URC halfway report: South African teams in strong position

The South African United Rugby Championship (URC) teams are looking more at home than ever at what is effectively the halfway stage of the 2022/23 edition.

The defending champion Stormers, runner-up Bulls and Lions are all flying high at the midway mark, while the Sharks haven’t been at their best but are still well in the mix.

ALSO READ: Missing Sbu Nkosi – We are alarmed and worried

Last season it was a very slow start to the competition from the SA sides that had many doubting their credentials, before a powerful finish silenced all the haters.

This season however it has been relatively smooth sailing that sees the Bulls sitting second after nine games, the Stormers equal on points with them in third after eight games and the Lions in fifth having played eight games.

The Sharks are down in 10^th position, due to a combination of missing their Springbok players for most of the season and coaching upheaval at the union, but they have only played seven games so far and just one win from their two games in hand would see them comfortably in the top eight.

Real challenge

The real challenge for the SA sides however starts now as they begin a very busy December and January period, which many of them are not used to, while they also do battle on two fronts as the European Champions and Challenge Cup (EPCR) competitions kick-off.

For the Stormers, Bulls and Sharks in particular, they will be fully focused on the Champions Cup, as it is the pinnacle of club rugby in Europe and they will all be gunning for a massive showing in the competition.

The Lions will also be eager to perform well in the Challenge Cup, but their main focus will still be on the URC as a top eight finish and a place in next season’s Champions Cup is their ultimate goal this season.

With all four teams in EPCR action over the next two weekends, they then have to turn their attention back to the URC with four derby matches at the end of December.

On the 23^rd the Sharks will host the Lions in Durban, while the Stormers will host the Bulls in Cape Town, before all four teams will be massively challenged by two games on old year’s eve, with the Sharks hosting the Bulls and Stormers hosting the Lions.

These will be important games for all four teams as a couple of defeats could see them falling behind the front runners, while the Sharks will be more desperate than most to get back into the top half of the log.

FULL LOG CLICK HERE