DURBAN, SOUTH AFRICA – DECEMBER 04: Makazole Mapimpi of the Cell C Sharks tackled by Richard Kriel of the Vodacom Bulls during the United Rugby Championship match between Cell C Sharks and Vodacom Bulls at Jonsson Kings Park on December 04, 2021 in Durban, South Africa. (Photo by Darren Stewart/Gallo Images)
URC review: Lions go top of Shield after SA derby weekend
The URC continued this weekend with the South African teams in action in a hastily arranged derby round after Omicron threw a spanner in the works.
DURBAN, SOUTH AFRICA – DECEMBER 04: Makazole Mapimpi of the Cell C Sharks tackled by Richard Kriel of the Vodacom Bulls during the United Rugby Championship match between Cell C Sharks and Vodacom Bulls at Jonsson Kings Park on December 04, 2021 in Durban, South Africa. (Photo by Darren Stewart/Gallo Images)
The Lions surged to the top of the South African Shield in the United Rugby Championship (URC) with a big victory in Cape Town, while the Sharks’ experienced Test players made a game-changing difference as they beat the Bulls in Durban, on the weekend that fans finally returned to provincial rugby after a 20-month wait.
After the disruption of having two rounds of action postponed recently, the four local franchises relished the opportunity to get stuck in and although there were some early rustiness, the action took off in the second half in both matches.
URC review
In Durban, the Sharks “won” the second half of their clash by 21-3 as their scrum punished the Bulls, setting the tone for what was essentially a rather one-sided 40 minutes.
And in Cape Town, the Lions added 24 points to their tally after the break while restricting their hosts to only seven, bagging a valuable four-try bonus-point in the process.
The Lions climbed to 10th spot on the overall standings, with 11 points from their five games, two clear of the Sharks, while the Stormers (7) and Bulls (5) bring up the rear. Leinster still lead the log with 29 points after seven games.
Determined Lions bury Stormers in Cape Town
Francke Horn scored two tries as the Lions upset the DHL Stormers with a superb 37-19 victory in their United Rugby Championship clash in Cape Town on Saturday afternoon.
While the hosts struggled to find their rhythm, the visitors from Gauteng scored when presented with opportunities, scoring two tries each side of half-time, while Fred Zeilinga also had a great day with the boot, contributing 17 points.
Scorers:
Stormers 19 (12) – Tries: Stefan Ungerer, Seabelo Senatla, Andre-Hugo Venter. Conversions: Manie Libbok (2).
Lions 37 (13) – Tries: Francke Horn (2), Andre Warner, Vincent Tshituka. Conversions: Fred Zeilinga (4). Penalty goals: Zeilinga (3).
Sharks outmuscle Bulls in Durban
The Sharks’ pack laid the foundation and Boeta Chamberlain kept the scoreboard ticking over as they beat the Bulls by 30-16 in a typically tough United Rugby Championship derby in Durban on Friday night.
Monstered in the scrum, the visitors to Kings Park were on the backfoot for most of the game and in the end, that was probably the difference.
The Durbanites were on the front foot and used their opportunities, with Chamberlain slotting six penalty goals and a conversion for a personal haul of 20 points in the process.
Scorers:
Sharks 30 (9) – Tries: Lukhanyo Am, Kerron van Vuuren. Conversion: Boeta Chamberlain. Penalty goals: Chamberlain (6).
Bulls 16 (13) – Try: David Kriel. Conversion: Morne Steyn. Penalty goals: Steyn (3).
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