The Stormers were the only South African side to win in the latest round of URC games.
The Stormers replaced the Bulls at the top of the United Rugby Championship (URC) table at the weekend after securing their second whitewash victory in three matches, affirming their status as the team to beat early in the season.
The Bulls dropped to sixth after recording their first defeat, while the Sharks and Lions fell to 13th and 15th, respectively, after both extended their winless streaks.
Stormers shine
The Stormers backed up their two home wins with a solid 34-0 away victory over Scarlets in Wales. It means only 10 points have been scored against the Capetonians in three matches, all from Ospreys.
Their five-try thrashing of Scarlets was, however, dampened by another serious injury to loose forward Deon Fourie.
Stormers boss John Dobson said there were “a lot of tears in the changeroom” despite the win, as the 39-year-old Springbok would need surgery for a serious bicep injury, which followed a lengthy layoff for a broken leg last season.
“Deon’s devastated. It’s an emotional changeroom,” Dobson said.
On the win, Dobson said his side held such dominance that they should have pulled away from their opponents earlier.
He also lamented two yellow cards: one shown to Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu for pulling an opponent to the ground in an off-the-ball altercation, and another to Ben Jason-Dixon for a crocodile roll.
Three SA teams lose URC matches
The Bulls suffered their first loss of the season in their first away game. It came in a one-sided 28-7 defeat to Ulster in Belfast, where poor discipline let the Bulls down despite the return of several Springboks.
No 8 Jeandre Rudolph was yellow carded for cynical play with the score at 7-7 after 46 minutes. Ulster scored three quick tries while he was off, removing all hope of victory for the Bulls.
But last year’s runners-up do not have as much work to do as fellow semi-finalists the Sharks, who were thrashed 31-5 by Leinster in Dublin.
“They came out fast and we just didn’t get the contestable kicks in terms of regaining the ball in the air,” said Sharks head coach John Plumtree, referring to Leinster’s three tries in the first 26 minutes.
“We had a few soft moments defensively that allowed them to build scoreboard pressure early.”
Plumtree said Ethan Hooker’s try offered hope in the first half, but it was still “a case of catch-up rugby” as Leinster scored two more tries in the second half, holding off the Durban side despite a yellow card.
The Sharks were set to return home after one draw and two losses on their away tour.
The Lions lost their third game in a row, falling 41-15 to Benetton in Treviso. It was not a good start for the Joburg side, though coaches had said they were targeting a win in every home game, specifically, as they hoped to qualify for the URC playoffs for the first time.
Next week, the Bulls travel to Connacht, the Lions host Scarlets, the Sharks host Ulster, and the Stormers travel to Zebre.
