Champions Cup Round 3 preview: Make-or-break weekend for South African sides

Bulls vs Bristol Bears

When: Saturday 10 December, 15:00
Where: Loftus Versfeld
Referee: Pierre Brousset (Fra), assistant referees: Jeremy Rozier (Fra) & Benjamin Hernandez (Fra), TMO: Denis Grenouillet (Fra)

The Bulls face an uphill battle to qualify for the knockout rounds of the Champions Cup after picking up just a single point in their opening two matches of the competition and with plenty to prove.

They enter the match on a six-game losing streak in all competitions but showed plenty of improvement in their narrow loss against the Stormers a week prior.

The men from Pretoria need two wins from their final two games in Pool 4 to stand any chance of going through to the last 16.

Bristol, having won their first two games and gained a bonus point, is one of the teams they will need to overtake to pull off the unexpected and a big win in Pretoria on Saturday will go a long way to restoring their confidence, even if they ultimately fail to make the playoffs of the Champions Cup this season.

The Gallagher Premiership outfit arrives at Loftus in top form, having won their last six games in all competitions and knowing a positive result against the Bulls will all but guarantee their place in the Round of 16.

However, their pack will be under extra pressure after tighthead prop Lovejoy Chawatama was ruled out of the match with a calf injury. The 33-year-old has been a key forward for the Bears all season and his absence will be something the Bulls will look to exploit.

One of the reasons the Bulls have struggled this season is a raft of injuries to key players. However, coach Johan Ackermann was able to field a side with no niggles for the first time this season against the Stormers last time out and it showed in a strong performance.

Experienced Springboks Canan Moodie and Kurt-Lee Arendse both miss out because of concussion protocols but Marcel Coetzee should return to the starting lineup in what would be a huge boost to the loose trio.

The Bulls will be leaning heavily on the experience and big-match temperament of their senior players to pull them through and keep their qualification hopes alive.

Sale Sharks v The Sharks

When: Saturday 10 December, 19:30
Where: Salford Community Stadium
Referee: Ben Breakspear (Wal), assistant referees: Adam Jones (Wal) & Ben Connor (Wal), TMO: Aled Griffiths (Wal)

The Durban Sharks will be looking to put an agonising defeat against the Lions last time out firmly behind them when they travel to Manchester to take on Sale Sharks in the Champions Cup on Saturday.

They lost the game to a try in the dying moments but will be determined not to let the result affect the positive progress they have made since interim coach JP Pietersen took over the reins.

They would have been on a three-match winning streak if they had prevented Haashim Pead from scoring that last-minute try but instead will need to refocus on a crucial game to their Champions Cup knockout hopes.

The two Sharks sides go into the match in fourth (Sale) and fifth (Durban), having both won one and lost one of their opening two games in the Champions Cup.

Sale are ahead of the Durban outfit by a single point due to the bonus point they earned against Clermont.

A loss would prove to be a huge blow to the qualification hopes of either side, but would not prove to be fatal as Group 1 is one of the most tightly contested in the competition this season, with both Saracens and Toulouse level on points with Sale.

The fixture has also turned into something of a grudge match due to both teams being known as the Sharks. Durban Sharks owner took it to another level in the lead-up to the fixture, calling his side the real Sharks and referring to their opponents as Sale Tuna.

With a seven-day break since their previous fixture, the Durban Sharks will have virtually a full-strength squad to choose from, including a plethora of Springboks in the likes of Ox Nche, Andre Esterhuizen, Siya Kolisi, Aphelele Fassi and Grant Williams.

Harlequins vs Stormers

When: Sunday 11 December, 15:00
Where: Twickenham Stoop,
Referee: Nika Amashukeli (Geo), assistant referees: Shota Tevadze (Geo) & Amber Dunstan-Stamp (Wal), TMO: Ben Whitehouse (Wal)

Thanks to their imperious form so far this season, the Stormers are well-positioned to qualify for the Champions Cup Round of 16 from Group 3 regardless of the result in their match against Harlequins on Sunday.

However, there is no doubt they will want to keep the good times rolling and cement their place at the top of the standings with another win to secure a home match for the first round of knockout play.

One issue the Cape outfit is looking to balance is the fact that their final pool game against Leicester Tigers in Cape Town is only six days after their clash against Harlequins, so have not sent a full-strength squad to London for the clash.

Leicester play their game against Bayonne on Saturday and will therefore have an extra day of rest and the Stormers will want their top players fully fit for what will likely be their most important match of Pool 3 next weekend.

Warrick Gelant and Damian Willemse are two experienced players who have travelled with the squad and are likely to start alongside Jurie Matthee at 10, who has proven himself to be a good fit for English conditions as their "away flyhalf" in previous fixtures this season.

The forward pack will see the most changes, with Ali Vermaak and Ruan Ackermann ruled out by injury and the need to hold fresh legs back for Leicester.

It opens the door for the likes of Oli Kebble, Vernon Matongo and Wandi Mlaba to step up and show what they can do at the franchise level.

Harlequins head coach Jason Gilmore knows exactly what is at stake and ramped the pressure up on his side going into the clash against the Stormers.

He made it crystal clear that he wants to see improved performance from his charges and warned that cuts are looming if their fortunes do not improve quickly.