STAT ATTACK | SA players headline the URC charts

After a slow start to the United Rugby Championship (URC), the South African teams have found their feet with three local teams in line for a playoffs spot.

The Stormers (fifth), Sharks (sixth) and Bulls (eighth) look assured of quarter-finals berths, with only the Lions out of contention in 12th position.

URC log standings

The SA teams' recent resurgence is also reflected in the competition's official player statistics, with several local stars dominating respective categories.

Stormers flyhalf Manie Libbok is the leading points scorer with 127, with log-leading Leinster's Ross Byrne second on 109 points. Sharks pivot Curwin Bosch sits fourth in this category with 100 points.

The Stormers also boast the URC's top try-scorer, with winger Leolin Zas crossing the whitewash nine times. Bulls hooker Johan Grobbelaar, Bulls flank Marcell Coetzee and Stormers speedster Seabelo Senatla share second spot on eight tries.

Burly Stormers No 8 Evan Roos and Coetzee are also in the top five in the most carries category, with the Stormers enforcer third on 171 carries and the Bulls skipper fourth on 152.

There's also a most successful carries category, and here Roos (100) leads the pack, with Bulls counterpart Elrigh Louw fourth on 79 and Coetzee fifth on 76.

Bulls fullback Kurt-Lee Arendse and winger Madosh Tambwe have made the most clean breaks (18), followed by Zas (16).

Tambwe shares top spot with Edinburgh's Henry Immelman and Connacht's Mack Hansen in the defenders beaten category (42), with Roos (39) and Arendse (36) also in the top five.

Tambwe also tops the metres gained category (870m), with Arendse second on 866m.

Coetzee leads the most offloads category with 30, with Stormers fullback Warrick Gelant second on 27 and Tambwe fifth with