Leighton Koopman
The bottom of the United Rugby Championship (URC) log was not where the Stormers envisioned themselves after their three-week European tour.
However, this is precisely where the inaugural champions find themselves, with their next two matches against former champions Munster and current holders Glasgow Warriors in Cape Town.
That's why it will be important for them to recover as soon as possible after going down 38-7 to Edinburgh, to find a way to get back on the horse, otherwise their season could be over before it even begins
The competition is heating up after round 4 🔥
— Vodacom United Rugby Championship (URC) (@URCOfficial_RSA) October 14, 2024
Who do you think will rise to the top?💪@vodacom #URC pic.twitter.com/0gCVI5dsYJ
What will make Saturday's encounter against the Irish club more tough, is that the Stormers have never beaten them in the competition and they seem to be the bogey team of the Capetonians.
In their four encounters so far – two of them in Cape Town – Munster came out on top, with one of them being the Grand Finale of the URC last year. All of the matches, except for the first one, ended with seven or fewer points between the sides.
South Africa's two unbeaten teams in the URC, the Bulls and Lions, created the perfect platform in Europe from which they will launch a bid to stay on the winning side this coming weekend.
While the Bulls had to overcome some questionable refereeing calls, two yellow cards, and a red one, they've galvanised themselves for the final two matches starting with the Scarlets on Friday in Llanelli.
First one on tour ✅#ForeverBlue pic.twitter.com/nlCJ4Gbbsa
— Official Blue Bulls (@BlueBullsRugby) October 14, 2024
The Lions, in the meantime, didn't have the attacking fluency with which they started the season, but how they defended in the dying minutes of their clash against Cardiff on Sunday, showed some promising signs early on for their tour aspirations.
An 80-minute performance is what the Loftus side will be after in Wales after the men of Jake White led 26-0 within 30 minutes this past weekend before the second-half cards influenced the rest of the match. White's team composition will be crucial for the second match and while they await the verdict of David Kriel's red card, there could be some changes to the side.
If the Lions can maintain their mature game management as shown in the 23-19 win over the Dragons, more victories on tour will be on the cards for the Ellis Park troop. They will take a lot of faith after grinding out a first win on tour and will look to complement their good defensive effort with their well-known attack against Zebre on Saturday.
🗣️ "Guess what, guess who!"
— SuperSport Rugby (@SSRugby) October 14, 2024
Jarod Cairns was unbelievable all over the park in the Emirates Lions' #VURC win over the Dragons.
He took home the Player of the Match award 👏 pic.twitter.com/fJnf4uzCdI
Should they be able to put the two together, the Italians won't stand in their way of a second successive win to remain unbeaten.
King's Park should be a welcome haven for the Sharks after their tour tribulations. But with defending champions Glasgow Warriors visiting Durban, things won't necessarily get any easier for the KwaZulu-Natal-based outfit.
They will hopefully dig into their Springbok arsenal to strengthen the side otherwise another tough two encounters before the November break awaits them. Munster will travel to Durban at the end of October to complete their two-week tour in South Africa that includes a clash in Cape Town this weekend.