SA teams look to make a step up in the Vodacom URC

The DHL Stormers will not only try to retain their spot at the top of the Vodacom United Rugby Championship log this weekend but also continue winning streak against Zebre Parma, the Vodacom Bulls will be looking to bounce back in tough Galway, while the Hollywoodbets Sharks and Lions will aim for their first victories of season as they are back on home soil.

Last weekend, the Stormers were the only South African side to win and the other three teams will be keen to change their fortunes in the fourth round.

The teams from Cape Town and Pretoria are in their second week on tour. The Stormers – top of the log after three wins from as many matches – probably have the easier assignment than the sixth-placed Bulls but both will be wary of their opponents.

The comforts of playing at home will count in the favour of the Sharks and Lions, neither of whom have started the season well and are in the lower half of the standings but it’s still early days and there is time to turn their ships around.

The Bulls kick off the weekend action in Galway on Friday night (8.45pm) – not the easiest of venues to travel to as the Bulls found out back in October 2021, when they lost 34-7 to Connacht on their first visit to Dexcom Stadium.

Their last away match against Connacht – whose only defeat in their last four home URC games was against Edinburgh in Round 17 last year – ended in a 28-14 win for the Bulls and they will be hoping to replicate that after last weekend’s defeat against Ulster.

The men from Pretoria will take some confidence with them, as Connacht have won only one of their last seven fixtures against South African opponents, by 36-30 over the Sharks in Galway in September 2024.

The Lions, who have not had things go their way in their first three games on the road and have since loaned a few players from Suzuki Griquas and the Bulls, will be hoping for better luck when they host the Scarlets at Ellis Park on Saturday afternoon (1.45pm).

Having won four of their last six URC home games, the Lions will enter the match against the Welsh team – who are zero from two this season – with confidence in front of their home crowd.

Furthermore, the Scarlets have won just two of their last nine clashes with South African opponents and have won just once in South Africa since 2018, but that was a few months ago, in May, against their hosts this weekend, in Johannesburg.

The two sides have met on four previous occasions with honours even at two wins apiece but the Lions will be pushing hard to take the lead in this race.

The Sharks go from Dublin to Durban, where they will be looking to break their URC duck this season – although they drew against the Dragons in the second round – when they welcome Ulster to Hollywoodbets Kings Park on Saturday afternoon (4pm).

The KwaZulu-Natalians’ only loss in their last 10 home games in the URC was in March to eventual champions, Leinster but they will be mindful of the fact that they have won just one of their last four fixtures against Irish provinces.

Ulster, one of only three unbeaten teams so far this season, travel to Durban with maximum points from the two games they have played in the last few weeks, although they won only twice on the road in the URC last season, away against Connacht and the Dragons.

The Sharks will have taken notice that the Ulstermen have lost on their last four visits to South Africa but will also not have forgotten the team from Belfast’s 31-24 victory in Durban in February 2023.

The Stormers are in Northern Italy where they will come face to face with a confident Zebre Parma side on Saturday evening (8.45pm).

Zebre suffered their first defeat of the new campaign when they were beaten 24-0 by the Ospreys last weekend but the Italians have won their last two home games in the URC and will be aiming for three in a row in Parma, a feat they last achieved in September 2018.

The Stormers’ only defeat in their last eight URC matches was in last season’s quarter-final against the Glasgow Warriors and the table-topping team from Cape Town will not only be keen to stay on the winning path but also keep their unbeaten record against Zebre intact.

In fact, the Stormers have recorded bonus-point victories in each of their four matches to date against Zebre.

On Wednesday, it was announced that Engen, part of the Vivo Energy Group, has joined as the Official Fuel Partner of the URC in South Africa. The collaboration marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter for rugby across the region, bringing together two brands united by passion, performance and community.

Fixtures

Connacht v Vodacom Bulls - Friday @ Dexcom Stadium, Galway (8.45pm)

Referee: Mike Adamson

TV: SuperSport

Lions v Scarlets - Saturday @ Ellis Park, Johannesburg (1.45pm)

Referee: Eoghan Cross

TV: SuperSport

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

Referee: Ben Whitehouse

TV: SuperSport

Zebre Parma v DHL Stormers - Saturday @ Stadio Lanfranchi, Parma (8.45pm)

Referee: Andrew Brace

TV: SuperSport