OPINION: Bulls and Sharks sure to bring in the fans — at a better kick-off time

Well, what a weekend that was of United Rugby Championship action!

And as things stand the top four teams after the regular season have advanced to the semifinals – exactly what the organisers would have hoped for.

Top-placed Leinster will host fourth-placed Glasgow Warriors, who are also the defending champions, while the second-placed Bulls will host third-placed Sharks, in the last four.

This last weekend everything went as expected, for the most part, with all the home teams winning, but few could have predicted the drama in Durban, with a first-ever kick-off to determine the winner. How very exciting that was, and now everyone knows who Bradley Davids is.

Well done to the Sharks, but they will be up against it this weekend at Loftus, playing against a Bulls team determined to finally win the URC.

Semifinals

Thankfully this weekend’s big local semifinal kicks off at the more appropriate time of 6.15pm, which gives fans enough time to watch their kids in action on Saturday before heading to Loftus.

It is odd that last Saturday’s quarterfinal against Edinburgh kicked off at 1.30pm, especially considering the Bulls finished second on the log and should surely have been given a later kick-off. Because, let’s be honest, who’s actually ready to go to a big URC quarterfinal at midday or lunchtime on a Saturday? Not too many fans, I believe, who have things to do in the morning, and also possibly have kids of their own playing sport.

It wasn’t the best crowd that Loftus could have had on Saturday, but let’s hope it’s bigger and better this weekend. I’m sure it will be … and the Bulls deserve a big crowd backing them, after the season they’ve had, and this game potentially their last at home in the competition.

It promises to be a thrilling match, because while the Sharks haven’t been great this season, they did finish third on the final points table, and are in the semifinals, and now anything can happen.

The good news is South Africa will have a finalist for the fourth season in a row – but who will the Bulls or Sharks face – Leinster or Glasgow, and will that final be in Dublin, Pretoria or Durban?