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United Rugby Championship

FloRugby's Game Of The Week: Bulls And Sharks Set For Loftus Showdown

FloRugby's Game Of The Week: Bulls And Sharks Set For Loftus Showdown

Here's a Vodacom Bulls vs. Hollywoodbets Sharks preview, as Loftus hosts a Springboks audition, with URC top-8 and Investec Champions Cup hopes on the line.

Feb 26, 2026 by Philip Bendon
FloRugby's Game Of The Week: Bulls And Sharks Set For Loftus Showdown

Who doesn’t love a grudge match? Jordan’s Bulls vs. Thomas’ Pistons, Brady’s Patriots vs. Manning’s Colts. 

Well, in rugby, few rivalries match the intensity of a Vodacom Bulls vs. Hollywoodbets Sharks showdown.

Stretching back over 100 years, the Northern Transvaal vs. KwaZulu Natal derby has seen some of the most iconic clashes take place. 

Few South African fans will forget Bryan Habana’s last-minute try as the Bulls saw off the Sharks in the 2007 Super Rugby final. A week later, the Bulls would become the first, and only, South African franchise to lift the Super Rugby trophy.

During that 2007 season, the Springboks team that went on to win the Rugby World Cup was the backbone of the two franchises. Of the 22-player matchday squad that downed England in the final, 16 were from the Bulls and Sharks.

Fast forward to 2026, and once again, the Bulls and Sharks are firmly within one another’s orbit. 

To date, the Bulls have been the more successful of the two franchises with three United Rugby Championship final appearances. On the silverware front, the Sharks edge the contest with an EPCR Challenge Cup title from the 2024 season.

This season, the two sides enter Round 12 in must-win mode, should they have designs on a spot in the top 8 come the end of the regular season.

At present, the Bulls occupy the crucial final knockout spot in eighth place with a game in hand over the seventh-place Lions. 

The four-win Sharks hover two spots back in the 10th position, with their big-time back-to-back victories over the third-place DHL Stormers being offset by a thumping loss at the hands of the Emirates Lions.

In short, the loser of this clash will face an almighty challenge to secure both knockout qualification, and with it, a spot in next season’s Investec Champions Cup.

On paper this clash should be a doozy if both sides opt to field a full-strength side. 

Away from the URC permutations, this clash will operate as a key Springboks audition for several of South Africa’s top players, starting at fly-half, where double World Cup-winner Handre Pollard is in red-hot form for the Bulls. He likely will square off with young Springbok Jordan Hendrikse, who has been immensely impressive in recent rounds.

Up front, the Springboks front-row showdown will be worth admission alone. 

Ox Nche vs. Wilco Louw, Bongi Mbonambi vs. Johan Grobbelaar, Vincent Koch vs. Jan Hendrik Wessels. In short, it simply does not get better at club rugby level.

Such is the quality of this clash that either of those front rows could be starting a Rugby World Cup knockout clash in 2027 with their opponents on the Boks bench.

Elsewhere, there are few backline combinations more electric than the Bulls pairing of Canan Moodie and Kurt Lee Arendse. 

In the Durban corner, Ethan Hooker and Edwill van der Merwe could well find themselves lining up alongside their rivals in green and gold later this season.

You get the picture; every inch of Loftus Versfeld will be covered by a potential Springboks showdown.

Prior to the Sharks heavy defeat at the hands of the Lions, this clash would have been a pick 'em.

Taking into account what the Bulls did to the same Lions team a round earlier, one must give the home side its dues as the heavy favorite. Unfortunately for the betters amongst us, South African derbies are among the most unpredictable clashes in professional rugby.

We are going to stick to our guns and back the Bulls to take another step toward a safe spot in the top 8, and with it, put the Sharks in a do-or-die situation for the rest of the season.

Rugby fans can catch this classic in the making live, and exclusively, on FloRugby at 10 a.m. Eastern on Feb. 28.

How To Watch Six Nations 2026

The 2026 Six Nations Championship will be broadcast on different networks all over the world. 

If you live in the USA, you can watch the games on Peacock.

  • UK: BBC / ITV
  • USA: Peacock
  • Ireland: RTÉ / Virgin Media
  • Wales (Welsh-language): S4C
  • France: France Télévisions
  • Italy: Sky Sport / NOW (all matches); TV8 (Italy matches free-to-air)
  • South Africa: SuperSport
  • Australia: Stan Sport
  • New Zealand: Sky Sport NZ

How To Watch Rugby Matches In The United States On FloRugby

Professional club rugby in Europe all streams on FloRugby and the FloSports app in the United States. FloRugby and FloSports also are the U.S. home to: 

FloRugby also is home to match archives and match replays. 

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