Wynona Louw frames this weekend's Champions Cup opener around a familiar frustration — three seasons in and the Stormers, Bulls, and Sharks have yet to push past the quarterfinals. With that context, she identifies six individual match-ups across the three SA fixtures that will shape how the campaign begins. The Lions get a softer lens given their debut status and the La Rochelle draw, but the Stormers and Bulls carry genuine expectation, particularly with home advantage. The standout threads: Willemse's aerial and counter-attacking form puts him firmly ahead of Bristol's Wilson at 15, while AFM is backed to outclass Worsley at 10 — provided he builds on last week's return to form against the Sharks. At Loftus, young Giliomee's debut carries serious intrigue against Monin, and Hanekom is tipped to impose himself physically at the back of the scrum. The Lions fixture hinges on the kicking duel between Smith and Hastoy, with the Mahashe-McFarland loose forward battle flagged as a potential scene-stealer.
Six key battles as SA franchises open their Champions Cup accounts
Louw previews the SA franchises' Champions Cup openers through six individual match-ups — Willemse, AFM, Giliomee, and Hanekom are all backed to shine, while the Lions' Smith-Hastoy goal-kicking contest shapes up as the key thread in a low-pressure La Rochelle debut.
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Seven SA players who could swing the URC playoff race in the final four rounds
Wynona Louw profiles the seven in-form South African players she believes will be decisive in the URC playoff race, with Roos, Papier, Smith and Buthelezi among those highlighted as their franchises push for a top-eight finish.