The day started on a grim note in Pretoria, where the Bristol Bears fired more shots than the Vodacom Bulls to win a high-scoring Investec Champions Cup clash by 61-49 on a sunny and warm afternoon at Loftus Versfeld, all but securing the win in the first 25 minutes when they scored 42 points.

The Lions then beat Lyon 60km south at Ellis Park in Johannesburg, for their first win of the European season, outscoring their visitors from France by five tries to four, for the only South African victory on the day.

The Hollywoodbets Sharks started well in their clash against the Sale Sharks in Manchester, but in the end the hosts won by 26-10, with the visitors leaving England empty-handed.

The DHL Stormers take on Harlequins in the Investec Champions Cup in London on Sunday, while the Toyota Cheetahs will be looking to break their duck against Ireland’s Ulster in the Netherlands. Both matches kick off at 15h00 (SA time).

Bears bury Bulls in high-scoring affair in Pretoria

The Bristol Bears recorded a magnificent 61-49 victory over the Vodacom Bulls in their third-round Investec Champions Cup clash at Loftus Versfeld, all but ending the hosts’ charge to the playoffs in a high scoring affair that delivered 15 five-pointers and a penalty try.

Despite never giving up, the Vodacom Bulls were made to pay for a sluggish start in which the English club scored three converted tries in the first seven minutes.

It was tit for tat after that, with Jeandre Rudolph and Stravino Jacobs crossing for the hosts, with the speedster grabbing his second not long after the first, but almost every time the Bears hit back with tries of their own, with Noah Heward completing his hat-trick after the buzzer at the end of the first half.

Late tries by Sebastian de Klerk and Willie le Roux gave the Vodacom Bulls some hope, but they failed to capitalise and could only grab a try-scoring bonus point.

It almost seemed like tackling was optional at Loftus Versfeld, with the Vodacom Bulls just not able to contain Bristol, while being guilty of too many mistakes, including losing the ball at crucial times on the attack and being held up over the Bears’ try-line at the death, which would have handed them a second bonus-point.

This was the men from Pretoria’s seventh successive defeat in all competitions and serious introspection will be necessary at Loftus Versfeld if they are going to salvage their season.

The Bulls’ hopes of reaching the Investec Champions Cup Round of 16 are basically dead and buried, although they can still sneak in after next weekend’s final pool round against Section Paloise in France.

Scorers:

Vodacom Bulls 49 (28) – Tries: Jeandre Rudolph, Stravino Jacobs (2), Penalty try, David Kriel, Sebastian de Klerk, Willie le Roux. Conversions: Handre Pollard (6).

Bristol Bears 61 (47) – Tries: Benhard Janse van Rensburg, Max Lahiff, Noah Heward (3), Kalaveti Ravouvou (2), Kieran Marmion, Pedro Rubiolo. Conversions: Tom Jordan (8).

Lions hold on for hard-earned win over Lyon

The Lions showed guts until the final minute of their third round EPCR Challenge Cup against Lyon at Ellis Park in Johannesburg on Saturday to turn a two-point deficit with minutes left on the clock into a bonus-point 42-33 victory.

The Johannesburgers were impressive in the first half as they showed enterprise and determination on attack and supported this with solid defence, which saw them score four tries to two to seal their bonus point before the break. They added two more tries to three by the opposition in the second half to clinch the victory.

Former Junior Springbok star Batho Hlekani, who recently joined the Lions from the Hollywoodbets Sharks, scored the first points in the seventh minute as he picked up a loose ball to dot down, but this was cancelled out by Lyon four minutes later as the hosts made a crucial handling error close to their tryline, which saw the scores level at 7-7.

The Lions, however, hit back strongly with Richard Kriel capitalising on an overlap and Quan Horn gathering a perfect switch respectively to score within five minutes of one another to extend their tally to 21 points.

The Frenchmen were dealt a blow as they received a yellow card for a high tackle, and this paved the way for Renzo du Plessis to score the Lions’ bonus point try, although they allowed Lyon to score a crucial try before the break to enter the sheds trailing by 28-14.

The visitors fought back strongly in the second half with a try shortly after the restart, and they added two more after Angelo Davids scored the Lions’ fifth try from a stunning chip kick to reduce their deficit to 35-33 with six minutes left on the clock.

However, Lyon’s hopes of a victory on the highveld were dashed by a last-minute try compliments of Morne Brandon from a quick tap, which saw the Lions secure the hard-earned 42-33 victory.

Scorers:

Lions 42 (28) – Tries: Batho Hlekani, Richard Kriel, Quan Horn, Renzo du Plessis, Angelo Davids, Morne Brandon. Conversions: Chris Smith (6).

Lyon 33 (14) – Tries: Charly Mignot, Alexandre Tchaptchet, Esteban Gonzalez, Mathis Sarragallet, Alfred Parisien. Conversions: Paddy Jackson (4).

Strong second half sees Sale sink Sharks in Manchester

A strong second-half showing by the Sale Sharks saw them turn a narrow 7-3 halftime lead into an encouraging 26-10 victory in their round-three Investec Champions Cup match against the Hollywoodbets Sharks at the CorpAcq Stadium in England, with the home side outscoring the visitors four tries to one for a handy bonus-point victory.

It was a frustrating first half for both teams as they ran hard on attack only to be shut out by the effective defence, which saw the Sale Sharks scoring only one try to a penalty goal by the Hollywoodbets Sharks for a 7-3 lead.

The tables turned in the second half as Sale controlled proceedings and converted many of their chances into points, which earned them their bonus point for four tries, while limiting the South Africans to only one.

Siya Masuku slotted a penalty goal for the KwaZulu-Natalians in the eighth minute, but it wasn’t long before the Sale Sharks forced their way over the chalk following sustained pressure close to the tryline for a 7-3 lead.

Both teams tried hard to breach the defence as the half progressed, but with no success as neither team was able to gain proper ascendancy, with the Hollywoodbets Sharks, in particular, botching at least three possible try-scoring chances.

The Sale Sharks dominated the second half, applying immense pressure on the visitors’ defence, and their determined efforts paid off as they scored three tries to only one by the Hollywoodbets Sharks’ Manu Tshituka, whose power and pace saw him crash over from a stunning pick-and-dash to take an encouraging 26-10 lead.

Unfortunately for the Durbanites, they did not create sufficient opportunities to threaten the Englishman in the second stanza, which cost them dearly in the end and saw them suffer their second defeat in three outings in the competition.

Scorers:

Sale Sharks 26 (7) – Tries: Rekeiti Ma'asi-White, Bevan Rodd, Tom O'Flaherty (2). Conversions: George Ford (3).

Hollywoodbets Sharks 10 (3) – Try: Manu Tshituka. Conversion: Siya Masuku. Penalty goal: Masuku.