SA sides gear up for important Vodacom URC round before break
Another gripping round of Vodacom United Rugby Championship action awaits this weekend as the Emirates Lions face their toughest test yet against the only other unbeaten team in the competition, Leinster, on Saturday, while the Vodacom Bulls will look to bounce back from their disappointing defeat on tour last week, as the DHL Stormers and Hollywoodbets Sharks seek to build on their first home wins and climb the log table.
Benetton will host the Vodacom Bulls in the opening match for the domestic franchises in Treviso on Friday. Three matches will play out on Saturday, with the DHL Stormers hosting defending champions, the Glasgow Warriors, in Stellenbosch, the Hollywoodbets Sharks take on Munster in Durban, and log-leaders Leinster host the Emirates Lions in Dublin.
The Vodacom Bulls will have their minds firmly set on returning to winning ways in their third tour game, against Benetton at Stadio Monigo, before the competition breaks until late November after suffering their first defeat in heart-breaking fashion last week when a red card in the fourth quarter saw the Scarlets sneak through for a one-point victory.
The visitors from Pretoria are ranked four places higher on the standings than the eighth-placed Italians, but they will be wary of the fact that Benneton are high on confidence after back-to-back victories – a morale-boosting 31-21 away win against the Dragons in Newport and a 38-10 victory against the Hollywoodbets Sharks in Treviso.
The fourth-placed Vodacom Bulls have been superior on defence so far this season, conceding 49 points fewer than the Italians in four matches to five the by the hosts, while they also boast a better attacking record with 120 points scored to 104 by Benetton, which should boost their confidence going into the clash.
Bolstering the Vodacom Bulls’ confidence, they won their last four fixtures against Benetton, with their only defeat against an Italian opponent in the competition being against this team at Stadio Monigo in the final of the Rainbow Cup in June 2021.
In Cape Town, the DHL Stormers will look to inflict further damage on the Glasgow Warriors following the Scots’ 28-24 defeat against the Hollywoodbets Sharks in Durban, with an eye on possibly hopping into the top eight on the table. However, they will be well aware of the visitors’ fighting spirit, which saw them score two tries in as many minutes in the dying stages last week to snatch two bonus points from the game.
With the Capetonians starting the competition with a tough three-week tour, statistics could have little significance for the teams, especially with the home side showing great attacking flair against Munster last week to secure a bonus-point 34-19 victory – a result they will be keen to build on in front of another passionate crowd in Stellenbosch.
The DHL Stormers will draw inspiration from their defensive statistics, in particular, which shows only two more points conceded in their four games to Glasgow’s five even though the visitors hold a nine-point lead on the log, which will be handy against the best attacking team in the competition.
History, however, favours the Glasgow Warriors who have won three of the four previous outings between the sides, with the DHL Stormers’ only victory being 32-7 at DHL Stadium in April 2022.
The clash between the Hollywoodbets Sharks and Munster could also prove to be a humdinger given the fact that only one point separates the sides on the standings and with both teams having registered only two victories so far this season, although the Durbanites have a game in hand after the domestic teams’ round-one fixtures were postponed.
The Holllywoodbets Sharks showed encouraging form from the beginning of the season with a six-point defeat against Connacht away in their opening game before defeating the Dragons in Newport, and after a glitch against Benetton in their final tour game, they bounced back strongly to defeat the Glasgow Warriors.
The KwaZulu-Natalians will undoubtedly look to build on this against Munster, who currently find themselves in a dip after losing their last two matches against Leinster and the DHL Stormers respectively.
Spicing up the clash, the teams are closely matched on attack and defence with Munster holding only a 21-point lead in terms of terms of points scored in their five matches to the Hollywoodbets Sharks’ four, while the Irish outfit have conceded seven points more, which will undoubtedly set the scene for a humdinger of a clash.
The two sides have met three times before in the Vodacom URC, with Munster winning two to add to a 22-22 draw on their only previous visit to Durban in April 2023.
The Emirates Lions, in turn, will have their work cut out against the in-form Leinster in Dublin in the table topping clash on Saturday, where one of the teams will suffer their first defeat of the season – unless the result comes down to a draw.
With home ground advantage and a flawless run of five bonus-point wins to their name in as many matches, Leinster will enter the clash as favourites, but the Emirates Lions will feel that they will have everything to gain as they look to create the biggest upset in the competition this season.
Given the close margins between the teams on attack and defence, it could prove to be a gripping encounter, as Leinster have only scored 38 points more than the Emirates Lions in their five matches to the Johannesburgers’ four, while the hosts have conceded only five points fewer.
In fact, it was the visitors’ phenomenal defensive display that saw them sneak through for their fourth win in competition against Zebre Parma last week in atrocious conditions – a factor that will motivate them to emulate that display against Leinster.
The sides have met on three previous occasions in the tournament with Leinster having the slight edge with two wins to one, however, the Johannesburgers have won three of their last four matches against Irish provinces.
Match information:
Benetton v Vodacom Bulls
Date: Friday, 25 October
Venue: Stadio Monigo, Treviso
SA Time: 20h35
Referee: Eoghan Cross
TV: SuperSport
DHL Stormers v Glasgow Warriors
Date: Saturday, 26 October
Venue: Danie Craven Stadium, Stellenbosch
SA Time: 13h45
Referee: Andrew Brace
TV: SuperSport
Hollywoodbets Sharks v Munster
Date: Saturday, 26 October
Venue: Hollywoodbets Kings Park, Durban
SA Time: 16h00
Referee: Hollie Davidson
TV: SuperSport
Leinster v Emirates Lions
Date: Saturday, 26 October
Venue: Aviva Stadium, Dublin
SA Time: 18h15
Referee: Craig Evans
TV: SuperSport
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