The start of the week in the UNIR Rugby Championship was marked by a defeat for the South African team, the Stormers, who suffered a heavy 17-13 loss in Edinburgh on Friday evening, thus ending hopes for a second consecutive clean sweep.
Nevertheless, one of the South African players, former Sharks coach Shaun Everitt, who now leads the Scottish team, remained satisfied with the result.
A similar match is expected at Thomond Park in Limerick on Saturday evening when the Bulls visit Munster. Despite the Bulls scoring 47 points in Parma last week while playing poorly, Zebre are considered an easy target in the URC. Johan Ackermann noted after that match that Munster presents a completely different challenge.
The Bulls looked unconvincing in the team scrum without their Springboks forwards, and Ackermann decided not to call up players such as Jan-Hendrik Vessels, Johan Grobbelaar, and Gerhard Steenkamp.
Munster recently lost a tense home match against Glasgow Warriors and intends to give their all against the Bulls. The expert predicts a low-scoring game in which Munster will win by three points. The game is scheduled to start at 20:45.
The Lions will play their early match on Saturday at Ellis Park at 13:45 against Ospreys. The early start was chosen to avoid possible thunderstorms over Highveld in the afternoon.
The Lions impressed in the game against Leinster, which was a fantastic rugby match, and there is growing conviction that their first quarter-final appearance last season was not a coincidence. Last season, the Lions won eight out of nine home games, and another victory at Ellis Park seems likely. A Lions victory by 15 points or more is predicted in a high-scoring match.
However, the main match of the weekend is likely to be the Sharks versus Leinster encounter in Durban. Sharks are showing a different mood this season after a long period of disappointment. It seems they have sorted things out off the field, enjoyed their first full pre-season in many years, and, crucially, possess a much more balanced squad.
Instead of heavily relying on the old policy of recruiting players from around the world, there is now a real path for young talent. Leinster assembled a stronger squad this week, so it should be an epic battle. Nevertheless, the author bets on a Sharks victory by seven points or more. The game is scheduled to start at 18:30.
