November 2, 09:00IOL

United Rugby Championship Status: Bulls, Stormers, and Sharks Set the Pace as Lions Prepare for Battle

The United Rugby Championship (URC) is beginning to take shape, showing early signs of dominance from South African franchises as the tournament gains momentum.

With the tournament paused for a month due to the November international break for the Nations Cup, the Bulls, Stormers, Sharks, and Lions can assess their current standing and plan for upcoming matches in December. Among the five teams in the top five, there are only four points, with former champions Glasgow Warriors holding the leading position, followed by the Bulls, Stormers, and Sharks.

Let's look at the current situation for the four franchises following encouraging starts to the new URC season.

Bulls: Strong Start, But Pressure Remains

The Bulls have established themselves as serious contenders, securing second place in the table and continuing to build momentum. They need to maintain this stability and put pressure on the teams ahead when the competition enters its intense December period.

As the season progresses, squad depth and experience are likely to play a crucial role, and the Loftus team is in a favorable position thanks to a large number of experienced players ready to lead their charge. They should capitalize on this strong start, which has created an ideal foundation for the entire campaign.

Stormers: Strong Home Form

Meanwhile, the Stormers are putting pressure on the Bulls, occupying third place, by effectively utilizing the home advantage with a strong start. Their victory over Ulster last weekend extended their unbeaten run at home in the URC this season.

However, the team is shadowed by injuries: several forwards, including Evan Roos, Deon Fourie, André-Hugo Venter, and Bongi Mbonambi, as well as a couple of backs, have sustained injuries that may prevent them from participating in some matches after the season resumes. Nevertheless, they also possess good squad depth, which should keep them among the tournament's leading teams heading into December and January.

Sharks: Undefeated Away Record

In fourth place, the Durban side has demonstrated great resilience and character, including impressive two away wins despite the absence of some senior players. They have also established themselves as a serious threat early in the campaign and plan to carry this form into the December matches back in South Africa.

Head coach JP Pietersen challenged and supported his young stars, and they met the Sharks' expectations. Now it remains to see if they can maintain this form as the season becomes more challenging. They hope that key injured players will return as soon as possible to help keep their campaign on track.

Lions: Early Setbacks to Overcome

For the Lions, the tour proved much less encouraging, although this was understandable given the circumstances. They lost key player Hyron Andrews before the first Champions Cup match, which was a heavy blow. Thus, they played under difficult conditions but were still able to mount a strong defense.

They are now in 13th place after a disappointing first overseas tour of the season and failed to secure any wins on the road during November, leaving them with much to catch up on. Since the trio from South Africa is setting the pace at the start, the Johannesburg team needs to quickly find stability to maintain its ambitions in the URC.

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iol.co.zaOctober 23, 19:45

Edinburgh and Sharks teams to participate in the fourth round of the United Rugby Championship in Edinburgh and Cardiff

On Friday evening, the Sharks and Lions teams will begin the fourth round of the United Rugby Championship tournament. The matches will take place in Edinburgh and Cardiff, respectively. Both matches are scheduled for 20:45 South African time.

After three rounds, all four teams have entered the top eight. The Edinburgh team, currently in first place, will host the Lions, who are in seventh place, at their Hive Stadium. The Sharks are in fifth place, and Cardiff is in sixth.

In Edinburgh, the Scottish team will observe the tragic death of Hayron Andrews by holding a minute's silence five minutes after the start of the game at Hive Stadium. In a gesture of sportsmanship, Edinburgh coach Sean Everitt and his staff visited the Lions after the captains' appearance at Hive Stadium on Thursday afternoon to offer their condolences.

Given the recent form of the teams, the Lions will face difficulties. Edinburgh won five of their last six URC matches, while the Lions have not won outside of South Africa since October 2024, when they defeated Zebre in Parma. The Lions' only victory in Scotland was achieved at Hive Stadium in October 2022.

Cardiff returns to its home ground, Arms Park, after a 29-5 defeat to Leinster. The Sharks aim to respond to their 39-22 loss in the coastal derby in Cape Town. Cardiff has not lost at Arms Park since the Scarlets beat them in the seventh round of last season.

Although the Sharks do not have the best away record, they have performed reasonably well in Wales. Their 21-17 loss to Ospreys at Brewery Field in the 15th round of last season interrupted a five-match unbeaten streak in Wales. The Sharks are also the most recent South African team to win at Arms Park, defeating Cardiff 42-22 in January 2025.

Sharks coach J.P. Petersen intends to improve his team's overall performance away from home. He stated: 'In terms of last season's results, we never truly played away, so that is what we want to improve.' He added: 'We need to be more consistent away and not just a team that performs due to the home advantage. That is what we are achieving in the matches against Cardiff and Munster.'

iol.co.zaOctober 21, 18:11

Quagg Smith approaches move to Bulls, while rising star Ludwig signs contract until 2030

The Bulls team is approaching a potential major transfer as Quagg Smith, a two-time Rugby World Cup winner and South African national player, leaves the Japanese club Shizuoka Blue Revs. Simultaneously, Reinhardt Ludwig from Pretoria has signed an agreement with the Loftus Versfeld club until 2030.

Smith's departure from Japan was officially confirmed on Tuesday, strengthening speculation about the 33-year-old forward's possible return to South Africa and reunion with Bulls coach Johan Ackermann. Ackermann previously coached Smith at the Lions before his move to Japan in 2018.

Ackermann has already confirmed the Bulls' interest in Smith's return to South Africa, and reaching an agreement to terminate his contract is a crucial step toward realizing this plan. During his eight years in Japan, Smith achieved great success, playing as captain of the Blue Revs and making the league season team five times.

In 2023, his teammates voted him as the Player of the Season in the Japan Rugby League One. He played 81 matches for the club, which highly valued his contribution and leadership qualities. The club noted: 'Since joining Yamaha Jubilo in 2018, he has been a key player for the team.'

Smith, who earned 63 caps for the national team, is currently sidelined due to a knee injury and could not participate in the international Springboks season. Rassie Erasmus reported that it is unlikely he will recover in time for the World Cup matches in November.

A move to the Bulls would allow him to be near Ackermann again and add another experienced international player to an already strong forward line. Although Smith's future is not yet certain, the Bulls have secured an important element of their long-term plans by signing Ludwig, one of South Africa's most promising young rugby forwards.

The 24-year-old lock signed an extension that keeps him at Loftus until 2030, underscoring the club's belief in his potential and leadership abilities. Ludwig has been part of the Bulls system since his debut in 2021 and has never played outside Pretoria. Before starting his professional career, he was a prefect at Affies and captain of the school's first XV team, bringing these leadership qualities into professional sport.

He also represented the SA Under-20 team in 2021 and 2022. Standing at 1.99m and weighing 111kg, Ludwig possesses the physical attributes to succeed at the highest level, but it is his development and leadership that have strengthened his position at the Bulls. Ludwig stated: 'I would like to express my sincere gratitude and appreciation to the Bulls for the opportunity to extend my contract. It means a great deal that the coaches and management have shown me trust and belief. I am very excited; they have created an incredible squad, and it is a great honor to be a part of it. I am fully committed to giving my best, working hard, and doing everything possible to contribute to the success of this team and take the Bulls to a new level in the coming seasons.'

iol.co.zaOctober 19, 08:00

Stormers prepare for match against Scarlets in URC after victory over Bristol Bears

The Stormers team faces the need to balance within the United Rugby Championship (URC) tournament following their recent victory over Bristol Bears. The coaching staff is concerned about the condition of captain Ruhana Nel, who sustained a calf strain; if he cannot play in two consecutive matches, Wandisile Simelane will have to replace him at position No. 13 in the upcoming match against Scarlets.

The Cape Town-based team will resume its URC season after a convincing 49-12 win against Bristol Bears in the Champions Cup last weekend. On Saturday afternoon at 16:00, they will host the Scarlets team at the DHL Stadium.

Although the team has relied on its Springboks players for increased performance over the last two weeks, rugby director John Dobson hinted that some players might take a break this week in accordance with Bok rest protocols.

Siyakhuli Kolisi, who participated in the last three matches after returning to the Cape Town squad, appears set to receive a deserved rest. However, Dobson still needs to decide whether both Damian Willemse and Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu will miss this match.

Willemse is likely the easiest to replace at fullback, but Stormers is experiencing a shortage of players specifically at flyhalf.

Dobson spoke of a 'critical plan' developed by the team for the season. This plan dictates when players will play, when they should rest, especially the Bok players, and how many games in a row they can be included in the squad.

Dobson stated: 'I think it is important to stick to the critical path. In all four games, we selected our squads and followed our plans. Obviously, we had to work with the available players, and as one of you wrote, there is an element of 'go or die'. It is an opportunity.'

He continued: 'We know we have a big month ahead. We must give Wandi Simelane another game in the next two matches, without a doubt. You can always count on Damian Willemse and Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu. We will stick to this path.'

Dobson emphasized the need for Sacha to rest: 'At some point, Sacha will need a break. Otherwise, we will destroy him, considering the World Cup and everything he has gone through this season. I think he played 520 minutes before returning to us, and now he has shown two outstanding games, so he clearly needs a break.'

He added that the same situation applies to Damian: 'Perhaps the same goes for Damian. We have a plan, and we will follow it. I don't think we will see anything on Saturday that will make us panic and say that [we need to change plans], because one player is absent next week, and someone else is absent the week after that, we need to change something.'

If Dobson decides to make changes to the squad before the match against Scarlets, he will try again to limit changes to maintain the cohesion that the Stormers team has built over the last couple of weeks. Although the Welsh team is expected to be a strong opponent on Saturday.

Stormers have won all seven previous encounters against Scarlets and aim to maintain this dominance. They are currently in fourth place in the URC table, and an additional win with bonus points will help them remain among the top teams.