Round five of the United Rugby Championship (URC) came with massive challenges for the South African Franchises. The four Saffa representatives had their plans and players put to the test, and while three of the sides didn’t get the desired result, they will have gained a lot.
As they say, you learn more from a defeat than a victory, and that will prove vital going into the next round.
Stormers draw at Ospreys
Ospreys 16-16 Stormers
The Stormers opened the weekend’s proceedings on Friday, playing in horrible Welsh weather conditions. The rain was pounding down, and the wind was swirling in Swansea.
It was a low-scoring affair, as many expected, with a majority of the points coming from the kicking tee.
The Capetonians scored a superb try – a true trademark of their style of play this season. However, the Ospreys dotted down a five-pointer of their own, five minutes before the final hooter to draw the scores level.
Both sides had a proper go at victory well after the 80-minutes, but a handling error brought an end to proceedings, with the two sides each earning two log points.
Not the desired result ,but we still standing in the storm ⛈ pic.twitter.com/eOf46nsPIC
— Joseph Dweba (@josephdweba2) October 15, 2022
Lions fall to a narrow defeat against Ulster
Lions 37-39 Ulster
A definite contender for the match of the weekend, where ten tries were scored.
There was a good back-and-forth between the two sides in the first half, however, the Lions lost the plot around the halfway mark.
Ulster scored three quick tries, and it seemed like an easy bonus-point win was on the cards for the Irish outfit. The men from Joburg did get themselves back in the game, seeing the match go down to the wire.
However, the Lions just couldn’t get their noses in front. It was just two points, a single missed conversion that was the deciding factor.
Francke Horn runs riot in Johannesburg 💨
#BKTURC #URC | #LIOvULS @LionsRugbyCo pic.twitter.com/NSci2tEyao— BKT United Rugby Championship (URC) (@URCOfficial) October 15, 2022
Sharks fin-ish off Warriors
Sharks 40-12 Glasgow Warriors
The encounter marked the start of Eben Etzebeth’s URC career with the Sharks, after a spell with Toulon. Big things were expected from the Springbok lock, and he did not disappoint, popping up seemingly everywhere.
“I’m South African by heart”
– Eben Etzebeth 💚#BKTURC #URC | #SHAvGLA @SharksRugby pic.twitter.com/jfNnLkre12— BKT United Rugby Championship (URC) (@URCOfficial) October 15, 2022
The first half was one of the narrow margins. There was barely anything splitting the two sides around the halfway mark. Just one point the difference in the 42nd minute.
The Sharks then found another couple of gears and went on to score four unanswered tries for a convincing victory at Kings Park.
Bulls blue once again
Munster 31-17 Bulls
The Bulls URC tour up North has hardly been what Jake White and his management team imagined. After an impressive opening three rounds in South Africa, their time in Europe started with a 35-21 defeat at the Glasgow Warriors.
That put some pressure on the Pretoria side as they travelled to Ireland to face powerhouse side, Munster.
Prop turned Fly-Half 🎯@Vodacom #URC | #MUNvBUL @MunsterRugby pic.twitter.com/gl1q2MzAqS
— Vodacom United Rugby Championship (URC) (@URCOfficial_RSA) October 15, 2022
Like the Sharks/Glasgow encounter, the game was extremely tight during the first phase of the game. However, the home side pulled away and an error-stricken Bulls team just couldn’t get themselves back in the match.
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