URC Wrap: Stormers and Sharks boost playoff hopes

The Stormers and Sharks firmed up their prospects of reaching the URC playoffs with hard-fought derby wins on Saturday.

The Bulls are also still in contention to reach the top eight despite a defeat in Cape Town.

Despite outscoring the Stormers by two tries to one, the Bulls could not find a way through to win a thrilling North-South derby in Cape Town. The hosts won 19-17 to move up to fifth on the log.

The match ended in drama, as Hacjivah Dayimani was sin-binned with time running out on the clock, and although the visitors scored shortly thereafter, it wasn’t enough, with an earlier drop-goal by Springbok fullback Damian Willemse adding three important points to the Stormers’ tally.

URC developments

In the second game, played in a very wet Durban, the Sharks scored four tries to one for a comprehensive 37-10 victory over the Lions, with flyhalf Curwin Bosch landing all seven of his attempts at goal.

After bagging two five-pointers in the first 11 minutes, the hosts had to wait until the hour-mark for their next score before a try in the 70^th minute by Springbok No 8 Sikhumbuzo Notshe secured them the bonus point.

With three league games left, the Stormers lead the South African charge on 47 log points, the same as fourth-placed Munster. They are followed by the Sharks in sixth on 46, Edinburgh on 44 and the Vodacom Bulls on 43. Scarlets are ninth on 39, with a game in hand, while the Lions occupy 12^th spot on the log with 30 points.

In the only other URC match played this weekend, Scarlets remained at the top of the Welsh Shield with a 49-14 win over Cardiff.

The competition takes a short break over Easter.

When the action resumes in South Africa later this month, the Stormers have a tricky home game against Glasgow Warriors on Friday 22 April. A day later the Bulls host Benetton in Pretoria. The Lions and Connacht clash in Johannesburg. Meanwhile table-topping Leinster travel to Durban to face the Sharks.

Stormers hold out Bulls for crucial victory

The Stormers held out a determined Bulls outfit with 14 men in the dying minutes of their URC clash in Cape Town. Therefore securing a crucial 19-17 victory in this North-South showpiece.

The win marked the Capetonians’ fifth in a row in the competition and also saw them leap up on the log with three league games remaining.

The first half was a hard-fought affair with both teams trying hard to breach the defence in the first quarter with no success, resulting in Stormers flyhalf Manie Libbok and his opposite number Chris Smith exchanging penalty goals, but a late try by the hosts’ Hacjivah Dayimani (flank) on the stroke of halftime, saw them take a 10-3 lead at the break.

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The second half was much more competitive, with the Pretoria outfit scoring two converted tries by Canan Moodie (wing) and Elrigh Louw (flank), while they limited the hosts to a drop goal by fullback Damian Willemse and two penalty goals by Libbok to seal the win.

Scorers:

Stormers 19 (10) – Try: Hacjivah Dayimani. Conversion: Manie Libbok. Penalty goals: Libbok (3). Drop goal: Damian Willemse.

Bulls 17 (3) – Tries: Canan Moodie, Elrigh Louw. Conversions: Chris Smith, Morne Steyn. Penalty goal: Smith.

Sharks take the spoils in a soaking wet Durban

The Sharks moved up to sixth place in the URC courtesy of a 37-10 bonus-point win over the Lions. The game was played in wet and difficult conditions at Kings Park in Durban on Saturday afternoon.

The Sharks, who held the upper hand in the set pieces, probably varied their kicking game better and managed to strike when they came close to the visitors’ try-line, scoring four tries to one in the process.

Scorers:

Cell C Sharks 37 (17) – Tries: Gerbrandt Grobler, Phepsi Buthelezi, Bongi Mbonambi, Sikhumbuzo Notshe. Conversions: Curwin Bosch (4). Penalty goals: Bosch (3).

Emirates Lions 10 (3) – Try: Henco van Wyk. Conversion: Jordan Hendrikse. Penalty goal: Jordan Hendrikse.