The Stormers and Springboks will be without Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu in the coming months following a serious ankle injury picked up in the URC quarter-final against Cardiff in Cape Town.
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The Stormers and Bulls are the only South African sides left standing in the United Rugby Championship (URC) and will now face the tough task of fighting for a place in the final away from home against the tournament’s top two sides.
Following home victories in the quarter-finals, the odds will now be stacked against the two local franchises. However, there is still the possibility of both teams coming out on top this weekend and setting up another all-South African final.
In the latest episode of The Last Word on Rugby, the panellists recap the disappointing end to the Lions’ URC campaign and discuss how the final two South African teams can go about beating their opponents.
On Saturday afternoon, the Bulls will welcome the grass underfoot at Murrayfield in Edinburgh instead of the 4G pitch at Scotstoun Stadium, Glasgow’s home ground. South African players have long bemoaned the artificial turf at some overseas venues, but the playing field will be a little more even for the men from Pretoria.
For the Stormers, it is an uphill battle against a resurgent Leinster side, who wiped the floor with the Lions in their quarter-final at Dublin’s Aviva Stadium last weekend. With the Cape side also missing key players such as flyhalf Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu and Seabelo Senatla through injury, the challenge becomes even tougher.
The Stormers have never won in Dublin, so they will have to make history by beating the defending champions on their home turf for the first time.
With injuries to the likes of Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Cobus Reinach and Kwagga Smith, the Springboks are set to begin the season without some of their best players. The panel looks at who can step up, with the Bok Test season set to get under way in just over a month against England.
Before that, the international campaign will kick off with a warm-up match against the Barbarians in Gqeberha in a couple of weeks.