URC crunch time: Bulls, Sharks and Stormers in good form ahead of quarter-finals
All three South African teams should be confident of winning their matches and advancing to the last four.
It's now crunch time for the Bulls, Sharks and Stormers as the United Rugby Championship reaches the playoff stage this week.
Everything that has gone before in the 2024/25 season will be forgotten as the three South African teams in the top eight vie for a place in the semi-finals and then the final.
This weekend, the Bulls, who finished second on the points table after the round robin stage, take on Edinburgh at Loftus at 1.30pm on Saturday, while at 6.30pm the Sharks, who finished third overall, host Munster in Durban.
The Stormers though are first-up on Friday, at 8.35pm, when they clash with the defending champions, Glasgow Warriors, in Scotland. John Dobson's team, who were inaugural winners of the URC three seasons ago, finished fifth after their 18 games in the league phase.
The other quarter-final is between Leinster and Scarlets at 4pm on Saturday, in Dublin.
All eight teams go into their matches this weekend having had this last weekend off, for the European Champions and Challenge Cup finals to be played, so they will be fresh and rejuvenated after a long URC campaign.
Winning run
The three South Africans teams will all be confident ahead of their clashes.
The Bulls have not lost in their last six matches in the URC, so Jake White and his charges will be full of confidence. They have beaten Dragons and Cardiff at home, Glasgow and Munster away and Zebre and Leinster at home. Their last defeat was back on March 1, against the Stormers (19-16).
In their round robin match against Edinburgh this season the Bulls won 22-16 in what was their first match of their URC season, in late September at Loftus.
The Sharks, too, will be confident against Munster, winners of the title two seasons ago. John Plumtree's men have beaten Scarlets and Ospreys at home, and Ulster and Edinburgh away. They also narrowly lost against Leinster (7-10).
The Stormers have also had a good time recently, beating Cardiff, the Dragons, Benetton and Connacht at home to get them into the top five. Taking on Glasgow away will, however, be tough for the Cape side, though Franco Smith's defending champions go into the match having lost their last three games – against Leinster, Benetton and the Bulls.
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