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Talking points from Round 3 of Super Rugby

Hurricanes vs Cell C Sharks at Wellington

Shaun Goosen takes a look at some of the biggest talking points from the third round of the Super Rugby season.

Image Copyright – Steve Haag Sports

Canes outlast Sharks in Wellington

After two consecutive wins, the Durbanites suffered their first loss of the campaign to a determined Hurricanes side at the Westpac. Lucky Am’s men did well to stay with the hosts for prolonged periods, even opening the scoring through Madosh Tambwe. In fact, the scores were tied on 17-all at the 43rdminute mark before two devastating Ben Lam scores in quick succession took the game away from the visitors.

Despite finally going down 38-22, there were many positives for the Sharks to take out of the encounter. Heading into their clash with the Rebels in Melbourne this weekend, however, Sean Everitt will be sweating on the fitness of Makazole Mapimpi and Boeta Chamberlain, both of whom left the field early against the Canes.

Hurricanes vs Cell C Sharks at Wellington

Stormers pip Lions at the death

Leading 30-26 after a 77th-minute penalty from the scintillating Elton Jantjies, the Lions simply needed to keep the Stormers at bay for the ensuing few minutes to extend their unbeaten home run over the Capetonians to six matches. As it happened, however, the away side staged a dramatic late attack that was finished off by Ruhan Nel to maintain their unbeaten start to the competition this season. It capped off a memorable game and also underlined the character in this Stormers side, proving they can win with their backs against the wall.

The Stormers continue to lead the SA conference, closely followed by the Jaguares and Sharks, while the Lions sit in fourth after two losses to go with their win over the Reds heading into their bye this week. The Stormers will look to maintain their high confidence levels when they host the Jags at home on Saturday.

Stormers pip Lions at the death

Jantjies back to his best

The performance of Elton Jantjies on the weekend was a timely reminder of the 29-year-old’s abilities as the Super Rugby season begins to pick up steam. The Lions pivot bagged a personal tally of 15 points against the Stormers and made a number of important plays at Emirates Airline Park in spite of the result.

While his side may be struggling to string wins together, Jantjies’ form bodes well for the Springboks, who will be looking to regain their Rugby Championship crown later on in the season. Let’s hope he continues to raise his game in the months to come.

The performance of Elton Jantjies

Written by Shaun Goosen for Hollywoodbets

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