The Stormers and Sharks meet in a South African derby in Round 3 of the United Rugby Championship at the DHL Stadium in Cape Town on Saturday. The Sharks arrive as the only side with a full house of ten points, while the Stormers will be looking to bounce back from last weekend’s narrow defeat in Edinburgh.
Stormers vs Sharks, Saturday 10th October, DHL Stadium, Cape Town, KO 16:00 (South African time)
Referee: Morné Ferreira (South Africa)
Assistant Referees: Griffin Colby (South Africa), Stephan Geldenhuys (South Africa)
TMO: Quinton Immelman (South Africa)
Weather Forecast – Cape Town
Stormers
The Stormers began their season with a 29-15 bonus-point victory away to Connacht.
They remained overseas for their Round 2 match against Edinburgh but were unable to make it two wins from two, going down 17-13. The Stormers did at least collect a losing bonus point from the match but will feel that one got away after their lineout let them down badly.
After two rounds, the Cape Town side are eighth on the table with six points.
In the outright betting, Hollywoodbets have the Stormers priced at 7/2 to win the URC title.
Sharks
The Sharks have made a perfect start to the season and currently sit at the top of the URC table with ten points from their opening two matches.
They opened their campaign with a 41-24 bonus-point victory over the Ospreys in Durban before beating defending champions Leinster 26-20 in Round 2. The Sharks collected another try-scoring bonus point which was enough to put them top of the table.
In the outright betting, Hollywoodbets have the Sharks priced at 20/1 to win the URC title.
Recent head-to-head results
31 January 2026: Sharks 36-24 Stormers – Durban
24 January 2026: Stormers 19-30 Sharks – Cape Town
28 December 2024: Stormers 24-20 Sharks – Cape Town
30 November 2024: Sharks 21-15 Stormers – Durban
17 February 2024: Sharks 21-25 Stormers – Durban
The Sharks have won three of the last five URC meetings between the sides, including both matches last season.
Team news
Stormers: 15 Damian Willemse, 14 Seabelo Senatla, 13 Ruhan Nel (captain), 12 Jonathan Roche, 11 Leolin Zas, 10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, 9 Cobus Reinach, 8 Hacjivah Dayimani, 7 Siya Kolisi, 6 Paul de Villiers, 5 JD Schickerling, 4 Adré Smith, 3 Wilco Louw, 2 André-Hugo Venter, 1 Ntuthuko Mchunu.
Replacements: 16 Deon Fourie, 17 Vernon Matongo, 18 Neethling Fouché, 19 Riley Norton, 20 Connor Evans, 21 Evan Roos, 22 Haashim Pead, 23 Wandisile Simelane
Sharks: 15 Zekhethelo Siyaya, 14 Edwill van der Merwe, 13 Jurenzo Julius, 12 André Esterhuizen (c), 11 Ethan Hooker, 10 Vusi Moyo, 9 Jaden Hendrikse, 8 Phepsi Buthelezi, 7 Manu Tshituka, 6 Matt Romao, 5 Darrien Landsberg, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Thomas du Toit, 2 Eduan Swart, 1 Ox Nché.
Replacements: 16 Esethu Mnebelele, 17 Cameron Dawson, 18 Vincent Koch, 19 Jason Jenkins, 20 Stephan Lewies, 21 Nick Hatton, 22 Ivan van Zyl, 23 Gianni Lombard.
The Betting
Updated 6 October – prices from World Sports Betting
Stormers -6.5 points at 5/6
Sharks +6.5 points at 19/20
Odds quoted were available at the time of writing but are subject to change.
Betting Angle: To follow.
All our URC bets will be posted in the Round 3 betting blog.
See what other punters fancy and have your say in the Goodforthegame Rugby Forum thread.
Disclaimer: Odds are subject to change. Please gamble responsibly. No bet is guaranteed to win.
