It was a largely satisfying weekend for South Africa’s teams in the Vodacom United Rugby Championship as three of the four side – the Vodacom Bulls, Hollywoodbets Sharks and DHL Stormers – came away with victories to boost their playoff hopes, while the Emirates Lions managed to secure a losing bonus point away from home to remain within striking range of the top eight.
The Emirates Lions were the first team to take the field on Friday evening, and while they fought hard, mistakes at crucial times denied them from imposing themselves more against Cardiff in the Welsh capital which saw them lose 20-17.
Saturday, however, proved to be a gripping day of action for the domestic teams as the Hollywoodbets Sharks scraped through with a late try to register a 35-34 victory against Zebre Parma in Durban; the Vodacom Bulls slotted a penalty goal after the hooter to hand log-leaders Leinster their first defeat of the season with a 21-20 victory in Pretoria; and the DHL Stormers earned a rewarding 29-17 bonus-point away win against the Scarlets in Llanelli.
These results saw the Vodacom Bulls hold onto third place on the table with 45 points (13 behind Leinster and trailing the second-placed Glasgow Warriors by four points), while the Hollywoodbets Sharks are only one point behind in fourth place with 44 points.
The DHL Stormers leapt into eighth place with 33 points – tied with the seventh-placed Ospreys and only two points behind the fifth-placed Cardiff – while the Emirates Lions dropped down to 13th position with 30 points with five pool rounds remaining.