Momentum crucial as Vodacom URC pool stages conclude
South Africa's three Vodacom United Rugby Championship quarter-finalists, the Vodacom Bulls, Hollywoodbets Sharks, and DHL Stormers, will have their sights set on building winning momentum with an eye on the playoffs as the curtain drops on the pool stages this weekend, while the Emirates Lions will look to wrap up their campaign on a high note. The Vodacom Bulls will be guaranteed a second-place finish if they don't lose their final pool match, but they will be fully aware of the need to maintain winning momentum with a home quarter-final already lined up. The Hollywoodbets Sharks will do everything in their power to leap into third place above the Glasgow Warriors, who face off against log-leaders Leinster; and the DHL Stormers will be determined to hold onto their fifth place standing for an easier route to the Grand Final should these teams emerge as one of the last two standing in the cross-hemisphere spectacle. The DHL Stormers will kick off the weekend's action on Friday against Cardiff in Cape Town, while a jam-packed Saturday awaits as the Vodacom Bulls take on the Dragons in Pretoria, the Emirates Lions host the Ospreys in Johannesburg, and the Hollywoodbets Sharks meet the Scarlets in Durban. In Cape Town, the DHL Stormers will enter their match against Cardiff as the overwhelming favourites with home ground advantage and three successive victories in the competition to their name, to add to the fact that they will be high on confidence after securing their quarter-final spot last weekend. The Capetonians will also draw inspiration from the fact that the Welsh outfit have only won three away games this season, but they will be careful about underestimating the ninth-placed opposition who still have one last shot of sneaking into the playoffs, as the seventh and eighth-placed Benetton and Munster will battle it out with one another, while the 10th placed Edinburgh could also still make the top eight of they beat Ulster and a few other results go their way. Interestingly, the DHL Stormers have won only one more match than Cardiff this season, but they will bank on their better attacking and defensive record to carry them through to a 10th victory in the competition. The Vodacom Bulls, meanwhile, will enter their clash against the last-placed Dragons with the odds stacked heavily in their favour after coming off six consecutive wins in the tournament and only one defeat at Loftus Versfeld this season. With 167 more points scored than the Dragons and 236 fewer points conceded in their 17 matches to date, they will have all the confidence they need to come away with their 14th victory of the season, to build their confidence with an eye on the quarter-finals. The men from Pretoria will, however, be cognisant of the fact that the DHL Stormers had to work hard for their victory against the same Welsh outfit last week, where they entered the break only 14-0 up. The Emirates Lions will have all the makings of a desperate team to finish their season on a positive note against the Ospreys at Emirates Airline Park after suffering four defeats in their last five Vodacom URC outings - the last of which was a heart-wrenching 32-19 defeat against the Scarlets. The Johannesburgers will also be wary of the threat the Scarlets pose, especially given the fact that they showed guts against the Hollywoodbets Sharks last week to trail by 14-3 at the break before a strong second half by the Durbanites sealed them a 29-10 victory. Spicing up the clash, both teams have won seven round-robin games, and while the Ospreys have a better attacking record, the Emirates Lions have been marginally better on defence, which should set the scene for a thrilling encounter as both sides wrap up their campaigns. In Durban, the Hollywoodbets Sharks will have all the motivation they need emerge victorious against the sixth-placed Scarlets, but they will be wary of the fact that the visitors come off a morale-boosting victory against the Emirates Lions, while they also went down by fewer than seven points in four of their five away games to add to a draw, which could pave the way for a mighty battle. That said, the KwaZulu-Natalians come off three vital victories in a row - only one of which was at home - and they will be well aware of the fact that they need to improve on their performance against the Ospreys last week to deliver the standard of rugby required to secure a semi-final berth at the end of the month. Zooming into the statistics, however, the Hollywoodbets Sharks will have to deliver a top-drawer performance because despite winning three more matches than the sixth-placed opposition, both teams have scored 424 points apiece in their 17 matches so far, while the Durbanites have conceded only 29 points fewer on defence, meaning they will have to be on form from the outset to walk away with a win. Match Information: DHL Stormers v Cardiff Date: Friday, 16 May Venue: DHL Stadium, Cape Town SA Time: 19h00 Referee: Gianluca Gnecchi TV: SuperSport Vodacom Bulls v Dragons Date: Saturday, 17 May Venue: Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria SA Time: 15h00 Referee: Andrew Brace TV: SuperSport Emirates Lions v Ospreys Date: Saturday, 17 May Venue: Emirates Airline Park, Johannesburg SA Time: 17h15 Referee: Eoghan Cross TV: SuperSport Hollywoodbets Sharks v Scarlets Date: Saturday, 17 May Venue: Hollywoodbets Kings Park, Durban SA Time: 19h30 Referee: Andrea Piardi TV: SuperSport
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