City of Stars welcomes Sharks

POLOKWANE – Much has been written about the Vodacom Bulls coming to Polokwane on 27 January to compete in a charity warm-up match against the Cell C Sharks.
But let’s not forget about the visiting team from Durban who will, for the first time, make a match appearance at Polokwane’s Peter Mokaba Sports Complex. Be sure the loyal fan base of the Cell C Sharks, which has a strong number of supporters based in Polokwane and Limpopo, will come in their numbers to see their favourite team taking a possible Super Rugby warm-up bite out of the Vodacom Bulls in this match.
Since 2010, the Vodacom Bulls have lost only one warm-up match at the Peter Mokaba Sports Complex, with the defeat coming courtesy of the Stormers from Cape Town.
The draw for the 2018 Vodacom Super Rugby tournament was done and released last year. The tournament kicks off in mid February with a new format and three fewer teams. This means more pool matches for each side as the competition reverts back to 15 teams.
The Cell C Sharks campaign opener is a trip to Emirates Airline Park where they will take on the Emirates Lions in the second match of week one.
There were 15 pool matches in 2017, but this year the Cell C Sharks will play 16. Another feature of the new format is that South African teams no longer alternate between only Australian and only New Zealand opposition each year, but will from 2018 play teams from both countries.
There are four matches against New Zealand sides, two away and two at home, without having to play against the reigning champions, the Crusaders, this year. The Sharks are also not scheduled to play the Reds, with three games scheduled against Australian sides.
There are two matches home and away against South African opposition (the Lions, Stormers and Bulls) as well as the Jaguares, with the Sunwolves making up the 16th game of the pool stages.
Whereas the Cell C Sharks started their 2017 season away from home in Australia, this year they will play the Lions in Johannesburg in the first round on Saturday, 17 February.
There is an early bye the following week before the Sharks host two games at Growthpoint Kings Park, both to overseas teams, the Waratahs on Saturday, 3 March and the Sunwolves from Japan the following Saturday.
What follows is a tough four-week tour to Australia and New Zealand where they will take on the Brumbies and Rebels before travelling to New Zealand to play the Blues and 2016 champions, the Hurricanes.
On their return to South Africa, there are three home games against the Bulls and Stormers in April and the Highlanders on Saturday, 5 May, with the second of two regulation byes sandwiched in between the latter two games.
The remaining six matches are alternated home and away, as the Sharks travel to Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria for the away leg against the Bulls on Saturday, 12 May. Thereafter the Sharks will host the Chiefs in Durban the following Saturday.
The final match for the Sharks in May takes them to the Vélez Sarsfield in Buenos Aires where they will play the Jaguares.
Although the Australian and New Zealand sides are in action the following weekend in early June, none of the South African sides will be playing, with the Super Rugby competition taking a break for the June test window.
The tournament resumes on Saturday, 30 June when the Sharks host the Lions at Growthpoint Kings Park before heading for Cape Town on Saturday 7 July to play the Stormers.
The final weekend sees the Sharks play host to the Jaguares for the return leg match to close out the pool stages, with the knock-out rounds commencing thereafter.
In all, the Cell C Sharks will play eight home games and eight away with two byes. Three of the 16 matches will take place on a Friday, although local fans will be thrilled with the news that every home game at Growthpoint Kings Park will be played on a Saturday, either at 15:00 or at 17:15.

Cell C Sharks in full force on the field this Saturday: