Thrilling Vodacom URC derby round loading

Vodacom United Rugby Championship log leaders, the Hollywoodbets Sharks and third-placed 10bet Lions, will have their sights set on continuing their unbeaten start in the competition this weekend and remain in the top four on the standings when they hit the road to face the DHL Stormers and Vodacom Bulls in a thrilling round of South African derbies.

They will, however, prepare themselves for challenging outings as the Capetonians will enter the match highly motivated after suffering a narrow 17-13 defeat against Edinburgh in Scotland last week, while the team from Pretoria will look to bounce back from their 26-22 loss against Munster in Ireland.

The Bulls and Lions will kick off the action on Saturday at Loftus Versfeld at 1.30pm, with the Jukskei Derby being followed directly by the Coastal Derby between the Stormers and Sharks at the DHL Stadium at 4pm.

The Jukskei Derby is expected to be a thriller – not only given the rivalry between the two Gauteng-based teams but also the fact that both sides will be desperate to stay in the top half of the table early in the competition to give themselves the best possible chance to secure playoff places later in the season.

Spicing up the clash, the men from Pretoria are currently the best attacking team in the competition with 69 points scored to 62 by the Johannesburgers, while they also boast a better defensive record with 39 points conceded so far to 45 – statistics that will undoubtedly boost their confidence going into the clash.

The Bulls will, however, not underestimate the Lions, who were in good form in South Africa last season, losing only one home game 60km away from Pretoria, while they will also draw confidence from their 43-33 victory against Ivan van Rooyen’s team in a repeat of this match last year.

Johann Ackermann’s team managed to avenge that defeat in Johannesburg later in the season, registering a comprehensive 52-17 victory, which will set the scene for a gripping encounter.

The coastal clash between the Stormers and Sharks is expected to be equally intense. The Durbanites, second on the list of top scoring teams (67 points), are lining up against the best defensive side in the tournament, with the Capetonians having leaked only 32 points to 44 by the Durbanites.

This means the visitors, whose returning cohort of Springboks made an immediate impact last weekend, will have to be accurate in their execution to breach John Dobson’s team’s strong defensive line to ensure they come out on top in Cape Town and win their third successive match.

The Stormers will also be well aware of the fact that a victory would give them the big boost they need to close the gap between themselves and the Sharks on the standings and possibly leapfrog them if they were to come away with a bonus point victory.

In addition to this, JP Pietersen’s side will be wary of the fact that the Stormers suffered only two defeats at home last season – one of which was against the Sharks – but on the flip side, the fact that the Durbanites won both matches against them last season will see them enter the match with confidence.

The Stormers will also welcome back a handful of Springboks, including Damian Willemse, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Cobus Reinach, Paul de Villiers, Wilco Louw, and Deon Fourie, which will add to their armour going into the match.

The URC also announced that they will support Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October, which will see various initiatives being activated across the tournament, which includes pink armbands being worn by the match officials, pink on-field branding and campaign activity.

The initiative will have particular significance for the South African teams, who recently received the news that Aimee Barrett-Theron, one of the country’s regular URC match officials and one of the most experienced Test referees, is currently on a recovery journey after she was diagnosed with breast cancer.

Fixtures

Vodacom Bulls v 10bet Lions - Saturday @ Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria (1.30pm)

Referee: Hanru van Rooyen

TV: SuperSport

DHL Stormers v Hollywoodbets Sharks - Saturday @ DHL Stadium, Cape Town (4pm)

Referee: Morne Ferreira

TV: SuperSport