There was a Springbok squad announcement this week as a reminder of where everyone’s hearts and minds will be during the next month - the world champions return to action next week in Italy as the start of the away leg of their Nations Cup campaign.
In the meantime several of the players who will be involved in that game and the ones that follow it against France and Ireland, and then whoever the Boks will play on the Finals Weekend in London, have some business to do for their core employers.
The South African teams have mostly tracked well so far in the Vodacom URC, but one final push this weekend is needed to ensure the clubs can take their five week break feeling they are in a good space.
As it stands, it is the two Scottish teams leading after four games, with three South African sides filling the next three placings. Edinburgh, coached by a South African in former Hollywoodbets Sharks coach Sean Everrit, are the only unbeaten team and top the log with 19 points from a possible 20.
Glasgow Warriors, also led by a South African in Franco Smith, are second with 18, and then come the Vodacom Bulls and DHL Stormers with 16 points each. The Bulls fill third by virtue of a superior points differential.
The Sharks are one point further back in fifth and given the momentum they have picked up in recent weeks their final tour game against Munster at Thomond Park in Limerick is an important one for them.
In what would be a rare SA win at that venue would be an even bigger statement than the ones they made in Lyon and Cardiff over the past two weekends.
BOOKIES HAD MUNSTER RESULT RIGHT - UNTIL TEAM ANNOUNCEMENT
Munster have been made slight favourites by the bookies, which seemed about right before the team announcements unveiled some changes to the Munster team, whereas the two SA teams just ahead of them on the log, the Stormers and Bulls, are quite overwhelming favourites in their respective home games against Ulster and the Scarlets.
Which is just about right, although you sense Johan Ackermann may be taking risks with the amount of changes the Bulls coach has made for this game.
Definitely well short of being favourites for their game are the 10Bet Lions, who face a tough away game against Glasgow at the Scotstoun on Friday night. After a strong start to their URC campaign at home the Lions have lost a bit of their impetus, with the 50 pointer conceded to the Bulls in their away derby on 10 October being followed by a 31-10 mauling at the hands of Edinburgh.
The Lions are currently 11th and while in this competition which is known to be a marathon rather than a sprint it is still way too early for there to be concern, for after all four games in 18 is but a small portion of the overall season, they do need to change their fortunes before they head into what could be a difficult December for them.
The Johannesburg outfit is in the Investec Champions Cup this year, so they don’t have the breathing space opportunities at that time of the season they used to have (no-one cares that much about the EPRC Challenge Cup so you can rotate selections).
BIG GAME IN GALWAY
The other game to be played this weekend that could have a big impact on the log and outlook for the competition when it returns is the Irish derby in Galway between Connacht and Leinster. Leinster have recovered from their two losses in South Africa by lifting themselves to sixth on the log, but defeat against Stuart Lancaster’s team would be a big blow.
With the clocks being put back an hour in the UK and Ireland this week, it should be noted that there is a later kick-off time to the two Friday night games, 9:45pm instead of 8:45pm.
Vodacom United Rugby Championship round 5 fixtures
Connacht v Leinster (Galway, Friday 9:45pm)
There are high hopes in Galway that with 12 000 passionate fans behind them Connacht can end Leinster’s recent stranglehold on them, particularly because international calls have forced Leinster coach Leo Cullen to call in several academy players.
Connacht are also without 13 players through a combination of Ireland calls and injuries but their coach Stuart Lancaster has made a point of building depth and he’s hopeful that this game will demonstrate that endeavour to have been successful.
The bookies have Leinster winning by around 7 but those odds may have changed now that the teams have been announced.
Prediction: Connacht to win by less than 7
Glasgow Warriors v 10Bet Lions (Glasgow, Friday 9:45pm)
Morne van den Berg returns at scrumhalf with Nico Steyn providing cover from the bench, while Tiaan Lange gets his first start at hooker. There are new starting props in the form of SJ Kotze and RF Schoeman, while Boan Venter will be the back up loosehead in this match against a team that used to be his big derby opponents when he was at Edinburgh.
He has a point to prove after surprisingly being left out of the latest Springbok squad. Quan Horn at fullback makes it two current Boks in the Lions side but Glasgow will be without most of their Scotland internationals.
That may just give the Lions a chance against a team that will still be smarting after the 54-12 defeat that they suffered at Ellis Park earlier this year, a result that significantly halted what had hitherto been impressive Glasgow momentum.
But at Scotstoun visiting teams seldom win so the Lions will have to be significantly better than they were against Edinburgh.
Prediction: Glasgow to win by 10
DHL Stormers v Ulster (Cape Town, Saturday 2:45pm)
John Dobson is resting Springbok flyhalf Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu but as it turns out his replacement, Yaqeen Ahmed, looks set soon to be a Bok too after being selected into Rassie Erasmus’ squad for the away leg of the Nations Championship.
Former Springbok coach Nick Mallett is one who doesn’t see the change at flyhalf being a step backward for the Stormers, for he told the Talking Boks podcast this week that he felt Ahmed would be better at following the set team script than Feinberg-Mngomezulu, who sometimes at club level is too individualistic.
The Stormers have been hit by injuries but the team is still a strong one and it will be interesting to see how Bok double World Cup winner Bongi Mbonambi goes in his first game back in Stormers colours. He plays off the bench.
The bookies make it a 16 or more win for the Stormers but Ulster have tended to be more competitive than that against a team that has become strong rivals for them during the URC era.
Prediction: Stormers to win by 12
Vodacom Bulls v Scarlets (Pretoria, Saturday 5pm)
The Bulls will be expected to be a lot more ruthless against the Scarlets than the Stormers were last week, but at the same time coach Johan Ackermann may have made it harder for his team with the number of changes he made to the side that beat Ulster six days ago.
In all there are 13 changes and yes, we know Rassie often does that at Bok level, but sometimes it can misfire, like in Perth recently, or at the very least impact on cohesion.
However, the Bulls do boast impressive depth at the moment and even if there are teething problems associated with the number of changes that have been made they should still be too good for Scarlets, who may have played their best game of the tour in Cape Town last week.
Prediction: Bulls to win by 20
Benetton v Edinburgh (Treviso, Saturday 5pm)
Benetton have struggled this season and are languishing second last just ahead of their fellow Italian team, Zebre. By contrast, Edinburgh are riding a wave under the coaching of Sean Everitt and are top of the log. They should retain that position by winning in Treviso.
Prediction: Edinburgh to win by 8
Munster v Hollywoodbets Sharks (Limerick, Saturday 7:30pm)
The Sharks have had to rejig their midfield due to the injury enforced absences of regular captain Andre Esterhuizen and Jurenzo Julius, with the latter showing impressive form against Cardiff last week before being replaced halfway through the match.
Springbok wing Ethan Hooker is however no slouch as a centre, the position where he’s played most of his rugby, while Suleiman Hartzenberg may yet crack the position many thought he’d excel in during his early career without him really fulfilling that promise.
Ox Nche and Thomas du Toit start in the front row. Irish call-ups have changed the look of the Munster team that was so competitive away against Leinster last week and it has prompted me to think twice about my prediction.
Initially I went with the bookies on it being a narrow win for Munster, now I reckon it will be the other way around.
Prediction: Sharks to win by 7 or less
Dragons v Zebre (Newport, Saturday 7:30pm)
The Dragons are 12th, Zebre are last, and Dragons are at home. That’s about as much as anyone needs to know.
Prediction: Dragons to win by 12 or more
Ospreys v Cardiff Rugby (Swansea, Saturday 9:45pm)
The Ospreys went past Cardiff on the log when Cardiff lost to the Sharks last week. Cardiff need to get back on the bike, or the horse, after that setback. But the Ospreys are at home.
Prediction: Ospreys to scrape a win by less than 7