The Hurricanes will continue their tour as the first non-South Africa team to tour the Republic, while the South African Conference derbies continue with a marquee encounter between the Stormers and Sharks, while the Bulls travel to play the Cheetahs.

Friday 2 March

Lions v Hurricanes, Johannesburg

Kick-off (local, GMT, NZT, NSW/ACT, SAT)
1910, 1710, Sat 3 March 0610, Sat 3 March 0410, 1910
R Steve Walsh
AR Lourens VD Merwe
AR Ben Crouse
TMO Shaun Veldsman

The Hurricanes come into this clash at the bottom of the overall Super Rugby table, courtesy of a 13-point loss to the Stormers, but the Lions will be wary if they watched the footage of a team that was predicted pre-season to potentially be the worst performing New Zealand franchise.

This prediction could almost be justified by the huge player turnover and the presence of fewer current All Blacks than any other team, but there was a huge amount of pride and spirit in the Hurricanes last weekend – even more apparent when considering their pack was bullied by last season’s South African Conference champions.

The Lions had to rely solely on the boot of Elton Jantjies to get them an opening round win over the Cheetahs, and the danger here comes from the fact that traditionally the Hurricanes like to play an expressive game like the Free State based side, and one suspects that coach John Mitchell won’t back another “lucky” victory if they have to rely on only penalties.

More control and structure though was evident from the Hurricanes as the influence of former Crusader Mark Hammett begins to tell, while the enthusiasm of some of the visitors backs led by Beauden Barrett showed that despite missing experience, youth could play a positive role for the franchise from the capital this season.

However the Lions will be well equipped to combat any mental belief, as part of the hallmark of John Mitchell’s coaching has been a trust in overall team systems as well as the fellow player – an ethos that guided the region to a Currie Cup crown.

Saturday 3 March

Cheetahs v Bulls, Bloemfontein

Kick-off (local, GMT, NZT, NSW/ACT, SAT)
17:05, 15:05, Sun 4 Mar 4:05, Sun 4 Mar 2:05, Sat 3 Mar 17:05
R Craig Joubert
AR Marius Jonker
AR Reuben Roussouw
TMO Johann Meuwesen

The Bulls head to Bloemfontein with a priceless Sharks scalp already under their belts, and if they can add another local rival to their win column over the weekend, perhaps the early predictions of the three-time champion’s demise will be premature.

The loss of Heyneke Meyer to the test coaching post, and the exodus of over a third of the starting 2011 Springboks team, has the Bulls in a new era, but that same ruthless precision and accuracy that carried them to multiple titles was on display against the men from Durban last week.

The Sharks however were unable to mount pressure on the Bulls when required, and that is something that the Cheetahs and coach Naka Drotske will be keen to measure.

The intrigue for the Cheetahs is that they believed their loss to the Lions came from too little structure and far too much enthusiasm to play from any end of the field, but if they play in front of their home crowd with too much pragmatism – they could find themselves on the receiving end from the emperors of such play.

The Bulls turnover of players and the Cheetahs explosive finish to the season last year has question marks over both franchise’s chances for 2012, but such inquisition will be better answered when the dust settles over the Bloem.

Saturday 3 March

Stormers v Sharks, Cape Town

Kick-off (local, GMT, NZT, NSW/ACT, SAT)
17:05, 15:05, Sun 4 Mar 4:05, Sun 4 Mar 2:05, Sat 3 Mar 17:05
R Mark Lawrence
AR Jason Jatha
AR Christie Du Preez
TMO Gerrie Coetzee

Without a doubt perhaps the marquee clash not only of the round, but potentially of the South African Conference, with many local scribes in the Republic predicting that the best chances of their country winning a fourth title will come from these two powerhouses.

The Stormers, mightily impressive up front and in stages against the Hurricanes, were still on the back foot at times against a heavily penalised but precocious visiting team who were able to still fight back against the South African giants.

Their defence, all but impenetrable in the last two years, was opened up at times during by a bright eyed Hurricanes attack – but the positives far outweighed the negatives as the Stormers key performance indicators from the opening round revealed they once again have some awesome artillery that could bring a debut crown to Cape Town.

Yet the Sharks have the military might to bring down the Stormers, although they will want their game to click into gear, as it struggled against the simple but effective approach of the three-time champions.

The men from Durban and coach John Plumtree can bring the physicality required to make a mark in the 2012 competition, beginning here in the harshest of stadiums in Newlands, but that muscle was not on show against the Bulls, and it will be ruthlessly exploited by a Stormers team that has shown early signs of having one of the most abrasive packs in the competition.

South African Conference

(Legend, W-won, D-draw, L-loss, PF-point’s for, PA-point’s against, PD-point’s diff, TB-four try bonus, LB-losing within seven)

Team Rnd W D L Bye PF PA PD TB LB Pts

Stormers 1 1 0 0 0 39 26 +13 0 0 4
Bulls 1 1 0 0 0 18 13 +5 0 0 4
Lions 1 1 0 0 0 27 25 +2 0 0 4
Cheetahs 1 0 0 1 0 25 27 -2 0 1 1
Sharks 1 0 0 1 0 13 18 -5 0 1 1