SA sides gear up for big battles as Vodacom URC break looms

The Vodacom Bulls and DHL Stormers will be looking to make the most of their last home games before the Nations Championship break, while the Hollywoodbets Sharks and 10bet Lions will be determined to finish their overseas legs on a high note against quality opposition.

The Lions will take the field first on Friday against the Glasgow Warriors in Scotland (21h45), while three matches will play out on Saturday, with the Stormers taking on Ulster in Cape Town (14h45), the Bulls lining up against the Scarlets in Pretoria (17h00), and the Sharks going up against Munster in Limerick (19h30).

The 10bet Lions will have their work cut out at the Scotstoun Stadium against the second-placed Glasgow Warriors – one of only two unbeaten teams in the competition after winning three of their matches and drawing one – while the Johannesburgers have struggled abroad, losing their last two matches in the Investec Champions Cup and Vodacom URC.

Ivan van Rooyen’s team, however, will enter the match with the mindset that they have everything to gain as the underdogs, and with the knowledge that they have what it takes to claim big scalps after toppling Leinster in the opening round, which they backed up with a convincing win against the Ospreys.

They will also be mindful of the fact that while Glasgow have been on the right side of the scoreboard in three of their games, they had to show guts to hold off Munster and Benetton, with both those matches being decided by only four points.

The statistics favour the Scots, who have scored over 30 points more in their last four matches in the tournament, and conceded over 40 points fewer, however, the least number of points they’ve conceded in a match is 20, which the 10bet Lions will draw inspiration from as they look to create another big upset before returning home.

The fourth-placed DHL Stormers, who come off back-to-back victories, will not be fooled by Ulster’s 13th-placed standing, especially given how their opposition have had to grind out victories against them so far this season, and the fact that the Capetonians found themselves against the ropes in the last 10 minutes against the Scarlets, needing two late tries to seal the win.

With Ulster having scored a minimum of 26 points in their matches, and DHL Stormers well aware of the fact that the Vodacom Bulls had to fight their way to victory against the men from Belfast last week, they will certainly not pay significance to the visitors’ log position going into the clash.

Spicing things up, John Dobson’s men have been more effective on attack and defence, but Ulster will not be intimidated by this as they finally attempt to reap the rewards from their brave performances this season to change their fortunes and move up the table.

The third-placed Vodacom Bulls will also be careful to underestimate the 14th-placed Scarlets, who tested the DHL Stormers to the limit last week with their hard running on attack and impressive line breaks and support play, although the hosts will undoubtedly enter the match as favourites with a clean slate of home wins so far this season and home ground advantage counting in their favour.

Similarly to Ulster, the Scarlets have become a real attacking threat this season and have tested the opposition well, despite winning only one of their opening four matches.

But Johan Ackermann’s team have proven that they are capable of dismantling the opposition if their forward pack and backs combine well on the day, and they will definitely aim to achieve that this weekend against the Welshmen, whose defence has been their Achilles heel to date.

JP Pietersen’s fifth-placed Hollywoodbets Sharks will brace themselves for a stern challenge against the ninth-placed Munster at Thomond Park, as the hosts look to build winning momentum after a stuttering start to the competition, which has seen them win one match, draw another, and suffer two defeats.

In stark contrast, the KwaZulu-Natalians have won three of their Vodacom URC matches and they registered a valuable away win against LOU Rugby in the EPCR Challenge Cup, which will fuel their determination to finish their away leg on a high note.

They will have noted that Munster’s biggest defeat in the Vodacom URC this season was by only six points, while the teams’ defensive statistics are marginal, meaning it could prove to be a humdinger of a clash.

That said, the Hollywoodbets Sharks have looked good attack this season with their enterprising play, forceful attack and with backs who have speed to burn, and they will want to replicate that style of rugby to come away with more valuable points away from home before looking forward to a good home stretch when the competition resumes in December.

Match Information:

Glasgow Warriors v 10bet Lions
Date: Friday, 30 October 2026
Venue: Scotstoun Stadium, Glasgow
SA Time: 21h45
Referee: Andrea Piardi
TV: SuperSport

DHL Stormers v Ulster
Date: Saturday, 31 October 2026
Venue: DHL Stadium, Cape Town
SA Time: 14h45
Referee: Sam Grove-White
TV: SuperSport

Vodacom Bulls v Scarlets
Date: Saturday, 31 October 2026
Venue: Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria
SA Time: 17h00
Referee: Eoghan Cross
TV: SuperSport

Munster v Hollywoodbets Sharks
Date: Saturday, 31 October 2026
Venue: Thomond Park, Limerick
SA Time: 19h30
Referee: Ben Connor
TV: SuperSport