The Stormers overturned a 15-point deficit to beat Munster in Ireland in the biggest fixture of the weekend, while the Lions won away to a rusty Bulls.
The Stormers and Lions extended their winning streaks while misery compounded for the Sharks and Bulls after this weekend’s United Rugby Championship fixtures.
The Stormers are now two points clear at the top of the table after beating Munster 27-21 in the biggest match of the weekend.
Both sides were unbeaten before the fixture, with the Irish side favourites at home – where they had never lost to the Stormers – and fielding their Irish internationals, while the Stormers were missing theirs.
The Stormers were poor in the first half, earning two yellow cards, leaving them with a 21-6 deficit at the break. But momentum shifted when they brought six forwards off the bench at once.
A Ruhan Nel intercept try, disallowed Munster try, and a Munster yellow card all helped the visitors over the line.
“It was our worst defensive performance of the season so far against a good team,” said Stormers boss John Dobson. He rued the poor discipline but said the Stormers put out a “big team effort” in the second half.
“This team will always get off the canvas. That’s who we are,” he said. “We saw it in Treviso, we’ve been a poor travelling team, but it’s been four away wins in a row by a really tight group.”
Lions secure second URC win over Bulls
The Lions moved from eighth to seventh with their bonus-point 43-33 win over the Bulls at Loftus. It was their third win in a row, breaking their four-game losing streak to the Bulls in the URC.
They scored six tries to the Bulls’ five, the hosts scoring two of theirs right at the end to add some respectability to the scoreline.
It was the Lions’ second victory in the URC Jukskei derby in nine contests, their first coming in March 2023.
Both sides appeared rusty at the start, but while the Lions gathered themselves after the first scores, the Bulls didn’t until right at the end.
Knock-ons, forward passes and poor kicking were the order of the day for the Pretoria union, who have now conceded 27 tries (and 190 points in total) in six games.
“We were probably our own worst enemy by trying to shift the ball to someone in a worse position instead of just carrying and recycling,” said Bulls coach Johan Ackermann.
“We lost the ball in contact or forced a pass, and that’s how they scored their tries.”
The Bulls dropped from sixth to eighth on the URC table after their third defeat this season.
Sharks scrambling for URC form
The Sharks recorded their fourth defeat, away against Connacht, and fell to 14th on the table.
They were completely outplayed during their 44-17 thrashing in Galway – head coach John Plumtree’s first match since it was announced he would leave at the end of the season.
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The return of Springboks Grant Williams and Edwill van der Merwe did little to prevent their fourth defeat in a row to Connacht. Only two tries from drives, and a Makazole Mapimpi overlap, added consolation.
South Africa’s teams take a break from the URC to play EPCR matches over the next two weeks.
• The Sharks travel to Stade Toulousain and then host Saracens.
• The Stormers travel to Bayonne and then host La Rochelle.
• The Bulls host Bordeaux Bègles and then travel to Northampton Saints.
• The Lions host Benetton in the Challenge Cup, and then travel to Newcastle.
