The Stormers got South Africa’s United Rugby Championship campaign off to a winning start with a brave 29-15 defeat of Connacht in Galway on Friday night.
The focus shifts to Johannesburg, Durban and Parma on Saturday, with the Lions, Sharks and Bulls all beginning their campaigns in the 10-month tournament.
Rugby fans have an appetising afternoon and evening ahead, with the Lions kicking off against Leinster at 1.30pm, the Sharks hosting the Ospreys at 4pm and the Bulls visiting Zebre at 6.30pm.
The Lions will hope the early-afternoon heat and altitude can help unsettle defending champions Leinster.
The sides met in last season’s quarter-final, when the Lions suffered a heavy defeat in Dublin, and Leinster have brought a full-strength squad to Johannesburg.
The Lions will have to hit the ground running if they are to have any chance of an upset against the Irish giants.
The Sharks, meanwhile, will make history by starting a URC season at home for the first time, and will be desperate to turn home-ground advantage into points.
There has been plenty of talk at Kings Park about new beginnings, including a controversial rebranding, but coach JP Pietersen knows that winning matches will ultimately be the best way to convince the critics that the new Sharks Rugby Club is on the right track.
The Sharks have an excellent recent record at Kings Park, having won seven of their last eight games there.
On paper, the Bulls’ opener against Zebre should be the most straightforward of the three South African assignments.
Zebre finished bottom of the 16-team tournament last season, while the Bulls were runners-up.
But the Bulls are without a host of Springboks on duty in Perth, and they have been particularly hard hit in the front row.
Jan-Hendrik Wessels, Johan Grobbelaar and Gerhard Steenekamp are all absent, while Wilco Louw has moved to the Stormers.
The spotlight will also fall on flyhalf Curwin Bosch, who, at 29, is trying to resurrect a career that once promised much.
The Bulls travel to Parma to launch another title challenge after finishing runners-up in each of the past two URC seasons.
@MikeGreenaway
IOL Sport
