The Stormers are under pressure to continue their excellent form in what are expected to be dismal conditions in England. Picture: Cole Cruickshank/Gallo Images It’s going to be a tough weekend for South African teams in the Champions Cup, with the Bulls in poor form and the Sharks and Stormers venturing into extreme weather conditions for their games. Below-freezing conditions are expected in the UK due to Storm Goretti moving through Europe, with up to 30cm of snow predicted in the coming days.
The Sharks, playing away to Sale Sharks in Eccles on Saturday (7.30pm), and the Stormers, up against Harlequins at Twickenham on Sunday (3pm), will face more than just their opponents on the field in their third-round Champions Cup clashes. Theunbeaten Stormersare the best-placed South African side in the competition. They lead Pool 3 on nine points, ahead of Leinster on points difference, following wins over Bayonne and La Rochelle.
The Harlequins are in poor form, having won just two of their last 10 matches, and coach Jason Gilmore faces huge pressure with the historically strong team currently eighth in the Premiership. The two teams have played each other only twice in the Champions Cup. The Stormers won their 2023 quarter-final 32-28 in Cape Town, before Harlequins thrashed the Stormers 53-16 in the second round of 2024.
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But the Stormers, despite their name, will be the less familiar side in such conditions. Forwards coach Rito Hlungwani admitted this when he said their good European form this season – five wins out of five games – came earlier in winter. “We know it is very different there in January in comparison to October or November,” he said.
The Sharks have one defeat (Toulouse) and one win (Saracens), sitting fifth in pool 1 with five points ahead of their first-ever clash against Sale. After two wins, they suffered their first defeat under interim coach JP Pietersen, losing 23-22 to the Lions thanks to a try after the hooter in Durban last weekend. But the mood in the camp is good,No 8 Nick Hattonsaid this week.
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