The Sharks’ magnificent victory over the previously unbeaten Stormers in the Vodacom URC has set up a mouth-watering second instalment this Saturday.
The Lions and Vodacom Bulls will also play out their own second act in the competition.
The Stormers were desperately poor in front of a sold-out crowd at Cape Town Stadium and will want to atone, but will have to do so against resurgent opponents in the cauldron of the Shark Tank.
Elsewhere, the Vodacom Bulls continued their mini-revival under Johan Ackermann with an impressive come-from-behind away victory over Edinburgh.
There will be a similar feeling of revenge hanging in the Highveld air after the Lions upset the odds – and the Loftus faithful – in a high-scoring affair earlier in the season.
KEO: Bulls rediscover belief, Lions remain an enigma
The weekend results sees the Stormers drop to second, three points behind the Glasgow Warriors, but having played a game less than the Scottish side and the other overseas teams around them.
The Lions remain seventh with 24 points after their 24-24 draw away to the Ospreys, but there is a bit of gap opening up between themselves and the teams near the top.
The Bulls climbed two places to ninth after their win in Edinburgh and are now within touching distance of their Gauteng rivals.
The Sharks badly needed a win to stay in contention for the URC playoffs and did so in emphatic style. JP Pietersen’s side climbed from 14th to 11th and are now only two points outside the top eight.
DOBBO: Stormers’ worst performance of season
In the space of two weeks the STORMERS have lost their unbeaten records in both the Investec Champions Cup and Vodacom URC.
However, it is less the result and more the manner of defeat that must concern John Dobson and his coaching staff.
Prior to the round 10 defeat to the Sharks in Cape Town, the Stormers had been No 1 in the URC for lineouts, mauls and scrums. That all disappeared in a haze of miscued lineouts, scrum penalties and unforced errors as the Sharks imposed themselves on their coastal rivals.
Dobson did not mince his words when he labelled the encounter “our worst performance of the season”, and there will be hard words spoken at training this week before the Stormers get on the plane to Durban.
There can be no denying the massive impact JP Pietersen has had on the SHARKS since he took interim charge in December.
There have been losses to the Lions in the URC and Sale Sharks in the Champions Cup, but there is a strong upward curve and the performances and results are starting to follow – none more so than the 30-19 win over the Stormers in Cape Town.
KEO: Andre the Giant leads Sharks to slaughter of Stormers
This was no iffy win either. It was assured, comprehensive and in the bag long before the final whistle. The Sharks dominated every key facet of play and the fact that the Stormers misfired so badly is down to the visitors simply never allowing them to settle into any kind of cohesive pattern.
It is now four wins from six under Pietersen and he will know how important it is to back that performance up with one of similar intensity and precision.
MORE: JP hails Andre the Giant’s leadership
The LIONS are still well-placed on the URC log but must be wondering what they have to do to get over the line in tight games.
First it was a 20-20 draw away to Perpignan which denied coach Ivan van Rooyen’s side a place in the last 16 of the EPCR Challenge Cup. The Lions followed that stalemate up with the 24-24 result away to the Ospreys in the URC on Friday night.
While both results are commendable, particularly away from home and in challenging conditions, the Lions do need to find a way to turn close contests into wins.
MORE: Lions brace for resurgent Bulls
There is no better place to start than a rip-roaring clash against their derby rivals at Ellis Park. The Lions will have fond memories of their previous URC derby when they left Loftus with a 43-33 win in late November.
The BULLS are trending for all the right reasons at long last.
Following seven consecutive losses across all competitions, the Pretoria-based side have now won back-to-back games across the Champions Cup and URC against Pau and Edinburgh respectively.
There is something to be said for belief which is suddenly coursing through Bulls veins again. The team has shown heart, desire and no little fight on defence in two titanic battles in Europe to come away with confidence-boosting wins.
ACKERS: Bulls’ belief never wavered
Their Springboks are looking and playing like world champions again and one can just begin to see the impact that the coaching regime ,which now includes Neil de Bruin alongside Ackermann, is starting to have.
The Bulls are through to the Champions Cup playoffs and are starting to make serious inroads up the URC log. The question is: can they continue their mini-winning run against the old foe at Ellis Park?
Round 10 results:
Ospreys 24 Lions 24
Edinburgh 17 Bulls 19
Munster 22 Dragons 20
Scarlets 27 Ulster 22
Connacht 23 Leinster 34
Stormers 19 Sharks 30
Zebre Parma 21 Glasgow Warriors 26
Cardiff 17 Benetton 8
Round 11 fixtures (SA times):
Friday, 30 January
Benetton vs Scarlets, 9:45pm
Glasgow Warriors vs Munster, 9:45pm
Saturday, 31 January
Lions vs Vodacom Bulls, 2:30pm
Sharks vs Stormers, 5pm
Zebre Parma vs Connacht, 5pm
Leinster vs Edinburgh, 7:30pm
Ospreys vs Dragons, 9:45pm
Ulster vs Cardiff, 9:45pm
Photo: Cole Cruickshank/Gallo Images
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