Vodacom Bulls take honours in derby clash – Vodacom Super Rugby Round 7 Roundup
- Cell C Sharks sparkle in Auckland triumph over Blues
- Crusaders edge Emirates Lions in hard-fought clash
The Vodacom Bulls returned to winning ways with their 33-23 derby win over the DHL Stormers on Saturday evening, while earlier in the day the Cell C Sharks also returned to form with their superb 63-40 Vodacom Super Rugby triumph over the Blues in Auckland.
The Emirates Lions played at home on Sunday afternoon in a repeat of the 2017 final against the Crusaders and the New Zealand side edged the Highveld team 14-8 in a close fought match.
Wing Madosh Tambwe scored the opening try of the match while the Crusaders replied with tries from Sam Whitelock and Jack Goodhue.
The Emirates Lions are heading the SA Conference log with 20 points from their four wins from seven matches. They are followed by the DHL Stormers and Cell C Sharks who are both on 13 points, with the Vodacom Bulls (9) and Jaguares (8) completing the local standings.
Saturday’s Vodacom Bulls win over their Cape Town rivals saw the men from Pretoria ending a run of four losses in a row, with former captain Adriaan Strauss scoring three times before his substitution in the second half.
It was a fitting performance by Strauss who celebrated his fantastic Vodacom Super Rugby achievement for the most appearances by any South African at this level. The 32-year-old hooker made his 149th Vodacom Super Rugby appearance in his first start of the season, surpassing the longstanding record of Victor Matfield’s of 148 matches – where it all started for him, in Pretoria.
Centre Damian de Allende and lock Pieter-Steph du Toit were both yellow carded, which disrupted play for the visiting Cape side while replacement prop Lizo Gqoboka of the home team was also shown yellow near the end of the game.
Cell C Sharks flyhalf Robert du Preez delivered a superb performance and contributed a personal tally of 38 points in the Durban side’s thrilling 63-40 triumph over the Blues early on Saturday morning in Auckland.
Du Preez kicked seven penalties, six conversions and also dotted down a try for the SA side who snapped a two-game losing run with their sparkling victory at Eden Park. The difference between the sides was the string of successful penalty kicks which Du Preez slotted with impressive easy.
Next Friday the Cell C Sharks visit the Hurricanes, the Emirates Lions host the DHL Stormers on Saturday afternoon while the Vodacom Bulls have a bye.
Vodacom Super Rugby information (click on the links below for access to the match centre):
Emirates Lions 8, Crusaders 14
Scorers
Emirates Lions 8 – Try: Madosh Tambwe. Penalty: Elton Jantjies
Crusaders 14 – Tries: Sam Whitelock, Jack Goodhue. Conversions: Mitchell Hunt (2)
Vodacom Bulls 33, DHL Stormers 23
Scorers:
Vodacom Bulls 33 – Tries: Adriaan Strauss (3), Johnny Kotze, Jesse Kriel; Conversions: Handre Pollard (4).
DHL Stormers 23 – Tries: Jan de Klerk, Damian de Allende, Siya Kolisi; Conversion: Damian Willemse;
Penalties: Willemse (2).
Blues 40, Cell C Sharks 63
Scorers:
Blues 40 – Tries: Michael Collins, Akira Ioane, Patrick Tuipulotu, Stephen Perofeta, Rieko Ioane, George Moala; Conversions: Perofeta (5).
Cell C Sharks 63 – Tries: Ruan Botha, Jean-Luc du Preez, Terra Mtembu, Robert du Preez, Kobus van Wyk, Curwin Bosch; Conversions: Robert du Preez (6); Penalties: Du Preez (7).
Other Round 7 results this weekend:
Saturday, 31 March:
Chiefs 27, Highlanders 22;
Rebels 19, Hurricanes 50;
Brumbies 17, Waratahs 25.
Byes: Sunwolves, Jaguares, Reds
The updated log after this weekend’s Round 7 action:
Australian Conference
| Pos | Team | P | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts |
| 1 | Rebels | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 207 | 161 | 46 | 20 |
| 2 | Waratahs | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 161 | 133 | 28 | 14 |
| 3 | Reds | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 94 | 101 | -7 | 13 |
| 4 | Brumbies | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 93 | 117 | -24 | 9 |
| 5 | Sunwolves | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 112 | 220 | -108 | 2 |
New Zealand Conference
| Pos | Team | P | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts |
| 1 | Hurricanes | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 161 | 80 | 81 | 19 |
| 2 | Crusaders | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 173 | 127 | 46 | 19 |
| 3 | Chiefs | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 179 | 126 | 53 | 17 |
| 4 | Highlanders | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 133 | 122 | 11 | 14 |
| 5 | Blues | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 153 | 203 | -50 | 6 |
South African Conference
| Pos | Team | P | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts |
| 1 | Emirates Lions | 7 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 240 | 220 | 20 | 20 |
| 2 | DHL Stormers | 7 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 183 | 204 | -21 | 13 |
| 3 | Cell C Sharks | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 187 | 182 | 5 | 13 |
| 4 | Vodacom Bulls | 6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 145 | 185 | -40 | 9 |
| 5 | Jaguares | 6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 150 | 190 | -40 | 8 |
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