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URC crunch time — coming derby season will decide South African clubs’ fate in tournament

URC crunch time — coming derby season will decide South African clubs’ fate in tournament
Jon Cardinelli
By Jon Cardinelli
2 Feb 2025
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A crucial phase of the United Rugby Championship campaign looms for South Africa’s top clubs.

As the northern hemisphere turns its attention to the Six Nations, South African rugby will shift its focus to a series of derbies that will shape the final standings of the United Rugby Championship (URC).

Over the past three years, the seven weeks over February and early March has given the coaches an opportunity to take stock, rest several Springboks and senior players, and prepare for the business end of the club season, which climaxes with the European playoffs in April and May, and the URC knockouts in June.

The Bulls and Sharks, who are currently ranked third and fourth in the URC standings, respectively, will have the chance to approach the coming derbies in a more traditional manner. By contrast, the Stormers and the Lions, who sit in 12th and 13th place, respectively, find themselves in a do-or-die situation and will have more motivation than ever to target their local rivals over the next few months.

Bulls could pile on the points


The Bulls lost four consecutive matches in both the URC and Champions Cup tournaments before ending the streak with a 48-7 win against Stade Français. They blew hot and cold in the recent URC derby against the Lions, yet claimed a 35-22 bonus point-win to strengthen their position in the URC standings.

The Bulls have a couple of games in hand, and with that in mind they can afford to rotate their squad over the next four fixtures against South African opposition. Alternatively, they may look to maintain their newfound momentum and target as many log points as possible from the next four fixtures.

Although they will play all four games in succession, three of those will be staged at home. If the Bulls manage to bank three wins and 13 to 17 log points during this period, they will finish this “miniseries” as the best-placed South African side in the URC.

If they get it right, they will have less to do at the back end of the league campaign (when all the European teams return to full strength) and may be able to nail down a home quarterfinal and semifinal.

Sharks have time to plan Highveld heist


Like the Bulls, the Sharks have fired in patches this season, but they remain in the hunt for a home playoff. John Plumtree’s charges recently rebounded from a 66-12 loss to Bordeaux Bègles in the Champions Cup to score an important 42-22 bonus-point win in Cardiff.

Although they’re missing several Springboks because of long-term injuries, they’re under pressure to strengthen their position in the URC standings. The Sharks will enjoy a two-week build-up to the clash with the Bulls at Loftus on 15 February and will view that game as a must-win.

After another bye, they will tackle the Lions away and at home. If the Sharks don’t beat the Bulls at Loftus, they will head into those two fixtures against the Lions needing – as opposed to wanting – a full haul of 10 log points.

Although the Sharks will play two of their three matches away from home, the number of byes should give them ample time to rest and prepare. For that reason, it’s one of the more favourable schedules during this block of matches, and they would do well to capitalise. What’s more, they may take heart from beating the Bulls 20-17 in Durban earlier this season, and the Lions 16-14 in the 2024 Currie Cup final at Ellis Park.

A tough time for the Stormers and Lions


The Bulls and Sharks will have the option of fielding their best available combinations, or managing the squad and targeting specific matches before peaking at the end of the league campaign.

The Stormers and Lions, however, will have no such luxury. Although both teams have games in hand, they have some tough fixtures to come in late March and April – including a tricky two-match tour to the northern hemisphere.

The north-south derby in Cape Town next weekend will have an extra edge to it, as the Stormers look to bounce back after losing their recent fixtures against Racing 92 and Leinster by nine and 24 points, respectively. The derby against the Bulls marks the Stormers’ last home fixture until late April, and they will be desperate to give local fans a reason to hope that all is not lost.

Although the Stormers rarely lose at Cape Town Stadium, their chances of victory will be adversely affected by the absence of so many influential Springboks, who are nursing injuries.

URC

If they lose in Cape Town and in Johannesburg the following week, their hopes of qualifying for the playoffs will take a monumental hit. At a glance, it would appear that they have a better chance of winning those two matches than the final game of the “miniseries”, which is against their archrivals at Loftus on 1 March.

It remains to be seen how the Lions will approach the Challenge Cup playoffs in early April, given their overriding quest to qualify for the URC knockout phase for the first time.

One would expect them to prioritise the URC, at least at this stage – and to target at least two wins from their next four fixtures.

The Lions showed some fight in the early stages of the recent clash against the Bulls before they capitulated in the second stanza.

Whether that drop in performance was down to fitness or a lack of depth on the bench has been a point of debate, and it will be interesting to see how the coaching staff approach the challenge of four consecutive fixtures in which the squad’s conditioning and depth will be under scrutiny.

There is no doubt that the Lions will target the first home clash against the Stormers, who will be coming off a fierce clash against the Bulls in Cape Town and may be a bit worse for wear.

Expectations may be tempered for the subsequent trip to Loftus, but they will be desperate to score a win over the Sharks in the next round, especially after losing the Currie Cup final to the Durban-based side last year.

As things stand, the Bulls and Sharks look set for playoff qualification, whereas the Stormers and Lions need something special to turn their respective campaigns around.

The coming derbies will provide more definitive answers about these teams, and they will also reveal whether any of the South African contenders has what it takes to push the likes of Leinster and Glasgow for the URC crown. DM

This story first appeared in our weekly Daily Maverick 168 newspaper, which is available countrywide for R35.

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