As the Vodacom Bulls target playoff spots in both the Vodacom United Rugby Championship and Investec Champions Cup, the decision by Director of Rugby Jake White at the start of this season to find a new “edge in high performance” seems to be paying off on all fronts.
The Vodacom Bulls and DHL Stormers produced impressive performances over the weekend for an encouraging double for the South African teams in the Investec Champions Cup, while the Hollywoodbets Sharks were the only local team to win their EPCR Challenge Cup match in a weekend of mixed fortunes.
The domestic Vodacom United Rugby Championship franchises will be determined to make the most of their home ground advantage once again this weekend and make up some ground on the log when they take the field in round seven of the thrilling inter-hemisphere showpiece.
A successful conversion by big Willem Alberts summed up the Vodacom United Rugby Championship weekend from a local perspective as the three South African sides playing at home ran amok against their visitors from Italy, Ireland and Wales.
The injection of Rugby World Cup winning Springboks back into the Hollywoodbets Sharks fold is a major boost for the side ahead of tomorrow’s Vodacom United Rugby Championship clash with the Dragons RFC at Hollywoodbets Kings Park.
After last weekend’s ignominious record of zero from four, the South African sides will be hard pressed on getting back to winning ways in the sixth round of the Vodacom United Rugby Championship this weekend.
Difficult conditions, a lack of discipline and a little bit of unluckiness were part of the mix as all four South African teams came up short in the fifth round of the Vodacom United Rugby Championship this weekend.
Springbok centre Lukhanyo Am has been selected for Saturday’s Vodacom United Rugby Championship clash against Connacht at Hollywoodbets Kings Park in the team’s first home game of the season.
The Hollywoodbets Sharks are back in Durban this week with the sole aim to get their Vodacom United Rugby Championship campaign back on track, while the other three South African franchises are nearing the end of their early-season tours in the Northern Hemisphere.
Emirates Lions coach Ivan van Rooyen went into this Vodacom United Rugby Championship season determined for his team to build on the momentum they had towards the end of last season.