Six talking points: What we learned after the weekend’s URC action

The United Rugby Championship got back underway for South African teams with the first of four weekends of home derbies over the past weekend and showcased two thrilling encounters for local rugby fans.

Here are six major points picked out from the weekend’s action.

Springbok stars make major impact

This past weekend’s URC matches highlighted what a shot in the arm having their returning Boks will be for the South African franchises. The Sharks, Stormers and Bulls all featured Bok players who missed the start of the URC due to international duty and made strong impacts on their return.

The Sharks welcomed practically half of their team back from international duty and watched as Makazole Mapimpi, Lukhanyo Am, Aphelele Fassi and others put in brilliant shifts to show what a difference a host of international stars can make.

The Stormers international returnees also impressed with Marvin Orie on form in the line outs, Steven Kitshoff put in a strong shift at prop and Herschel Jantjies and Damian Willemse made strong showings in the backline.

The Bulls did not have too many recent Boks in their squad, but young hooker Johan Grobbelaar showed his immense emerging talent on his return after being part of the Bok squad.

SA teams can play attacking rugby

Due to the playing style of the Springboks, South African rugby has been pigeonholed as a boring, kicking orientated game, but the two exciting matches on the weekend proved it was anything but.

The Lions and Sharks put on an attacking master class in their encounter with 11 tries scored in the match, although defences were not at their best. However some superb stepping, delicate grubbers and top class finishing was all on show for all to enjoy, making it a feast for the eyes for spectators.

The Stormers and Bulls match, although not as action packed, enjoyed its fair share of thrilling attacking moments over the game. Particularly noteworthy were Morne Steyn’s cross kick after being awarded a penalty for the Bulls which led to Embrose Papier’s try, Warrick Gelant’s attack and grubber to get the Stormers back into the match and their final try featuring some superb offloading.

Derbies go down to the wire

If anyone was wondering how the four weeks of South African derbies was going to turn out, the first weekend seems to indicate that they will be going down to the wire. Both matches were in the balance right up until the final whistle, keeping fans on the edge of their seats.

The Lions and Sharks match went into the final 10 minutes with just three points separating both teams and it took a try in the final minute from the Sharks to seal the win for them.

The Stormers and Bulls clash was even closer with the Bulls holding a three point lead, only for the Stormers to score after the full time hooter to claim a thrilling come from behind win.

Bench will play an important role

Sparkling performances off the bench were an exciting feature of the past weekend’s action, with all four sides replacements proving their worth when introduced in the second half.

In the Lions and Sharks game the Lions twice found themselves down by 12 points in the second half, only for the introduction of their subs to spark comebacks on two occasions to see them get to within three points going into the final 10 minutes of the match. It was then the Sharks subs who came on and held their nerve, allowing them to quell the Lions fightback and seal the win with a final score in the final minute.

In the Bulls and Stormers match it was the Bulls bench that initially sparked their resurgence, fighting back from an 18 point deficit to score 26 unanswered points and take the lead. However it was then the turn of the Stormers replacements, particularly fullback Warrick Gelant and scrumhalf Paul de Wet, to then take centre stage and power their side back from the brink to a scintillating come from behind win.

SA teams will come good in URC

It was a difficult start to the URC for SA teams who faced a baptism of fire with a four game tour of the UK and Italy without their Springboks seeing them all get off to slow starts in the competition.

All of the SA teams only managed one win each on their tour, with the Stormers also clinching a draw, while each team also put in a really poor performance leading to an unexpectedly lopsided result. However with an away tour, with different referee interpretations and no Boks, it was always going to be a tough introduction to the competition for the SA sides and so it proved.

However they are already showing signs of settling down and with their Boks available for the coming months and a good four week local stint to allow the teams to build up some momentum, they can only get better as the competition goes on.

A solid two month session of hosting foreign opposition is also an enticing notion for the local teams and they will be eyeing some solid results with full strength squads and home ground advantage set to play a part in their resurgence.

Home ground advantage doesn’t mean much

So far in the four matches played against each other at their home grounds by South African teams, only the Sharks have emerged victorious, beating the Bulls in early December. In the other three matches played the Stormers were soundly beaten by the Lions in Cape Town, the Sharks beat the Lions at Ellis Park and the Stormers breached fortress Loftus.

What these results indicate is that home ground advantage does not seem to matter too much to the South African sides and any of them can win wherever they play.