The unbeaten Stormers look set to host a Champions Cup playoff as well as a United Rugby Championship quarterfinal this season, while the battling Bulls and Sharks are in danger of finishing both tournaments as also-rans. The festive season is done and dusted, and for South Africa’s top rugby franchises, the moment of truth has arrived. Two Champions Cup pool matches remain, and by the end of the preliminary phase, we will know whether the Bulls, Sharks and Stormers have improved on last season’s shocking results in Europe and whether they will go toe to toe with the world’s best clubs in the knockout phase.
As things stand, the Stormers are best placed to qualify for the next round. After beating Bayonne in France and La Rochelle in Gqeberha, they sit at the top of their pool, and could secure home advantage for the Round of 16 if they accumulate sufficient log points in their remaining clashes against Harlequins in London and Leicester Tigers in Cape Town. The Bulls are in crisis, having lost six games across both tournaments, and may need to win their remaining pool matches against the Bristol Bears in Pretoria and Pau in France to qualify for the Champions Cup playoffs.
The Sharks are in a similar situation, and on current form they may be hard pressed to beat the Sale Sharks in Manchester and Clermont Auvergne in Durban in successive weeks. The big question is whether the Bulls and Sharks can afford to target these matches, given their respective rankings in the URC. The Bulls dropped to 11th following their 13-8 defeat to the Stormers last week, while the Sharks finished the round in 14th place after losing 23-22 to the Lions at home.
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Publicly, the Bulls and Sharks coaches have spoken about winning the next two Champions Cup games and earning a place in the playoffs. But privately, they will know that the next round of matches in the URC – the Bulls face Edinburgh in the Scottish capital while the Sharks host the Stormers – will be all important. Both teams face an uphill slog to qualify for the URC quarterfinals, and for the next edition of the Champions Cup.
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