While the DHL Stormers will have their sights set on continuing their formidable form this season when they line up against Stade Rochelais in round two of the Investec Champions Cup this weekend, the Hollywoodbets Sharks, Vodacom Bulls, Toyota Cheetahs, and Lions will be desperate to bounce back from disappointing defeats in their opening Champions Cup and EPCR Challenge Cup matches to stay in the race for the playoffs.
The DHL Stormers will host Stade Rochelais in Gqeberha on Saturday, followed by matches between the Hollywoodbets Sharks and Saracens in Durban in the Investec Champions Cup, and on Sunday, the Vodacom Bulls will take on Northampton Saints in England.
In the EPCR Challenge Cup, the Toyota Cheetahs take on Stade Francais in Amsterdam, and the Lions face Newcastle in England.
These matches will be crucial in the teams’ playoff hopes, given that the European showpieces consist of only four round-robin matches before the knock-out stages, which begins with the Round of 16.
The DHL Stormers will be wary of their French visitors at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium following their 39-20 victory against the Leicester Tigers last week, which saw the two-time former Champions Cup winners top their table.
That said, the Capetonians have been in red-hot form this season, winning all six of their Vodacom United Rugby Championship matches, which has seen them remain the only unbeaten team in the competition, while their impressive 26-17 victory against Bayonne in France last week will boost their confidence even more.
In stark contrast to the DHL Stormers, Stade Rochelais find themselves on the lower end of the Top 14 standings after winning only five of their 11 matches so far this season, which will see the Capetonians enter the match as favourites.
The Hollywoodbets Sharks, meanwhile, will have to be on point when they line up against Saracens at Hollywoodbets Kings Park, especially with the visitors coming off a comprehensive 47-10 victory against Clermont Auvergne last week, in which they scored an impressive seven tries to outplay the opposition.
The English club are also currently second on the Gallagher Premiership table after an overwhelming victory against Newcastle at home, meaning the Durbanites will have to deliver an all-round top-drawer performance to change their fortunes this season. They have only won one and drew one of their six Vodacom URC matches before suffering a heavy 56-19 defeat against Toulouse in the Investec Champions Cup last week.
The clash between the Vodacom Bulls and Northampton Saints is expected to be a thriller, despite the Pretoria side coming off a defeat last week, while the hosts registered a narrow seven-point victory against Pau, as both teams will be looking to hit their straps after struggling to build dominant form in the last few weeks.
The Saints, however, will draw inspiration from the fact that they have won three of their last four games in Northampton, and they will have the luxury of their home crowd and cold conditions counting in their favour.
They are, however, expected to face tough competition against the visitors who could have toppled the defending Investec Champions Cup champs, Bordeaux Begles, last weekend in Pretoria, had two second-half yellow cards not disrupted their momentum after leading 33-22 at halftime.
In the EPCR Challenge Cup, the Toyota Cheetahs will look to build on their decent second-half showing against the Exeter Chiefs last week, which limited the English side to only one try after the break despite suffering a defeat, when they line up against Stade Francais in Amsterdam on Saturday.
But the Free Staters will have to be much more effective on defence and use their chances on attack to keep alive their hopes of securing a victory against the French outfit, who registered a convincing victory against Cardiff last week, and who are currently in fourth place on the Top 14 table after winning six of their 11 matches this season.
The Lions will also back themselves to give the Newcastle Red Bulls a go when they meet at Kingston Park on Saturday, after a costly yellow card in the closing minutes of their clash against Benetton last week dashed their hopes of victory in their EPCR Challenge Cup opener.
The Johannesburg outfit have had a decent season so far, suffering only three defeats in the Vodacom URC – one of which was by a narrow two points – but they have shown that they have what it takes to deliver the desired results when they hit their straps with morale-boosting victories against the Vodacom Bulls, Ulster and the Scarlets in the last few weeks.
Newcastle, who beat Lyon 23-14 last week, have been struggling to find momentum after suffering five defeats in their previous six matches before last week. This should set the scene for a gripping match-up.
After this weekend’s European clashes, the Vodacom United Rugby Championship returns with two rounds of exciting South African derbies on Saturday, 20 December, and Saturday, 3 January.
On 20 December, Vodacom URC log-leaders the DHL Stormers will take on the Lions at the DHL Stadium in Cape Town at 15h30, and the Hollywoodbets Sharks will host the Vodacom Bulls at Hollywoodbets Kings Park at 18h00.
In the ninth round of the competition, on 3 January 2026, the Hollywoodbets Sharks meet the Lions in Durban, and the DHL Stormers will welcome the Vodacom Bulls to Cape Town in an exciting start to the new year.
MATCH INFORMATION
Investec Champions Cup:
DHL Stormers v Stade Rochelais
Date: Saturday, 13 December 2025
Venue: Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Gqeberha
SA Time: 15h00
Referee: Luke Pearce (England)
TV: SuperSport
Hollywoodbets Sharks v Saracens
Date: Saturday, 13 December 2025
Venue: Hollywoodbets Kings Park, Durban
SA Time: 17h15
Referee: Luc Ramos (France)
TV: SuperSport
Northampton Saints v Vodacom Bulls
Date: Sunday, 14 December 2025
Venue: Cinch Stadium @ Franklin’s Gardens, England
SA Time: 17h15
Referee: Hollie Davidson (Scotland)
TV: SuperSport
EPCR Challenge Cup:
Toyota Cheetahs v Stade Francais
Date: Saturday, 13 December 2025
Venue: NRCA Stadium, Amsterdam
SA Time: 15h00
Referee: Sara Cox (England)
TV: SuperSport
Newcastle Red Bulls v Lions
Date: Saturday, 13 December 2025
Venue: Kingston Park, Newcastle
SA Time: 19h30
Referee: Benoit Rousselet (France)
TV: SuperSport
Vodacom United Rugby Championship (Rounds 7 and 9):
DHL Stormers v Lions
Date: Saturday, 20 December 2025
Venue: DHL Stadium, Cape Town
SA Time: 15h30
Referee: TBC
TV: SuperSport
Hollywoodbets Sharks v Vodacom Bulls
Date: Saturday, 20 December 2025
Venue: Hollywoodbets Kings Park, Durban
SA Time: 18h00
Referee: TBC
TV: SuperSport
Hollywoodbets Sharks v Lions
Date: Saturday, 3 January 2026
Venue: Hollywoodbets Kings Park, Durban
SA Time: 15h30
Referee: TBC
TV: SuperSport
DHL Stormers v Vodacom Bulls
Date: Saturday, 3 January 2026
Venue: DHL Stadium, Cape Town
SA Time: 18h00
Referee: TBC
TV: SuperSport
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Sport Trivia: She was the first South African to win gold at the Olympics after 44 years. She won the gold medal in the 100m and 200m breaststroke in Atlanta in 1996. Answer: Penny Heyns. Penny Heynes held 14 records for breaststroke. During the 1999 Pan Pacific games, she broke 6 world records, (many of them her own previous records), and by the end of 1999 she held the record for the 50m, 100m and 200m long course breaststroke, simultaneously.