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The Sharks are also now firmly entrenched in the top four, but it is just about the end of the road for the Lions.
The Bulls players celebrate at the final whistle after beating Munster in Limerick. Picture: David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile via Getty Images
What a last weekend of rugby it was for the South African teams playing in the United Rugby Championship and what a weekend awaits in a few days’ time.
The Bulls, Sharks and Stormers all won last weekend, in some style – the Bulls beating Munster 16-13 in Limerick to win the “Grand Slam” against all four Irish sides this season, the Sharks winning 18-17 in the dying seconds against Edinburgh, who’d beaten the Lions and Bulls in the previous two weeks, and the Stormers getting one over Connacht in Cape Town (34-29).
Unfortunately, the Lions delivered a poor performance to go down to Italian side, Benetton, 31-42 at home.
With just three rounds of action remaining before the playoffs are contested there’s still plenty to play for.
The Bulls, who’re third on the log with 54 points, are four points behind Glasgow Warriors (58), who they face in Scotland this weekend. Jake White has said his side want revenge for Glasgow beating them in the URC final at Loftus last season … so a huge match is on the cards on Friday.
A win by the Bulls against Franco Smith’s team could see them move into second place, and relegate Glasgow to third, with two matches each remaining – the Bulls’ games being at home as they go in search of a top two finish to secure a home quarter-final and possible semi-final.
“I can tell you that after the last final (at Loftus last season), everyone wrote on their wall ’25 April 2025′. It’s nice to go there with momentum and a positiveness, but I can promise you that from the day we started pre-season, 25 April was always going to be the game that we were going to go hard for,” White is quoted as saying.
The Sharks’ win in Edinburgh, thanks to a late Makazole Mapimpi try, secured them fourth place on the log, as they’re now eight points clear of the fifth-placed team Benetton (41). This coming weekend they’re up against Ulster and will look for a second straight win on the road to ensure the chasing pack stays well away from them.
In Cape Town, the Stormers delivered a mixed bag, but John Dobson’s side got the better of a competitive Connacht side thanks largely to a hat trick of tries by Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, who also played a big part in another try. The flyhalf was sensational in everything he did. Sadly, it looks as if veteran flanker Deon Fourie has broken his leg.
The Stormers, who moved into eighth place at the weekend, this week face Benetton, who’re fifth; another big test for Dobson’s men.
The Lions, down in 14th, host Connacht and coach Ivan van Rooyen says there’s still hope the side can finish in the top eight. This weekend’s match is make or break for them.
For the latest URC points table, results and fixtures, click here.
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