The Vodacom United Rugby Championship returns after the Champions Cup break with four fixtures involving South African teams. The Stormers and Lions host European opposition in Cape Town and Johannesburg, while the Vodacom Bulls and Sharks travel to Wales. We preview each match and highlight a few betting angles.
FRIDAY
Dragons v Vodacom Bulls — Click here to bet
The Dragons have been poor in the URC, losing 21-29 at the Stormers and 26-42 at the Lions in their last two league outings, but back-to-back Challenge Cup road wins over Stade Français, 36-31, and Zebre, 35-32, have brought some confidence back to the side.
The Bulls arrive in strong form domestically, beating Cardiff 40-7, Munster 34-31 at home and hammering the Sharks 41-12 at Loftus, though their season ended in Europe with a 21-25 defeat at Glasgow in the Investec Champions Cup Round of 16. Their only URC loss in the last four was 19-32 at the Stormers.
Head-to-Head
This has been completely one-sided. The Bulls have won all of the last four meetings, with the two away results ending 10-31 and 14-29 in favour of the Bulls. The average winning margin across those four matches is over 25 points.
Betting and Verdict
The Bulls are heavy favourites at 1.12, the Dragons 7.50. The draw is at 31.00.
The handicap is Bulls −14.5 at 1.91.
Given the Bulls have won by 17 points or more in every recent meeting and have scored 34 or more in three of their last four URC outings, covering 14.5 in Newport looks very realistic.
Suggested Bet: Handicap, Bulls [−14.5] at 1.91.
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SATURDAY
Stormers v Connacht — Click here to bet
The Stormers have been up and down all season, starting their campaign looking like they weren’t going to lose a match, they then hit a hurdle but bounced back winning their last three URC matches in a row. Their most recent match saw them lose 28-27 to Toulonnais in the Champions Cup.
Connacht were in terrific form heading into the break, winning four on the bounce including a 31-14 home demolition of the Scarlets, a 26-19 away scalp at Ulster, and a 29-12 Challenge Cup win over the Sharks, before being blown away 22-45 at Montpellier last time out.
Head-to-Head
The Stormers have won four of the last five meetings, including 43-25, 38-15 and 34-29 at home. They also won 16-12 away in Galway. Connacht’s only victory came 19-17 at home in February 2022.
Betting and Verdict
The Stormers are 1.04 to win, Connacht 15.00 and the draw 61.00.
The handicap is Stormers −21.5 at 2.00.
The Stormers have never lost to Connacht in Cape Town, but 21.5 is steep against a Connacht side that pushed them to 34-29 here last season and arrive with four wins from five. I am going to push this handicap to 23.5 and take a slightly shorter price on the visitors.
Suggested Bet: Handicap, Connacht [+23.5] at 1.75.
Lions v Glasgow Warriors — Click here to bet
Ellis Park has been a happy hunting ground for the Lions, who have won four straight at home, beating the Sharks 34-22, the Stormers 24-10, Edinburgh 54-17, and the Dragons 42-26.
Glasgow enter this match stinging from a shock home loss to Toulon in the ERCC quarter-finals, but their URC form before that was excellent, including a 38-17 dismantling of Leinster and a 31-10 win over Benetton, both at Scotstoun.
Head-to-Head
Home advantage has decided every recent meeting between these two. The Lions won 44-21 and 35-24 at Ellis Park, while Glasgow took all three at Scotstoun, including a stunning 42-0 whitewash in March 2025. This fixture belongs to whoever is playing on their own patch.
Betting and Verdict
The Lions are 1.31, Glasgow 4.00 and the draw is at 26.00.
The handicap is Lions −8.5 at 1.93.
The home-ground trend is overwhelming, and the Lions have scored 24 or more in every home match this season. Glasgow’s Champions Cup exit at the hands of Toulon could also weigh on them mentally. Covering 8.5 looks achievable.
Suggested Bet: Handicap, Lions [−8.5] at 1.93.
Ospreys v Sharks — Click here to bet
A tale of two records for the Ospreys, solid at home where they beat Ulster 21-10 and the Dragons 19-13, but dire on the road with three straight defeats at Benetton, Connacht and Ulster.
The Sharks have been similarly patchy, beating Cardiff 21-15 and Munster 45-0 at home but suffering heavy losses at the Bulls, 12-41, and the Lions 22-34. They also went down 12-29 at Connacht in the Challenge Cup last time out.
Head-to-Head
The Sharks hold a 3-1 edge in the head-to-head. They won 27-13 at the Ospreys in October 2021, then 25-10 at home in December 2022 and 29-10 at home in May 2025. The Ospreys sole win came 19-5 at home in November 2023.
Betting and Verdict
The Ospreys are 2.25, the Sharks 1.77 and the draw is at 26.00.
This is the closest match of the weekend and the hardest to call.
The Sharks H2H record is strong, including a 27-13 win at this ground, but their recent away form has been poor with losses at the Bulls, Lions, and Connacht. The Ospreys have kept things tight at home but I am looking for a narrow Sharks win.
Suggested Bet: Winning margin Sharks by 1-7 points at 3.15
Click here for betting on all the weekend’s URC matches
Note: All prices correct at the time of writing but are subject to change
