Bulls rumble into Glasgow for revenge

The Vodacom Bulls are licking their lips this week for a replay of last season’s URC final, while the Stormers and Sharks look to continue their winning run to the playoffs.

It was a dramatic and rewarding round 15 for the Bulls, Sharks and Stormers last week, but a fifth defeat in a row dealt a huge blow to the Lions’ hopes of reaching the top eight.

Speedster Makazole Mapimpi’s last-gasp try helped the Sharks edge Edinburgh 18-17 at Hive Stadium on Friday night. It was a game of attrition in the Scottish capital as John Plumtree’s men fought back from a 10-6 half-time deficit to snatch victory on the stroke of full time.

On Saturday, a Keagan Johannes penalty strike in the closing minutes saw the Bulls beat Munster 16-13 at Thomond Park, where veteran flanker Marcell Coetzee was named Man of the Match after making 31 tackles and scoring the visitors’ only try. The Bulls became the first South African team to beat the Red Army in Limerick and complete the Irish Slam, having scalped Connacht, Ulster and Leinster earlier this season.

Back in the Republic, an overturned Connacht try at the death sealed a 34-29 win for the Stormers at Cape Town Stadium, while the Lions were outplayed 42-31 by Benetton in Johannesburg.

The Pride quickly found themselves on the back foot at Ellis Park and trailed 32-17 at the break. Despite their best efforts to regroup in the second half, Ivan van Rooyen’s charges lacked the firepower to overtake the Italians.

In Cape Town, irrepressible Stormers playmaker Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu scored three of the hosts’ five tries, but boss John Dobson slammed his team’s defence after leaking the same number of tries in a see-saw battle.

Following round 15, the Bulls hold onto third place on the standings (54 points), the Sharks remain fourth (49 pts), the Stormers jump two spots to eighth (40 pts) and the Lions continue to languish in 14th (31 pts).

The Bulls and second-placed Glasgow Warriors have joined leaders Leinster, now 14 wins from 15, in booking top-eight berths with three rounds remaining in the league campaign.

But, there are still 12 other teams with a mathematical chance of securing one of the five vacant spots in the knockout stages.

MORE: Beating Munster ‘massive’ for Bulls – Jake

In round 16, the Bulls face Glasgow on Friday night at Scotstoun Stadium, where the Herd haven’t won since 2022. They were victorious last season in the corresponding fixture at Loftus, but Franco Smith’s Warriors exacted revenge in the Pretoria final.

On Saturday, the Lions host Connacht looking to snap a three-game losing streak against the men from Galway, including a 38-14 hammering in Ireland last season.

The Stormers entertain Benetton, who have beaten the Capetonians twice in Treviso but went down 38-22 at Danie Craven Stadium in 2022-23.

And finally, the Sharks tackle Ulster in Belfast, where Plumtree’s troops are winless in two previous trips to Kingspan Stadium.

Round 15 results:
Edinburgh 17-18 Sharks
Lions 31-42 Benetton
Stormers 34-29 Connacht
Ospreys 19-36 Cardiff
Munster 13-16 Bulls
Dragons 23-31 Scarlets
Leinster 41-17 Ulster
Zebre 6-14 Glasgow

Round 16 fixtures:
Friday, 25 April
Cardiff vs Munster (8.35pm)
Glasgow vs Bulls (8.35pm)
Saturday, 26 April
Lions vs Connacht (4pm)
Ospreys vs Dragons (4pm)
Stormers vs Benetton (6.15pm)
Scarlets vs Leinster (6.15pm)
Zebre vs Edinburgh (8.35pm)
Ulster vs Sharks (8.35pm)

Photo: ©INPHO/James Crombie