SA teams look to build on strong start in Vodacom URC

The four South African Vodacom United Rugby Championship sides will have their sights set on building on their strong start to the competition last weekend in which they registered a clean sweep of victories with another challenging round awaiting them this weekend.

The DHL Stormers will again kick off the action on Friday when they line up against Edinburgh in Scotland, while a jam-packed Saturday will see the 10bet Lions host the Ospreys in Johannesburg, the Hollywoodbets Sharks take on Leinster in Durban and the Vodacom Bulls battle it out with Munster in the closing game of the weekend in Limerick.

The Stormers will be determined to build on their 29-15 away win against Connacht in Ireland last weekend when they take on Edinburgh, but they will be wary of the fact that the Scottish side will want to make the most of their first home game of the season as they look to earn their second win in a row after defeating Ulster 34-29 in Ireland last week.

The Stormers may be lying third on the standings – two places ahead of the fifth-placed Edinburgh – and although they scored fewer points than the hosts last week, their defence was more effective. It’s an of the Capetonians’ game they will want to continue building on as their effective defence has been vital in steering them into the playoff stages in the last five seasons.

Interestingly, Edinburgh’s only victory in the six previous meetings with DHL Stormers was in October 2024 – a statistic that will motivate both teams going into the clash.

The Lions will enter their match against the Ospreys as favourites after pipping defending champions, Leinster, by 27-26 last week, while the Welsh side lost 41-24 against the Sharks in Durban.

Similarly to the Stormers, while they only scored three more points last week, the men from Johannesburg were far more effective on defence – and they will have full confidence in the fact that if they hit their straps on attack, they could set themselves up for a confidence boosting second victory in as many weeks.

History also favours the Lions, who suffered only one defeat at home last season and also hold the bragging rights of having suffered only one defeat against the Welshmen in their previous five URC outings, which was in 2024 in Swansea.

The Sharks, meanwhile, will be bracing themselves for a mammoth battle against Leinster at Hollywoodbets Kings Park, knowing full well that the visitors will not be happy with their one-point defeat last week and desperate to work their way up the table after consistently proving themselves as one of the top teams in the competition in the last few seasons.

The Durbanites will also be well aware of the fact that Leinster will offer a completely different challenge to that which they faced against the Ospreys, but they will also enter the game knowing that a victory against the Irish giants will serve as a massive confidence booster before taking on the Stormers in Cape Town next week.

The Sharks’ second place on the log and the fact that Leinster have won just once in their last nine trips to South Africa, albeit in Durban last season, will also serve as extra motivation to remain close to the top of the table and they will undoubtedly bank on their vocal supporters and the warm and humid conditions to give them an edge.

The Bulls, in turn, will enter their clash against Munster with confidence after scoring 47 points against Zebre Parma in Italy last week, and the knowledge that they have won the last three clashes against Munster, which included their 45-14 victory against them in Pretoria in the quarter-final last season.

That said, the team from Pretoria will be under no illusions that they will go up against a team eager to make up for their six-point defeat against the Glasgow Warriors at home last week.

Spicing up the clash, the Bulls will be desperate to hold onto their top spot on the table, while they will also draw on their experience of knowing what it takes to win again some of the top sides away from home in the last few seasons, which has seen them play in the last three Grand Finals in the cross-hemisphere competition.

Fixtures

Edinburgh v DHL Stormers - Friday @ Hive Stadium, Edinburgh (8.45pm)

Referee: Eoghan Cross

TV: SuperSport

10bet Lions v Ospreys - Saturday @ 10bet Ellis Park, Johannesburg (1.45pm)

Referee: Filippo Russo

TV: SuperSport

Hollywoodbets Sharks v Leinster - Saturday @ Hollywoodbets Kings Park, Durban (6.30pm)

Referee: Craig Evans

TV: SuperSport

Munster v Vodacom Bulls - Saturday @ Thomond Park, Limerick (8.45pm)

Referee: Federico Vedovelli

TV: SuperSport