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South African URC Sides Surge as Stormers, Lions and Bulls Bank Pivotal Wins

Late scores with bonus points tightened playoff races across three leagues.

Overview

  • In URC Round 14 on Saturday, the Stormers beat Edinburgh 33-14 for a bonus-point win that kept them second, the Lions routed the Dragons 42-26 to stretch their streak to four and climb into the top five, and the Bulls edged Munster 34-31 with Handré Pollard perfect off the tee.
  • Connacht beat Ospreys 21-14 in Galway as scrum-half Matthew Devine scored late, a result that dented Ospreys’ push for a quarter-final place.
  • The Western Force fell 24-14 to the Chiefs in Perth, leaving the Force second-bottom with one win from six and little margin for error in the run toward the Super Rugby Pacific finals.
  • In the Gallagher Premiership, Harlequins beat Bristol 18-14 to end a six-match league slide, Leicester topped Gloucester 36-17 to hold third, and Bath edged Sale 31-26 to move within a point of leaders Northampton.
  • With four URC rounds left and a European break next, South African teams have momentum, and bonus points plus accurate goal-kicking are proving decisive in a playoff race shaped by narrow margins.