URC 2025/26 · Round 15
Bulls
Munster
Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria
Championship Standings
The Bulls are 8th on 35 points — right on the playoff bubble after last week’s emphatic 40–7 destruction of Cardiff bounced them back from the Stormers defeat. Munster sit 6th on 39 points, but their position flatters them badly — six defeats in their last eight across all competitions, capped by last week’s humiliating 45–0 shutout at the Sharks.
| Pos | Team | P | W | L | PD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Glasgow Warriors | 13 | 10 | 3 | +171 | 50 |
| 2 |  Stormers | 13 | 10 | 3 | +120 | 46 |
| 3 |  Ulster | 13 | 8 | 5 | +97 | 42 |
| 4 |  Leinster | 13 | 8 | 5 | +45 | 41 |
| 5 |  Cardiff | 13 | 8 | 5 | −3 | 40 |
| 6 | Munster | 13 | 8 | 5 | −22 | 39 |
| 7 |  Lions | 13 | 7 | 5 | +20 | 38 |
| 8 | Bulls | 13 | 7 | 6 | +54 | 35 |
| 9 |  Connacht | 13 | 6 | 7 | +3 | 35 |
| 10 |  Ospreys | 13 | 5 | 6 | −25 | 29 |
| 11 |  Sharks | 13 | 5 | 7 | −32 | 29 |
| 12 |  Benetton | 13 | 5 | 6 | −53 | 28 |
| 13 |  Edinburgh | 13 | 4 | 9 | −52 | 23 |
| 14 |  Scarlets | 13 | 4 | 8 | −69 | 21 |
| 15 |  Dragons | 13 | 2 | 8 | −67 | 20 |
| 16 |  Zebre Parma | 13 | 2 | 11 | −187 | 12 |
Bulls
W4, L1The Bulls are on fire — four wins from five, with the only blemish a 19–32 home loss to the Stormers in Round 13. Since then, the 40–7 demolition of Cardiff last Friday was exactly the response Jake White would have demanded. Before that: a 41–12 hammering of the Sharks, a 52–17 annihilation of the Lions in Johannesburg, and a gritty 19–17 away win at Edinburgh.
Munster
W2, L3Munster are in freefall. The 45–0 shutout at the Sharks last week was the worst result of Graham Rowntree’s tenure — nilled for the first time in years, with zero attacking threat in the Durban heat. Before that, the 28–3 mauling at Ulster and a limp 31–22 defeat at Glasgow told the same story. Their only wins came against Zebre (21–7) and the Dragons (22–20) — the competition’s bottom-half sides.
Head-to-Head at Loftus
1 – 0 – 1
Bulls wins · Draws · Munster wins (2 meetings at Loftus)
Bulls (1)The head-to-head at Loftus is perfectly split — the Bulls won 29–24 in March 2022, while Munster pulled off a 27–22 victory in April 2024. Munster have proved they can win at altitude, but that was a very different Munster side to the one currently shipping points for fun.
Recent Results
| Date | Competition | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Apr 2025 | URC | Munster 13–16 Bulls |
| Apr 2024 | URC | Bulls 22–27 Munster |
| Mar 2022 | URC | Bulls 29–24 Munster |
Average score in the last 6 meetings: Bulls 22 – Munster 21 across three URC meetings. Tight contests historically — but Munster’s current form makes a repeat unlikely.
Extended Form
Bulls7W, 6L
Wins: Cardiff (40–7, URC), Sharks (41–12, URC), Lions (52–17, URC away), Edinburgh (19–17, URC away), Connacht (28–27, URC away), Leinster (39–31, URC), Section Paloise (26–24, EPCR away). Losses: Stormers (19–32, URC), Bristol (49–61, EPCR), Stormers (8–13, URC away), Northampton (5–50, EPCR away), Bordeaux (33–46, EPCR), Lions (33–43, URC).
The Bulls’ European campaign was a disaster — losses to Bristol (49–61), Northampton (5–50) and Bordeaux (33–46) exposed severe limitations against top-tier opposition abroad. But domestically at Loftus they’re a different proposition entirely. The 39–31 win over Leinster, 41–12 demolition of the Sharks, and 40–7 Cardiff hammering show a team that leverages altitude, crowd and Springbok power ruthlessly at home.
Munster5W, 6L
Wins: Zebre (21–7), Dragons (22–20), Ospreys (26–10 away), Leinster (31–14 away), Scarlets (34–21 away). Losses: Sharks (0–45), Glasgow (22–31), Toulon (25–27, ERCC), Ulster (3–28), Bath (14–40, ERCC), Leinster (13–8 home loss).
Munster’s extended form reveals the full scale of their collapse. The 31–14 away win at Leinster in Round 7 feels like a different season entirely. Since then: defeats at Ulster (3–28), Glasgow (22–31), Bath (14–40), Toulon (25–27), and now the 45–0 humiliation at the Sharks. That’s five away defeats in a row across all competitions.
Bulls XV
Lineups have not yet been announced. The Bulls are expected to name a strong side after the emphatic 40–7 win over Cardiff, with Handré Pollard likely to continue at fly-half and the Springbok front-row contingent of Steenekamp, Grobbelaar and Wilco Louw all expected to feature.
Munster XV
Lineups have not yet been announced. Munster face a brutal turnaround — second game of their South African tour after the 45–0 mauling at the Sharks last week. Graham Rowntree will need to rotate heavily, but the squad depth is being tested to its limits.
Key Matchups
The Bulls will dominate up front — their Springbok pack is significantly more powerful than what Munster can assemble on tour, and the altitude at 1,350m will compound the forward battle as the game wears on. The backrow contest is the one area where Munster can compete — O’Mahony, Hodnett and Coombes are genuinely world-class at the breakdown. But Pollard’s game management at altitude is a decisive advantage over a misfiring Crowley, and the Bulls’ bench depth means they can turn the screw in the final quarter.
Match Forecast
The Bulls should win this convincingly. Four wins from five — including the 40–7 Cardiff demolition and the 52–17 Lions annihilation — shows a team playing with genuine intensity at home. Add the Loftus altitude factor (1,350m), Munster’s status as touring visitors on the second leg of their SA trip, and the fact that Munster have lost six of their last eight across all competitions, and the picture is clear.
Munster’s one slender hope is that the head-to-head record at Loftus is actually level — they won 27–22 here in April 2024, proving they can compete at altitude when at their best. But this is emphatically not Munster at their best. Crowley has been below par for weeks, the pack is depleted from touring, and the psychological damage of being nilled by the Sharks cannot be overstated.
Bulls to capitalise on a broken Munster at fortress Loftus — six defeats in eight means this SA tour has turned into an ordeal.