A massive opportunity beckons for the Vodacom Bulls in the EPCR Challenge Cup on Saturday as they stake a claim for a semi-final spot after booking their quarter-final berth against Edinburgh at the Hive Stadium in the Scottish capital.
As the last remaining South local team in the European showpiece, all eyes will be on the Pretoria outfit to continue flying the SA flag and keep the trophy in South Africa after the Hollywoodbets Sharks won the title last season.
The Vodacom Bulls may be playing away in Scotland, but they will face a familiar foe in Edinburgh, whom they cross paths with annually in the Vodacom United Rugby Championship.
With the men from Pretoria coming off four successive victories in the Vodacom URC and EPCR Challenge Cup – where they defeated Bayonne 32-22 in France in the Round of 16 last weekend – combined with the fact that they have fared much better than the hosts the Vodacom URC this season with 10 victories in their 14 matches to date to only six by Edinburgh, they will enter the clash with confidence.
Fuelling their motivation, the Vodacom Bulls pulled off a 22-16 victory against Edinburgh in Pretoria in their opening Vodacom URC game this season, while they have shown on a few occasions that they have what it takes to win abroad.
Jake White’s charges, however, will brace themselves for a challenging encounter against the Scots, who are fresh off two victories against the Dragons and Emirates Lions, respectively and who have only suffered two defeats at home across both competitions this season.
Adding to that, they boast a better attacking record in the EPCR Challenge Cup than the Vodacom Bulls, who qualified for the Round of 16 through the Investec Champions Cup, which will boost their confidence.
With Edinburgh head coach Sean Everitt working with Jake White at the Vodacom Bulls before he left for the Scottish capital before the start of the 2023/23 season, and with everything to gain for both teams, an epic battle is on the cards.
Match Information – EPCR Challenge Cup Quarter-final:
Edinburgh v Vodacom Bulls
Date: Saturday, 12 April
Venue: Hive Stadium, Edinburgh
SA Time: 13h30
Quarter-final fixtures (pool stage rankings in brackets, SA times):
Saturday 12 April:
13h30: Edinburgh (3) v Vodacom Bulls (11) - Hive Stadium (QF3)
18h30: Ospreys (4) v Lyon Olympique Universitaire (5)- Swansea.com Stadium (QF4)
21h00: Connacht (1) v Racing 92 (9) - Dexcom Stadium (QF1)
Sunday 13 April
18h30: Bath (10) v Gloucester (15) - The Recreation Ground (QF2)
Semi-finals – 2/3/4/ May
SF 1: winner QF1 v winner QF4
SF 2: winner QF2 v winner QF3