SA teams make statement after Euro criticism

OPINION: The Bulls, Sharks and Stormers head into the final stages of the United Rugby Championship with confidence and momentum following a series of statement wins in Glasgow, Belfast and Cape Town.

It many ways, it’s been a season to forget for the South African teams in Europe.

All four of South Africa’s franchises have blown hot and cold over the past eight months, with the Bulls, Sharks and Stormers bombing out of the Champions Cup, and the Lions falling at the first hurdle of the second-tier Challenge Cup.

The Bulls have blown several golden opportunities in the URC – somewhat inexplicably at Loftus Versfeld. The Sharks are ranked 15th out of 16 teams for defence, while the overall win records of the Stormers (50 percent) and Lions (44 percent) tell a story.

And yet, the Bulls, Sharks and Stormers are well placed to qualify for the URC play-offs, while the Lions could sneak into the final eight if a few results go their way.

So much has been made about the recent round, where the Bulls beat Glasgow Warriors 26-19, the Lions downed Connacht 26-7, the Stormers thrashed Benetton 56-5, and the Sharks rebounded to edge Ulster 22-19 in Belfast.

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For the first time since October, all four South African teams have recorded victories in a single round of competition.

Some might see the four-from-four scorecard as a reason to celebrate, while others will (rightly) lament that these returns are so few and far between.

At least three of these teams will be scrutinised at the end of the season, and one would expect their early-season failings to receive due attention and criticism.

For now, it’s worth reflecting on what some of these teams are getting right and how they are laying the platform for the knockout stages.

Take the Lions out of the equation, and the South African franchises have gone two consecutive weeks without a loss.

The Bulls and Sharks, in particular, have claimed significant victories away from home.

One cannot give the Bulls enough credit for how they have responded to the challenge of touring for five consecutive weeks.

The Challenge Cup quarterfinal defeat to Edinburgh may have been a blessing in disguise, as it’s allowed the Bulls to focus on the subsequent URC matches against Munster and Glasgow, without worrying about a possible semifinal this week.

It’s also given them an extra week to rest ahead of the last two URC league matches against Cardiff and the Dragons in Pretoria.

That said, Jake White’s management of the players and the tactics have been spot on.

The players themselves have risen to the occasion, and the intensity as well as the quality of the decision-making on display during the latter stage of the recent tour has been especially encouraging.

While the results improved the Bulls’ chances of hosting a semifinal, the performances have highlighted the team’s potential.

No need to whisper it, because it’s worth saying out loud: The Bulls are looking like title contenders.

The Sharks aren’t there yet, even though they’re fourth in the URC standings and boast more Springboks than any other franchise.

But the results in Edinburgh and Belfast certainly proved a point; they have what it takes to win away from home in unfavourable conditions – and as seen at the Ravenhill Stadium, where they trailed 0-19 at one stage, they aren’t short on belief.

The challenge for the Sharks is finding a way to channel those physical and mental strengths from the outset.

Why wait until you are on the verge of defeat in Edinburgh before you dig deep? Why wait until you are three tries down before you start defending as if the entire campaign depends on it?

Coach John Plumtree himself may have asked these questions throughout the recent tour.

It’s possible that a few results will go the Sharks’ way over the play-offs, and that they may even host a final.

It’s both an exciting and daunting prospect, as the Sharks don’t have a great record in big play-off matches. They never won the Super Rugby tournament, and are yet to progress beyond the quarter-finals of the URC.

Like the other South African teams, the Sharks will have a week off now to ponder their shortcomings.

They should beat the Ospreys and Scarlets in Durban thereafter, but those matches should provide them with a chance to address their shortcomings before the play-offs.

The Stormers have been universally praised for their seven-try performance against Benetton, with the dazzling attacking display of Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu receiving due attention.

The bigger statement was made by the Stormers’ defence.

John Dobson said it best when he described the leaky showing against Connacht as ‘shocking’.

The Stormers boss was in a far better mood after his charges limited Benetton to five points last Saturday.

That has been the Stormers in a nutshell this season, one embarrassingly bad performance followed by an inspiring showing that gets every fan out of their seat.

Is that a championship-winning formula, or at least the kind of mindset that’s going to earn them three play-off wins in a row? Probably not.

Something should be read into the fact that the Stormers have lost only three home matches across all tournaments this season – two of those outside of Cape Town.

They will have to travel for the play-offs, and while they might fancy their chances in a quarterfinal against the Sharks in Durban – a showdown which seems increasingly likely – they may struggle to prevail abroad, or in a potential return for a final in South Africa.

While their home form has been impressive, the Stormers have lost six out of eight overseas matches across all tournaments this season.

If the Bulls manage to finish ahead of Glasgow in the standings, they will earn the right to host a quarterfinal.

If the Sharks or Stormers beat Leinster in Dublin in the semis, there could be an all-South African final at Loftus.

The Bulls have shown that they have what it takes to beat the Irish giants in recent seasons, and while the Sharks lost to a weakened Leinster side recently, the men from Durban will have taken some confidence from their recent successes abroad.

Leinster remain favourites in the eyes of many, but their focus on the Champions Cup may distract them from the URC task, as it has in previous seasons.

Glasgow remain one of the biggest threats to South Africa’s push for a trophy, and if they rebound in the final two league matches – against Benetton and what could be a weakened Leinster side – they will strengthen their bid for another URC title.

@rugby365com