2025–26 Bulls (rugby union) season

Bulls
2025–26 season
Head coachJohan Ackermann
Highest home attendance14,122 (Rd 6 v Lions)
Lowest home attendance2,992 (Rd 1 v Ospreys)
Average home attendance8017
← 2024–25 2026–27 →

The 2025–26 season will be the Bulls' fifth season in the United Rugby Championship, their 31st season of professional rugby. Along with competing in the URC itself and its South African Shield competition, the club will also participate in the 2025-26 European Rugby Champions Cup.

Squad and personnel

Transfers

Main article: Bulls (rugby union)

United Rugby Championship

Matches

The full list of fixtures for the 2025–26 season were released by the league on 21 March 2025.[11][12][13]

27 September 2025 (1 BP) Bulls 53 – 40 Ospreys (1 BP) Loftus Versfeld Stadium, Pretoria  
13:00 Try: Coetzee (8', 21')
Grobbelaar (39', 45', 58')
Jooste (51', 72')
Serfontein (61')
Else (68')
Con: Johannes (9', 40', 59', 69')
 Report Try: Giles (2', 80')
Keiran Williams (6', 35')
Walsh (30')
Morse (66')
Con: Edwards (6', 31', 36', 66', 81')
 Attendance: 2 992
Referee: Peter Martin
4 October 2025 (1 BP) Bulls 39 – 31 Leinster (1 BP) Loftus Versfeld Stadium, Pretoria  
17:30 Try: de Klerk (4')
Kriel (16', 78')
Gumede (41')
le Roux (58')
Jacobs (68')
Con: Johannes (5', 42')
Kriel (79')
Pen: Johannes (35')
 Report Try: Clarkson (30')
Cooney (44')
T. O'Brien (46')
Penny (66')
Con: Prendergast (31', 45', 47', 66')
Pen: Prendergast (20')
Cards: Connors 21' to 31' 		Attendance: 6 937
Referee: Adam Jones
11 October 2025 (1 BP) Ulster 28 – 7 Bulls Ravenhill Stadium, Belfast  
19:45 Try: McCloskey (22')
Augustus (49')
Herring (54')
Izuchukwu(57')
Con: Doak (22', 50', 55', 58')
Cards: Herring  27' 		Report Try: Louw (27')
Con: Pollard (28')
Cards: Rudolph  47' 		Attendance: 10,629
Referee: Mike Adamson
17 October 2025 (1 BP) Connacht 27 – 28 Bulls The Sportsground, Galway  
19:45 Try: Ioane(10')
Blade(45')
Naughton (68')
Hansen (79')
Con: Ioane (11', 46')
Pen: Naughton (74')
Cards: Murphy  19' 		report Try: de Wet (13', 54')
le Roux (20')
Con: Johannes (21', 55')
Pen: Johannes (63', 72')
Drop: Johannes (43')
 Attendance: 4,000[14]
Referee: Mike Adamson
24 October 2025 Glasgow Warriors 21 – 12 Bulls Scotstoun Stadium, Glasgow  
19:45 Try: Tuipulotu (5'c)
penalty try (65')
McBeth (70'c)
Con: Hastings (6', 71')
Cards: McBeth,  53' 		Report
Scoreboard 		Try: Jacobs (11'm)
le Roux (49'c)
Con: Johannes (49')
Cards: Klopper  65' 		Attendance: 6,848[15]
Referee: Craig Evans
29 November 2025 (1 BP) Bulls 33 – 43 Lions (1 BP) Loftus Versfeld Stadium, Pretoria  
12:00 Try: Papier (30' c, 33' c)
A. van der Merwe (40' m)
Johannes (76' c)
de Klerk(77' c)
Con: Johannes (4/5) (31', 34', 76', 78')
 Report Try: Mpeku (19'c) Steyn (23' c, 74' c)
Cairns (36' m)
E. Oosthuizen (52' c)
Keyter (72' c)
Con: CW Smith (5/6) (19', 24', 53', 73', 74')
Pen: CW Smith (11')
 Attendance: 14,122
Referee: Aimee Barrett-Theron
20 December 2025 Sharks 21 – 12 Bulls Kings Park Stadium, Durban  
16:00 Try: Kunene 15' c
Kolisi 71' c
v.d.Merwe 77' c
Con: Hendrikse 16'
Whitehead (2) 72', 78'
 Report Pen: Pollard (4) 19', 24', 38', 57'
Cards: Kriel  29' 		Attendance: 44,517
Referee: Griffin Colby (SARU)
TBC Bulls v Stormers Loftus Versfeld Stadium, Pretoria  
TBC
3 January 2026 Stormers 13 – 8 Bulls (1 BP) Cape Town Stadium  
16:00 Try: Roos 39' m
Mchunu 79' m
Pen: Feinberg-Mngomezulu 35'
 [ Report] Try: Pollard 31'
Pen: Pollard 44 '
Cards: le Roux  35' 		Attendance: 53,682
Referee: Griffin Colby (South Africa)
23 January 2026 (1 BP) Edinburgh 17 - 19 Bulls Edinburgh Rugby Stadium  
19:45 Try: v.d. Merwe 6' m
Schoeman 17' m
Rae 34' c
Con: Thompson (1/3) 25'
 Report Try: Coetzee 12' m
Grobbelaar 44' c
van Staden 70' c
Con: Pollard (2/3) 45', 71'
 Attendance: 6,648
Referee: Gnecchi
31 January 2026 Lions 17 – 52 Bulls (1 BP) Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg  
12:30 Try: v.d. Berg 45' c
Mills 80+1' c
Con: C Smith (2) 46' 80+2'
Pen: Smith 23'
 Report Try: Vorster (2) 10' c, 55' c
Grobbelaar 32' m
Pollard 38' c
Arendse 40' c
Papier 66' c
Gumede 75' m
Johannes 78' c
Con: Pollard (5) 11', 39' 40+1', 56', 67'
Johannes 79'
Cards: Arendse  16' 		Attendance: 12,571
28 February 2026 Bulls v Sharks Loftus Versfeld Stadium, Pretoria  
15:00
20 March 2026 Bulls v Cardiff Loftus Versfeld Stadium, Pretoria  
17:00
28 March 2026 Bulls v Munster Loftus Versfeld Stadium, Pretoria  
12:00
17 April 2026 Dragons v Bulls Rodney Parade, Newport  
19:45
25 April 2026 Scarlets v Bulls Parc y Scarlets, Llanelli  
19:45
9 May 2026 Bulls v Zebre Parma Loftus Versfeld Stadium, Pretoria  
12:45
16 May 2026 Bulls v Benetton Loftus Versfeld Stadium, Pretoria  
15:00

Table

Pos Team Pld W D L PF PA PD TF TA TB LB Pts Qualification
1 Glasgow Warriors 13 10 0 3 358 187 +171 53 26 8 2 50 Qualifies for home URC quarter-final;
Qualification for the 2026–27 Champions Cup
2 Ulster 13 8 0 5 371 274 +97 53 38 7 3 42
3 Stormers 12 9 0 3 316 204 +112 39 26 5 0 41
4 Leinster 13 8 0 5 325 280 +45 48 38 8 1 41
5 Cardiff 13 8 0 5 247 250 −3 36 35 5 3 40 Qualifies for URC quarter-final;
Qualification for the 2026–27 Champions Cup
6 Munster 13 8 0 5 248 270 −22 36 37 5 2 39
7 Lions 13 7 1 5 379 359 +20 46 57 6 2 38
8 Bulls 13 7 0 6 363 309 +54 54 44 6 1 35
9 Connacht 13 6 0 7 315 312 +3 43 44 7 4 35 Qualification for the 2026–27 Challenge Cup
10 Ospreys 13 5 2 6 279 304 −25 42 47 4 1 29
11 Sharks 13 5 1 7 301 333 −32 45 43 6 1 29
12 Benetton 13 5 2 6 247 300 −53 30 40 3 1 28
13 Edinburgh 13 4 0 9 255 307 −52 40 46 3 4 23
14 Scarlets 13 4 1 8 242 311 −69 34 44 1 2 21
15 Dragons 12 2 3 7 227 286 −59 29 43 2 4 20
16 Zebre Parma 13 2 0 11 214 401 −187 29 57 2 2 12
Updated to match(es) played on 21 March 2026. Source: UnitedRugby.com
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers for teams tied on points: 1) Number of matches won 2) The difference between points for and points against 3) The number of tries scored 4) The most points scored 5) The difference between tries for and tries against 6) The fewest red cards received 7) The fewest yellow cards received.[16]


2025–26 United Rugby Championship Regional Shield tables
South African Shield
Team P W D L PF PA PD TF TA TBP LBP Pts Pos overall
1 Lions (S) 6 4 0 2 168 173 –5 21 25 2 1 19 7
2 Sharks 6 3 0 3 143 153 –10 21 19 3 1 16 11
3 Stormers 6 3 0 3 132 144 –12 16 19 2 0 14 3
4 Bulls 6 2 0 4 165 138 +27 24 19 3 1 12 8
If teams are level at any stage, tiebreakers are applied in the following order:[17]
  1. number of matches won
  2. the difference between points for and points against
  3. the number of tries scored
  4. the most points scored
  5. the difference between tries for and tries against
  6. the fewest red cards received
  7. the fewest yellow cards received
Green background indicates teams currently leading the regional shield. Upon the conclusion of the regular season, these teams win their respective regional shields.

(S) : URC Shield champion

European competition

Bulls were drawn in Pool 4 of the 2025-26 European Rugby Champions Cup alongside URC rivals Scarlets (who they will not meet in the pool stage as per the rules of the competition) along with reigning European champions Union Bordeaux Bègles and Pau from France, and Bristol Bears and last year's Champions Cup runners up Northampton Saints from the English Premiership.

European Rugby Champions Cup Pool 4
Pos Team Pld W D L PF PA PD TF TA TB LB Pts Qualification
1 Bordeaux Bègles (1) 4 4 0 0 173 97 +76 27 14 4 0 20 Home Champions Cup round of 16.
2 Northampton Saints (5) 4 3 0 1 156 110 +46 23 16 4 0 16
3 Bristol Bears (10) 4 3 0 1 154 104 +50 23 13 2 0 14 Away Champions Cup round of 16.
4 Bulls (15) 4 1 0 3 113 181 −68 17 27 3 0 7
5 Pau (12CC) 4 1 0 3 110 160 −50 15 23 1 1 6 Away Challenge Cup round of 16.
6 Scarlets 4 0 0 4 103 157 −54 13 24 2 1 3
Source: EPCR[18]
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers for teams tied on points: 1) Number of matches won; 2) Difference between points for and against; 3) Total number of points for; 4) Aggregate number of points scored in matches between tied teams; 5) Number of matches won excluding the first match, then the second and so on until the tie is settled.
European Rugby Champions Cup : Pool matches
6 December 2025 (1 BP) Bulls 33–46 Bordeaux Bègles (1 BP) Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria  
16:15 Try: de Klerk 8' c
Ludwig 20' c
van der Merwe 25' c
Moodiee 37' m
Rudolph 39' c
Con: Pollard (4/5) 9', 21', 26', 40'
Cards: Kriel  42'
Pollard  52' 		Report Try: Penaud 4' c
Bielle-Biarrey (2) 11' c, 61' c
Lamothe 23' m
Palu 49' m
Jalibert 69' c
Rayasi 71' m
Con: Jalibert (2/3) 5', 12'
Lucu (2/3) 62', 70'
Pen: Jalibert (1/1) 34'
 Attendance: 7,327
Referee: Karl Dickson (England)
14 December 2025 (1 BP) Northampton Saints 50–5 Bulls cinch Stadium at Franklin's Gardens, Northampton  
15:15 Try: Sleightholme (2) 8' c, 61' m
Hendy (3) 32' c, 48' c, 68' m
Pollock 56' c
Coles 59' c
Kemeny 79' m
Con: Smith (5/8) 9', 33', 49', 57', 59'
 Report Try: Jacobs 22' m
Cards: Tshakweni  53' 		Attendance: 14,574
Referee: Hollie Davidson (Scotland)
10 January 2026 (1 BP) Bulls 49–61 Bristol Bears (1 BP) Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria  
14:00 Try: Rudolph 13' c
Jacobs (2) 18' c, 27' c
Kriel 43' c
de Klerk 72' c
le Roux 74' c
Con: Pollard (6/6) 13', 19', 28', 44', 72', 75'
Cards: le Roux  56' 		Report Try: van Rensburg 2' c
Lahiff 5' c
Heward (3) 7' c, 21' c, 41' m
Ravouvou (2) 15' c, 59' c
Marmion 24' c
Rubiolo 56' c
Con: Jordan (8/9) 3', 6', 8', 15', 22', 25', 57', 60'
Cards: Lane  38' 		Attendance: 11,016
Referee: Pierre Brousset (France)
16 January 2026 (1 BP) Pau 24 – 26 Bulls (1 BP) Stade du Hameau, Pau  
20:00 Try: Delhommel (2) 9' c, 39' c
Maximin 32’ c
Con: Mondinat (1/1) 10'
Souverbie (2/2) 33', 40'
Pen: Souverbie 48'
Cards: Leclayat  69' 		Report Try: Gumede 3' m
A v.d. Merwe, 29' c
Jooste 57' c
Carr 73' c
Con: Pollard (3/4) 30', 58', 73'
Cards: Ludwig  38' 		Attendance: 12,728
Referee: Karl Dickson (England)

Home attendance

Following Round 5 of URC:

Domestic League European Rugby Champions Cup Total
League Fixtures Total attendance Average attendance Highest Lowest League Fixtures Total attendance Average attendance Highest Lowest Total attendance Average attendance
2025–26 United Rugby Championship 2 9,927 4,964 6,937 2,992 2025–26 European Rugby Champions Cup - - - - - 9,927 4,964


References

  1. ^ "Jake brings Bok lock back to Bulls". SA Rugby Mag. 12 January 2025. Retrieved 12 January 2025.
  2. ^ "Springboks star Handre Pollard's shock United Rugby Championship move confirmed". Planet Rugby. 1 March 2025. Retrieved 1 March 2025.
  3. ^ "Cheetahs bid several players farewell". SA Rugby Mag. 20 May 2025. Retrieved 20 May 2025.
  4. ^ "Jake White confirms Jan Serfontein's Bulls return as Handré Pollard and Co to mount fresh URC title bid". The Mercury. 15 June 2025. Retrieved 15 June 2025.
  5. ^ "Jake White officially confirms two more Springboks signings as Bulls look to close the Leinster gap". Planet Rugby. 16 June 2025. Retrieved 16 June 2025.
  6. ^ "Bernard van der Linde: Bulls scrum-half to join Bath next season". BBC Sport. 4 February 2025. Retrieved 4 February 2025.
  7. ^ "Cheetahs snap up Bulls prop". Rugby 365. 22 April 2025. Retrieved 22 April 2025.
  8. ^ Tunney, Jack (20 August 2025). "Former Springbok age grade flyhalf to join Newcastle Red Bulls". Planet Rugby. Retrieved 25 August 2025.
  9. ^ "Cardiff sign versatile back Cornel Smit from URC rivals Bulls". BBC Sport. 20 November 2025. Retrieved 20 November 2025.
  10. ^ "Bok wing joins third-tier French club". SA Rugby Mag. 27 February 2026. Retrieved 27 February 2026.
  11. ^ "URC 2025/26 Fixtures". United Rugby Championship. Retrieved 22 May 2025.
  12. ^ Wright, Jared (21 May 2025). "Full 2025/26 United Rugby Championship fixture list confirmed as Stormers v Leinster kick-off the new season". Planet Rugby. Retrieved 22 May 2025.
  13. ^ "Leinster to face Stormers, Bulls in early season action | SuperSport".
  14. ^ Fallon, John (23 September 2025). "Connacht will have fewer than 4,000 fans for home games for half the season". The 42. Retrieved 18 October 2025.
  15. ^ Palmer, Mark (24 October 2025). "Glasgow Warriors show fight to edge Bulls in heavyweight battle". www.thetimes.com. Retrieved 25 October 2025.
  16. ^ "Competition rules – United Rugby Championship". United Rugby Championship. Archived from the original on 22 September 2022. Retrieved 25 February 2025.
  17. ^ League Format (3) "Competition Rules". United Rugby Championship. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
  18. ^ "Pool Tables | Investec Champions Cup". www.epcrugby.com. European Professional Club Rugby. Retrieved 2 July 2024.
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