MARK KEOHANE hails the strong South African influence in this week’s EPCR action, and is confident of the Vodacom Bulls making history in the Challenge Cup.

The Pretoria outfit lock horns with Edinburgh in the quarter-finals on Saturday. Coming off a big win in Bayonne, Jake White’s men are primed to qualify for the last four of the second-tier European knockout competition for the first time.

Writing for TimesLIVE, Keohane believes the Herd have an excellent chance at the Hive Stadium, facing former Sharks coach Sean Everitt and ex-Bulls prop Pierre Schoeman.

He highlights the return of Springbok lock Ruan Nortje as crucial for the Bulls pack, while praising front-row powerhouses Gerhard Steenekamp, Wilco Louw and Jan-Hendrik Wessels.

Looking beyond the Bulls and Edinburgh, Keohane points to Johann van Graan’s leadership at Bath, where Thomas du Toit has impressed with both set-piece excellence and try-scoring ability.

He emphasises Jacques Nienaber’s defensive influence at Leinster, as well as RG Snyman’s offloading talent since arriving from Munster.

KEO: Stormers must seek justice for Fouche

Franco Smith’s impact at Glasgow Warriors also receives praise from Keohane, with the former Bok playmaker having already guided the Scottish club to last season’s Vodacom URC title against the Bulls at Loftus.

“The Bulls are the only South African team involved in the Challenge Cup quarter-finals, but there is plenty of South African interest in so many of the other teams competing in this weekend’s Investec Champions Cup and Challenge Cup,” Keohane writes.

“Back the Bulls to beat Edinburgh in Edinburgh in a match that pits Jake White up against good friend and his former coaching colleague Sean Everitt, as well as popular Edinburgh front-rower Pierre Schoeman against his old mates from Pretoria.

“Most of the quarter-final teams in both the Champions Cup and Challenge Cup have a South African player or coaching presence, with the most significant being that of the 2023 World Cup-winning Springbok coach Jacques Nienaber at Leinster and former Springbok turned coach Franco Smith at Glasgow.

“The URC starts up again next weekend, with four successive rounds to complete the league stages, but in South Africa, for this week at least, it is all about the Bulls and their charge for glory in the Challenge Cup.”

Photo: @Springboks/Twitter