Bulls and Stormers Face Tough URC Semi-Final Challenges

The United Rugby Championship semi-finals will feature two South African sides facing major overseas tests, with the Bulls meeting top-seeded Glasgow Warriors at Murrayfield in Edinburgh and the Stormers taking on Leinster at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin.

The Bulls have selected a powerful, Springbok-heavy squad for the clash with Glasgow. Hooker Johan Grobbelaar is set to earn his 150th appearance for the club, while captain Marcell Coetzee will reach his 100th cap. In total, the Bulls have 11 Springboks in the starting team and five more on the bench, underlining the depth coach Johan Ackermann will rely on in what is expected to be a tightly contested semi-final.

The match has added significance because Glasgow’s usual home ground, Scotstoun Stadium, is unavailable due to preparations for the Commonwealth Games in the city later this year. That means the game will be staged at Murrayfield, where the Bulls will still face a difficult atmosphere, even if some local support from Edinburgh fans is expected.

This is also becoming one of the URC’s most intense modern rivalries. Glasgow beat the Bulls in the 2024 URC final in Pretoria and later knocked them out of the 2025 Champions Cup last 16, giving the Scottish side a 4-3 edge in their seven meetings during the URC era. The Bulls, however, have a strong semi-final record, winning all three of their previous last-four appearances in 2022, 2024 and 2025.

Ackermann has key players in strong form. Scrumhalf Embrose Papier, recently named South African URC Player of the Year, has scored 11 tries in the competition and has been influential both in attack and with his kicking game. Flyhalf Handré Pollard is also peaking at the right time, while veteran fullback Willie le Roux continues to create opportunities through his game management and spatial awareness. The Bulls’ pack remains a major weapon, with Cameron Hanekom, Elrigh Louw and Ruan Nortjé leading a unit that has been effective at set piece and breakdown. Their bench also includes major impact options such as Wilco Louw, Marco van Staden, Jan-Hendrik Wessels, Cobus Wiese and Nizaam Carr.

In Dublin, the Stormers face a tougher selection picture after injuries to several important players in last week’s quarter-final win over Cardiff. Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Ruben van Heerden and Seabelo Senatla are all unavailable, adding to a wider injury list that already includes Deon Fourie, Frans Malherbe and JD Schickerling. Jurie Matthee, who played a key role in the Stormers’ earlier 35-0 win over Leinster in Cape Town, is expected to lead the side at flyhalf.

Director of Rugby John Dobson said the Stormers have earned the right to compete for a place in the final and will need to deliver a full 80-minute performance against a team with a strong home record. Leinster, meanwhile, enter the semi-final as heavy favourites on paper, but the week has been overshadowed by tension around their Champions Cup final defeat and a public exchange involving senior coach Jacques Nienaber and the Irish media. Head coach Leo Cullen has since strongly defended Nienaber and insisted the squad remains united.

The Bulls and Glasgow kick off at 3.30pm SA time, while Leinster and the Stormers follow at 6.30pm SA time.