December is in full swing and for the first time, summer holiday plans include a surfeit of top-flight rugby for fans of the Vodacom Bulls, Lions, Sharks and DHL Stormers.

Where the South African leg of the World Rugby Sevens Series used to bring the curtain down on the year for local rugby supporters, last week’s Cape Town Sevens was first on a menu of delectable matchups that this December run until New Year’s Eve.

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The Stormers debuted in the Champions Cup at Clermont last week and are set to make their home bow in the competition when they host London Irish on Saturday.

For the Stormers, this is followed by a rematch of the inaugural Vodacom United Rugby Championship final when the Bulls visit Cape Town Stadium for a mouth-watering north-south derby on 23 December, before the same venue welcomes the Lions to town on New Year’s Eve.

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This will wrap up a December schedule for the Lions that began with a Challenge Cup stalemate against Dragons, and continues on Friday with a visit from Top 14 outfit Stade Francais before The Pride take on the Sharks in Durban next week.

The Shark Tank will also be the battleground for another local duel when the Bulls arrive before the fireworks ring in the new year.

December fixtures in SA:
Fri, 16 Dec – Lions v Stade Francais (Challenge Cup)
Sat, 17 Dec – Stormers v London Irish (Champions Cup)
Fri, 23 Dec – Sharks v Lions (United Rugby Championship)
Fri, 23 Dec – Stormers v Bulls (United Rugby Championship)
Sat, 31 Dec – Sharks v Bulls (United Rugby Championship)
Sat, 31 Dec – Stormers v Lions (United Rugby Championship)

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Photo: Ryan Wilkisky/BackpagePix