Shield trophy just as important for Bulls

While there will be many articles pointing to the permutations for the top eight in this weekend’s United Rugby Championship (URC) final weekend, the Bulls have something more to play for as they head to Durban to face the newly crowned EPCR Challenge Cup winners, the Sharks.

The mostly forgotten URC Shield will also be up for play and will add more spice to the final game in the 18-round season before the playoffs start.

The Stormers have claimed both SA Shield trophies since the inception of the URC, but while other coaches claim the trophy for the best franchise in SA doesn’t matter much to them, you can bet they will feel differently if they have it in their hands.

So far this season it hasn’t been much of an argument that the Bulls are the best SA franchise in the URC. They are in second spot on the log with one round remaining, and this weekend will be hoping a win in Durban, coupled with a Munster loss to Ulster (which would be devastating to the Lions’ chances) will help them claim the top spot in the overall tournament.

That will mean a top seeding for the playoffs and the option of home games for the rest of the tournament, with the fortress Loftus only being breached by the same Munster this season.

But in the SA Shield things look a bit different and the Bulls’ hegemony will be shattered should they lose in Durban and the Stormers beat the Lions this weekend.

Overlooked

The Shield is often overlooked, but the competition within a competition and the bragging rights of being the best franchise in one of the four territories has significance for the teams, even if the overall results make a much bigger splash in terms of coverage.

The Bulls have only lost once in the SA Shield — to the Stormers in Cape Town — in their five derby games thus far. The Sharks game will be the sixth and final one for them, and a victory, in any form, will see them grab the Shield for their trophy cabinet at Loftus Versfeld. They have 20 points on the mini log, with the Stormers, at 17, just behind them. The Lions have 12 points and the Sharks three.

A Lions win could see them leapfrog the Stormers in Cape Town should the home side not get a bonus point and the Lions take one for themselves.

At present, the Lions’ points difference is better than the Stormers and a win in Cape Town will hand the Shield to the Bulls, while the possibility is still open to them leapfrogging the Stormers.

In the greater scope of things, the Bulls know they need to win anyway, as a victory should secure them a top-four finish, while a win with a bonus point guarantees them a top-two finish.

Should Ulster do the unthinkable later on in Limerick, they may well have the top spot for their own as well.

SuperSport.com