State of the URC: Stormers smiling after festive revival
12/29/2024 11:00 PM
The DHL Stormers have put themselves right back into contention for the Vodacom United Rugby Championship playoffs, while the remaining three SA sides are also well positioned.
Two home bonus-point wins – against the Lions and Sharks – over the festive period see the Cape side shoot up from 13th to ninth on the log, just one point behind eighth-placed Ulster.
It is the first time this season that the injury-hit STORMERS have won back-to-back matches, and coincided with the return of several Springboks, including two-time World Cup-winning prop Frans Malherbe.
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SHARKS coach John Plumtree was disappointed to relinquish a three-point lead with three minutes remaining at Cape Town Stadium on Saturday. Considering their injury woes, he will however be satisfied with a haul of five log points from their last two matches that has them positioned fifth on the table, one point behind the Vodacom Bulls, who have a game in hand.
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The BULLS remain third in the standings despite losing to the Sharks in Durban and not playing last week, and while they are 18 points behind unbeaten Leinster and eight points behind defending champions Glasgow (who lost in Edinburgh on Saturday), they do have two games in hand over both sides.
A top-two finish, which would secure a home semi-final if they got that far, is still achievable for Jake White’s men.
The LIONS have slipped from fifth to 11th on the log over the past two weeks, but also have a game or two in hand over several teams above them, and a home quarter-final remains a realistic target for the Pride when the SA teams resume URC duty on 25 January.
The Lions host the Bulls in a Jukskei derby in round 10, with the Stormers and Sharks taking on Leinster and Cardiff, respectively, in tour fixtures.
Round 9 results:
Munster 7 Leinster 28
Stormers 24 Sharks 20
Zebre 12 Benetton 24
Edinburgh 10 Glasgow 7
Connacht 7 Ulster 17
Round 9 fixtures:
Wednesday, 1 January
Cardiff vs Ospreys (5pm)
Scarlets vs Dragons (7:15pm)
Round 10 fixtures:
Friday, 24 January
Glasgow vs Connacht (9:35pm)
Ospreys vs Benetton (9:35pm)
Saturday, 25 January
Lions vs Bulls (2:45pm)
Scarlets vs Edinburgh (5pm)
Leinster vs Stormers (7pm)
Cardiff vs Sharks (7:15pm)
Dragons vs Munster (9:35pm)
Sunday, 26 January
Ulster vs Zebre (7:30pm)
Photo: Cole Cruickshank/Gallo Images
The post State of the URC: Stormers smiling after festive revival appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
