The URC resumed this past weekend, and an entertaining round of rugby saw the Bulls, Sharks and Stormers all register vital bonus-point victories, which kept all three sides in the top five on the standings.
However, the Lions could not hold up in the second half of their encounter and found themselves suffering a heavy defeat in Scotland, which ultimately saw them drop out of the top eight.
The Sharks registered a 36-21 victory against Cardiff in Wales on Friday, and at the same time, the Lions went down 31-10 against the unbeaten log-leaders Edinburgh in Scotland.
The Bulls and Stormers kept the SA flag flying at home on Saturday. The men from Pretoria held their nerve in an intense encounter against Ulster for a 34-26 victory in Pretoria, while the Capetonians scored two late tries to shrug off the Scarlets 52-40 in a dramatic match in Cape Town.
These results saw the Bulls finish the round in third place on the table (16 points), behind Edinburgh (19) and Glasgow (18). The Stormers are fourth, also on 16 points, and the Sharks are in fifth place (15 points).
The Lions, in turn, are now in 11th position (nine points), with 14 rounds of pool matches still to play
LATEST URC Standings
| Pos | Team | Played (P) | Won (W) | Lost (L) | Drawn (D) | Points (Pts) |
| 1 | Edinburgh | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 19 |
| 2 | Glasgow Warriors | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 18 |
| 3 | Bulls | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 16 |
| 4 | Stormers | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 16 |
| 5 | Sharks | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 15 |
| 6 | Leinster | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 13 |
| 7 | Ospreys | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 11 |
| 8 | Connacht | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 10 |
| 9 | Munster | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 10 |
| 10 | Cardiff Rugby | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 9 |
| 11 | Lions | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 9 |
| 12 | Dragons | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 9 |
| 13 | Ulster | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 9 |
| 14 | Scarlets | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 8 |
| 15 | Benetton | 4 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 6 |
| 16 | Zebre Parma | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 2 |
Fixtures this Friday
| Match | Venue | Kick off time (SAST) |
| Glasgow Warriors vs Lions | Scotstoun Stadium, Glasgow | 21:45 |
| Connacht vs Leinster | Dexcom Stadium, Galway | 21:45 |
FIXTURES FOR SATURDAY
| Match | Venue | Kick off time (SAST) |
| Stormers vs Ulster | DHL Stadium, Cape Town | 14:45 |
| Bulls vs Scarlets | Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria | 17:00 |
| Benetton vs Edinburgh | Stadio Comunale di Monigo, Treviso | 17:00 |
| Munster vs Sharks | Thomond Park, Limerick | 19:30 |
| Dragons vs Zebre Parma | Rodney Parade, Newport | 19:30 |
| Ospreys vs Cardiff Rugby | Swansea.com Stadium, Swansea | 21:45 |