The Sharks and Bulls gained significant ground in the Vodacom URC with impressive derby wins, writes LINDIZ VAN ZILLA.
Stormers and Lions fans may not be feeling the positive vibes right now, but the reality is all four SA clubs are now inside the top 10 on the URC log and in contention for the playoff spots as the competition takes a break for the Six Nations.
Round 12 action takes place on the weekend of 28 February when the Lions host the Stormers and the Sharks travel to Pretoria to face the Bulls.
However, the Lions and Sharks also clash in Joburg a week earlier to complete their rescheduled round-eight fixture. How important could that be in terms of prep for the derbies the following weekend?
The Bulls and Stormers only play their rescheduled round-eight fixture on 14 March.
The Stormers are still the leading South Africa side in the competition, but consecutive losses against the resurgent Sharks means they have dropped down to third on the log and the rest of the competition have closed in.
The Bulls have turned their season around in spectacular fashion. Seven losses on the trot have been followed by three wins in a row – the latest being Saturday’s measured destruction of the Lions which took the Pretoria-based side up to seventh.
Ivan van Rooyen’s Lions can’t seem to buy a win at the moment. Consecutive draws against European opposition was followed by the implosion against the Bulls at Ellis Park.
MORE: JP poised for permanent Sharks job
At the opposite end of the scale is JP Pietersen, who seemingly can do no wrong and is set to be given the Sharks head coach role on a permanent basis.
That is what back-to-back wins against the Stormers can do …
The STORMERS have tumbled down the URC log to third, above Ulster and Cardiff on points difference, and with Munster also breathing down their necks.
The mid-season break comes at just the right time for the Stormers who seem to have run out of steam in recent weeks. John Dobson and his men will now have time to recover and regroup before the clash away to the Lions.
READ: Dobbo, Sacha rue ill-discipline
The SHARKS continue their impressive rebirth under the astute leadership of JP Pietersen.
Prior to the victories over the Stormers, the Sharks had sat a lowly 14th on the log with 14 points. But a full house of points in both Cape Town and Durban have seen them move up to ninth in the URC standings, and who would have thought that at the beginning of the year?
JP: ‘Brutal’ Sharks showed killer instinct
The BULLS are also a side reborn. During the darkest days when his team was losing week after week, coach Johann Ackerman kept his faith and insisted better days were to come.
Well, the Bulls have truly turned the corner and you only had to watch the expressions of their supporters at Ellis Park on Saturday who could barely believe what they were witnessing.
Ackermann has been in the game long enough to not get carried away, but there is once again pride in the Bulls jersey.
ACKERS: Bulls got balance right
The LIONS desperately need a reset. Damaging draws against Perpignan and the Ospreys slowed momentum and whatever remained of that crashed to a grinding halt in a humiliating derby defeat to the Bulls at Ellis Park.
ALSO: Lions captain calls for accountability
The Lions had been the second best SA team in the URC behind the Stormers, having occupied seventh place on the log ahead of the Bulls game. However, they now find themselves down in 10th place and the lowest-placed of the South African sides.
The Lions brains trust have their work cut out to prepare the team ahead of a crucial second half of the URC season.
Round 11 results:
Benetton 20 Scarlets 20
Glasgow Warriors 31 Munster 22
Lions 17 Bulls 52
Sharks 36 Stormers 24
Zebre Parma 15 Connacht 31
Leinster 28 Edinburgh 20
Ospreys 19 Dragons 13
Ulster 21 Cardiff 14
Round 8 fixture (rescheduled):
Saturday, 21 February
Lions vs Sharks (2pm)
Round 12 fixtures:
Friday, 27 February
Cardiff vs Leinster (9pm)
Edinburgh vs Scarlets (9:45pm)
Saturday, 28 February
Lions vs Stormers (2:30pm)
Bulls vs Sharks (5pm)
Connacht vs Glasgow Warriors (5pm)
Dragons vs Benetton (7:30pm)
Munster vs Zebre (7:30pm)
Ospreys vs Ulster (9:45pm)
Photo: Steve Haag/Gallo Images
The post State of the URC: Sharks, Bulls go into break on high appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
The Sharks and Bulls gained significant ground in the Vodacom URC with impressive derby wins.
The post State of the URC: Sharks, Bulls go into break on high appeared first on SA Rugby magazine. Read More
