SA franchises prepare for crucial last weekends

SOUTH Africa's four franchises are preparing for a Welsh invasion this coming weekend as the United Rugby Championship (URC) reaches its climax over the next two rounds.

- LEIGHTON KOOPMAN

There will be a clear picture for the Bulls, Sharks and Stormers in terms of what they must do to maintain or better their positions on the official URC log. The Lions, though, will be scrambling and hoping for some miracles to come their way as they chase a first-ever knockout spot.

One win away from getting a home play-off: Fourth - P16, W11, Pts 53 On Friday (7pm kick-off), the Sharks can secure their home quarter-final should they claim a win over the Ospreys. That is how simple the equation is for the Durbanites. They will be certain that Kings Park will host a playoff if they can get one over their Welsh visitors, but the Ospreys have come to South Africa previously and caused major upsets.

So, there can be no underestimating them, even if they are 11th on the log. They still have that playoff spot to chase and their next two games will be crucial to securing it.

Bulls closing in on number two spot: Third - P16, W12, Pts 58