Antoine Dupont is the flex in a fantastic French match 23 that will be too powerful for Ireland in Paris in the Six Nations season opener.

Dupont alters the physics of the contest, and he adds an extra layer of muscle, authority and inevitability to a side already designed to win Test matches through force. His long injury absence is irrelevant now. What matters is what he brings back with him, and that is control, collision dominance and an edge.

Dupont is the best scrumhalf in the world and he he is the national team’s talisman.

But it is up front where all the work will be done for Dupont to play conductor. France’s selection confirm intent and physicality. It is a pack chosen for confrontation.

Jean-Baptiste Gros, Julien Marchand and Dorian Aldegheri are a front row built to scrum, carry and squeeze the life out of opponents, while locks Charles Ollivon and Mickaël Guillard bring physical presence, aerial dominance and edge in the tight exchanges. The back row of François Cros, Oscar Jegou and Anthony Jelonch are physically relentless and they feed off collisions.

This is a French pack that creates the tempo and then Dupont determines the range of this tempo.

Ireland’s pack has peaked and France coach Fabian Galthie would have studied their capitulation to world champions South Africa in Dublin last November. The Boks destroyed Ireland in the scrums and the collisions.

Props Thomas Clarkson and Jeremy Loughman face an enormous examination against Gros and Aldegheri, and if Ireland concede scrum dominance, their entire game model collapses because it is built on control, rhythm and precision rather than chaos.

The French halfback pairing only amplifies that threat. Matthieu Jalibert plays flatter and faster than the Ireland flyhalves of recent seasons, and Dupont’s presence ensures defenders are constantly torn between folding around the ruck or drifting early, a dilemma that France exploit ruthlessly.

Ireland’s continued struggle to replace the authority and game management of Johnny Sexton remains an issue. Sam Prendergast is a talent, but opening a Six Nations campaign in Paris against this French pack is a brutal assignment, and he will be targeted physically and mentally.

ALL THE 2026 SIX NATIONS FIXTURES

The Irish backline, stripped of key personnel, looks noticeably less imposing as a unit. Without Hugo Keenan at fullback, without the aerial pressure and edge of Mack Hansen and James Lowe on the wings, and without the direct power of Bundee Aki at inside centre, Ireland lack the punch that previously allowed them to play beyond the gain line.

France, by contrast, look balanced and settled, with Thomas Ramos offering control and goal-kicking, Louis Bielle-Biarrey providing genuine pace, and Jalibert bringing attacking ambition, supported by centres and wings comfortable in a collision-heavy Test.

Add the significance of the Stade de France on opening night, where French energy multiplies and visiting teams feel pressure accumulate with every lost carry and every retreating scrum, and the advantage tilts decisively towards the hosts. When France dominate the gain line and Dupont starts probing around fatigued forwards, Ireland will be forced to chase a game they are no longer structurally equipped to chase.

This is not about flair or reputation, it is about force, physical authority and control, and France hold the upper hand in the pack, at scrumhalf, off the bench and in the stands.

Just as they did in last season’s match-up in Dublin, which they won comfortably 42-27, having led 42-15 with five minutes to play.

AFRICA PICKS: ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW FOR YOUR FRANCE V IRELAND BETTING

My call: France 33 Ireland 22.

DuPont on Jalibert’s influence 

Give JP Pietersen the Sharks job and let him get on with it. He is not an interim measure. In the past fortnight he has done the double on the Stormers, and done it emphatically.

Pietersen, a presence of power and precision on the right wing in the Springboks 2007 Rugby World Cup title win in France, was given the Sharks head coaching job six weeks ago.

In that period, his team, so subdued and absent in the Investec Champions Cup and first eight rounds of the URC, have won four from five matches in all competitions. They have beaten Saracens in Durban in the Investec Champions Cup, hammered a makeshift Clermont and done the double over a Stormers team in the URC that had not lost in the league in eight matches.

Pietersen’s Sharks won 30-19 in Cape Town a week ago, having led 30-12 until the final minute, and in Durban a week later the 36-24 win was as emphatic.

The Stormers, pre the Sharks double header, were lauded for their attack and defensive structures. But they were outscored nine tries to five over 160 minutes, dominated in most facets, physically second to the Sharks in the moments that mattered and in the close exchanges, outthought, outplayed and out passioned.

In Cape Town too many suggested the Stormers were done a dirty by the referee. Already I am seeing a similar narrative on social media. Regardless, of the critique of match officials the Sharks won and the Stormers lost because over two Saturdays the Sharks were the better team, in game management, and in execution.

Pietersen has transformed the attitude of the squad. It is as much a compliment to the World Cup-winning wing, as it is an indictment on the situation under John Plumtree. These are the same players, but they look like two very different teams, coached by two very different individuals.

Pietersen’s decision to appoint Andre Esterhuizen as his captain, on the player’s 100th match, has proved inspirational. Esterhuizen has led and those around him have followed.

Individuals, so good for the Springboks, have played with the same intent and authority for the Sharks in the past fortnight,

Springboks, in the Sharks line-up, have played like current Springboks. The opposite has been true of the Stormers, who have looked fatigued, flat, confused in game plan, and in desperate need of a fortnight away from the game.

The Stormers have earned the right to drop a game or two because of a stunning eight successive wins in the league, but the nature of the back-to-back defeats can’t be ignored, which is disappointing.

The ill-discipline of Cape Town’s defeat continued in Durban. Two yellow cards in Cape Town and two in Durban. Repeated infringements, an inability to defend the Sharks line out maul, second in the collisions and second in most things.

The Stormers started the derby double header unbeaten and in 1st place. The Sharks were two wins from eight and in 14th. You would never have guessed that watching the 160 minutes.

There can be no argument from Stormers supporters. The Sharks did them, in the coaching game of chess, and on the field where the chess masters are the players.

Esterhuizen was supreme, Ethan Hooker was as strong, young Jaco Williams on the wing played like he had been there for a decade and No 9s Grant Williams and Jaden Hendrikse combined for the perfect package over 80 minutes. Williams plays with tempo and Hendrikse, when switched on, plays with poise.

The aerial battle was one-sided, in Cape Town and in Durban. This was a strength of the Stormers early season, but they couldn’t catch a high ball, even when gift wrapped with sticky gloves. The Sharks, in kick and chase, were superb.

The Sharks played like a team knowing every limitation and every strength. The Stormers continued to play like a team convinced they only have strengths.

Piestersen’s perspective has been refreshing, both in Cape Town and in Durban.

There has been a realism about him and his Sharks in the past fortnight and crazily there has been more romance than realism from a team that a month ago had not lost a game in any competition.

The Sharks head into the February break with one defeat from their last four matches, and the Stormers put their heads to a pillow with one win in their last four matches.

It makes for the most intriguing of returns in the latter part of February, when the URC resumes.

DOBBO AND SACHA RUE ILL-DISCIPLINE 

ALL THE TEAMS AND MATCH-UPS FROM URC ROUND 11

These are Johann Ackerman’s Bulls. Strong, physical, brave, enthusiastic, desperate and rugby intelligent.  The Bulls who demolished the Lions 52-17 at Ellis Park in the Vodacom United Rugby Championship are the Bulls that have taken 14 matches in all competitions to confirm their 2025/26 season’s arrival.

The Bulls were so different, in every positive way, to the team playing a month ago.

They lost seven in a row in all competitions and were conceding on average 40 points a match and four-tries before half-time.

At Ellis Park, they kept the Lions scoreless for 40 minutes, conceded a try in the 45th minute and then coughed up one after the final whistle. In between they scored eight tries and dominated every facet.

They were very good in winning their third successive match on the road, in three different countries, after the horror run of seven defeats on the trot.

Ackerman once coached the Lions. They made two successive Super Rugby finals, hosting the Crusaders in the first one. He turned the Lions from a circus act into a national geographic documentary on why Lions should be respected.

It has taken two months longer than most thought, but now he is righting the wrongs of a Bulls team whose performances were a betrayal to the club’s history.

On Saturday, in the toughest of environments, a South African northern derby, the Bulls sent a message to every team in the league and to Glasgow, who they play in Glasgow in the Investec Champions Cup last 16 in April, that something has changed.

The bully boys in blue are back. Gone are the try-conceding fans of a freebie.

This is what Johan Ackermann has changed, as reflected in the post match reporting in South Africa.

1) The set-piece stopped being “a phase” and became a weapon

The Bulls earned the right to play, and it was not the Instagram version. This was real: scrum, lineout, maul threat, and then the carry pattern that forces defenders to make choices they don’t want to make. The tries were from repeat pressure and the Lions folding.

2) Discipline = possession that actually means something

“70% possession” is a dead stat if you hand it back with penalties, cheap turnovers and panic decisions. The Bulls didn’t. They played in the right areas early, squeezed the Lions, and were already out of sight at 26-3 at half-time. That’s control.

3) Defensive desire: no freebies and no soft shoulders

This was a Bulls attitude day more than a carnival all out attack day. This was 50 points scored because the pillars were bricks and not a hope for dodging quick sand areas at Ellis Park. The Bulls’ defensive work-rate and collision presence killed any Lions second half comeback prospects.

4) Carry, carry, carry… then strikes

This is the most important part: the Bulls’ attack looked better because the forwards made it simpler for everyone else. Hard carries, post-contact wins, and forward pods doing honest work so the backs don’t have to manufacture miracles from standing starts 20 metres beyond the gain line. This had Ackerman’s paw prints all over it.

5) Handre Pollard ran the game like a double World Cup winner

Pollard has been more accurate in games, but he played with presence and authority. With a functioning pack, led by a back three of Marcell Coetzee, Elrigh Louw and Jeandre Rudolph, Pollard played with the comfort of front foot ball and, outside of him, inside centre Harold Vorster looked like a teenager in his impact and enthusiasm.

WATCH: Keo and Zels on the Lions v Bulls

Scorers

Lions 17

• Tries: Morne van den Berg, Bronson Mills

• Conversions: Chris Smith (2)

• Penalty: Chris Smith

Bulls 52

• Tries: Harold Vorster (2), Johan Grobbelaar, Handré Pollard, Kurt-Lee Arendse, Embrose Papier, Mpilo Gumede, Keagan Johannes

• Conversions: Pollard (5), Johannes

AKKERS ON THE BULLS WIN 

The Sharks host the Stormers in one of two South African URC derbies to end the first half of the league season. The Lions are at home to the Bulls in the northern derby. Here’s everything you need to know for the weekend’s Round 11 showdowns.

The South African teams have all chosen the best available squads in the last Saturday of the month and the last Saturday of URC action until the league resumes in the last weekend of February.

The Six Nations takes priority in February, with the first three rounds played before the URC starts up again for the last eight league matches and the play-offs.

The Stormers, beaten for the first time in the league last Saturday, get the chance of redemption in Durban. It was the Sharks who beat them in Cape Town. The same is true of the Lions and Bulls derby. The Lions earlier in the league, won at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria.

Several of the Northern Hemisphere clubs are severely understrength for Round 11, as the leading current internationals have been in camp with their respective national teams preparing for next weekend’s Six Nations opening round.

It makes for a punter’s nightmare in these matches because the form guide is not a measurement with so many frontline players missing.

WATCH: KEO & ZELS ON SHARKS, STORMERS, LIONS & BULLS

AFRICA PICKS RUGBY: Keo calls the South African derbies 

Andre the Giant brought his own storm to Cape Town on the most perfect of January summer evenings. The Stormers mantra is to make Cape Town smile but all they did was make Cape Town cry as Esterhuizen owned the hosts in a complete performance.

Esterhuizen, at inside centre, scored the try-scoring bonus point which finished off the home team in the 72nd minute.

The Sharks beat the Stormers 30–19 at a sold-out DHL Stadium and there was nothing accidental about it. From the first kick-off they were ahead on the scoreboard, ahead in intent and ahead in appetite. They scored inside four minutes and they were never behind.

This was a win built on desire, discipline and leadership and Esterhuizen, the captain at inside centre, embodied all three.

The Stormers imploded from he kick-off when they dropped the ball and within two minutes they’d made three errors, conceded a penalty and within five minutes they trailed by seven points.

It never got better as they shunned any hint of a team effort and individuals chased a glory moment to transform a match they had served to the Sharks on a silver platter.

The Sharks didn’t overplay. They didn’t chase magic. They trusted their systems and trusted each other. Their early try came from pressure and accuracy and not invention. Lineout five metres from the Stormers try line. Five points.

The Stormers had five such opportunities in the 81 minutes, lost three to contesting and two to skew throws.

It was a shocker from the hosts.

Not so Esterhuizen. He was immense. He did not dabble with speculation or theatrics. He was just relentless.
He was strong over the gain line, brutal in the tackle, smart with ball in hand, calm with ball at foot and lethal when striking.

He led and the rest of his players followed.

There was a moment that defined him and the match. Leolin Zas broke clear on the counter. The crowd rose. The Stormers needed something. Esterhuizen hunted him down from inside centre and smashed him into touch. No celebration. Back to work. That was the difference between the teams. The visitors were desperate and the hosts were dazed.

The Sharks won the breakdown battle and they defended with numbers and purpose. They kicked with intent. They didn’t gift territory. When the Stormers made mistakes, the Sharks punished them.

At halftime it was 17–12, and that felt generous to the home side.

The Stormers were frantic. They chased the game instead of managing it. Five line-outs lost in attacking positions. Two yellow cards. Passes forced that didn’t need to be thrown. Kicks played because panic demanded it, not because space existed.

The Sharks stayed composed. They trusted their leaders.

When Ox Nche came on, the tone hardened at the set piece. He dominated his side of the scrum and added another layer of control. The Sharks played like a side that knew exactly what was required and exactly how to deliver it.

The bonus-point try in the final quarter made it 30–12 and ended the contest. The late Stormers score changed nothing.

This wasn’t about league positions. It wasn’t about form tables. It was about attitude. One team arrived ready to fight for every inch. The other looked surprised that a fight had started.

Stormers:
Tries: Willemse 2, Penalty Try
Con: Feinberg-Mngomezulu

Sharks:
Tries: Jenkins, Williams, Buthelezi, Esterhuizen
Cons: Jordan Hendrikse 2
Pens: Jordan Hendrikse 2

Stormers: 15 Warrick Gelant, 14 Suleiman Hartzenberg, 13 Wandisile Simelane, 12 Damian Willemse, 11 Leolin Zas, 10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (captain), 9 Cobus Reinach, 8 Marcel Theunissen, 7 Ben-Jason Dixon, 6 Paul de Villiers, 5 JD Schickerling, 4 Connor Evans, 3 Neethling Fouché, 2 André-Hugo Venter, 1 Ntuthuko Mchunu.
Replacements: 16 JJ Kotzé, 17 Vernon Matongo, 18 Sazi Sandi, 19 Salmaan Moerat, 20 Ruben van Heerden, 21 Louw Nel, 22 Imad Khan, 23 Jurie Matthee.

Sharks: 15 Aphelele Fassi, 14 Yaw Penxe, 13 Ethan Hooker, 12 Andre Esterhuizen (captain), 11 Jaco Williams, 10 Jordan Hendrikse, 9 Jaden Hendrikse, 8 Nick Hatton, 7 Manu Tshituka, 6 Phepsi Buthelezi, 5 Emile van Heerden, 4 Jason Jenkins, 3 Vincent Koch, 2 Eduan Swart, 1 Phatu Ganyane.
Replacements: 16 Ethan Bester, 17 Ox Nche, 18 Hanro Jacobs, 19 Vincent Tshituka, 20 Siya Kolisi, 21 Grant Williams, 22 Siya Masuku, 23 Jurenzo Julius.

Johan Grobbelaar was pure gold in a precious Bulls URC win. Lions captain Francke Horn was on fire in the 24-all draw against Ospreys.

The Bulls did not win pretty in Edinburgh, but they won properly, with defensive grunt again the take away from a desperate finish. The Lions, having drawn 20-all against Perpignan in the EPCR Challenge Cup a week ago, drew again in Bridgend, Wales.

Handre Pollard’s second conversion proved the decisive scoreline differential for the Bulls and the biggest positive is that Pollard, back at the Bulls from Leicester’s Tigers, started and completed both Bulls matches in against Pau and Edinburgh respectively.

The Bulls are now two from two in all competitions, having snapped a seven-match losing streak. They also ended a four match losing sequence in the URC.

Friday night matches in the United Rugby Championship in the north in late January is not about shape and style but about never, accuracy, honesty in defence, desire to make a tackle and intelligence in worshipping the advantage of field position.

The rain is a leveller and the cold adds to so many of these match-ups being decided by one score.

The Bulls win was a team effort, but hooker Johan Grobberlaar was the stand out in this collective.

Grobberlaar maximised his playing opportunities against Italy and Wales on the Boks northern tour last November, and he is the one Springbok in the Bulls set-up who has played with the authority of a Test player.

Grobbelaar played the full 80 minutes. At hooker. In Edinburgh. And was deservedly named Player of the Match. His numbers tell the story: 43 attacking metres, 15 carries, 13 tackles.

Grobbelaar scored the Bulls’ first try, but his real value was in work rate and accuracy. He carried into traffic. He made his tackles. He hit his throws. There was no fuss.

The Bulls trailed at half-time and never looked comfortable, but they never panicked. They stayed direct, backed their pack and trusted that Edinburgh would blink first. That moment came after the break when the Bulls’ substitutes started making the right kind of noise.

The Bulls Springboks flanker Marco van Staden’s impact was immediate and decisive.

He brought urgency, physicality and intent. His try shifted momentum and his work around the ruck lifted the Bulls when the game was still in the balance. Van Staden doesn’t need long minutes to influence matches. He needs moments, and he made them count.

WATCH: KEO & ZELS ON THE BULLS & LIONS

This win matters for the Bulls.

The URC table is unforgiving and away wins are gold. The Bulls needed one.

The Lions didn’t get a win, but they didn’t lose either – and they took three league points from Bridgend.

A draw away to Ospreys keeps the Lions in the fight and showed again that this group competes, even when the margins are thin. They were good in patches, vulnerable in others, but never folded.

Captain Francke Horn led from the front. He scored early, worked tirelessly and set the tone defensively. On a wet night when control was hard to come by, Horn provided it through effort and presence.

The Lions remain vulnerable in their inability to close matches they should be winning, but they have shown character and desire to stay in the fight until the final whistle. They scrap for everything, and that is something that can’t be coached.

SA Rugby Mag match reviews on Bulls and Lions

All the latest from the URC’s ROUND 10

Bulls 19 Edinburg 17

Ospreys 24 Lions 24

The Stormers will beat the Sharks because they are clearer in what they want to do, more accurate in how they do it, and far more reliable at home than the Sharks are on the road.

The DHL Stadium will be a sell-out, with 54 000 in attendance.

The Stormers, unbeaten in eight URC matches this season, will give the home support a ninth league win.

This United Rugby Championship derby won’t be decided by Springbok reputations or squad depth. It will be decided by decision-making, defensive pressure and who controls the last 20 minutes. In all three areas, the Stormers have the edge.

The Stormers’ game is built on tempo and continuity. At the DHL Stadium they play flatter, faster and with more intent than most teams in the URC. They don’t chase collisions for the sake of it. They move defenders, stretch big bodies and force repeat defensive efforts.

That matters against the Sharks.

The Sharks are at their best when games are slow, structured and physical. Give them front-foot ball and time at the breakdown and they can overwhelm sides. Take that away, rush their decision-makers and make them defend laterally, and their power game loses impact.

The Stormers’ defensive system at home is aggressive and organised. Line speed is consistent, tackles are completed, and breakdown contests are selective rather than reckless. It’s a system designed to deny momentum, not win highlight turnovers.

Against the Sharks, denying momentum is everything.

The Stormers also manage pressure better late in games. They don’t panic when the scoreboard is tight. They stay in the contest, trust territory and back their conditioning. The Sharks, by contrast, have too often drifted in tight finishes, trying to force moments rather than build them.

If the Stormers control field position and stay disciplined, the Sharks will be forced to chase the game – and that is when they will be in trouble.

ALL THE ODDS – AFRICA PICKS

Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu and Sebastian de Klerk feature in the top five of individual categories, but most facets of the Investec Champions Cup four-round Pool phase are dominated by defending champions Bordeaux and high-flying Glasgow Warriors.

Feinberg-Mngomezulu was also named among 10 players for Investec Champions Cup Player of the Year when it comes to Pool play.

Surprisingly, Stormers loose-forward Paul de Villiers, who won two Investec Champions Cup Player of the Match awards in three matches, did not make the final 10.

Clinton Swart, on loan to the Stormers from South Africa’s Pumas, kicked four penalties agains Bayonne, which was the only full match he played. It was also the only match in which he kicked, yet his four penalties ranked in the top five of penalties kicked across all teams.

This illustrates the premium put on scoring tries, with Bordeaux’s 27 tries the best in the competition.

HOW THE STORMERS CAN HOST AN INVESTEC CHAMPIONS CUP QUARTER-FINAL

Feinberg-Mngomezulu’s eight line breaks in two matches is the fifth most, while De Klerk’s 279 attack metres is ranked fourth.

South African-born Glasgow captain Kyle Steyn is in the top three for defenders beaten and South Africa’s Ernst van Rhyn made the most tackles with 66.

Bordeaux and Glasgow were the only two teams in 24 who completed their Pool campaign unbeaten. The Stormers were South Africa’s best with three wins in four matches, including an away win in France against Bayonne.

The Stormers, as a collective, rank in the top five for clean breaks and turnovers won.

The Bulls scrum success rate of 97 % was joint fourth.

INVESTEC CHAMPIONS CUP – ALL THE LATEST NEWS

Top performers (pool stage)
Points: Thomas Ramos (Toulouse) – 53
Carries: Jack Dempsey (Glasgow Warriors) – 58
Metres: Caden Murley (Harlequins) – 344
Defenders beaten: Fletcher Anderson (Scarlets) – 25
Offloads: Tom Farrell (Munster) – 10
Tackles: Ernst van Rhyn (Sale Sharks) – 66

ALSO: Champions Cup Team of the Week (Round 4)

Key stats (pool stage)

– Louis Bielle-Biarrey (Bordeaux Bègles) finished the pool stage as the competition’s leading try scorer with six.

– Freddie Douglas (Edinburgh) topped the turnovers chart, winning a total of 12 at the breakdown.

– Clinton Swart (Stormers) featured among the top five penalty kickers, slotting four penalties in the two matches he played

Screenshot

Screenshot

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Cheswill Jooste’s stunning counter-attack try for the Bulls against Pau, is the Keo & Zels STECO Power Play of the Investec Champions Cup Round 4.

Jooste’s try did not make it into the official weekend Investec Tries of the Week, but according to Keo & Zels, on their weekly rugby podcast, it is not a matter of ‘if’ Jooste plays for the Springboks, but ‘when’ he plays for the Boks.

Jooste was electric for the Junior Springboks a year ago when they beat New Zealand in the final to win the under 20 World Championship title.

He quickly made his introduction to the Bulls senior squad and in Pau, he announced himself to the global rugby community with a try that showcased his understanding of space, his appreciation of his own pace, and his ability to manipulate putting boot to ball.

His kick ahead, after Sebastian de Klerk’s break and offload, was no speculator. It was a kick, so structured and accurate in how he kicked it, and the execution was worth a golden star as he accelerated, slowed and picked the bounce of the ball perfectly, and then put on the after burners to score.

It was everything STECO tells you about their very best products. It just works!

STECO’S MENU: POWER & PRECISION & SUSTAINABILITY

The Bulls won 26-24, with Jooste’s try, the third of the Bulls’ four, changing the course of the match and also the Bulls season.

Bulls win 26-24 v PAU

The Bulls, thanks to the win, broke a seven match losing streak but crucially got that one win that proved enough to get them into the Investec Champions Cup last 16. They will play Glasgow Warriors in the last 16; a team they lost to in the 2023/24 URC final in Pretoria.

It is also a team they have previously beaten.

ALL PLAYER AND TEAMS STATS FROM THE INVESTEC CHAMPIONS CUP

The Investec Champions Cup Round 4 produced sensational tries across the 12 matches, with Toulouse, 77-7 winners against Sale, the leaders in excellence. Thomas Ramos, as he has done all competition, was electric. Antoine DuPont was brilliant and Toulouse had several candidates for the best five pointer of the round.

https://www.sarugbymag.co.za/watch-champions-cup-top-tries-round-4

The Sharks scored some stunning tries in the 50-12 demolition of a second-string Clermont in Durban and Evan Roos produced a pearler for the Stormers against the Leicester Tigers in the home team’s 39-26 win in Cape Town.

Cheswill Jooste’s brilliant try against Pau is our #Steco #PowerPlay of the week! pic.twitter.com/tkIQRgW7uP

SA Rugby magazine (@SARugbymag) January 20, 2026

The Stormers and Bulls will both travel for the last 16 play-offs of the Investec Champions Cup, while the Sharks will compete in the EPCR Challenge Cup play-offs, writes Mark Keohane. However, away wins for the Stormers and Bulls would see them meet in Cape Town in the quarter-final.

The last 16 is only played in the first week of April, nearly 10 weeks from now, so plenty will change with each of the qualified teams, given their demanding domestic competitions and the added toil of the Six Nations in February and March.

The Stormers, ranked 10th in the qualification process despite winning three of their four matches, will play Toulon at the Stade Mayol. Toulon, who finished second in their Pool, ranked seventh out of the 16 qualified teams.

The Bulls, who sneaked into the last 16, courtesy of a solitary victory against Pau, are ranked 15th and they travel to the Glasgow, who won all four matches to be ranked second behind defending champions Bordeaux, who ranked first with four wins from four.

Bordeaux beat the Bulls and Bristol away and hammered last season’s finalists, Northampton Saints at home.

The defending champions will play 16th place Leicester Tigers, while French giants Toulouse host Bristol and, if successful, they will travel to Bordeaux, assuming the champions beat the Tigers.

The Investec Champions Cup 24 teams featured eight from the Top 14, eight from the Prem and eight from the URC. The Prem has seven teams in the last 16, with Gloucester the only English club to miss out, the URC has five teams and France’s Top 14 has four survivors from the original eight.

In the last 16, there will be four cross border clashes, two all-English Prem-type showdowns and two URC match-ups.

From a South African perspective, should the Stormers and Bulls win away from home, then the Stormers would host the Bulls in the quarter-finals in Cape Town. The winner would then in all likelihood travel to Dublin to play Leinster in a semi-final, with the Irish hosting Edinburgh in the last 16 and, if successful, the winner of Harlequins v Sale, with the winner of that match decided at the Stoop in South West London.

Bath, having topped their pool with three wins from four, host English rivals Saracens, who won both their home matches, but lost on the road to the Sharks in Durban and Franco Smith’s Warriors in Glasgow.

There are two South African teams in the last 16 and six South African coaches, with Leinster, Glasgow, Edinburgh and Bath all having South African coaches in charge.

©INPHO/Ryan Byrne

The Stormers finished their qualification with a try-scoring bonus point win against Leicester’s Tigers in Cape Town. They won 39-26.

The Sharks hammered Clermont 50-12 in Durban, but the two wins from four matches was not enough to qualify and they finished fifth in a tightly contested pool. They drop to the EPCR Challenge Cup, which they won two years ago. They will play Cardiff in Cardiff in the last 16.

EVERY PLAYER AND TEAM STAT FROM THE INVESTEC CHAMPIONS CUP ROUND 4

SA RUGBY MAG WEEKEND WRAP OF STORMERS, BULLS, SHARKS, LION & CHEETAHS

BULLS MAKE PLAY-OFFS DESPITE WINNING JUST ONE POOL MATCH

The Stormers have qualified for the Investec Champions Cup last 16, but what a struggle it was at the DHL Stadium in Cape Town, writes Mark Keohane.

The Stormers won 39-26, having led 15-14 at halftime.

They scored five tries to four and finished the match through an Imad Khan try and Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu conversion.

It may read well, in terms of scoreline, but the performance read nothing like the scoreline.

I had the Stormers to win on my Africa Picks 38-26, and they won 39-26. I expected a tussle but I did not expect the Stormers to be as abject, inept, passive and loose as they were for the first 70 minutes of the match.

It took Feinberg-Mngomezulu getting yellow-carded and the sudden downpour of rain in the final 10 minutes to galvanise the Stormers and showcase the mongrel one has come to expect from this team.

The Stormers are a good side, and they are at their most dangerous when they play with more balance and composure and at a tempo that fluctuates. It is when they disregard all on-field feeling for the moment and just play with all-out attack, that they are more a danger to themselves than the opposition.

The Stormers have star quality in individuals and they have the big moment play-makers, but they are such a frustrating team to watch when they deliver the kind of opening hour that they did at the DHL Stadium.

A crowd of 25 000 paid to watch the Stormers and they left cheerful with the win the prospect of the Stormers hosting a last 16 play-off in April, but they would also have left with more hope than conviction that the Stormers can advance to the final eight or last four of the competition.

This was a performance characterised by inaccuracy in execution and by the predictability of their own supposed unpredictability.

There is no crime in slowing the tempo down on occasions, taking three points, or playing for field position.

It is not boring but intelligent. Equally not every pass has to be the miracle ball.

It was a case of job done, by way of five points, but it was too messy of a job to give comfort to the coaches or instil uneasiness in whoever the Stormers face in the last 16.

Paul de Villers won a third Player of the Match award, Khan made an impact at scrum half in the last 20 minutes, and centre Jonathan Roche was busy on attack and at the breakdown.

JD Schickerling scored a popular try and one for the archives, but the big play moments were secondary to too many minutes of the mundane and the ordinary.

This competition espouses out of the ordinary but at in Cape Town there was just too much ordinary for two clubs of such stature.

If La Rochelle wins against Harlequins on Sunday, then the Stormers will finish second and host a last 16. If Harlequins win, then the Stormers will be on the road, as Leinster and Harlequins would take the top two places.

*The Sharks hammered a second rate Clermont 50-12 in Durban, which was not enough to get them to the last 16 of the Champions Cup. The Sharks won two from four matches, but such was the competitive nature of the Pool, that Toulouse, with two wins from four, would finished ahead of them. A fifth place finish relegates the Sharks to the EPCR Challenge Cup, which they won two seasons ago.

*The Bulls will know their fate on Sunday, but they will be favourites to advance to the last 16, despite getting just one win in four in the Pool stages. The Scarlets must beat Northampton Saints with a try-scoring bonus point away from home to deny the Bulls.

BULLS BEAT PAU

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The Bulls, for now, remain alive in the Investec Champions Cup last 16 play-offs, courtesy of a 26-24 win against Pau in France. The win snapped a seven match losing streak in all competitions.

Jeandre Rudolph, with two crucial turnovers, the second to finish the match after Pau kept the ball for 18 phases, secured the win.

SA under 20 winger Cheswill Jooste scored a sensational try and Handre Pollard nailed the last three conversions, with the third conversion the two points winning differential.

The Bulls made a remarkable 233 tackles to Pau’s 73. They missed 33 to the hosts 10 but in the frantic final few minutes defended 18 phases and turned over the last of seven turnovers won.

Pau conceded 15 turnovers to the Bulls 6.

The home team made 161 passes to the Bulls 60 and beat 31 defenders to the Bulls 10. They were outscored four tries to three.

The Bulls relied on just 30 percent possession, and 60 passes and 29 kicks to Pau’s 24, to show that victory can come packaged without passion or field position, if the counter attack and transition is accurate and potent, as with Jooste’s try.

Bulls starting No 8 Nizaam Carr was outstanding in all facets. He was the top tackler with 23, followed by Marcell Coetzee (21) and Jan-Hendrik Wessels (18). Carr, who scored the bonus point try, carried the most of the Bulls players, with nine, and made the top metres with 48. Winger Jooste was second with 42 metres made on attack, while topping the defenders beaten (five).  The next best was Carr, Zak Burger, Sebastian de Klerk and Coetzee with one each.

De Klerk (38) and Pollard (33) also made an impact in attack running metres.

Ruan Nortje, who played the last 24 minutes, won the most line outs (four).

Halfbacks Burger (10), Keegan Johannes (1) and Pollard (8) combined for 20 of the 29 kicks in play.

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Johann van Graan’s Bath smashed Edinburgh 63-10 at the Recreation to Top their Pool in the Investec Champions Cup Round 4.

Bath, last season, was the EPCR Challenge Cup and the South African coach Van Graan also won the Prem, having lost in the final the season before.

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New Zealand’s Tony Brown will be true and loyal to his Springboks contract of four years, which runs until the completion of the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia, writes Mark Keohane.

Brown joined Rassie Erasmus’s Springboks coaching staff as backs coach and attack coach in 2024. He has been instrumental in evolving the Springboks attack and back play. The players, senior and new introductions to the squad post the 2023 World Cup, have all endorsed Brown’s impact.

Former Springboks, most notably backs like Jean de Villiers, Percy Montgomery, Butch James and Breyton Paulse, have all raved about the impact of Brown, from a skills perspective, the educational component of space and width and a change of mindset within the squad on attack.

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Brown, who played flyhalf for the Highlanders in New Zealand and All Blacks, also had a spell at the Sharks and Stormers in Super Rugby near the latter stages of his career.

Photo: Getty Images

Brown, as a coach, has mostly aligned with Jamie Joseph, with the duo winning the 2015 Super Rugby title with the Highlanders and then taking charge of Japan. Joseph, a former All Blacks loose-forward, was head coach of Japan and Brown was the attack and assistant coach.

Japan revelled at the 2019 World Cup, which they hosted, and beat Ireland in the Pool Stages. They lost 26-3 to the Springboks in an absorbing quarter-final.

The two also have a strong history with the All Blacks Maoris, both as players and coaches.

Brown is regarded as the leading attack coach in the sport, but he has consistently expressed his joy and pleasure in working with the Springboks and being a part of the Springboks challenge to win a third successive Rugby World Cup.

Joseph and Brown did not apply for the All Blacks coaching position when the New Zealand rugby’s bosses confirmed in 2023 that they would not be renewing All Blacks coach Ian Foster’s contract beyond the conclusion of the 2023 World Cup.

Scott Robertson was appointed All Blacks coach several months before the World Cup but only started working with the squad in 2024. Robertson initially asked Brown to be a part of his coaching staff, but Brown declined the offer, citing loyalty to Joseph, and Joe Schmidt also declined working with Robertson, who had won seven successive Super Rugby titles as coach of the Crusaders.

Robertson appointed Blues coach and former Crusaders teammate Leon Macdonald as his attack coach, but the relationship broke down within two months and Macdonald left. Hurricanes head coach Jason Holland joined Robertson’s staff but also left at the end of last season to return to the Hurricanes as part of the coaching support staff.

Joseph, who coached an All Blacks XV in three successful matches on an end of year northern hemisphere tour in November 2025, is expected to replace Robertson, despite public protests from New Zealand Rugby’s Chairman David Kirk that no one coach had been earmarked to replace Robertson, whose four year contract was ended after two seasons and 20 wins in 27 matches.

Jospeh and Brown are very similar to Erasmus and Jacques Nienaber in how they have so often doubled as a coaching package.

My understanding is that Brown has committed to Erasmus and the Springboks, regardless of the situation in New Zealand rugby, and that he would only consider an All Blacks offer, should it come, post the 2027 World Cup.

My understanding is that there is no escape/out clause in Brown’s Springboks contract to accommodate a move back to New Zealand and the All Blacks pre the 2027 World Cup.

SA Rugby’s leadership, in particular Springboks coach Erasmus, don’t see it as an issue because of the commitment and reinforcement of this commitment that Brown had displayed since taking up his role with the Springboks.

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The Stormers, despite the 61-10 embarrassing loss to Harlequins on Sunday, can still host a Investec Champions Cup Round 16 play-off match if they beat Leicester’s Tigers on Saturday. They are South Africa’s strongest play-off contender.

The Stormers, unbeaten in 10 matches in all competitions, before the humiliation at the Stoop, went from leading their Investec Champions Cup Pool to third place. They must beat the Tigers and hope hosts La Rochelle beat Harlequins.

Leinster, thanks to Harry Byrne’s 81st minute penalty to give the hosts a one point win against La Rochelle, will top the Pool with an away win against Bayonne, who have not won a match in this season’s tournament.

The Stormers, on Monday, reported that 20 000 tickets had already been sold for Saturday’s showdown with the Tigers and a crowd in excess of 30 000 is expected in Cape Town.

SALE OWN THE TANK IN BATTLE OF THE SHARKS

The South African teams were humbled, in performance, and, for the Stormers and Sharks, because of team selections. Sharks owner Marco Masotti mocked the Sales Sharks as being Sale Tuna and said there was only one rugby team called the Sharks – his.

But after the weekend, the Sharks belong to Sale and the Tuna is all to be seen in Durban.

 Hollywood Bets Tuna and Stormers punished on the road

It was a bruising weekend for the SA contingent, with all three sides suffering heavy defeats away from home.

The Vodacom Bulls were outgunned in a 110-point shootout as Bristol Bears ran in nine tries to claim a 61-49 bonus-point win at Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria. It is the second most points conceded by the Bulls in Super Rugby, URC and Investec Champions Cup.

The Crusaders in the 2017 Super Rugby season scored 10 tries and 62 points in a 62-24 win in Pretoria.

The Hollywoodbets Tuna also came up short in Manchester, where Sale Sharks delivered a clinical 26-10 victory to strengthen their position in Pool 1.

In the harshest result of the weekend, Harlequins tore the DHL Stormers apart at Twickenham Stoop, handing the Cape side a brutal 61-10 defeat.

Big names deliver in blockbuster clashes

While the SA teams endured a tough round, Europe’s heavyweights produced drama in the tournament’s standout fixtures.

Leinster Rugby left it late very late with Harry Byrne’s clutch 81st-minute kick sealing a dramatic 25-24 win over old rivals Stade Rochelais.

Defending champions Union Bordeaux Bègles proved too strong for Northampton Saints, pulling away in the second half to win 50-28 in a repeat of last season’s final. Bordeaux led 50-14 until two late Saints tries secured a four-try bonus point for the visitors.

Sarries showed their steel against six-time champions Stade Toulousain, whose late surge fell short as Saracens held on for a 20-14 win in Toulouse’s second defeat of the campaign. They also lost to Glasgow in Scotland.

Bonus-point winners pile on the pressure

There were vital bonus-point wins for several sides and bad news for SA opposition in key pools.

South African coach Johann van Graan’s Bath picked up a crucial bonus point in a 43-20 away win against Castres Olympique, while Glasgow Warriors claimed a famous 33-21 away victory against ASM Clermont Auvergne.

Bristol Bears, Sale Sharks and Harlequins all got try-scoring bonus point wins against the Bulls, Sharks and Stormers respectively.

Down to the wire: Round 4 brings do-or-die pressure

Attention now turns to Round 4, with final qualification spots still up for grabs and quarter-final home advantages on the line. Seven of the 24 teams have qualified, which leaves nine teams playing for the last 16 play-offs and another four playing for the right to a EPCR Play-offs Challenge Cup opportunity.

Pool 4: Top spot still wide open

While three of Pool 4’s sides are already through, the battle at the top is set to explode.

Union Bordeaux Bègles (1st) travel to Bristol Bears (2nd) in a blockbuster clash for first place on Sunday and tries should be guaranteed, with the sides sharing 44 tries so far.

Northampton Saints (3rd) host winless Scarlets as they look to push for second and a home last 16.

Pool 3: Stormers battered as the pool tightens

Leinster (1st) head to Aviron Bayonnais (6th) chasing a fourth straight win.

Harlequins (2nd) travel to Stade Rochelais (4th). If Harlequins win they will finish second and host a last 16 play-off match.

Pool 2: Tight mid-table scrap brewing

Bath are at home against Edinburgh Rugby (2nd) in a clash that could decide the pool.

This Pool is incredibly tight with just one point separating Munster Rugby (4th), Gloucester Rugby (5th) and Castres Olympique (6th).

Munster host Castres, while Gloucester welcome RC Toulon. Every team has a chance to make the last 16.

Pool 1: Sharks and Toulouse face massive clashes

South African coach Franco Smith’s Glasgow Warriors (1st) host Saracens (3rd), while Stade Toulousain (4th) host Sale Sharks (2nd).

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The Lions are alive in the EPCR Challenge Cup, if only just. But they are alive and can control their own destiny with victory in this weekend’s final round of the Pool stages.

Round 3 of the EPCR Challenge Cup delivered plenty of drama, with key wins for Stade Français, Newcastle Red Bulls and Benetton Rugby. The latter three are all unbeaten.

Montpellier Hérault Rugby produced one of the comebacks of the weekend, scoring 19 unanswered points to edge Connacht Rugby 33-31 in a thriller.

Exeter Chiefs also travelled to Stade Français for a classic encounter, but the French side again struck late to complete another comeback win. Elsewhere, Georgia’s Black Lion picked up their first points with an away victory at US Montauban.

With the third matchday complete, attention now turns to the final round of the pool stages.

The top four teams from each pool qualify for the knockout stages, with 12 qualifiers joined by four clubs dropping down from the Investec Champions Cup.

Pool 2: Lions face decisive showdown in Perpignan

The biggest South African storyline sits in Pool 2, where the Lions are still firmly in the hunt.

Benetton Rugby and Newcastle Red Bulls have already booked their places in the knockouts after three straight wins, but the remaining four sides are still alive in the qualification race.

USAP sit third on six points level with the Lions with the two teams set to clash in Perpignan in Round 4 in what shapes as a decisive, winner-takes-control encounter.

Dragons RFC (5th) host Newcastle Red Bulls, while Lyon Olympique Universitaire (6th) welcome Benetton, meaning the Lions will know exactly what’s required when they take the field.

Pool 1: Montpellier lead as Black Lion eye late push

In Pool 1, Montpellier Hérault Rugby top the standings with 15 points after collecting three bonus-point wins.

They travel to Ospreys (2nd) in a direct shoot-out for first place, with the Welsh side four points back but already qualified.

Zebre Parma (3rd) face a tough test away to Black Lion, who are fifth but full of belief after their bonus-point win at Montauban last weekend. The Georgian side will back themselves to jump into the qualification spots by the end of Round 4.

Connacht (4th) will target nothing less than victory against US Montauban as they aim to lock down the qualifying position they currently hold.

Pool 3: already settled

Pool 3’s fate has already been decided after Stade Français secured maximum points at the weekend.

Ulster Rugby sit second, with Cardiff Rugby and Exeter Chiefs in third and fourth respectively.

The Cheetahs, winless in their first two rounds, could not play Ulster in Amsterdam this weekend because of the snow and ice, which made the field unplayable. As hosts they forfeited the match and Ulster were awarded a 28-0 (four converted tries bonus point) victory.

It ended the Cheetahs challenge.

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Harlequins turned the Twickenham Stoop into a shop of horrors for a Stormers second-string outfit who may as well have stayed in Cape Town, such was their non-arrival to play a game of rugby in South West London, writes Mark Keohane.

The Stormers were unbeaten in 10 matches in all competitions this season, but they gift-wrapped the unbeaten record and handed it to Harlequins in the most charitable way. This was a no-show from the Cape Town-based players.

The Investec Champions Cup is the toughest club competition in the sport, but that is when strength plays strength. When a sub-standard match day squad is put on a plane to mix it with a home team at full strength, the odds favour a blow-out.

What was unexpected was the type of crash we’d see from the Stormers in losing 61-10.

Harlequins, whose players received a letter from the owner earlier in the week saying shape up or ship out, couldn’t have asked for a more generous opponent than the Stormers, who conceded a four-try bonus point within 20 minutes and trailed by 54 points in the 65th minute.

Harlequins, with the win, have qualified for the last 16 of the competition, having won two from three matches, but they went into the match having lost eight matches in all competitions from their last nine. In those eight defeats they conceded on average 41 points a match.

Yet, for 65 minutes, they kept the Stormers scoreless and scored 54 points.

The Stormers started the weekend at the top of the Pool but are now in third place and must beat Leicester Tigers in Cape Town next weekend to qualify for the last 16.

Leinster, who edged La Rochelle with an 81st minute penalty in Dublin, will top the table and Harlequins will end either second or third. The Stormers, with victory against Leicester, would finish second.

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The Stormers Director of Rugby John Dobson made a decision to rest 11 of his first choice players, who beat the Bulls in the URC a week ago. He felt the players needed the rest to go back to back against the Tigers and then the Sharks in the URC coastal derby.

They may do so, but this was a risk one felt was not necessary from Dobson, in the context of both competitions.

The changes could have been less and the experience of some big names more at the Stoop.

Harlequins were at their lowest and there for the taking. A half-decent Stormers line-up would have got the job done, but the limitations of the match 23 sent to South West London were badly exposed. This was the equal of watching Western Province in the Currie Cup, when they won just one match.

The odd individual fronted, most notably flanker Ben-Jason Dixon, but there was nothing outside of his effort to toast.

The Stormers were feeble in defence and passive in everything they did. They provided a red carpet for Harlequins and treated Harlequins like rugby royalty. In return, Harlequins played like rugby royalty. If you did not know, you would have thought Harlequins were defending an unbeaten 10 matches streak and the Stormers had won one from nine.

I backed the Stormers to win, given how poor Quins have been, but I never for a moment thought the Stormers, unbeaten in 10 matches, would so easily fold.

I felt Dobson could have picked a stronger match 23, with greater balance, won against Harlequins and mixed and matched to get the win in Cape Town against a Tigers team with one win from three matches.

The Stormers, in selections, approach and performance, got it wrong.

It is a result that some would argue is secondary if the Stormers, back to full strength, win next weekend, but any club with the ambition of the Stormers does their brand an injustice in losing 61-10 on the road.

The hammering could have been avoided.

What the match did show is that the Stormers reserve depth, when presented as a collective, is currently not good enough. Individuals within that group of players are good enough when playing with the big boys left in Cape Town to rest their legs and refresh their minds.

Dixon and Damian Willemse are class players but on Sunday that is where it ended for the Stormers.

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