Bulls out to prevent a worst-ever SA Shield finish

While the Stormers are guaranteed to finish with their worst-ever United Rugby Championship South African Shield placement on Saturday, the Bulls still have it in their hands to avoid the same fate.

Twice previous winners of the tournament-within-a-tournament, the Stormers have never ended below second place. They approach Saturday afternoon’s final local derby against the Bulls at the bottom of the table after two wins from five games.

Victory would see them leapfrog third-placed Bulls, provided the hosts do not earn a losing bonus point, but climb no higher as the Sharks are seven points clear.

The Bulls, who won in 2023/24, have never finished last. But the Lions’ first title this year shows history means little.

Bulls, Stormers fight for third

While the Stormers were in form early in the year, securing 10-straight wins, they head to Loftus on a three-game losing streak and have just one win out of the last five.

The Bulls, having thrown off their own seven-match losing streak, have now won four games in a row.

The Pretoria union’s 52-17 thrashing of the Lions in Johannesburg, and 41-12 thumping of the Sharks at Loftus in their previous two matches point to them being in their best form this season.

Where their defence let them down before, they are showing resilience like never before. And their attack is at its best. The Bulls only conceded four tries in those last two games, while scoring 15.

The teams meet two months after their first leg in Cape Town, which the Stormers edged 13-8, only thanks to a late try after a 35-minute deadlock. The game was feisty, full of scuffles, and the same can be expected on Saturday.

Records and top-eight permutations

The Stormers are fifth on the log and shouldn’t slip further, as neither Ulster nor the Lions play this weekend. But they could climb as high as second with Leinster, Cardiff and Munster also on break.

A defeat for the Bulls might also mean falling out of the URC top eight as Connacht, who are five points behind the Bulls at 10^th, host Scarlets on Friday night.

Overall, the Stormers have won nine of the 11 URC contests between the sides, including the 2022 final and 2023 quarter-final. Their record included seven URC wins against the Bulls in a row, until the Pretoria union pulled two back in 2024 and 2025.

Most URC contests have been nail-biters between the sides, with the last three going to the wire.

The Bulls have only beaten the Stormers once in four URC games at Loftus.