URC Results and Upcoming Matches: South African Teams Ready for Round 3

The 2026/27 United Rugby Championship is already producing plenty of drama, and South African rugby fans have plenty to smile about after the opening two rounds. The Lions have started strongly, the Sharks pulled off a big win over defending champions Leinster, while the Stormers and Bulls have also shown enough to suggest that the South African teams will be serious contenders this season.

Round 2 delivered some cracking results, and this weekend brings two massive South African derbies. The Vodacom Bulls host the Lions in Pretoria, while the DHL Stormers welcome the Hollywoodbets Sharks to Cape Town.

URC Round 2 Results

Round 2 produced several entertaining matches, with South African teams once again playing a major role.

The Lions continued their impressive start to the United Rugby Championship with a 35-19 win over Ospreys at Ellis Park. The Joburg side had already shocked defending champions Leinster in Round 1, so another convincing victory has put the Lions firmly among the teams to watch.

The Hollywoodbets Sharks also produced one of the weekend’s biggest results. They defeated Leinster 26-20 at Kings Park, handing the defending champions their second defeat of the new URC season. After losing their opening match to the Lions, Leinster now have plenty of work to do.

The Vodacom Bulls, meanwhile, suffered their first defeat of the campaign after going down 26-22 to Munster at Thomond Park. The Bulls had started the season with a win over Zebre Parma, so they will be eager to return to winning ways when they face the Lions this weekend.

The DHL Stormers could not maintain their winning start. They lost 17-13 to Edinburgh in Scotland despite having beaten Connacht in Round 1. Siya Kolisi made his return to the Stormers starting XV during the match, adding another interesting storyline to the Stormers’ European tour.

Elsewhere, Glasgow Warriors and Ulster played out a 33-33 draw, while Cardiff beat Zebre Parma 40-27. Dragons defeated Scarlets 38-26, and Connacht edged Benetton 22-19.

That means Round 2 once again showed how competitive the URC can be. Nobody can afford to switch off, because even some of the strongest teams can come unstuck on the road.

Bulls vs Lions: Pretoria Derby

The biggest match for South African rugby fans this weekend could be the clash between the Vodacom Bulls and Lions at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday, October 10.

Kick-off is scheduled for 11:30 South African time.

The Bulls will want to bounce back after their narrow defeat against Munster. Playing at Loftus gives them a major advantage, but the Lions arrive in excellent form after beating both Leinster and Ospreys.

Current match odds have the Bulls at around (1.30) to win, while the Lions are around (4.33). The draw is priced at approximately (34.00).

Those odds make the Bulls clear favourites, but the Lions have already shown that they are more than capable of upsetting the odds. Their victory over Leinster in Round 1 was no fluke, and another strong performance in Pretoria would make a serious statement.

For South African rugby betting fans, this is arguably the most interesting match of the weekend.

Stormers vs Sharks: Another SA Showdown

Cape Town gets its own South African URC derby when the DHL Stormers host the Hollywoodbets Sharks at DHL Stadium.

The match kicks off at 14:00 on Saturday.

The Stormers are currently priced around (1.40) to win, while the Sharks are available at approximately (3.60). The draw is around (34.00).

The Sharks will enter the match with plenty of confidence after beating Leinster. However, the Stormers will be determined to respond after their defeat to Edinburgh.

This match could come down to which team controls the physical battle. Both sides have plenty of quality in their packs, while the backlines have enough attacking firepower to punish defensive mistakes.

The Sharks have already shown that they can beat one of the competition favourites. Therefore, the Stormers cannot afford to underestimate their visitors.

Other URC Matches This Weekend

There are six other matches taking place in Round 3.

On Friday, Glasgow Warriors host Connacht, while Dragons take on Ospreys. Glasgow are strong favourites at around (1.20), with Connacht priced at approximately (6.00).

Saturday starts with the Bulls-Lions derby before the Stormers-Sharks clash.

Zebre Parma face Edinburgh, with Edinburgh priced around (1.44) to win. Meanwhile, Scarlets host Benetton, with the Welsh side around (1.57) favourites.

There is also an Irish battle between Ulster and Munster. Ulster are currently priced around  (1.57), while Munster sit at approximately (2.80).

Finally, defending champions Leinster return home to face Cardiff. The Dublin side are massive favourites at around (1.04), while Cardiff are priced at approximately (19.00).

What to Expect From the South African Teams

After two rounds, South African rugby fans already have plenty to talk about. The Lions have arguably made the strongest impression, while the Sharks’ victory over Leinster could prove to be one of their most important results of the early season.

The Bulls will now look to use home advantage to get back on track. Likewise, the Stormers need a victory against the Sharks to prevent back-to-back defeats.

With two South African derbies on the same Saturday, this is a massive weekend for URC rugby in South Africa.

The early-season table can still change quickly, but one thing is already clear: the South African teams are not planning to make life easy for the European sides. And if the first two rounds are anything to go by, South African rugby fans should probably keep the braai going a little longer on Saturday. There is plenty of URC action coming