URC Round 2: Why some teams won’t get their Springbok boost

Could we see Springboks return to South Africa’s URC franchises this weekend?

International rugby will be on break for a month as domestic competitions continue.

Here’s what this means to the Stormers, the Lions, the Bulls, and the Sharks.

URC moves into second round

South Africa completed a clean sweep of the first round, with all 4 franchises recording wins, according to the URC website.

The Stormers defeated Connacht 29-15 in Galway, while the Lions mustered a 27-26 win over defending champions Leinster.

In Durban, the Sharks thumped Ospreys 41-24, and the Bulls hammered Zebre 47-13 in Parma.

On Friday, 2 October, the Stormers travel to face Edinburgh.

The Lions continue their home leg when they host Ospreys in Johannesburg on Saturday, 3 October.

Later that day, the Sharks have a tough match against Leinster at Kings Park.

The South African franchises wrap up the URC Round 2 with the Bulls travelling to take on Munster.

When could Springboks return to their URC franchises?

Rassie Erasmus fielded a vastly different team in the 38-42 loss to Australia in Perth on Sunday.

According to South Africa Rugby, he made 13 changes to the team that beat the All Blacks in Baltimore.

With Perth out of the way, some Springboks players could rejoin their franchises as early as this weekend.

For the Stormers, however, no stars involved in the Perth Test will join the team in the United Kingdom.

This includes Zachary Porthen, Paul de Villiers, Wilco Louw, and Sacha Feinberg-Ngomezulu.

As cited by IOL, assistant coach Rito Hlungwani confirmed Siya Kolisi was training with Ben-Jason Dixon and Ntuthuko Mchunu after the New Zealand tour.

For the Bulls, Jan-Hendrik Wessels, Johan Grobbelaar, Elrigh Louw, Marco van Staden, Handre Pollard, and Canan Moodie all featured against the Wallabies.

They are not expected to travel to Munster for this weekend’s clash.

Fresh off a big win, JP Pietersen needs to balance incoming players and building continuity.

Eben Etzebeth, Ethan Hooker, Andre Esterhuizen, Edwill van der Merwe, and Ox Nche would possibly feature off the bench if needed.

For the Lions, their win over Leinster exposed some defensive frailties.

While Morne van den Berg is likely to sit out, Quan Horn could be fresh enough to add some spark to their game.

WHICH SPRINGBOKS PLAYERS DO YOU WANT TO SEE IN THE URC ROUND 2?

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