After turning the Stormers over in Cape Town last weekend the Sharks take aim at the same opposition in the United Rugby Championship in Durban on Saturday
Sharks v Stormers, Saturday 31st January, Durban, KO 17:00 (South African time)
Referee: Christopher Allison (South Africa)
Assistant referees: Griffin Colby (South Africa), Jonathan Lottering (South Africa)
TMO: Quinton Immelman (South Africa)
Weather Forecast - Durban
Sharks:
The Sharks have moved up to eleventh on the log with a record of 3 wins, 1 draw and 5 defeats for 19 log points, 2 shy of a top 8 play off spot.
Last weekend the Sharks ended the Stormers 100% record with a 30-19 win, scoring 4 tries to 2 to pick up a much needed bonus point. Two other recent SA derby matches, both in Durban saw the Sharks beat the Bulls 21-12 and lose 23-22 to the Lions. Their only other URC win came in a home fixture back in Round 5 when they saw off the Scarlets 29-19.
In terms of the SA Shield standings, the Sharks, Stormers and Lions all have 10 points and the Bulls have just 2.
In the outright betting to win the URC title the Sharks are 20/1 with Hollywoodbets
Stormers:
The Stormers have slipped to second on the log, 3 points behind Glasgow Warriors although they do have a game in hand. After last weekend’s defeat to the Sharks in Cape Town their record now comprises of 8 wins and 1 defeat and they have earned 36 log points.
Over the festive season the Stormers won back to back SA derby matches in Cape Town, against the Lions (34-27) and then the Bulls (13-8). They still have to visit both those sides but the Stormers won’t head overseas in this tournament until the final two rounds of the regular season.
In the outright betting to win the URC title the Stormers are now 7/2 second favourites with Hollywoodbets and Leinster top the boards at 8/10
Team News
Sharks: tbc
Stormers: tbc
The Betting,
Average early show
Sharks 9/10
Draw 20/1
Stormers even money
Note, odds quoted are available at the time of writing but are subject to change.
This Weeks Bets
Brent Graham's betting angle and plays for Week 11 of the United Rugby Championship will be posted on this Blog.
Finally, all this week's rugby tips from members of the Goodforthegame community can be found on the weekly rugby thread on our brand new discussion forum. If you haven't done so already, register a forum account here.