Super Rugby special: How the SA teams will fare

South Africa’s Super Rugby campaign kicks off on Saturday.

Our two veteran rugby writes gaze into their crystal balls.

LIONS (Finalists in 2018)

The men from Jozi will be hard pushed to repeat their heroics of last year when they reached their third straight final, but unfortunately retained the dreaded bridesmaid tag.

There’s a stream of thought that the other three South African franchises will, together with the Jaguares, put a lot more pressure on the Lions to ensure that they don’t steal the show again.

The Lions have lost some key personnel in Springbok lock Franco Mostert and prop Ruan Dreyer while another stalwart prop Jacques van Rooyen is also gone.

Flank Jaco Kriel and centre Rohan Janse van Rensburg have also departed, but they were injured for the majority of last year’s campaign.

The Lions start off with two tough away games against the Jaguares and the Stormers before they will enjoy a series of home matches starting with the Bulls and the Jaguares.

Coach Swys de Bruin – in his first year as head coach – and his inexperienced coaching staff, however, defied the odds last year by again reaching the final and will once again only be written off at one’s own peril.

They retained the spine of their team in the form of No 8 Warren Whiteley, hooker Malcolm Marx, scrumhalf Ross Cronje, flyhalf Elton Jantjies and the exciting winger Aphiwe Dyantyi.

Their potential weaknesses lie at prop and lock, yet if they can overcome this hurdle they could again be one of the frontrunners … again.

Predicted Finish: Fourth.

STORMERS (11th in 2018)

The Capetonians would’ve been extremely disappointed with their low finish last season and maybe just have the personnel to vastly improve on that performance.

A franchise loaded with Bok players like national skipper and flank Siya Kolisi, lock Eben Etzebeth, flank Pieter-Steph du Toit and props Steven Kitshoff and Frans Malherbe should provide better results.

In World Cup year, however, their team selections could also be influenced by national players being managed and rested at key periods before the showpiece later this year in Japan.

Off-the-field turmoil could also have an influence on the team’s morale, while they have to address their poor away record before they can start dreaming of any playoff scenario.

The Stormers start their campaign with local derbies against the Bulls away, the Lions at home and the Sharks away.

With a bye following the game in Durban, the Stormers then host the Jaguares, before their tough away trip starts against the Hurricanes on March 23, followed by matches against the Blues, Reds and Rebels.

The Stormers boasted a good home record at Newlands last season but losing all eight away matches didn’t help their cause at all.

Thy have lost the services of wing Raymond Rhule, scrumhalf Dewaldt Duvenhage, No 8 Nizaam Carr and prop JC Janse van Rensburg, but gained prop Corne Fourie from the Lions and centre and Bok tourist Ruhan Nel from the Blitzboks.

Predicted finish: Eighth.

JAGUARES (Seventh in 2018)

After struggling to find their feet in the competition, the Jaguares surprised many with their seven consecutive wins last year, which included an unbeaten run in their four matches on Australia and New Zealand.

Clumsy losses to the Bulls and the Sharks on SA soil just before the playoffs though cost them a home quarterfinal and they eventually went down 40-23 to the Lions at Ellis Park.

It remains to be seen how they will be influenced by yet another change in coaching staff, with Gonzalo Quesada, formerly of French club Biarritz, replacing Mario Ledesma, who’s been appointed the Pumas national coach.

They have a new captain in centre Jeronimo de la Fuente, who has replaced flank Pablo Matera, but their biggest loss is undoubtedly the veteran flyhalf Nicholas Sanchez, who has joined Heyneke Meyer’s Stade Francais.

Other influential players missing are experienced flyhalf Juan Martin Hernandez, scrumhalf Felipe Ezcurra and No 8 Leonardo Senatore.

They still have three wise men in No 9s Gonzalo Bertranou, Tomás Cubelli and especially Martín Landajo.

Predicted finish: 10^th.

SHARKS (8th in 2018)

In many ways the Sharks face a make-or-break season as coach Robert du Preez, having won the Currie Cup, now tries to get a squad that has been together for three years to reach their potential and challenge for Super Rugby honours.

Last year they scraped into the playoffs, but there was little chance of them going any further than their quarterfinal against the Crusaders in Christchurch, where they were duly hammered 40-10.

Expectation is high in Durban but the Sharks begin their campaign away in Singapore, taking on the Sunwolves in what are always tough conditions for visiting teams. They then return home to tackle a Blues side that will be desperate to make a mark in Super Rugby this year after finishing second last in 2018.

The Sharks then face two crucial games against South African Conference sides when they host the Stormers at Kings Park and then visit the Bulls at Loftus Versfeld.

On paper, the Sharks certainly have the personnel to improve on last year’s showing, but they need to resolve the tensions that are evident in how they want to play – Du Preez has spoken often enough in recent weeks about an expansive game-plan, but somehow his team always seem to revert to conservative type under pressure. And they then still need to improve their execution.

Predicted finish: 7th 

BULLS (12th in 2018)

Another year, another season of high hopes at Loftus Versfeld. We’ve heard it all before, but maybe this year really will be different.

Pote Human has taken over the coaching reins from John Mitchell and is an old-school coach, but highly-respected by the players, and he has indicated that the Bulls will continue with the high-intensity, more expansive style of play they used last year.

The Bulls have welcomed the undoubted quality of Duane Vermeulen and Schalk Brits, as well as the tremendous experience they will bring.

Otherwise the Bulls still have a young squad; even with Adriaan Strauss and all his experience in the middle of the front row they flattered to deceive last year.

Nevertheless, there is plenty of quality in the side, especially in the second row and at flyhalf in Handre Pollard, plus there is x-factor in the backline courtesy of Warrick Gelant and Jesse Kriel.

Maybe this will be the year when they surprise us all.

Predicted finish: 10^th.

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