The four South African teams are set to clash in derby weekend this week.

In a strong second-half showing, the Bulls overturned a 9-3 deficit in an emphatic 44-22 victory over Benetton in Treviso on Friday, to end a two-match losing run for Jake White’s men as they climbed into third on the URC log.

But, 24 hours later, the Stormers went down 30-24 to Cardiff in a first defeat after 15 games unbeaten for the defending champions, who slipped to fourth in the standings.

The matches between the Emirates Lions and Glasgow Warriors, and Cell C Sharks and Ulster, were called off due to gastroenteritis infections in the visiting camps.

In other weekend results, Leinster beat Irish rivals Munster 27-13, Connacht thumped Scarlets (36-14), Edinburgh were too good for hosts Zebre (38-19), while Dragons returned to winning ways with a hard-fought 32-25 victory in an all-Welsh affair over Ospreys.

Looking ahead to round seven, the Lions and the Stormers clash at Ellis Park on Saturday (16:00) in the first of the weekend’s local derbies, before the Sharks host the Bulls at Kings Park on Sunday (15:00).