Bulls' ugly win in Wales a timely reminder for SA teams
OPINION: The Lions and Stormers should expect a few curveballs when they travel overseas for the final two rounds of the United Rugby Championship league phase.
Overseas tours can make or break URC campaigns.
The Sharks went down to Edinburgh this past weekend to finish their tour with two losses.
Over the course of the season, they’ve lost four and drawn one of their URC fixtures staged overseas.
It isn’t hard to understand why the Sharks have bowed out of the play-off race a couple of weeks before the end of the league phase.
The Bulls, Lions and Stormers remain in contention – and at this stage, all three are in the running for a home quarterfinal.
The results of the next two rounds, however, will determine where they play in the knockouts.
It’s fair to say that the team that travels overseas will be hard-pressed to advance to the final and win the title.
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The Bulls made a statement recently when they won both of their away fixtures in Wales.
With two home matches against Italian opposition remaining, they are well placed to finish in the top four, and to host a quarterfinal and possibly even a semifinal.
Achieving that, they may have cause to reflect on the 23-21 win against the Scarlets in Llanelli.
Handré Pollard produced a clinical goal-kicking performance to get his team over the line in a tight contest.
The resultant four log points could mean the difference between finishing fourth and fifth in the standings, and the difference between playing home or away in the play-offs.
What’s more, the lessons taken from the visit to Llanelli should serve the Bulls well as they gear up for the business end of the season.
The Bulls weren’t at their accurate best, but they stayed in the fight.
They shrugged off a few missed opportunities as well as a couple of bizarre rulings by the officials. They kept on pressing until the win was in the bag.
It was in those final moments where double World Cup-winners such as Pollard and Willie le Roux proved their worth.
Pollard’s limitations on attack and Le Roux’s vulnerabilities on defence are well documented.
But few are better at managing a team in hostile overseas conditions and closing out a game.
The best teams manage to adapt to the opposition, conditions and refereeing interpretations.
This past Saturday, the Bulls showed that they can prevail, even when things aren’t going their way.
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In the coming weeks, the Lions and Stormers may be put to a similar test – and again, the results of their respective overseas tours will determine how much they travel in the ensuing play-offs.
The Lions have received due praise for their home performances.
Cash van Rooyen’s charges have won 10 out of 12 URC matches in South Africa this season, and recently put 54 points on Glasgow and 33 on Connacht.
Their overseas record, however, is very different: three losses and a draw in the URC, as well as a defeat and a draw in the Challenge Cup fixtures staged up north.
As good as they’ve been in recent weeks, the Lions will need to adapt to the unique challenges of playing abroad if they’re going to beat Leinster and Munster in Ireland.
If Leinster beat Toulon in the Champions Cup semifinal this weekend, they will turn their attention to the Final, which will be staged after the last two rounds of the URC.
In that event, the URC may be a secondary consideration for the Irish powerhouse, and the Lions may have a chance to surprise a weakened Leinster line-up.
Benetton scored a shock win against Leinster this past weekend. While it’s a big upset in the context of the URC play-off race, the Irish side remains focused on the primary goal of winning the Champions Cup.
Munster have blown hot and cold this season, but as seen in their 41-14 win against Ulster this past Saturday, they will be tougher to topple at Thomond Park in the final round of the league phase.
The Lions should expect a hostile reception in Limerick. If they come through that challenge with a victory, there will be good cause to talk about Van Rooyen’s side as title contenders.
If they return from the tour with nothing, however, the conversation around the team will be limited to their achievement of qualifying for the play-offs for the first time.
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#OPINION: Round 16 of the United Rugby Championship has come and gone, and while some will look back at the weekend fondly, others will rather try to forget it. 👇#URC #Stormers #Sharks #Bulls #Lions #SouthAfrica #Springboks https://t.co/lsXwlbQyXj
— Rugby365 (@rugby365com) April 27, 2026
The Stormers could finish at the top of the standings, and ensure that they play all knockout matches – a quarterfinal, and possibly a semifinal and final – at the Cape Town Stadium.
John Dobson’s men face two tricky overseas fixtures against Ulster and Cardiff, who are both in the race for the play-offs.
Ulster have suffered a dip in form. After winning their first five home games, they’ve lost their last three – all to Irish opponents.
Cardiff has proved tough to beat in the Welsh capital this season. With matches against Glasgow (away) and the Stormers (home) to come, they may target the latter as a must-win.
The Stormers have won all four of their URC away fixtures to date. While they fell short in the recent Champions Cup play-off in Toulon, they were always in the contest.
That said, they would do well to rewatch the battle between the Bulls and Scarlets in Llanelli.
There will be moments in the coming away games when the Stormers will be on the ropes, and when the officials will be under pressure to make a game-shaping call in front of a partisan crowd.
It promises to be a good test for the players – many of whom are pushing for Springbok selection in the upcoming Tests against England, Scotland and Wales in July.
Their response will shape the results of those overseas matches and determine whether the Stormers finish at the top of the standings or not.
While the play-offs are still a couple of weeks away, the stakes are incredibly high.
