South Africa’s four United Rugby Championship franchises could hardly have asked for a better start to the new campaign, with the Stormers, Lions, Sharks and Bulls all recording victories in round one.
Two of the sides had to travel for their opening fixtures, while the Lions and Sharks enjoyed home advantage. By the end of the weekend, all four South African teams had put points on the board and provided plenty of early encouragement.
Stormers overcome Connacht in Galway
The Stormers began their campaign with a 29-15 bonus-point victory over Connacht in Galway on Friday.
The Cape side controlled large periods of the contest but were unable to fully capitalise on several opportunities, allowing the hosts to remain within striking distance.
The Stormers’ scrum was one of the standout features of the performance as they established a strong physical presence against the Irish side.
The result gives the Stormers an ideal platform as their tour continues. They will face Edinburgh on Friday, 2 October.
Lions edge defending champions Leinster
The Lions produced arguably the most dramatic result of the opening round, edging defending champions Leinster 27-26 at Ellis Park.
Leinster enjoyed plenty of possession and territory, but the Lions stayed within touching distance throughout the contest.
Erich Cronje scored twice, while flyhalf Chris Smith contributed 12 points from the kicking tee.
Leinster led 19-17 at halftime, but the Lions produced a strong second-half response to secure a memorable one-point victory.
The Johannesburg side will next welcome Ospreys to Ellis Park.
Sharks overpower Ospreys in Durban
The Sharks also made an impressive start, defeating Ospreys 41-24 at Kings Park.
The Durban side showed plenty of attacking ambition, although not every opportunity was converted into points.
Captain Nick Hatton opened the scoring, while fullback Luan Giliomee crossed twice. Litelihle Bester also contributed a try as the Sharks secured a bonus-point victory.
Their next assignment will be considerably demanding, with Leinster travelling to Durban for round two.
Bulls dominate Zebre in Parma
The Bulls completed the South African clean sweep with a convincing 47-13 victory over Zebre in Parma.
The Pretoria-based side took time to settle before a penalty try got them moving. Zebre’s afternoon then became more difficult when Mateo Canali was shown a yellow card.
The Bulls took advantage of their numerical advantage, with Curwin Bosch adding valuable points from the tee as the visitors established a 21-6 halftime lead.
The Bulls continued to pull away after the break to secure a comprehensive victory.
They will now turn their attention to another difficult away assignment against Munster next Saturday.
Perfect opening weekend for South Africa
Four matches, four victories and plenty of attacking highlights have given South African rugby supporters an encouraging opening weekend.
The Stormers and Bulls demonstrated their ability to win on the road, while the Lions and Sharks protected home advantage against quality opposition.
The challenge now is to maintain that momentum as the competition moves into round two, with several demanding fixtures on the horizon.
