Three bonus-point wins in an unbeaten round for the local teams in the Vodacom United Rugby Championship has the DHL Stormers, Vodacom Bulls and Lions firmly in the race for the playoffs.
The Sharks – bolstered by a host of returning Springboks – bounced back from last week’s defeat and subsequent coaching changes to beat the Ospreys by 25-10 in Durban on Friday.
On Saturday, the Stormers played a home game in the Eastern Cape and outlasted the Dragons with a bonus-point 34-26 victory, but the Capetonians would not have been too happy with conceding four tries themselves, although Bok flyhalf Manie Libbok was in sublime form and scored half of their points.
The Bulls were too strong for Cardiff in the last URC game of the day and scored six tries without reply as they won 45-9, with Bok speedster Canan Moodie crossing for two tries, and less than 24 hours later, the Lions jumped four teams to fifth on the log with their bonus-point 32-15 win over the Scarlets in Johannesburg.
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Table-topping Leinster’s victory over Ulster on Saturday meant that the Bulls and Stormers moved up to second and third, respectively. Leinster’s perfect record from nine games see them top the standings on 43 points, followed by the Bulls (34 from nine) and Stormers (34 from eight), while Ulster (31 from eight) are in fourth.
The Lions (24 from eight) are well placed to finish the regular season in the top eight for the first time, while the Sharks are in 10th spot (19 from seven). Edinburgh (23 from nine), Cardiff (22 from nine), Munster (22 from nine) and Glasgow Warriors (20 from eight) lead the Durbanites, while Connacht and Benetton (both on 19 from nine) are not far behind.
The URC now takes a two-week break for the European Champions and Challenge Cups, before all four SA teams return for a derby weekend in Round 10 on 23 December, with the Sharks set to host the Lions at Kings Park (5pm), and the Stormers and Bulls in action at Cape Town Stadium (7:15pm).
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