The 2026/27 Vodacom United Rugby Championship season kicks off this weekend, with South African teams DHL Stormers, 10bet Lions, Hollywoodbets Sharks, and Vodacom Bulls in action. The DHL Stormers will be the first South African side in action when they take on Irish side Connacht in Galway on Friday evening. The Grand Final, scheduled for Saturday 19 June 2027, will be on the minds of all 16 teams when they start their challenges this weekend.
The DHL Stormers, champions of the inaugural season in 2021/22, have a tough match ahead against Connacht, who have won their last five matches at home. However, the DHL Stormers were victorious on their last visit to Galway, by 16-12 in May 2024. The Capetonians will try to turn around their recent fortunes in Ireland, where they’ve won just one of their last five matches.
In Johannesburg, the 10bet Lions will host two-time defending champions Leinster, also from Ireland. The 10bet Lions reached the Vodacom URC playoffs for the first time last season and will be keen to start with a bang. However, they face a star-studded Leinster side that eliminated them in the 2025 quarter-finals.
The Hollywoodbets Sharks will take on the Ospreys from Wales in Durban, with both teams missing out on the playoffs last season. The KwaZulu-Natalians finished last season with back-to-back victories and will hope for a home ground ally after losing just once in their last eight Vodacom URC matches at the Shark Tank.
The Vodacom Bulls, runners-up in the last two seasons of the Vodacom URC, will clash with Zebre Parma in Italy. The Vodacom Bulls have never lost to Zebre Parma and will be aiming to reach their fifth Grand Final in six years. They have won their opening Vodacom URC fixture in each of the last four seasons and have lost only once in their last five trips to Italy.
Match officials have been appointed for the weekend's matches, with Sam Grove-White refereeing the Connacht v DHL Stormers match, Ben Breakspear for 10bet Lions v Leinster, Gianluca Gnecchi for Hollywoodbets Sharks v Ospreys, and Andrew Brace for Zebre Parma v Vodacom Bulls. All matches will be broadcast on SuperSport.
The 2026/27 Vodacom United Rugby Championship season will be closely watched by South African fans, with high expectations from the four local teams. The season's schedule and results will be closely followed, with the Grand Final set to take place on 19 June 2027.
Key points
- The 2026/27 Vodacom United Rugby Championship season starts this weekend with four South African teams in action.
- The DHL Stormers, 10bet Lions, Hollywoodbets Sharks, and Vodacom Bulls face tough matches in their opening fixtures.
- The Grand Final is scheduled for Saturday 19 June 2027.
