URC PREVIEW: SA’s strong start faces a much tougher examination
The article previews the upcoming round of the Vodacom United Rugby Championship, noting that South African teams face a tougher challenge after a competitive opening weekend. It highlights the depth issues caused by international duty and injuries across various franchises.
Why it matters
Provides context for rugby fans on the current state of South African club rugby amidst international scheduling conflicts.
Before we trot out that old cliché used by sportswriters when a challenge gets incrementally stiffer, you know that one about the honeymoon now being over, let’s also be realistic about what happened in last week’s first round of the Vodacom United Rugby Championship.
There was nothing really gimme about any of the games played by South African teams. Yes, the Vodacom Bulls were only playing Zebre, and the less fashionable of the two Italian teams are pretty close to being considered perennial cellar dwellers in this competition. But Zebre can be tough on the opening weekend, particularly at home, and last week most of the Bulls’ first-choice team was in Perth for the Springbok game against the Wallabies.
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