Premiership and URC Semi-Finals Key Talking Points: Sharks without Eben Etzebeth 

The Premiership and URC semi-finals are taking place this weekend, with the best of the two leagues battling it out. 

It sees the winners of the URC quarter-finals and the top four of the Prem’s regular season up against each other, to decide each league’s respective finalists. 

Every team involved has been on a long journey this season, some smoother than others, and won’t want it to end at the penultimate hurdle. 

Ahead of the fixtures, Charlie Elliott goes through the key talking points from each game. 

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Bath v Bristol Bears: League leaders v Kryptonite 

Bath have looked unstoppable in the Premiership this season, topping the table with a huge margin between them and anyone else in the table. 

But one team seems to know exactly how to beat them, and that is Bristol Bears. 

Pat Lam‘s side won 36-26 at The Rec earlier on in the season, making them the only team to have won there in the league, and head to their local rivals for this semi-final. 

Add to that the fact that they won 36-14 at Ashton Gate recently, and it seems like they have what it takes to stop the seemingly impossible Bath side. 

It is also worth noting that in the Prem Rugby Cup, both teams came out with one win each, taking Bears’ overall record against Bath to three wins and one defeat this season. 

The expansive, attacking play that Lam uses seems to be exactly what Johann van Graan struggles to deal with, and this game is by no means a foregone conclusion, which the table may suggest that it could be. 

Leicester Tigers v Sale Sharks: Nothing to separate the two 

Out of all the semi-finals taking place this weekend in both the Prem and URC, Leicester Tigers v Sale Sharks looks to be the most finely poised. 

Only three points and one place separated the two, and they have largely had similar campaigns in terms of finding form at the right time and occasionally having a poor away result in their locker. 

Home advantage will be huge for Tigers, and the fact that the game will be played at Welford Road means that they’ll consider themselves favourites. 

It was only in round 16 that these two played out the same fixture, with it being a classic game of two halves, in which Tigers ran out 44-34 winners after a late flourish. 

For that game, Sale were on top for portions, Tigers were on top for portions, and it was hugely competitive across the 80 minutes. 

If that game is anything to go by, we could be in for a treat, and this could go right down to the wire. 

Leinster v Glasgow Warriors: Form could be the difference for the reigning champions  

Form is temporary, class is permanent, but Glasgow could be finding their form at exactly the right moment to beat Leinster. 

It was a stuttering quarter-final for the Irish side, who struggled to overpower an unfancied Scarlets team in Dublin, while the Warriors convincingly saw off the Stormers at Scotstoun. 

Leinster have had a better season, finishing 17 points ahead of Glasgow and beating them twice this season, including a 52-0 rout in the Champions Cup, but there is an air of confidence that seems to be surrounding the Warriors. 

As reigning champions of the URC, Glasgow are the team to beat, even if there are stronger in the league, and we have seen Leinster falter under the bright lights before. 

Going into this game, something seems a little bit off for Leinster, and a potential surprise result could be on the cards. 

Bulls v Sharks: Stadium suits fast pace 

This game is another that is finely poised, with only six points and one position separating the two South African teams in the URC regular season. 

Bulls being the hosts for this game could make a massive difference, as the difference in conditions between Durban and Pretoria is huge. 

Loftus Versfield in Pretoria, where this game will be held, is 1350 metres above sea level and suits quick rugby, something that is not good news for a team needing to adapt to the altitude. 

Sharks have shown that they are willing to do whatever it takes to win, epitomised by their antics during their penalty shootout win against Munster in the quarters, so they may be unfazed by this. 

The winner would end up hosting the Grand Final, if Glasgow beat Leinster, otherwise it will be held in Dublin. 

No Eben Etzebeth 

A huge blow to the Sharks will be the lack of Eben Etzebeth in their squad, following an injury sustained during training this week. 

The monstrous lock isn’t the only second row out, as fellow quarter-final starter Jason Jenkins is also out. 

That means that there is a new lock pairing for the Durban-based side, which is not something that will be welcomed going into a semi-final. 

Sharks do tend to rise to the big occasions and seem to relish in adversity, so they are not to be written off yet. 

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