➤ The Vodacom United Rugby Championship final between the Bulls and the Glasgow Warriors will be played in front of a packed Loftus Versfeld stadium in Pretoria on Saturday, and the game is sold out! No wonder after the way the Bulls took Leinster apart in the semifinal last week.
This week they face a different challenge. While the Bulls are the overwhelming favourites to beat the Warriors, a team cannot often play two great games in a row, only one week apart.
The brilliant Willie le Roux failed his head injury assessment against Leinster. If he doesn’t recover sufficiently to play tomorrow, Devon Williams must wear the number 15 jersey. He will play behind a winning pack of forwards, but his performance may be crucial.
➤ There is nothing to indicate that Wales could beat the Springboks when they face off at Twickenham in London, but the Springboks have a different side with many new players and combinations. It will be tough, particularly in the first half, but then, the mighty Malcolm Marx is back in the middle of the front row, and Bongi Mbonambi is on the bench. Jordan Hendrikse at flyhalf, will be playing behind probably the best scrum in the world.
➤ The Blitzboks are fighting for survival in Monte Carlo as they have one final chance to capture a place to play at the Olympic Games.
Blitzboks legend Impi Visser said the team is still confident of achieving its Olympic goals, but for now, it must first focus on qualifying.
“The reality is that we need to get the job done here first before thinking about anything else,” he told SA Rugby Magazine.
The Blitzboks have to win the tournament to qualify. While the top teams have already qualified, the Blitzboks can’t afford to lose a single match this weekend.
Wales vs Springboks on Saturday at 3pm.
Bulls vs Glasgow Warriors on Saturday at 6pm.
Both matches are live on DStv channel 201.
Blitzboks vs Mexico on Friday at 4.44pm; vs Tonga on Saturday at 1.44pm; and vs Chile on Saturday at 5.56pm.
DStv will not broadcast the Sevens, but you can see the latest results by following the Blitzbok page on X.
➤ The Euro 2024 action continues with the sharp end of the group stage approaching.
On Saturday, Georgia will play Czechia at 3pm in a game where both sides need a win to progress.
At 6pm, Portugal will face Turkey in what is set to be a blockbuster clash between the two sides that won their opening games.
Belgium faces Romania at 9pm.
The third and final group stage games will kick off on Sunday. Scotland will face Hungary, and Germany will take on Switzerland at 9pm.
Switzerland must match Scotland’s result only, and they’ll advance to the knockout stages with Germany.
Pictured above: Blue Bulls.
Source: Blue Bulls/X
