Cardiff will look to end an eight-year drought for Welsh sides in playoff rugby when they face the Stormers in the United Rugby Championship (URC) quarterfinal on Saturday.
The Blue and Blacks secured their spot in the postseason by defeating the same South African opponents in their regular-season finale. Now they head to Cape Town to face a Stormers team seeking revenge after that loss dropped them to third place.
This matchup highlights contrasting fortunes. Cardiff achieved their primary goal by simply qualifying for the playoffs, while the Stormers won the title in 2022 and have been runners-up and quarterfinalists in recent years.
No Welsh team has won a URC playoff match since the competition's restructuring. In 2024, Scarlets took eighth place by a single point but lost 33-21 to Leinster in Dublin. The previous year, Ospreys fell 23-7 to Munster in their sole playoff appearance.
Cardiff and the Lions are first-time URC quarterfinalists. Only Zebre and Dragons have never reached the top eight, while Glasgow, Leinster, Stormers, Bulls, and Munster have qualified every season.
Welsh sides often battle against teams with larger budgets and deeper squads, making playoff qualification a notable achievement. The gap is evident as Stormers have already signed Springboks Cheslin Kolbe, Siya Kolisi, and Wilco Louw for next season.
The last Welsh playoff victory came in 2018 when Scarlets beat Glasgow in the semifinals after routing Cheetahs in the quarterfinals. They subsequently lost 40-32 to Leinster in the final.
Saturday's match kicks off at 14:30 BST and will be broadcast on BBC Radio Wales and online.