Big anticipation as the 2026/27 Vodacom URC kicks off

South African eyes will be on Galway, Johannesburg, Durban, and Parma this weekend as the DHL Stormers, 10bet Lions, Hollywoodbets Sharks and Vodacom Bulls get the new Vodacom United Rugby Championship season underway (before the action moves to the Springboks and Perth on Sunday).

It’s still early days but the Grand Final, scheduled for Saturday 19 June 2027, will be on the minds of all 16 teams when they start their challenges this weekend.

The Stormers will be the first South African side in action when they take on Irish side Connacht in Galway on Friday evening.

On Saturday, the focus shifts to the Republic when the Lions host two-time defending champions Leinster, also from Ireland, in Johannesburg, before the Sharks take on the Ospreys from Wales in Durban.

The Bulls’ clash against Zebre Parma in Italy is the final match for the South African teams in round one.

In Galway, two teams that made the playoffs will be going hammer and tongs to get those valuable first log points in the bag. The Stormers, champions of the inaugural season in 2021/22, have won four of the last five URC meetings between these sides, although Connacht won the most recent clash, last year in Cape Town.

John Dobson’s side will be well aware of Connacht’s recent run at home, where they are on a five-game winning streak. But the Stormers were victorious on their last visit to Galway, by 16-12 in May 2024.

At the same time, the Capetonians will try to turn around their recent fortunes in Ireland, where they’ve won just one of their last five matches.

In Johannesburg, the Lions will be keen to start with a bang after they reached the URC play-offs for the first time last season.

Ivan van Rooyen’s side could hardly have asked for a tougher start though, against a star-studded Leinster side who lifted the trophy in the last two seasons, eliminating the Lions in the 2025 quarter-finals along the way.

Leinster have struggled in South Africa though, winning just one of their last eight matches in the Republic – against the Sharks in March 2025 – while the 10bet Lions won this corresponding fixture in April 2024 by 44-12.

The winners of the Welsh Shield from last season, the Ospreys, are in Durban where JP Pietersen’s Sharks will be aiming for a better season than last time, when both these sides missed out on the play-offs.

The KwaZulu-Natalians finished last season with back-to-back victories but still ended in 10th place and they will also hope for a home ground ally after losing just once in their last eight URC matches at the Shark Tank.

Furthermore, the Ospreys have lost their last five matches in South Africa, while the honours have gone to the home team in the last four meetings between these two sides, including a 29-10 win in May 2025.

The Bulls, runners up in the last two seasons of the URC, will be very mindful of not underestimating Zebre Parma when they clash in the north of Italy.

Johann Ackermann’s side from Pretoria – who have never lost to the club from Parma, will be aiming to reach their fifth Grand Final in six years, including a 54-29 win in Italy in November 2023 – but first they must try to get points on the board against a Zebre team that started last season with back-to-back victories.

However, the Bulls can take some early-season confidence into the clash, as they have won their opening URC fixture in each of the last four seasons, and they have lost only once in their last five trips to Italy.

Fixtures

Connacht v DHL Stormers - Friday @ Dexcom Stadium, Galway (8.45pm)

Referee: Sam Grove-White

TV: SuperSport

10bet Lions v Leinster - Saturday @ 10bet Ellis Park, Johannesburg (1.30pm)

Referee: Ben Breakspear

TV: SuperSport

Hollywoodbets Sharks v Ospreys - Saturday @ Hollywoodbets Kings Park, Durban (4pm)

Referee: Gianluca Gnecchi

TV: SuperSport

Zebre Parma v Vodacom Bulls - Saturday @ Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi, Parma (6.30pm)

Referee: Andrew Brace

TV: SuperSport