The Stormers, Lions, Bulls and Sharks are set to face overseas opponents in their penultimate round of United Rugby Championship home matches, where victories will be invaluable with an eye on playoff places.

In other developments in the cross-hemisphere showpiece, the tournament organisers announced earlier on Thursday that the Grand Final will be hosted at the home venue of the highest-ranked team where the first URC champions will be crowned, while they also virtually unveiled a unique new trophy for the competition – all the details can be accessed here.

Looking at this weekend’s action, the four SA teams have only three matches remaining – including this round – to secure quarter-final places, and with the Stormers, Sharks and Bulls currently hanging onto spots in the top eight on the log, they will be determined to avoid any slip-ups, especially with their final round of league matches in May set to be played on foreign territory. 

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The Stormers will open the weekend’s action against the Glasgow Warriors in Cape Town on Friday at 18h30, and this will be followed by a jam-packed Saturday, with the Bulls hosting Benetton in Pretoria (14h00), the Lions taking on Connacht in Johannesburg (16h05) and the Sharks meeting log-leaders Leinster in Durban (18h15).

A win for the Capetonians would see them secure their sixth victory in a row, and even more significantly, it could push them into the top three on the log if they topple the third-placed Glasgow Warriors and the second-placed Ulster go down against the fourth-placed Munster.

While they will be bracing themselves for a tough battle against one of the top sides in the competition, the Stormers will draw inspiration from the fact that the Glasgow Warriors have won only one more match than them this season, while they also lost away to Cardiff and the Scarlets, although the hosts will also be mindful of the fact that Glasgow have only suffered two defeats in their last 10 matches against South African opponents.

Stormers coach John Dobson made two changes to his starting line-up, both in the forward pack, with Frans Malherbe back at tighthead prop and Junior Pokomela on the flank in place of Deon Fourie, who has not yet completely recovered from a minor leg injury.

The Bulls will be determined to bounce back from their defeat against the Stormers and hold onto their spot in the top eight, and possibly even leap up in the standings depending on the other results this weekend when they go up against Benetton at Loftus Versfeld.

READ | STORMERS THRILLED TO BE IN THE FIGHT FOR HOME URC PLAYOFF

The Pretoria outfit suffered their first defeat in five outings in their last match, and the fact that it was by a mere two points, will give them confidence, as will the fact that their 2021 Rainbow Cup final opponents come off five straight defeats – albeit against most of the top teams in the competition.

The men from Pretoria would not have forgotten what happened the last time the teams met in Treviso, where they suffered a disappointing 35-8 defeat in the Rainbow Cup final, so they will be wary about underestimating their opponents.

In Johannesburg, the Lions will look to return to their winning ways after going down against the Sharks two weeks ago in what marked their first defeat in five matches when they line up against Connacht.

The Irish visitors have been up and down this year although they will enter the match high on confidence after holding out Benetton away from home last time out to bounce back from back-to-back defeats.

Both teams harbour slim hopes of sneaking into the top eight on the table in the next few weeks, and with everything to gain, neither team is expected to give an inch. Interestingly, Connacht have won their last eight matches against South African teams, which is something the hosts will have in the back of their minds.

The Johannesburgers will, however, have the extra motivation of playing in front of their home crowd for the second-last time this season, and this will fuel their determination to come out on top.

CLOSER LOOK: SA TEAMS STANDINGS AS THEY HUNT URC PLAYOFF PLACES

The Sharks will hunt their third United Rugby Championship victory in a row and aim to remain in a comfortable position for a quarter-final spot when they host log-leaders Leinster at Hollywoodbets Kings Park on Saturday, where the visitors will also have their sights set on maintaining their stronghold at the top of the table.

Both teams come off comfortable victories in their last two outings and they will be hoping to build winning momentum as the competition reaches the business end.

While the hosts will have the advantage of being used to the conditions in Durban, Leinster are a consistent outfit that are able to win home and away. They have only lost once against a team from South Africa away from home since 2017, meaning it could be a tight tussle.

United Rugby Championship Match information:

Stormers v Glasgow Warriors

Date: Friday, 22 April

Venue: DHL Stadium, Cape Town

SA Time: 18h30

Referee: Andrew Brace

TV: SuperSport

Bulls v Benetton

Date: Saturday, 23 April

Venue: Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria

SA Time: 14h00

Referee: Mike Adamson

TV: SuperSport

Lions v Connacht

Date: Saturday, 23 April

Venue: Emirates Airline Park, Johannesburg

SA Time: 16h05

Referee: Craig Evans

TV: SuperSport

Sharks v Leinster

Date: Saturday, 23 April

Venue: Hollywoodbets Kings Park, Durban

SA Time: 18h15

Referee: Nika Amashukeli

TV: SuperSport

READ | Bulls aim to earn revenge for Rainbow Cup final loss to Benetton