The Lions and Sharks enjoyed mixed fortunes in their rescheduled Vodacom United Rugby Championship fixtures, as the regular round-robin matches resumes this weekend where the scramble for playoff places is set to be furious.
The Lions ended a five-match losing run against Glasgow Warriors on Saturday, while the Sharks suffered a disappointing defeat against Ulster.
These results saw the Lions leap from 14th to 12th place on the log – six points behind eighth-placed Connacht – to ensure they are still in the hunt to secure a playoff spot, while the Sharks remained in seventh place – five points above Connacht and 14 behind the second-placed DHL Stormers – with four rounds of pool matches to play.
HIGHLIGHTS: Gutsy Lions down Glasgow, Ulster shut out Sharks
The Lions had a strong start against Glasgow at Ellis Park in Johannesburg and built up a 27-14 lead at the break, which laid the foundation for their 35-24 victory, while Ulster’s better goal kicking saw them snatch a 31-24 win against the Sharks at Kings Park in Durban.
Looking ahead to Saturday, the Stormers and Sharks lock horns in Cape Town (2:30pm) in the first of the weekend’s local derbies, before the sixth-placed Vodacom Bulls host the Lions at Loftus Versfeld (4:45pm).
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