Bulls, Stormers face fight to keep URC title hopes alive
The teams may come to regret their respective recent losses in the tournament
South African rugby couldn’t have asked for a worse outcome in the 14th round of the United Rugby Championship (URC).
The Sharks, Bulls and Stormers went down, and the results in Pretoria and Cape Town relegated the Lions to 11th place in the standings, in spite of the Joburgbased side’s 44-12 victory against Leinster.
The Bulls and the Stormers may come to regret their respective losses to Munster and the Ospreys.
Sharks are the best bet for silverware
Even if the Bulls win their remaining four matches, they may find themselves travelling abroad in the URC semifinals – possibly to Dublin to face a fullstrength Leinster.
The Stormers have effectively blown their chances of securing a home quarterfinal, and the best-case scenario may see them heading to Loftus Versfeld for the first round of the knockouts.
The Lions find themselves in a do-or-die situation. If they don’t win their remaining matches, they won’t qualify for the playoffs or next year’s Champions Cup.
At this stage, the Sharks are South Africa’s best bet for silverware – albeit in a second-tier competition.
John Plumtree’s side are no longer in the running for the URC playoffs, and as a result have decided to focus on the remainder of their European Challenge Cup campaign. If they beat French club Clermont in the semifinals and then go on to win the title, they will qualify for next season’s Champions Cup.
The Bulls and the Stormers were knocked out of the Champions Cup two weeks ago, which means they won’t have to juggle the demands of competing in two competitions over the next two months. Furthermore, they will have the opportunity to “rest” in the weeks set aside for the Champions Cup.
Squad management key
It’s understandable why director of rugby Jake White decided to send a second-string side to England for the Champions Cup quarterfinal and keep his star players in Pretoria ahead of the key URC clash against Munster.
Player management is so important at this stage of the club season, even though few sides have the resources to compete for silverware in two big tournaments such as the Champions Cup and the URC.
Though the SA teams have progressed since joining the northern hemisphere fraternity in 2021, they still have some way to go, and it’s for this reason that White and other coaches may opt to focus on one tournament, in this case the URC.
However, the plan backfired when the Bulls failed to bank the points against Munster, losing 27-22.
Stormers coach John Dobson fielded a weaker side against the Ospreys, but playing at Cape Town Stadium, the former URC champions would have been expected to take the necessary log points. They also stumbled to a 27-21 home loss.
In the wake of those landmark defeats, both teams face a mad scramble to keep their URC title hopes alive.
Celtic nations in position of strength
Leinster and Glasgow Warriors are the favourites to secure the top two positions in the standings.
Leinster may have to sacrifice another URC match to maximise their chances of winning a Champions Cup semifinal, and possibly the final. Once they have concluded those commitments, Jacques Nienaber’s side will turn their attention back to the URC.
Glasgow, who are coached by another South African, Franco Smith, are well placed considering they will play two of their last four matches against Italian side Zebre, who are ranked last in the competition.
Glasgow still have to come to the Highveld to play the Bulls and the Lions, but given their schedule they can afford to target one win from those two matches in South Africa.
The Bulls should be going all out to claim 20 log points from their remaining matches against the Ospreys, Glasgow, Benetton and the Sharks – all of which will be staged in South Africa.
The Highveld conditions should give them an edge against the foreign teams, and they will be favourites to beat the Sharks in the final round.
Other results to shape SA teams’ fate
The Bulls may need a result or two to go their way if they are to finish above Munster in the rankings.
The Lions could do the Bulls – and themselves – a favour by beating Munster on 27 April. Thereafter, Munster will return to the northern hemisphere, where they will be expected to beat Connacht, Edinburgh and Ulster.
The Stormers shouldn’t be looking beyond the next match against Leinster.
Their chances of hosting a playoff this season are slim, but
they can still finish in fifth place.
If the Stormers beat Leinster, they will head to the northern hemisphere for a two-match tour against the Dragons and Connacht. If they lose one or both of those matches, and possibly even the last fixture against the Lions, they may miss out on the playoffs.
If the Lions build on their recent performance against Leinster and manage to topple Munster they will strengthen their chances of qualification. They should beat Cardiff in Johannesburg thereafter, and it remains to be seen how Glasgow – their subsequent opponents – will adapt to the altitude.
The Bulls will be cheering the Lions on over the next few weeks, as losses for Munster and Glasgow will boost their own home playoff prospects.
The Stormers, however, won’t mind if Ivan van Rooyen’s side lose a game or two and bow out of the playoff race before the final round. A Lions side with little but pride to play for may be less dangerous than a group that is hunting history, as the first Lions team to qualify for a URC knockout fixture.
The Bulls will be cheering the Lions on over the next few weeks, as losses for Munster and Glasgow will boost their own home playoff prospects