The unbeaten Vodacom Bulls and Lions triumphed in their Vodacom URC tour openers, as the Sharks and DHL Stormers look to bounce back in the country this week.
On Saturday, the Vodacom Bulls overcame a poor second half, in which they finished the match with 13 players, to beat the Ospreys 29-19 in Wales, before the Lions snatched a morale-boosting 23-19 victory against the Dragons at Rodney Parade on Sunday.
However, it was a disappointing round 4 of the competition for the Sharks, who lost 38-10 at Benetton, and the Stormers, going down 38-7 to Edinburgh in both SA teams’ final matches of a three-week tour.
These results saw the Lions and Bulls (both on 14 log points) finish the weekend in third and fourth place on the table respectively, while the Sharks (six points, 14th) and Stormers (five, 16th) languish at the bottom of the log.
Meanwhile, Irish giants Leinster – the only other unbeaten team in the league, top the standings on 20 points – after beating rivals Munster at Croke Park in Dublin. Defending champions, the Glasgow Warriors are second with 16 points from their four games – one more than the Bulls and Lions – after thrashing Zebre.
In the weekend’s other action, Ulster overcame Connacht in Belfast, while the Scarlets edged Cardiff in the Welsh derby at Arms Park.
ALSO: SA backs Premiership merger
In round 5, the Bulls head to Llanelli, aiming to repeat their nine-try rout of the Scarlets last season at Loftus Versfeld, where debutant Cameron Hanekom and Stedman Gans scored a brace of tries apiece.
The Lions travel to Parma to face Zebre, looking for another high-scoring win after last term’s Emirates Airline Park demolition, with Edwill van der Merwe and Henco van Wyk each crossing the whitewash twice.
The Sharks will look to turn the tables on Glasgow in Durban, after defeat in April at Scotstoun Stadium, where SA-born Kyle Steyn played a key role.
Meanwhile, the Stormers host Munster, John Dobson’s charges seeking their first win against the Irish side after a narrow loss in Limerick last season and a defeat in the 2022-23 URC final at Cape Town Stadium.
Round 4 results:
Glasgow 33-3 Zebre
Cardiff 19-25 Scarlets
Benetton 38-10 Sharks
Edinburgh 38-7 Stormers
Leinster 26-12 Munster
Ospreys 19-29 Bulls
Ulster 32-27 Connacht
Dragons 19-23 Lions
Round 5 fixtures:
Friday, October 18
Ulster vs Ospreys (20:35)
Scarlets vs Bulls (20:35)
Saturday, October 19
Zebre vs Lions (13:00)
Sharks vs Glasgow (15:45)
Stormers vs Munster (18:00)
Edinburgh vs Cardiff (18:15)
Dragons vs Benetton (20:35)
Connacht vs Leinster (20:35)
The post State of the URC: Bulls, Lions fly the SA flag appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
