The Stormers will host the Sharks in Cape Town and the Bulls take on the Lions in Pretoria on Saturday in matches that could prove to be decisive as every point will count with all but one of the 16 teams in the competition still in with a mathematical chance of making it to the quarter-final stages.

The Stormers, who are currently in second place on the table with 54 points, will be desperate to make the most of their home ground advantage to stay ahead of the chasing pack – especially with the third-placed Ulster trailing them by only five points – for a possible home semi-final later in the competition.

The Cape Town Stadium has become somewhat of a fortress for the Stormers, who have won 14 straight matches at the venue in Green Point since their defeat in Cape Town against the Lions in December 2021 – their first URC clash at the stadium.

They will, however, be bracing themselves for a fierce contest against the seventh-placed Sharks, who will be wary of the fact that a defeat could place their spot in the top eight in jeopardy in the next few weeks.

The Stormers will draw confidence from the fact that they boast a better record on attack and defence so far this season, but they will be mindful that the Sharks have everything to play for, especially after suffering a disappointing home defeat against Ulster last week in their postponed round six clash.

The visitors, meanwhile, will look to take advantage of the fact that they have had extra game time and will come into the encounter with some momentum, as the Stormers come off a bye.

Spicing things up, the Stormers have won two of their three URC matches against the Sharks, with the other match playing out to a draw, which will set the scene for an exciting battle.

But the Sharks’ only loss in their last four South African derbies was by 19-46 at home to the Stormers, a month ago in a rearranged round one fixture.

The Bulls and Lions will enter the Jukskei Derby under similar pressure at Loftus Versfeld, as the hosts – currently in sixth position on the log – lead the Sharks by only one point, and they know that a defeat could see them potentially fighting for a playoff spot.

The Lions, meanwhile, have everything to play for with the team currently in 12th position and trailing the eighth-placed Connacht by a mere six points. They also come off a morale-boosting win against the fourth-ranked Glasgow Warriors last weekend, which will give them confidence going into the clash.

The men from Johannesburg will also be keen to break a long losing streak on the road – they have not won away from home in the URC since they beat Edinburgh in Scotland on 7 October. Furthermore, the Lions have not beaten a South African opponent since their 37-19 victory over the Stormers in Cape Town in December 2021.

With the Pretoria outfit having won eight of their 14 games so far to only six by the Lions, and the team boasting a better record on attack and defence than their Gauteng neighbours, they will enter the match as favourites on paper, however, anything could happen with teams fighting for quarter-final spots.

While the Bulls will be looking to secure their first victory in four outings against a domestic team in the competition, the Lions will be looking to earn their first away win in the tournament since last October, meaning neither team will hold back.

Match information: 

Stormers v Sharks

Date: Saturday, 4 March

Venue: Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town

Time: 14h30

Referee: AJ Jacobs

Bulls v Lions

Date: Saturday, 4 March

Venue: Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria

Time: 16h45

Referee: Jaco Peyper