appreciate the opportunity to be tested.

The three games featuring SA teams on Saturday - the one in Stellenbosch and the one in Dublin that clashes with the Emirates Lions’ match against Edinburgh - serve up a kind of wave of curtain-raisers for the World Cup final between South Africa and New Zealand for television viewers.

Perhaps the most interesting game of the weekend from a local perspective though is the last one on Sunday between the Bulls and Ulster in Belfast. There is certainly a spicy round of games to supplement the global final in Paris, with three of the matches being between teams that played in the playoffs last year - Connacht against Glasgow Warriors being the additional game to the games in Dublin and Belfast.

Weekend Vodacom United Rugby Championship fixtures

Ospreys v Zebre (Parma, Saturday 2pm)

The Ospreys started off with a 10 point defeat to Connacht in Galway and with a lot of speculation in Wales over whether the principality should have four clubs in the URC, and Ospreys mentioned as the potential fall guys if it is reduced to three next season, there is pressure on them to perform better than they are. They shouldn’t have too much of a problem against the Italians.

Prediction: Ospreys to win by at least 12

Connacht v Glasgow Warriors (Galway, Saturday 4pm)

This could be one of the games of the weekend given how both teams finished off last season and their early form in this one. To refresh memories, Glasgow finished fourth and Connacht came out of nowhere to finish seventh, with their win over Ulster in the quarterfinal providing the first in a series of shock result that conspired in favour of the Stormers securing a second successive home final. The Warriors showed against Leinster they’ve added forward edge to their offload and transition game.

Prediction: Glasgow to scrape it.

DHL Stormers v Scarlets (Stellenbosch, Saturday 4pm)

The Scarlets got a proper shellacking at Loftus last week but then, well though the Bulls played, it is always going to be a big defeat for overseas teams that get it wrong on a visit to the highveld. It wouldn’t be surprising if the match in Stellenbosch against the inaugural champions and last season’s runners up was always the game in this country being targeted by the Scarlets coach Dwayne Peel. For that reason this game should be a lot closer and much could depend on what selection the injury hit Stormers come up with. The hosts need a good win so they can leave afterwards for a tough tour that starts in Glasgow next Friday with some momentum.

Prediction: Stormers to win by 10

Leinster v Hollywoodbets Sharks (Dublin, Saturday 5:55pm)

There were definitely signs of encouragement for Sharks fans in the team’s first competitive outing under the coaching of John Plumtree (start to his second stint of course), but whether they will have the firepower to challenge a Leinster team that will be in a determined mood following the upset in Glasgow is questionable. We’re hearing this game might mark the return to the playing field of former Bok wing Aphiwe Dyanti and that fact alone will make this game well worth watching. Unless Leinster field a really understrength team, which they are unlikely to do, they should be favoured to win by a similar margin to the one in Limerick last week.

Prediction: Leinster to win by 14

Edinburgh v Emirates Lions (Edinburgh, Saturday 6pm)

What makes this game interesting is that the coaches of the two teams know each other well - Sean Everett, the Edinburgh mentor, would have coached against his Lions adversary on many occasions on South African soil. Edinburgh started well last week with an away win while the Lions launched an impressive but ultimately vain late rally against the Stormers. But that game was in Johannesburg, where they had altitude on their side.

Prediction: Edinburgh to win by less than 7

Benetton v Munster (Treviso, Sunday 4pm)

This was the kind of banana peel game that Munster tripped up on in the early stages of last season, before they launched the winning run that took them all the way to the title. There was nothing particularly wow about their performance against the Sharks last week but perhaps there’ll be some international players returning to boost Munster in what could be a tough game for them.

Prediction: Munster to win by less than 7

Dragons v Cardiff Rugby (Newport, Sunday 4:30pm)

All the Welsh teams lost last week so unless this derby is drawn at least it will ensure that the Welsh break their duck in this season’s competition.

Prediction: Cardiff by 8

Ulster v Vodacom Bulls (Belfast, Sunday 7pm)

Last season’s game between these teams in Limerick was won by Ulster but it was a closely fought affair that was decided by some 50/50 calls. The Bulls were very impressive in dispatching Scarlets in Pretoria but when they travel away from altitude that is always a litmus test, which this game is. It may well be one they pass though against an Ulster team that fought hard to finish second in 2022/23 before botching it in the first playoff game against Connacht but which won by just four against Zebre in Parma last week. My money says this final game of the weekend will end the World Cup final weekend on a positive note for South Africa.

Prediction: Bulls to win by less than 5