The Challenge Cup is not the Champions Cup. Context is critical for the Sharks because a Challenge Cup title cannot act as a plaster for the bodily harm done in the United Rugby Championship this season.
The two strongest clubs in the northern hemisphere, Ireland’s Leinster and France’s Toulouse, will play the Champions Cup final on Saturday night at Tottenham Hotspur’s home ground in north London.
On Friday night the Sharks and England’s Gloucester will play for the Challenge Cup title and the additional bonus of automatic qualification to next season’s Champions Cup group stages.
Friday night’s match does not carry the gravitas of Saturday night’s gladiatorial showdown, but it does matter for a Sharks team desperate to take something from a dismal URC league campaign.
Gloucester will have a similar desperation because of a torrid Premiership season in which they won just five matches, which is one more than the Sharks won in the URC.
Springbok centre and inspirational Sharks captain Lukhanyo Am’s absence will be felt, and his unavailability gives Ruan Ackermann’s Gloucester the edge.
The Bulls squad in 2023/24 is more potent than at any stage of the three-season URC history, and it is reflected in a top two league standing and the most tries scored this season.
The URC performances is where the greatest focus will be on a Sharks season review, and the Sharks URC league failure to launch on attack seems to be the key to their issues, with 329 points and 45 tries in 17 games well below the standard.
The Sharks have seesawed in three URC league campaigns and their attack efficiency has plummeted from 510 points in the first season to 329 points in the third season. Their defence efficiency in season three has stabilised after they shipped 61 tries in the second season, compared to 51 this season.
The URC is into its third season and the data over the three seasons shows the Stormers, title winners in 2021/22 and losing finalists in 2022/23 have been the most consistent of all the South African teams over this period, but it is the Bulls who have shown the most improvement season on season.
The Bulls squad in 2023/24 is more potent than at any stage of the three-season URC history, and it is reflected in a top two league standing and the most tries scored this season.
The Lions, from the second season to the third season, are the biggest improvers among the South African teams, with a 35% increase in tries scored and a 16% decrease in tries conceded. They have also scored a club record 49 league points, with one round to play.
The Stormers, should they beat the Lions in Cape Town next weekend to complete their league season, would have finished all three seasons with 12 wins from 18 matches.
They have proven very difficult to beat in Cape Town, with an 88% winning record, while their away record of 44% is consistent with the leading teams’ results on the road. This is not an easy league in which to get away wins. The Stormers this season are four from nine and the Bulls are four from eight, and only Leinster and defending champions Munster have beaten that with five away wins in nine matches.
The Stormers, with loosehead prop Steven Kitshoff’s departure to Ulster for this season, tighthead prop Frans Malherbe’s limited game time because of injury, Deon Fourie’s absence because of injury and captain Salmaan Moerat also missing half the season through injury, had their reserve depth thoroughly tested.
The starting XV in the 16-12 win against Connacht in Galway last weekend featured just seven players from the title-winning starting XV of 2021/22.
The Stormers, despite numerous squad changes over the three seasons, remain the best defensive unit among the South African URC quartet, and among the stingiest defences in the league. This is reflected in how few tries they have conceded in relation to the other South African teams. Kudos to defensive coaching specialist Norman Laker.
The Stormers are on track to match their 2021-22 outputs, which was good enough to secure a home play-off and a home final en route to winning the title, but what’s different this season to that opening title-winning season is the significant improvement of the Bulls, especially in their attack. This is a compliment to backs coach Chris Rossouw and the technical input of former Springbok assistant coach and US coach Gary Gold.
The Bulls have been potent on attack, albeit too generous defensively, especially in the final quarter of matches in which they have had big leads. Their points production is up 18% on the first season, at a cost of an eight percent increase in points conceded.
And where the Stormers have recorded a 10% reduction in tries scored, the Bulls are up 21%, while the Stormers have managed six try-scoring bonus points to the 13 of last season.
The Bulls and Stormers have qualified for the play-offs, with the Bulls guaranteed a home play-off, while the Lions could still qualify if they beat the Stormers next weekend.
The Sharks, with just 25 league points and four wins in 17 matches, will complete their schedule against the Bulls in Durban. Victory for the Bulls would ensure a top two league finish.
*URC 2021/22, 2022/23 & 2023/24
**1 is the first season, 2 is the second season & 3 is this season
Stormers
Wins
1. 12/18 (2021/22 season)
2. 12/18 (2022/23 season)
3. 11/17 (2023/24 season)
Bulls
Wins
1. 11/18
2. 10/18
3. 12/17
Lions
Wins
1. 8/18
2. 9/18
3. 9/17
Sharks
Wins
1. 11/18
2. 9/18
3. 4/17
League Points
Stormers
1. 61
2. 68
3. 54
Bulls
58
53
61
Lions
42
45
49
Sharks
58
48
25
Points For
Stormers
1. 404
2. 531
3. 439
Bulls
518
613
613
Lions
408
454
502
Sharks
510
486
329
Points Against
Stormers
1. 311
2. 394
3. 324
Bulls
388
448
419
Lions
450
538
369
Sharks
365
480
405
Tries For
Stormers
1. 60
2. 69
3. 54
Bulls
67
78
81
Lions
48
55
65
Sharks
60
63
45
Tries Against
Stormers
1. 36
2. 48
3. 36
Bulls
42
52
52
Lions
55
75
46
Sharks
43
61
51
Bonus Points
Stormers
1. 9
2. 16
3. 10
Bulls
14
13
13
Lions
9
9
13
Sharks
11
10
7
Try-Scoring bonus points
Stormers
1. 7
2. 13
3. 6
Bulls
10
11
10
Lions
7
7
8
Sharks
9
8
3
Losing bonus point
Stormers
1. 2
2. 3
3. 4
Bulls
4
2
3
Lions
2
2
5
Sharks
2
2
6
URC League Matches won
Stormers 35/53
Bulls 33/53
Lions 26/63
Sharks 24/53
URC League Matches lost
Stormers 14/53
Bulls 20/53
Lions 27/63
Sharks 27/53
*Stormers have drawn 4 matches and Sharks have drawn 2 matches
**Excludes play-off matches
URC Play-offs
Stormers 5/6
Bulls 3/5
Sharks 0/2
Lions NA
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