The DHL Stormers maintained their unbeaten start to the Vodacom United Rugby Championship (URC), while the Vodacom Bulls clinched a nail-biting win in Ireland and the Lions secured their first victory of the season in Johannesburg. However, the Hollywoodbets Sharks are still searching for that elusive maiden win.

After four rounds, the Stormers, Munster and Ulster remain the only unbeaten sides in the competition. The Capetonians top the standings with 19 points, ahead on points difference, with the Bulls in sixth (14 points), the Lions 11th (six points), and the Sharks 14th (four points).

Bulls hold their nerve in Galway thriller

The Vodacom Bulls dug deep to edge Connacht 28–27 in a dramatic clash in Galway on Friday night, surviving a spirited Irish fightback and a last-gasp missed conversion to seal victory.

Connacht opened the scoring through Josh Ioane, but the Bulls hit back when Paul de Wet finished off a slick move involving Willie le Roux and Sebastian de Klerk. A 20-minute red card for Connacht’s Josh Murphy in the 19th minute swung momentum further the visitors’ way, and moments later Le Roux crossed for another well-worked try.

Leading 12–7 at the break, the Bulls extended their advantage early in the second half with a Keagan Johannes drop goal. Although Connacht responded through Caolin Blade, De Wet’s second try and further points from Johannes gave the Pretoria outfit an 11-point cushion.

The Irish side rallied with tries from Sean Naughton and Mack Hansen, setting up a tense finale. Naughton missed the potential match-winning conversion twice, after being given a second attempt for an early charge, confirming the Bulls’ narrow one-point triumph.

Scorers

• Connacht (27): Tries by Ioane, Blade, Naughton and Hansen. Conversions by Ioane (2) and a penalty by Naughton.
• Vodacom Bulls (28): Tries by De Wet (2) and Le Roux. Conversions by Johannes (2), penalties by Johannes (2). and one drop goal by Johannes.

Lions roar to first victory of the season

The Lions broke their winless streak with a 29–18 victory over the Scarlets at Ellis Park on Saturday afternoon, clinching a bonus point courtesy of hooker Morne Brandon’s late second try.

A tight first half saw only one try, scored by Springbok fullback Quan Horn, as the sides traded penalties. The Lions’ solid defence and set-piece dominance paid off in the second half, with Franco Marais crashing over to extend the lead to 11–6.

A yellow card for Darrien Landsberg and a resulting penalty try allowed the Scarlets back into the contest, narrowing the score to 16–13 with ten minutes to play. But Brandon’s brace in quick succession put the game out of reach before Joe Roberts scored a late consolation for the visitors. Gianni Lombard’s last-minute penalty sealed the win for the Johannesburg outfit.

Scorers
Lions (29): Tries by Horn, Marais, Brandon (2). Penalties by Smith, Lombard (2).
Scarlets (18): Tries – Roberts, Penalty try. Penalties – Costelow (2).

Sharks outgunned by Ulster in Durban

The Hollywoodbets Sharks endured another frustrating afternoon as Ulster capitalised on a slow start to secure a 34–26 win in wet and windy conditions in Durban.

The visitors stormed to a 17–0 lead inside 20 minutes before Siya Kolisi’s maul try offered the hosts some relief. Despite improved second-half possession and territory, the Sharks’ discipline faltered, with Vincent Koch and Makazole Mapimpi both yellow-carded – the latter’s upgraded to red.

Mapimpi did cross for a well-worked try, but Ulster’s Tom Stewart and Callum Reid responded with long-range scores to keep the Irish province in control. Andre Esterhuizen’s late try closed the gap, but it was too little too late as Ulster held firm for a deserved win.

Scorers

• Hollywoodbets Sharks (26): Tries by Kolisi, Mapimpi and Esterhuizen. Conversions by Masuku and Hendrikse.
• Ulster (34): Tries by Lowry, Kok, Stewart and Reid. Conversions by Doak (4) and penalties by Doak (2).

Stormers make it four from four in Parma

The DHL Stormers continued their dominant run with a 31–13 bonus-point victory over Zebre Parma on Saturday night, powered by standout performances from Springboks Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu and Evan Roos.

Flanker Paul de Villiers opened the scoring from a driving maul before Zebre struck back through an intercept try from Mirko Belloni. Feinberg-Mngomezulu then regained the lead with a solo effort, giving the visitors a 12–7 advantage at half-time.

The flyhalf bagged his second try early in the second half before setting up Warrick Gelant with a pinpoint long pass for the bonus-point score. Despite two penalties from Giacomo De Rea narrowing the gap, Ruhan Nel’s intercept try in the dying moments sealed the result and kept the Stormers top of the table.

Scorers

• DHL Stormers (31): Tries by De Villiers, Feinberg-Mngomezulu (2) and Gelant, Nel. Conversions by Feinberg-Mngomezulu (3).
• Zebre Parma (13): A try by Belloni and a conversion by De Rea. Penalties by De Rea (2).