The opening weekend of United Rugby Championship action for the four South African franchises delivered a mixed bag of results, with the two home teams bagging victories in Gauteng, while the coastal sides suffered defeats on the road in Wales and Ireland.

The Lions and the Bulls kicked off their campaigns with home victories over Ulster (35-22) and Edinburgh (22-16) respectively, but the travelling Stormers were beaten 37-24 by the Ospreys in Bridgend, while the Sharks let slip a big lead as they went down 36-30 to Connacht in Galway.

However, the result of the weekend came in Italy where Zebre Rugby recorded a famous 42-33 bonus point victory over Munster, while Leinster and Cardiff remained unbeaten after two rounds of action.

Lions break Ulster hoodoo

The Lions got their United Rugby Championship campaign off to the start they wanted when they defeated Ulster 35-22 in Johannesburg on Saturday afternoon.

The victory was the first time in four attempts the Gauteng outfit managed to get the better of their Northern Irish opponents. The Highvelders dominated early possession, and despite Ulster's efforts, they secured a convincing victory.

They earned a bonus point for scoring five tries, with Kade Wolhuter contributing 15 points, but Ulster left Johannesburg with a bonus point of their own for four tries, with Corrie Barrett’s late five-pointer their fourth on the day, while former Sharks wing and Blitzbok Werner Kok also crossed the whitewash for the visitors.

Scorers:

Lions 35 (15): Tries - Rabz Maxwane, Francke Horn, Franco Marais, Henco van Wyk, Kade Wolhuter Conv. - Wolhuter (2) Pen. - Wolhuter (2)

Ulster 22 (5): Tries - John Cooney, Aidan Morgan, Werner Kok, Corrie Barrett Conv. - Nathan Doak

Gritty Bulls edge Edinburgh at Loftus

The Bulls kicked off their campaign with a gritty 22-16 victory over Edinburgh at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria.

Edinburgh initially took the lead with a penalty goal from Ross Thompson in the 15th minute, but the hosts responded with a try from Jannes Kirsten, converted by Jaco van der Walt, who later added another try to extend their lead to 12-3.

The Scots fought back with a try from Ewan Ashman, and Thompson's conversion brought them within two points at halftime (12-10).

Thompson's penalty goal early in the second half briefly put Edinburgh ahead by one point, but the Bulls regained control with a try from Springbok wing Canan Moodie, converted by Boeta Chamberlain, who also added a penalty goal to stretch the lead to 22-13.

Despite Thompson reducing the deficit with another penalty goal, Edinburgh's hopes of a comeback were dashed when Ashman received a second yellow card. The hosts held on to secure the win, while Edinburgh earned a losing bonus point.

Scorers:

Bulls 22 (12): Tries - Jannes Kirsten, Jaco van der Walt, Canan Moodie Conv. - Van der Walt, Boeta Chamberlain Pen. - Chamberlain

Edinburgh 16 (10): Try - Ewan Ashman Conv. - Ross Thompson Pen. - Ross Thompson (3).

Ospreys stand firm against Stormers

The Ospreys were too good for the Stormers in Bridgend, winning their clash by 37-24 as they outscored the Capetonians by four tries to two, with a late penalty try earning the Welsh club a bonus point.

In front of a passionate crowd at the Brewery Field, the hosts’ skipper Jac Morgan crossed for one of their tries, along with Reuben Morgan-Williams and Dan Edwards, who contributed 27 of their points.

While the Ospreys would have been very happy with the win after slipping to a late defeat last weekend against the Dragons, the Stormers would have taken enough positives from the game, although they struggled with contestable kicks.

Towering lock JD Schickerling, who recently returned to Cape Town after three years in Japan, scored one of the Stormers’ tries, while Springbok utility back Damian Willemse returned to action after months on the sidelines and landed a drop goal in the process.

Scorers:

Ospreys 37 (13): Tries - Jac Morgan, Reuben Morgan-Williams, Dan Edwards, Penalty try Conv. - Edwards (3) Pen. - Edwards (3) Drop goal - Edwards

Stormers 24 (16): Tries - Leolin Zas, JD Schickerling Conv. - Jurie Matthee Pen. - Mathee (3) Drop goal - Willemse.

Sharks let slip big lead in Galway

Irish province Connacht fought back from a 20-point deficit at halftime to record a 36-30 bonus-point victory in Galway.

Despite leaking an early converted try, the Sharks found their groove and scored three converted tries – two by Springbok centre Andre Esterhuizen – and two long-distance penalty goals by Jordan Hendrikse to take a 27-7 lead at the break.

But Connacht underlined why visiting teams often find it tough in Galway with four second half tries while the Sharks failed to add to their tally as they were shut out by the hosts.

The Sharks managed to salvage a losing bonus point with a late penalty goal by Siya Masuku, but in the end, they were made to pay for allowing Connacht to dominate possession and territory.

Scorers:

Connacht 36 (7): Tries - Dave Heffernan (2), Cathal Forde, Shane Jennings, Oisin Dowling Conv. - Josh Ioane, Forde (3) Pen. - Forde

Sharks 30 (27): Tries - André Esterhuizen (2), Gerbrandt Grobler Conv. - Siya Masuku (3) Pen. - Jordan Hendrikse (2), Masuku.