PRETORIA, SOUTH AFRICA - MAY 10: Scrum during the United Rugby Championship match between Vodacom Bulls and Cardiff Rugby at Loftus Versfeld on May 10, 2025 in Pretoria, South Africa. (Photo by Sydney Seshibedi/Gallo Images)
The Bulls have a long shot at winning this year’s United Rugby Championship South African Shield, with wins needed from their final two matches, plus at least one bonus point.
The Bulls also need the Stormers to beat the Lions this weekend.
They host the Sharks first this weekend before facing the Stormers, also at Loftus, on 14 March – both ranking near the top of the scrum charts with the Bulls.
Top-tier scrum battles
The Pretoria union have secured a solid 28 scrum penalties and top the table for scrums won (97%) so far this competition.
The Sharks, who have played one more game, have won 35 scrum penalties and retained 95% of their own put-ins, placing them second on the table.
The Stormers have won only 92% of their scrums, ranking ninth. However, they have secured more scrum penalties than any other side – 35.
The Bulls will need to prove they are the best in the set-piece against the other two South African giants if they wish to have a crack at the SA Shield, as well as move up from eighth on the overall table.
A loss against the Sharks would shatter their SA Shield hopes and could also see them leapfrogged by the 10th-placed Durban Union, dropping them out of the top eight and play-off contention.
Bulls have a hill to climb against the Sharks
The Bulls come out of their break on their first three-match winning run of the season.
The Sharks, meanwhile, just fell out of their own three-game streak after a disappointing 34-22 defeat to the Lions at Ellis Park this weekend.
Head-to-head, the Sharks have won 6 out of 11 URC matches between the sides. The Sharks have won three of the last four URC contests, including the first leg of this competition 21-12 at Kings Park.
However, the Bulls have had the better of the Sharks at Loftus, winning four of the six clashes there. They won last year’s home semi-final 25-13 after both their home and away round fixtures went the way of the Sharks.
The Bulls have only won the SA Shield once, in 2023/24. They have never finished bottom before.
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