SHARKS AND BULLS SHOWED TRUE GRIT AT THE VODACOM UNITED RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP DERBIES

In an exciting round of Vodacom United Rugby Championship derbies on Saturday, the Vodacom Bulls and Hollywoodbets Sharks displayed true grit as they emerged victorious against the Lions and DHL Stormers. This not only demonstrated that they could be finding their form at the right time, but it also gave them a helpful boost in the standings.

In the highly anticipated Jukskei Derby in Johannesburg, the Vodacom Bulls put on a dominant exhibition of rugby against the Lions, winning 52-17 bonus points with an astonishing eight tries to two from the home team. The Hollywoodbets Sharks defeated the DHL Stormers 36-24 on bonus points in the second half, their second consecutive victory over the Capetonians. The DHL Stormers (36 points) fell from second to third position in the standings as a result of these results, while the Vodacom Bulls (25 points) rose to seventh, the Hollywoodbets Sharks (24 points) to ninth, and the Lions (24 points) fell to tenth.

With two derby games left for the four local teams, the Hollywoodbets Sharks' victory also propelled them to the top of the South African Shield competition. The Six Nations will take place over the next few weeks, giving the teams a well-earned breather until Saturday, February 21, when the Lions and Sharks compete in a rescheduled round eight match. A week later, all four clubs will participate in another derby round.

At Ellis Park on Saturday, the Vodacom Bulls spectacularly outplayed the Lions, outscoring the hosts eight tries to two for a convincing 52-17 Vodacom URC victory, with their bonus point earned in the first half. In addition to making up for their earlier tournament loss to the Johannesburgers in Pretoria, the win earned them a significant lift in the standings with eight pool matches remaining.

While they advanced into the early rucks with pick-and-go rugby, forcing the Lions to defend most of the time, Johan Ackermann's charges balanced their attack, controlling possession and most aspects of play.

Harold Vorster, Johann Grobbelaar, Handre Pollard, and Kurt-Lee Arendse all scored four tries in the first half, and the Vodacom Bulls added four more in the second half, including Vorster's brace and those of Embrose Papier, Mpilo Gumede, and Keagan Johannes. After Arendse was given a yellow card in the first half, the host team was only able to score a penalty goal thanks to a strong defensive effort by the men in blue. However, the Lions never gave up, with tries from Morne van den Berg early in the second half and Bronson Mills just before the end.

The Lions will be desperate to turn things around after back-to-back draws before this loss in order to try to force their way back into the top eight for a playoff spot, while the Vodacom Bulls will take heart from this performance as they try to secure a quarterfinal spot in the competition and possibly in the Investec Champions Cup in the coming months.