State of the URC: Full steam ahead for SA teams

The Vodacom Bulls, DHL Stormers and Lions remain firmly in the quarter-finals race after valuable bonus-point wins in round 16 of the Vodacom URC.

The Stormers took the field first and delivered a strong second-half showing for a 44-21 victory against Dragons in Newport, and the Bulls followed this up with a 40-34 win against league leaders, the Glasgow Warriors, in Pretoria, while the Lions came away with a 34-13 triumph against Cardiff at Ellis Park.

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There was disappointment for the Sharks as they received a late red card, which paved the way for Benetton to score the match-winning try on the stroke of full time in a 25-24 defeat.

The Bulls to remain in fourth position on the standings for a likely home quarter-final and possibly a top-two finish as they trail Glasgow by only four points with two league rounds remaining, while the Stormers maintained their fifth place with 50 points.

The Lions also still harbour high hopes of a top-eight finish, as Ivan van Rooyen’s troops are currently in 10th position on 44 points – the same as the ninth-placed Connacht – and both teams only trail the eighth-placed Benetton by four points.

The Sharks managed to move up a place to 12th courtesy of two points from their match against Benetton. The Durbanites will be playing purely for pride in their remaining matches, although a clash against Gloucester in a historic Challenge Cup final in a fortnight is the main focus for John Plumtree and his men.

Plus: Sharks sweat over crocked Boks

Going into round 17 of the URC, the Bulls kick off the action for the SA contingent on Saturday afternoon when Jake White’s charges tackle Benetton at Loftus.

The Lions then host Glasgow in Johannesburg, before the Stormers lock horns with Connacht in Galway with the Sharks bringing the curtain down against Cardiff on the coast.

Meanwhile, the Bulls lead the charge in the SA Shield on 20 points from five derbies, closely followed by the Stormers with 17. The SA champion will be determined in the final round when both teams end the league phase of the 2023-24 season with an SA derby at the beginning of June.

Round 16 results:

Edinburgh 40-14 Zebre
Dragons 22-41 Stormers
Bulls 40-34 Glasgow
Sharks 24-25 Benetton
Scarlets 20-31 Ulster
Munster 47-12 Connacht
Lions 34-13 Cardiff
Leinster 61-14 Ospreys

Round 17 fixtures:

Friday, May 17
Zebre vs Scarlets (20:35)
Edinburgh vs Munster (20:35)

Saturday, May 18
Bulls vs Benetton (14:00)
Ospreys vs Dragons (16:00)
Lions vs Glasgow (16:05)
Connacht vs Stormers (18:05)
Sharks vs Cardiff (18:15)
Ulster vs Leinster (20:35)

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