Four matches. Four wins. Nineteen log points from a possible 20.
South African URC teams did not ease into the Vodacom URC. They took the opening weekend of the 2026/27 season by the throat, with two wins on the road, two at home, and a one-point scalp of the defending champions at Ellis Park.
That is not rust. That is a statement.
South African URC teams cash in from Galway to Parma
The DHL Stormers opened the account in Galway on Friday night, the first of the four fixtures laid out in the Round 1 kick-off times. John Dobson’s side beat Connacht 29-15 after trailing 12-10 at the break, then finished with two debut tries in the last five minutes.
They did it without a Springbok-heavy starting XV. Evan Roos (hamstring) and Marcel Theunissen (calf) withdrew late after training on the 4G surface. The bigger absentees were already known: no Siya Kolisi, no Cheslin Kolbe, no Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, no Damian Willemse.
Dobson did not dress it up.
John Dobson, DHL Stormers Director of Rugby
“To come to a place like this without our internationals and win is very special. We have a lot of respect for Connacht and this venue. It’s a tough place to win, so we are very happy. I thought we deserved to win. Territorially we were spot on.”
He also said what the night meant for two new faces.
John Dobson, DHL Stormers Director of Rugby
“The nice romantic story is Vernon and Ezekiel making their debuts and scoring tries.”
Vernon Paolo and Ezekiel Ngobeni closed it. Warrick Gelant and replacement prop Sazi Sandi had already crossed after Paul Boyle’s yellow card, and Jurie Matthee and Yaqeen Ahmed kicked the rest.
Connacht beat plenty of sides at that ground. They did not beat these Stormers.
Ellis Park takes the defending champions
On 30 May, Leinster beat the Lions 59-10 in a URC quarter-final in Dublin. Seventeen weeks later, Ivan van Rooyen’s side flipped the script 27-26 at 10bet Ellis Park.
Fintan Gunne scored a first-half hat-trick. Erich Cronje answered with a brace. Chris Smith did not miss a kick, and it was his cross-kick that Kelly Mpeku finished in the 79th minute, with Leinster debutant Dylan McNeice in the bin.
Stephen Smyth’s converted try after the hooter gave the Irish two bonus points. It did not give them the win. The Lions beat Leinster in Johannesburg, and the defending champions flew home with the scraps.
Cronje, named player of the match, put it in plain language.
Erich Cronje, Lions wing
“It’s always a tough game against Leinster. We knew we had to be at our best. Luckily we got it through and we take the win. All credit to the team. We are all fighting for each other and that’s how you win competitions.”
Van Rooyen was harder on the first 40.
Ivan van Rooyen, Lions head coach
“We didn’t stop momentum, then they get momentum against you and they’re world class. Some harsh words at half-time and I think the guys responded well.”
The Lions handed out five debuts, including Springbok prop Boan Venter, back from Edinburgh. SA Rugby later called it a full house for the country. That line only works because Johannesburg refused to blink.
Durban finds its speed again
At Hollywoodbets Kings Park, the Hollywoodbets Sharks beat the Ospreys 41-24. Four first-half tries from Nick Hatton, Manu Tshituka, Luan Giliomee and Litelihle Bester made it 28-14 at the break.
JP Pietersen, the former Springbok wing now coaching the side, wanted energy. He got it.
JP Pietersen, Hollywoodbets Sharks coach
“I’m pleased with the performance and pleased to get a win at home. I think it’s the first time the Sharks have won their first game in the URC. If we win, I’ll be happy with four points. Today, we got five.”
Giliomee scored twice and was named player of the match. The first was a 50-metre weave from halfway. The second, in the 67th minute, killed the contest. Vusi Moyo kicked four conversions and two penalties, and Siya Masuku added the last conversion.
Pietersen’s words on his 20-year-old were not coach-speak.
JP Pietersen, Hollywoodbets Sharks coach
“He’s an exceptional talent. You can see what he’s got. He understands the game, he understands space, he’s got speed and he’s got a kicking game too.”
Giliomee gave the credit to the dressing room.
Luan Giliomee, Hollywoodbets Sharks
“We wanted a nice start from the first game of the season. We are a young squad, but we are very talented. We back ourselves and the coaches back us.”
The Ospreys still left with a four-try bonus point. That is the only stain on an afternoon Durban needed.
Pretoria’s pack finishes the job in Parma
The Vodacom Bulls were sloppy for 25 minutes at Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi. Then they were brutal.
Zebre led 3-0 through Tommaso Allan. A penalty try after Matteo Canali collapsed a maul made it 7-3, and Allan pulled it back to 7-6. Reinhardt Ludwig scored, then Paul de Wet intercepted and ran 40 metres, and the Bulls went in 21-6.
Ruan Vermaak and Harold Vorster made it a rout by the 51st minute. Ludwig scored again. Zak Burger finished after the hooter. Curwin Bosch landed four conversions on his first Vodacom URC start for Pretoria, and Willie le Roux added one.
Final: 47-13. Seven tries. Five log points.
Johan Ackermann refused the victory lap.
Johan Ackermann, Vodacom Bulls head coach
“I’m very pleased with Curwin’s first game for the Bulls. For me, he controlled the game well, kicked very well out of hand, slotted all his goal kicks. The biggest thing that we take out is that we got away with the win, because last year Zebre won their first two games at home.”
That is the correct temperature. Zebre are not Leinster.
South African URC teams set the early standard
The Vodacom URC does not hand out opening weekends like this. South African URC teams hold the top three spots on the log, with the Bulls, Sharks and Stormers all on five points after their bonus-point wins.
Scotland swept as well, with Edinburgh winning 34-29 in Belfast and Glasgow winning 26-20 in Limerick. RugbyPass noted it is the first time since 2009 that all four Irish sides have lost on the opening weekend.
The quality was uneven. The Stormers wasted a 10-0 lead before the break. The Sharks leaked four tries. The Lions had to survive Gunne. The Bulls needed half an hour to remember they were last season’s finalists.
None of that cancels the ledger. Three bonus-point wins, plus a home win over the defending champions, is how a country announces it is not here to make up the numbers.
Round 2 does not care about the press release. Edinburgh host the Stormers. Leinster go to Durban. The Lions stay at altitude. The Bulls go to Thomond Park to face Munster.
The first punch landed. Now South African URC teams have to throw the second.
