The Vodacom URC returns this weekend with two blockbuster South African derbies at Cape Town Stadium and Kings Park.
The table-topping Stormers host the Lions on Saturday, while the Vodacom Bulls travel to Durban to take on the Sharks.
The STORMERS carried their superb URC form into the Investec Champions Cup where they saw off Bayonne and La Rochelle to stretch their unbeaten run in all competitions to eight matches.
Last time out in the URC, the Stormers claimed a stirring 27-21 comeback win over Munster in Limerick.
The Stormers sit pretty on 27 log points from six games and have steadily reintegrated their Springbok stars. But enviable squad depth is the team’s greatest strength and ensures there is little to no drop-off in quality and intensity when first-choice players are not available.
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The LIONS delivered the surprise of round six with a superb 43-33 win over the Bulls at Loftus.
However, the Joburg-based team failed to build on that momentum and suffered back-to-back EPCR Challenge Cup defeats to Benetton and Newcastle.
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Ivan van Rooyen’s men will look to bounce back in the URC and there is no better opportunity than a South African derby to get the blood boiling again.
The Lions sit seventh in the standings on 16 points, having opened with three consecutive losses to Cardiff, Zebre and Benetton, before claiming impressive victories over the Scarlets, Ulster and Bulls.