Johann van Graan took over the worst Bath side of the professional era and, in three seasons, rebuilt them and turned them into the best team in England and contenders for the ultimate club prize of the Investec Champions Cup.

Johann van Graan and Bath

Bath host Northampton Saints in the Investec Champions Cup quarter-final on Friday night.

Van Graan’s Bath, winners of last season’s EPCR Challenge Cup, are chasing the club’s second European star. They were the first British team to win the biggest rugby club title in Europe, beating French club Brive 19–18 in the final in Bordeaux with Jon Callard scoring all the points for Bath.

Despite winning two EPCR Challenge Cup titles, it has been a long wait in between drinks for the second star and the crown of rugby’s Kings of Europe.

Van Graan, in 2022, inherited a mess at Bath.

The former Springboks assistant coach and Munster head coach arrived in Bath as a system coach, a rugby man and a detail obsessive shaped under former Bulls and Springboks coach Heyneke Meyer, where the philosophy is on team, family and winning.

His five seasons as head coach at Ireland’s Munster, where he succeeded Rassie Erasmus and Jacques Nienaber, were influential in shaping his mentality and maturity for the challenge of fixing Bath.

At Bath, he stripped everything back.

He fixed conditioning.
He fixed defensive alignment.
He fixed clarity of role.

And most importantly, he fixed belief.

The result is a team that now knows exactly who it is.

From bottom to champions: the Bath rebuild

The scale of the rebuild is best understood in hard numbers.

Year one was about credibility. Year two was about contention. They went to Twickenham and lost a final, but Van Graan insisted they would be back 12 months later to win the title.

Year three was about winning and Van Graan was true to his word. They topped the table, controlled the knockouts and won the final.

The 2025/26 shift: Bath the European force

This season has confirmed that Bath are England’s best and also a European threat.

They topped their Investec Champions Cup pool.

Last 16

What Van Graan has actually changed

He has won trophies, but the real shift is deeper because Bath are now respected as a team that is:

• Physically dominant
• Structurally sound
• Game-aware
• Emotionally controlled

They have a magician at flyhalf in Scotland’s Finn Russell, a talisman in Springboks prop Thomas du Toit and a group of players and coaches that refuse to settle for second best.

Why this quarter-final matters

Van Graan has taken Bath from broken to the bosses of English rugby, but the legacy in Europe is defined by winning the Investec Champions Cup.

Coaching Career

David Ribbans would comfortably slot into Rassie Erasmus’s Springboks squad.

At the Stade Mayol, starring for Toulon against the Stormers in the Investec Champions Cup last 16, Ribbans delivered a statement performance.

David Ribbans is a Bok in waiting – if he wants it

Ribbans was named Investec Champions Cup Player of the Match in Toulon’s dramatic 28-27 win. They travel to Glasgow for this weekend’s quarter-final.

Ribbans, born in Somerset West in the Western Cape, started his professional career at Western Province and the Stormers, but relocated to England, where he qualified to play for England through ancestry.

He played in the 2023 World Cup for England, but moved to Toulon after the World Cup. England’s selection policy excludes any players outside of the English Premiership, Prem Rugby, and Ribbans would have served a three year stand down period, given that his last Test for England was at the 2023 World Cup.

World Rugby’s amended eligibility rules allow for a player to represent two different countries, if a three-year stand down period has been served, and if that player qualifies through birth, citizenship or ancestry.

EPCR

Munster’s Jean Kleyn left the Stormers several years ago and qualified on residency for Ireland. He played in the 2019 World Cup under Joe Schmidt, but when Andy Farrell took over as Ireland coach he never selected lock forward Kleyn.

Erasmus picked Kleyn in 2023 for the Springboks, took him to the World Cup in France, and Kleyn is now a World Cup winner.

Ribbans, among the best second rowers in the Top 14 and Investec Champions Cup this season, has previously been asked about making himself available for the Springboks. He was not certain he would do so, in media interviews saying he felt that he had drawn a line in the sand with England, and owed it to England not to play for his country of birth should there be such an opportunity.

That interview was done at the beginning of 2025, and by the end of 2026 he may have had a change of heart, especially with England’s selection policy unlikely to change.

The 30 year-old Ribbans, who was in doubt for last Saturday’s against his old mates, which included WP under 20 locking partner JD Schiekerling, was colossal in his play and leadership. When subbed in the 76th minute, he was named the Player of the Match.

Ribbans’ career at a glance

Ribbons’ early career with Western Province & Stormers

In 2014, with Western Province U19, he went from bench to starter in a week and didn’t move. There was a decisive try in a 21–20 win against Eastern Province, nine wins from twelve in the league, and then the beating of Free State in the semi-final and the Bulls 33–26 in Cape Town in the final. 

2015 was the step up, with a Stormers pre-season run, a first-class debut for Western Province in the Vodacom Cup, and then back to the U21 competition. He played ten matches, scored a try in the semi-final against the Lions, and another in the final as Province put 52–17 on Free State in Johannesburg for back-to-back titles.

In 2016, he was in the Stormers squad but didn’t play. He played for WP under 21s and WP’s senior side.

*With the Stormers and Bulls eliminated in intense Last 16 Play-off matches, there is no South African club representation in this weekend’s Last Eight play-offs. But there are several South Africans still involved, as players and coaches.

Ribbans is one of them and Bath’s Springboks prop Thomas du Toit is another. Du Toit was outstanding in Bath’s win against Saracens and was named Player of the Match.

Du Toit is returning to the Sharks in South Africa at the completion of this season’s English Prem Rugby competition.

As many as 12 South African-born players and four South African-born coaches will be in action this weekend as the Investec Champions Cup gets narrowed to just four teams.

Investec Champions Cup quarter-finals (SA times)
Friday, 10 April
Bath vs Northampton Saints (9pm)
Saturday, 11 April 
Glasgow Warriors vs Toulon (4pm)
Leinster vs Sale Sharks (6:30pm)
Sunday, 12 April
Bordeaux Bègles vs Toulouse (4pm)

The Stormers lost by a point in Toulon and the Bulls trailed by a point when the final hooter went in Glasgow to end South Africa’s participation in the 2025/26 Investec Champions Cup play-offs. It was heartbreak for both visiting teams.

These were last 16 play-off matches I felt the Stormers and Bulls could win and both will feel there were enough opportunities to turn the pre-match hope and hype into historic wins and a first ever Investec Champions Cup quarter-final in South Africa.

The Stormers were desperately unfortunate not to win in Toulon.

The match officiating unfortunately dominated the post-match reaction with the Stormers understandably aggrieved at the on-field and TMO decisions they felt should have resulted in a penalty try in the closing stages and a match-winning try-scoring effort after the final whistle.

The on-field decisions favoured the hosts, as did the TMO call to end the match with a ‘held up’ decision, with Toulon 28-27 victors.

The Stormers will feel this was missed chance at a famous win at the Stade Mayol, and they wouldn’t be wrong.

But as much as they can question the officiating, they must also question their on-field decision-making in the final minutes, when the visitors opted for repeated pick and go drives to score the match winning try, when the option of a drop goal or exploiting a two player advantage among the backs could have provided a definitive match-winning score.

Toulon have struggled in the Top 14, with just nine wins in 20, and despite their one-point last 16 Investec Champions Cup win, look unlikely to go further than the visit to Glasgow next weekend in the last eight.

Glasgow, leading the Bulls 22-21, with two minutes to go, punished a poor Bulls kick-off exit in the final 100 seconds of the match, to force a series of penalties close to the Bulls try-line before counting down the clock until after the hooter, to guarantee the win with a successful penalty kick.

Glasgow, who trailed 14-12 at the break, outscored the Bulls four tries to two, to win 25-22.

The Stormers and Bulls were heroic in attitude, spirit and refusal to be beaten until the final whistle, but both South African teams were guilty of not maximising strong attacking positions and falling short in play-off game management.

I’d so the Stormers, more so than the Bulls.

The Stormers were opened up too easily in the first half, with Toulon exposing a passive and tight Stormers defence, with effective use of the width of the field and accurate long passing.

The Stormers were stronger at the scrum and more dangerous in transition play, but again the kicking game was not consistent with a winning performance.

The Bulls kicking game, with a strong wind in the first 40 minutes in Glasgow, was also lacking in accuracy and conviction.

Conditions in Toulon were ideal, so execution is the issue, whereas in Glasgow it was a lottery kicking with the wind and into the wind, with the hosts much more adapt and familiar with conditions.

Individually, there are big plays from Springboks contenders in Toulon and in Glasgow, but ironically the only South African in the Toulon side, former Western Province and Stormers lock David Ribbans, was named Player of the Match.

Ribbans, who played for England in the 2023 Rugby World Cup, is ineligible for England selection because he plays his club rugby in France. If England does not select him before the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia, he is eligible for Springboks selection, as was the case with Munster lock Jean Kleyn, who played for Ireland in the 2019 World Cup and won gold with the Springboks at the 2023 Rugby World Cup.

In Glasgow there were also South African winners in the Glasgow captain Kyle Steyn and coach Franco Smith, although Steyn is very much an adopted son of Scotland and Smith is already viewed as an honoury Scot.

There will be obvious disappointment from the Stormers and Bulls that they are out of Europe’s toughest and biggest club rugby competition, but the positive is the nature of their respective performances and the character they showed, if viewed in the context of the final two months of the United Rugby Championship.

The Stormers, currently second in the league to Glasgow, and the Bulls, in eighth but a win away from the top four, will believe they have the pedigree to win the title.

The timing in form and fortune from Handre Pollard is perfect for the Bulls and Boks. Pollard is the key to the Bulls beating Glasgow in the last 16 of the Investec Champions Cup.

Handre Pollard perfect for Bulls and Boks

Handre Pollard, a back to back World Cup winner, and the holder of the most points in World Cup final history, 34, will be critical to the Boks chase for an unprecedented third successive World Cup in Australia in 2027.

Pollard scored 22 points in the Boks 32-12 World Cup final win against England in Japan in 2019 and four years later he kicked all 12 points in the Boks 12-11 win against the All Blacks in France.

Right now, on the basis of the 2025 Test season, the Stormers No 10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, is the Bok incumbent, and Japanese-based Manie Libbok is also in the Boks squad.

But Pollard, used sparingly in the 2025 season, remains the big match, big moment clutch player.

When the pressure rises and the room gets tight, Pollard owns the space.

He will have to do so in Glasgow, when the high-flying Scots host the Bulls in the Investec Champions Cup last 16

This is not a debate about the value and worth of the brilliant Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu. Go quote Stormers coach John Dobson, Sacha is ‘a national rugby treasure’, nor is it a dismissal of Libbok.

This is about Pollard, too easily dismissed by those with recency bias and short-term memory.

The Bulls No 10 remains the best in closing a game, as was evident with his two long range penalties against Munster a week ago. The two clutch strikes ensured the Bulls played the frantic final few minutes with a single score lead.

Boks coach Rassie Erasmus never has to be reminded of the qualities of Pollard. It was Erasmus, who last year, kept on introducing Pollard’s name when the South African public was quick to forget there were three world-class No 10s in the Boks squad and not just Libbok and Feinberg-Mngomezulu.

The phrase “big players step up in big moments” is overused, but with Pollard it is accurate.

Play-off rugby is about territory, percentages, game management, accuracy and goalkicking.

Pollard delivers in every facet, as we witnessed in 2019 and 2023 on Rugby’s biggest international nights.

Keo, Zels and Bok legend Bryan Habana talk Investec Champions Cup last 16

The Stormers are second in the URC, have won 11 of 14 matches, and won three from four in the Pool stages of the Investec Champions Cup.

For them to win against Toulon at the Stade Mayol in Toulon, France, in the Investec Champions Cup last 16, it will require the combination of Feinberg-Mngomezulu and specialist No 10 Julie Matthee to produce the near perfect combined match performances.

It will also need the Stormers pack to at least match the hosts.

The Stormers scrum and line out is good enough to dominate any opponent.

Discipline will be non-negotiable but to continue the narrative of the week, both the Bulls and Stormers have the cattle to bring South Africa reward this weekend.

Easter weekend is schoolboy rugby’s biggest stage in South Africa, where reputations are made, bragging rights are reinforced and many of the country’s future Springboks will be on display. Mostly it is the biggest school rugby carnival of the year because it is South Africa school rugby Easter festivals 2026

The beauty of the festivals is that schools brings squads and mix and match to play two matches in three days.

It also gives the best of each province a chance to experience other provincial schools, with the Festivals also inviting schools from overseas.

South Africa School Rugby Easter Festivals 2026:

In 2026, the Schools Rugby landscape is bigger and more diluted than ever, with traditional festivals at Kearsney, St John’s, St Stithians and King Edward VII running alongside an expanded calendar that now includes a major Pretoria Boys High 125-year celebration festival.

The Festivals are more than getting a ‘W’, and it is more about a celebration of the South African Schools rugby landscape, through exposure, opposition strength and platform reach.

THE PLATFORMS DRIVING SA SCHOOLBOY RUGBY

1. SchoolboyRugby.co.za (PRIMARY HUB)

• Daily fixtures, results, festival previews
• Most consistent festival coverage (KES, St John’s, St Stithians, Kearsney)
• Provincial segmentation (WP, KZN, Noordvaal, EP)
• Breaking team news and squad tracking

 The closest thing to a central database of SA school rugby

2. SuperSport Schools

• Video-first platform
• Festival livestreams and highlights
• Multi-sport integration (rugby + hockey + athletics)
• Covers major festivals like Saints Festival

 Best for visibility and broadcast reach

3. Rugby365 (Schools Section)

• Big-picture calendar
• Tournament previews and context
• Connects schools rugby to pro pathway

4. Ruggas.co.za

5. SARugbymag (Schools section)

6. SA School Sports

• Rankings-driven ecosystem
• Cross-sport credibility

H2: 2026 EASTER FESTIVALS  

1. KEARSNEY EASTER RUGBY FESTIVAL (KZN) 2, 4, 6 April 2026

Key Schools:

• Kearsney
• Glenwood
• Durban HS
• Westville
• Framesby
• Rustenburg
• Dr EG Jansen
• International: Peterhouse (Zimbabwe), Irish schools

Format:

• 12 top schools
• 3 match days
• Includes primary schools + girls fixtures

2. ST JOHN’S COLLEGE EASTER FESTIVAL (JHB)

 2, 4, 6 April 2026

Key Schools (confirmed returning powerhouses):

• Grey College
• Monument
• Bishops

Traditionally the most balanced fixture list, with elite vs elite match-ups.

3. KES EASTER RUGBY FESTIVAL (JHB)

 4–6 April 2026 (fixtures released)

Notable Match-ups:

• KES vs St Andrew’s
• Dale vs Worcester Gim
• Northwood vs Marlow

4. ST STITHIANS EASTER FESTIVAL

5. PRETORIA BOYS HIGH 125TH FESTIVAL (NEW POWER PLAYER)

3–6 April 2026

Early Confirmed Schools:

• Affies
• Grey High
• Jeppe
• Maritzburg College
• Michaelhouse
• Rondebosch
• SACS
• Selborne

A festival strong enough to split the traditional Easter talent pool.

ALL THE FESTIVAL MATCHES

KEARSNEY
Thursday, 2nd April

Helpmekaar 24 Glenwood 5
Transvalia 26 Peterhouse 5
Westville 83 Framesby 0
Kearsney 43 Rustenburg 14
EG Jansen 27 Milnerton 20
Durban HS 31 Zwartkop 14

Saturday, 4th April

Kearsney College 33 Transvalia 13
Framesby 15 Glenwood 14
DHS 38 Hoërskool Rustenburg 7
Peterhouse 29 Milnerton 23
Zwartkop 41 EG Jansen 32

Monday, 6th April

Framesby 10 Transvalia 7
Glenwood 14 EG Jansen 12
Rustenburg 26 Peterhouse 17
Westville 41 Milnerton 3
Durban HS 39 Helpmekaar 27
Kearsney 22 Zwartkop 19

SCHOOLS WRAP: Jade Brigade shock Grey College

KES
Saturday

Hudson Park 37 Worcester Gim 10
Pearson 56 Eldoraigne 14
Northwood 47 Marlow 7
Cranbrook (Australia) 29 Dale 24
Queen’s 13 Noordheuwel 7
KES 45 St Andrew’s 12

Monday

Hudson Park 17 Eldoraigne 10
Dale 15 Worcester Gim 7
Noordheuwel 29 Marlow 5
Pearson 26 Cranbrook (Australia) 14
Northwood 52 St Andrew’s 21
KES 33 Queen’s 13

ST JOHN’S

St John’s Day 1 results:
Grey College Cherries 38 Noordheuwel 2nd XV 14
Golden Lions XV 38 Welkom Gim 36
St Albans 11 St Josephs Nudgee 2nd XV 24
St Benedict’s 5 Graeme College 57
Kingswood 40 St David’s 5
Monument 56 Westlake 35
Grey College 26 St Josephs Nudgee 29
Hilton 68 Nelspruit 14
St John’s 7 Bishops 26

Saturday

St David’s 28 Randburg 26
Nudgee 2nd XV 48 St Benedict’s 7
Nelspruit 24 St Alban’s 21
Monument 43 Kingswood 27
St John’s 24 Golden Lions XV 19
Graeme College 39 Bishops 26
Westlake Boys’ High 36 Welkom Gim 26
Hilton College 17 Nudgee 12

Monday

Westlake 42 Randburg 8

ST STITHIANS
Thursday

Hartpury 2nd XV 14 Windhoek HS 25
St Stithians 21 St John’s (Harare) 24
Mali XV 34 Clifton 21
St Charles 7 Northcliff 18
Kempton Park 27 Pietersburg 15
Hartpury 14 Middelburg 21
Wynberg 84 Garsfontein Inv XV 0

Saturday

Hartpury College 47 Garsfontein Invitational XV 18
Northcliff 40 Windhoek 35
St John’s College (Harare) 22 Clifton College 18
St Charles 24 Kempton Park 17
Hartpury 2nd XV 55 Mzwandile Mali XV 33
Hoërskool Pietersburg 27 Hoërskool Middelburg 14
Wynberg Boys’ High 28 St Stithians 12

Monday

Windhoek HS 47 Mali XV 35
Hartpury 54 Northcliff 20
Kempton Park 47 Garsfontein Inv XV 18
Pietersburg 38 St John’s (Harare) 18

PRETORIA BOYS’
Saturday

Maritzburg College 35 Jeppe 12
Michaelhouse 29 Affies 26
Rondebosch 57 Selborne 17
Grey High 40 Parktown Boys’ 18
Pretoria Boys’ High 35 SACS 34

Monday

Selborne 26 Parktown 5
Maritzburg College 24 SACS 7
Affies 59 Grey High 19
Michaelhouse 40 Jeppe 36
Pretoria Boys High 20 Rondebosch 43

South Africa’s Investec Champions Cup dream is alive. The Bulls and Stormers are 80 minutes away from giving South African rugby one of its biggest club moments in Europe.

It is there for them.

The equation is simple enough. The Stormers must beat Toulon at Stade Mayol. The Bulls must beat Glasgow in Glasgow. Do that, and South Africa gets an Investec Champions Cup quarter-final in Cape Town.

The opportunity is real because both teams travel with form, belief and ambition. The Stormers are second in the URC after 11 wins from 14. The Bulls are eighth, but close enough to the top five to underline how competitive they remain despite their uneven start. More importantly, both coaching groups have made it clear that Europe matters and that they are going north to win.

It will not be easy. Winning in France is never easy. Winning in Glasgow against Franco Smith’s well-drilled Warriors is one of the hardest assignments in club rugby at the moment. But South African rugby should not shrink from that challenge.

The Stormers do not have to beat the ghost of Toulon’s golden age. This is not the side of Wilkinson, Habana, Bakkies, Juan Smith and Joe van Niekerk. It is a good team, but not that team. Likewise, the Bulls know they are up against quality in Glasgow, but not invincibility.

Why Toulon are dangerous, but beatable

The biggest mistake the Stormers can make this week is to play Toulon’s history instead of Toulon’s present.

That jersey still carries weight and the Stade Mayol carries noise and intimidation. And for South Africans of a certain rugby generation, Toulon still triggers images of a Galactico side stacked with giants of the game.

But this is not that Toulon.

That team was rugby’s heavyweight collection of killers. This one is not.

That does not mean Toulon are soft. They still have quality, but this is not a team that should paralyse the Stormers with its reputation.

In fact, it is a game the Stormers should believe they can win.

There is also a psychological layer to Toulon’s season. If their Top 14 campaign is drifting, then Europe becomes the rescue act. French sides often make a call early. If the league matters more, they manage Europe accordingly. But when the domestic route tightens, the Investec Champions Cup becomes everything. That makes Toulon desperate, but it also makes them exposed.

The Stormers’ job is to strip the occasion of mythology and play the team in front of them.

If the Stormers get their set piece right, manage territory properly and convert pressure into points, this tie is there for them. The challenge is real, but so is the opportunity. Respect must not be confused with fear.

Bulls have the game to ambush Glasgow

The Bulls have enough to make this a very dangerous early evening for the hosts.

What has become clearer in recent weeks is that, aligned to the obvious power of the Bulls, they also have pace and control, and the combination is what gives them a puncher’s chance of doing real damage in Scotland.

World Cup winning flyhalf Handré Pollard brings composure and knockout temperament. World Cup winner Willie le Roux brings vision, tempo control and the sort of rugby intelligence that settles a team in pressure moments. Embrose Papier is thriving behind a forward pack that gives him front-foot ball, and when he sees space around the fringes he is still one of the quickest nines in the country.

Then there is the finishing speed. Cheswill Jooste’s recent score was a reminder that the Bulls are not just built to grind.

The other factor is momentum. The Bulls have recovered impressively from a poor start to the season. They have found more balance, more shape and more clarity under Johan Ackermann.

Glasgow should be favourites. They are at home, they are settled and they know how to win big games. But the Bulls have enough class, enough experience and enough edge to flip this tie.

Keo & Zels unpacked it on this week’s show, and the message was clear: this is real.

It starts with the Stormers in Toulon.

Keo touched on it, and Zels backed it the Stormers don’t need more magic. They need more control.

South Africans flood the Investec Champions Cup play-offs

Cheswill Jooste is the STECO Hybrid Power Tool Hero of the Week, beating off some vintage performances from players in every South African United Rugby Championship Team.

Zels, on the Keo & Zels Show, nominated his contenders.

ZELS:
Right. For the Lions, Nico Steyn had a big game, and I thought Quan Horn was outstanding too. Very hybrid player, involved in everything.

For the Sharks, not a vintage attacking performance, but Jurenzo Julius had good moments and there were some quality touches.

For the Bulls, that is probably where my winner comes from. Cheswill Jooste for that try. Just pure speed. Absolute exhibition stuff.

And for the Stormers, there were a couple. Ntuthuko Mchunu showed great pace for his try, and then I loved the one off the opposition scrum with Deon Fourie diving on the ball at the death.

Those are my main nominations.

KEO:
You have to look at the individual brilliance of some of those moments, but for me it has to come from the Bulls game.

There had to be something very special to beat what Nizaam Carr did last week, and there had to be something spectacular to top Handré Pollard winning a turnover in the sixth minute to deny Munster a try-scoring opportunity, and then banging over two clutch long-range penalties in the final quarter of the 34-31 win.

But what beats it? Pure gas. Jooste. That is athletics. Jake White used to say it all the time. Winners need pace. And when you watch Jooste score, it is like watching a guy run the bend in the 200 metres.

That was just out-and-out speed. Special player.

ZELS:
And the beautiful thing is that because of guys like Bryan Habana, Gio Aplon, Cheslin Kolbe and Kurt-Lee Arendse, we are not guessing anymore about whether that kind of pace translates at top level. We know it does.

And when you make 29 other professional players on the field look slow, you have got something serious.

KEO:
So there we have it. This week’s Ryobi Steco Hybrid Power Tool Hero on the show is Cheswill Jooste of the Bulls, and maybe soon of the Springboks too.

The Bulls beat Munster 34-31 in the Vodacom United Rugby Championship.

 

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The English Prem does it carry the global romance of France’s Top 14, but when it comes to substance, resilience, week-in, week-out brutality, it remains one of the toughest proving grounds in club rugby. And seven Prem clubs in the Investec Champions Cup last 16 makes the statement even stronger.

Prem depth, URC momentum and French power define Investec Champions Cup knockouts

The Top 14 has four clubs left in the play-offs and the United Rugby Championship has five, including South Africa’s Stormers and Bulls.

The Prem gets a lot of stick, especially in South Africa, but it is a power league and the English club challenge in the Investec Champions Cup is always strong.

The narrative has long been that the French Top 14 is the sport’s financial and cultural powerhouse, a league of global appeal, stacked with internationals from every corner of the rugby world. It is true because nearly half the league is made up of foreign talent but what the Prem lacks in glamour, it makes up with performance in Europe.

The Premier produces teams conditioned for knockout rugby. And this season, that edge has translated into European relevance, with seven clubs carrying England’s flag into the last 16.

The URC’s initial Champions Cup challenge was in Ireland’s Leinster, but this season Glasgow’s Warriors and the Stormers have made an even bigger statement than four-time champions Leinster.

Five URC teams in the knockout stages tells its own story of evolution, of South African influence, and of a competition that has hardened dramatically in the last three seasons.

At the centre of this are the Cape Town-based Stormers.

They have won three of four in the Champions Cup pool stages and 11 of 14 in the URC. Only the Glasgow Warriors have been better in the URC, and even that gap feels fragile given the Stormers’ balance between power and invention.

Glasgow’s URC and Champions Cup returns are the benchmark in the 2025/26 season, and they have matured from pretenders of in Europe to genuine title contenders, with their win at home against Toulouse in the pool stages one of the great nights of Champions Cup history.

France arrive at this weekend’s knockouts with fewer numbers but familiar menace.

Toulouse and Bordeaux are proper title contenders, and the bracket has guaranteed that one will reach the semi-finals. If both win at home in the last 16, as they should, then defending champions Bordeaux will host Toulouse in the last eight.

Bordeaux, brilliant in an unbeaten the Investec Champions Cup pool campaign, are the contradiction that defines French rugby.

Just 12 wins from 20 in the Top 14 suggests inconsistency, and vulnerability in depth, but in the Champions Cup, with their internationals available, they have been the most potent attacking force in the competition, with a set piece to match their terrific transition play.

Home advantage is massive in the Champions Cup. Historically, away play-off wins have been rare, but there has been enough evidence this season that what always seemed improbable, like travelling and winning in the last 16, is not to be dismissed on the evidence of history.

I sense a different history being written this weekend, one that favours form.

Stellenberg’s class of 2026 are history makers. They have stunned South Africa’s schools rugby giants Paarl Gim and Grey College in the past fortnight in the most dramatic two victories.

Stunning Stellenberg on top of the world

The win against Paarl Gim came at home in the northern suburbs of Western Province, but it was at the traditional home of Bulls schools rugby, Affies, that the boys from Stellenberg got the prized head of Grey College, South Africa’s most consistent performing rugby school for the past 25 years.

Stellenberg, giant slayers a year ago, are now the giants.

In 2025 they beat all four traditional Western Province southern suburbs schools – Wynberg, Bishops, Rondebosch and SACS – and pushed Outeniqua to the brink. This year, it all came to fruition, first in the 20-19 win against Paarl Gim and then Grey College.

Photo by Ashley Vlotman/Gallo Images

The transformation, as outlined in reporting by Rugby365, didn’t happen overnight. Head coach Hein Molnar traces it back to around 2017, when the school shifted its ambition from being the best in the northern suburbs to competing with, and beating, the Western Cape’s traditional heavyweights.

SA Schools Rugby is prospering.

The strategy was clear: build depth, not just a first XV.

Stellenberg invested heavily in their pipeline, prioritising development from U14 level through to U19. Instead of chasing talent with bursaries, they focused on retaining local players and offering a comparable rugby experience to the big-name schools. Crucially, they strengthened coaching structures across all teams, appointing specialist forwards and backline coaches throughout the system.

The result? A programme that now fields 21 teams and produces players conditioned to compete at the highest level.

Equally important has been continuity. Key coaching figures have remained in place for years, creating consistency in philosophy and standards. That stability, combined with long-term planning, has driven a steady upward curve.

Garsfontein, who edged Stellenberg by a point a few days earlier, shocked Paarl Boys High 31-28 to complete a Western Cape double

North-South Day 1 results
Paul Roos Gimnasium 21 Monument 17
Paarl Boys’ 37 Jeppe 10
Garsfontein 21 Stellenberg 20
Outeniqua 30 KES 16
HTS Drostdy 43 EG Jansen 24
Waterkloof 45 Diamantveld 7

North-South Day 3 results
Transvalia 21 Hugenote 23
Oos-Moot 33 Strand 18
KES 2nd XV 50 Mali XV 8
EG Jansen 31 Framesby 37
Nelspruit 42 Voortrekker 22
Outeniqua 24 Waterkloof 24
Jeppe 34 Diamantveled 28
Monument 75 Drostdy 43
Paul Roos 45 Pretoria Boys’ 14
Stellenberg 26 Grey College 21
Garsfontein 31 Paarl Boys’ 28

South Africans flood the Investec Champions Cup last 16 – and their presence is not limited to the Bulls and Stormers. They are everywhere.

From Dublin to Bordeaux, Bath to Edinburgh, the Springbok influence runs deep in Europe’s premier club competition. World Cup winners, SA-born internationals and a growing coaching footprint have embedded South African rugby DNA across the knockout stage.

The Bulls and Stormers fly the South African URC flag, but beyond them, this is a tournament shaped by so many South African players and coaches.

This is a breakdown South African players and coaches in this weekend’s 2025/26 Investec Champions Cup Round of 16.

Investec Champions Cup Last 16 Fixtures (April 2, 3rd & 4th, 2026)

• Northampton Saints vs Castres

• Bath vs Saracens

• Toulon vs Stormers

• Glasgow Warriors vs Bulls

• Toulouse vs Bristol Bears

• Harlequins vs Sale Sharks

• Bordeaux-Bègles vs Leicester Tigers

• Leinster vs Edinburgh

South Africans in the Investec Champions Cup Last 16

Bath Rugby

Johann van Graan leads one of the most South African-influenced squads in Europe, with Thomas du Toit, Jaco Coetzee, Francois van Wyk, Bernard van der Linde, Neil le Roux and Quinn Roux forming a significant core, alongside defence coach JP Ferreira.

Saracens

Ivan van Zyl provides the South African presence at scrumhalf.

RC Toulon

David Ribbans, South African-born and now a leader in the squad, captains Toulon.

Glasgow Warriors

Franco Smith has built one of the most complete teams in the competition, with Kyle Steyn captaining the side and providing a strong South African leadership presence.

Bristol Bears

Benhard Janse van Rensburg anchors the midfield as one of the Bears’ key attacking threats.

Harlequins

Tyrone Green is a starting fullback and one of the most dangerous broken-field runners in the tournament, with Jordan Els adding depth in the pack.

Sale Sharks

Sale remain stacked with South African influence: Dan du Preez, Rob du Preez, Marius Louw, Ernst van Rhyn and Jacques Vermeulen.

Union Bordeaux-Bègles

Bordeaux are a standout South African hub in France. Carlu Sadie and Jean-Luc du Preez feature in the squad, with former Springboks Shaun Sowerby and Heini Adams on the coaching staff.

Leicester Tigers

Hanro Liebenberg is the South African presence in the pack.

Leinster Rugby

RG Snyman misses out because of recent injury, while Springboks 2023 World Cup-winning coach Jacques Nienaber is part of Leinster’s coaching hierachy.

Edinburgh Rugby

Sean Everitt leads a strong South African contingent including Pierre Schoeman, Duhan van der Merwe, Boan Venter, Wes Goosen (SA-born Kiwi) and Dylan Richardson.

Northampton Saints

JJ van der Mescht adds South African steel to the engine room.

*14 of the 16 Last 16 teams have a South African presence

Handre Pollard converted the big moment penalty kicks to ensure the Bulls remain a United Rugby Championship play-off contender. Pollard made a powerful statement that he is integral to the Bulls title challenge and the Springboks 2027 World Cup defence.

Handre Pollard puts the boot into Munster

Pollard kicked two long range penalties in the final quarter that proved decisive in the Bulls 34-31 win against Munster at Loftus in Pretoria.

South Africa’s 2023 World Cup goal kicking hero, the scorer of all 12 points in the one point win against the All Blacks in the final, was used sparingly in the 2025 Springboks season. But be sure that Pollard remains massive to the Springboks and even bigger to the Bulls in their search for a first URC title after three losing finals in the league’s first four seasons.

The Bulls are eighth, well positioned to challenge for a top four finish when the URC resumes in the third week of April.

The Investec Champions Cup last 16 and last eight will be the focus in the first two weeks of April and Pollard will be pivotal to the last 16 match against Glasgow in Glasgow.

Keo’s Bulls Takeways

Potency in the scrum.

Ruan Nortje, the best lock in South Africa.

Embrose Papier, influential and brilliant at No 9.

Cheswill Jooste, the SA under 20 winger who will play for the Springboks this season.

Pollard, the master off the kicking tee, and all-round general.

Keo’s Lions Takeaways

The scrum

The composure

The defensive desire

The maturity in game management, courtesy of No 10 Chris Smith.

Quan Hỏrn, the most under appreciated fullback in South Africa.

Ruan Venter, he is the going to have a breakthrough international season.

The Bulls beat the Dragons 42-26, to be the first team to pass 400 points in the league this season.

The top five position is the best return after 14 rounds for the Lions in the history of the league.

Keo’s Stormers Takeaways

Evan Roos is the most consistent and best performing No 8 among the SA URC quartet.

Damian Willemse is good enough to play anywhere in the backline.

Scrum potency.

Paul de Villiers and Deon Fourie represent two generations, in age difference, among specialist flankers who play to the ball. In tandem, they could be the equal, in effectiveness, of George Smith and Phil Waugh for the Wallabies, when the Australians were world champions.

Individual brilliance and lethal transition play makes them a machine that can misfire for 65 minutes, only to turn a deficit into a 19 point win, as illustrated in the 33-14 win against Edinburgh in Cape Town.

The Stormers, with their 11th win of the league season, are second to Glasgow.

Keo’s Sharks Takeaways

JP Pietersen’s impact as head coach.

Andre Esterhuizen’s growth as captain and presence in the midfield.

Ox Nche and Vincent Koch’s power in the scrums.

The Sharks, thanks to Pietersen’s philosophy and approach, finally appreciating there is as much honour in making a tackle as there is glory in scoring a try.

Great mental resolves to beat Cardiff 21-15 and continue their league climb from 14th to 10th.

United Rugby Championship Table

Cape Town is South Africa’s rugby capital – and the Stormers crowd attendance proves it. The numbers are bigger than any other club, and it goes beyond nostalgia and history. Newlands had 131 years to build its legacy and the DHL Stadium, in just five years, is producing bigger moments, bigger crowds and a stronger connection with the public.

Stormers crowd attendance: DHL Stadium, Cape Town numbers don’t lie

The Stormers moved homes from Newlands to Green Point in 2021, but significantly they have moved the market that speaks to an occasion more than it does a rugby match.

The Stormers have done it, post Covid, and in a competition that includes previously unfamiliar northern hemisphere club teams and playing some of their biggest derbies in late December and early January, a summer season peak that is incomparable in its challenge to anything experienced, season-wise, in Super Rugby’s history from 1996 to 2019.

Newlands & DHL Stadium 

Newlands averages (1996–2019)

DHL Stadium – Stormers era

URC average attendance (last four seasons + 2021/22 play-offs*)

* Covid-restricted capacity, but effectively full houses within permitted limits.

Investec Champions Cup average (last four seasons)

Springboks at DHL Stadium

 Stormers crowd attendance Cape Town the biggest days

DHL Stadium Top 10 Stormers crowds

Newlands Top 10 Stormers Super Rugby crowds

 URC dominance Stormers lead South Africa

URC all-time league table (85 matches)

In the history of the URC, across 85 league matches, the Stormers are the most successful South African side and second only to Leinster overall. They are also the competition’s most successful finals team, with one title and two home finals. The Bulls have reached three finals – two away and one at home – and have yet to win the title.

Different season, bigger Stormers crowd attendance Cape Town

Super Rugby’s February start meant Capetonians were never asked to show up at a stadium to support the Stormers in December and January, in the heart of summer, holiday and cricket season, but those months are integral to the URC league season, especially South Africa’s derby matches.

This is a significant difference between the old world of Newlands and the new order at the DHL Stadium in 2026.

Newlands delivered its biggest crowds in traditional rugby windows, and the Stormers of the past five years have had to do it in peak holiday summer seasons, which shows the enormous shift in audience behaviour.

The people of Cape Town care about the Stormers and the Stormers care about the people of Cape Town.

No other team in South Africa and no team in the URC, the Irish giants of Leinster and Munster included, can claim such consistently high stadium numbers over such a lengthy period of time.

And only Leinster, in the brief history of the URC as a league, have earned more points from wins, draws and losing bonus points than the Stormers.

Cape Town is also a banker whenever the Springboks play, be it at Newlands, pre-2019 or in the three Tests played, in front of crowds, in the past four years.

The Bulls know the way to the try line, the Stormers know how to get close to the try line and Glasgow’s Warriors are the most complete and balanced team in the 2025/26 URC team stats.

URC Team Stats: Bulls, Stormers, Lions and Sharks Compared

The Warriors are the league leaders after 13 rounds, with 10 wins from 13 and a total of 50 points. The Stormers are second with 10 wins and 46 points, while the Bulls, despite scoring the most tries this season, are eighth with seven wins and 34 points.

The URC official Team Stats emphasise the potency of Franco Smith’s Warriors, who have also shown quality in squad depth to produce winning results in matches when stripped of their Six Nations internationals.

Smith, the former Springboks utility back and Cheetahs and Italian coach, has been a revelation at Glasgow. He, in partnership with South African-born winger and club captain Kyle Steyn, have been at the forefront of Glasgow’s growth into one of the best teams in Europe.

Glasgow, in the 2023/24 season, beat the Bulls at Loftus in Pretoria to win the third edition of the URC.

This season’s league showcases the Bulls try-scoring ability, exposes their charitable early season defensive form, and illustrates just how dominant the Stormers are in getting close to the opposition try line, but equally how impotent they are in converting those opportunities once in the 22 metres attack red zone.

The Stormers have had no issue in applying pressure, given they are second for entries into the opposition 22 (150), but it is their failure to convert this earned advantage into tries.

The Lions have gone big on volume and the Sharks, the lowest of the South Africa teams with an 11th place league ranking, are chasing consistency and a winning habit since JP Pietersen replaced John Plumtree as the Sharks coach.

The Glasgow Warriors lead the table and the key performance metrics, combining territory, possession and execution better than any side in the competition.

The Bulls know how to cross the try line, the Stormers are battling to find their way to the try line and the Warriors have married pressure and points scored to top the league.

URC 2026 Team Stats – South African Rankings

Total Tries Scored

Total Points Scored

Total Metres Gained

Total Entries into Opposition 22

Total Turnovers Won / Defensive Impact

Keo’s 10 Takeaways

1. The Bulls are the best finishers in the URC – first for tries scored (54).

2. The Bulls’ attack is built on momentum – second for metres gained (5611).

3. The Stormers are excellent at creating try-scoring pressure points – second for 22 entries (150).

4. The Stormers don’t always convert that pressure into points.

5. The Lions are the competition’s top scorers, with some big scores at home  – first for total points (379).

6. The Lions’ game is built on tempo and attacking volume, Ellis Park’s fast pace surface, attitude & altitude.

7. The Sharks are outside the top tier across the key metrics, which is a reinforcement of their awful start to the season.

8. No South African team dominates the defensive categories because their attack has been stronger and they have won more than they have lost.

9. Glasgow lead the competition for metres gained (5873) and overall control metrics.

10. Glasgow and the Stormers are strong in very different areas, for example the Stormers kick volume and effectiveness compared to Glasgow’s. Equally Glasgow’s ball in hand game, but the reality is that both have 10 wins from 13 and the points differential is less three points on average a game.

Makazole Mapimpi needed a magical moment to beat Nizaam Carr’s outrageous kick assist for the Bulls in Round 13 of the URC to be named the STECO Hybrid Power Tool Hero of the Week.

Makazole Mapimpi Magic

Mapimpi, the Sharks winger, celebrated his 100th match in style, although it took him 78 minutes to produce the most sensational individual two minutes, with his reward being two tries of varying degrees of brilliance.

Mapimpi, the first Springbok to score a try in a World Cup final, bagged a double in the final stages of the Sharks 45-0 thumping of Ireland’s Munster.

The win was the Sharks’ third in their last four URC matches. The Sharks play Cardiff in Durban on Friday evening in Round 14.

On the Keo & Zels Rugby Show, Zels and I discussed the nominations and why Mapimpi got our nod.

ZELS:
That Stormers scrum absolutely obliterated the Dragons tight five, and Evan Roos was on hand to pick up and dive over. Sensational try. That’s a proper team try for me, with everyone involved. That’s the hybrid element, right? Power, but skill within it.

KEO:
You talk about hybrid. It is more like one tool doing many things. That Stormers pack did everything. From loosehead to tighthead, hooker, both locks, six, seven, eight. This was the full unit.

Then you look at the Bulls.

Nizaam Carr, Bishops old boy and former Stormers, has been outstanding. That kick-assist was sensational. That’s a footballer’s touch. Like a corner kick dropping onto the head of a striker. Perfect weight, perfect execution. Five points.

ZELS:
So you’re going with Carr?

KEO:
I was because I did not think anything or anyone would match it over the weekend because it takes something special to beat that for the STECO Hybrid Power Tool Hero of the Week.

And then, Sharks v Munster, 79 minutes played and enter Makazole Mapimpi.

He scores a try and everyone celebrates, “finally got one.” But look deeper. He didn’t see much ball. Worked relentlessly. It’s his 100th. He’s 35, looks 19. The physique, the engine…

He leaps high from he kick-off, takes it clean, lands, beats two, goes again; inside, outside and then those final five metres. Munster’s 10 comes across, makes the tackle attempt… Mapimpi finishes.

That’s the moment. That’s the one.

And the irony? He’s wearing 11. Andre Esterhuizen – the STECO ambassador – is at 12. And Mike Sharman from Retroviral, who work with STECO Ryobi, they’ve told Mapimpi’s story it’s on YouTube.

Go watch it.

Then I get a message from Richard Stevens, Marketing Head, Stevens & Co, saying how fitting it is: 11 and 12, powered by them STECO/RYOBI doing the business for the Sharks … and Mapimpi delivers that.

Richard, there should be something in the post for Mapimpi, via courier.

ZELS:
I agree. Something powerful to keep powering him.

 

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ANDRE ESTERHUIZEN IS THE ULTIMATE STECO HYBRID POWER TOOL, ON AND OFF THE FIELD

Photo: Anton Geyser/Gallo Images

Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu slayed the Dragons in Cape Town and his match statistics emphasised his influence in the Stormers bonus-point win against Newport’s Dragons.

Stormers v Dragons – United Rugby Championship

The Stormers 29-21 win was their 10th in 13 league starts and ensured they finished Round 13 in second place, four points off league leaders Glasgow, whom they play in Cape Town in April.

Stormers No 10 Feinberg-Mngomezulu scored the match’s opening two tries, which he converted for 14 points, but as memorable were a try-saving tackle late in the first half and second half defensive moment of mastery to deny the Dragons a further try. His points totalled 19, with three conversions and a penalty added to his two five-pointers, but the 14 points he saved, tells the story of his significance against the Dragons.

Feinberg-Mngomezulu made 13 kicks and 13 passes, claimed a line out win statistically from a quick throw and won a ruck turnover, one of just four for the Stormers in 80 minutes. He made seven tackles to complete a busy and big defensive afternoon.

On attack, he made the most metres in the match, with 78, beat three defenders, which was the second most of the match, carried the ball nine times and his three line breaks were the most in the match.

His 19 points took his league season tally to 81 points in his eighth match of the league. His URC career total is 17 tries, four drop goals, 30 penalties and 47 conversions, for 281 points. He has started 27 of 44 URC matches.

He has played four Investec Champions Cup matches and his overall Stormers record is 31 starts in 48 matches for 308 points, with 17 tries, four drop goals, 33 penalties and 56 conversions. He is 24 years-old.

Feinberg-Mngomezulu was named the 2024/25 South African Vodacom United Rugby Championship Player of the Year beating off Bulls prop Wilco Louw and Bulls loose-forward Cameron Hanekom for the prize.

The counter to those match-winning statistical returns against the Dragons, was a speculator pass to Damian Willemse that was not a good option and twice missing penalty kicks to touch. His four from six off the kicking tee has matched his league accuracy this season, which is 10 percent down on his 75 percent-plus career average as a goal kicker.

Stormers No 8 Evan Roos also enjoy a busy afternoon. He scored a try to take his league season tally to seven, but it was the balance in his attack and defence that was most telling. Roos carried 14 times, the most in the match, and made 11 tackles, which was the most from a Stormers player.

Makazole Mapimpi & Morne van den Berg celebrated their 100th matches for the Sharks and Lions in style and triumphant. It made for a Super Saturday of United Rugby Championship action for Saffas.

Magnificent Mapimpi

Mapimpi, in his 100th match, scored two tries in the final two minutes of the 45-0 hammering of Munster in Durban.

The 35 year-old showed the pace of a teenager sprint sensation when outstripping the Munster chasers for his first try, scored in the 78th minute.

Then, remarkably, he lept into the Durban skies from the final restart of the match, landed open two feet, beat two defenders with a step, took off down the touchline, swerved inside, beat a defender, then outside and put on the afterburners to race the remaining 40 metres and finish a 70 metre solo-try with two Munster defenders on his back.

This was from a 35 year old in his 100th match. It was straight from a movie.

Earlier, Van den Berg, so good this season for the Lions, controlled the match in the No 9 jersey as the Lions, SA Shield winners, crushed Edinburgh 54-17. The Lions led 35-0 at halftime and scored eight tries to three.

Van den Berg scored a try to take his career tally for the Lions to 20.

The Lions scored eight tries to three, the Sharks six tries to nil and the Bulls, on Friday night, scored seven tries to one, to take the South African try-tally to 21-4 with the Stormers v Dragons on Sunday afternoon in Cape Town sure to add to the 21 tries.

For context, the travelling sides were without incumbent Six Nations regulars, which highlighted the depth issues when Test players are not available.

Still, it was statements made by the South African teams with five rounds of the league to play.

The Stormers, Lions and Bulls, are well positioned to make the play-offs and the Stormers are chasing a top two, with the other two hunting a top four.

The Sharks remain 11th in the URC but they are now three wins from their last four league matches, having won just two from their first nine matches.

Keo’s Top 10 Takeaways