The Stormers and Bulls return home eyeing the scalps of their unbeaten rivals as the four South African clubs gear up for the first derby round in the 2026-27 URC this week.
The Sharks and Lions were victorious in round two of the competition on Saturday, but the travelling Stormers and Bulls came up short in the northern hemisphere.
John Dobson’s STORMERS lost 17-13 to Edinburgh in Scotland on Friday night, with a misfiring lineout in windy conditions at Hive Stadium not helping their cause.
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The Capetonians found their rhythm after trailing 3-0 at half-time, Yaqeen Ahmed kicking two penalties and converting Hacjivah Dayimani’s try, yet the home team held on to deny them at the death.
On Saturday, the LIONS beat the Ospreys 35-19 at Ellis Park, before the SHARKS recorded only a second-ever victory over Leinster when they saw off the defending champions 26-20 in Durban to move to the top of the standings.
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After trailing 12-10 at the interval, the Pride produced a dominant second-half display to secure maximum points and maintain their flawless start to the season.
One of six returning Springboks in action on the night, Sharks skipper André Esterhuizen scored the third of four tries while Vusi Moyo completed three from four attempts on goal to continue his good form off the kicking tee.
JP Pietersen’s men have a perfect 10 points after two home games, while Ivan van Rooyen’s Lions are in third place on nine points, the same as Cardiff and Edinburgh.
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In the final game of the weekend, the BULLS went down 26-22 to Munster in Limerick. Tries from Ruan Vermaak, Francois Klopper and Jeandré Rudolph, complemented by the boot of Curwin Bosch, kept Johan Ackermann’s charges in the contest.
But the Herd failed to find the extra gear needed to secure victory, instead leaving Thomond Park with a losing bonus point.
The Bulls and Stormers are both on six points in seventh and eighth positions on the log – the same as Munster in ninth – and will play hosts to Saturday’s Jukskei and coastal derbies at Loftus Versfeld and Cape Town Stadium, respectively.
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The Bulls and Lions, as well as Stormers and Sharks, have met 10 times in the URC since 2021-22, all in the regular league phase.
History favours the Bulls, having beaten the Lions eight times and lost twice, and the Pretoria-based outfit’s biggest winning margin was 52-17 at Ellis Park on 31 January.
The Stormers lead 6-3 in head-to-head clashes against the Sharks, with one draw. Dobson expects to rejig his lineup with the inclusion of Boks Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Deon Fourie, Wilco Louw, Paul de Villiers, Damian Willemse and Cobus Reinach.
However, the Durbanites won both meetings last season, completing their first URC derby double over the Stormers.
Round 2 results
Cardiff 40-27 Zebre
Edinburgh 17-13 Stormers
Benetton 19-22 Connacht
Lions 35-19 Ospreys
Dragons 38-26 Scarlets
Sharks 26-20 Leinster
Glasgow 33-33 Ulster
Munster 26-22 Bulls
Round 3 fixtures
Friday, 9 October
Glasgow vs Connacht (8:45pm)
Dragons vs Ospreys (8:45pm)
Saturday, 10 October
Bulls vs Lions (1:30pm)
Stormers vs Sharks (4pm)
Zebre vs Edinburgh (4pm)
Scarlets vs Benetton (6:30pm)
Ulster vs Munster (6:30pm)
Leinster vs Cardiff (8:45pm)
Photo: Steve Haag/Gallo Images
The post State of the URC: Wounded locals await Sharks, Lions appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
The Stormers and Bulls return home eyeing the scalps of their unbeaten rivals as the four South African clubs gear up for the first derby round in the 2026-27 URC this week.
The post State of the URC: Wounded locals await Sharks, Lions appeared first on SA Rugby magazine. Read More
