Ellis Park will once again rumble like a restless scrum on Saturday afternoon as the Lions and Bulls lock horns in a Jukskei Derbythat promises sparks, sweat and shifting momentum on the URC log.
TheLions, settled and confident, return home looking to turn continuity into currency. Their memories of last November’s 43–33 win over the Bulls still echo, but head coach Ivan van Rooyen knows this weekend’s contest will be a far sterner examination.
“Obviously, they’ll be hurting from the result at Loftus,” Van Rooyen said.
“But they’ve got some superstars returning in Kurt-Lee Arendse, Canan Moodie, and Marcell Coetzee, and mentally they’ll be a very different team after the two results they got overseas. We’ll have to rise to that emotional level and physical level.”
For Van Rooyen, the derby won’t be decided on reputation but on precision when lungs burn and legs feel heavy.
“Of course, we’ve got plans, they’ve got plans – but I think the team that can execute under pressure on Saturday, and enforce their strengths more often during the 80 minutes will emerge successful.”
The Lions’ unchanged 23 is a statement of trust. Chris Smith, facing his former employers, will be the conductor of tempo at flyhalf, while skipper Francke Horn leads a familiar loose trio into what is expected to be a collision-heavy battle for breakdown supremacy.
Out wide, Springbok fullback Quan Horn provides composure at the back, with Richard Kriel and Angelo Davids offering strike power on the wings.
Across the tunnel, Bulls coach Johan Ackermann has reloaded his side with intent. The return of Elrigh Louw at openside flank sharpens the Bulls’ breakdown blade, while Devon Williams replaces veteran Willie le Roux at fullback, injecting pace and aerial contestability for what is expected to be a tactical kicking duel.
YOUR team to face the Lions tomorrow at Ellis park 🥶
🏆Vodacom Bulls vs Lions | ⏰KICK-OFF: 14:30 | 📍Ellis Park | 🗓️31 January
In midfield, Harold Vorster and Stedman Gans form a more direct, defence-first pairing, signalling a Bulls side built for impact rather than finesse. Kurt-Lee Arendse’s return on the wing adds lightning to the Bulls’ backline, while Handré Pollard resumes his role as the general steering the attacking ship.
The Bulls’ engine room has also been reshuffled, with Reinhardt Ludwig starting at lock and Cobus Wiese primed off the bench to bring brute force in the closing exchanges.
With both sides chasing log momentum, this derby shapes as less chess match and more street fight — a high-tempo contest where accuracy will be the sharpest weapon and composure the ultimate decider.
Teams
Lions: 15 Quan Horn, 14 Angelo Davids, 13 Henco van Wyk, 12 Bronson Mills, 11 Richard Kriel, 10 Chris Smith, 9 Morne van den Berg, 8 Francke Horn (capt), 7 Batho Hlekani, 6 Jarod Cairns, 5 Reinhard Nothnagel, 4 Ruben Schoeman, 3 Asenathi Ntlabakanye, 2 PJ Botha, 1 SJ Kotze Replacements: Morne Brandon, RF Schoeman, Conraad van Vuuren, Etienne Oosthuizen, Darrien Landsberg, Renzo du Plessis, Haashim Pead, Erich Cronje
For Bulls and Lions supporters, this is not just another round of the Vodacom URC , it’s a weekend that could shape seasons, shift momentum and settle old scores. And hovering over it all is the coastal showdown in Durban, where the Stormers walk into the Shark Tank knowing that what happens there will ripple all the way up to the Highveld.
This is the URC at its sharpest: derbies that feel like knockout blows, log positions tightening like a defensive line, and belief becoming just as valuable as points.
Bulls vs Lions: Highveld pride at stake
Ellis Park will crackle long before kick-off. When Bulls and Lions meet, form becomes fragile and history heavy. The Lions still carry the memory of their 43-33 ambush at Loftus in November – a result that silenced Pretoria and reminded everyone that derby days obey no log table.
For the Lions, this match is about turning admiration into advancement. Back-to-back draws away to Perpignan (20-20) and the Ospreys (24-24) showed resilience and character, but also left a familiar ache: close, but not enough. Sitting seventh on theURC log with 24 points, they are still in the playoff conversation – but the gap to the leaders is starting to stretch like a missed tackle.
A home derby is the perfect place to change that narrative.
The Bulls, meanwhile, arrive with something they have not had for weeks: momentum. After seven straight losses across competitions, Johan Ackermann’s men have rediscovered belief with successive wins over Pau and Edinburgh. Like a pack that has finally found cohesion at scrum time, the Bulls are standing taller, tackling harder and trusting their systems again.
They have climbed to ninth on the log and are now within striking distance of their Gauteng rivals. Their Springboks are once again playing like world champions, and with Neil de Bruin added to the coaching mix, structure and clarity are beginning to show.
For Bulls supporters, Ellis Park is a chance to prove that this revival is real – not just a flicker, but a flame.
Stormers vs Sharks: a derby that matters to everyone
While Highveld eyes are fixed on Johannesburg, the Stormers’ trip to Durban matters deeply to Bulls and Lions supporters alike. The Sharks’ emphatic 30-19 win in Cape Town did more than end an unbeaten run – it reshaped the South African Shield picture and tightened the race for playoff places.
John Dobson did not sugar-coat the defeat, calling it “our worst performance of the season”. And he was right. The Stormers, previously No 1 in the URC for lineouts, mauls and scrums, were dismantled at the set-piece. Their usually fluent game dissolved into a fog of misfires and penalties as the Sharks imposed themselves with authority.
Now comes the harder test: responding in the Shark Tank, where confidence grows teeth and momentum feeds on noise.
For the Sharks, JP Pietersen’s impact has been immediate and tangible. Four wins from six since taking interim charge, and that Cape Town performance was the clearest sign yet of a team rediscovering its bite. From 14th to 11th on the log, they now sit just two points outside the top eight – very much alive.
It was not a lucky win either. It was comprehensive, controlled and settled long before the final whistle. The Stormers did not simply play badly; they were never allowed to breathe.
For Bulls and Lions fans, the Durban result could be pivotal. A Sharks surge complicates the playoff race. A Stormers response could reassert Cape Town dominance. Either way, the ripple effect will be felt far beyond the coast.
The log tells the story
The Stormers have slipped to second, three points behind Glasgow Warriors, though with a game in hand on the Scots and other overseas sides. They remain contenders – but now under pressure.
The Lions hold seventh, competitive but restless. The Bulls are climbing, confidence swelling. The Sharks are charging from behind.
This is the stage of the URC where seasons tilt.
Why this weekend matters
For Lions supporters, this is about finally landing a knockout blow in a tight fight. For Bulls supporters, it is about proving the revival has substance. For everyone, the Stormers vs Sharks derby is a measuring stick – of resilience, belief and championship credentials.
The URC is no longer a marathon. It is a series of collisions. And this weekend, every one of them counts.
The bruises from the north–south derby are still tender, but the Stormers have little time to admire their handiwork. The Vodacom Bullswere a familiar foe, a known storm navigated through discipline and resolve. Europe, however, offers a different climate altogether, and Champions Cup week arrives with no mercy for hesitation.
The Stormers’ 13–8 URC win over the Bulls was a contest decided by defensive steel and belief rather than fluency. Yet it was precisely that type of victory which sharpened the focus of head coach John Dobson as the conversation turned north, toward London and a showdown with Harlequins.
Dobson revealed that even as the derby teetered on a knife-edge at 8–8, his faith in the Stormers’ defensive structure never wavered.
“It’s going to sound a bit full of hubris, but I never was worried in that game,” Dobson said.
“It sounds curious and I really don’t mean that with any kind of arrogance, but the way we defended even in the first half, it just didn’t feel like we were under any sort of defensive pressure.
“Our defence was really, really good and I didn’t feel like they were going to open us up.”
That confidence was rewarded when Ntuthuko Mchunu powered over in the 79th minute, extending the Stormers’ unbeaten run across the URC and Investec Champions Cup to 10 matches. More importantly, it reinforced a mindset which captain Salmaan Moerat believes has become second nature within the squad.
“I do think it becomes a habit. We don’t want to sound arrogant at all, but we’ve been in deeper holes before,” Moerat said. “If you look back at that Munster game in Limerick, I don’t think many people gave us a chance. In that first half we were down to 13 men for 20 minutes away from home, and we managed to win that game. “That does give you belief that there’s something in the tank and that the boys will pull it through.”
That belief now travels with the Stormers into Europe, where the broader stakes extend beyond a single fixture. Dobson has been clear that South African teams must shift from participants to contenders if they are to reshape the Champions Cup landscape.
“I think South African teams need to try and make a statement to host playoffs in Europe, and we’re in a position after that Bayonne win where we can have a go at it,” he said. “But to win in London will be really tough.”
Harlequins pose a very different puzzle to the Bulls’ direct approach. Their game thrives on tempo, width and broken-field chaos. It’s he rugby equivalent of moving from trench warfare to aerial combat. For the Stormers, the challenge will be maintaining defensive cohesion without blunting their own ambition.
Yet if the derby victory offered a glimpse of anything, it is that this Stormers side is increasingly comfortable living in the tension. They may not dominate territory or possession, but they dominate moments. And in Europe, moments decide seasons.
Champions Cup weekwill test their depth, discipline and nerve, but the Stormers arrive not as tourists, but as a team convinced it belongs on this stage.
There are derbies, and then there are rugby events that feel bigger than the competition table. The Stormers versus Bulls north–southclash at a sold-out DHL Stadium on Saturday belongs firmly in the latter category. It’s a fixture where reputations are tested as brutally as defensive lines.
The first URC blockbuster of 2026arrives wrapped in symbolism. Damian Willemse will make his 100th start for the Stormers. Ruan Nortje returns to captain the Bulls. And at flyhalf, the generational baton hangs tantalisingly between two Springboks: Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu and Handré Pollard.
One represents the present tense of South African rugby’s future: instinctive, elastic, daring. The other is its hardened past and still-relevant present: precise, economical, forged in World Cup fire. Saturday is less about rivalry than rugby arithmetic: what happens when flair meets control under maximum pressure?
Stormers: Tempo, Power and Cape Town Edge
The Stormers receive a significant boost with the return of Willemse and Feinberg-Mngomezulu, restoring balance to a side that thrives on momentum. Willemse’s presence in midfield alongside Wandisile Simelane gives the hosts ballast and punch, while Cobus Reinach and Feinberg-Mngomezulu form a halfback pairing designed to accelerate the game.
Director of Rugby John Dobson framed the occasion without hyperbole:
“This is one of the biggest club rugby matches in the world and will be played in front of a sold-out DHL Stadium. It should be an incredible experience for everyone there.
We know that we will need to be at our absolute best throughout the game to come away with the result.”
Out wide, Suleiman Hartzenberg and Leolin Zas provide finishing pace, with Warrick Gelant lurking at the back like a counter-attacking wildcard. Up front, captain Salmaan Moerat marshals a pack that blends aggression with continuity, supported by Evan Roos and Ben-Jason Dixon in the loose — players built for derby combat.
Here is your DHL Stormers team for the sold-out @Vodacom#URC derby at DHL Stadium on Saturday.
The Bulls arrive in Cape Town with a side subtly reshaped for control rather than chaos. Ruan Nortje’s return to the starting XV restores authority to the pack, while Marco van Staden adds breakdown venom. The front row of Gerhard Steenekamp, Johan Grobbelaar and Wilco Louw remains intact, signalling a clear intent to contest the set-piece battle.
Behind them sits a familiar Bulls spine: Pollard at 10, Willie le Roux at 15, David Kriel in midfield — experience stacked upon experience. Canan Moodie’s move to centre injects line-breaking speed, while Paul de Wet starts at scrumhalf against his former side.
Head coach Johan Ackermann underlined the method behind the selection:
“We’ve assessed the Sharks game and made adjustments where needed. Ruan’s leadership is vital, and bringing in players like Canan Moodie and Marco van Staden gives us the right balance for this contest. It’s about alignment and intensity as we start the year.”
The Key Battlegrounds
The obvious headline is flyhalf, but the game may hinge elsewhere. The midfield collisions between Willemse and Moodie will dictate gain-line success. The breakdown duel with Roos and Dixon versus Van Staden and Louw, could determine territory. And off the bench, both sides possess finishers capable of swinging momentum late.
This is not a derby built on nostalgia. It is one shaped by present ambition and future consequence. The Stormers want tempo and emotion. The Bulls want structure and silence.
Cape Town will decide which philosophy holds firm when the noise peaks.
The Stormers–Bulls rivalry rarely needs a spark, but this week a murmur from the Springbok camp has crackled through the build-up, adding intrigue to Saturday’s Vodacom URC north-south derby at Cape Town Stadium.
Stormers defence coach Norman Laker admitted the Cape side was surprised by SA Rugby’s decision to allow members of the Springbok coaching and performance group (Felix Jones, Jerry Flannery, Duane Vermeulen and Andy Edwards) to assist the Bulls on a short-term basis.
For Laker, the timing felt as unusual as a line-out call changed mid-throw.
It always means more when we face @BlueBullsRugby. Be there on Saturday when North and South square off in another epic.
“It was quite interesting for me to see that, in such a big week, they’re bringing the Springbok coaches in to help the Bulls,” Laker said.
“Normally, the national coaches don’t really help teams when there are derbies involved. That’s always been the case.”
He stressed there was no accusation of foul play, only a break from tradition.
“In the past, guys like Felix Jones and Daan Human have assisted franchises when we were playing overseas opposition. Felix has helped us before, Daan has come in to help with scrummaging – but never ahead of a local derby,” he explained.
Pressed on whether the Bulls might gain an unfair edge, Laker kept his feet behind the advantage line.
“I can’t say if it’s a fair or unfair advantage. I just find it interesting. That’s all I can really say.”
Despite the chatter, Laker insisted the Stormers remain focused on their own execution rather than who is holding the clipboard across the halfway line.
“It doesn’t matter who coaches the team this week. A north-south derby is a game where players don’t need motivation. They’ll come out guns blazing, backs against the wall, wanting to win.”
Veteran scrumhalf Cobus Reinach, set for his first Stormers-Bulls derby after eight seasons in England and France, echoed the sentiment of controlled aggression.
“You hear from the boys how big this fixture is,” Reinach said. “It’s going to be physical, it’s going to be intense, and it’s about who fronts up on the day.”
On the Highveld, Bulls head coach Johan Ackermann moved to clear the air, rejecting suggestions that Springbok assistant coaches were actively embedded with his squad during derby week.
“I never asked for that, and Rassie also said it wouldn’t be ideal,” Ackermann explained. “The thought that they would be in camp this week is ridiculous, and I challenge any press photographer to get a picture of a Bok coach at Loftus this week – it was never our intention.”
Ackermann said speculation had gained momentum without the full picture.
“The story was spread without the facts, and nobody bothered to speak to me. The truth is simple: I assessed everything and wanted a fresh pair of eyes to look at our defensive structures and bounce ideas off.”
He clarified that his request was about alignment rather than assistance in match planning.
“I said, you’ve always made your team of coaches available, and I’d love it if someone like [coach] Jerry Flanerry could come in and look at our defensive systems and share some ideas. I don’t expect the Bok coaches to put a plan together on how to win – that is my job as head coach. I have my own system; it was never my idea to secure plans.”
Any collaboration, Ackermann added, would be rotational and realistic.
“You can’t expect the Bok coaches, one of whom lives in Ireland, to be at Loftus every week. I’d be happy if they rotated, which is where the idea of involving Duane Vermeulen and Felix Jones came in.”
He drew a clear boundary between advice and authorship.
“I would never ask Rassie for game plans, merely a careful eye on what we are doing. This is about alignment and perspective, not about outsourcing our coaching.”
As the derby approaches, the debate has already kicked and chased. Soon, though, the noise will fade, and only the collisions will speak. This is proof once again that no amount of expertise off the field can replace muscle, mindset and moments when north meets south.
Dylan Maart’s rugby journey is unfolding like a perfectly weighted grubber, unexpected, precise and suddenly impossible to ignore.
On loan from Currie Cup champions Griquas, Maart is now streaking down the touchline for the Stormers. The Wellington-born speedster is finishing tries under the bright lights of the Investec Champions Cup, leaving defenders clutching at air and selectors sitting up straighter.
Maart wasted no time announcing himself in blue and white. A debut try against Munster in Limerick was followed by a brace against La Rochelle in the Investec Champions Cup, both five-pointers delivered on a silver platter by Springbok fly-half Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu.
“Look, to get a try in the first place for the Stormers is always special,” Maart said.
“Two or three, I was very lucky to be in the right place at the right time.
“If you have someone like Sacha, who has all the talent in the world, on your inside and who can find every space, you just have to be in the right place.
“So, yes, it was exciting to get those two tries and to have a say in the team’s victory at the end of the day.”
Those early scores have propelled Maart from squad player to headline act, and now the Wellington-born speedster is preparing for another milestone: his first run-out at DHL Stadium.
“Making my debut, playing overseas for the first time and obviously the results have been going our way,” he said ahead of the Lions derby.
“I’m very excited to play my first game at the DHL Stadium in front of the home crowd … exciting times.”
The rise has been as steep as a midfield chip-and-chase.
“If I think of where I was a year ago to where I am now, I never thought I’d have the opportunity to play here at the Stormers, so I’m very grateful and very excited.”
While Maart is carving his own attacking lines, his compass points firmly towards an old friend and local hero, Springbok winger Kurt-Lee Arendse, who also cracked international rugby later than most.
“I actually didn’t play rugby until after high school, but I watched a lot of rugby,” Maart revealed.
“There’s a lot of guys that I can mention. But for me, growing up, it was Bryan Habana.
“Cheslin [Kolbe] now, as well as one of my friends, Kurt-Lee Arendse. He lives in Paarl, I’m from Wellington so he’s a guy I look up to and can always ask if I need some advice.
“He’s also a role model for me. And very inspiring also. To see that he can also make it. So, that’s something for me to look forward to.”
At 29, when many players are settled into predictable careers, Maart rolled the dice. He left his job as a warehouse worker at a bottling plant and bet everything on rugby. The risk was rooted in hardship.
“I played rugby in primary school, but nothing in high school, for various reasons.
“Things weren’t good at home. There were many nights when there was no food and we went to sleep hungry.”
At 13, he worked as a taxi guard, opening doors, collecting fares and carrying bags, just to put food on the table and secure a ride to school in Paarl. Rugby, though distant, never left his heart.
When opportunity finally knocked, Maart smashed the door down. He rose with Boland Cavaliers, became a pillar of a Griquas side that ended a 55-year Currie Cup drought, and is now lighting up the URC and Champions Cup in Stormers colours.
The Stormers’ season mirrors Maart’s surge. They are unbeaten in the Investec Champions Cup, eight wins from eight in all competitions, and positioned to host a last-16 European play-off.
Saturday’s URC clash against the Lions at DHL Stadium, only their third home game of the campaign, offers Maart another stage to sprint his late-blooming dream closer to green and gold.
Like Arendse before him, Maart is proof that in rugby, timing matters less than belief, and that some wings only truly catch the wind when the stakes are highest.
The DHL Stormers may have crossed the whitewash six times, but Director of Rugby John Dobson insists the performance that dismantled a youthful Stade Rochelais outfit would be stopped cold by South African rivals if repeated in the coming weeks.
The 42–21 Investec Champions Cupwin at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, the Capetonians’ eighth straight victory in all competitions, lifted them to the top of Pool Three, ahead of four-time champions Leinster. Yet beneath the glossy scoreline, Dobson saw cracks that could be ruthlessly exposed in the Vodacom URC derbies that loom next.
The Stormers flew out of the blocks. Wings Dylan Maart and Leolin Zas struck inside the opening seven minutes, the hosts surging ahead as if the contest might be over before it began. Instead, composure ebbed, forced passes crept in, and an understrength La Rochelle, stacked with academy talent, were invited back into the arm-wrestle.
“I thought we were so energised at the start and so good, and it just felt like we got seduced into it being too easy,” said Dobson.
“To produce the intensity that we started that game with was really good for us. However, it was a learning experience, and we had to manage that game better at the 15-to-20-minute mark.”
That window proved pivotal. Infringements and errors disrupted Stormers rhythm, allowing La Rochelle to find a foothold and trail just 16–7 at the break – a reminder that scoreboard pressure means little without territorial and tactical control.
“It was about the outcome in the end, but it wasn’t a great process from us,” Dobson admitted.
“There’s definitely stuff we didn’t get right that we spoke about during the week, and there’s work to do before the local derbies [in the Vodacom URC]. That said, a home win in this competition is non-negotiable.”
Captain Salmaan Moerat echoed the coach’s concerns, praising the intent but demanding more from the engine room.
“But as a pack we know we could have been much better. There’s still a lot for us to improve on,” Moerat said.
He also highlighted the side’s response after prop Neethling Fouché was yellow-carded for a high tackle.
“It’s never ideal to get a yellow card,” he said. “But what was really rewarding was seeing how the group galvanised and worked harder for each other when someone was off the field.”
If the Stormers’ structure wavered, individual brilliance helped steady the ship. Flyhalf Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu and Springbok scrumhalf Cobus Reinach pulled the strings, while Man of the Match Paul de Villiers hunted turnovers like a seasoned openside despite his tender years.
“It took some moments from Paul or Sacha [Feinberg-Mngomezulu] to bail us out. That was a little bit frustrating that we got ourselves in that position,” Dobson explained.
“Two years ago, we were just getting cleaned out [at the breakdowns], and now we have Paul, who is like a limpet and his decision-making is so good.
“He is very special.”
Dobson believes the result keeps the Stormers firmly in the European hunt, even as he demands sharper execution.
“We want to be part of this tournament,” he said. “South African teams don’t have a great record in it, and we feel we’ve got an opportunity.
“Performances like this give us belief, but we also know we have to be better. I think we can start to dream about getting deeper into this tournament than we have got before.”
The immediate focus, however, shifts to domestic danger. The Lions arrive in Cape Town next weekend, followed by a clash with the Bulls on January 3 – fixtures where sloppiness will be punished.
“We have to get the stuff right and it is no use just talking about it in the week,” Dobson warned.
“We know that performance [in Gqeberha] doesn’t beat a fired-up Lions team in Cape Town or a Bulls team [on January 3].”
Dobson revealed the Stormers’ coaches have been studying the Lions closely, noting their threats across the park.
“We had a good look at them as coaches,” he said.
“We know that Henco [van Wyk] gets the best contact metres, we know about Quan’s [Horn] line breaks, and we know about their efficacy at the breakdown.
“They made their intentions clear that they want to rest and prepare for this game. I promise we won’t be lacking intensity.”
For the Stormers, the winning streak in Europe and Gqeberha has offered momentum, but the real examination now comes at home, where fast starts mean nothing without the patience to finish the job.
The Stormers have never beaten the Ospreys in the United Rugby Championhip (URC). On Friday night at DHL Stadium, John Dobson’s men intend to smash that hoodoo.
Fresh off a 35-0 demolition of defending champions Leinster, the Capetonians know there’s no room for complacency.
“We saw how well Ospreys played in Pretoria and we know our record against them is a draw and two losses,” Dobson warned.
“The feeling is one of desperation to back up last week because you don’t want it to be a fluke.”
“If something goes wrong [against the Ospreys], we’d have to win every game on tour. So it’s very, very important from that point of view.”
With props Ali Vermaak and Sazi Sandi set for their first outings of the season, the Stormers want another statement win before their European road trip
“While we were happy with the result last week, we know that there can be no complacency heading into this match against an Ospreys side that have proven tough customers for us in the past,” Dobson stressed.
The Stormers know they must strike hard and early to exorcise their Ospreys ghost. Victory would not only break the hoodoo but also give them a flying start before Europe beckons.
The Vodacom Bulls will face Leinster in a United Rugby Championship clash at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria on Saturday without two of their backline sparks, Jan Serfontein and Cheswill Jooste, both injured in last week’s 53–40 shootout against the Ospreys.
Harold Vorster steps in at inside centre, with Sebastian de Klerk moving to the wing and Stravino Jacobs recalled. In the pack, Nicolaas Janse van Rensburg retains the No 4 jersey after covering for Cobus Wiese’s HIA, while Sintu Manjezi joins the bench.
Bulls coach Johan Ackermann expects Leinster to arrive wounded but dangerous after their 35–0 defeat to the Stormers.
