South African teams begin Vodacom URC campaign with mixed results

The 2025 Vodacom United Rugby Championship began with contrasting results for South Africa’s four franchises, as the DHL Stormers and Vodacom Bulls secured home wins, while the Hollywoodbets Sharks and Lions suffered defeats on the road.

Stormers stun reigning champions

Friday night at DHL Stadium in Cape Town belonged to the DHL Stormers, who overwhelmed defending champions Leinster 35-0. John Dobson’s side combined defensive discipline with attacking flair to dominate from start to finish.

Despite a modest 6-0 halftime lead, partly due to disallowed tries and missed opportunities, the Stormers turned up the intensity in the second half. Jurie Matthee extended the lead with a penalty before Stefan Ungerer capitalised on a Leinster clearance error to score the opening try. 

Evan Roos powered over for the second, Ruan Ackermann celebrated his debut with a try, and Matthee finished the night with the fourth try. Leinster, reduced to 13 men at one stage, offered little resistance as the Stormers secured a full five points to open their campaign in style.

Sharks fall short in Scotland

Meanwhile, the Hollywoodbets Sharks faced a 35-19 defeat against Glasgow Warriors at Scotstoun Stadium. The match was tight for nearly 70 minutes, with Edwill van der Merwe crossing early and later setting up a score with Lukhanyo Am. 

Captain Vincent Tshituka marked his 50th appearance with a try, but late yellow cards to Tino Mavesere and Lee-Marvin Mazibuko left the Sharks vulnerable. Glasgow capitalised with three late tries and a penalty try, running out comfortable winners despite missing several internationals themselves.

High-scoring Bulls triumph

Saturday afternoon in Pretoria saw the Vodacom Bulls outscore Ospreys 53-40 in a 15-try spectacle at Loftus Versfeld. Under new head coach Johan Ackermann, the Bulls overcame an early deficit with a dominant second-half display. Johan Grobbelaar scored a hat-trick and was named Man of the Match, while Marcell Coetzee added two first-half tries. 

Cheswill Jooste, Jan Serfontein, and replacement Juann Else also crossed as the Bulls outmuscled the Welsh visitors despite six tries from Ospreys.

Lions struggle in Wales

Later, the Lions fell 33-20 to Cardiff in wet conditions at Arms Park. Tries from Ruan Venter and WJ Steenkamp gave the Johannesburg side hope after Cardiff’s Ben Thomas was sent off, but the hosts regained control once at full strength. Alex Mann and Evan Lloyd crossed late, with Lloyd scoring twice to secure the bonus point.

Next weekend, the Stormers host Ospreys in Cape Town, the Sharks face Dragons in Wales, the Bulls welcome Leinster for a rematch of last season’s final, and the Lions take on Zebre Parma in Italy.

Scorers:

• Stormers vs Leinster

DHL Stormers 35 (6) – Tries: Stefan Ungerer, Evan Roos, Ruan Ackermann, Jurie Matthee; Conversions: Matthee (3); Penalty goals: Matthee (3)Leinster 0

• Glasgow Warriors vs Sharks

Glasgow Warriors 35 (14) – Tries: Kyle Rowe, Stafford McDowall, Rory Darge, Jamie Dobie, Penalty try; Conversions: George Horne (4)Hollywoodbets Sharks 19 (12) – Tries: Edwill van der Merwe, Vincent Tshituka, Lukhanyo Am; Conversions: Jaden Hendrikse (2)

• Bulls vs Ospreys

Vodacom Bulls 53 (19) – Tries: Johan Grobbelaar (3), Marcell Coetzee (2), Cheswill Jooste (2), Jan Serfontein, Juann Else; Conversions: Keagan Johannes (4)Ospreys 40 (26) – Tries: Keelan Giles (2), Keiran Williams (2), Jack Walsh, Morgan Morse; Conversions: Dan Edwards (5)

• Cardiff vs Lions

Cardiff 33 (14) – Tries: Ben Thomas, Cam Winnett, Alex Mann, Evan Lloyd (2); Conversions: Callum Sheedy (4)Lions 20 (13) – Tries: Ruan Venter, WJ Steenkamp; Conversions: Lubabalo Dobela (2); Penalty goals: Dobela (2)