The Vodacom Bulls, Sharks and Lions all suffered defeats in round three of the URC, with the Stormers the only bright spot.

In Llanelli on Friday night, the STORMERS‘ forward muscle once again laid the foundation for a commanding bonus-point win over the Scarlets to keep their unbeaten start intact and end the round at the top of the log.

Evan Roos continued his red-hot form with another try as the Cape pack bossed the collisions and set piece from start to finish.

Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu was influential in his first start of the season, scoring and creating as the Stormers racked up a 34-0 shutout.

Even a pair of yellow cards couldn’t derail their momentum as Imad Khan scored a fifth try late on.

DOBBO: A lot of tears in Stormers change room

The only concern for John Dobson’s side was the bicep injury to veteran loose forward Deon Fourie, which is likely to sideline him for a while.

The BULLS‘ first overseas outing of the campaign ended in frustration as Ulster’s power game and Nathan Doak’s precision handed Johan Ackermann’s men a 28-7 defeat that saw them drop to sixth on the log.

Despite the return of Springbok stars Handré Pollard and Canan Moodie, the Pretoria-based outfit never quite found their rhythm after a disallowed early try.

READ: Ackers urges patience with Pollard

Wilco Louw’s first-half effort offered brief hope, but Ulster’s physicality and clinical finishing after the break proved decisive.

Former Stormer Juarno Augustus punished the visitors with a typically hard-running score that swung the momentum for good.

ACKERS: Families fight too

The loss snaps the Bulls’ perfect start and sets up a testing clash with Connacht in Galway next week.

In Dublin, Leinster overwhelmed the SHARKS with a ruthless five-try 31-5 performance at the Aviva.

James Lowe and Jamie Osborne sparked the hosts early as their tempo and precision left the Durban-based side chasing shadows.

Ethan Hooker’s solo score provided a rare highlight for the visitors, who were undone by handling errors and defensive lapses. Max Deegan and Gus McCarthy added second-half tries to secure Leinster’s first win of the season.

PLUM: Massive job ahead of Sharks

John Plumtree’s men now return home winless, 13th on the log, and under pressure to respond against Ulster at Kings Park.

The LIONS‘ European tour finished in familiar frustration as Louis Lynagh’s four-try heroics fired Benetton to a comprehensive 41-15 victory in Treviso.

Despite an encouraging start, the Joburg-based outfit were once again punished for defensive lapses and ill-discipline.

Asenathi Ntlabakanye and Conrad van Vuuren crossed for the visitors, but they struggled to contain the pace and precision of Rhyno Smith and Lynagh out wide.

REPORT: Lynagh lashes winless Lions

A yellow card to Rhynhardt Jonker summed up a scrappy second half as Benetton ran riot.

With three straight defeats, the Lions return to Ellis Park second from bottom on the log and desperate to kick-start their season against the touring Scarlets.

Round 3 results:
Munster 20 Edinburgh 19
Scarlets 0 Stormers 34
Benetton 41 Lions 15
Ospreys 24 Zebre 0
Glasgow 49 Dragons 0
Leinster 31 Sharks 5
Ulster 28 Bulls 7
Cardiff 14 Connacht 8

KEO: Stormers defence dominates in lime burst

Round 4 fixtures:
Friday, 17 October
Edinburgh vs Benetton, 8:45pm
Connacht vs Bulls, 8:45pm
Dragons vs Cardiff, 8:45pm
Saturday, 18 October
Lions vs Scarlets, 1:45pm
Sharks vs Ulster, 4pm
Leinster vs Munster, 6:15pm
Zebre vs Stormers, 8:45pm
Ospreys vs Glasgow, 8:45pm

Photo: Gareth Everett/Gallo Images