State of the URC: Unbeaten SA teams go again

The Stormers and Bulls charge ahead abroad as the Lions and Sharks hold down the fort after all four opened their URC campaigns with wins, three of them with bonus points.

Johan Ackermann’s Bulls lead the standings after round one on five points thanks to a points difference of 34, with the Sharks second and the Stormers third, also on five. The Lions, who edged defending champions Leinster, are seventh on four.

The STORMERS were made to work in Galway last Friday night, trailing 12-10 at half-time before two tries in the last five minutes from debutants Vernon Paolo and Ezekiel Ngobeni sealed a bonus-point 29-15 win over Connacht. They managed it without loose forwards Evan Roos (hamstring) and Marcel Theunissen (calf), both late withdrawals. 

John Dobson’s men tackle Edinburgh – 34-29 victors at Ulster in their season opener – at the Hive Stadium on Friday night. The Stormers have won four of the last five meetings, the latest 33-14 in Cape Town in March 2026, and the average score is 29-22 in their favour.

The LIONS beat Leinster 27-26 in Johannesburg last week, with a late try by Kelly Mpeku, converted by Chris Smith, deciding an exciting match. Leinster scrumhalf Fintan Gunne scored a hat-trick and Lions winger Erich Cronje a brace. 

Ivan van Rooyen’s Pride next host the Ospreys at Ellis Park on Saturday afternoon. The Lions won 45-15 in 2021-22 and 28-27 away in 2022-23, the Ospreys took the 2023-24 game 36-21, and the teams drew 24-24 in January 2026.

JP Pietersen’s SHARKS were never likely to lose at Kings Park, where a 90% tackle success rate produced a 41-24 victory over the Ospreys. Skipper Nick Hatton, Manu Tshituka, Luan Giliomee and Litelihle Bester scored first-half tries, all converted by Vusi Moyo, for a 24-14 lead at the break. 

Giliomee and Moyo contributed 24 points between them, while the Ospreys deserve credit for a late fourth try that earned a bonus point. 

Leinster visit the Shark Tank on Saturday and have dominated recent meetings, winning 10-7 in Durban in March 2025 and 31-5 in Dublin in October last year.

The BULLS needed 25 minutes to score but then ran away with a 47-13 triumph over Zebre Parma. 

Late first-half tries by Reinhardt Ludwig and Paul de Wet made it 21-6 at the break, and Ruan Vermaak and Harold Vorster had the match effectively won by the 51st minute. New flyhalf Curwin Bosch landed all four conversions. 

Munster, looking to bounce back from a 26-20 defeat by the Glasgow Warriors, host the Herd at Thomond Park on Saturday night.

The 2022-23 champions won the regular-season meetings in 2023-24 and 2024-25, but the Bulls won both last season, including a 45-14 quarter-final victory at Loftus Versfeld.

Round one results:
Benetton 19-19 Dragons
Connacht 15-29 Stormers
Ulster 29-34 Edinburgh
Lions 27-26 Leinster
Sharks 41-24 Ospreys
Munster 20-26 Glasgow
Zebre 13-47 Bulls
Scarlets 15-21 Cardiff

Round two fixtures:
Friday, 2 October
Cardiff vs Zebre (8:45pm)
Edinburgh vs Stormers (8:45pm)
Benetton vs Connacht (8:45pm)

Saturday, 3 October
Lions vs Ospreys (1:45pm)
Dragons vs Scarlets (4pm)
Sharks vs Leinster (6:30pm)
Glasgow vs Ulster (6:30pm)
Munster vs Bulls (8:45pm)

Photo: @BlueBullsRugby/X