Rugby
South Africa’s four URC teams hoping for another clean sweep this weekend─── ILSE SMALBERGER 15:11 Thu, 01 Oct 2026
The four South African United Rugby Championship (URC) sides had a dream start to the competition with all four sides victorious at home and abroad.
This weekend’s second round will therefore be all about maintaining momentum and laying a strong platform for the weeks ahead.
All four sides will also once again have the services of their Springbok players. But after a grueling four-test Greatest Rivalry Tour and playing the Wallabies last weekend in Perth, many players might not want to jump back into the action quite yet.
The Stormers is hoping for a confidence boosting victory this weekend. Photo: Facebook/Stormers
The Stormers will kick things off on Friday (02/10) when they line up against Edinburgh in Scotland. The team from Cape Town triumphed 29–15 over Connacht in Ireland last weekend, but Edinburgh will be a different kettle of fish.
It is the Scottish team’s first home game in the competition and they will also look for another win after defeating Ulster 34–29 in Ireland. The match will take place at the Hive Stadium and kick-off is at 20:45.
The Lions starts proceedings on Saturday (03/10) at 13:45 at Ellis Park in Johannesburg when they take on Ospreys. The Lions narrowly beat defending champions Leinster 27–26 last weekend, while the Welsh side lost 41–24 against the Sharks in Durban. The Welshmen have only managed one win over the Lions in their previous five URC outings, which was in 2024 in Swansea, so Saturday should be a formality for Ivan van Rooyen’s men.
The Bulls’ Embrose Papier. Photo: Twitter/Blue Bulls Rugby
The Sharks, meanwhile, will be bracing themselves for a mammoth battle against Leinster at Kings Park in Durban, who will want to bounce back in a big way after their one-point defeat last week. The fact that Leinster have won just once in their last nine trips to South Africa, albeit in Durban last season, will add extra fuel to the fire in what promises to be an epic battle. The match kicks off at 18:30.
The Bulls will be in action on Saturday evening at 20:45 against Munster at Thomond Park in Limerick. The men from Pretoria thrashed Zebre Parma in Italy last week, but this weekend’s game will be very different. Munster lost to the Glasgow Warriors at home last week and will be desperate to get a win under their belt in front of their home crowd.
