URC 2025/26 · Round 17
Scarlets
Bulls
Parc y Scarlets, Llanelli
Championship Standings
Scarlets are 14th on 23 points — four wins from fifteen, season done. Bulls are 8th on 45, scrapping Cardiff, Munster and Ulster for the last two playoff spots with two rounds to play. Every point matters for the visitors; for Scarlets it’s pride and a home-season farewell.
| Pos | Team | P | W | L | PD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Glasgow Warriors | 15 | 11 | 4 | +150 | 55 |
| 2 |  Stormers | 15 | 11 | 4 | +130 | 51 |
| 3 |  Leinster | 15 | 10 | 5 | +70 | 51 |
| 4 |  Lions | 15 | 9 | 5 | +78 | 48 |
| 5 |  Ulster | 15 | 9 | 6 | +105 | 47 |
| 6 |  Munster | 15 | 9 | 6 | +5 | 46 |
| 7 |  Cardiff | 15 | 9 | 6 | −5 | 46 |
| 8 | Bulls | 15 | 9 | 6 | +97 | 45 |
| 9 |  Connacht | 15 | 8 | 7 | +19 | 44 |
| 10 |  Ospreys | 15 | 6 | 7 | −28 | 34 |
| 11 |  Sharks | 15 | 6 | 8 | −30 | 34 |
| 12 |  Edinburgh | 15 | 5 | 10 | −70 | 28 |
| 13 |  Benetton | 15 | 5 | 8 | −104 | 28 |
| 14 | Scarlets | 15 | 4 | 10 | −90 | 23 |
| 15 |  Dragons | 15 | 2 | 10 | −123 | 21 |
| 16 |  Zebre Parma | 15 | 2 | 13 | −204 | 14 |
Scarlets
W1, L4One win in five, and the Cardiff loss last weekend was the sort of result that tells you a season is ending: Scarlets led at Parc y Scarlets, let Cardiff out of jail, and dropped a Welsh derby everyone expected them to win. The Zebre canter in R14 is the only smile in the five, and the gap to every URC side that isn’t Dragons or Zebre has widened. Parc y Scarlets, once the one fortress — Glasgow were shut out 23–0 here in November — is no longer a guaranteed hold.
Bulls
W3, L1Ackermann’s side have been the sharpest SA URC outfit outside the Stormers: a 40–7 beating of Cardiff, a nervy 34–31 win over Munster, and last weekend a 47–7 dismantling of Dragons at Rodney Parade. The Champions Cup Round of 16 exit at Scotstoun (25–21 to Glasgow) was the only blemish across a tour that is now three games deep in Europe. That’s the one bear case for Scarlets — this is the Bulls’ third consecutive away game on European soil after flying out of Loftus, and the miles are real.
Head-to-Head Record
2 – 0 – 2
Scarlets wins · Draws · Bulls wins (4 URC meetings since 2021)
Scarlets (2)Only four URC meetings between these sides — and they split evenly, 2–2. The pattern is clean: both of Scarlets’ wins have come at Parc y Scarlets (23–22 in Oct 2024, 37–28 in Jan 2023), both of the Bulls’ wins have come at Loftus (63–21 in Oct 2023, 57–12 in Mar 2022). Home advantage has been absolute. Scarlets have never lost to the Bulls in Llanelli.
Recent Results
| Date | Competition | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Oct 2024 | URC | Scarlets 23–22 Bulls |
| Oct 2023 | URC | Bulls 63–21 Scarlets |
| Jan 2023 | URC | Scarlets 37–28 Bulls |
| Mar 2022 | URC | Bulls 57–12 Scarlets |
Average score in the last 6 meetings: At Parc y Scarlets: Scarlets 30 – Bulls 25 across two meetings — both Scarlets wins. At Loftus: Bulls 60 – Scarlets 16. Venue has been destiny in this fixture.
Extended Form
Scarlets4W, 10L, 1D (URC)
URC wins: Glasgow (23–0 H), Ulster (27–22 H), Zebre (36–17 H), Cardiff (21–17 A). Draw: Benetton (20–20 A). Losses: Stormers (34–0 A at home), Munster (34–21 A), Dragons (28–5 A), Ospreys (26–19 H), Lions (29–18 A), Sharks (29–19 A), Edinburgh (24–19 A), Connacht (31–14 A), Leinster (36–19 A), Cardiff (28–24 H). Winless in the Champions Cup pool and knockouts.
Four URC wins from fifteen, a pointless European campaign, and a home defensive record that has cracked since February — the Cardiff loss at Parc y Scarlets broke what was the one remaining source of confidence. The win-heavy home ledger earlier in the season looks increasingly like a fluke against teams not yet up to speed.
Bulls9W, 6L (URC season), 3rd in Champions Cup knockouts
URC home wins: Leinster 39–31, Ospreys 53–40, Sharks 41–12, Cardiff 40–7, Munster 34–31. Away wins: Connacht 28–27 (Oct), Lions 52–17 (Jan), Edinburgh 19–17 (Jan), Dragons 47–7 (Apr). Losses include Ulster 28–7 (Oct), Glasgow 21–12 (Oct), Stormers 13–8 (Jan), Sharks 21–12 (Dec) and Stormers 32–19 (Mar). Champions Cup R16 exit to Glasgow 25–21 at Scotstoun.
A genuinely strong season — nine URC wins, a deep Champions Cup run, Papier leading the competition with 9 tries, and four away wins on the road to show for themselves. The tour is the only worry: Glasgow was a heartbreaker and they bounced straight back at Newport, but Llanelli is a third consecutive European away trip in three weeks and the Scarlets, for all their issues, will be fresher.
Scarlets XV
Scarlets team not yet announced. Dwayne Peel has called Sam Costelow back into the 10 jersey for late-season runs — expect him to start again. Joe Roberts and Johnny Williams in midfield, Ellis Mee and Blair Murray on the wings, with Ryan Elias captaining the pack. Fletcher Anderson has been the workhorse of the season (5th in URC tackles at 160, 3rd in carries at 172) and anchors the back row. Sam Lousi’s experience in the second row will be key against a Bok-heavy Bulls pack.
Bulls XV
Bulls team not yet announced, but Ackermann will need to balance cumulative tour fatigue against the point-chase. Watch for Embrose Papier (URC-leading 9 tries) at 9 and Handré Pollard at 10 — if they’ve travelled, expect them to start. Kurt-Lee Arendse, Canan Moodie and Sebastian de Klerk form the back three; Marcell Coetzee, Elrigh Louw and Cameron Hanekom the back row. The Springbok front row of Steenekamp–Grobbelaar–Louw is the most feared in the competition. Willie le Roux offers a fullback option and bench destruction.
Key Matchups
Every positional group reads Bulls on paper — Pollard–Papier alone is the best halfback pairing in the URC and Papier’s 9 tries lead the competition. Steenekamp and Louw against a Scarlets tighthead side that conceded 34 to the Stormers and 36 to Leinster this season is a mismatch at the set piece. The one place Scarlets hold a thread: Fletcher Anderson is 3rd in URC carries (172) and 5th in tackles (160) — a genuine blindside who has outworked fancier opposition all year. But a single back-row warrior does not bridge the gulf unless the Bulls arrive flat after three weeks of European travel.
Match Forecast
On squad strength, form trajectory and backline quality this should be a Bulls handling of a broken Scarlets — Pollard, Papier and a Springbok front row against a side that has conceded 40+ in multiple URC and European games this season. Ackermann’s men are chasing a top-eight seed with two rounds to play and cannot afford to drop points in Llanelli; the 40–7 and 47–7 outputs against Cardiff and Dragons show the ceiling is a four-try bonus inside 60 minutes.
The one compression factor is the tour. This is the Bulls’ third consecutive away game in Europe — Glasgow (ECC R16), Dragons (URC R16), Scarlets (URC R17) — and the cumulative travel from Loftus plus a Scotstoun heartbreaker in between is a real fatigue load. Parc y Scarlets has been the one place Scarlets have held the Bulls historically (2–0 in URC meetings, both one-score finishes). If Scarlets can keep this a phase-play scrap and force Pollard to kick in the wet, the upset route is narrow but real. The scorecard still says Bulls by two scores; the home crowd and tour miles say don’t expect a cricket score.
Bulls win by 10–18 — Pollard and Papier too much, but tour miles keep it out of blowout territory.