Four SA teams still in the European playoff races
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Four SA teams still in the European playoff races
The DHL Stormers and Hollywoodbets Sharks are still in the race to the Investec Champions Cup playoffs, but the Vodacom Bulls’ hopes of advancing to the knock-outs were dashed this weekend as they suffered their third straight defeat in the competition, while both the Toyota Cheetahs and Emirates Lions managed to keep alive their aspirations of reaching the EPCR Challenge Cup Round of 16.
The DHL Stormers delivered the goods under immense pressure in the Investec Champions Cup against the Sale Sharks to register an emphatic 40-0 victory in Cape Town – which marked their first win in the competition this season – but it was a case of bitter disappointment for the Hollywoodbets Sharks and Vodacom Bulls, who went down 20-8 against Toulouse in Durban and 49-10 against Castres in France respectively.
The Toyota Cheetahs, meanwhile, registered their first victory in the EPCR Challenge Cup as they snatched a late 22-18 win against Zebre Parma in Amsterdam, but it proved to be a disappointing round for the Emirates Lions, who went down 28-5 against Montpellier in France.
These results saw the DHL Stormers hop into fourth place in their pool on five points – tied with Harlequins and the Sale Sharks – with one match remaining in the pool stages. The Hollywoodbets Sharks are also in fourth place in their pool on five log points, while the Vodacom Bulls find themselves at the foot of their log with no points after three rounds.
In the EPCR Champions Cup, the Toyota Cheetahs’ victory saw them finish the penultimate pool round in fifth place tied on six points with the fourth-placed Perpignan, while the Emirates Lions are also in fifth place in their pool level on five points with the fourth-placed Dragons – also with one round remaining.
Dominant DHL Stormers rumble over Sale Sharks
The DHL Stormers delivered a fine display of rugby against the Sale Sharks at the DHL Stadium, scoring an impressive six tries to none for a rewarding 40-0 Investec Champions Cup victory.
It was a do-or-die game for the Capetonians, who suffered defeats in their opening two matches of the competition, and to their delight, they delivered the goods. In fact, had it not been for a few missed opportunities they could have registered an even bigger victory.
The first half was closely fought with Sale showing their intent from the early stages as they worked their way close to the tryline on a few occasions, but they were shut out by the effective DHL Stormers’ defense.
The hosts, in turn, took a few minutes to find their feet and make their presence felt on attack, and in stark contrast to their counterparts, they capitalised on two of their chances with JD Schickerling gathering a stunning pass by Wandisile Simelane to score in his 50th match for the DHL Stormers, which was followed by a stunning try by Springbok Manie Libbok, who caught a chip from the base of the ruck, to dash to the tryline for their second five-pointer in the 25th minute.
The DHL Stormers were dealt a blow with four minutes to play in the half as Frans Malherbe received a yellow card after conceding three scrum penalties, but despite this they continued to apply pressure on attack and held out the visitors to enter the break with a 14-0 lead.
The Capetonians completely dominated the second half as they added four unanswered tries by Sti Sithole, Warrick Gelant, Paul de Wet, and Andre-Hugo Venter, while the Sale Sharks’ woes continued as they received three yellow cards, which saw them being reduced to 13 men at one stage.
The commanding win for the DHL Stormers will certainly boost their confidence not only in the Investec Champions Cup, but also in the Vodacom URC with such an inspiring win in their first match of the new year.
Scorers:
DHL Stormers 40 (14) – Tries: JD Schickerling, Manie Libbok, Sti Stihole, Warrick Gelant, Paul de Wet, Andre-Hugo Venter. Conversions: Libbok (4), Jean-Luc du Plessis.
Sale Sharks 0 (0)
Toulouse hold out Hollywoodbets Sharks in Durban
Toulouse held out the Hollywoodbets Sharks in an entertaining yet error riddled Investec Champions Cup match in the hot and humid conditions at Hollywoodbets Kings Park for a morale-boosting 20-8 victory, which saw the defending champions maintain their unbeaten status in the competition.
The conditions made things tough for both sides in the first half as they created opportunities but made errors at crucial times due to the slippery ball, but Toulouse were rewarded for their gallant efforts in the first stanza as they scored a try and two penalty goals to only one penalty goal by Jordan Hendrikse for the Hollywoodbets Sharks to take a 13-3 lead.
Toulouse ran hard at the KwaZulu-Natalians from the outset as they tried to snuff out weaknesses in the defence, but the Durbanites held strong, leaking only one try in the ninth minute from a slick pass from the base of the scrum, with their other points being compliments of penalty goals.
Toulouse came out firing in the second half and scored their second try two minutes after play resumed to take a handy 20-3 lead, but the KwaZulu-Natalians hit back with a try in the 67th minute compliments of some great pace by Jurenzo Julius to break through and cross the chalk.
This proved to be the only points in the second half as both sides threw everything at one another on attack but were denied by either errors or penalties conceded.
Scorers:
Hollywoodbets Sharks 8 (3) – Try: Jurenzo Julius. Penalty goal: Jordan Hendrikse.
Toulouse 20 (13) – Tries: Emmanuel Meafou, Blair Kinghorn. Conversions: Thomas Ramos (2). Penalty goals: Ramos (2).
Late flourish sees Castres outplay Vodacom Bulls
A late flourish by Castres – in which they scored five tries in the fourth quarter of their Invested Champions Cup clash – saw the French club outlay a determined young Vodacom Bulls side 49-10 at Stade Pierre Fabre.
The first hour was a tight affair as the Pretoria side defended like demons to stay in the match, in which they found themselves only 13-10 down in the 54th minute. But an impressive fourth quarter saw Castres hand the visitors a heavy defeat in their opening match of the year.
The French side received a rude awakening from Vodacom Bulls in the first half as the visitors broke out of the blocks with a bang, scoring the first try of the match in the sixth minute compliments of Springbok Jan-Hendrik Wessels from a strong rolling maul for a 7-0 lead.
The hosts hit back with a try in the 17th minute after spreading the ball wide to level the scores and the rest of the half proved to be a battle of attrition as the Pretoria outfit defended as if their lives depended on it to shut out the home side at crucial times.
This solid defence saw Castres being limited to a penalty goal for their only other points of the half, which was enough to secure them a 10-7 halftime lead.
Castres broke away on the scoreboard in the second half as they kicked two penalty goals and finished the match with a flourish scoring five tries in the fourth quarter – with Remy Baget finishing the match with a hat-trick – to boost their score to 42 points, while they limited the Vodacom Bulls to a penalty goal in the second half for their efforts, which earned them a big victory.
While the victory handed Castres a helping hand in their quest to advance to the playoff stages, the defeat for the Vodacom Bulls destroyed their chances of making it through to the Investec Champions Cup Round of 16.
Scorers:
Castres Olympique 49 (10) – Tries: Remy Baget (3), Geoffrey Palis, Jack Goodhue, Julien Dumora. Conversions: Jeremy Fernandez (2), Pierre Popelin (3). Penalty goals: Fernandez (3).
Vodacom Bulls 10 (7) – Try: Jan-Hendrik Wessels. Conversion: Boeta Chamberlain. Penalty goal: Jaco van der Walt.
Montpellier outplay Emirates Lions for comprehensive win
Montpellier outplayed the Emirates Lions at the GGL Stadium in France on Saturday with their attacking flair seeing them break away for a bonus-point 28-5 victory after holding a 7-0 lead at the break of this EPCR Challenge Cup encounter.
The French hosts had an early advantage after crossing the chalk in the second minute and the successful conversion saw them take a 7-0 lead, but that proved to be the only points scored in the half as both teams attacked and defended with intent.
The Emirates Lions threw everything they had at the opposition on attack, but they were forced into errors by the effective defence, although they entered the break with confidence from their impressive efforts to hold them out as Montpellier launched wave after wave on attack.
The Johannesburgers started the second half on an encouraging note with a try by Springbok Quan Horn after showing good patience on attack to reduce their deficit to only two points, but they were dealt a blow soon after as Etienne Oosthuizen received a yellow card for a dangerous tackle.
This paved the way for the hosts to take control of the match compliments of their determined attack, which featured hard running and great support play, and this paid off with three tries in 19 minutes for the vital bonus point and a rewarding 28-5 victory.
Scorers:
Montpellier 28 (7) – Tries: Marco Tauleigne, Alexis Bernadet (2), Sam Simmons. Conversions: Thomas Vincent (3), Aurellien Bareau.
Emirates Lions 5 (0) – Try: Quan Horn.
Late try secures Toyota Cheetahs a nail-biting win over Zebre Parma
A try in the dying minutes by Cohen Jasper saw the Toyota Cheetahs sneak through for a 22-18 victory against Zebre Parma and secure their first win the EPCR Challenge Cup this season at the NRCA Stadium on Sunday, in a dramatic match in Amsterdam, in which they led 17-11 at the break.
Zebre Parma opened up the scoring with a penalty goal, but their lead was short-lived as the Free Staters scored the first try of the match in the second minute.
Both teams missed shots at the goal posts soon after, before Zebre Parma struck back with their first try early in the second quarter, but the conversion went wayward, which saw them hold an 8-7 lead.
The teams then exchanged penalty goals, but a try by Jeandre Rudolph put the Toyota Cheetahs in front, going into the break 17-11 up.
The Italians hit back immediately after halftime with their second try to give them a one-point lead, and after a tight scramble in the second half, Jasper crashed over for the match-winning try on the stroke of fulltime to claim the 22-18 victory, which allowed them to stay within reach of a playoff spot.
Scorers:
Toyota Cheetahs 22 (17) – Tries: Michael Annies, Jeandre Rudolph, Cohen Jasper. Conversions: Ethan Wentzel (2). Penalty goal: Wentzel.
Zebre Parma 18 (11) – Tries: Simone Gesi, Tommaso di Bartolomeo. Conversion: Thomas Dominguez. Penalty goals: Thomas Dominguez (2).
