The four South African sides participating in the Vodacom United Rugby Championship will be gearing up for big battles this weekend, as the cross-hemisphere competition heads for a break for the Nations Championship next month.
The four South African sides participating in the Vodacom United Rugby Championship will be gearing up for big battles this weekend, as the cross-hemisphere competition heads for a break for the Nations Championship next month.
Three of the four semi-final places in the SA Rugby Under-20 Cup were effectively secured after Saturday's action, with the Vodacom Bulls, Fidelity ADT Lions and DHL Stormers Bolts all strengthening their positions in the top three.
The four South African Vodacom United Rugby Championship teams will do everything in their power this weekend to retain their places in the top eight as the cross-hemisphere showpiece strikes round four with most teams finding their momentum after the opening rounds.
The Vodacom Bulls, DHL Stormers, and Hollywoodbets Sharks got their Investec Champions Cup and EPCR Challenge Cup campaigns off to encouraging starts over the weekend, as they all registered valuable victories in a jam-packed weekend of action, which was heavily overshadowed by the tragic passing of 10bet Lions lock Hyron Andrews in an emotional weekend all around.
The Vodacom Bulls and DHL Stormers delivered dominant performances to outclass the 10bet Lions and Hollywoodbets Sharks in a gripping round of Vodacom United Rugby Championship local derbies on Saturday, which not only ended the latter sides’ two-match winning starts in the competition, but also saw them overtake their fellow SA teams on the standings.
Vodacom United Rugby Championship log leaders, the Hollywoodbets Sharks, and third-placed 10bet Lions, will have their sights set on continuing their unbeaten start in the competition this weekend and remain in the top four on the standings when they hit the road to face the DHL Stormers and Vodacom Bulls in a thrilling round of South African derbies.
The Vodacom Bulls will approach the Vodacom United Rugby Championship Grand Final against Leinster with the mindset of third time lucky when the teams meet in a repeat of last year’s decider at Croke Park in Dublin on Friday evening, in what is set to be a humdinger of a match.
Vodacom Bulls scrumhalf Embrose Papier has been rewarded for this excellent form in the 2025/26 season by being named the South African Vodacom United Rugby Championship Player of the season.
The Vodacom Bulls and DHL Stormers kept the South African flag flying high in the Vodacom United Rugby Championship on Saturday as they booked their places in the semi-finals with commanding home victories in a gripping quarter-final weekend.