It was a weekend that told us everything and nothing at once.
Three South African franchises flew into Europe fairly confident, before being thoroughly mugged at customs bar one of them. This “one” will a smug grin and a bonus point in its pocket.
If you missed it:
- Stormers battered the Scarlets 34-0 in Llanelli.
- Bulls froze up in Belfast, losing 28-7 to Ulster.
- Sharks were flattened 31-5 by Leinster.
- Lions became Benetton’s favourite house guests, shipping 41-15 in Treviso.
That’s one out of four wins, and the gap between the best and worst of them is widening faster than a front-rower’s waistband at an all-you-can-eat buffet.
The Biggest Winner: Stormers (and it’s not even close)
You don’t just travel to Wales, pitch up at Parc y Scarlets, and keep a team scoreless by accident. That’s the rugby version of finding a unicorn driving your Uber.
The DHL Stormers were ruthless – powerful in the set piece, patient with ball-in-hand, and meaner than a Joburg bouncer without tip money.
John Dobson’s men have rediscovered their away form, and suddenly that talk about “home advantage only” sounds outdated. They defended like it was personal, and attacked with the calm arrogance of a team that knows what it’s doing.
They’re unbeaten after three rounds and have already picked up two bonus points. That’s not form; that’s intent.
The Stormers’ engine room is humming, their loose trio is balanced, and Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu is starting to look like the kid who could one day run the whole URC from flyhalf. In short: they’re trending up, they’re confident, and they look like the South African flag-bearers again.
If you’re a betting man – and most of you reading this are – the Stormers are the only South African team you’d take straight up without hedging.
The Biggest Loser: Bulls (and the hangover they can’t admit to)
You could argue that the Hollywoodbets Sharks were worse. You could even make a case for the Lions. But the Vodacom Bulls? They were supposed to be better. That’s what makes the Ulster loss sting.
Twenty-eight-seven says “outmuscled, out-thought, out-everythinged.” Johan Ackermann’s men had a swagger after that Round 2 win over Leinster, but in Belfast they got schooled by a side that looked hungrier and far better coached.
The Bulls’ pack – usually their calling card – was bullied. Their discipline crumbled at key moments. Handré Pollard’s boot could only do so much when nobody was winning collisions or controlling tempo.
You can’t keep flying north and expecting to win with grunt alone. The Bulls look undercooked when travel fatigue sets in, and if they don’t fix that before December, they’ll be stuck playing catch-up for the rest of the season.
They’re still contenders, but this was the first real crack in the armour. And cracks, as we know, are how whole seasons unravel.
The Sharks: Still Circling, Still Bleeding
The Sharks have problems that no motivational quote can fix. They were poor in Dublin – not just beaten, but boxed in.
Leinster didn’t even have to hit fifth gear. They just smothered the Sharks, forced errors, and feasted on counter-attack ball.
When your attack produces one try in 80 minutes and your coach’s post-match message includes “we’ll keep fighting and get it right in Durban,” you know the spin cycle’s on full blast.
The talent’s there – Plumtree’s squad isn’t short on names – but something’s off. They look uncoordinated, the combinations aren’t clicking, and defensively they’re leaking line-breaks like a cheap garden hose. And that is three seasons in with the Kiwi at the helm.
At some point, this stops being about travel and starts being about accountability. “We’ll get it right at home” only works if you actually do.
The Lions: Flat Track to Nowhere
It’s not that losing in Treviso is shameful – Benetton have turned their home turf into a banana peel for unsuspecting visitors. But 41-15? That’s a meltdown.
The Lions were generous guests: missed tackles, loose carries, and zero composure. They played like a team chasing highlights instead of structure. It appeared they were not good enough to chase Tom Lynagh, who ran in a quadruple of tries, an incredibly historic achievement for a flyhalf, let alone any player. The Lions were THAT bad.
And while everyone loves an underdog story, right now the Lions are writing a cautionary tale instead.
The backline has pace, the pack has bite on a good day, but there’s no consistency. They’re not resilient enough to live with Tier-1 URC sides, and when things go wrong, they go spectacularly wrong.
Who’s Trending in the Right Direction
Stormers, obviously. But there’s nuance:
- Their defence has gone up a level – just 30 points conceded in three rounds.
- Their conditioning looks elite; they travel well.
- Their coaching clarity is visible – every player knows their role.
If they keep this up through October, they’ll be the early favourites to top the South African conference again.
The Bulls aren’t collapsing yet, but they’re wobbling. If they turn their Belfast anger into aggression for the rest of their European tour, they’ll be fine. If not, the slide could get messy fast.
Who’s in Trouble
The Sharks are drifting. Their brand, their recruitment, their promises – it’s all starting to sound hollow. Plumtree’s job isn’t in danger yet, but the optics are bad. You can’t sell championship dreams when you’re serving club rugby-level execution.
The Lions need a spark – something, anything. Otherwise, this season could look eerily like the last one: brave losses, brave press releases, no progress.
The Blindsided Verdict
One team looks like it’s building towards silverware. Three look like they packed flip-flops instead of form.
The Stormers are the alpha dogs right now – organised, confident, and balanced. The Bulls are the moody cousin who could still turn up to the party and outdrink everyone if they remember where the bar is. The Sharks are stuck rehearsing excuses. The Lions? They’re still finding parking.
Next weekend, the fixtures will flip the script again. Maybe. But for now, the hierarchy is simple:
- Stormers – Champions-in-waiting energy, but can’t afford to get carried away.
- Bulls – Too talented to stay this flat. They will bounce back. They always do.
- Sharks – All name, no game. The story of the Plumtree era.
- Lions – Heart’s there, results aren’t. How long must this continue?
For South African rugby, that’s one step forward, three back – and one hell of a reminder that winning away still takes more than a good flight itinerary.
