The DHL Stormers, Vodacom Bulls, and Fidelity SecureDrive Lions all remained in the running for hosting Vodacom United Rugby Championship quarter-finals in a riveting penultimate pool round, which delivered a dramatic draw, two bonus-point victories and only one defeat for the South African teams.
The DHL Stormers set the tone for the round as they secured a last-gasp 38-38 draw against Ulster in Belfast on Friday night, and the Vodacom Bulls and Hollywoodbets Sharks followed with sensational bonus-point victories on Saturday, thumping Zebre Parma 54-19 in Pretoria, and Benetton 46-7 in Durban.
But it was a heartbreak for the Lions, who leaked three late tries in an epic battle against Investec Champions Cup finalists, Leinster, in Dublin to suffer a disappointing 31-7 defeat, which brought their six-match winning streak to a halt.
The weekend’s results saw the DHL Stormers (59 points) drop from first place on the standings to second, one point behind the Glasgow Warriors and one more than Leinster, qualifying for a home quarter final, while the Vodacom Bulls’ victory saw them leap up to fourth place (54 pts).
With Munster (51 pts) and Cardiff (50 pts) also on the losing side, the Fidelity SecureDrive Lions only dropped one spot to fifth (53 pts), leaving all three teams in contention for home quarter-finals going into the final pool round next week. The Hollywoodbets Sharks held onto the 10th spot on the table with 41 points.
