Former Springboks captain Bobby Skinstad believes the Welshteam he once played for have the best chance of claiming a landmark SouthAfrican scalp in the Vodacom United Rugby Championship this weekend.

The 42-cap back row man, who skippered his country 12 times, had a spell withthe Dragons back in 2004, making nine appearances. He feels the men from RodneyParade are well placed to become the first Welsh side to win a Vodacom URC game inSouth Africa when they take on the Emirates Lions in Johannesburg on Sunday.

“They have won their last two games in the competition while the Lions havebeen up and down, either on fire or sort of non-commital to arriving atkick-off,” said Skinstad.

“So if the Dragons can make a really good start, they will be comfortable thatthey can knock them over. With the kind of confidence they have now, they willthink they can go there and win that game.

“What I like about them is they are playing 80 minute games this season whereasthey fell off a little bit last season. Of the four Welsh sides this weekend,they would probably be the one that would say ‘Let’s go and pick up the fivepoints’.

“I definitely think it will be the closest of the four games in South Africathis weekend.”

As for the conditions the Dragons will face, Skinstad said: “Playing ataltitude is always a problem. Even for us coastal boys, going up from Cape Townor Durban, it is difficult, so that will be a little bit different. It’s notquite Newport up there at 1,000 metres above sea level. But if you stay in thegame, it’s been proven you can beat it. The second wind becomes the thirdwind.”

Elsewhere, the Scarlets will take on the Stormers in Cape Town on Friday, withthe Ospreys visiting the Vodacom Bulls at Pretoria’s Loftus Versfeld the following dayand then Cardiff away to the Cell C Sharks in Durban on Sunday.

“I would say South Africa would be delighted with four wins, but three out offour is slightly more likely. As I mentioned, the Lions are the ones that mightbe targeted, although they have got a young squad that have proven they canbeat anyone on their day,” said Skinstad.

“The Stormers should have enough, but I would also see the Scarlets aiming atit as a surprise win for them away from home. I think we are going to see atitanic struggle in that game. There is absolutely no chance the Stormers aregoing ‘Ok, this is a shoe-in, I’ll pick up my points and move on’. They areaware that the Scarlets are a dangerous side when they get their game together.So it’s all hands to the pumps for the Stormers.”

This weekend’s fixtures are the first of back-to-back Vodacom URC games for the Welshteams out in South Africa, with Cell C Sharks v Ospreys, DHL Stormers v Dragons RFC, Vodacom Bulls vCardiff Rugby and Emirates Lions v Scarlets to follow in Round Nine.

“It’s going to be a tough tour,” acknowledged Skinstad. “The Stormers haven’tlost at home for a year, so they are going to be very confident of protectingthat ground. Going there or to the Bulls will be tough for anyone.

“It’s quite a big mountain for the Welsh sides to climb over the next couple ofweeks and it’s well documented there is a little bit of sorting out to do interms of the off-field baggage in Wales, with the Union and the teams.

“It’s also quite hard to lead from the front when Georgia come into the backyard and knock you over, I can’t hide from that. The Welsh have had a whack onthe home front and it’s going to be tricky for them. But it’s a goodopportunity for the Welsh sides to go over and build something.”
As for the anticipation in his homeland, he said: “The level of interest issky-high. The Vodacom URC has really captured the imagination of the South Africanpublic, media and players.”