URC break: SA derbies will separate the pretenders from the contenders

The local derbies will play a big role in how the South African sides fare in the URC this season. The Bulls, Stormers and Sharks are currently styling at the top of the United Rugby Championship (URC) log after the first five rounds, sitting second, third and fourth, while the Lions are down in 13th. The Bulls, Stormers and Sharks have all picked up four wins and one loss, with the Pretoria side heading the Cape side on points difference, with them both on 21 points, while the Durban side is on 19 points, having not picked up as many bonus points. The Lions sit on nine points, the same number of points they had after two rounds, having picked up two home wins at that stage, before going on a three game losing streak. But the next three URC rounds could shape how each team’s season will progress, with a slew of local derbies to take centre stage over December and into the new year. Following the November international break the SA teams will get back down to action on the first weekend of December, with the highveld derby and coastal derby taking place. All four teams have already had one of those derbies, in game week three, with the Bulls thrashing the Lions 57-15 at Loftus, while the Stormers triumphed 37-22 in Cape Town, and it will now be the turn of the Johannesburg team and Kwa-Zulu Natal side to take on the hosting duties. Last season Last season the Lions produced a superb effort in the local derbies, winning four out of six of them to lift the SA Shield, and that helped them finish in the URC top eight for the first time, and they will need a similar effort this campaign, especially after a mixed start. But the Bulls, Stormers and Sharks will also know how important these local derbies will be in helping them finish as high up the URC log as they can, to secure as many home knockouts as possible come the end of the season. The Stormers have already improved on last season, where they lost both local derbies to the Sharks, and with both teams in top form their second derby should be a thrilling affair. For the Lions they will be desperate to arrest a slide of three straight URC defeats and will want to gain a bit of revenge over the Bulls after their heavy loss in Pretoria, but the visitors have a great URC record at Ellis Park and have never lost there in five previous meetings in the competition. The teams that come out on top in those derbies will then set themselves up well for their next two, with the Stormers hosting the Lions and Bulls in Cape Town in mid-December and the start of January, while the Sharks will also host both Highveld teams in Durban, with the Bulls first followed by the Lions.