Only one round remains in the pool stages of the 25/26 URC season and we take a look at the fixtures featuring South African teams and offer up bets for consideration.
The Sharks are the only South African side that hasn’t qualified for the playoffs, while the other three are through and are now playing for home quarter-final and semi-final positions.
Click here for the latest outright betting where Leinster are trading at 1.95, the Stormers are 5.50, the Bulls 6.50 and the Lions 26.00.
FRIDAY
Cardiff v Stormers — Click here to bet
Cardiff are currently sitting 7th on the table and will want to lock in their playoff spot by beating the Stormers, while the Stormers will want a win of their own to keep their chances of finishing top of the log alive.
Cardiff head into this week having won two of their last five matches, with their most recent result seeing them lose 40-17 away from home to the Glasgow Warriors.
The Stormers head into this weekend off the back of a 38-38 draw against Ulster in Belfast, having hammered the Glasgow Warriors 48-12 in Cape Town the week before.
Head-to-Head
The H2H is even in this fixture, with both teams winning two of the last four matches. Neither team has been able to win away from home in recent meetings, with the Stormers winning the most recent in Cape Town 34-24, and Cardiff winning their most recent home encounter 31-24.
Betting and Verdict
The Stormers are favourites heading into this week, trading at 1.44 while Cardiff are out at 3.25 with the draw 23.00.
The handicap is set at Cardiff +5.5.
Neither side has been able to win away from home in this fixture, and with so much on the line for Cardiff, I can see them putting in a big performance.
Suggested Bet: Cardiff to win at 3.25.
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SATURDAY
Sharks v Zebre — Click here to bet
Although the Sharks have had a disappointing season, missing out on both the playoffs and European rugby next year, they still managed to put in a positive performance last weekend, hammering Benetton 46-7 in Durban.
Zebre have had an even worse season than the Sharks, winning only two of their seventeen matches and sitting at the bottom of the log. They travelled to Loftus last weekend to take on the Bulls but lost that match 54-19.
Head-to-Head
The Sharks have beaten Zebre in four of the last five matches between the two sides. The most recent fixture saw the Sharks edge it 35-34, an impressive performance from Zebre, however, the encounter before that, in Durban, saw the Sharks win 47-3 in the EPCR Challenge Cup.
Betting and Verdict
The Sharks are heavy favourites to win at 1.01 while Zebre are out at 22.00 and the draw at 71.00. The handicap is set at Sharks −27.5.
The Sharks showed us last weekend that, although they haven’t been great all season, they still know how to put in a big result, and after beating the better of the two Italian sides 46-7, I think they will be able to cover the handicap again this weekend.
Suggested Bet: Handicap, Sharks [−27.5] at 1.87.
Bulls v Benetton — Click here to bet
The Bulls will be looking to hold onto their home quarter-final spot by beating Benetton this weekend. They come into the match having won four of their last five, including a thrashing of Zebre 54-19 at home last weekend.
Benetton pulled off an amazing win, 29-26 against Leinster at home two weeks ago but couldn’t follow it up against the Sharks last weekend, as they lost 46-7 in Durban.
Head-to-Head
The Bulls have all the bragging rights against Benetton, winning the last five encounters, including two wins away from home. The most recent match in Pretoria saw the Bulls win 30-23, while the fixture before that ended 56-35.
Betting and Verdict
The bookies have the Bulls at 1.008, Benetton at 23.00 and the draw at 76.00.
The handicap is set at Bulls -29.5.
The Bulls will be able to beat a bruised Benetton side this weekend, but sometimes the most difficult matches are against opponents with nothing to lose. The Bulls have only covered 29.5 points once in the last five matches between the two sides, and doing it again is a tall order.
Suggested Bet: Handicap, Benetton [+29.5] at 1.91.
Munster v Lions — Click here to bet
Munster and the Lions are sitting sixth and fifth on the table respectively, with both teams hoping for a win to keep alive their chance at a home quarter-final.
Munster are coming off the back of a disappointing 26-7 loss to Connacht last weekend, after winning their two previous matches.
The Lions were the most in-form team in the URC going into last weekend’s match against Leinster in Dublin, having only lost one of their previous eleven matches across all competitions, a feat not seen much in club rugby these days. They unfortunately fell short against Leinster, losing the match 31-7.
Head-to-Head
Munster have been impressive against the Lions, winning all of the last three matches between the sides, including a win in Johannesburg back in 2024. The most recent match saw Munster win 17-10 in Cork, while the last time the Lions won was back in 2022 at home.
Betting and Verdict
The bookies have Munster as favourites this weekend, trading at 1.36 while the Lions are out at 3.65 and the draw is 23.00.
The handicap is set at Lions +6.5.
Both sides have everything to play for and will be desperate for a win. Apart from their loss against Leinster last weekend, the Lions have been excellent recently, and I think with the form they are in, they will definitely give Munster a run for their money.
Suggested Bet: Handicap, Lions [+6.5] at 1.95.
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
