SA teams look for improvement on Super Saturday

December 12, 2024
137
Ultimate Rugby

While the Sharks and Cheetahs will look to build on their encouraging starts to the Champions Cup and EPCR Challenge Cup last week, the Bulls, Stormers, and Lions will target a strong comeback after suffering defeats in the opening round of the European showpieces respectively last week.

The Bulls will kick off a fully charged day of action on Saturday when they host the Northampton Saints in Pretoria in round two of the Champions Cup, which will be followed by equally gripping encounters between the Leicester Tigers and Sharks, and Harlequins and the Stormers in England.

In the EPCR Challenge Cup, the Lions will welcome Section Paloise to Johannesburg in what marks their first home game in the competition this season, while the Cheetahs will line up against Cardiff in Wales.

With this round of matches marking the second of only four games in the pool stages before the teams switch back to the United Rugby Championship and their other club commitments, all five teams will target victories to give themselves the best possible chance to advance to the Round of 16 – the first of the playoff rounds – next year.

Champions Cup

The Bulls will look to make the most of their home ground advantage and the warm weather conditions when they welcome the Northampton Saints to Loftus Versfeld on Saturday, where they will be desperate to bounce back strongly from their disappointing 27-5 defeat against Saracens away last week and maintain their unbeaten run in Pretoria this season.

The men in blue are currently lying third on the URC table, which will serve as a huge motivational factor against the Northampton Saints, who may be lying in eighth place on the Gallagher Premiership standings after three wins in seven outings, but who come off an emphatic 38-8 victory against Castres Olympique last weekend.

The Sharks, meanwhile, will be determined to build on their 39-21 victory against the Exeter Chiefs and continue with their winning momentum as they seek their fifth win in a row (three URC victories and their round one win in the Champions Cup) when they line up against the Leicester Tigers in England.

They will, however, be wary of the threat the hosts pose as they are ranked third on the log in the Gallagher Premiership, despite the Tigers coming off a 42-28 defeat against the Bordeaux Begles last week in their opening game of this competition.

The Stormers’ clash against Harlequins at the Twickenham Stoop, meanwhile, could prove to be an epic encounter as both teams have struggled to hit their straps in the URC and Gallagher Premiership respectively, which has left them at the bottom end of the log tables.

Both sides also hit a bump in the road in their opening Champions Cup encounter, with the Stormers going down by 24-14 to Toulon, and Harlequins suffering a 23-12 defeat against Racing 92.

EPCR Challenge Cup

The Lions will look to capitalise on their home ground advantage and passionate supporters when they host Section Paloise at Airline Park on Saturday in their second round EPCR Challenge Cup match, where they will be desperate to bounce back from their 30-14 defeat against Ospreys last week and build on their decent home form this season.

With two wins in three home games in the URC so far this season and the Gauteng team currently in fifth place on the standings, they will enter the match with confidence, especially given that Section Paloise have won only four of their 11 Top 14 matches.

The Lions will be wary of underestimating their French visitors, who defeated the Newcastle Falcons in their opening match of the competition last weekend.

The Cheetahs, meanwhile, kicked off their campaign with a draw against Perpignan last week and will have all the motivation they need step up their performance and register a victory against Cardiff.

The Free Staters, however, will be mindful of the fact that it will take a big performance to achieve this feat as Cardiff are currently ranked fourth on the URC log with four wins in seven matches.

However, the Cheetahs will draw inspiration from Lyon’s 37-26 victory against the Welsh outfit last week as they look to continue making a strong statement in their only international competition of the season.

Match information – Champions Cup Round 2:

Bulls v Northampton Saints

Date: Saturday, 14 December

Venue: Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria

SA Time: 15h00

Referee: Luc Ramos

Leicester Tigers v Sharks

Date: Saturday, 14 December

Venue: Mattioli Woods Welford Road, Leicester

SA Time: 19h30

Referee: Andrea Piardi

Harlequins v Stormers