Following a three-week hiatus, South Africa’s United Rugby Championship (URC) sides are ready for a Welsh wave of attack on home soil. 

The Bulls and Stomers, in particular, will be keen to continue the form that sees them perched in the top four at this stage.

Round eight of the competition kicks off on Friday evening when defending champions, the Stormers, welcome the visiting Scarlets to DHL Stadium. 

The Bulls will play host to the Ospreys at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday. While there are two Sunday clashes as the Lions face up against the Dragons and the Sharks host the travelling Cardiff.

All four South African sides have a win percentage of 50% or better thus far in the tournament, as they continue to improve on the slow start they had to the URC in the inaugural season. 

The Lions are the lowest-ranked South African side sitting at ninth on the table having played six matches, won three and lost three. 

The Sharks are doing one better in eighth place but have only played five matches thus far. Last season’s finalists, the Bulls and the Stormers are third and fourth respectively.

Stormers look to build

The Stormers will be hoping to kick on from their 31-22 away victory over the Lions — before the international break — when they face up to the Scarlets on Friday night — a side they have only faced once before, beating them 26-21 last season. 

However, the Cape Town-based side will be without a number of stars that made the team so successful last season, who are currently on Springbok duty. 

There are eight players unavailable, however, Stormers head coach John Dobson said that this presents the side with an opportunity to build depth in a demanding season which includes Champions Cup fixtures.

“The players getting an opportunity this week have all been training incredibly hard all season and are determined to make the most of this game,” Dobson said.

“We are pleased with the depth we have built already this season and this is also a side that features plenty of experience in key positions, so we are excited to see how they go.

“This selection forms part of a clear strategy to prepare ourselves to be competitive across the various competitions we are involved in this season.”

One of the big changes sees 21-year-old Kade Wolhuter wear the No 10 jersey in the absence of regular pivot Manie Libbok. 

Kade Wolhuter during the DHL Stormers training session at High Performance Centre on 21 November, 2022 in Cape Town, South Africa. (Photo: Ashley Vlotman / Gallo Images)

“We have an exciting young generation of young players coming through and it will be a big challenge for them against a team which boasts almost 300 Test caps, but we are looking forward to it,” said the coach.

Bulls find new leader

The Bulls clash against Ospreys on Saturday will mark the first for lock Ruan Nortje as captain of the famous Pretoria union. 

Nortje takes over the duties in the absence 0f Marcell Coetzee, who is off to Japan for a stint with Kobe Steelers for the next few months, before returning to the Bulls to uphold his contract that ends in 2027. 

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“Marcell and I have become really good friends. We’ve been roommates since he’s joined us. We get along very well,” said Nortje.

“On the field, we always speak to each other, I constantly ask him for advice. I’ve learnt a lot of things from him. The lesson that stands out, however, is that he told me to just be myself, not try to put too much onto my plate. I just have to lead by example.”

Meanwhile, Nizaam Carr — who recently rejoined the Bulls after his English club Wasps went into administration — will start in the No 6 jumper for the raging Bulls. 

Wandisile Simelane will reprise his role at fullback with Stravino Jacobs and David Kriel on wings, completing the back trio. 

Amongst the forwards, Bismarck du Plessis will start as hooker while Jan-Hendrik Wessels makes his comeback from the bench. 

The Bulls’ opponents, the Ospreys currently languish in 13th on the log with one victory in their seven matches. 

“We are learning and getting to understand our competitors better the more we play against them and that gives us a lot of confidence as a team in how much we believe in doing well in the competition,” captain Nortje said.

“We expect that Ospreys will come prepared and looking to get one over us but we have prepared well and we now have the opportunity to finish off the job.”

Super Sunday

After a good tour earlier in the competition, the Lions will be looking to bounce back strongly after losing their last two matches, both at home — against Ulster and the Stormers. The side from Johannesburg have not tasted success at home since beating Benetton on 30 April.

Their opponents, the tenth-placed Dragons are yet to register a win following five previous visits to South African shores. 

The Sharks close out round eight with a clash against Cardiff on Sunday at the Shark Tank. 

The Sharks will be without a host of star players including, Siya Kolisi, Eben Etzebeth, Thomas du Toit, Makazole Mapimpi, Bongi Mbonambi, Ox Nche and Jaden Hendrikse, who feature for the Springboks against England on Saturday.

While brilliant backs Lukhanyo Am and Aphelele Fassi are also unavailable due to injury. 

However, it will still be a tough task for the visiting Cardiff against an ever-improving Sharks side at home. Cardiff are sixth on the table with four wins from seven matches. 

A win for Sean Everitt and his black-and-white-clad side will see them jump above their guests. DM

URC round eight fixtures featuring South African sides:

Friday:

Stormers vs Scarlets (7pm) at DHL Stadium, Cape Town.

Saturday:

Bulls vs Ospreys (3pm) at Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria.

Sunday:

Lions vs Dragons (4pm) at Emirates Airline Park, Johannesburg.

Sharks v Cardiff (6:10pm) at Kings Park, Durban.