URC returns with first SA derby and two Irish clashes

The Vodacom United Rugby Championship returns with a bang this weekend, with the first South African derby on the cards in Gauteng, as well as two mouth-watering clashes in Ireland, a top-of-the-table encounter and a scrap for playoff survival.

The weekend kicks off with a Jukskei Derby in Pretoria at 2pm on Saturday afternoon, when the Vodacom Bulls host the Lions with both teams set on remaining in the top eight.

The focus then moves to Limerick in Ireland where the only two unbeaten teams left in the Vodacom URC, Munster and the DHL Stormers, will battle it out for top spot from 7:30pm.

The Hollywoodbets Sharks are also in Ireland and take on Connacht in Galway from 9:45pm, and with both teams outside the top eight, they will be going in guns blazing to remain in the race for a spot in the quarterfinals.

The Vodacom Bulls have won three of their opening five fixtures of the 2025/26 season and are on an eight-match winning streak at Loftus Versfeld in the Vodacom URC, since the DHL Stormers beat them there on 1 March.

The hosts will also take some confidence from their recent record against their neighbours – they have won their last four Vodacom URC fixtures against the Lions dating back to March 2023.

But the Lions are travelling north on the N1 on the back of winning their last two Vodacom URC fixtures, both at Ellis Park, against Scarlets and Ulster.

Playing away in South Africa is not their strong suit though – the Lions have lost their last five local derbies on the road, while their most recent away win in the Vodacom URC was against Zebre in October 2024.

At Thomond Park in Limerick, the DHL Stormers and Munster will go head-to-head not only for bragging rights, but also for top spot on the log. Both sides are on 23 points from their five games to date, with the Capetonians at No 1 due to their superior points’ difference.

Munster have won their last five home games in the Vodacom URC since losing to the Vodacom Bulls at Thomond Park in April, but they come up against a DHL Stormers side that boasts the best defensive record so far this season, having conceded only four tries in their five games.

Three of their five victories this season have come on the road, with the DHL Stormers beating Scarlets, Zebre, and Benetton on tour before the November test break – it was the first time they have achieved a trio of successive away victories in the Vodacom URC.

But the DHL Stormers will also know that their only previous victory on the road against an Irish province was when they beat Connacht 16-12 in Galway in May 2024, while Munster have won four out of five clashes with the Capetonians.

Both Connacht and the Hollywoodbets Sharks are aiming for only their second wins this season when they meet in Galway, where the hosts will run out with the knowledge that they have lost their last four matches against South African opposition.

Their last victory over a team from the Republic was when they beat the KwaZulu-Natalians by 36-30 in September 2024.

The Hollywoodbets Sharks’ most recent away win in the Vodacom URC was at Ulster at the end of April, which was also their only victory in Ireland in 10 attempts.

After winning their first clash in April 2022 in Durban, the Hollywoodbets Sharks have lost three on the bounce against their hosts this weekend.

Match Information:

Vodacom Bulls v Lions

Date: Saturday, 29 November

Venue: Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria

SA Time: 14h00

Referee: Aimee Barrett-Theron

TV: SuperSport

Munster v DHL Stormers

Date: Saturday, 29 November

Venue: Thomond Park, Limerick

SA Time: 19h30