3 Must-Watch Matches From United Rugby Championship Round 11
3 Must-Watch Matches From United Rugby Championship Round 11
URC Round 11 closes out play before the Six Nations break, with Glasgow vs. Munster and key South Africa derbies as the playoff race tightens.
The United Rugby Championship plays one more round of matches before entering its Six Nations-induced hiatus in February, and the landscape of the competition could look very different after this weekend.
Round 11 is the final round until Feb. 27, as teams lose many of their top European internationals to the Six Nations and Rugby Europe competitions. Rugby Europe — headlined by Georgia, Romania and Spain — will stream live in the United States on FloRugby.
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Round 10 brought change at the top of the URC table, with the Glasgow Warriors — the No. 1 club team in the world at the moment — taking advantage of the DHL Stormers’ surprising loss to the Hollywoodbets Sharks.
The Stormers were 8-0-0 entering Round 10. The Warriors, now 8-0-2, hold a three-point lead in the standings
But as much as the race to the top matters, the sprint to the top eight is just as important. Now squarely in the second half of the season, teams are pushing to make the playoffs and qualify for the Investec Champions Cup field for the 2026–27 season.
And there’s quite a match on that spectrum in Round 11.
Unlike European clubs, South African squads don’t have to worry much about international windows across February and March. Taking advantage of a weakened league, though, is paramount.
The Bulls, Sharks, Lions and Stormers are set for more derbies this week. The Sharks host the Stormers, and the Lions host the Bulls in the FloRugby Match of the Week.
Round 12, starting Feb. 27, will feature the Lions vs. the Stormers and the Sharks vs. the Bulls, followed by another month-long hiatus.
Whichever club finishes with the best record in the South Africa Shield after these rounds not only will win the shield, but likely will be safely in the playoff field.
Here are three must-watch, can’t-miss, appointment-viewing matches in the United Rugby Championship in Round 11:
Glasgow Warriors vs. Munster Rugby: 3:45 p.m. ET, Friday, Jan. 30 — Scotstoun Stadium
If the Warriors are going to lose at Scotstoun Stadium, it might be when Gregor Townsend has their top players in national camp.
Munster Rugby — in a rut after missing the Champions Cup Round of 16 and needing a huge rally to beat the Dragons in Round 10 — may actually be in better shape from an availability standpoint.
Sione Tuipulotu and Glasgow Warriors captain Kyle Steyn are among the notable absences for the Warriors. However, Kyle Rowe and Angus Fraser are in the lineup. Munster, meanwhile, will have Thaakir Abrahams, Oli Jager and Brian Gleeson available.
A Munster win opens the door for a new table leader.
Emirates Lions vs. Vodacom Bulls: 8:30 a.m. ET, Saturday, Jan. 31 — Ellis Park
This is the FloRugby Match of the Week.
We broke down this Jukskei Derby earlier in the week, but the gist is simple: the Lions — one of the surprise teams in rugby this season — face one of their biggest matches of the year, one that could push them further up the table.
The Lions have never qualified for the Champions Cup, meaning they’ve never reached the URC playoffs.
The Bulls, meanwhile, have won two straight matches after snapping a seven-match losing streak, including a Champions Cup win over Pau that secured a Round of 16 berth.
Hollywoodbets Sharks vs. DHL Stormers: 11 a.m. ET, Saturday, Jan. 31 — Hollywoodbets Kings Park
Last week, the Sharks did something no URC club had done this season: beat the DHL Stormers. And it wasn’t a last-minute shocker. The Sharks won 30-19 and led almost the entire match.
Siya Kolisi — who will join the Stormers at the end of the season — was excellent for the Sharks. In a smart scheduling quirk, the two clubs meet again, this time in Durban.
This match will test the Stormers’ ability to bounce back and show whether the Sharks’ Round 10 win was the start of a climb up the table — or a one-week outlier.
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