The DHL Stormers, Fidelity Securedrive Lions, and Vodacom Bulls kept the South African flag flying high in the third-last round of the Vodacom United Rugby Championship as they registered vital victories to improve their positions on the log, but it was a weekend of bitter disappointment for the Hollywoodbets Sharks, whose campaign will officially conclude at the end of the pool stages.
The Sharks suffered a narrow 33-28 defeat against Edinburgh in Scotland in the opening match of the weekend, but the Stormers and Lions delivered impressive performances with bonus-point home victories on Saturday afternoon. The Capetonians thumped the Glasgow Warriors by 48-12 to move back to the top of the log, while the Johannesburgers earned their sixth home win in a row with a 33-21 victory over Connacht.
The Bulls wrapped up a Super Saturday for the South African teams as they held off the Scarlets to win a dramatic match by 23-21 in Wales, where they were down to 13 men at one stage.
These results saw the DHL Stormers reclaim the No 1 spot on the standings (56 points), while the Fidelity Securedrive Lions finished the round in third position (53 points), and the Vodacom Bulls jumped to seventh place on the table (49 points). The Hollywoodbets Sharks’ defeat dealt the killer blow to their playoff hopes, as they finished the weekend in 10th position on 36 points, 11 points behind eighth-placed Ulster.
Only nine teams now remain in the playoff race, and with some sides to face one another in the closing two rounds, the battle for home playoff spots will come down to the wire.
While the Vodacom Bulls and Hollywoodbets Sharks have the luxury of two home games to finish off the league stages, the DHL Stormers and Fidelity Securedrive Lions have challenging tours against teams firmly in the playoff race, which will have a significant impact on their log positions with an eye on possible home playoff places at stake.
