The Sharks have brought back three Springbok heavyweights for their trip to the Stormers in Cape Town on Saturday, where they have not won in five attempts in the UnitedRugby Championship ... Jurenzo Julius will cover Esterhuizen and Hooker ... Bench ... .
Now it is all about the URC and making the playoffs for the first time in Lions history. The Lions will empty the tank against the Ospreys in a bid to end their tour on a high and build on their current position of seventh on the URC points table ... .
The Bulls have made several strategic shifts to their starting line-up for the UnitedRugby Championship (URC) clash against Edinburgh in Scotland on Friday night (9.45 pm kick-off) ... ⏰21.45 @Vodacom #URC ... Follow the skipper's GRAFT 📹@Vodacom #URC ... .
The 23-year-old loose forward of the Cape side is adamant that making it about individuals would be missing the point, especially with the hosts focused on maintaining their unbeaten run in the UnitedRugby Championship (URC) ... They are on the up.
Currently placed seventh on the URC log, they take on the Ospreys in Wales on Friday evening, and, with a short turnaround following their last game, the Lions will have plenty to do to keep their place amongst the top teams.
Now is the moment for the Bulls to build real momentum after snapping their losing streak and reigniting their UnitedRugby Championship (URC) campaign under Johan Ackermann... ⏰21.45 @Vodacom #URC .
Leinster defensive guru Jacques Nienaber hailed his side's resolve and comeback qualities as the immediate focus shifts from the Champions Cup to the URC, with Saturday's trip to Connacht the first in a block of five fixtures in the competition.
While making the UnitedRugby Championship (URC) playoffs for the first time in their history remains a priority, the Lions must ask themselves how they failed to reach the Round of 16, considering the quality of the teams in their pool.
The Lions are on a two-fold mission to Europe — to sneak into the Challenge Cup playoffs and to consolidate their position in the top eight of the UnitedRugby Championship (URC).
They are in contention to reach the playoffs in both competitions, sitting in fourth place in Pool 2 of the Challenge Cup with six points, the same as third-placed Perpignan, and in seventh spot in the URC.
It may not have been a scintillating display of running rugby, but the Stormers’ 13-8 victory over the Bulls over the weekend could actually give a good indication of how far the Cape side will go in the UnitedRugby Championship (URC) this season.