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A successful conversion by big Willem Alberts summed up the Vodacom United Rugby Championship weekend from a local perspective as the three South African sides playing at home ran amok against their visitors from Italy, Ireland and Wales.
The 39-year-old Alberts, who played 43 Tests for the Springboks at loose forward between 2010 and 2016, nowadays features at lock for the Emirates Lions, and he converted their last of nine tries in a 61-19 win over Zebre Parma in Johannesburg on Saturday afternoon.
A few hours later, the Vodacom Bulls smashed Connacht by 53-27 in Pretoria, with the experienced Willie le Roux scoring one of their seven tries in his first outing for the team from the capital.
Finally, the Hollywoodbets Sharks put the cherry on top of a great day for the SA sides with their returning Rugby World Cup-winning Springboks adding the necessary impetus as they scored 10 tries in a 69-14 victory over Dragons in Durban.
The only blip was the DHL Stormers’ 31-24 away defeat to Cardiff on Friday night, a match John Dobson (coach) admitted afterwards they had thrown away.
With one game to go in round six, the Vodacom Bulls have moved back into the top-four on the log with 20 points, behind Glasgow Warriors (25) and Leinster (24). The Emirates Lions are currently in ninth spot on 14 points, followed by the DHL Stormers in 11th on 13, while the Hollywoodbets Sharks have moved off the bottom of the log and are in 14th on seven points.
The Stormers let slip an ideal opportunity to record their first victory on their early-season Vodacom URC tour when Cardiff rallied late to win by 31-24 on Friday evening.
The visitors from Cape Town scored two quick tries to lead by 14-0 after only 13 minutes, but they somehow let that lead slip by making too many unforced errors and conceding penalties that cost them momentum, with Cardiff scoring the winning try in injury time.
Despite a better disciplinary record in the match and edging the hosts in the stakes for territory and possession, the DHL Stormers still slipped up, something for which they only have themselves to blame.
The Capetonians did earn a losing bonus point though, but that will be scant reward for a match they could have won. — SuperSport.
Online Reporter