It has been something that has been cried out for without delivery and now finally it has happened - with the Vodacom Bulls leading the way with a statement win away against Munster, round 15 of the Vodacom United Rugby Championship saw the South African teams helping each other out.
While the Hollywoodbets Sharks and the DHL Stormers conspired against themselves and were fortunate to win their games, the Bulls stood tall in becoming the first South African team to win at Munster’s home ground of Thomond Park.
The win helped themselves, the Stormers and the Sharks, with Munster now removed as a threat to the Sharks’ position in the top four.
Munster have dropped to seventh, where they are effectively now tied with the Stormers on 40 points, nine points now behind the fourth placed Sharks with just three games to play in the league phase of the competition.
With Benetton fifth with just one point more than Munster and the Stormers, the Sharks, who have one tough tour game against Ulster to come before they head home to finish off against Welsh teams, should consider a top four finish now done and dusted.
The kick that won the match ☑️
— Vodacom United Rugby Championship (URC) (@URCOfficial_RSA) April 19, 2025
Pure perfection from the tee 🤌@Vodacom #URC | #MUNvBUL pic.twitter.com/aoALkpqiOI
And thanks to the Sharks beating Edinburgh by one point, the Stormers have been helped out as the Scottish team has now dropped behind them on the log after being eighth heading into the weekend. With three home games to come, the Stormers are now in the pound seats in their quest to finish in the playoff and Investec Champions Cup placings, and could climb quite a bit higher.
STORMERS COULD BE FIFTH AFTER NEXT ROUND
In fact given who is playing who in round 16, the Stormers could be fifth by the end of the coming weekend. The caveat though is that their narrow win over Connacht was a massive wakeup call for them and while with Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu calling the shots at flyhalf they have a dazzling attacking game, a lot of hard work is going to have to be done on their defensive work before Benetton come calling on Saturday.
Benetton’s comfortable win in Johannesburg meant that the Emirates Lions became the odd one out among the South African teams. For a few weeks now they’ve been only just hanging in in the race for top eight spots but now it looks like their race is done.
Their defence was as woeful as the Stormers’ was later in the afternoon and they looked flat and lacked the spark and drive that inspired some of their more impressive wins earlier in the season.
Indeed, it is starting to look like the chickens are coming home to roost for the Lions, for there were many who always felt they would end up paying for the fact that they were the one union that also participates in the URC that took the Carling Currie Cup seriously.
It was unwise for South African rugby as a collective to stage the domestic competition during the off-season but it was even more unwise for the Lions to commit URC players to their quest to win that trophy to the extent that they did. The Lions are not the only team that has paid for the error of playing the Currie Cup when all players should be resting.
DEFENCE THE HALLMARK FOR BULLS AND SHARKS
The Sharks’ injury crisis earlier in the season was probably sourced as much in the timing of the domestic competition, and the playoff games they had to dig deep to win, as it was the number of Boks who play Castle Lager Rugby Championship at that time they have on their books.
🔥 Test match intensity 🔥
— Vodacom United Rugby Championship (URC) (@URCOfficial_RSA) April 18, 2025
Victory snatched in the last moment... 🦈#BKTURC #URC | #EDIvSHA pic.twitter.com/NZHNPCsHIa
The Sharks had their top players back for the first time in months but were decidedly fortunate to beat Edinburgh, who played really well, in the first game of round 15. That they got home was because unlike the Stormers and Lions their defence was outstanding, as was the Bulls’ the next night in Limerick.
While an attacking player in Feinberg-Mngomezulu was the stand out in the Stormers’ win, it was mainly for his defensive efforts, and his steals, that Andre Esterhuizen won the man of the match award in Edinburgh. It was a similar story for the tireless Marcell Coetzee in the Bulls’ win.
Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu is a cheat code 🤩
— Vodacom United Rugby Championship (URC) (@URCOfficial_RSA) April 19, 2025
First half hat-trick completed inside 26 minutes 🔥@Vodacom #URC | #STOvCON pic.twitter.com/8zP11PONA0
What made the Bulls’ win particularly meritorious was the fact that while they were given a strong edge in their field of particular strength, the scrums, due to the Munster injury crisis, the decision to go to uncontested scrums because of Munster injuries during the game significantly robbed them of that platform.
BULLS CAN GO SECOND IF THEY BEAT GLASGOW
The Bulls’ win now means that Friday night’s game against Glasgow Warriors at the Scotstoun is a de facto shoot out for second place. Glasgow effectively dropped a point when they struggled so much to beat Zebre in Parma in the last match of the weekend that they failed to pick up a try scoring bonus point and are four ahead of the Bulls.
Play-Offs secured 🔒
— Vodacom United Rugby Championship (URC) (@URCOfficial_RSA) April 20, 2025
Vodacom @BlueBullsRugby fans, get ready for knock out rugby 🏉
@Vodacom #URC | #RaceToTheEight pic.twitter.com/Dx8YTIp8Tf
Why it is a shoot-out is because Glasgow have to play Leinster, who beat them 52-0 in the Champions Cup a week ago, in one of their remaining games. That game is in Dublin. The Bulls have only two home games against Welsh teams waiting for them after the Scotstoun clash.
With Ulster also going down at the weekend, it can be said that the round turned out really well for the Stormers. The Lions didn’t help them with their performance against Benetton, and apart from now being fifth on the log the Italian team will come to Cape Town with momentum.
However, it could also be argued that the Benetton performance coupled with the Stormers’ defensive problems against Connacht was a wake-up call for the Stormers that will militate against any potential for the Stormers to be complacent.
And while director of rugby John Dobson rightly described it as one of his team’s worst performances, and admitted they were fortunate to win, they did win and they banked five log points. You can’t really ask for more than that and Benetton is arguably their only tough remaining league game.
ROUND 15 VODACOM UNITED RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP RESULTS
Edinburgh 17 Hollywoodbets Sharks 18
Emirates Lions 31 Benetton 42
DHL Stormers 34 Connacht 29
Ospreys 19 Connacht 36
Munster 13 Vodacom Bulls 16
Dragons 23 Scarlets 31
Leinster 41 Ulster 17
Zebre 6 Glasgow Warriors 14
RPOUND 16 VURC MATCHES
Cardiff v Munster (Cardiff, Friday 8:35pm)
Glasgow Warriors v Vodacom Bulls (Glasgow, Friday 8:25pm)
Emirates Lions v Connacht (Johannesburg, Saturday 4pm)
Ospreys v Dragons (Newport, Saturday 4pm)
DHL Stormers v Benetton (Cape Town, Saturday 6:15pm)
Scarlets v Leinster (Llanelli, Saturday 6:15)
Zebre v Edinburgh (Parma, Saturday 8:35pm)
Ulster v Hollywoodbets Sharks (Belfast, Saturday 8:35pm)
LOG SITUATION AFTER 15 GAMES: 1. Leinster 67 points, 2. Glasgow Warriors 58, 3. Vodacom Bulls 54, 4. Hollywoodbets Sharks 49, 5. Benetton 41, 6. Cardiff 41, 7. Munster 40, 8. DHL Stormers 40, 9. Scarlets 38, 10. Ulster 37, 11. Edinburgh 37, 12. Connacht 35, 13. Ospreys 33, 14. Emirates Lions 31, 15. Zebre 27, 16. Dragons 9.