Sharks season: What is waiting in the next couple of months
So if you’re like me and a bit confused and concerned, as to how the rest of the Cell C Sharks season in the Heineken Champions Cup and United Rugby Championship might play out, here is a bit more information of the Heineken Champions Cup play-offs, as well as United Rugby Championship log and next two months games.
To start a quick guide to how the play-off games in the Heineken Champions Cup will be determined. The first 8 teams in each pool (A & B) will play in the Round of 16 play-off games (home team first) on 1st & 2nd April:
R16 1: Number 1-ranked club in Pool A v Number 8-ranked club in Pool B
R16 2: Number 2-ranked club in Pool A v Number 7-ranked club in Pool B
R16 3: Number 3-ranked club in Pool A v Number 6-ranked club in Pool B
R16 4: Number 4-ranked club in Pool A v Number 5-ranked club in Pool B
R16 5: Number 4-ranked club in Pool B v Number 5-ranked club in Pool A
R16 6: Number 3-ranked club in Pool B v Number 6-ranked club in Pool A
R16 7: Number 2-ranked club in Pool B v Number 7-ranked club in Pool A
R16 8: Number 1-ranked club in Pool B v Number 8-ranked club in Pool A
Winners will play in the Quarter finals (highest ranked team will get home ground) on 7th, 8th & 9th April:
QF 1: Winner R16 1 v Winner R16 5
QF 2: Winner R16 7 v Winner R16 3
QF 3: Winner R16 2 v Winner R16 6
QF 4: Winner R16 8 v Winner R16 4
Winners will play in the Semi finals (played at venues to be determined) on 28th to 30th April:
SF 1: Winner QF 1 v Winner QF 2
SF 2: Winner QF 3 v Winner QF 4
Final will be played in Dublin on 20 May.
So where does this leave the Sharks:
Currently, the Sharks is in second place in Pool A (1 point behind Leinster) on 14 points (points difference +40). If the Sharks beat Harlequins, they will finish in either second or third place, depending on Saracens result away against Edinburgh (currently also on 14 points with a points difference of +32). If, however, the Sharks loses the game, Exeter 11 points (points difference +34), Edinburgh 11 points (points difference +20) & Bulls 10 points (points difference -13) could all pass them, dropping them to sixth place. Playing a team like Montpellier in SA will give the Sharks a much better chance to advance to the Quarter Finals than playing Leicester Tigers in the UK. So basically a victory against Harlequins is a must even if it’s ugly and without a bonus point!
Now for the United Rugby Championship:
Currently, the log is very close, with at least 13 teams able to finish in the top 8:
Team | Played | Points Difference | Log Points | |
3 | Bulls | 12 | +70 | 39 |
4 | Ulster | 11 | +79 | 38 |
5 | Glasgow Warriors | 11 | +27 | 34 |
6 | Benetton Rugby | 12 | -37 | 33 |
7 | Munster | 12 | +51 | 32 |
8 | Edinburgh | 12 | +55 | 30 |
9 | Sharks | 10 | +23 | 29 |
10 | Cardiff Rugby | 12 | -18 | 29 |
11 | Connacht | 12 | -46 | 25 |
12 | Lions | 11 | -74 | 24 |
Now, although the Sharks have 2 games in hand on most teams around them on the log, it unfortunately does not guarantee them anything, as none of their next 6 games in the URC is “relatively easy” games:
28/01 Edinburgh (away with full team available)
03/02 Stormers (home without Bok players)
18/02 Lions (away without Bok players)
25/02 Ulster (home without Bok players, but Ulster should also lose players to Ireland for 6 Nations)
04/03 Stormers (away without Bok players)
25/03 Scarlets (away without Bok players)
With the URC log being so close and competitive, if things go really pear shaped for the Sharks, they might even struggle to finish in the top 8.
For me the next two months, played mostly without their Springbok players, will in a large part determine the success of the Sharks season(s).
Let’s go Sharks!!!