With just five rounds of the group stages remaining in the United Rugby Championship, every single point counts.
Just six points separate the eighth- and 15th-placed sides, so every single team that harbours play-off ambitions will have to be at their best going forward.
With an exciting weekend of action in Round 14, we look at how things stand for the South African teams.
Ulster vs Stormers (Friday, March 28, Kingspan Stadium)
Given the Stormers’ well-documented trouble when touring, you wouldn’t get too much backlash for betting on Ulster at home this weekend.
In this instance, however, things might be different.
The Stormers have never won three successive matches on the road so, after two straight wins, there will certainly be motivation to go for No 3.
Given the fact that their only previous victory away at an Irish province was when they beat Connacht 16-12 in Galway in May 2024, they will be eager to gain another Irish scalp.
Ulster, on the other hand, have a perfect 10-out-of-10 record against South African opposition in Belfast. The last four matches they lost against SA sides were all played in the Republic.
John Dobson’s side were the Stormers of old against Scarlets in Llanelli last weekend as they put attractive running rugby on full display to secure a 29-17 victory. The result moved them up to eighth on the log from 12th spot.
Given the confidence the Stormers would have gained from that win, Ulster shouldn’t have things too easy in Belfast on Friday night. That, combined with their own struggling form, should have bets swaying the way of the South Africans.
The fact that the inaugural URC winners welcomed back the likes of Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Damian Willemse, and Suleiman Hartzenberg is also a significant boost to their counter-attacking ability and general threat with ball in hand. They will have to be much more polished, however, than they were last weekend. In Round 13, a second-half slump almost cost them and they were lucky that they weren’t made to pay for their errors.
The Stormers’ backline for this weekend, featuring Willemse, Ben Loader, Hartzenberg, Dan du Plessis, Leolin Zas, and Feinberg-Mngomezulu is a salivating sight, and it will surely take an effort of note to curb them.
While the hosts picked up a 34-30 win against the bottom-scraping Dragons in Round 13 to climb to ninth overall, their performances this season have been far from pleasing.
They have been a shadow of their traditionally-strong selves this season. And with the opposition they still have to face – Leinster, Munster, and the Sharks – their game against the Stormers (as well as their remaining ones) is effectively a must-win to move into a play-off berth.
Bulls vs Zebre (Saturday, March 29, Loftus Versfeld)
The Bulls' pack was their trump card in their 21-20 win over Leinster at Loftus Versfeld last weekend.
The result saw Jake White's charges become the first team to secure a W over the Dublin powerhouse in the group stages of the URC - or any other competition - this season.
But for all the good they did, there were also some work-ons.
Again, they struggled to maintain their performance for the full 80 minutes, and it was a monster of a scrum and a late penalty conversion by David Kriel that eventually toppled the Irish juggernaut.
Zebre, on the other hand, were relentless in their pursuit of victory against the Sharks in Durban and were somewhat unlucky to lose by an agonising single point.
While the Italians can certainly make things tough for the Bulls with their running game and preference for chaotic play, the Bulls should pull this one through if their pack steps up again and they ensure that they capitalise on their opportunities.
The Bulls are third on the standings and Zebre 15th.
Sharks vs Leinster (Saturday, March 29, Kings Park)
History at Kings Park favours the Sharks, with the hosts having won all six home games they have played at Kings Park this season. Add in the fact that their last two fixtures at home were to Irish provinces, and fans of the men in black and white have good reason to feel confident.
But Leinster isn’t a team to which general comparisons can be drawn.
The Sharks have played Leinster four times before and managed to come out on top in only one of those fixtures – in Durban back in 2022.
And while they secured a win against Zebre in Round 13, it was far from easy.
Their backline was far from their best, while their front row’s demolition of the opposition pack was the difference on the day.
The Sharks simply weren't clinical enough, but their forward dominance and tactical changes towards the end ensured that they sealed the deal as their reinforcements injected some much-needed energy.
While the Durbanites have much to fix if they don’t want to be punished by Leinster for their inaccuracies, the traveling side will be amped to make up for last week’s fumble.
Glasgow vs Lions (Saturday, March 29, Scotstoun Stadium)
Ivan van Rooyen’s team were rather unlucky in their 20-17 defeat to Cardiff in Round 13.
They controlled the possession stats in the first half, but failed to make use of their time with the oval and, ultimately, their plethora of errors cost them.
Sure, the referee didn’t do them any favours with some of his calls, but the Lions should have done more with the opportunities they did have.
The defeat saw the Lions lose their top-eight spot and slip down to 13th on the points table. Glasgow are second on the standings with 49 points.
Going up against the defending champions at Scotstoun will be quite the challenge, but if the Lions can outsmart them with their attacking arsenal and keep their errors to a minimum, it could be a tough afternoon for the Welsh.
