The South African resurgence continued in round 7 as the Vodacom Bulls, Lions and Stormers logged important home wins heading into a two-week pause in the Vodacom URC.
Of the four SA challengers, the one-win Sharks were the only team to lose, going down 44-10 at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria on Saturday. The result left the Bulls in third position on the table, while the Sharks slipped to 15th.
Bulls hooker Akker van der Merwe scored a brace of tries that took his season tally to six – two behind front-runner Johnny Matthews of the Glasgow Warriors. Bulls flyhalf Johan Goosen sits third on the leading scorers chart after adding 14 points from the boot.
Meanwhile, the Lions registered a 49-24 victory against a spirited Dragons outfit at Ellis Park, and the Stormers bounced back from a winless tour with a 31-7 win against Zebre Parma in Stellenbosch.
The Pride maintained ninth place while the Stormers climbed one spot into 10th.
Elsewhere, Leinster – in Jacques Nienaber’s first match as head coach – claimed a last-minute try in a 24-22 victory over Connacht which took the Irish giants back to the top of the table above Glasgow.
After seven consecutive rounds, the URC now takes a break as all 16 teams turn their attention to the Champions and Challenge cups.
When the URC resumes on the weekend of 22 and 23 December, the Stormers and Bulls lock horns in a mouth-watering derby clash in Cape Town. The round 8 fixture between the Sharks and Lions is scheduled for 6 January.
Round 7 results:
Bulls 44 Sharks 10
Lions 49 Dragons 24
Stormers 31 Zebre Parma 7
Munster 40 Glasgow Warriors 29
Cardiff 23 Scarlets 29
Ulster 24 Edinburgh 27
Connacht 22 Leinster 24
Benetton 18 Ospreys 13
Round 8 fixtures:
Friday, 22 December
Glasgow Warriors vs Edinburgh (9:35pm)
Ulster vs Connacht (9:35pm)
Saturday, 23 December
Zebre Parma vs Benetton (3pm)
Stormers vs Bulls (7pm)
Tuesday, 26 December
Cardiff vs Dragons (5pm)
Scarlets vs Ospreys (7:15pm)
Munster vs Leinster (9:35pm)
Saturday, 6 January
Sharks vs Lions (5pm)
Photo: @BlueBullsRugby