All four South African franchises are in action this weekend in the URC, with the competition heading into its Nations Championship hiatus after the round concludes.
The Lions kick things off on Friday night at Scotstoun Stadium (21h45) against second-placed Glasgow Warriors, one of only two unbeaten sides in the competition — three wins and a draw from four matches. Ivan van Rooyen's side have lost their last two matches away from home across URC and Champions Cup, but they toppled Leinster in round one and followed it up with a convincing win over the Ospreys, so the capacity for a big performance on the road is there. Glasgow have conceded a minimum of 20 points in each of their matches and had to grind out four-point victories over both Munster and Benetton, which gives the Lions a foothold going in as underdogs.
On Saturday, the fourth-placed Stormers host Ulster in Cape Town (14h45). Ulster sit 13th on the log but have scored at least 26 points in every outing this season and pushed the Bulls hard last week. John Dobson's side come in on the back of consecutive wins, though they were forced to score twice in the final ten minutes to see off the Scarlets in their previous home match. Ulster will be targeting their first change in fortunes and will not be deterred by their log position.
Also on Saturday, the third-placed Bulls host the Scarlets in Pretoria (17h00), with Johan Ackermann's side unbeaten at home so far this season. The Scarlets provided a genuine test for the Stormers last week through their hard-running attack and line-break threat, and while they have only one win from four matches, their defence remains the weakness the Bulls will target.
The Sharks round off the South African contingent's weekend at Thomond Park against ninth-placed Munster in Limerick (19h30), with JP Pietersen's fifth-placed side facing one of the more hostile away venues in European rugby.