The rhythm of the season shifts this week as the United Rugby Championship South African teams tour gathers pace, sending the Bulls and Stormers across the equator with momentum in their boots, and leaving the Lions to search for answers in Italy. The stakes are immediately clear, away wins are rare currency in this competition, player integration is a live puzzle, and every decision around selection and recovery matters.
Bulls pack 13 Springboks for a defining swing
The Vodacom Bulls have launched their three-match swing with a formidable core, traveling to Belfast to face Ulster, then onward to Connacht and Glasgow Warriors. They head out atop the URC table after two wins, and their touring party is fortified by returning Springboks like Handre Pollard, Jan-Hendrik Wessels, Wilco Louw, Marco van Staden and Canan Moodie.
There is a hard edge to the story as well. Captain Marcell Coetzee failed his HIA against Leinster and stays home, which hands the armband to hooker Johann Grobbelaar. Kurt-Lee Arendse is still nursing a hamstring issue, Ruan Nortje is resting after a heavy international workload, and, as per player welfare planning, Wilco Louw will feature against Ulster then make way in week two for Khuta Mchunu.
The Bulls have depth in the backline and back row again, with Cheswill Jooste, Jan Serfontein and Cobus Wiese back in the frame after missing the Leinster win. The theme now is cohesion, with coach Johan Ackermann openly weighing the challenge of blending new and familiar faces, and acknowledging that integration can be as decisive as any tactical tweak.
“We have got individual plans in place, but injuries have already forced one or two changes. Hopefully we will integrate them quickly. It is probably the biggest challenge for Handre, just because he is the newest addition, while the others have played with us before.”
That candor matters because the tour sequence is unforgiving. Ulster opened their campaign with a 42-21 win over Dragons, then lost a fixture to weather, which sets up a physical first hurdle. After a breathless finish to beat Leinster 39-31 at Loftus, the Bulls know the road requires precision, and that away wins will define the tone of their season.
Selection puzzles and workloads
The Bulls are trying to find balance between energizing their group and respecting the World Rugby 30-game cap that shapes player management. Some Boks have played extensively in recent months and could be handled conservatively, while others, like Handre Pollard, have room to slot straight in and steer the tour from flyhalf if selected.
Amid that, a key micro decision is already set. Due to the agreement around national player management, Wilco Louw is in line for Ulster, then Khuta Mchunu, newly back from Japan, steps in during week two. It is the kind of fine print that can tilt a scrum contest, especially in the west of Ireland and in Scotland where set pieces become arm wrestles in autumn conditions.
Momentum helps. The Bulls and Stormers sit one and two on the log after two rounds, the Pretoria side on 10 points and the Cape side on nine. That platform gives Ackermann the room to focus on cohesion time on tour, a point he stressed when he said he has hardly had extended sessions with his full group and that the road will give him the chance to connect with the squad.
Lions face a moment of truth in Treviso
The Lions are staring at a demanding final stop in Treviso after back-to-back defeats to Cardiff and Zebre. It is not just the results, it is the familiar pattern that has supporters uneasy, with the team faltering on the details, then paying for it late. They have one Bok in the current group, scrumhalf Morne van den Berg, and beyond that the questions are about clarity, confidence and the ability to land a punch when it matters most.
Context is sobering. The Lions have never made the URC playoffs, finished 12th, ninth, ninth and 11th across the past four seasons, and have now slipped to a 0-2 start against teams who finished in the bottom half last season. Pressure is sharpening on the coaching setup led by Ivan van Rooyen, and as one assessment put it, if the same thing keeps happening, supporters are entitled to ask why the plan would suddenly work now, especially after a dismal Cardiff loss and a late stumble in Parma.
Van Rooyen has struck an upbeat tone in public, insisting there is no time to brood and pointing to the thin margins in away games. His messaging is pragmatic and urgent, because Benetton have had the upper hand in the last three meetings and arrive buoyed by a victory over Glasgow. The Lions last beat Benetton in March 2023 in Treviso, 32-28, and will need something of that thriller spirit to change the mood.
“Obviously we are disappointed with the result. It shows you how small the margins in the URC are, and it shows you there is not a bad team in the competition, especially when you are playing away.”
“Now we are prepping for Treviso. It is a short week, so no time to sulk.”
What went wrong in Parma
The 22-20 defeat to Zebre was a collage of frustration and defiance. The Lions were outplayed in the first half and trailed 12-3 at the break, then surged into the lead after the restart, helped by a yellow card to Samuele Locatelli. With momentum on their side and the score at 20-15 late on, they were a few phases from closing the book, then failed to manage the restart, conceded field position and lost it all to a pick-and-go in the 79th minute.
There were bright sparks. SJ Kotze finished in the corner after Angelo Davids had probed wide, Eduan Keyter scored on the opposite flank from a flowing move, and Morne Brandon powered over from close range off the bench. Yet it is telling that two of those strikes came while Zebre were down to 14 men, and that execution faltered again when the reinforcements returned.
For the record, Zebre scored through Bautista Savile, Tommaso di Bartolomeo and Matteo Nocera, with Giacomo Da Re and Marco Zanon adding the kicks. The Lions had a Chris Smith penalty early, Lubabalo Dobela nailed a key conversion for a five-point lead, then watched the final swing go the other way. The lesson is simple, the first half must be more assertive, and the last five minutes must be managed as if the clock itself is the opponent.
Stormers steady and the bigger South African picture
The Stormers are the quiet force of this opening fortnight, shutting out Leinster 35-0, then coming from 10-8 down to beat Ospreys 26-10. They travel next for Scarlets, Zebre and Benetton, carrying both confidence and caution, because they know their away record needs to grow if they are to challenge for a top two seed. John Dobson called the Ospreys win a relief, since losing would have set a brutal requirement for the tour and raised the pressure on every selection call.
“If we did not beat Ospreys, we would have had to win all three games on tour. This was a pressure game. I would not say we have freedom now, we still have to win at least two games on the road. And winning away is not that easy. But this victory is a relief.”
There is also the human element of reintegration in the Cape. Assistant coach Norman Laker praised the form of the current group, naming Wandisile Simelane, Dan du Plessis and Jurie Matthee among those who have impressed. He also acknowledged that injuries can surface after travel and that a few Bok reinforcements, like Damian Willemse or Cobus Reinach, could shift the balance if the medical picture changes through the week.
“The guys who have played have done extremely well. But having their Boks back gives us different options. Some guys might be hurt after the past two games with a few bumps and bruises. We will make a decision later in the week.”
Sharks and the fine margins of touring
The Sharks look at their own what if from Newport after a 17-all draw with Dragons. By their standards, that is a fixture that should yield a win, and it leaves them in the bottom half alongside the Lions after two rounds. They have a number of Boks in their wider squad but it is still unclear whether those players will link up for the end of their tour or be sent home to reset ahead of two home games.
It ties into the broader theme of this week, no rest for several Rugby Championship winning Springboks. The Bulls and Stormers are connecting with their internationals on the road, although Ackermann made it clear that workload and fit, rather than status, will determine who gets the nod in Belfast and beyond.
Three keys for the week ahead
- Integration or disruption, how quickly the Bulls blend their Boks into a winning framework will define the start of their tour,
- Lions resolve under pressure, whether Ivan van Rooyen’s side can close a tight game in Treviso after two frustrating finishes will say everything about their season trajectory,
- Stormers travel temperament, converting home dominance into clinical away wins against Scarlets, Zebre and Benetton will shape their top two ambitions.
The road ahead and the emotional core
This is the part of the season that tests the head as much as the legs. For the Bulls, leadership has shifted in a heartbeat, yet the squad has been strengthened and the chance to bank a landmark win in Belfast is enticing. For the Lions, the challenge is mental as much as tactical, because the film from Parma shows long stretches of defending, then spurts of exhilarating attack, and the answer sits in the calm that follows every kick-off.
For the Stormers, it is about converting standards into habits in foreign hotels and chilly evenings, which is what separates contenders from travelers. Layer in workload management, the World Rugby cap, and the reality that every opponent is feistier at home, and you have a compelling South African subplot within a tournament that prides itself on thin margins and thick drama. The tour is here now, and by the time the buses roll back into Cape Town and Pretoria, we will know a lot more about who they really are.
Bulls touring squad at a glance
Selected names from the Bulls list underline the depth and blend of youth and experience, with Johann Grobbelaar leading, a backfield that can call on Willie le Roux, Canan Moodie and David Kriel, midfield craft from Jan Serfontein and Harold Vorster, and direction from Johan Goosen and Handre Pollard. Up front, Gerhard Steenekamp, Jan-Hendrik Wessels, Wilco Louw, Marco van Staden and Cobus Wiese reinforce a pack built for collisions in Ireland and Scotland.
Lions reality check before Treviso
The numbers from Parma tell the story. Zebre led 12-3 at halftime, the Lions surged to 13-12 and then 20-15, before Matteo Nocera’s late try and Marco Zanon’s conversion tipped it at the death. The Lions can take hope from their second half energy and enterprise, but the film reminds them that starting flat and finishing frayed is a pattern that must change against Benetton.
Which is why this week is a character test as much as a tactical one. Van Rooyen’s insistence that there is no time to sulk is right, since the schedule does not offer time for introspection, only opportunities to adapt. The last chapter of this tour can still be redemptive, but it will demand accuracy at restarts, patience in the red zone, and the same confidence that produced those long-range tries when Zebre went down to 14.
Why this tour matters
In a league where travel is part of the theatre, the opening tours set tone and tempo. The Bulls have a chance to plant a flag in Belfast and build cohesion on the move. The Stormers can prove their away credentials and add layers to a team that already looks settled. The Lions can turn pain into purpose, since a single result in Treviso would flip the narrative and breathe new life into a campaign that has started with a winless stretch.
The margins will remain thin, the weather will challenge the hands, and selection will be a daily conversation between data and instinct. For now, all eyes are on the Bulls with their 13 Springboks, on the Stormers with their options, and on the Lions with their resolve. The tour is the crucible where South African ambitions in the URC are forged, and the next fortnight will tell us who is ready to rise, and who still has work to do on the basics.
