The Bulls and Stormers made a statement with dominant URC derby victories, boosted by their returning Springboks.
In Pretoria, Cameron Hanekom scored twice as the BULLS thrashed the LIONS 57-15, bouncing back from their away defeat to Munster and handing their Jukskei rivals a first URC loss of the season.
The Bulls led 31-10 at half-time after tries from Harold Vorster, Johan Grobbelaar, Hanekom and Jeandré Rudolph, with Morné van den Berg’s yellow card proving costly for the Lions.
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Canan Moodie, JF van Heerden, Cheswill Jooste and Sebastian de Klerk crossed after the break to complete a nine-try rout.
In Cape Town, Hacjivah Dayimani grabbed a double as the STORMERS avenged last season’s defeats to the SHARKS with a 39-22 win in front of a 42,368-strong crowd.
Seabelo Senatla opened the scoring for the hosts before Manu Tshituka hit back for the Sharks. The Stormers capitalised on Matt Romao’s yellow card, with Dayimani and André-Hugo Venter crossing to give them a 22-8 half-time lead.
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With Tshituka also sent to the sin bin, Leolin Zas and Dayimani extended the Stormers’ advantage after the break. The Sharks responded through Romao and Phepsi Buthelezi, but JJ Kotzé had the final say.
The bonus-point victories saw the Bulls and Stormers finish round three in third and fourth place on the URC log respectively. Both have 11 points, but the Bulls boast a superior points difference.
The Sharks, who topped the standings after round two, slipped to fifth after failing to add to their tally of 10 points, while the Lions dropped to seventh after remaining on nine points.
Edinburgh (14 points) and the Glasgow Warriors (13) occupy the top two spots, having both won their first three matches of the season.
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The URC takes a week’s break for the opening round of the Investec Champions Cup and EPCR Challenge Cup before resuming on Friday, 23 October with three matches, including two involving South African teams.
The Sharks tackle sixth-placed Cardiff at the Arms Park, while the Lions face high-flying Edinburgh at Hive Stadium.
The following day, the Bulls host winless Ulster, who fought back from 26-5 down to draw 26-26 with Munster this past weekend. The Scarlets, who edged Benetton 27-26 for their first win of the season, travel to Cape Town to face the Stormers.
Round 3 results
Glasgow 36 Connacht 19
Dragons 31 Ospreys 38
Bulls 57 Lions 15
Stormers 39 Sharks 22
Zebre 12 Edinburgh 29
Scarlets 27 Benetton 26
Ulster 26 Munster 26
Leinster 29 Cardiff 5
Round 4 fixtures (SA times)
Friday, 23 October
Cardiff vs Sharks (8:45pm)
Edinburgh vs Lions (8:45pm)
Connacht vs Zebre (8:45pm)
Saturday, 24 October
Bulls vs Ulster (1:45pm)
Stormers vs Scarlets (4pm)
Benetton vs Glasgow Warriors (4pm)
Leinster vs Munster (7pm)
Ospreys vs Dragons (8pm)
Photo: Ashley Vlotman/Gallo Images
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The Bulls and Stormers made a statement with dominant URC derby victories, boosted by their returning Springboks.
The post State of the URC: Bulls, Stormers flex muscles appeared first on SA Rugby magazine. Read More
