At Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria, the Bulls secured a dramatic 21-20 victory over Leinster, handing the Irish giants their first defeat of the season.

Leinster led 10-6 at half-time, following a converted try by Jordie Barrett and a penalty from Ross Byrne. Early in the second half, Andrew Osborne crossed the line for another converted try, extending Leinster's lead.

The Bulls hit back in the 57th minute when they were awarded a penalty try. Thirteen minutes later, Bulls and Springbok hooker Johan Grobbelaar dotted down for an unconverted try. 

With just three minutes left on the clock, Byrne slotted a second penalty to put Leinster ahead again. However, it was David Kriel who had the final say, landing an 84th-minute penalty to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.

With two seconds on the clock the Vodacom Bulls trailed 18-20 to Leinster.

At 84:27, they won the match 21-20 ??#VURC pic.twitter.com/QK7KjbwyW7

— SuperSport Rugby (@SSRugby) March 22, 2025

Scorers:

Bulls: Tries – Penalty try, Johan Grobbelaar Pen. – Keagan Johannes (2), David Kriel.

Leinster: Tries – Jordie Barrett, Andrew Osborne Conv. – Ross Byrne (2) Pen. - Byrne (2).

Over in Llanelli, the Stormers secured a crucial bonus-point win, beating the Scarlets 29-17 at Parc y Scarlets.

The former champions from Cape Town led 15-7 at half-time, thanks to tries from Ben Loader and Deon Fourie, along with a 40th-minute penalty by Sasha Feinberg-Mngomezulu. The Welsh side’s points came via an Ellis Mee try, converted by Lion Lloyd.

In the second half, further tries from Leolin Zas and André-Hugo Venter sealed the bonus point for the Stormers, moving them up to eighth on the log. Ioan Nicholas scored the Scarlets’ second try, while Lloyd added a 68th-minute penalty.

???? #SCAvSTO #iamastormer @Vodacom #URC pic.twitter.com/Sh8JR5Xqjg

— DHL Stormers (@THESTORMERS) March 22, 2025

Scorers:

Stormers: Tries – Ben Loader, Deon Fourie, Leolin Zas, André-Hugo Venter Conv. - Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (3) Pen. – Feinberg-Mngomezulu

Scarlets: Tries – Ellis Mee, Ioan Nicholas Conv. – Ioan Lloyd (2) Pen. – Lloyd

At Kings Park in Durban, the Sharks held on for a thrilling 35-34 bonus-point victory over Italy’s Zebre.

Springbok captain Siya Kolisi bagged a brace of tries in the first half, while Jurenzo Julius and Vincent Koch also dotted down, giving the Sharks a commanding 28-14 lead at the break.

In the second half, the visitors fought back, with Gerónimo Prisciantelli scoring two tries within five minutes. However, a 74th-minute try by centre Ethan Hooker sealed the win for the Sharks, lifting them to fourth on the log.

Ethan Hooker’s try five minutes from the hooter seals the points for the Hollywoodbets Sharks.

A crucial win as they push to cement a #VURC home play-off. pic.twitter.com/qIQnV0gPbD

— SuperSport Rugby (@SSRugby) March 22, 2025

Scorers:

Sharks: Tries – Siya Kolisi (2), Jurenzo Julius, Vincent Koch, Ethan Hooker Conv. – Jordan Hendrikse (5)

Zebre: Tries – Alessandro Gesi, Giacomo Ferrari, Geronimo Prisciantelli (2) Conv. – Giovanni Montemauri (4) Pen. – Montemauri (2)

OFM Sport/Morgan Piek dg