There’s plenty on the line for South Africa’s Vodacom URC contenders heading into the final round of the regular season, writes LINDIZ VAN ZILLA.
The big winners this past weekend were the Vodacom Bulls, who jumped from seventh to fourth on the URC standings after a 54-19 win over Zebre at Loftus, and teams around them faltering.
The Stormers didn’t lose, but their disappointing 38-38 draw to Ulster in Belfast saw them surrender top spot to the Glasgow Warriors.
The Lions did lose against Leinster and slipped from third to fifth. They find themselves back in the playoff mixer, with six teams all within five points of each other.
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The STORMERS managed to secure a dramatic last-minute draw and three valuable log points, but there is no escaping the fact that they let the game slip against Ulster.
How costly that could prove will depend how far John Dobson’s troops go in the competition.
The Stormers head into their final-round clash against Cardiff knowing they can ill afford another slip-up and fall out of the top two.
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Glasgow are top on 60 points, followed by the Stormers on 59, with Irish powerhouse Leinster looming large in their rearview mirror on 58.
The BULLS keep on doing the business.
It wasn’t pretty and far from perfect against Zebre, but a fifth consecutive URC win lifted Johan Ackermann’s side to fourth in the standings.
Most crucially, the Bulls have done enough to qualify for the playoffs.
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While ninth-placed Connacht (49 points) can technically still draw level with the Bulls on 54, the Pretoria-based side have 11 wins compared to the nine of the Irish club and that will be the determining factor in the event of teams tied on the log.
ACKERS: Cheswill injury the ‘only negative’
The main prize for the Bulls heading into their final clash against Benetton at Loftus is to hold onto fourth place and secure home-ground advantage for the quarter-finals.
The LIONS gave it a good go in Dublin on Saturday but ultimately suffered a 31-7 defeat to a Leinster outfit missing several first-choice players, ending a six-match winning run in the competition.
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It doesn’t get any easier for the Lions with a trip to sixth-placed Munster at Thomond Park on Saturday night.
The Lions will have one eye on the Bulls, who sit a point and one place above them, but need to be wary of the chasing pack as they could still be overtaken by Connacht, who are away to Edinburgh.
CASH: Munster clash do-or-die for Lions
The Lions at least have the advantage of knowing what will be required, as their clash will bring a close to the regular season.
Restoring pride and the blooding of young talent is the best the SHARKS can aim for as their season peters out.
JP Pietersen’s side produced a stirring performance in their 46-7 win over Benetton at Kings Park, with young guns Zekhethelo Siyaya and Jurenzo Julius to the fore.
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Many Sharks fans may be asking where this Sharks team has been this season, which has delivered just seven wins and a draw from 17 URC matches.
The 10th-placed Sharks finish their campaign with a home clash against bottom-placed Zebre on Saturday.
Round 17 results
Glasgow 40 Cardiff 17
Ulster 38 Stormers 38
Bulls 54 Zebre 19
Sharks 46 Benetton 7
Ospreys 27 Scarlets 20
Leinster 31 Lions 7
Dragons 15 Edinburgh 24
Connacht 26 Munster 7
Round 18 fixtures
Friday, 15 May
Cardiff vs Stormers (8:45pm)
Ulster vs Glasgow (8:45pm)
Edinburgh vs Connacht (8:45pm)
Saturday, 16 May
Sharks vs Zebre (1:45pm)
Bulls vs Benetton (4pm)
Leinster vs Ospreys (6:15pm)
Scarlets vs Dragons (6:15pm)
Munster vs Lions (8:45pm)
Photo: Anton Geyser/Gallo Images
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