Johannesburg - The SA franchises made another clean sweep of their European opponents this weekend in the United Rugby Championship; the Sharks, Bulls, Lions and Stormers beating the Dragons, Ulster, Edinburgh and Ospreys, respectively.
It could have been a 100% win ratio after the European sides completed their four week tour of South Africa, if not for the Sharks' slip up against Edinburgh last weekend.
In all, the SA sides won 15 of the 16 matches this past month, silencing any criticism from earlier in the season and cracking upon the race for best-placed quarter-final spots tournament-wide.
Here, IOL looks at one thing each of the SA teams learnt this past weekend, while also debating the best SA players from that action.
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BULLS: Ulster victory shows Bulls have no blues
Five wins on the trot means that the Bulls are in top form, having scored over 50 points in two of those matches, and claiming four-try bonus points in the last four.
But what was more significant about this encounter is the fact that Ulster are second on the URC log, so beating them comprehensively indicates that the Bulls have taken a significant step forward in their growth as a team.
Mornay Smith added some much-needed grunt to the Bulls scrum, and Ruan Nortje and Madosh Tambwe underlined their Springbok credentials.
Oh, and is Kurt-Lee Arendse the next Cheslin Kolbe? – Ashfak Mohamed
LIONS: Young Turks are roaring
There was much to be pleased about after watching the Joburg-based side dispatch an impressive Edinburgh side on Saturday – the Lions defended like men possessed, and mostly took their chances when they did crop up.
Despite a gritty team effort that claimed a 15-9 victory, it is easy to single out a handful of players. Vincent Tshituka is simply irrepressible at the moment and he was awarded another Man of the Match award for his performance on the weekend. And while we are at it, his younger brother Emmanuel is also making all the right moves.
Jordan Hendrikse, meanwhile, is shining in his role at No 10 along with the equally impressive Morne van den Berg at scrumhalf. All of these players are Under-25, and all of them have serious futures ahead of them. – Morgan Bolton
SHARKS: Welsh no great shakes
At the risk of being a killjoy, the weekend’s results confirm what we already suspected — the Welsh teams in the URC are poor.
The four teams that visited South Africa from the Welsh valleys over the last month have not only been winless but have picked up some big hidings. On Friday, the Sharks looked very good in slaying the Dragons, but they will know they must keep their feet on the ground as the opposition offered little.
The Ospreys were also weak and would have lost by even more if the Stormers hadn’t taken their foot off the pedal. – Mike Greenaway
STORMERS: Libbok's stock is raising
If there is one thing that flyhalf Manie Libbok’s performance at the weekend against Ospreys showed us, it’s how a player can shine with backing from coaches.
After playing behind Handre Pollard at the Bulls, Libbok moved to the Sharks when veteran Morne Steyn returned to Pretoria. However, things didn’t go much better at Kings Park as the 24-year-old played behind Curwin Bosch and was used either at fullback or off the bench.
Now, since making the move to the Mother City and overcoming some early issues, Libbok has taken his game to the next level, with the latest example of that being his Man-of-the-Match display against the Welsh side. – Wynona Louw
SA’s URC Best XV
Morgan Bolton's XV: 15 Quan Horn, 14 Madosh Tambwe, 13 Wandisile Simelane, 12 Harold Vorster, 11 Werner Kok, 10 Manie Libbok, 9 Morne van den Berg, 8 Evan Roos, 7 Vincent Tshituka, 6 Marcell Coetzee, 5 Ruan Nortje, 4 Reinhard Nothnagel, 3 Frans Malherbe, 2 PJ Botha, 1 Ox Nche
Mike Greenaway's XV: 15 Kurt-Lee Arendse, 14 Madosh Tambwe, 13 Ruhan Nel, 12 Harold Vorster, 11 Werner Kok, 10 Curwin Bosch, 9 Morne van den Berg, 8 Evan Roos, 7 Vincent Tshituka, 6 Marcell Coetzee, 5 Ruan Nortje, 4 Ruben Schoeman, 3 Thomas du Toit, 2 Johan Grobbelaar, 1 Ox Nche
Ashfak Mohamed’s XV: 15 Kurt-Lee Arendse, 14 Madosh Tambwe, 13 Wandisile Simelane, 12 Harold Vorster, 11 Leolin Zas, 10 Manie Libbok, 9 Morné van den Berg, 8 Evan Roos, 7 Vincent Tshituka, 6 Marcell Coetzee, 5 Ruan Nortje, 4 Adré Smith, 3 Mornay Smith, 2 Bongi Mbonambi, 1 Ox Nche
Wynona Louw's XV: 15 Kurt-Lee Arendse, 14 Madosh Tambwe, 13 Wandisile Simelane, 12 Harold Vorster, 11 Leolin Zas, 10 Manie Libbok, 9 Morne van den Berg, 8 Evan Roos, 7 Vincent Tshituka, 6 Marcell Coetzee, 5 Ruan Nortje, 4 Adre Smith, 3 Frans Malherbe, 2 Bongi Mbonambi, 1 Ox Nche
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