The possibility of an all-South African Vodacom URC final in Cape Town remains alive.
John Dobson’s side finished third on the log and will host Cardiff in a quarter-final at Cape Town Stadium on Saturday, while the fourth-placed Vodacom Bulls welcome Munster to Loftus Versfeld earlier in the day.
The table-topping Glasgow Warriors host Connacht in Scotland on Friday night and second-placed Leinster face the seventh-placed Lions in Dublin on Saturday.
The Stormers’ route to hosting a semi-final – and potentially the final – depends on the Lions causing a major upset in Ireland.
If Leinster beat the Lions, the Stormers would have to travel to Dublin for the semi-finals should they beat Cardiff.
MORE: Lions chasing more history in Dublin
Likewise, the Bulls can only secure a home semi-final if Connacht beat Glasgow at Scotstoun. Otherwise Johan Ackermann’s men would head to Scotland if they progress past Munster.
Should both South African teams win away semi-finals, the Stormers would host the URC final because they finished above the Bulls on the log.
History, however, suggests the odds are stacked against the visitors in most of the quarter-finals.
The Lions have never beaten Leinster in Dublin, while Cardiff have yet to win in Cape Town against the Stormers.
Connacht also have no away URC victories over Glasgow, although their recent trips to Scotstoun have been closely contested.
The tightest historical matchup is Bulls vs Munster at Loftus.
Munster remain the only visiting side in this year’s playoffs to have previously won at the venue where they are playing a quarter-final, having beaten the Bulls in Pretoria in 2024.
MORE: Bulls prepping for Loftus lottery
The teams’ three URC meetings at Loftus have been decided by a combined margin of just three points.
Quarter-finals
Friday, 29 May
Glasgow Warriors vs Connacht (8:45pm SA time)
Saturday, 30 May
Bulls vs Munster (1pm)
Stormers vs Cardiff (3:30pm)
Leinster vs Lions (9pm SA time)
Semi-finals
Saturday, 6 June
Glasgow/Connacht vs Bulls/Munster
Leinster/Lions vs Stormers/Cardiff
Final
Saturday, 20 June
Photo: Ashley Vlotman/Gallo Images
The post How Stormers can host all-SA URC final appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
The possibility of an all-South African Vodacom URC final in Cape Town remains alive.
The post How Stormers can host all-SA URC final appeared first on SA Rugby magazine. Read More
