5 days ago
South Africa guaranteed a team in URC final after Bulls and Sharks keep the flag flying
Ruan Nortjie, captain of the Bulls, is set to lead his team again, this time against the Sharks in the semi-finals of the URC on Saturday. Photo: BackpagePix
Image: BackpagePix
South Africa will maintain its proud record of having a team in the final of the United Rugby Championship (URC), after the Bulls and Sharks won their quarter-finals at the weekend and now face off in a semi-final in Pretoria on Saturday.
Since the inception of the URC, a South African team has featured in every final. The inaugural 2021/22 season culminated in a final in Cape Town between the victorious Stormers and the Bulls. The following year, the Stormers lost a home final to Munster, and last year, the Bulls hosted the final against the Glasgow Warriors, who won it.
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This year, either the Bulls or the Sharks will progress to a final against the winner of Saturday's semi-final in Dublin between Leinster and the defending champions, Glasgow Warriors.
Dublin's Croke Park, Loftus Versfeld, and Kings Park are the three possible venues for the final, with the top-seeded finalists among Leinster, the Bulls, and Sharks keen to host the decider.
The Warriors are the only semi-finalists who cannot host the final, even if they upset Leinster at the Aviva Stadium, as the other three teams all finished above Glasgow on the URC points table.
South Africans will be backing Franco Smith's Glasgow side, as a Leinster defeat would ensure the final is played in South Africa — either in Pretoria or Durban.
Of the four semi-finalists, only the Warriors have previously won the URC, while the Bulls were runners-up in 2022 and 2024. The Sharks are making their first-ever appearance in a semi-final, while, remarkably, eight-time league winners Leinster are still chasing their first appearance in a final in the URC era.
The Sharks have enjoyed a meteoric rise this season, having finished 14th in last year's competition.
History suggests that both the Sharks and the Warriors are capable of upsetting their favoured hosts in Pretoria and Dublin, respectively. The first three seasons of URC play-offs have seen several away wins — including at the semi-final stage — and these evenly poised match-ups could yet see triumphs for the travelling teams.
The Bulls and Sharks kept the South African flag flying on Saturday, after the Stormers delivered their worst performance of the season in losing 36–18 to the Warriors on Friday night.
The Bulls delivered under pressure in an entertaining encounter against Edinburgh in Pretoria. Trailing 21–8 after the opening 20 minutes, they recovered well to win 42–33.
There was drama in Durban, where the Sharks and Munster drew 24–24 after 80 minutes, sending the match into extra time and then a penalty shootout. The hosts triumphed 6–4 to advance to the semi-final.
