Sharks and Lions struggle on the road in United Rugby Championship openers

While the Stormers and Bulls were celebrating after their URC victories on home soil, the Hollywoodbets Sharks and Lions found the start of the Vodacom URC season more challenging. Both teams fell short in away matches, highlighting the difficulties of travel and tough opposition in the opening round.

The Sharks opened their campaign with a 35-19 defeat to Glasgow Warriors at Scotstoun Stadium in Scotland. The match was close for nearly 70 minutes, with early promise from Edwill van der Merwe, Vincent Tshituka, and experienced centre Lukhanyo Am. However, late discipline issues proved costly. 

Yellow cards to replacement loose forward Tino Mavesere for offside and Lee-Marvin Mazibuko for collapsing a maul left the visitors vulnerable. Glasgow capitalised, with Rory Darge and Jamie Dobie scoring before a penalty try sealed the bonus-point victory. 

Despite missing several Springboks, the Sharks showed fight and promise but could not close out the match.

Lions slip up in the wet

Meanwhile, the Lions faced a clinical Cardiff side at Arms Park, going down 33-20 in wet conditions. Early tries from Ben Thomas and Cam Winnett gave the hosts a 14-3 advantage, but the Lions responded through Ruan Venter and WJ Steenkamp to lead briefly after Thomas received a 20-minute red card. 

Once Cardiff returned to full strength, they regained control. Alex Mann and Evan Lloyd crossed in the closing stages, with Lloyd’s late double securing a bonus point for the Welsh side. The Lions’ handling errors and struggles with the synthetic pitch contributed to their defeat.

Next week, the Sharks travel to Wales to take on the Dragons, while the Lions face Zebre Parma in Italy. Both teams will be eager to rebound and gain momentum after disappointing starts on the road.