There was a ray of light for the South African franchises this past weekend as the Vodacom Bulls, Hollywoodbets Sharks, and Emirates Lions qualified for the EPCR Challenge Cup Round of 16 following the completion of the pool rounds in both European competitions.

The Emirates Lions secured the most impressive result of the weekend as they thumped the Dragons 60-10 in Johannesburg in their final EPCR Challenge Cup pool game to seal the fourth spot on their log table and cement their place in the Round of 16.

The Vodacom Bulls, who were knocked out of the Investec Champions Cup playoffs last weekend, bounced back strongly to defeat Stade Francais 48-7 in Pretoria, which booked them a place in the EPCR Challenge Cup playoffs.

The Hollywoodbets Sharks also dropped out of the Investec Champions Cup with a 66-12 defeat against the Bordeaux-Begles in France, although they too managed to book a spot in the EPCR Challenge Cup playoffs.

It was a case of big disappointment for the DHL Stormers who gave everything they had against Racing 92 in Paris but suffered a heart-breaking 31-22 defeat, which ended their 2024/25 European campaign, while the Toyota Cheetahs had their Challenge Cup playoff hopes crushed by a 68-21 defeat against Lyon in France.

The Hollywoodbets Sharks will face Lyon in their Round of 16 clash, while the Vodacom Bulls will meet Aviron Bayonnais, and the Emirates Lions go up against Edinburgh – with all three matches being played abroad on the first weekend of April.

Vodacom Bulls thump Stade Francais in Pretoria

The Vodacom Bulls saved their best performance for last in this edition of the Investec Championship Cup as they scored an impressive seven tries to one for a comprehensive 48-7 victory over Stade Francais at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday.

While the emphatic victory – their first of the season – was not good enough to earn them the men from Pretoria a place in the top four of their Champions Cup pool, it was sufficient to see them through to the Round of 16 in the Challenge Cup, meaning they are still in the race to clinch some silverware this season.

The Vodacom Bulls scored five first-half tries, while they conceded only one, for an impressive 36-7 halftime lead.

The hosts were awarded a penalty try in the second minute with the Frenchman being reduced to 14 men in the process due to foul play, and they added their second five-pointer in the 12^th minute compliments of fine finishing by Devon Williams with an extra man on the field.

Their remaining tries were scored in the 18^th minute by Embrose Papier, the 27^th minute by Ruan Vermaak, and the 39^th minute by Elrigh Louw, while they leaked one in the 23^rd minute.

The Vodacom Bulls continued to stamp their authority in the second stanza and added two more tries – by Boeta Chamberlain and Cameron Hanekom – by the 50^th minute, and denied the visitors a single additional point in what was a much tighter second half to seal the victory.

The win might be their only one in the Investec Champions Cup this season, but they will undoubtedly draw immense confidence from the 41-point victory as they prepare to return to the Vodacom United Rugby Championship next weekend.

Scorers:

Vodacom Bulls 48 (36) –Tries: Penalty try, Devon Williams, Embrose Papier, Ruan Vermaak, Elrigh Louw, Boeta Chamberlain, Cameron Hanekom. Conversions: Johan Goosen (2), Chamberlain (2). Penalty goal: Chamberlain.

Stade Francais Paris 7 (7) –Try: Sekou Macalou. Conversion: Louis Carbonel.

Racing 92 dash DHL Stormers’ playoff hopes in gripping battle

A combination of a classy attack and a solid defensive display saw Racing 92 play their way to a 31-22 victory against the DHL Stormers at La Defense Arena in Paris on Saturday evening in an Investec Champions Cup clash that could have gone either way at the end.

The Frenchmen held a 19-10 halftime lead, but they found themselves only two points up on the scoreboard in the 65^th minute after Marcel Theunissen’s try for the Capetonians was not converted, which summed up what a thriller of a match it was.

Jurie Matthee opened the scoring for the DHL Stormers with a penalty goal in the eighth minute, but Racing 92 bounced back with two tries in five minutes to take the lead.

This, however, was reduced as Andre-Hugo Venter scored the visitors’ first try in the 22^nd minute, but Racing 92 struck again with their third try before receiving a yellow card in the 39^th minute, which reduced them to 14 men, but the DHL Stormers were unable to capitalise on this advantage.

Given the hard running and innovative play by both teams, the second half was always going to be a thriller. It took 16 minutes for the French side to score their first try after the break from a beautiful cross kick before the DHL Stormers scored back-to-back tries by Herschel Jantjies and Theunissen, to force their way back within range of a victory.

The missed conversion for the second try left them two points behind, and while the game continued to play out fast and furiously, it was the hosts who had the final say with a try by Boris Palu in the 77^th minute, which handed them the victory.

Scorers:

Racing 92 31 (19) –Tries: Vinaya Habosi (2), Max Spring (2), Boris Palu. Conversions: Nolan LeGarrec (3).

DHL Stormers 22 (10) –Tries: Andre-Hugo Venter, Herschel Jantjies, Marcel Theunissen. Conversions: Jurie Matthee (2). Penalty goal: Matthee.

Strong second half steers Bordeaux to big win over Hollywoodbets Sharks

Bordeaux-Begles delivered a magnificent second half showing to outplay the Hollywoodbets Sharks 66-12 at Stade Chabane-Delmas to build on a narrow 19-12 halftime lead in their Investec Champions Cup encounter on Sunday afternoon.

The hosts ended up scoring 10 tries to two for the victory, with six of their five-pointers coming from French speedster Damian Penaud.

The Durbanites made their presence felt early on with two tries in the opening seven minutes by Siya Masuku and Hakeem Kunene for an encouraging 12-0 lead, but that proved to be their only points of the match as Bordeaux scored two tries within five minutes to level the scores at 12-12 in the 17^th minute – the second of which was then the KwaZulu-Natalians were reduced to 14 men after receiving a yellow card.

The Frenchmen were then dealt a blow in the 25^th minute as they received a yellow card of their own, but despite this they continued to apply pressure on attack and added yet another try on the stroke of halftime for a 19-12 cushion on the scoreboard.

The hosts dominated the second half completely as they ran circles around the KwaZulu-Natalians’ defence, and they made the most of their try-scoring chances to add seven tries to their tally – with Penaud sealing his double hat-trick, while the Hollywoodbets Sharks struggled to make their presence felt in the foreign conditions.

In the end, the visitors were handed a heavy defeat in a disappointing finish to their Investec Champions Cup campaign, but they still have some hope to defend their EPCR Challenge Cup title after sealing a fifth-place finish on their pool log.

Scorers:

Bordeaux-Begles 66 (19) –Tries: Damian Penaud (6), Maxime Lucu, Ugo Boniface, Yoram Moefana, Jacques Nguimbous. Conversions: Matthieu Jalibert (8).

Hollywoodbets Sharks 12 (12) –Tries: Siya Masuku, Hakeem Kunene. Conversion: Masuku.

Emirates Lions outclass Dragons to book playoff spot

The Emirates Lions completely outplayed the Dragons in their final EPCR Challenge Cup pool match at Emirates Airline Park on Saturday as they rumbled to nine tries to only one by the Welsh visitors for a dominant 60-10 victory and a place in the playoffs.

The Emirates Lions took full control of the first half, and they showed their intent from the outset by almost scoring a try in the second minute, and although that attempt was not successful, they scored four tries and a penalty goal for an imposing 31-3 halftime lead.

The teams started off the match exchanging penalty goals, but the Johannesburgers took the game by the scruff of the neck soon after, scoring four times in 21 minutes to take a commanding lead. The first was by Francke Horn in the eighth minute before Sam Francis, Ruan Venter, and Tapiwa Mafura, added their names to the scoresheet.

The Dragons tried hard, but they were shut out completely thanks to the effective Emirates Lions defence, which saw the Gautengers enter the break with a comfortable lead.

The second half panned out similarly with the hosts adding five tries to their tally, with Horn earning his brace in the process, while Gianni Lombard, Jaco Visagie, Venter, and Manuel Rass made their way over the chalk to steer the team to a whopping 60-point score.

Adding to this they stood their ground on defence and only leaked one try in the 54^th minute from a pick and go.

They will take immense confidence from this victory as they prepare to return to the Vodacom United Rugby Championship next week knowing they have their spot booked in the EPCR Challenge Cup Round of 16.

Scorers:

Emirates Lions 60 (31) –Tries: Francke Horn (2), Sam Francis, Ruan Venter (2), Tapiwa Mafura, Gianni Lombard, Jaco Visagie, Manuel Rass. Conversions: Francis (4), Lombard (2). Penalty goal: Francis.

Dragons 10 (3) – Try: Paulu Latu. Conversion: Will Reed. Penalty goal: Reed.

Lyon outclass Toyota Cheetahs at home

Lyon were in fine form against the Toyota Cheetahs at the Matmut Stadium de Gerland, delivering a superb attacking display, which they backed up with a determined defensive effort to outclass the visitors 68-21 and cement their place in the EPCR Challenge Cup Round of 16.

Lyon gave the Toyota Cheetahs a run for their money in the first half as they overturned a 7-0 deficit in the seventh minute into a strong 33-7 lead thanks to five tries in 31 minutes. The hosts retained possession for long periods, which saw the Free Staters struggle to keep up.

In fact, one of the vast differences between the teams was Lyon’s ability to convert their try-scoring chances into points thanks to their impressive running, good support play, and fine finishing, while their solid defence shut the Toyota Cheetahs out and forced them into errors when they had possession.

The hosts maintained this consistency in their performance in the second half to touch down an additional five times for a team tally of 10 tries.

The Free Staters tried hard to fight back when they had possession and earned to late tries for their efforts, but Lyon proved to be in a different league on the day as the Toyota Cheetahs failed to reach the playoffs for the first time in three seasons.

Scorers:

Lyon 68 (33) – Tries: David Niniashvili, Dylan Cretin, Josiah Maraku (2), Martin Page-Relo, Monty Ioane, Leo Berdeu (2), Alban Roussel, Camille Chat. Conversions: Berdeu (8), Chat.

Toyota Cheetahs 21 (7) –Tries: Daniel Maartens, Prince Nkabinde, Neels Volschenk. Conversions: Cohen Jasper (3).