The Bulls finished 2025 with a run of 6 straight defeats and began 2026 with a 60 point humiliation at home to Bristol. Fans were starting to turn on Johan Akkerman and his coaches, but 4 games later it seems they have turned things around.
The Bulls finished 2025 with a run of 6 straight defeats and began 2026 with a 60 point humiliation at home to Bristol. Fans were starting to turn on Johan Akkerman and his coaches, but 4 games later it seems they have turned things around.
4 wins on the spin, including 2 emphatic South African derby victories, is exactly what the doctor ordered. Against the Sharks, the Bulls showed a level of physicality that we had not yet seen this season whilst halfbacks Papier and Pollard showed inventiveness and variety in their play.
It will have been uncomfortable viewing for the newly appointed JP Pietersen, who has now lost two derbies since his interim position at the Sharks was made permanent. The contrast between their wins over the Stormers and their destructions against Lions and Bulls has been harrowing.
For so long, the cliche about the URC has been that Leinster’s 3rd team is good enough to win the league. Against Cardiff, a mixture of injuries and Ireland call-ups meant they arguably had to dig even deeper than that in the tight 5. However, the boys in blue were still able to call on RG Snyman, Raba Slimani, Reiko Ioane and former Lion Robbie Henshaw.
The weather played its part in making this one a low scoring affair, but Cardiff stood up to the challenge superbly. It would not be fair to say the weather suited Cardiff, who are known for the wide play and backs orientated game-plan. Superior kicking and excellent discipline kept Leinster playing in the wrong areas whilst cool heads saw the result home, even despite a late yellow card.
A windy afternoon in Galway is often referred to as the URC’s equivalent of a wet Wednesday night in Stoke. For the majority of this season, Connacht haven’t made that home advantage count and have endured a torrid time under Stuart Lancaster so far. However, an overtime try from Sean Jansen - his 8th of the season and 4th in 4 games - finally gave weary supporters something to cheer about.
Glasgow had their opportunities and will be kicking themselves for not seeing this one home, but with the bulk of the squad away with Scotland this was always going to be a banana skin game. During November, a similar team went down 23-0 to Scarlets in Llanelli. No wonder Franco Smith has been banging the table behind the scenes and demanding reinforcements for next season. One could argue he is the victim of his own success.
The newly christened Fidelity Securedrive Lions have made back to back Currie Cup finals and have just lifted the South African shield in the URC. Clearly, they are the dominant team in South Africa and should be revered as such.
With the resources the Lions have, they should not be a match for any of the 3 other franchises. However, after a tough start to the season, they have rediscovered their superb offloading game and big players such as Quan Horne, Morne van den Berg and the one and only Chris Smith have upset the odds in thrilling fashion.
For the Stormers, their season is unravelling at an alarming rate. From undefeated in 10 to 4 losses in their last 5, people are starting to ask if they were ever really that good. Their attack, in particular, has been hard to watch in recent games. A huge north-south derby against the Bulls next up is far from the perfect opportunity to get back on track.
They say winning and losing are habits. For the Dragons, there is a third way! 15 all against Benetton was their 3rd draw of the URC season, secured in agonising fashion as Angus O’Brien missed a kick to snatch the win at the death.
Dragons fans - who turned out in numbers for this game - can still be satisfied by what they saw. Considering the red card, the injuries, and the fact they took 70 off this same opposition just 4 games ago, they remain a much improved side - their last 3 losses in the URC were by a cumulative 11 points.
For Benetton, the bigger story is off the field. On Sunday, they announced the appointment of former Six Nations and Pro12 winning coach Wayne Pivac for next season. Pivac has been in exile in the Japanese 2nd division since he was sacked by Wales, but his pedigree in this league is unquestionable - it could be an excellent appointment.