The Bulls host the Lions at Loftus Versfeld in the first South African derby of Round 3 of the United Rugby Championship. The Lions arrive in Pretoria unbeaten after two matches, while the Bulls will be looking to bounce back from their narrow defeat in Limerick.
Bulls v Lions – Saturday 10 October 2026 – 13:30 South African time – Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria
Referee: Hanru van Rooyen (South Africa)
Assistant Referees: Christopher Allison (South Africa) and Jonathan Lottering (South Africa)
TMO: Aimee Barrett-Theron (South Africa)
Weather Forecast: Pretoria hourly weather
Bulls
The Bulls opened their campaign with a bonus-point 47-13 victory over Zebre in Parma.
They travelled to Limerick for their second match and picked up a losing bonus point in a 26-22 defeat to Munster.
The Bulls are seventh on the table with six points from their opening two matches.
They are currently priced at 3/1 in the Hollywoodbets outright betting.
Lions
The Lions started their season with a 27-26 home victory over defending champions Leinster, a game where they were back from 6 point underdogs to 6 point favourites.
They followed that up by beating the Ospreys 35-19 at Ellis Park, securing a bonus point in the process.
The Lions are third on the table with nine points after winning both their opening matches.
They are available at 25/1 in the Hollywoodbets outright betting.
Recent Head-to-Head Results
31 January 2026: Lions 17-52 Bulls – Johannesburg
29 November 2025: Bulls 33-43 Lions – Pretoria
22 February 2025: Bulls 31-19 Lions – Pretoria
25 January 2025: Lions 22-35 Bulls – Johannesburg
17 February 2024: Lions 10-25 Bulls – Johannesburg
The Bulls have won four of the last five URC meetings between the sides. The Lions’ only victory during that run came at Loftus Versfeld in November 2025.
Team News
Bulls: 15 Willie le Roux, 14 Canan Moodie, 13 Stedman Gans, 12 Harold Vorster, 11 Sebastian de Klerk, 10 Curwin Bosch, 9 Paul de Wet, 8 Cameron Hanekom, 7 Hanro Liebenberg (c), 6 Jeandré Rudolph, 5 JF van Heerden, 4 Ruan Vermaak, 3 Francois Klopper, 2 Johan Grobbelaar, 1 Gerhard Steenekamp.
Replacements: 16 Marco van Staden, 17 Alu Tshakweni, 18 Khutha Mchunu, 19 Cobus Wiese, 20 Elrigh Louw, 21 Keagan Johannes, 22 Handré Pollard, 23 Cheswill Jooste.
Lions: 15 Quan Horn, 14 Kelly Mpeku, 13 Ethan Adams, 12 Henco van Wyk, 11 Richard Kriel, 10 Chris Smith, 9 Morné van den Berg, 8 Francke Horne (c), 7 Siba Qoma, 6 JC Pretorius, 5 Hyron Andrews, 4 Dylan Sjoblom, 3 Sebastian Lombard, 2 PJ Botha, 1 Boan Venter.
Replacements: 16 Morné Brandon, 17 SJ Kotze, 18 RF Schoeman, 19 JP du Preez, 20 Batho Hlekani, 21 Siba Mahashe, 22 Nico Steyn, 23 Boeta Chamberlain
Betting
Updated 6 October – prices from World Sports Betting
Bulls -8.5 at 0.87/1
Lions +8.5 at 0.93/1
Odds quoted were available at the time of writing and are subject to change.
Betting Angle: To follow.
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Disclaimer
Betting involves risk, and there are no guarantees of winning. Please bet responsibly and never wager more than you can afford to lose. Betting prices are subject to change.
