Crucial final pool round for SA teams in Europe

The DHL Stormers, Vodacom Bulls, Hollywoodbets Sharks and Lions will have their work cut out in the final round of the Investec Champions Cup and EPCR Challenge Cup competitions, where their play-off fate will be determined, while the Toyota Cheetahs will be looking to complete their campaign on a high note after being knocked out of the tournament last week.

The Bulls will launch the Investec Champions Cup action for the domestic teams on Friday night when they line up against Section Paloise in France, while two matches will play out in SA on Saturday – the Sharks host Clermont Auvergne in Durban and the Stormers welcome the Leicester Tigers to Cape Town.

In the EPCR Challenge Cup, the Lions will meet Perpignan on Saturday evening, while the Cheetahs will wrap up the weekend’s action against Racing 92 on Sunday, with both matches playing out in France.

The Bulls face a challenging task against Pau at Stade du Hameau on Friday after suffering their seventh successive defeat of the season last week – by 61-49 against the Bristol Bears – despite Pau having won only more match than them so far in the competition.

While the Pretoria outfit have struggled to find their form despite a gallant effort against the Stormers in the Vodacom United Rugby Championship two weeks ago, Pau have been in fine form in the Top 14, winning 10 of their 14 matches so far and trailing log-leaders Toulouse, who have also won 10 matches, by only one point.

Adding to the pressure on the Bulls, it is a must-win clash for them to keep alive their chances of progressing to the Round of 16, as they are currently at the foot of their table with two points, while they will also be playing in the vastly different weather conditions to Pretoria against a team who have suffered only one defeat at home this season.

The Sharks are in a more comfortable position than their counterparts as they trail the fourth-placed Toulouse by only two points, although they also need to win their clash at Hollywoodbets Kings Park to stay in the running for a play-off spot as the French giants have a home game against the Sale Sharks this weekend.

The KwaZulu-Natalians will, however, take comfort from the fact that Clermont Auvergne have lost all their matches so far in the competition and are currently pointless, although they have fared much better in the Top 14 than their hosts in the URC, winning eight of their 14 matches to only two wins out of eight by the Sharks.

Fortunately for the Durbanites, who lost to Sale last weekend, they will be playing at home in their familiar hot and humid conditions, where they too have only suffered one defeat in theURC, while they also won their Investec Champions Cup clash this season at home.

In Cape Town, the Stormers will be determined to get their season back on track against the Leicester Tigers at the DHL Stadium after their bitterly disappointing result against Harlequins last week, which marked their first defeat in 10 outings.

The Capetonians will enter the match as favourites, given their strong form before last week’s setback and will give everything to hold onto their unbeaten run at home this season, although they will be wary about underestimating the visitors, who have only lost one more match than them in the competition and three of their matches in the Gallagher Premiership.

They will also be mindful of the fact that Leicester have delivered a few quality performances away from home and come off a comprehensive 57-14 victory against Bayonne, which will bolster their confidence going into the match.

In the EPCR Challenge Cup, the Lions will have their sights set on building on their morale-boosting 42-33 victory against Lyon when they take on Perpignan at Stade Aime Giral to hold onto their spot in the top four on the standings and ensure that they qualify for the play-offs.

Perpignan are currently one spot above them on the table on points’ difference and find themselves in a similar situation to the Lions to remain in the top four, as a victory for the Dragons against Newcastle or a bonus-point win for Lyon against Benetton could jeopardise the losing team’s hopes of qualifying.

With four wins in eight games to their name in the URC to Perpignan’s two out of 14 in the Top 14, and the Lions coming fresh off a win, they will back themselves to register a valuable victory, however, they will be well aware that the Frenchmen have won their last three home games across both competitions, which will inspire them to deliver another quality performance in front of their home crowd.

Both the Cheetahs and Racing 92, meanwhile, will be hunting their first and only win in the competition this season when they battle it out at the La Defense Arena in Paris, which will spice up the match, even though both teams will be playing purely for pride.

The Free Staters, however, will have to deliver a top-drawer performance to topple the hosts, who may be languishing at the bottom end of the Top 14 log, but boast seven wins in 14 matches and will be looking to maintain their unbeaten record in Paris this season.

This will make a victory even sweeter for the Toyota Cheetahs after last weekend’s disappointment when their match against Ulster in the Netherlands was cancelled, however, they will have to be in top form on attack and defence.

FIXTURES

Investec Champions Cup

Section Paloise v Vodacom Bulls - Friday @ Stade du Hameau, Pau (10pm)

Referee: Karl Dickson (England)

TV: SuperSport

Hollywoodbets Sharks v Clermont Auvergne - Saturday @ Hollywoodbets Kings Park, Durban (3pm)

Referee: Christophe Ridley (England)

TV: SuperSport

DHL Stormers v Leicester Tigers - Saturday @ DHL Stadium, Cape Town (5.15pm)

Referee: Jeremy Rozier (France)

TV: SuperSport

EPCR Challenge Cup

Perpignan v Lions - Saturday @ Stade Aime Giral, Perpignan (7.30pm)

Referee: Filippo Russo (Italy)

TV: SuperSport

Racing 92 v Toyota Cheetahs - Sunday @ La Defense Arena, Paris (7.30pm)

Referee: Ben Breakspear (Wales)

TV: SuperSport