Race to the Vodacom URC SA Shield in home straight

The Hollywoodbets Sharks, Vodacom Bulls and DHL Stormers will not only have log points in mind but they will have their sights set firmly on securing pole position in the race for the SA Shield as the Vodacom United Rugby Championship reaches Round 12 this weekend.

Two mouth-watering South African derbies in Gauteng are on the schedule for Saturday, on the second-last weekend where the local teams will line up against one another.

Adding to the excitement this weekend marks the second Origins Round in which all the teams’ players are encouraged to wear their school socks in celebration of their rugby roots.

The Emirates Lions host the Sharks in Johannesburg at 2.30pm, which will be followed up by an intense duel between the Bulls and Stormers in Pretoria at 5pm.

This will mark the last local derby for the third-placed Bulls (on 40 log points) and the 10th placed Stormers (24 points), while the fourth-placed Sharks (34 points) and 12th-placed Lions (23 points) will have an extra match next week when they take the field in their postponed round one fixture.

The Bulls will have one hand on the SA Shield if they can come away with a bonus-point victory. The men from Pretoria (16 points) currently lead the Sharks and Stormers with two points (both on 14) on the South African log but the men from Durban have a game in hand.

With all four domestic teams still in the running for play-off places with seven regular pool rounds remaining in the competition – including this weekend’s matches – the Bulls and Sharks will do everything in their power to remain in the top four, while the Stormers and Lions will be looking to edge their way closer to the top eight or into the top half of the table.

In Johannesburg, the Lions will look to make the most of their home ground advantage – where they last staged a 30-23 upset against the Stormers two weeks ago – and bounce back strongly from their disappointing 31-19 defeat against the Bulls in Pretoria last week.

They will also draw inspiration from the fact that they toppled Ulster and Edinburgh at home before that win, with their only defeat at home this season being against their neighbours from the north.

The Sharks boast a 54-point advantage over the opposition in terms of points scored but the teams are not far off from one another defensively, with the Lions having conceded 230 points to 249 by the KwaZulu-Natalians, which will set the scene for a gripping match.

The high stakes for the hosts to claw their way closer to the top eight will also serve as a huge inspirational factor for them.

In Pretoria, the Bulls will also rely on their passionate home crowd to lift them as they prepare to face their arch-rivals the Stormers in a classic North-South battle at Loftus Versfeld, while the men from Cape Town will certainly want to make amends for their heart-breaking 33-32 defeat against the Pretorians two weeks ago at the DHL Stadium.

Jake White’s charges – who have never beaten the Stormers twice in one season – may enter the clash with a mental edge given that their attacking and defensive statistics are better, with 300 points scored to 253 by the Stormers and 230 points conceded to the visitors’ 277, but they will be mindful of that that statistics will have little significance after the intense battle that unfolded between the sides only two weeks ago.

All this means, SA’s rugby faithful will be in for a real treat this weekend.

Fixtures

Emirates Lions v Hollywoodbets Sharks - Saturday @ Emirates Airline Park, Johannesburg (2.30pm)

Referee: Christopher Allison

TV: SuperSport

Vodacom Bulls v DHL Stormers - Saturday @ Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria (5pm)

Referee: Griffin Colby

TV: SuperSport