The three South African teams in the running for playoff places in the Vodacom United Rugby Championship stuck to their guns and delivered the desired results in the penultimate round of pool matches, which witnessed a success rate of three out of four on the domestic front.
The Vodacom Bulls were in hot form against Benetton in Pretoria where they registered a comprehensive 56-35 victory to leap from fourth place into second on the standings, while the Emirates Lions created a massive upset as they toppled the Glasgow Warriors – who entered the round as the log-leaders - 44-21 in Johannesburg to jump into ninth place and remain in contention for a quarter-final spot. In Galway, the DHL Stormers fought back in the second half to beat Connacht 16-14 to hang onto fifth place.
The Hollywoodbets Sharks were the only local team to suffer a defeat as an early red card saw them go down 36-14 against Cardiff, which knocked them down to 13th position in a match that was purely paid for pride.
These results kept the Vodacom Bulls in the race for the top spot on the table for a home quarter-final and possible home semi-final and final with one pool round remaining as they trail the current log leaders and defending champions, Munster, by only two points going into the final league round in two weekends with 61 points to their name. A victory for the DHL Stormers (on 54 pts) in their last pool match could see them remain in fifth place for an easier quarter-final, and the ninth-placed Emirates Lions now tie the eighth-placed Benetton on 49 points meaning they could sneak into the top eight if they earn a bonus point in the final round.
The defeat for the Hollywoodbets Sharks (on 25 pts) may have cost them a more desirable 12th-place standing, but a bonus-point win in a fortnight - if Cardiff registers only a victory - could still see them leap back to 12th place in their final Vodacom URC outing if they come away with a big win.
The four domestic teams face one another in the closing pool round, with the DHL Stormers hosting the Emirates Lions in Cape Town and the Hollywoodbets Sharks welcoming the Vodacom Bulls to Durban following their EPCR Challenge Cup final against Gloucester next week, all four teams will be highly motivated going into their matches given the high stakes.