Glasgow Warriors snatched a late victory over Ulster on Friday night to give the DHL Stormers some breathing room on the Vodacom United Rugby Championship table.
A 17-11 victory at Scotstoun on Friday saw Franco Smith’s Glasgow stretch their unbeaten run to 10 games in all competitions.
More significantly in a South African context, it prevented Ulster from significantly closing the gap on the second-placed Stormers, who take on the Vodacom Bulls in Pretoria on Saturday evening.
While Ulster were able to grab a losing bonus point through a late penalty from scrumhalf John Cooney, defeat left the Irish side six points behind the Stormers, albeit with a game in hand. The Stormers could extend that advantage with a win against the Vodacom Bulls.
A bonus-point win for Ulster would have seen them close the gap and apply pressure on the defending champions ahead of the north-south derby.
Glasgow’s win, combined with a bonus-point victory for Munster over Ospreys on Friday, has seen the Vodacom Bulls drop out of the top four and into sixth place.
There are just four points separating the Vodacom Bulls from Ulster, but both the Irish province and Glasgow have a game in hand over last season’s finalists.
Photo: Paul Devlin /Sportsfile via Getty Images