URC resumes with gripping local derbies

December 19, 2024
125
Ultimate Rugby

The Vodacom United Rugby Championship returns with a bang this weekend after back-to-back rounds of Investec Champions Cup and EPCR Challenge Cup rugby, and to the delight of local fans, they will be treated to two mouthwatering South African derbies.

A third local derby, between the two coastal sides, is scheduled a week later and all three these clashes will go a long way in determining the winner of the SA Shield for the 2024/25 season.

The DHL Stormers, the only SA side in the Vodacom URC outside of the top eight on the standings, will host the Emirates Lions (currently in fifth position) in Cape Town on Saturday at 15h45, while the third-placed Vodacom Bulls will battle it out with the sixth-placed Hollywoodbets Sharks in Durban at 18h00.

With 13 log points separating the Vodacom Bulls from the 13^th-placed Stormers on the table as the teams begin to approach the halfway mark of their campaigns, all four SA sides will be determined to register victories, with those in the top eight hoping to cling onto their spots, while the DHL Stormers will have their sights set on closing in on the teams in the top half of the log.

The clash at the DHL Stadium is set to be gripping as the DHL Stormers look to bounce back from two successive defeats in the Investec Champions Cup against an Emirates Lions outfit that have established themselves as a competitive unit and who will want to build on their 43-35 victory against Section Paloise in the EPCR Challenge Cup last weekend.

The DHL Stormers, in particular, will look to make the most of their home ground advantage, and with the sides being fairly closely matched on attack this season, with the Emirates Lions holding a marginal six-point advantage, it could prove to be a tight encounter.

The Cape side have only won only two of their six Vodacom UCR fixtures, while the Emirates Lions have a strike rate of four out of six, which means the DHL Stormers will have to contend with a team high on confidence, especially after winning two of their four away matches – both of which were abroad.

In Durban, meanwhile, the visiting Vodacom Bulls and Hollywoodbets Sharks will still be hurting from defats in the Investec Champions Cup last week and will have all the motivation they need to bounce back strongly and remain on the upper end of the log.

With the Vodacom Bulls’ track record so far in the competition showing only one defeat in six outings compared to the Hollywoodbets Sharks’ two, and with only two points separating the teams on attack, the match could go down the wire.

The visitors, however, boast a much better defensive record, with 59 points fewer conceded – a strength they will be determined to capitalise on in what marks an important game for both teams.

The rugby year in South Africa will conclude with another key derby, on Saturday, 28 December, between the DHL Stormers and Hollywoodbets Sharks in Cape Town, which is expected to be equally entertaining given the importance of working their way into good positions to stake a claim for playoff places later in the season.

The ninth-round derby between the Vodacom Bulls and Emirates Lions will take place at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria on Saturday, 22 February.

Match Information:

DHL Stormers vs Emirates Lions (R8)

Date: Saturday, 21 December

Venue: DHL Stadium, Cape Town

SA Time: 15h45

Referee: Christopher Alison

TV: SuperSport

Hollywoodbets Sharks v Vodacom Bulls (R8)

Date: Saturday, 21 December

Venue: Hollywoodbets Kingspark, Durban

SA Time: 18h00