2025–26 Lions (United Rugby Championship) season
| 2025–26 season | |||
| Head coach | Ivan van Rooyen | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
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.
In Round 12 of the competition, Lions victory over Stormers gave them an unassailable lead in the URC South African Shield competition. It is the Lions' first Shield victory.
United Rugby Championship
Matches
The full fixture list for the URC season was released on 21 May 2025.
| 27 September 2025 | (1 BP) Cardiff | 35 – 20 | Lions | Cardiff Arms Park | |
| 19:45 | Try: Thomas 9'c Winnet 23'c Mann 52'c Loyd 60'c,76' Con: Sheedy (4/5) 10', 24', 53',61, Cards: Thomas 30' |
Report | Try: Venter 27'c, Steenkamp 48'c Con: Dobela (2/2) 28', 49' Pen: Dobela (2/2) 17', 37' |
Attendance: 5 711 Referee: Filippo Russo |
| 11 October 2025 | (1 BP) Benetton | 41 – 15 | Lions | Stadio Comunale di Monigo, Treviso | |
| 15:00 | Try: R Smith(8') Lynagh (14', 30', 71', 83') Ferrari (20') Con: Umaga (21', 31', 72') R Smith(84') Pen: Umaga (42') Cards: Gallo 53' Avaca 80' |
Report | Try: Ntlabakanye (27') v. Vuuren (78') Con: CW Smith(28') Pen: CW Smith (2') Cards: Jonker 69' Horn 80'+2 |
| 18 October 2025 | (1 BP) Lions | 29 – 18 | Scarlets | Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg | |
| 12:45 | Try: Horn (25') Marais (58') Brandon (70', 74') Pen: CW Smith (47') Lombard (53', 81') Cards: Landsberg 38' |
Report Scoreboard |
Try: Roberts (77') Pen: Costelow (12', 50') |
Attendance: 1,771[1] Referee: Eoghan Cross |
| 25 October 2025 | (1 PT) Lions | 49 – 31 | Ulster (1 PT) | Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg | |
| 12:45 | Try: SJ Kotze (2'c) Keyter (8'c) Venter (46'c) du Plessis (61'c) van Wyk (71'm) van Vuuren (76'm) Brandon (81'm) Con: CW Smith (3', 9', 47', 62') Pen: CW Smith (33', 50') Cards: Ntlabakanye 27' |
Report Highlights |
Try: Baloucoune (5'c, 40'm, 52'm) Hume (24'c) McCann (67'c) Con: Doak (6', 24') Flannery (67') |
Attendance: 4,061 Referee: Ben Connor |
| 29 November 2025 | (1 BP) Bulls | 33 – 43 | Lions (1 BP) | Loftus Versfeld Stadium, Pretoria | |
| 12:00 | Try: Papier (30' c, 33' c) A. van der Merwe (40' m) Johannes (76' c) de Klerk(77' c) Con: Johannes (4/5) (31', 34', 76', 78') |
Report | Try: Mpeku (19'c) Steyn (23' c, 74' c) Cairns (36' m) E. Oosthuizen (52' c) Keyter (72' c) Con: CW Smith (5/6) (19', 24', 53', 73', 74') Pen: CW Smith (11') |
Attendance: 14,122 Referee: Aimee Barrett-Theron |
| 20 December 2025 | (1 BP) Stormers | 34 – 27 | Lions (1 BP) | Cape Town Stadium | |
| 13:30 | Try: Maart (27'c) Simelane (42'c) de Villiers (53'c) Roos (64'c) Con: Matthee (4/4) (28', 42', 54', 65') Pen: Matthee (2/2) (38', 60') |
Report | Try: Venter (1'c, 40'c) Mpeku (69'c) Con: CW Smith (3/3) (1',40',70') Pen: CW Smith (2/2) (19', 57') |
Attendance: 28,205 [2] Referee: Hanru Van Rooyen |
| 21 February 2026 | (1 BP) Lions | 34 – 22 | Sharks | Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg | |
| 12:00 | Try: Ntlabakanye 30'c v.d. Berg 33'c Mahashe 44'c Venter 52'c Con: CW Smith (4/4) 31', 34', 45', 53' Pen: CW Smith (2/2) 4', 19' Cards: Mills 40' Marais 65' |
Try: Mbatha 15'c Tino Masere 48'm Julius 80+1'c Con: Masuku (1/2) 16' Jo Hendrikse (1/1) 80+2' Pen: Masuku 40+1 Cards: Ja Hendrikse 29' |
Attendance: 7 841 Referee: Griffin Colby (SARU) |
| 3 January 2026 | (2 BP) Sharks | 22 – 23 | Lions | Kings Park Stadium, Durban | |
| 13:30 | Try: E. Tshituka 15' m Kolisi 25' c Jenkins 39' m van der Merwe 58' m Con: Jo. Hendrikse (1/4) 26' |
Try: Oosthuizen 7' c F. Horn 10' m Pead 80+1' m Con: Smith (1/3) 8' Pen: Smith (2/2) 4', 32' Cards: Venter 39' |
Attendance: 20,622 Referee: Christopher Allison |
| 23 January 2026 | (1 BP) Ospreys | 24 – 24 | Lions (1 BP) | Brewery Field, Bridgend | |
| 19:45 | Try: Ratti 24' c Hopkins 34' m Morse 39' c Kasende 63' m Con: Edwards (2/4) 25', 39' Cards: Lake 27' Davies 53' |
Report | Try: Francke Horn (2) 9' m, 40+4' c PJ Botha 48' m Quan Horn 59' c Con: Smith (2/4) 40+5', 59' Cards: SJ Kotze 38' Oosthuizen 66' |
Attendance: 4,052 Referee: Federico Vedovelli (ITA) |
| 31 January 2026 | Lions | 17 – 52 | Bulls (1 BP) | Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg | |
| 12:30 | Try: v.d. Berg 45' c Mills 80+1' c Con: C Smith (2) 46' 80+2' Pen: Smith 23' |
Report | Try: Vorster (2) 10' c, 55' c Grobbelaar 32' m Pollard 38' c Arendse 40' c Papier 66' c Gumede 75' m Johannes 78' c Con: Pollard (5) 11', 39' 40+1', 56', 67' Johannes 79' Cards: Arendse 16' |
Attendance: 12,571 |
| 28 February 2026 | Lions | 24 – 10 | Stormers | Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg | |
| 12:30 | Try: Mahashe 22' c van Wyk 26' c Cronjé 45' c Con: Smith (3/3) 23', 26', 46' Pen: Smith 58' Cards: van Vuuren 69' Qoma 66' |
Report | Try: JD Schickerling 55' c Con: Feinberg-Mngomezulu 55' Pen: Feinberg-Mngomezulu 43' |
Attendance: 10,791 Referee: Chris Allison |
| 21 March 2026 | Lions | v | Edinburgh | Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg | |
| 12:45 |
| 28 March 2026 | Lions | v | Dragons | Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg | |
| 14:30 |
| 18 April 2026 | Lions | v | Glasgow Warriors | Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg | |
| 14:45 |
| 25 April 2026 | Lions | v | Connacht | Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg | |
| 15:00 |
| 9 May 2026 | Leinster | v | Lions | TBC | |
| 17:30 |
| 16 May 2026 | Munster | v | Lions | Thomond Park, Limerick | |
| 19:45 |
Tables
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | TF | TA | TB | LB | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Glasgow Warriors | 12 | 9 | 0 | 3 | 320 | 170 | +150 | 47 | 23 | 7 | 2 | 45 | Qualifies for home URC quarter-final; Qualification for the 2026–27 Champions Cup |
| 2 | Stormers | 12 | 9 | 0 | 3 | 316 | 204 | +112 | 39 | 26 | 5 | 0 | 41 | |
| 3 | Ulster | 12 | 8 | 0 | 4 | 352 | 248 | +104 | 49 | 34 | 7 | 2 | 41 | |
| 4 | Leinster | 12 | 8 | 0 | 4 | 308 | 242 | +66 | 45 | 32 | 8 | 1 | 41 | |
| 5 | Cardiff | 12 | 8 | 0 | 4 | 240 | 210 | +30 | 35 | 29 | 5 | 3 | 40 | Qualifies for URC quarter-final; Qualification for the 2026–27 Champions Cup |
| 6 | Munster | 12 | 8 | 0 | 4 | 248 | 225 | +23 | 36 | 30 | 5 | 2 | 39 | |
| 7 | Lions | 12 | 6 | 1 | 5 | 325 | 342 | −17 | 43 | 50 | 5 | 2 | 33 | |
| 8 | Bulls | 12 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 323 | 302 | +21 | 48 | 43 | 5 | 1 | 30 | |
| 9 | Connacht | 12 | 5 | 0 | 7 | 289 | 293 | −4 | 39 | 41 | 6 | 4 | 30 | Qualification for the 2026–27 Challenge Cup |
| 10 | Ospreys | 12 | 5 | 2 | 5 | 260 | 273 | −13 | 39 | 41 | 4 | 1 | 29 | |
| 11 | Sharks | 12 | 4 | 1 | 7 | 256 | 333 | −77 | 38 | 43 | 5 | 1 | 24 | |
| 12 | Edinburgh | 12 | 4 | 0 | 8 | 238 | 253 | −15 | 37 | 39 | 3 | 4 | 23 | |
| 13 | Benetton | 12 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 216 | 281 | −65 | 25 | 37 | 2 | 1 | 23 | |
| 14 | Dragons | 12 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 227 | 286 | −59 | 29 | 43 | 2 | 4 | 20 | |
| 15 | Scarlets | 12 | 3 | 1 | 8 | 206 | 294 | −88 | 28 | 41 | 0 | 2 | 16 | |
| 16 | Zebre Parma | 12 | 2 | 0 | 10 | 197 | 365 | −168 | 26 | 51 | 2 | 2 | 12 |
Updated to match(es) played on 14 March 2026. 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.[3]
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.[3]
| |||||||||||||||||
| South African Shield | |||||||||||||||||
| Team | P | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | TF | TA | TBP | LBP | Pts | Pos overall | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lions (S) | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 168 | 173 | –5 | 21 | 25 | 2 | 1 | 19 | 7 | |||
| 2 | Sharks | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 143 | 153 | –10 | 21 | 19 | 3 | 1 | 16 | 11 | |||
| 3 | Bulls | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 146 | 106 | +40 | 21 | 15 | 3 | 1 | 12 | 8 | |||
| 4 | Stormers | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 100 | 125 | –25 | 12 | 16 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 5 | |||
If teams are level at any stage, tiebreakers are applied in the following order:[4]
| |||||||||||||||||
| 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
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | TF | TA | TB | LB | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Benetton (2) | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 182 | 89 | +93 | 24 | 11 | 3 | 0 | 19 | Home round of 16 |
| 2 | Newcastle Red Bulls (6) | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 75 | 78 | −3 | 11 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 13 | |
| 3 | Dragons (13) | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 96 | 148 | −52 | 14 | 21 | 1 | 0 | 9 | Away round of 16 |
| 4 | Perpignan (16) | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 111 | 107 | +4 | 14 | 14 | 1 | 1 | 8 | |
| 5 | Lions | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 90 | 93 | −3 | 11 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 8 | |
| 6 | Lyon | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 87 | 126 | −39 | 13 | 17 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
Source: EPCR[5]
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.
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 | 18–26 | Benetton | Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg | |
| 15:00 | Try: Mpeku 37' c Venter 45' m Con: C. Smith (1/2) 38' Pen: C. Smith (2/3) 9', 57' Cards: Mpeku 66' |
Report | Try: Smith 6' m Marin 71' c, 75' m Con: Albornoz (1/2) 72' Pen: Umaga (1/2) 13' Albornoz (1/1) 60' Drop: Albornoz (1/1) 79' |
Attendance: 4,120 Referee: Kevin Bralley (France) |
| 13 December 2025 | Newcastle Red Bulls | 14–10 | Lions (1 BP) | Kingston Park, Newcastle | |
| 17:30 | Try: Hearle 13' c McCallum 79' c Con: Chamberlain (1/1) 14' Connon (1/1) 80' Cards: Fletcher 38' to 48' |
Report | Try: Davids 4' c Con: Francis (1/1) 4' Pen: Francis (1/1) 20' Cards: Davids 31' |
Attendance: 4,703 Referee: Benoit Rousselet (France) |
| 10 January 2026 | (1 BP) Lions | 42–33 | Lyon (1 BP) | Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg | |
| 17:15 | Try: Hlekani 6' c Kriel 17' c Horn 23' c du Plessis 36' c Davids 45' c Brandon 78' c Con: Smith (6/6) 7', 18', 24', 37', 46', 79' |
Report | Try: Mignot 14' c Tchaptchet 39' c Gonzalez 41' m Sarragallet 53' c Parisien 74' c Con: Jackson (4/5) 15', 40', 54', 74' Cards: Kaabeche 28' |
Attendance: 2,542 Referee: Anthony Woodthorpe (England) |
| 17 January 2026 | Perpignan | 20–20 | Lions | Stade Aime Giral, Perpignan | |
| 18:30 | Try: Oviedo 28' c Duguivalu 67' c Con: Aucagne (2/2) 29', 68' Pen: Aucagne (2/3) 3', 72' Cards: Ruiz 21' |
Report | Try: Penalty try 21' Botha 63' c Con: Smith (1/1) 64' Pen: Smith (2/2) 24', 56' |
Attendance: 9,845 Referee: Filippo Russo (Italy) |
Lions are eliminated at the pool stage.
Notes
References
- ^ "Late surge secures win for Lions in Johannesburg". Scarlets Rugby. 18 October 2025. Retrieved 18 October 2025.
- ^ Adams, Mariette (20 December 2025). "Stormers survive Lions scare to extend URC winning streak". The South African. Retrieved 20 December 2025.
- ^ "Competition rules – United Rugby Championship". United Rugby Championship. Archived from the original on 22 September 2022. Retrieved 25 February 2025.
- ^ League Format (3) "Competition Rules". United Rugby Championship. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
- ^ "Pool Tables | EPCR Challenge Cup". European Professional Club Rugby. Retrieved 2 July 2024.