At Ellis Park, the Lions extended their winning run to two matches with an exhilarating 49-31 victory over the Northern Irish outfit Ulster. In Durban, the Sharks finally opened their account with a hard-fought 29-19 win against the Scarlets. 

The Stormers completed a perfect overseas tour by beating Benetton 31-16 in Treviso.

Chris Smith. Photo: Morgan Piek

The Lions turned on the style in Johannesburg, outscoring Ulster by seven tries to five in a 12-try thriller in hot conditions. Replacement prop and former Cheetah, Beertjie van Vuuren, bagged a late brace, while flyhalf Chris Smith contributed 14 points with the boot to seal a convincing 49-31 result.

The hosts made a blistering start, SJ Kotze crossing within the opening two minutes, before Robert Baloucoune responded for Ulster with the first of his three tries. 

Eduan Keyter then finished off a sweeping move to restore the Lions’ advantage, though Ulster hit back through James Hume and Baloucoune again to lead 19-17 at the break.

Bonus point

The second half, however, belonged to Ivan van Rooyen’s men. Ruan Venter powered over from a scrum, and Renzo du Plessis and Henco van Wyk added further tries to secure the bonus point. 

Ulster briefly threatened when David McCann scored, but Van Vuuren’s double in the final minutes ensured the Lions capped off a statement win and handed the Irish province their first loss of the season.

Scorers:

Lions: Tries – SJ Kotze, Eduan Keyter, Ruan Venter, Henco van Wyk, Renzo du Plessis, Beertjie van Vuuren 2 Conv.– Chris Smith 4 Pen. – Smith 2

Ulster: Tries –Robert Baloucounne 3, James Hume, Dave McCann Conv. –Nathan Doak 2, Jake Flannery

Ox Nché. Photo: Morgan Piek

In Durban, the Sharks finally gave their fans something to cheer about with a spirited 29-19 victory over the Scarlets – their first of the season after a draw and three defeats. Despite the late withdrawals of key players Siya Masuku and Vincent Koch, John Plumtree’s charges showed character to outscore the Welsh visitors by four tries to three.

Flanker Vincent Tshituka opened the scoring early before Scarlets hooker and former Cheetah, Marnus van der Merwe, hit back. The see-saw pattern continued as Emmanuel Tshituka danced his way through for the Sharks’ second, only for Blair Murray to respond for the Scarlets moments later.

‘Rogers crossed early in second half’

Lee-Marvin Mazibuko’s powerful drive handed the hosts a slender halftime advantage, but when Tom Rogers crossed early in the second half, the visitors were right back in it. 

The turning point came when captain Siya Kolisi emerged from a rolling maul to score the Sharks’ fourth try and secure the bonus point. Jean Smith added a penalty, and with Taine Plumtree (son of Sharks coach John Plumtree) yellow-carded late on, the hosts held firm for a deserved victory that lifts morale and eases early-season pressure.

Scorers:

Sharks: Tries – Vincent Tshituka, Emmanuel Tshituka, Lee-Marvin Mazibuku, Siya Kolisi Conv. – Jean Smith 3 Pen. – Smith

Scarlets: Tries – Marnus van der Merwe, Blair Murray, Tom Rogers Conv. – Sam Costelow 2

Jurie Matthee. Photo: Stormers

Meanwhile, in Treviso, the Stormers capped off a flawless three-match tour with a clinical 31-16 win over Benetton, making it five wins from five overall in the URC as they continue to lead the log. Flyhalf Jurie Matthee was the standout performer, contributing 21 points through a try, four penalties, and three conversions in a mature, composed display.

The Cape side struck first through prop Sazi Sandi, but Benetton fought back via Jacob Umaga’s boot and a fine Louis Lynagh try to take a 16-11 lead at halftime.

‘Patience paid off’

The Stormers’ defensive organisation and patience paid off after the break. Matthee crossed for a well-worked try before slotting several crucial penalties to edge his team clear.

As Benetton’s composure faltered, the visitors’ discipline and structure shone through. Replacement lock Adré Smith sealed the result on the stroke of full-time, diving over to cap an outstanding defensive performance that kept the Italians scoreless in the second half.

Scorers:

Benetton: Try – Louis Lynagh Conv. – Jacob Umaga Pen. – Umaga 3

Stormers: Tries – Sazi Sandi, Jurie Matthee, Zachary Porthen Conv. – Matthee 2 Pen. – Matthee 4

The only blemish for the South African teams this weekend was the Bulls going down to Franco Smith’s Glasgow Warriors in Scotland. The former champions beat the Bulls 21-12 at the Scotstoun Stadium for their fourth win of the season to move up to third.

For the Bulls, it signed off a tough tour where they lost to Ulster at Ravenhill, edged Connacht by a point in Galway, and also lost a Springbok player to a nine-match suspension.

OFM Sport/Morgan Piek  dg