Even Munster are suddenly charging and homing in now on a top four or even top two place but after their statement win over Glasgow Warriors at the weekend a first ever top place finish on the Vodacom URC log is now in the DHL Stormers’ hands.
Only five points separate the Cape team from the fifth-placed surging Munster, who won their Irish derby against Ulster comprehensively, with that following up from an emphatic win over Benetton in Treviso the week before. So it is still possible for the Stormers to still drop out of the top four that secures home advantage in a quarterfinal at the very least.
On the evidence of what the Stormers did to Glasgow though, and with the caveat that it is attendant on remembering what worked in the game, something the Stormers can sometimes be forgetful about, they should be aiming much higher than that. Their director of rugby John Dobson said before the game against Connacht that his team needed three wins in the last four games to be sure of a top placed finish.
The loss to Connacht amidst the emotion of commemorating the life of the late team manager Chippie Solomon was a setback. But thumping Glasgow like they did has put them back on track plus there have been some other results that Dobson might not have been completely expecting when he was speaking 10 days ago - like Leinster losing to Benetton at the weekend, and Glasgow returning from a two game trip to South Africa without having gained so much as a solitary point.
EARLIER OVERSEAS WINS HAVE BRED CONFIDENCE
With Glasgow set to play the same teams they do, Ulster and Cardiff, the one point advantage enjoyed by the Stormers could be significant, and also decisive if the Stormers get full points from both games. A year ago that would have seemed highly unlikely, but the Stormers have been good in their overseas games this season and Ulster have shown signs of running out of gas as injuries mount.
Not that the Stormers don’t have injury concerns of their own, with the loss of JD Schickerling for the rest of the season eating into their second row stocks and if Cobus Reinach, who left the field in some discomfort in the second half against Glasgow, is missing from the business end of the season that will be a loss to Dobson’s men too.
However they do have considerable depth in other areas, and the most noteworthy thing about the Glasgow game was how easily the Stormers outmuscled a team that outmuscled them in last year’s quarterfinal at The Scotstoun. We have of course seen that from the Stormers before, such as against the Vodacom Bulls in Pretoria and also in the second half against Munster in Limerick.
The loss of locks has forced an adjustment to the game model but given that Ben-Jason Dixon is so comfortable there, and how good both Marcel Theunissen and Hacjivah Dayimani could be on the blindside flank if required there, the Stormers do retain impressive depth at forward and focusing on that could bring the dividend of top spot and a home run to the final should they get that far.
A dominant performance from DHL Stormers XXIII as they ran in seven tries to take a full five points in the coastal clash at DHL Stadium. #inittogether pic.twitter.com/1frAKXjmdM
— DHL Stormers (@THESTORMERS) April 25, 2026
LIONS CAN GO FOR BROKE IN QUEST FOR TOP TWO
It’s certainly a carrot for the Stormers, and their fellow South African team, the Fidelity SecureDrive Lions, also have their destiny in their hands in what for them should be the quest for a top four finish. They head overseas now but are lying third and now have enough log points to be almost certain of a first ever top-eight finish and their first appearance in the Investec Champions Cup.
One more point will put them beyond the reach of ninth placed Connacht, who in turn would not have room for any slip up in their remaining two games if they want to feature. Of course, Connacht can still get in ahead of other teams, as they are only seven behind fifth placed Munster, but the Lions would be beyond the reach of them if they pick up another point or Connacht drop a point.
As they are just three behind the top placed Stormers the Lions can still conceivably end in pole position. With a week now to refresh as the semifinals of the EPCR competitions take centre stage, the Lions can go for broke in their remaining games against Munster and Leinster in the knowledge that with a top-eight finish virtually secured they don’t have much to lose but plenty to gain (in terms of a home playoff).
𝗙𝗨𝗟𝗟 𝗧𝗜𝗠𝗘 | Fidelity SecureDrive Lions 33 – 21 Connacht
— Lions (@LionsRugbyCo) April 25, 2026
@Vodacom #URC| #LIOvCON| #ForOurCity| #LionsPride pic.twitter.com/gmQikeoWzA
DROPPED POINT MAY HURT BULLS
The Vodacom Bulls, who must frustrate their supporters terribly with their penchant for thinking they should run opponents off their feet rather than use the forwards as route one to victory, hurt their own ambitions of finishing in the top two when they failed to pick up a try scoring bonus point against the Scarlets.
It means the Stormers are now seven ahead of them rather than six, and Glasgow five rather than six, so both of the current top two are going to have to come off the rails quite badly in the last two games in order for the Bulls to be able to catch them. It is possible from the Bulls’ side as they face the two Italian sides at Loftus in their final games and can expect to bank full points in both remaining games.
Kids Round delivered... 2️⃣ rounds left ✨@Vodacom #URC | #KidsRound pic.twitter.com/znzUnoH2qF
— Vodacom United Rugby Championship (URC) (@URCOfficial_RSA) April 26, 2026
SHARKS’ PERFORMANCES HAVE BEEN UNACCEPTABLE
So can the Hollywoodbets Sharks, who face the same opponents in Durban, but it won’t bring anything concrete other maybe some salvaged pride for the KZN team, who hopefully after their defeat to Edinburgh will now stop their whining, legitimate though it may have been, about the uncontested scrums and Ethan Hooker incident that hogged headlines after the Ospreys game.
Given that they were well beaten in Edinburgh, they’d have been well out of race for a top eight finish now even if they had won in Bridgend.
Instead of trying to deflect by focusing on their misfortune against the Ospreys, the Sharks need to be brutally honest with themselves, and this is relevant to people right at the top of the food chain and in decision-making positions at the Sharks as much as it is for the players, and admit that they just haven’t been good enough. Nowhere near good enough.
Given the names the Sharks have on their books, with even when there are injuries their teams are strong on paper, they really should not be losing to the likes of the Ospreys and Edinburgh. If the fans are discontented so they should be for, but for the brief oasis when they were energy fuelled for the two Stormers game, the performances delivered have been unacceptable.
Tough defeat in Scotland.
— The Sharks (@SharksRugby) April 24, 2026
Time to reflect and work towards the 26/27 season pic.twitter.com/YoDt92B0BL
Round 16 URC results
Cardiff 24 Ospreys 21
Edinburgh 33 Hollywoodbets Sharks 28
Zebre 18 Dragons 19
DHL Stormers 48 Glasgow 12
Fidelity SecureDrive Lions 33 Connacht 21
Munster 41 Ulster 14
Scarlets 21 Vodacom Bulls 23
Benetton 29 Leinster 26
Log positions: (after 16 games) 1. DHL Stormers 56; 2. Glasgow Warriors 55; 3. Fidelity SecureDrive Lions 53; 4. Leinster 53; 5. Munster 51; 6. Cardiff 50; 7. Vodacom Bulls 49; 8. Ulster 47; 9. Connacht 44; 10. Hollywoodbets Sharks 36; 11. Ospreys 35; 12. Edinburgh 33; 13. Benetton 33; 14. Dragons 25; 15. Scarlets 24; 16. Zebre 15