Do South Africa’s Rugby Teams Have What it Takes?

South Africa’s premier rugby clubs are still finding their feet in the United Rugby Championship, but they are also on the running for a spot in the renowned European Champions Cup.

Last week, Northampton Saints took on Racing 92 in the first round of the European Champions Cup 2021-22. Many of South Africa’s best exports compete in the northern hemisphere event, largely regarded as the most elite club competition globally.

On the other hand, South Africa will have one — and potentially two – teams playing in this premier event beginning in September. We await to see if the Bulls, Lions, Sharks, or Stormers will take the plunge and if that qualifying side will be able to compete against some of Europe’s best in matches to be offered on Betway South Africa live games. 

So, what exactly do we know? The champions of the South African pool in the inaugural United Rugby Championship (URC) will compete in the Champions Cup in 2022-23. If they end the tournament among the top-ranked teams in the URC, a second South African club may qualify for the Champions Cup.

Going by what we’ve witnessed over the last several months, though, Betway odds indicate that only one South African team will qualify for the Champions Cup in the near future.

Keeping the URC log afloat

Since entering the northern hemisphere fraternity, the four local franchises have failed to impress, and it may be some time before they establish their footing in the URC tournament. Despite the campaign being just seven rounds old and will not end until next June, these underperforming clubs have yet to make a statement about their playoff credentials. The current log, which includes 16 teams, says a lot. The Lions are in 11th place, the Sharks are in 12th place, the Stormers are in 14th place, and the Bulls are in 15th place. Both north and south of the equator, these sides have failed to live up to expectations.

Lack of game time

Last week, the South African teams organized a set of derby matches, with the Sharks thrashing the Bulls by 30-16 in a game played in Durban and the Lions scoring a 37-19 bonus-point victory over the Stormers in Cape Town. But the truth is that these players have not played much rugby recently.

In September and October, all four teams took part in a tough four-game tour in the northern hemisphere. They returned to South Africa for a five-week rest before two grueling matches against European opponents.

The discovery of the Omicron variant compelled a rethinking of the strategy. Matches against Scarlets, Cardiff, Munster, and Zebre.

As a result, local teams will have to wait another four weeks for their next chance in the URC, which will be a single round of away matches in Europe. Stand by for a chance to bet on all the matches with Betway, your leading rugby betting platform.

When the tournament returns in the first week of January, the players will need time to rebuild their match fitness.

However, last week’s impromptu set of derbies yielded some unexpected results, and the Lions will enter the break as the happiest of the teams.