Five SA sides seek strong start as European competitions kick off

The five South African teams participating in the Investec Champions Cup and EPCR Challenge Cup competitions will face a fresh challenge this weekend as they switch their focus from the Vodacom United Rugby Championship to the first round of the European showpieces, where all the sides will want to make a strong statement in the tournaments, which feature only four pool rounds.

The Vodacom Bulls, DHL Stormers, and 10bet Lions will run out in the Investec Champions Cup competition, while the Hollywoodbets Sharks – who were crowned the champions in the 2023/24 season – and the Toyota Cheetahs will battle it out in the EPCR Challenge Cup.

All three Investec Champions Cup teams will take the field on Saturday, with the Bulls facing Stade Francais in Pretoria (2pm), followed by the clash between the Stormers and Bristol Bears in Cape Town (4.15pm), while the Lions face a tough task in France when they make their debut in the top echelon of European rugby against former champions Stade Rochelais in La Rochelle (6.30pm).

In the EPCR Challenge Cup, both matches will play out in France, with theSharks taking the field first when they line up against LOU Rugby in Lyon on Saturday (2pm), while the Cheetahs will battle it out with Aviron Bayonnais, with that match kicking off at 2pm on Sunday in Bayonne.

The Bulls will enter their match against Stade Francais with confidence following their emphatic 57-15 victory against the Lions last weekend and with two wins and a narrow defeat away from home in the URC in the last few weeks, they will be determined to come out on top to give themselves the best possible chance to improve on their Round of 16 finish last year.

They will, however, be wary of the Frenchmen, who have won three of their six games in the Top 14 and will be desperate to make up for their disappointing away form, which has seen them win only one of their three games on the road in the competition.

Spicing up the clash, the last time the teams met was in the 2024/25 season in a repeat of this fixture, with the men from Pretoria registering a comprehensive 48-7 victory – a result the hosts will want to replicate, and one the visitors will want to avenge.

The Stormers will be equally confident going into their clash against the Bristol Bears after their magnificent all-round display against the Sharks in Cape Town last week, which earned them a rewarding 39-22 victory, and the fact that they have also only suffered one defeat in the URC will undoubtedly add to their confidence.

But the Capetonians will be wary of the Bristol Bears, who also come off two wins in three Gallagher PREM matches, and who will be heavily determined to bounce back from their heavy 30-7 defeat against Saracens last weekend.

Spicing things up, both teams advanced to the Round of 16 last season and will be determined to improve on that finish in this campaign.

The encounter between Stade Rochelais and the Lions, meanwhile, has all the makings of an epic battle with the Johannesburgers raring to fight back after their heavy defeat last week, which ended their URC two-match winning run, while the Frenchman have been fighting fit in the Top 14, winning four of their six matches, which has placed them fourth on the standings.

Adding to the excitement, the former champions from France come off two successive victories in the Top 14 – form they will want to build on – while they have won two of their three home matches to date, with their only defeat being against Racing 92, who are currently ranked third-last on the standings – a factor that will certainly inspire the visitors from Gauteng.

The EPCR Challenge Cup matches are expected to be equally gripping, as the Sharks look to build on their strong form in the Vodacom URC in the opening rounds, while the Cheetahs will want to make a strong statement in the international showpiece.

The KwaZulu-Natalians, in particular, are fully committed to making up for their disappointing showing against the Stormers, when they face Lyon, who find themselves in the middle of the Top 14 table after three wins in six matches. The Frenchmen are coming off three successive defeats, which will give the Sharks all the motivation they need to strike while the iron is hot.

Adding to the Durbanites’ motivation, they are the only South African team to have won the competition and they will draw inspiration from the fact that they advanced to the Round of 16 last season, so they will have everything to play for as they try to make the most of their home ground advantage in the hot and humid Durban conditions.

The Cheetahs, in turn, will in all likelihood face their toughest test of the year when they line up against Aviron Bayonnais after playing a series of domestic and international competitions this season.

Bayonne have been in good form in the Top 14, with four victories in six outings and currently ranked fourth on the standings, meaning the Free Staters will have to deliver a top-class performance to come away with a victory.

Adding to the challenge, Bayonne remain unbeaten at home in the Top 14, but rather than intimidating the Cheetahs, they will see this as a good opportunity to show that they can compete at this level.

Over and above that, the Cheetahs have progressed to the Round of 16 before in the 2023/24 season where they suffered a narrow 27-22 defeat, which will undoubtedly fuel their determination to prove that that result was not a flash in the pan.

The following rule changes have been announced for the 2026/27 season, designed to increase competitiveness and jeopardy until the final whistle.

• Offensive Bonus Point: A team will now be awarded an attacking bonus point when it scores three or more tries than its opponent.

• Investec Champions Cup Round of 16 qualification: The top three clubs in each pool will automatically qualify, while the remaining four places will be awarded to the four clubs with the highest number of match points across all four pools, regardless of which pool they are in.

• EPCR Challenge Cup Round of 16 qualification: The three highest-ranked clubs in each pool will qualify automatically for the Round of 16. The remaining three places will go to the three clubs with the highest number of match points across all three pools, regardless of which pool they are in. Four clubs will also drop down from the Investec Champions Cup to join the Round of 16.

FIXTURES

Investec Champions Cup

Vodacom Bulls v Stade Francais - Saturday @ Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria (2pm)

Referee: Christophe Ridley

TV: SuperSport

DHL Stormers v Bristol Bears - Saturday @ DHL Stadium, Cape Town (4.15pm)

Referee: Kevin Bralley

TV: SuperSport

Stade Rochelais v 10bet Lions - Saturday @ Stade Marcel Deflandre, La Rochelle (6.30pm)

Referee: Sam Grove-White

TV: SuperSport

EPCR Challenge Cup

LOU Rugby v Hollywoodbets Sharks - Saturday @ Matmut Stadium, Lyon (2pm)

Referee: Federico Vedovelli

TV: SuperSport

Aviron Bayonnais v Toyota Cheetahs - Sunday @ Stade Jean-Dauger, Bayonne (2pm)

Referee: Peter Martin

TV: SuperSport