The Vodacom Bulls ended a seven-game losing streak to the DHL Stormers as the Lions beat the hapless Sharks again heading into a two-week pause in the Vodacom URC.
The Bulls kept themselves firmly in the title hunt by defeating their fierce rivals 40-22 at a sold-out Loftus Versfeld on Saturday evening. Johan Grobbelaar scored two tries, and there were also touchdowns for Canan Moodie and Embrose Papier as The Herd recorded an eighth league win from 11 games this season in bonus-point fashion.
Johan Goosen complemented those scores by kicking 20 points from four penalties and four conversions, with the Bulls repeatedly punishing the Stormers’ poor discipline.
KEO: Bulls lead the charge, but Stormers will strike back
The Lions edged John Plumtree’s charges in round 8 of the URC, and the Durbanites’ disappointing campaign continued as they were thrashed 40-10 in Johannesburg.
The Pride ran in tries from Sanele Nohamba, JC Pretorius, Quan Horn, Conraad van Vuuren, Erich Cronje and Hanru Sirgel, with Jordan Hendrikse kicking five conversions to maintain their playoff hopes.
Following the weekend’s action, Leinster remained at the summit of the standings on 44 points, while the Bulls moved one spot up (second on 40) but the Stormers, denied even a losing bonus point at Loftus, slipped out of the top eight to ninth.
The Lions are still in 11th spot but trail the men from Cape Town by just one point, as the Sharks languish at the foot of the table after 10 defeats from 11 matches.
In the SA Shield, the Bulls overtake the Stormers to lead the charge on 20 points after five derbies. The final round of SA derbies will bring an end to the league phase of the competition.
When the URC returns on the weekend of 22 and 23 March, the Sharks host Ulster at Kings Park, the Lions tackle Connacht in Galway, the Stormers face Edinburgh in the shadow of Table Mountain and the Bulls travel to Welsh outfit Dragons.
Round 11 results:
Edinburgh 19-15 Ospreys
Munster 45-29 Zebre
Lions 40-10 Sharks
Benetton 9-19 Glasgow Warriors
Bulls 40-22 Stormers
Connacht 26-10 Scarlets
Cardiff 20-33 Leinster
Ulster 49-26 Dragons
Round 12 fixtures:
Friday, 22 March
Glasgow vs Cardiff (9:35pm)
Ospreys vs Munster (9:35pm)
Saturday, 23 March
Sharks vs Ulster (3pm)
Scarlets vs Benetton (5pm)
Stormers vs Edinburgh (5:05pm)
Connacht vs Lions (7:15pm)
Dragons vs Bulls (9:35pm)
Zebre vs Leinster (9:35pm)
Photo: @BlueBullsRugby/Twitter