The Fidelity Securedrive Lions and Vodacom Bulls made strong statements of their intent in a round of mixed fortunes for the South African teams in the Vodacom United Rugby Championship as they achieved significant victories, while the DHL Stormers and Hollywoodbets Sharks stumbled in matches that could have big implications in their campaigns.
The Fidelity Securedrive Lions registered the biggest upset of the weekend in the fourth-last round of pool matches as they thumped log-leaders the Glasgow Warriors 54-12 in Johannesburg to leap into fourth position on the standings on 48 points to work themselves in contention for a possible home quarter-final, while the Vodacom Bulls outplayed the Dragons 47-7 in Wales to remain in eighth place (45 points).
The DHL Stormers, meanwhile, had their hopes of reclaiming the top position on the table dashed as they suffered a disappointing 33-24 defeat against Connacht in slippery conditions in Cape Town, but they managed to remain in second place on the standings with 51 points, level with the third-placed Leinster.
The Hollywoodbets Sharks’ hopes of reaching the playoffs sustained a huge blow as they went down 21-17 against the Opsreys in Wales. This result knocked them one place down the table into 11th place, level on 34 points with the Welsh outfit.
With only three pool rounds remaining, the DHL Stormers remain in a strong position to secure a playoff spot, while the Emirates Lions will be in a comfortable position to make the playoffs for the first time if they register one more victory.
The Vodacom Bulls still have their destiny in their own hands despite ninth-placed Connacht trailing them by only one point, but the Hollywoodbets Sharks find themselves in a tough spot with only a mathematical chance to force their way into the playoffs, which would require winning all of their remaining matches with bonus points, while other teams will have to stumble along the way.
With only four points separating the fourth to ninth-placed teams, the competition is set to come down to the wire.
