URC: Kick off times for Sharks, Lions, Stormers and Bulls

South African franchises got their URC campaigns off to winning start in the opening round, with the Bulls, Sharks and Stormers recording bonus-point wins, while the Lions edged the defending champions.

The teams may have been slightly rusty, as one would expect with first round matches, but there was more than enough on show to give the four South African coaches reason for optimism.

The Stormers overcame a tricky start to their campaign with a 29-15 victory over Connacht in Ireland on Friday night.

On Saturday, the Lions beat Leinster by 27-26 in Johannesburg; the Sharks were too good for the Ospreys in Durban, where they won 41-24; and the Bulls smashed Zebre Parma by 47-13 in Italy.

In this weekend’s second round, there are some standout fixtures as the Stormers play away to Edinburgh, the Lions host the Ospreys, the Sharks tackle Leinster and the Bulls take on Munster. Heading into the second weekend of action, it also remains to be seen how many Springbok stars may be integrated into action.

HERE ARE ALL THE URC KICK OFF TIMES TO NOTE

Friday, 2 October 2026

• 20:45 – Benetton vs Connacht
• 20:45 – Cardiff Rugby vs Zebre Parma
• 20:45 – Edinburgh vs Stormers

Saturday, 3 October 2026

• 13:45 – Lions vs Ospreys
• 16:00 – Dragons RFC vs Scarlets
• 18:30 – Sharks vs Leinster
• 18:30 – Glasgow Warriors vs Ulster
• 20:45 – Munster vs Bulls

Team of the week

After the clean sweep for SA sides in the first round, nine South Africans have been named in the official Fantasy URC Team of the Week.

The fan engagement feature recognises the highest-scoring player in each position based on statistics from the round, with points awarded for actions including tries, tackles, carries and successful kicks.

URC TEAM OF THE WEEK – 15 Luan Giliomee (Sharks), 14 Stravino Jacobs (Bulls), 13 Erich Cronjé (Lions), 12 Piers O’Conor (Edinburgh), 11 Jamie Dobie (Glasgow), 10 Vusi Moyo (Sharks), 9 Paul de Wet (Bulls), 8 Nick Hatton (Sharks), 7 Taine Basham (Cardiff), 6 David McCann (Ulster), 5 Reinhardt Ludwig (Bulls), 4 Ruan Vermaak (Bulls), 3 Vincent Koch (Sharks), 2 Evan Lloyd (Cardiff), 1 Scott Sio (Cardiff).