The Vodacom Bulls and Lions put their unbeaten records in the 2024-25 URC to the test on the road this week, after a full house of bonus-point wins for the four local teams in round 3.
Saturday’s results mean the Lions, Bulls, and Sharks finished the third week of this season’s competition in the top eight – albeit the second round of matches for the SA franchises after their round 1 fixtures were postponed.
The Lions got a bumper day of action off to a roaring start with a 55-21 victory against Edinburgh in Johannesburg, and the Bulls continued to hold the fort as the Herd racked up a 47-21 win over Ulster at Loftus Versfeld.
The Sharks kept the SA flag flying high abroad as John Plumtree’s troops scored a try in the dying seconds for a 33-30 victory against the Dragons in Newport, before the DHL Stormers maintained their unbeaten record against Zebre Parma by defeating the Italians 36-5.
Leinster recorded a third successive bonus-point victory by beating Benetton to move four points clear at the top of the table. The result will put Leo Cullen’s charges in good spirits for next Saturday’s all-Irish clash with Munster, who rebounded from a shock defeat to Zebre with a comfortable win over the Ospreys.
Elsewhere, champions Glasgow Warriors ended Cardiff’s winning start to the season in a 13-try thriller, while a Cathal Forde penalty three minutes from time saw Connacht beat the Scarlets.
In round 4, the Bulls kick off a four-week tour to Europe against the Ospreys, confident after last season’s thrashing of the Welsh outfit, where Springbok flyers Canan Moodie and Kurt-Lee Arendse each bagged a brace of tries.
The Lions visit the Dragons, hoping to replicate their big win the last time the sides clashed, with Edwill van der Merwe dotting down twice and Sanele Nohamba kicking 19 points.
The Sharks face Benetton, seeking redemption after a one-point loss in 2023-24, the Italians staging a stunning comeback at Kings Park. Meanwhile, the Stormers tackle a winless Edinburgh, who gifted Suleiman Hartzenberg his first hat-trick in a resounding win for John Dobson’s men in Cape Town earlier this year.
Round 3 results:
Cardiff 36-52 Glasgow
Scarlets 23-24 Connacht
Lions 55-21 Edinburgh
Bulls 47-21 Ulster
Dragons 30-33 Sharks
Benetton 5-35 Leinster
Zebre 5-36 Stormers
Munster 23-0 Ospreys
Round 4 fixtures:
Friday, 11 October
Glasgow vs Zebre (8:35pm)
Saturday, 12 October
Cardiff vs Scarlets (4pm)
Benetton vs Sharks (4pm)
Edinburgh vs Stormers (6:15pm)
Leinster vs Munster (6:45pm)
Ospreys vs Bulls (8:35pm)
Ulster vs Connacht (9pm)
Sunday, 13 October
Dragons vs Lions (3:30pm)
Photo: @Springboks/Twitter
The post State of the URC: SA teams on the charge appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
Src: sarugbymag.co.za
