URC report card: Stormers fly while Sharks plummet | The Citizen

The second season of the United Rugby Championship (URC) came to its conclusion in spectacular fashion on Saturday night as Irish giants Munster upset the defending champions, hosts the Stormers, in front of over 56,000 fans at the Cape Town Stadium.

It ended over a decade of heartbreak for Munster, whose last success in the competition was back in 2011, while the Stormers were bitterly disappointed not to retain the title they won in last season’s inaugural edition.

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In all it was a mixed bag for South African franchises in the URC this season, and here we rate each of their campaigns.

Stormers

Citizen ranking: 9/10

It was another magnificent season for the Stormers as they cruised to a second successive URC final. They unfortunately ended up short, finishing off one worse than last season, but it was still an impressive feat to once again host the showpiece final.

It was also their introduction into the Champions Cup competition, and although they were knocked out in the quarter-finals by Exeter Chiefs, it was a valuable experience that they will be able to build on going forward.

Although they weren’t as successful as in their first season, the Stormers took a massive step forward in building squad depth and backing up their superb start in the competition and they can now move onto even greater heights.

Season highlight: Claiming a ‘Grand Slam’ over their fellow SA franchises by beating all of them home and away.

Bulls

Citizen ranking: 6/10

It was a strange season for the Bulls, who seemed to take a backward step after a stunning first campaign in the URC when they finished as runners-up.

They still managed a sixth place finish on the log, a place in next season’s Champions Cup and won (10) more games than they lost (8), but it was still an underwhelming campaign from a strong squad that more was expected from.

A disastrous run towards the end of the season, when the Bulls lost 10 straight games across three different competitions, showed the struggles that they will have to try and overcome in the future.

Season highlight: Although it was against a ‘B’ Leinster team, the Bulls absolutely dismantled them 62-7 in their final pool game to head into the knockouts with plenty of confidence.

Lions

Citizen ranking: 6/10

A rollercoaster of a season fully encapsulated the unpredictability of the Lions, who started off strong and were punching above their weight, only to fall apart in mid-season with a disastrous run of losses.

They, however, managed to recover and end the season strongly, and can be proud of finishing just outside the top eight, missing out on a place in the quarter-finals, just three points off of the Springbok laden Sharks.

In all, it was an improvement from their inaugural season in the URC, when they finished 12^th overall, and they did well despite losing a number of their stars in the off season.

Season highlight: The Lions’ first away tour of the season saw them produce a brilliant showing to pick up three wins on the road, over Ospreys, Cardiff and Edinburgh, which saw them in the top five of the competition early on.

Sharks

Citizen ranking: 3/10

It was a miserable season for the Sharks who were unable to live up to the expectations placed on them, with a large number of Springbok stars in their squad.

Their struggles when their Springboks are unavailable is well documented, in contrast to the Stormers whose back-up players seem to flourish when given the chance, and that is something they desperately need to sort out by improving their depth.

Their biggest upset was missing out on qualification for next season’s Champions Cup and they will have to play in the second tier Challenge Cup.

Season highlight: A thumping 47-20 win over fierce Highveld rivals the Bulls in front of a large crowd in Durban on Old Year’s Eve ushered hopes of a top start to the new year, but the Sharks were unfortunately unable to build on it.