URC 2025/26 · Round 18
Bulls
Benetton
Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria
Championship Standings
Bulls are 4th on 54 points heading into the final round — level with Cardiff (5th, 54) but ahead on points difference, two points behind Leinster (3rd, 58) and five behind the Stormers (2nd, 59). A bonus-point win pushes them past Leinster on PD and into striking range of a top-two seed; anything less and the Lions or Munster (both 17 played) can leapfrog them in their own R18 fixtures. Benetton sit 13th on 33 points — already out of contention, playing for nothing but pride and seeding within the bottom four.
| Pos | Team | P | W | L | PD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Glasgow Warriors | 18 | 13 | 5 | +141 | 64 |
| 2 |  Stormers | 18 | 12 | 5 | +160 | 59 |
| 3 |  Leinster | 17 | 11 | 6 | +91 | 58 |
| 4 | Bulls | 17 | 11 | 6 | +134 | 54 |
| 5 |  Cardiff | 18 | 11 | 7 | −19 | 54 |
| 6 |  Lions | 17 | 10 | 6 | +66 | 53 |
| 7 |  Connacht | 18 | 10 | 8 | +47 | 53 |
| 8 |  Munster | 17 | 10 | 7 | +13 | 51 |
| 9 |  Ulster | 18 | 9 | 8 | +74 | 50 |
| 10 |  Sharks | 17 | 7 | 9 | +4 | 41 |
| 11 |  Ospreys | 17 | 7 | 8 | −24 | 39 |
| 12 |  Edinburgh | 18 | 7 | 11 | −77 | 38 |
| 13 | Benetton | 17 | 6 | 9 | −140 | 33 |
| 14 |  Scarlets | 17 | 4 | 12 | −99 | 25 |
| 15 |  Dragons | 17 | 3 | 11 | −131 | 25 |
| 16 |  Zebre Parma | 17 | 2 | 15 | −240 | 15 |
Bulls
W4, L1Four wins from five and the only blemish a narrow 25–21 Champions Cup exit at Scotstoun against the URC's table-toppers. Last weekend's 54–19 mauling of Zebre at Loftus delivered a five-try bonus and a 35-point swing in points difference — exactly the platform a side hunting playoff seeding needs. The away wins at Rodney Parade (47–7) and Parc y Scarlets (23–21) bookend a stretch where Jake White's side has averaged 36 points a game. Loftus on a Saturday afternoon against Benetton with a top-two seed in play is the matchup the Bulls want.
Benetton
W1, D0, L4One win from the last five and the brutal twist is that it was the Leinster upset — a 29–26 home scalp in R16 that suggested life, immediately followed by a 46–7 evisceration at Kings Park last weekend. The away ledger this URC season is the bigger problem: 31–10 at Glasgow, 47–13 at Ulster, 43–0 at Edinburgh, and now 46–7 at the Sharks. Benetton have not won a URC away game all season and concede 38 points per game on the road. Now they board a flight to Johannesburg in tour week with a 13th-place table position and nothing to play for.
Head-to-Head in Pretoria
5 – 0 – 1
Bulls wins · Draws · Benetton wins (last 6 URC meetings)
Bulls (5)Bulls have won five of the last six URC meetings, with the only Benetton win a 17–15 squeaker at Stadio Monigo in October 2024. At Loftus the record is total: Bulls have won all three home URC fixtures by 30, 21 and 17 points respectively — 56–35, 46–29 and 30–23. Benetton have never won a URC fixture at Loftus Versfeld and have conceded an average of 44 points per visit. Even the 2024 Treviso win required a one-point margin against a much-rotated travelling Bulls XV.
Recent Results
| Date | Competition | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Oct 2024 | URC | Benetton 15–17 Bulls |
| Jun 2024 | URC | Bulls 30–23 Benetton |
| May 2024 | URC | Bulls 56–35 Benetton |
| Oct 2022 | URC | Benetton 22–44 Bulls |
| Apr 2022 | URC | Bulls 46–29 Benetton |
Average score in the last 6 meetings: Bulls 36 – Benetton 25 across the last six URC meetings. At Loftus specifically the average is 44–29 — Benetton have never come within 17 points of the Bulls in Pretoria.
Extended Form
Bulls11W, 6L (URC season)
URC wins this season — Ospreys 53–40, Leinster 39–31, Connacht 28–27 (A), Edinburgh 19–17 (A), Lions 52–17 (A), Sharks 41–12, Cardiff 40–7, Munster 34–31, Dragons 47–7 (A), Scarlets 23–21 (A), Zebre 54–19. Losses — Ulster 28–7 (A), Glasgow 21–12 (A), Stormers 13–8 (A), Lions 33–43, Stormers 19–32, Sharks 21–12 (A).
+134 points difference is the third-best in the URC and the best inside the top six. Loftus has been close to a fortress in 2026 — only the Stormers loss in March blots a home ledger that includes 41–12 over the Sharks, 40–7 over Cardiff, 34–31 over Munster, and 54–19 over Zebre. The away form has sharpened too: Lions 52–17, Dragons 47–7, Scarlets 23–21. This is a team peaking at exactly the right moment, and a top-two URC seed remains live with a try-bonus win.
Benetton6W, 9L, 2D (URC season)
URC wins — Glasgow 16–14 (H), Lions 41–15 (H), Zebre 37–23 (A), Zebre 21–15 (H), Ospreys 31–19 (H), Leinster 29–26 (H). Defeats include Sharks 46–7 (A), Munster 15–45 (H), Glasgow 31–10 (A), Cardiff 17–8 (A), Ulster 47–13 (A), Edinburgh 43–0 (A), Stormers 31–16 (H), Connacht 26–15 (A). Draws: Dragons 15–15 (A), Scarlets 20–20 (H).
Six wins, all but one of them at Stadio Monigo. The away ledger is a list of hidings: 43–0 at Edinburgh, 47–13 at Ulster, 31–10 at Glasgow, 46–7 at the Sharks. −140 PD is the second-worst in the URC and the defence has conceded 311 points across nine away losses. Add 1,350m of altitude, a 12-hour travel leg, and a Bulls side that has not lost at Loftus to Benetton in seven URC tries, and the away record is about to get longer.
Bulls XV
Bulls XV not yet announced. With a top-two URC seed on the line, Jake White is expected to name a full-strength side — Springbok front row of Steenekamp, Grobbelaar and Wilco Louw, Ruan Nortje at lock alongside JF van Heerden, Cameron Hanekom and Elrigh Louw in the back row. Embrose Papier and Handré Pollard at halfback. Watch for Kurt-Lee Arendse, Canan Moodie, and Sebastian de Klerk in the back three — pace to stretch a Benetton defence that has shipped 38 points per game on the road. Akker van der Merwe and Jan Serfontein available off a deep bench.
Benetton XV
Benetton XV not yet announced. Marco Bortolami is likely to lean on Italian internationals: Federico Ruzza and Niccolo Cannone in the second row, Lorenzo Cannone, Manuel Zuliani and captain Michele Lamaro in the back row. Paolo Garbisi at fly-half with Jacob Umaga (the squad's leading URC scorer on 96 points) as a goal-kicking option from the bench, Ignacio Brex and Tommaso Menoncello in the centres, Ange Capuozzo at fullback. Squad depth is stretched after a long tour week and rotation possible with nothing left to play for.
Key Matchups
The forward mismatch is decisive — Steenekamp and Wilco Louw against a Benetton scrum that conceded 46–7 at the Sharks last weekend is a guaranteed platform, and Pollard's game management at altitude against Garbisi is the kind of duel that can be settled inside thirty minutes. The one area where Benetton can compete is the back-row breakdown work: Lamaro and L. Cannone are genuine URC-class operators, and Umaga (URC's 5th-highest scorer on 96 points) is a real threat if Benetton can win quick ball. The back three is the closest call — Ange Capuozzo on the counter is a constant threat — but it presumes Benetton get the territory to launch from, which against a Bulls pack at 1,350m is the hardest ask in URC rugby.
Match Forecast
Every dimension of the scorecard points one way — the lowest score is +3 and the net is +28, a mismatch tier the model rarely produces against a side outside the bottom four. Bulls have won the last five URC meetings, three of those at Loftus by an average of 44–29, and they arrive on a 4-from-5 run with a 54–19 bonus win over Zebre fresh in the legs. Benetton's away ledger is a list of hidings — 46–7 at the Sharks, 43–0 at Edinburgh, 47–13 at Ulster, 31–10 at Glasgow — and the only road URC win all season was a 37–23 trip to Zebre in December. Add Loftus altitude, the Springbok front row, and Pollard's game management, and the away ceiling is severely capped.
The realistic case for Benetton keeping it respectable rests on Garbisi's tactical kicking, Capuozzo on the counter, and a Bulls side that may ease off in the third quarter once the bonus point is banked. The Leinster scalp in R16 proves they can play — but the 46–7 in Durban the following week proves they cannot back it up on the road. With a top-two URC seed in play, Jake White's side will be ruthless early; expect four tries inside the first 50 minutes and a comfortable cruise to a 25-plus point margin. This is a points-difference exercise dressed up as a Round 18 fixture.
Bulls bonus-point win at Loftus by 25+ — Benetton's road form, altitude and a top-two seeding push leave this with one realistic outcome.