Angus Opperman maps out a plausible — if optimistic — scenario where the Stormers and Bulls meet in another all-South African URC Final. The arithmetic requires the Stormers to take at least one win from their Ulster and Cardiff fixtures, the Bulls to bank 10 points against Zebre and Benetton, and the Lions to grab enough bonus points to hold sixth. That projected standings table would set up a quarter-final between the Bulls and Lions, keeping SA teams on opposite sides of the draw until a potential Cape Town final.
The key variables are Glasgow and Leinster. Franco Smith's Warriors return from a fruitless SA tour needing wins, while Leinster's rotation ahead of a potential Champions Cup Final could cost them a point or two. Opperman doesn't oversell it — he acknowledges the Lions' back-to-back away clashes against Munster and Leinster are likely losses — but the scenario is coherent enough to track as the regular season closes out. For Springbok supporters watching the franchise picture, this is a useful fixture-by-fixture breakdown of what needs to go right.