Shaun Goosen looks back at what was a thrilling weekend of rugby at home and abroad.
Sharks bulldoze Bulls in Durban
The Sharks beat the Bulls 30-16 at Kings Park on Friday to claim their second win in the URC and move up to 12th on the standings. The hosts, who welcomed back a number of front-line Springboks to their starting XV, enjoyed the lion’s share of territory and possession in the first half, but David Kriel’s try for the visitors saw them head into the break leading 13-9.
However, the Durbanites’ dominance began to show, and they claimed a comfortable win in the end — thanks in large part to a Lukhanyo Am intercept try that completely changed the shape of the contest. Sean Everitt’s men will take heart from this performance and will head into the December break with a good grounding in the championship. For the 15th-placed Bulls, they will need to rectify several problem areas in their game before their date with Zebre on 8 January in Parma.
Lions blitz Stormers in Cape Town
The Lions scored four tries to beat the Stormers 37-19 at Cape Town Stadium on Saturday in what was the URC upset of the weekend. The visitors were far too good for John Dobson’s side and now occupy 10th on the log, level on points (11) with Scarlets but with a superior points difference. This was the Stormers’ third loss this season, and they find themselves 14th with just seven points to their name.
Glenwood Old Boy Fred Zeilinga kicked 17 points for the Lions, who scored their first try as early as the 10th minute through Francke Horn. Stefan Ungerer and Seabelo Senatla scored for the hosts, but it was Cash van Rooyen’s side who led 13-12 at the break. They won the second-half much more convincingly, 24-7, to leave the Mother City with all five log points.
Blitzboks dominate in Dubai —again
What more is there to say about Neil Powell’s Springboks Sevens side? After such a disappointing showing at the Tokyo Olympics in July, they bounced back to win an admittedly watered-down Sevens season in Canada in September before arriving in Dubai a few weeks back for the two-legged start of the 2021-22 HSBC Sevens World Series. They followed up their win in the first tournament by defending their title on Saturday, and have now set a record win streak of 24-consecutive victories.
There’s still a mighty long season ahead, but there’s no question that Powell’s side are the standard bearers and won’t be caught easily.
