Bulls and Sharks lead South Africa in URC, while Stormers and Lions struggle

South Africa’s four sides in the United Rugby Championship achieved mixed results during their season, with only the Bulls and Sharks reaching the final four as the Stormers bowed out in the quarter-finals.

While it was a disappointing performance in another heart-breaking final for the Pretoria side, the Lions had a fourth consecutive season where they could not make a challenge for the playoff spots.

More and more questions are being raised about whether they have the players and coaching staff to stay competitive in the tournament.

Independent Media rated the season of the four SA franchises...

Bulls (runners-up)

Rating: A

It was a case of so close, but yet so far again for the men from Pretoria. After some strong performances to set them up for home playoffs in the quarters and semis, they were excellent in those games to set up a final against Leinster.

While they had some hiccups during the season, with bad losses here and there, a run of victories saw them go into the final with a squeaky-clean record.

That gave them the confidence that they could cause an upset against Leinster. A run of overseas victories added to it.

In the end, they failed for a third time to triumph in a final, and had to be happy with second place.

Match of the Season: They had some outstanding victories overseas, especially towards the end of the round-robin season.

But their semi-final win over a Springbok-laden Sharks side capped off their abilities. At a stage in that game, they played with 12 men and were 13 for the opening minutes in the second half.

Yet, they managed to defend with aplomb to keep the Sharks out to clinch the game.

Player of the Season: Wilco Louw. He scrummed nearly every opposition he faced into oblivion. The Bok prop had one of his best campaigns in a blue jersey, and it is no wonder that he is fully back into the national conversation.

Sharks (semi-finals)

Rating: B

If only there were some sort of consistent performances from the coastal side, they could’ve ended up in a final.

With their arsenal of players, they could’ve mounted a serious challenge against Leinster.

However, their hot and cold performances, partly due to a long list of injuries at the start of the campaign, prevented them from reaching a first-ever final in the URC.

They were crowned first-time winners of the SA Shield, but that silverware holds little value if they cannot back it up as the last local team standing in the competition.

They had all the opportunities at Loftus Versfeld to reach the finals, but had another poor showing and could not capitalise on three yellow cards given to the Bulls.

That summed up their season, where they’ve hampered themselves with indifferent performances at certain stages of their campaign.

Match of the Season: Their round 11 clash with the Bulls delivered a spectacular 29-19 victory at Loftus, but the quarter-final place-kick shootout with Munster in Durban topped it by a country mile.

It was an intense battle that lasted well over 100 minutes, and had all the ingredients that made it a classic match as the Sharks reached their first-ever semi-final.

Player of the Season: Ethan Hooker. The youngster stepped up in plenty of games where his teammates were not on his level.

He can create something out of nothing, and saved the Sharks a couple of times with good breaks that led to tries.

Stormers (quarter-finals)

Rating: C-

Another campaign that ended on a flat note, and it was again in Glasgow where the same thing happened last season.

However, it was one of their worst performances in a couple of years, which saw them exit the competition in the first knockout round.

Yes, injuries impacted them, but they had enough good players to put up a stronger fight than the 36-18 quarter-final loss against the Warriors suggested.

The Cape side looked good for some parts of the season, but a slow start and some hiccups along the way kept them from finishing in a home quarter-final spot.

They have unearthed some promising young players and given them plenty of opportunities to show that things can only get better in the new season.

Match of the Season: That 29-17 victory over the Scarlets in Llanelli turned the season around for the Cape side after they struggled to get wins overseas.

They played typical Stormers rugby in that game, and the URC Try of the Season from Deon Fourie came from that encounter.

Player of the Season: Ruben van Heerden. The lock was arguably the most consistent player over the season and topped the overall tackle stats with a near-perfect tackle completion rate.

Van Heerden was also a stand-out in the lineouts and assisted or had a hand in a couple of Stormers tries.

Lions (11th)

Rating: D

After a strong start to the season, they fell off heavily at the back-end, which prompts the question of whether they have what it takes to get to the playoffs.

Well, they certainly have the calibre players to do it, but something is just not working at the Lions.

One weekend they play a spectacular game of rugby, just to follow it up with two poor performances in the next couple of matches.

That kind of inconsistency ruined their hunt for a first-ever quarter-final spot in the tournament. Losing home matches especially hurt them.

Injuries hurt them too, but they showed enough to give a glimmer of hope that next season will be the one where they break into the top eight of the URC and a place in the quarters and the Champions Cup.

Match of the Season: Their six-try 38-14 effort against the Sharks really showcased the skill-set the Lions’ players possess. Beating a side full of Boks and limiting them to only two tries was excellent.

Player of the Season: JC Pretorius. A stand-out at the breakdown for the side with his never-say-die attitude. Although not always in the starting line-up, the openside flank made use of his opportunities to establish himself as their leading fetcher.