The Vodacom Bulls returned to winning ways in a competitive Vodacom United Rugby Championship derby against their Gauteng neighbours, the Emirates Lions, in Pretoria on Saturday, with the current SA Shield holder building on a 17-14 halftime lead to walk away with a rewarding 31-19 bonus-point win.
All Blacks, Autumn Nations Series, Rugby, Rugby Championship, Rugby World Cup, Springboks, United Rugby Championship
The Springboks face a challenging end-of-year tour in Europe as part of the Autumn Nations Series, with tough matches against France and Ireland.
Saturday’s thrilling South African derby round in the Vodacom United Rugby Championship delivered victories for the lower ranked teams on the log with the Emirates Lions holding out the DHL Stormers in Johannesburg before the Hollywoodbets Sharks shocked the Vodacom Bulls in Pretoria.
The Sharks won a physically demanding contest, overcoming a period with only 12 players on the field, to beat the Vodacom Blue Bulls 29-19 at Loftus Stadium on Saturday.
All Blacks, Autumn Nations Series, Challenge Cup, Champions Cup, Rugby, Rugby Championship, Springboks, United Rugby Championship
The Springboks will get the wheels in motion for the 2025 season when Rassie Erasmus and his management team host the first in-person coaches’ strategic session of the year followed by a three-day alignment camp with a group of 56 domestic players in Cape Town next month.
The Hollywoodbets Sharks will travel to Loftus Versfeld for Saturday’s second round Vodacom United Rugby Championship clash with the Vodacom Bulls.
Two gripping South African derbies will take center stage in the Vodacom United Rugby Championship on Saturday as the competition reaches round 11, which also marks the first of two Origins Rounds where the players will celebrate their rugby roots by wearing their school or club socks.
The Vodacom Bulls consolidated their third place on the Vodacom United Rugby Championship standings as they held out a determined DHL Stormers outfit in a dramatic encounter for a nail-biting 33-32 win in their postponed round one fixture at a packed DHL Stadium in Cape Town on Saturday.
The battle lines will be clearly marked on Saturday when the DHL Stormers host the Vodacom Bulls in their highly anticipated Vodacom United Rugby Championship north-south derby in Cape Town. The Pretoria outfit will be looking to reduce the gap between themselves and the two top sides in the standings, while the hosts will be desperate to close in on the top eight to improve their playoff chances.