Big test awaits SA sides abroad in URC

Rugby
  • 2 Months Ago
A big test awaits South Africa’s four Vodacom United Rugby Championship franchises as they all play abroad this weekend for the first time this season in a round that could boost their confidence immensely if they come away with the desired results.

Benetton will host the Sharks in Italy in the first of three matches on Saturday, which will be followed by clashes between Edinburgh and the DHL Stormers in Scotland, while Ospreys will take on the Vodacom Bulls in Wales.

The Emirates Lions and Dragons will battle it out in the last match of the weekend on Sunday in Wales, and all these results could have an influence on the log standings, where only six points separate the second-placed Glasgow Warriors and 13th-placed Ulster.

The Hollywoodbets Sharks will target their second victory on tour after losing by a narrow six points in their opening match against Connacht and then bouncing back with a tenacious effort against the Dragons last week to come away with a valuable 33-30 victory.

These results will certainly boost their confidence against a desperate Benetton side, who are currently languishing at the foot of the log after playing to a 30-30 draw against the Scarlets at home in their opening match before going down 42-10 against Glasgow away and 35-5 against log-leaders Leinster in Italy last week.

The KwaZulu-Natalians’ confidence will be compounded by the fact that they have scored 28 more points in their two matches to date to Benetton’s three, while their defence has also been superior with 66 points conceded to Benetton’s 97.

They will, however, be mindful of the fact that they suffered defeats in their last two outings against the Italians on their home patch – the last by a single point in May – with the Durbanites’ only victory against the Italians in Durban in 2022.

In Scotland, Edinburgh are back home after a two-week tour to South Africa, and this will fuel their motivation to earn their first win of the season, especially after going down by only two points against Leinster at home in their season-opener.

The DHL Stormers, in turn, will be expecting a tougher encounter this week after having to show immense patience to beat Zebre Parma last week, and they will have the extra motivation of finishing off their tour on a high note, especially since points away from home have proven to be invaluable in the last few seasons.

Interestingly, Edinburgh have scored only eight more points than the Cape side with an extra game to their name, but the visitors will bank heavily on their effective defence to give them an edge with 68 points fewer conceded in the competition.

– SuperSport