Italian surprise package Benetton Treviso proved that their early season form was no fluke, downing last season’s finalists, the DHL Stormers in an enthralling fourth round of the Vodacom United Rugby Championship to remain the only unbeaten team in this year’s Championship.
The Stormers kept the heat up on URC leaders Leinster with a tense 23-19 victory over South African rivals the Bulls at Loftus. In a clash between last season’s finalists, defending champions Stormers moved up through the gears after a cagey start.
World Player of the Year Pieter Steph du Toit is set to cash in with a stint in Japan, according to reports coming out of South Africa.
The Bulls stormed to a 39-6 win over the Stormers in a Super Rugby Unlocked match that was abandoned after 64 minutes due to lightning on Saturday.
The Bulls gave Jake White the perfect start as a coach and Director of Rugby in Pretoria, with a convincing win over the Sharks as SA returned to rugby.
The loss of three young players isn't the kind of news Super Rugby Stormers fans want to hear, while Manie Libbok has decided to leave the Bulls.
A last-gasp try by centre Ruhan Nel helped the Stormers edge the Lions 33-30 in a thrilling encounter at Ellis Park on Saturday.
There are four changes to the Stormers starting line-up to take on the Lions in Johannesburg on Saturday while the Lions had made just a single change to their starting side.
It may still be January, but the 25th season of Super Rugby will kick off later this week and it’s hard not to get excited about what the new year offers.
Some of the Springboks' World Cup stars were on show in Soweto as the South African Super Rugby sides wrapped up their pre-season campaigns.
