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All Vodacom URC roads lead north this weekend

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All eyes will be on Gauteng this Saturday as the four South African teams in the Vodacom United Rugby Championship set their sights squarely on climbing up the standings as they take the field in their fourth consecutive round of derbies.

The Emirates Lions will host the DHL Stormers in Johannesburg at 15h00, while the Vodacom Bulls host the Cell C Sharks in Pretoria at 17h05.

The South African franchises have the luxury of a game or two in hand against most of their rivals, and victories for the DHL Stormers, Cell C Sharks and Vodacom Bulls in particular could see them possibly make the jump into the upper half of the log.

Two other matches will play out on Friday night when Leinster host Edinburgh in Ireland, and Glasgow take on Munster in Scotland, but with all four these teams higher up the standings, their results will have no influence on the positioning of the domestic teams.

The DHL Stormers will provide a stern test for the Emirates Lions at Emirates Airline Park after showing signs of finding their form with two wins and a draw in their three matches this year, but the Johannesburgers will be desperate to make the most of their home ground advantage after coming off three successive defeats.

The Capetonians are currently the best placed South African team in 10th position on the standings with 18 points, and victory could see them catapult up to four places up the table.

The Vodacom Bulls, meanwhile, will look to build on their two victories in a row when they host the Cell C Sharks at Loftus Versfeld, while the Durbanites will look to bounce back from their defeat against the DHL Stormers last week and a draw two weeks ago.

Both teams are currently tried on 16 log points, with the Cell C Sharks one position ahead in 11th place because of their superior points’ difference, meaning the winning side will get a handy nudge up the standings.

Emirates Lions coach Ivan van Rooyen named Vincent Tshituka at flank and Burger Odendaal at inside centre for their outing against the DHL Stormers, with Jordan Hendrikse also back from injury which could see him feature from the replacements bench.

“As a group we felt our overall attitude and intensity went up a notch against the Bulls,” said Van Rooyen. “It’s the kind of momentum we’re eager to take into Saturday on the back of a positive week of training.”

Stormers coach John Dobson made three changes to his backline, with Sergeal Petersen starting on the right wing, Damian Willemse at inside centre and Paul de Wet at scrumhalf, while Angelo Davids, Dan du Plessis and Herschel Jantjies are all set to make an impact from the replacements bench.

“Playing mid-afternoon in February up in Joburg we know that we will have to be switched-on and accurate for 80 minutes,” said Dobson. “We want to build on what we have done in the last few weeks and will be giving it everything to get what would be an incredibly valuable win on the road.”

Vodacom Bulls Director of Rugby Jake White named David Kriel (fullback) and Cornal Hendricks (right wing) in the only changes to the backline in the starting XV, while the inclusion of Gerhard Steenekamp (prop) is the only change the pack that started against the Emirates Lions last week.

“The Cell C Sharks are always a formidable opponent, and we will have to be at our best when we face a side that is so full of talent,” said White.

“This will be a great opportunity for youngsters like Elrigh Louw to be able to go up against an inspirational character like Siya (Kolisi – Springbok captain). Then you also have players like Lukhanyo Am, Makazole Mapimpi, Bongi Mbonambi and a host of others in that Cell C Sharks team whom our guys will want to measure themselves against.”

Cell C Sharks head coach Sean Everitt made three changes to his team for their clash against the Vodacom Bulls, with Gerbrandt Grobler (lock), Henco Venter (flanker) and Marius Louw (centre) earning starting berths.

Grobler will start at lock in place of Ruben van Heerden, while Venter takes over from Jeandre Labuschagne on the side of the scrum. Captain Lukhanyo Am (centre) also moves back to his regular position at outside centre in place of Jeremy Ward.

Match information:

Emirates Lions v DHL Stormers

  • Date: Saturday, 12 February
  • Venue: Emirates Airline Park, Johannesburg
  • SA Time: 15h00
  • Referee: Marius van der Westhuizen
  • TV: SuperSport

Vodacom Bulls v Cell C Sharks

  • Date: Saturday, 12 February
  • Venue: Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria
  • SA Time: 17h05
  • Referee: AJ Jacobs
  • TV: SuperSport

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Alan Straton

Chief Cook, Bottle Washer and Broom Mechanic at MyPE
Passionate about Port Elizabeth and definitely NOT packing for Perth. Alan's ethos is epitomised in the words of Nelson Mandela; "I have fought against white domination and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the idea of a democratic and free society. If need be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die." See more articles by Alan.