Rugby: South African teams face battle for survival as European Cup competitions resume this weekend

by Devesh Jaganath

image Rugby: South African teams face battle for survival as European Cup competitions resume this weekend
The European Rugby Champions Cup and EPCR Challenge Cup are set to resume this weekend with a bumper-to-bumper Week 3 fixture list on the cards. Barring the Stormers, who are well-positioned after the first two weeks, the remaining South African franchises face crunch time in their respective competitions this weekend.

Champions Cup: Sharks and Bulls in need of a positive Week 3 result

The Stormers are enjoying an excellent 2025-26 season, top of the United Rugby Championship standings after eight rounds, and currently the only team in the competition with a perfect eight wins from eight, along with four bonus points. 

John Dobson’s side is also unbeaten and in pole position in Pool 3 of the Champions Cup, having confirmed our Champions Cup predictions by picking up back-to-back wins against Bayonne (26-17) and La Rochelle (42-21) over the first two rounds of the competition. 

The Sharks are in a tricky position, sitting in fifth place in Pool 1 with five points, courtesy of a hard-fought 28-23 victory over Saracens in Week 2 at home. However, the Durbanites face two tough tests to try and make their way into the last 16.

On Saturday, the Sharks head to the CorpAcq Stadium to face their namesake, the Sale Sharks, before returning to the Sharktank to take on Clermont-Auvergne, in what could be a decisive fixture if they come away from England empty-handed. 

As for the Bulls, their chances of advancing to the last 16 are the toughest, but by no means impossible. Johan Ackermann’s side have failed to win a match in the competition as yet, but are in fifth place, having notched up a couple of bonus points in their two games. 

A victory for the Bulls this weekend feels imperative to their qualification chances, as it will be their final home game in the group stage. They host the Bristol Bears on Saturday, which is certainly no small task, before heading to France to face Pau next weekend. 

Challenge Cup: No room for error for Lions and Cheetahs  

challenge_cup_week_3

Over to the EPCR Challenge Cup, and the outlook is a lot less optimistic for South Africa’s two representatives, the Lions and Cheetahs, both of which are currently languishing at the bottom of Pools 2 and 3, respectively, and yet to win their first match of the competition.

The Lions failed to make the most of their home advantage and came up short 26-18 to Benetton in their opening match before falling to the Newcastle Falcons on the road in week 2. However, they did secure a morale-boosting victory over the Sharks in the URC recently and will have confidence heading into their clash against Lyon at Ellis Park on Saturday. 

The Cheetahs, meanwhile, have it a lot tougher. Since they are not a part of the United Rugby Championship, their last competitive fixture was in round two of this competition, which is now almost a month ago. 

The Free State outfit was no match for the Exeter Chiefs on the road in week one, and while they did show greater fight at their overseas home in Amsterdam against Stade Francais, they were still handed a painful 45-22 defeat. 

Back-to-back wins are now a must for the Cheetahs to stay alive in the Challenge Cup. They meet Ulster in Amsterdam on Sunday evening before travelling to take on Racing 92 in the final match of the group stage on January 18.