Opinion: Springboks to power South African URC sides as crunch European clashes loom

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The top South African franchises will lean on the experience and X-factor of their Springboks when they travel to Europe for an important round of United Rugby Championship games, writes Jon Cardinelli.

There have been a number of bright moments in the derbies staged in South Africa over the past two months. Two weeks ago, Springbok and Sharks centre Lukhanyo Am produced one of the plays of the United Rugby Championship tournament when he retrieved a kick-off, tip-toed down the touchline, grubber-kicked into the corner and then beat the Bulls defence to score.

That said, these contests have lacked the intensity one would usually associate with a top-flight competition.

Thanks to the Covid-19 pandemic and the restrictions imposed on South African teams, the local sides have battled one another an inordinate number of times since the players came out of hard lockdown in September 2020. As a result, these match-ups have become stale and many South African fans have bemoaned an unchanging narrative.

Fortunately, the United Rugby Championship is about to enter the next cross-hemisphere phase of the tournament. The respective teams will bounce between Europe and Africa over the next month or so, and will be forced to adjust to myriad weather conditions and referee interpretations.

Struggled in the northern hemisphere

All four South African teams struggled on their inaugural tours of the northern hemisphere in September and October last year. Collectively, they claimed a mere four wins across 16 matches.

The margins of defeat, particularly in the fixtures staged in Ireland, served to show how unprepared the players were for this type of challenge. The South Africans battled to adjust to the rain and the wind, and largely failed to adapt to the rhythm and quirks of northern hemisphere referees.

The South African coaches were quick to highlight the inexperience of the touring parties. The Springboks were unavailable to the franchises during that period, as they were on duty with the national team in the Autumn Nations Series. As a result, the Bulls, Lions, Sharks and Stormers had to back a lot of youngsters who hadn’t played in the northern hemisphere before.

The situation is very different four months later. The Boks are back with their franchises, and the United Rugby Championship is very much the priority for South African rugby.

These are the matches that will determine whether local players progress to the national squad or not. Coaches Jacques Nienaber and Rassie Erasmus will be watching these contests closely.

It’s interesting to note that the form South African sides, namely the Sharks and Stormers, will benefit most from the Springboks’ availability. The Bulls have few current Boks in their ranks, while the Lions – who have lost a host of top talent over the past four seasons – have none.

The Sharks will lean on World Cup-winners such as Siya Kolisi, Am, Bongi Mbonambi and Makazole Mapimpi. Other Boks like Sbu Nkosi and Aphelele Fassi should provide them with an edge, on attack and in the quest to win the high ball.

The Stormers will look to Steven Kitshoff, Damian Willemse and several other experienced players for inspiration. Warrick Gelant has been one of the form players in South Africa over the past few months.

The national coaches will be more interested to see how Gelant and others go against international opponents in northern hemisphere conditions. These contests should be a lot closer to Test match intensity than the recent matches staged in South Africa.

Nienaber will be watching to see who can handle the pressure in that part of the world. The next World Cup will be staged in France, after all.

The Bulls will travel to Zebre on Friday night. Jake White’s side lost three of their games on the four-match tour of Europe last year, and failed to win consistently when their campaign moved to South Africa.

While Zebre are the bottom-ranked side in the United Rugby Championship, the Bulls have absolutely no reason to be complacent when facing the Italian side. Last year, of course, they were handed a 35-8 defeat by Benetton in the Rainbow Cup final staged in Treviso.

The Lions face a much tougher assignment against Leinster in Dublin. Cash van Rooyen’s side is young and better suited to running the ball on the hard fields of the highveld. They may battle to compete against one of Europe’s best teams in conditions that demand a more tactical approach.

The Stormers are well placed at the top of the South African standings, and are currently in pole position to qualify for the 2022/23 Champions Cup. A poor showing this Saturday, however, may see them dropping down the log if one or more of their South African counterparts win big in other fixtures.

While Connacht are not in the same league as Leinster, Munster or even Ulster, they are well coached and are especially tough to beat in Galway. They smashed the Bulls 34-7 last October, and may punish the Stormers if the Cape side doesn’t adjust from the outset.

Again, the Bok players in the group will have a key role to play in managing the flow of the contest and the conditions.

The Sharks, who will be up against Benetton, would do well to heed the lessons of the 2021 Rainbow Cup final as well as those of the Stormers’ unsuccessful visit to Italy. While Benetton are hardly Champions Cup title contenders, they have developed a habit of punishing complacent visiting teams in recent times.

It’s a big game regardless of the venue for Sean Everitt’s men. While they boast an impressive squad stacked with Springboks, their game management has left a lot to be desired in recent rounds. The team, and the senior members of the group in particular, will be under pressure to get it right in Treviso.

A victory may also propel the Sharks above the Stormers in the South African pool and equally provide them with some momentum ahead of the next phase of matches against international opposition on South African soil.

It’s fair to say that the true South African contenders – for a place in the United Rugby Championship play-offs and for a spot in the Champions Cup – will emerge after this round of matches.

READ MORE: Springbok great Bakkies Botha criticises Eben Etzebeth’s early return to South Africa

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