Three of South Africa’s franchises face a new test of their strength as they embark on the playoff rounds of the EPCR Challenge Cup this weekend.
While no South African side qualified for the Round of 16 in the Investec Champions’ Cup, three URC franchises face very real challenges this weekend as they look to stay alive in the Challenge Cup, knowing that a slip-up could leave the country without any representation in the competition at all.
The Vodacom Bulls, Hollywoodbets Sharks and Emirates Lions all head to Europe knowing they hold their fates in their own hands and will want to restore some pride in the challenge from down south, so much so that they can’t be subject to the normal talk of why they are in Europe at all.
Still, all three face tricky games, tough encounters that aren’t easy to predict an outcome, and the normal struggles of form outside South Africa is a real question mark on all three as they head into action this weekend.
The Emirates Lions probably have the most obvious of fixtures, facing an Edinburgh side coached by former Sharks coach Sean Everitt, a challenge familiar to them in every single way.
Add to that the big victory at Ellis Park earlier this year, and the Lions certainly know how to take an Edinburgh side apart.
But both sides’ situations have shifted immensely since that early season game, with the Lions coming off a “horrific” whitewash to Glasgow Warriors last week - as their defence coach Jaque Fourie put it, while Edinburgh have been buoyed by a win over Benetton and have all their Scottish internationals back.
Here, most of the pressure is firmly on Ivan van Rooyen’s team. When they thumped Edinburgh at the beginning of the season, they were aiming for a top-four finish in the Vodacom United Rugby Championship. Now, months later, they seem destined for a similar season to the last three, where they missed out on the top eight, and the disappointment is palpable all around, raising questions about the future of the coaching team.
Edinburgh have had an up-and-down season, and Everitt is under pressure, but a win will relieve some of that as they still sit in the shadow of neighbours Glasgow, something their fans are not comfortable with.
Injuries and inconsistent form make the Vodacom Bulls' trip to French club Bayonne a tougher one to call, especially as Bayonne are now fourth in the Top 14 and, by all accounts, is a very good outfit.
Playing a French side in their backyard is never easy, but the Bulls will take a lot out of the fact they came within a whisker of beating Lyon last season, and honestly, was it not for some interesting refereeing calls at the end, they would have.
Still, this is a Bulls side that plays in fits and starts and has done, by coach Jake White’s own words, some “stupid” play in recent games. They often conspire to be their own worst enemy and the secrecy around the touring party makes it tough to know which Bulls side would start.
But they have won more away from home and are getting used to the demands of playing overseas more - added to the fact that White is relying heavily on players who have previously starred in Europe to lead the challenge.
Bayonne have a multitude of international stars in their ranks - including England midfielder Manu Tuilagi, Pumas hooker Facundo Bosch and Tongan prop Tevita Tatafu while former Springbok Uzair Cassiem is still living it up at the ripe age of 35.
They are a tough outfit and will welcome the Bulls in front of a partisan crowd, making it a tough ask to win away from home.
The Sharks seem to have taken a different approach to the competition, and if reports are to be believed, have sent a young team to France to face Lyon in their Sunday match-up. Lyon are no slouches, but it will be interesting to see if they field some of their internationals - like former Springbok Arno Botha, Georgia star Davit Niniashvili and Pumas lock Tomas Lavanini. They also have the likes of Fijian magician Semi Radradra, Irish flyhalf Paddy Jackson and Italian wing Monty Ioane to call on.
If Lyon picks their strongest side, it could be a tough time for the Sharks without many of their Springboks, but it will certainly test their mettle in tough conditions.
Elsewhere, there will be interest when Johann van Graan’s Bath face French club Pau, while the other big fixture in the knockout stage is Montpellier hosting Gloucester
EPCR Challenge Cup - Round of 16 fixtures (SA Times)
Friday
21:00 Edinburgh vs Emirates Lions
21:00 Section Paloise vs Bath
Saturday
13:30 Bayonne vs Vodacom Bulls
18:30 Montpellier vs Gloucester
21:00 Perpignan vs Racing 92
21:00 Connacht vs Cardiff
Sunday
18:30 Lyon vs Hollywoodbets Sharks
18:30 Ospreys vs Scarlets