Big wins for the Vodacom Bulls and DHL Stormers cemented their places in the top four of the Vodacom United Rugby Championship before a three-week hiatus in the competition.

Last season’s finalists won their local derbies with a full house of five log points – the Bulls crossed for three tries in the final 14 minutes to beat the Cell C Sharks 40-27 in Pretoria on Sunday and, a day earlier, the Stormers scored 21 second-half points without reply for a 31-22 victory over the Emirates Lions at Ellis Park.

HIGHLIGHTS: Stormers comeback stuns Lions

Leinster (unbeaten after seven games) and Ulster, with five wins from six matches, still lead the pack, with 33 and 25 log points, respectively. But, the third-placed Bulls and Stormers in fourth – both on 24 points – are still firmly in semi-final contention with a third of the regular season in the bag.

The Sharks (eighth with 15 points) and Lions (ninth on 15) have slipped down the standings, yet both remain in sight of the playoffs as they have some games in hand over teams higher up on the log.

The next round of URC matches is scheduled for the last weekend of November, when the Stormers face Scarlets to Cape Town (25 November), the Bulls host Ospreys (26 November), before the Lions and Sharks welcome the Dragons and Cardiff, respectively, on 27 November.

Photo: @Springboks/Twitter