In this week’s Rugby Wrap Shaun Goosen looks back at the final weekend of Champions and Challenge Cup pool stage action.
Champions Cup R4: Bulls and Stormers come good
On Saturday, the Bulls triumphed over Bordeaux-Begles 46-40 in a 12-try thriller at Loftus. Although there will be some questions around just how many points the hosts conceded, the impetus they showed on attack made for great viewing and again highlighted how lethal this Bulls side can be when they get going. The result means they finish the pool stage ranked second in Pool 1 and ensure they will take on Lyon in Pretoria in the round of 16.
The Stormers claimed a 24-20 win at Stade Francais on the same day thanks to Manie Libbok’s 71st-minute touchdown in a tight tussle in Paris. Having finished second in Pool 4, the Capetonians will now gear up for a daunting knockout challenge against back-to-back defending champions La Rochelle at home.
Ronan O’Gara’s charges had earned a 37-24 win at Sale Sharks on Sunday, while other notable weekend results include a 26-23 Northampton win at Munster, a 31-19 Toulouse home win over Bath and Leinster’s 27-10 defeat of Leicester Tigers at Welford Road.
Full results:
- Glasgow 29-5 Toulon
- Connacht 27-10 Bristol
- Bulls 46-40 Bordeaux
- Harlequins 47-19 Ulster
- Racing 92 48-26 Cardiff
- Leicester 10-27 Leinster
- Munster 23-26 Northampton
- Stade Francais 20-24 Stormers
- Saracens 39-24 Lyon
- Sale 24-37 La Rochelle
- Toulouse 31-19 Bath
- Bayonne 40-17 Exeter Chiefs
HT | 🐂 BUL 26-14 UBB⚪
— SuperSport Rugby (@SSRugby) January 20, 2024
Stedman Gans and Willie le Roux create an opportunity that David Kriel finishes with aplomb ⭐
📺 Stream #InvestecChampionsCup live: https://t.co/bDeiretgWP pic.twitter.com/OOJf0KhdcI
Challenge Cup R4: Hollywoodbets Sharks blow Dragons away; Lions and Cheetahs miss out
The Hollywoodbets Sharks scored three tries in the final 10 minutes to record a comfortable 29-9 win over Dragons at a wet Rodney Parade on Sunday. The Durbanites finish as Pool 1 winners, setting up a home round of 16 clash with Zebre, the side that inflicted their URC round four defeat in November.
Meanwhile, the Lions fell 28-38 to Ospreys in Joburg despite leading 28-17 late on, while the 14-man Cheetahs conceded a try long after the final hooter to go down 27-28 in Oyonnax. Those results mean the Pride plays at Benetton in the knockouts, while the Free Staters travel to Clermont Auvergne.
Full results:
- Scarlets 19-31 Edinburgh
- Gloucester 35-5 Castres
- Pau 28-27 Zebre
- Black Lion 3-36 Clermont
- Oyonnax 28-27 Cheetahs
- Benetton 27-19 Montpellier
- Lions 28-38 Ospreys
- Perpignan 23-32 Newcastle
- Dragons 9-29 Hollywoodbets Sharks
Victory in challenging conditions for the Hollywoodbets Sharks 🦈🌧️
— SuperSport Rugby (@SSRugby) January 21, 2024
They come away with the win against the Dragons at Rodney Parade 💪#ChallengeCupRugby
