Bonus-Point Boom Boosts SA Trio’s Hopes

Three South African teams claimed emphatic bonus-point wins this past weekend to keep their respective United Rugby Championship playoff hopes alive.

Apart from the result in Johannesburg – which brought an end to the Emirates Lions’ playoff challenge – it was another prosperous round for the South African contenders.

The HollywoodBets Sharks overcame a nervy start to secure a 29-10 win over the Ospreys on Friday night. While the quality of the performance in Durban left a lot to be desired, the result secured the Sharks’ place in the top four, and ultimately the right to host a quarter-final.

The Vodacom Bulls put Cardiff to the sword at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday afternoon, scoring six tries in a 45-21 victory. Following Benetton’s stunning 33-7 win over the Glasgow Warriors in Treviso, the Bulls have moved up to second position in the URC standings.

Down in Cape Town, the DHL Stormers thrashed the basement-dwelling Dragons 48-12 to consolidate their position (fifth) in the URC standings. Centre Wandisilie Simelane scored two of the hosts’ seven tries.

With the result in Treviso, the Lions were knockout out of the playoff race – and with little but pride to play for, Cash van Rooyen’s side went down 32-19 to the Scarlets on Sunday afternoon.

URC Playoff Scenarios Ahead

Looking ahead to the final round of the URC league phase, Benetton’s shock win over Glasgow could have further consequences.

The Bulls should bank a bonus-point win against the Dragons in Pretoria this weekend. They will host a quarter-final thereafter, and possibly a semi-final.

If Leinster beat Glasgow in Dublin and the Sharks beat the Scarlets in Durban in the final round, then the Scottish side will drop to fourth position while John Plumtree’s men will move up to third.

The Stormers will go into their final match against Cardiff in Cape Town as favourites to win the match and finish the league in fifth place.

But if the Bulls finish second and the Sharks third, the Cape side will travel to Glasgow for a quarter-final – instead of remaining in South Africa to tackle the Sharks.

If Cardiff claim a bonus-point win in Cape Town, however, the Welsh side may finish ahead of the Stormers in the standings – which may result in John Dobson’s charges playing the Sharks in Durban in the first round of the playoffs.

Other Teams Still In The Mix

Munster should see off Benetton this weekend, but the Italians may yet qualify for the playoffs. Following their historic win against the Lions in Johannesburg, the Scarlets are also in the mix.

If Edinburgh follow up their recent win against Connacht with another positive result against Ulster, they could leapfrog the likes of Cardiff, Benetton and the Scarlets, and secure a place in the top eight.

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