2025–26 Lions (United Rugby Championship) season

Lions
2025–26 season
Head coachIvan van Rooyen
← 2024–25 2026–27 →

The 2025–26 season is the Lions' fifth season in the United Rugby Championship, their 30th season of professional rugby and their 136th season of representative rugby since the foundation of their provincial union, the Transvaal Rugby Union. Along with competing in the URC and its South African Shield competition, the club will also participate in the 2025–26 European Rugby Challenge Cup.

United Rugby Championship

Matches

The full fixture list for the URC season was released on 21 May 2025.

27 September 2025 Cardiff Wales v South Africa Lions Cardiff Arms Park  
19:45
5 October 2025 Zebre Parma Italy v South Africa Lions Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi, Parma  
14:00
11 October 2025 Benetton Italy v South Africa Lions Stadio Comunale di Monigo, Treviso  
15:00
18 October 2025 Lions South Africa v Wales Scarlets Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg  
12:45
25 October 2025 Lions South Africa v Ireland Ulster Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg  
12:45
29 November 2025 Bulls South Africa v South Africa Lions Loftus Versfeld Stadium, Pretoria  
12:00
20 December 2025 Stormers South Africa v South Africa Lions Cape Town Stadium  
13:30
TBC Lions South Africa v South Africa Sharks Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg  
TBC
3 January 2026 Sharks South Africa v South Africa Lions Kings Park Stadium, Durban  
13:30
23 January 2026 Ospreys Wales v South Africa Lions TBC  
19:45
31 January 2026 Lions South Africa v South Africa Bulls Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg  
12:30
28 February 2026 Lions South Africa v South Africa Stormers Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg  
12:30
21 March 2026 Lions South Africa v Scotland Edinburgh Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg  
12:45
28 March 2026 Lions South Africa v Wales Dragons Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg  
14:30
18 April 2026 Lions South Africa v Scotland Glasgow Warriors Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg  
14:45
25 April 2026 Lions South Africa v Ireland Connacht Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg  
15:00
9 May 2026 Leinster Ireland v South Africa Lions TBC  
17:30
16 May 2026 Munster Ireland v South Africa Lions Thomond Park, Limerick  
19:45

Tables

Pos Team Pld W D L PF PA PD TF TA TB LB Pts Qualification
1 Benetton 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Qualifies for home URC quarter-final;
Qualification for the 2026–27 Champions Cup
2 Bulls 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
3 Cardiff 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
4 Connacht 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
5 Dragons 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Qualifies for URC quarter-final;
Qualification for the 2026–27 Champions Cup
6 Edinburgh 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
7 Glasgow Warriors 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
8 Leinster 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
9 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Qualification for the 2026–27 Challenge Cup
10 Munster 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
11 Ospreys 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
12 Scarlets 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
13 Sharks 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
14 Stormers 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
15 Ulster 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
16 Zebre Parma 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
First match(es) will be played: unknown. Source: UnitedRugby.com
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers for teams tied on points: 1) Number of matches won 2) The difference between points for and points against 3) The number of tries scored 4) The most points scored 5) The difference between tries for and tries against 6) The fewest red cards received 7) The fewest yellow cards received.[1]


2025–26 United Rugby Championship Regional Shield tables
South Africa South African Shield
Team P W D L PF PA PD TF TA TBP LBP Pts Pos overall
1 South Africa Bulls — — — — — — — — — — — — —
2 South Africa Lions — — — — — — — — — — — — —
3 South Africa Sharks — — — — — — — — — — — — —
4 South Africa Stormers — — — — — — — — — — — — —
If teams are level at any stage, tiebreakers are applied in the following order:[2]
  1. number of matches won
  2. the difference between points for and points against
  3. the number of tries scored
  4. the most points scored
  5. the difference between tries for and tries against
  6. the fewest red cards received
  7. the fewest yellow cards received
Green background indicates teams currently leading the regional shield. Upon the conclusion of the regular season, these teams win their respective regional shields.

(S) : URC Shield champion

European Challenge Cup

EPCR Challenge Cup Pool 2
Pos Team Pld W D L PF PA PD TF TA TB LB Pts Qualification
1 Italy Benetton 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Home round of 16
2 Wales Dragons 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
3 South Africa Lions 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
4 France Lyon 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Away round of 16
5 England Newcastle Falcons 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
6 France Perpignan 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Source: EPCR[3]
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers for teams tied on points: 1) Number of matches won; 2) Difference between points for and against; 3) Total number of points for; 4) Aggregate number of points scored in matches between tied teams; 5) Number of matches won excluding the first match, then the second and so on until the tie is settled.

Pool Matches

6 December 2025
Lions South AfricavItaly Benetton
Ellis Park Stadium
13 December 2025
Newcastle Falcons EnglandvSouth Africa Lions
Kingston Park
10 January 2026
Lions South AfricavFrance Lyon
Ellis Park Stadium
17 January 2026
Perpignan FrancevSouth Africa Lions
Stade Aime Giral


Notes

References

  1. ^ "Competition rules – United Rugby Championship". United Rugby Championship. Archived from the original on 22 September 2022. Retrieved 25 February 2025.
  2. ^ League Format (3) "Competition Rules". United Rugby Championship. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
  3. ^ "Pool Tables | EPCR Challenge Cup". European Professional Club Rugby. Retrieved 2 July 2024.
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