Encouraging starts for three SA teams in Europe

The Vodacom Bulls, DHL Stormers, and Hollywoodbets Sharks got their Investec Champions Cup and EPCR Challenge Cup campaigns off to encouraging starts over the weekend, as they all registered valuable victories in a jam-packed weekend of action, which was heavily overshadowed by the tragic passing of 10bet Lions lock Hyron Andrews.

The Vodacom Bulls laid a strong marker for the five participating domestic teams in the two competitions by producing an impressive display to outplay Stade Francais 56-20 in Pretoria in the Investec Champions Cup. The DHL Stormers followed suit by defeating the Bristol Bears 49-12 in Cape Town, with both teams securing bonus-point wins. The 10bet Lions opted to play their Champions Cup match against Stade Rochelais in Andrews’ honour despite the tragic news of their team-mate’s untimely death and went down 31-14 in their clash against the former champions in France. These results saw the DHL Stormers and Vodacom Bulls top their respective pools in the Investec Champions Cup, while the 10bet Lions are yet to open their pool account.

In the EPCR Challenge Cup, the Hollywoodbets Sharks scored a try after the final hooter against LOU Rugby for an invaluable 40-33 away victory in France on Saturday, but it was a case of heartbreak for the Toyota Cheetahs, who fought hard but still fell 29-27 short against Aviron Bayonnais on Sunday. The Hollywoodbets Sharks currently find themselves in second place in their EPCR Challenge Cup pool, while the Toyota Cheetahs are third.

The teams will shift their focus to the Vodacom United Rugby Championship again next weekend, as the second round of pool matches in the European competitions will only resume in December.

Investec Champions Cup: The Vodacom Bulls opened their Investec Champions Cup campaign with an eight-try 56-20 victory over Stade Francais at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria on Saturday, with wing Cheswill Jooste earning a memorable hat-trick. Jooste scored his first try after just 25 seconds by chasing down a grubber kick and diving on the ball. The hosts earned a 21-6 halftime lead and continued to dominate, finishing the game with a strong performance.

Scorers: Vodacom Bulls 56 (21) – Tries: Cheswill Jooste (3), Cobus Wiese, Cameron Hanekom, Marco van Staden, Jeandre Rudolph, Jan-Hendrik Wessels. Conversions: Handre Pollard (8). Stade Français 20 (6) – Tries: Jacques Botha, Petero Mailulu. Conversions: Louis Foursans-Bourdette (2). Penalty goals: Ihaia West, Foursans-Bourdette.

DHL Stormers: The DHL Stormers showed resilience to overcome a 20-minute red card, outscoring the Bristol Bears seven tries to two for a comprehensive 49-12 win. Seabelo Senatla opened the scoring early, and despite losing players, the Stormers maintained control and secured their victory with strong performances from Jonathan Roche and Leolin Zas, among others.

Scorers: DHL Stormers 49 (21) – Tries: Seabelo Senatla, Leolin Zas (2), Jonathan Roche, Warrick Gelant, Andre-Hugo Venter. Conversions: Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (7).