The South African groups are set to face assorted challenges as they head into the ninth spherical of Vodacom United Rugby Championship.
The weekend’s thrilling Vodacom URC ninth spherical motion as soon as more will see all 4 South African sides internet hosting Welsh opposition, beginning with Friday night’s conflict in Durban between the Sharks and Ospreys, which kicks off at 7pm.
The Bulls and Stormers are taking the sector on Saturday in Pretoria and Nelson Mandela Bay respectively, whereas the Lions stage one other Sunday afternoon match in Johannesburg.
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There is a pleasant deal with in retailer for Eastern Cape rugby lovers on Saturday because the Stormers take their 2pm conflict with the Dragons to the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, and the Bulls host high-flying Cardiff at Loftus Versfeld at 8pm.
On Sunday, at 1:30pm the Lions face the Scarlets at Ellis Park to wrap up spherical 9 of the competitors.
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Interestingly, a complete of 18 victories this season have come from groups who completed decrease than their opponents final yr; with Cardiff’s surprisingly straightforward win over the Sharks final weekend marking a historic second as they turned the primary Welsh staff to win away in South Africa in the Vodacom URC.
With the race to the highest eight heating up, at least six groups are only one win away from the play-off positions, which can little question add one other thrilling component to this week’s motion.
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Sharks vs Ospreys
Last weekend’s 35-0 defeat in Durban to Cardiff have seen the KwaZulu-Natalians slip to 12th place on the log, whereas the Ospreys are two locations decrease on the standings.
The Sharks – whose head coach Sean Everitt stepped down early in the week, with director of rugby Neil Powell taking the reins – have misplaced their final two Vodacom URC fixtures and haven’t misplaced three in a row since October 2021, so they are going to be desperate to redeem themselves.
They confronted Welsh opposition on six earlier events and each of their defeats throughout that point had been to Cardiff. Meanwhile, the Ospreys’ solely win in their final 9 outings was a 32-17 house overcome the Glasgow Warriors at first of October.
Match info:
Date: Friday 2 December
Venue: Kings Park, Durban
SA Time: 19h10
Referee: Eoghan Cross (Ireland)
TV: SuperSport
Stormers vs Dragons
Saturday’s encounter between the second-placed Stormers and the Dragons in the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium would be the 16th Vodacom URC fixture on the venue, however the first since March 2020 when Connacht beat the Southern Kings there.
The defending champions from Cape Town are on a very good run and have misplaced simply as soon as in the competitors since February, a 24-30 reverse at Cardiff on 22 October.
The Stormers have gained their final 14 house video games on a trot in Cape Town and Stellenbosch, however that is the primary fixture they are going to be staging in the Eastern Cape.
Last Sunday’s 33-25 loss for the Dragons in Johannesburg noticed their two-game profitable run come to an finish, that means they’ve now misplaced their final six away video games. With the anticipated return of a few of their Springbok gamers, the Stormers – who managed to beat the Scarlets 36-19 in Cape Town final week – will probably be thought-about robust favourites.
Match info:
Date: Saturday 3 December
Venue: Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Nelson Mandela Bay
SA Time: 14h00
Referee: Frank Murphy (Ireland)
TV: SuperSport
Bulls vs Cardiff
The Bulls (third on the log) are aiming for his or her fourth win on the bounce (since their round-five defeat to Munster in Limerick) after they host 11th-placed Cardiff on Saturday night time at Loftus.
The males from Pretoria have misplaced simply two of their 17 earlier house video games in Pretoria, to the Stormers in January and the Sharks the next month, and they’re unbeaten in 5 conferences with Welsh opposition, whereas Cardiff’s solely defeat in their final 5 encounters was 17-25 at house to Edinburgh in the seventh spherical.
The staff from the Welsh capital tasted success in their final two away video games and are going for his or her fourth victory on SA soil having overwhelmed the Southern Kings twice in Nelson Mandela Bay, in 2018 and 2019, and blanking the Sharks in Durban final Sunday.
Match info:
Date: Saturday 3 December
Venue: Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria
SA Time: 20h00
Referee: Sam Grove-White (Scotland)
TV: SuperSport
Lions vs Scarlets
The Lions gained 33-25 at house over the Dragons final weekend to snap a two-game shedding run and will probably be decided to take care of momentum in opposition to the Scarlets on Sunday afternoon in Johannesburg. The males from Johannesburg are seventh on the log, in comparison with the Scarlets’ 15th place.
Since shedding their first fixture in opposition to a Welsh area on their journey to Llanelli in October 2021, the Lions have managed to construct a six-game profitable streak over Welsh opponents. Meanwhile, the Scarlets’ solely victory in their final 10 fixtures was 36-12 at house to Zebre in mid-October.
They will probably be hoping for higher luck on their Highveld safari, because the Welshmen have misplaced their final 4 in opposition to South African groups and haven’t gained right here since beating the Southern Kings in the Eastern Cape in 2018.
In the one earlier assembly between the Lions and the Scarlets, the Welsh outfit bagged a stable 36-13 victory final October on the Parc y Scarlets.
Match info:
Sunday, 4 December
Venue: Ellis Park, Johannesburg
SA Time: 13h30
Referee: Ben Blain (Scotland)
TV: SuperSport
