The Stormers lost by two points against Munster at Cape Town Stadium when playing the United Rugby Championship. Picture: Phando Jikelo, African News Agency (ANA)
Cape Town – Second place is on the line for the Stormers, the Bulls can make it a second win over Leinster, and the Sharks can join the two already qualified South African sides in the play-offs, but for the Lions, only pride is at stake as the United Rugby Championship's (URC) round-robin matches draw to a close this coming weekend.
For the second season in a row, the local franchises can claim three places in the URC play-offs.
The defending champion Stormers, as well as the Bulls, have already qualified to play in the quarter-finals, with the Cape side set to host a home match. The Bulls will, unfortunately, have to travel to play their knockout next month.
For the Sharks, the equation is as simple as it comes. Beat Munster in Durban and they are sure of a spot in the final eight of the competition.
The defending champions had a disappointing two weekends of rugby where they were knocked out of the Champions Cup and knocked out of second place on the URC log.
They take on Benetton Friday (kick-off 6.15pm) with a chance to reclaim their place after falling to Munster in Cape Town a day after Ulster, currently second, overtook them with a good win in Ireland.
It's expected the Stormers will trump the Italian club side to get back into the top two. But, they will then place their hopes on Scottish side Edinburgh to rattle Ulster. A Stormers win in Stellenbosch and a victory for Edinburgh could see the SA side claim second spot and a possible home semi-final.
The Bulls will want to avoid positions seven and eight on the log when they finish up against Leinster on Saturday (4pm) as part of a URC double-header at Loftus Versfeld.
Leinster, travelling with a B-side in South Africa, pulled off a comeback victory over the Lions this past weekend. But, the good news is that the Pretoria side is on an upward trajectory, after a few tough losses, and of course, Leinster will carry the scars of losing last year's semi-final in Ireland against the team from Loftus.
Staying in seventh place, where they currently are, means a possible meeting with Ulster or the Stormers in the quarters. If they do end up eighth, a daunting quarter-final trip to Leinster awaits.
So the final two qualifying spots are something Bulls coach Jake White and his team will want to avoid while trying to upset the Irish club side who haven't lost a URC match this season.
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The Sharks, who face Munster on Saturday (6.15pm), will know by Friday already if they have qualified for the play-offs. They only need Benetton to lose against the Stormers.
And by the time they start against the Irish side, they will also know if they have a chance of pipping the Bulls on the log or not.
The Lions will only play for pride when they take on Zebre Parma (1pm) in the first game of the Loftus double-header. Although they cannot make the quarter-finals anymore, they have the chance to improve on their 12th position from last season.
A possible ninth place is up for grabs if they claim the victory over their Italian opposition but they do run the risk of falling down the log if they do not win.
@Leighton_K