Lions and Bulls gear up for epic Jukskei challenge

The 10bet Lions will make the short trip across the Jukskei to take on the Vodacom Bulls in Round 3 of the Vodacom United Rugby Championship in the country’s capital on Saturday (1.30pm kick-off).

Already two from two in the competition, the Joburgers will be looking to capitalise on their current form, especially at Loftus where they were successful last season; claiming a 43-33 victory over Johan Ackermann’s men.

Lions head coach Ivan van Rooyen admitted that despite their win over the Ospreys last weekend, the Vodacom Bulls will pose a different challenge at Loftus - a challenge his side need to be ready for.

“Accuracy is going to be massive going into the Bulls fixture,” he warned.

“It’s a typical derby; so it’s going to be a massive set piece focus and huge physicality. The Bulls have shown in recent performances that they want to play a little bit more which makes them more dangerous going into the weekend.”

Van Rooyen’s assistant and scrum coach Julian Redelinghuys echoed the views saying that SA derbies and set piece dominance tend to determine the result of the game.

“These are two proud packs of forwards,” the former Springbok prop said. “When you play against a South African team, you can be sure that the levels of intensity will be higher, especially in the set-pieces,” he concluded.

In team news, the Lions go into Saturday with a new-look lock-pairing in the form of Dylan Sjoblom and Hyron Andrews. There are three changes in the backline resulting in starts for Springboks Morne van den Berg at scrumhalf and Quan Horn at fullback. Richard Kriel shifts to the wing replacing the in-form Erich Cronje due to injury. Ethan Adams plays alongside Henco van Wyk in the midfield, the latter returning to action after his head injury causing him to miss out last week (precautionary)

The bench will potentially see the injection of power and pace in the form of Batho Hlekani and Siba Mahashe respectively. Nico Steyn provides halfback cover.

Ackermann has made sweeping changes to his side for the clash at Loftus Versfeld, with 10 Springboks in the match-day 23 and Hanro Liebenberg named captain for the first time.

The Bulls are looking to bounce back after being edged 26-22 by Munster at Thomond Park last week, and the new-look side has plenty of experience and firepower to do it. Lock Cobus Wiese, named on the bench, is in line for his 50th Bulls cap.

The Lions arrive in Pretoria in good form. They are two from two after a second successive bonus-point win, a 35-19 victory over the Ospreys. They have won their opening two VURC fixtures for only the second time, having won their opening four matches of the 2024/25 season.

The Bulls, meanwhile, will want to rediscover their winning habit. Their only win in their last four first-team matches was the 47-13 victory over Zebre Parma in Round 1. Loftus Versfeld has been a fortress, however. TheBulls have won their last five URC matches there since a defeat to the DHL Stormers in March.

Ackermann said: “It’s a massive challenge. The Lions have started really well and are playing with a lot of confidence. They’re a team of consistency, have been together a long time and haven’t had a lot of disruptions. They play an exciting brand of rugby, have a good set-piece and challenge you all over the field.”

The URC is using its collective voice to support Breast Cancer Awareness Month this October.

Breast Cancer Awareness Month is an annual international campaign that raises awareness of breast cancer, encourages early detection and promotes support for people affected by the disease.

Throughout October, the URC will be painting our channels pink and encouraging our clubs to do the same, recognising those living with breast cancer, celebrating survivors, remembering those we have lost and encouraging women and men to be “breast aware”.

Consequently, Loftus Versfeld will turn pink on Saturday when the Bulls host the Lions, with the VURC derby doubling as a platform for I Love Boobies, the South African non-profit working since 2016 to tackle the under-diagnosis of breast cancer.

The initiative’s messaging will feature throughout the build-up and across the big screen and LED boards, with SuperSport carrying the message to viewers at home, while fans can donate directly via QR codes and SnapScan links placed around the stadium and at the D Field fan zone. Beyond the fundraising, the day carries a deeply personal touch, with breast cancer survivors hosted in a dedicated pamper zone, underlining the Bulls’ commitment to using the platform of rugby to drive awareness around early detection, a factor that saves lives.

Early detection matters.

We are reaching out to our rugby community to encourage people to know what is normal for them, to recognise any unusual changes and to seek medical advice if they notice something that doesn’t feel right.

Know your normal. Check for changes. Don’t ignore something that doesn’t feel right.

Pink ribbons and pink logos might seem like small gestures but collectively they can help start conversations and encourage people to take action.

We are rallying our URC rugby family to SHOUT about Breast Cancer Awareness.

Across our October matches, you will see match officials wearing pink armbands, our on-field branding painted pink and a range of pink touches across our digital channels showing the Vodacom URC’s support.

This campaign has an especially personal meaning for the URC and our rugby community this year as we stand alongside our very own Aimee Barrett-Theron, who is on a recovery journey following breast cancer.

Aimee is using her own experience and her voice to encourage others to be breast aware, to recognise changes and to seek medical advice when something doesn’t feel right.

We want to show Aimee our support and encouragement on her journey, while helping her message reach as many people as possible.

Aimee is strong. Aimee is brave. Aimee is hugely respected across our rugby community, and we are incredibly proud of her for using her voice to encourage others to be breast aware.

Sixteen clubs. Five territories. One collective voice.

Let’s SHOUT about breast cancer awareness.

Vodacom Bulls starting XV: 15 Willie le Roux, 14 Canan Moodie, 13 Stedman Gans, 12 Harold Vorster, 11 Sebastian de Klerk; 10 Curwin Bosch, 9 Paul de Wet; 8 Cameron Hanekom, 7 Hanro Liebenberg (capt), 6 Jeandre Rudolph; 5 JF van Heerden, 4 Ruan Vermaak; 3 Francois Klopper, 2 Johan Grobbelaar, 1 Gerhard Steenekamp. Replacements: 16 Marco van Staden, 17 Alu Tshakweni, 18 Khutha Mchunu, 19 Cobus Wiese, 20 Elrigh Louw, 21 Keagan Johannes, 22 Handre Pollard, 23 Cheswill Jooste.

10bet Lions starting XV: 15 Quan Horn, 14 Kelly Mpeku, 13 Ethan Adams, 12 Henco van Wyk 11 Richard Kriel; 10 Chris Smith, 9 Morne van den Berg; 8 Francke Horne (capt), 7 Siba Qoma, 6 JC Pretorius; 5 Hyron Andrews, 4 Dylan Sjoblom; 3 Sebastian Lombard, 2 PJ Botha, 1 Boan Venter. Replacements: 16 Morne Brandon, 17 SJ Kotze, 18 RF Schoeman, 19 JP du Preez, 20 Batho Hlekani, 21 Siba Mahashe, 22 Nico Steyn, 23 Boeta Chamberlain.

SATURDAY

Vodacom Bulls v 10bet Lions

Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria – KO 12.30pm IRE & UK/1.30pm ITA & SA

Referee: Hanru van Rooyen (SARU, 2nd league game)

AR 1: Christopher Allison (SARU) AR 2: Jonathan Lottering (SARU)

TMO: Aimee Barrett-Theron (SARU)

Live on: SuperSport, Premier Sports, TG4, Flo Rugby & URC.tv