URC PREVIEW: Wins will ensure this is SA’s best ever start
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URC PREVIEW: Wins will ensure this is SA’s best ever start

Kaneb0

Coastal teams remain on a knife edge and the Emirates Lions face a tough seeding as they retain their unbeaten record, but good wins from the final round of this phase of the Vodacom United Rugby Championship season would mark South Africa’s best start yet. competition.

Of course, success is nothing new for the local teams at URC. The DHL Stormers won the award in their first season in their current guise after ceasing to be the PRO14. The Cape side hosted their second final a year later and only lost to Munster in the dying minutes. And of course the Vodacom Bulls finished second overall last season before losing their home final.

But in all three seasons completed so far, the South African campaign has started slowly for at least some teams; The Stormers and Bulls were bottom of the table before heading into the inaugural final. The Stormers were in a similar situation last season and the Lions and Hollywoodbet Sharks also know what it’s like to go into a sixth game with almost nothing to show for their efforts.

It’s a dramatic turnaround as the Lions continue to grow and regardless of how they perform against Leinster, they will finish this first phase; this means five matches instead of six for South African teams before the international break; with four matches. wins. They will be well placed when the competition returns following the Springbok end-of-year tour at the end of November.

The Bulls will do the same if they get over the line against Benetton in the final game of this first round of the URC season. Two wins against Edinburgh and Ulster at Loftus were expected, but two wins from three starts overseas would make this an impressive start and put them alongside the Lions as SA’s top challengers at this point.

The two games played on SA soil have a lot going for them, not least because they are against top-flight opposition who could see their challenge undermined by a second defeat in this country, but also because the Sharks and Stormers will be on the back foot if they capitulate. momentum For the two Johns, Plumtree and Dobson, this weekend is about determining how much pressure they and their teams will be under when they return to action to face each other in Durban on 30 November.

Vodacom United Rugby Championship fixtures (Round 6)

Benetton – Vodacom Bulls (Treviso, Friday 20.35)

Although Benetton had beaten the Sharks in Treviso two weeks ago, it is worth noting that this was the underdog Sharks team and not the team that outplayed the champions until they let the pressure off towards the end of their game in Durban last week. The Bulls were unlucky last week and must have been aggrieved by the red card which was later rescinded. Jake White has replaced his team with a stronger combination, at least on paper, and if they let the anger of what happened a week ago drive them, they only need to win in controlled fashion. Benetton have gained some momentum and should not be underestimated, especially at home, so it should be a close-fought game.

Prediction: Bulls win by 7

Scarlets – Zebre (Llanelli, Friday 20.35)

The Scarlets surprised the Bulls a week ago and the Welsh are generally looking better than before. Zebre haven’t been in the best form since their shock win over Munster, but two of their three subsequent defeats have come against South African teams and the one against the Lions by just one point. The form guide says the Scarlets have the advantage at Parc Y Scarlets.

Prediction: Scarlets win by 10

DHL Stormers – Glasgow Warriors (Stellenbosch, Saturday 13.45)

The Stormers felt they were still a little short of their A game against Munster last week; This was an ominous warning for Glasgow, as they got a monkey off their back by beating a team they had never beaten before, which earned them a point. Second consecutive URC title in the 2022/23 final. Glasgow are the defending champions and despite losing in Durban last week, they came away with two late tries which should boost their confidence going into this game. It’s hard to say what playing the game at the Danie Craven Stadium means for the Stormers’ chances. Everyone knows that DHL Stadium is the home of the Stormers. But so is the Stellenbosch ground, in the sense that the Stormers have never lost there. They were very good at destroying Zebre in Stellenbosch at the start of the 2021/2022 winning streak, but after that only Zebre remained. Glasgow are good enough to win. Any team that can win a final at Loftus is good enough. But the Stormers need to get Manie Libbok and Frans Malherbe back and will be as desperate as they were last week. They also owe a debt to Glasgow as it was the Glaswegians who knocked them out in the quarter-finals last season. The Stormers have actually suffered three straight away defeats against the Warriors.

Prediction: Stormers win by 7

Ospreys v Edinburgh (Swansea, Saturday 16.00)

Edinburgh have built impressive momentum following their disastrous humiliation at the hands of the Emirates Lions three weeks ago, but both matches were played at home. The trip to the Ospreys will be tough for them and it’s actually hard to predict what will happen in this game.

Prediction: Ospreys will dominate.

Hollywoodbets Sharks – Munster (Durban, Saturday 16.00)

The Sharks beat the defending champions last week and felt like they weren’t as good as they should have been. Inevitably there was some rust but when the Sharks got them together they looked impressive. The key this week is for them to continue their impressive spell of rugby for longer. Make no mistake, Munster are in for a tough challenge indeed. And they will remember that the draw at Kings Park, in which they came back from a huge deficit, was part of their successful cup run in the 2022/2023 season. But I like the look of the Sharks’ loose back three, with Siya Kolisi at No8 and James Venter taking on a sweeping role on the open flank, and the selection of the sharp Grant Williams in the No9 jersey won’t hurt them either. Jordan Hendrikse made some mistakes but was overall good at flyhalf in his debut for the Sharks and needs to improve further in this game, as the Sharks should as a team. The Sharks should have plenty of chances against their rivals and it will be a result similar to the one Munster experienced in Cape Town last week.

Prediction: Sharks win by 15

Leinster – Emirates Lions (Dublin, Saturday 18.15)

The Lions actually have nothing to lose in this match and they go out to test themselves without feeling too much pressure. Hopefully a dry evening will mean the Lions can take their chances and play with the same joie de vivre that buried Ulster and Edinburgh at Emirates Airlines Park at the start of the competition. If they can create a few X-factor moments they may have a chance and let’s not forget what they did to Connacht when they were reduced to 14 at The Sportsground in Galway recently. Realistically, we can say that extremely in-form Leinster start as strong favourites. My fear is that this could be the game where the Lions’ commitment to Currie Cup success catches up with them. In this case, Leinster could win by a large margin.

Prediction: Leinster win by 15 or more

Cardiff Rugby – Ulster (Cardiff, Saturday 20.35)

Ulster have lost two matches, both in South Africa, and it’s the same reason SA teams will be desperate to win this weekend; The win will put them in a strong position with four wins from six starts. While Cardiff have been impressive at times, they have mostly failed to live up to pre-season expectations. They have a chance at home, but Ulster have the advantage in this match.

Prediction: Ulster win by 8

Connacht – Dragons (Galway, Saturday 20.35)

Connacht have won only twice in five starts, but they have been close and close to winning in most matches apart from the game against Leinster. The Dragons were more competitive than expected and were unlucky to lose to both the Sharks and Lions. However, both of these matches were at home. Connacht away must be too much for them.

Prediction: Connacht to win by 16

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