Connect with us

Pro14

Sharks out to usurp Bulls at the top of Rainbow Cup SA standings

The Sharks will want to usurp in the Rainbow Cup SA standings this weekend.

Sbu Nkosi - Sharks Rainbow Cup SA
Image Copyright - Steve Haag Sports

The Sharks will need a massive perforamnce this weekend if they are to usurp the Bulls into first place on the Rainbow Cup SA standings.

Two women looking excitedly at cellphone

The Rainbow Cup Sa reaches its conclusion this coming weekend with the Lions taking on the Stormers in what is essentially an exhibition match as neither team can win the tournament. Meanwhile, the Bulls will take on the Sharks with the KZN side needing a minor miracle to usurp the men from Pretoria into top spot.

Stormers v Lions
Saturday 12 June
Cape Town Stadium
16:00

To Win (80 Mins)

Stormers 3/10
Draw 25/1
Lions 5/2

Handicap 

Stormers (-8.5) 9/10
Lions (+8.5) 9/10

The Lions were given something of a reality check last week as they were unable to follow up on their shock victory over the Bulls as they went down 21-33 to the Sharks in Johannesburg. It was a rather error-strewn performance from Jo’burg side who made a lot of handling errors in promising positions during the 80 minutes.

The Stormers also head into the final set of fixtures off a back of a defeat with the Western Cape side going down 31-27 to the Bulls. They were extremely unlucky to have lost the fixture, as the Bulls scored in the dying seconds of the game to take the victory.

There’s an interesting off the field rumour doing the rounds leading up to this one with the Lions interested in Stormers promising winger, Edwil van der Merve, who has been in sensational touch this term. Whether or not these 

Verdict: Lions (+8.5) 9/10

I’m expecting a free-flowing game here with both teams having some incredible backs. My money is on the Lions staying within a pretty generous handicap.

Sharks v Bulls
Saturday 12 June
Kings Park
18:15

To Win (80 Mins)

Sharks 9/10
Draw 22/1
Bulls 9/10

The Sharks will be looking for a big win here in order to stop a brilliant Bulls side from booking a Rainbow Cup final appearance against the Guinness PRO14 Rainbow Cup winner.

The Bulls head down to Durban in the driver’s seat for final qualification with Jake White’s men four log points clear of the Sharks and holding a far superior points differential. As such, the Bulls only need a losing bonus point in Durban to book a finals date with the PRO14 Rainbow Cup victor.

Both teams managed to claim wins this past weekend with the Bulls showing a real champions mentality as they managed to secure an extremely late win over the Stormers. While Morne Steyn didn’t have his best game for his beloved Bulls, his tactical kicking and accuracy off the tee made a big difference. he’ll look to control proceedings again against a Sharks side that showed lethal counter-attacking abilities against the Lions last weekend.

Verdict: Sharks 9/10

I reckon the Sharks will make home ground advantage count. Whether or not they’ll win by the sort of margin required to usurp the Bulls remains to be seen, though. 

Register Now with Hollywoodbets Mobile

More in Pro14