Stormers Stay on Top Spot After Clinching Fifth Win

The DHL Stormers claimed their fifth-consecutive United Rugby Championship win on Saturday while the struggling Hollywoodbets Sharks secured their first victory of the campaign.

The last phase of the international season kicked off on Saturday morning, with Japan pushing a weakened Australia side all the way in Tokyo.

The Brave Blossoms went into the match as 13.00 underdogs, and started with a +24 handicap. In the end, the Wallabies secured a 19-15 victory.

The final round of the URC before the break for the November Tests served up several interesting results.

The Vodacom Bulls looked to be on course for victory in Glasgow on Friday evening, despite starting the match as 3.60 underdogs.

The Warriors hit back in the closing stages, though, to win 21-12 and deny the tourists any log points from the fixture.

Johan Ackermann’s team return from a disappointing tour with a one from three record, and finish this part of the season at sixth in the URC standings.

On Saturday, the match between the Lions and Ulster at Ellis Park witnessed 12 tries and 80 points in all.

A close contest was expected, but the Lions raced clear of their Irish opponents in the second stanza to claim an emphatic 49-31 bonus-point win – just their second victory of the campaign.

Down in Durban, the Sharks banked their first win of the season when they beat the Scarlets 29-19.

The Welsh side, who remain rooted to the bottom of the log after five rounds, took the fight to the Springbok-team Sharks team for much of the contest.

The hosts went on to secure a bonus-point victory, but those who bet on the Scarlets finishing within the +19 handicap would have made some money.

The Sharks still have plenty to do if they’re going to qualify for the URC playoffs. John Plumtree’s charges currently sit at 13th in the URC standings, and are three log points below the eighth-placed Lions.

Over in Italy, the Stormers banked an inaugural win in Treviso when they beat Benetton 31-16.

The result sees John Dobson’s team returning to Cape Town with three wins from their tour to the north.

Munster are the only other side in the competition who have won all five matches to date. The Stormers end this block at the top of the URC log, thanks to their outstanding points-difference (118).

The Cape side’s defence has been an area of strength during the early stages of the season, conceding a total of 39 points and four tries over five games.

The Springboks will return to action this coming weekend when they face Japan in a historic match at Wembley on Saturday. Across town, England will host Australia at the Allianz Stadium, Twickenham.

Scotland will battle the USA in Edinburgh, while Ireland and the All Blacks will face off in Chicago late on Saturday evening. New Zealand will be gunning for a rare Grand Slam when they face Ireland, Scotland, England and Wales over the next four weeks.

After facing Japan, the Boks will tackle France, Italy, Ireland and Wales.

ENDS

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