White’s team have twice fallen at the last hurdle in the first three years of the competition, losing finals to the DHL Stormers and Glasgow Warriors.
Ospreys stunned the Stormers in Cape Town to underline their United Rugby Championship play-off credentials by recording a 27-21 victory.
Handre Pollard scored 20 points against a side from his native South Africa as Leicester Tigers ground out a nervy 35-26 victory against a depleted Stormers in their opening match of this season’s Investec Champions Cup.
The Stormers rediscovered their winning touch but were made to fight hard for a 31-22 bonus-point victory over the Lions in Johannesburg.
Cardiff inflicted a first defeat of the United Rugby Championship season on defending champions the Stormers with a thrilling 30-24 win in Wales.
There's a rather ironic twist to the named Strong Carling Champions Team, a fan voted composite side who will take on Italy A on Saturday at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium.
There was a nasty aftermath to the Bulls versus Western Province Currie Cup round eight match at Loftus Versfeld on Wednesday, Bismarck du Plessis finding himself criticised for a second-half incident involving visiting lock Ben-Jason Dixon.
South Africa's ongoing player drain remains hot topic but Super Rugby will be home until 2021 for Springboks skipper Siya Kilisis and World Rugby player of the year Pieter-Steph du Toit.
