URC 2025/26 · Round 18
Ulster
Stormers
Kingspan Stadium, Belfast
Championship Standings
The Stormers sit second on 51, four behind Glasgow and level with Leinster — a win in Belfast and they leapfrog the Warriors into top spot with one round to play. Ulster, 5th on 47, are clinging to the last home-quarter band with Munster (46), Cardiff (46) and the Bulls (45) all in striking distance. For the visitors this is a top-of-the-table statement; for Ulster it’s a top-eight survival fixture.
| 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 |
Ulster
W3, L2Ulster's last URC outing was a 41–14 evisceration at Thomond Park — the heaviest defeat of their season and a result that has put their top-eight place under real pressure. Sandwich that with a home loss to Connacht and a four-point squeak past Ospreys and the picture is of a side whose URC form is trending the wrong way. The 29–12 Challenge Cup quarter-final win over Exeter last weekend at Kingspan is the silver lining — Belfast under lights is still where Ulster look most comfortable, and they go again at home now off a six-day turnaround.
Stormers
W3, L2Forget the Connacht wobble — last weekend the Stormers put 48 unanswered points on the URC log leaders Glasgow at DHL, the kind of statement that resets a season. Five tries to one against a Glasgow side that, admittedly, was on the second leg of an SA road trip, but a 36-point demolition at the top of the table is still a 36-point demolition. The wider sample is even healthier: 11 URC wins from 15, and a record on the road this season that includes wins at Bulls, Munster, Benetton, Ospreys, Zebre and Scarlets. The travel is the only real question.
Head-to-Head at Kingspan
2 – 0 – 0
Ulster wins · Draws · Stormers wins (every Belfast meeting)
Ulster (2)The Stormers have never won at Kingspan/Affidea Stadium — both meetings in Belfast have gone Ulster's way, including a 35–5 hammering in January 2023 and a 38–34 thriller last March that Ulster edged with a late try. Across all five URC meetings since 2022 it's 3–2 Stormers, but every Stormers win came in Cape Town and every Ulster win came at home. Belfast is a Stormers graveyard — they've never even managed a losing bonus point here.
Recent Results
| Date | Competition | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Mar 2025 | URC | Ulster 38–34 Stormers |
| Mar 2024 | URC | Stormers 13–7 Ulster |
| Jan 2023 | URC | Ulster 35–5 Stormers |
| Jun 2022 | URC | Stormers 17–15 Ulster |
| Mar 2022 | URC | Stormers 23–20 Ulster |
Average score in the last 6 meetings: Ulster 36 – Stormers 19 across the two Belfast meetings. Stormers have averaged 19 points per Belfast trip and shipped an average of 36 — a venue-specific pattern that no European side has been comfortable visiting after a 24-hour Cape Town flight.
Extended Form
Ulster9W, 7L (URC) · 4W, 1L (CC)
URC wins this season: Munster 28–3 (H), Bulls 28–7 (H), Benetton 47–13 (H), Dragons 42–21 (H), Sharks 34–26 (A), Cardiff 21–14 (H), Edinburgh 40–19 (A), Zebre 28–12 (A), Ospreys 28–24 (H). URC losses: Lions 49–31 (A), Leinster 24–20 (A), Scarlets 27–22 (A), Ospreys 21–10 (A), Connacht 19–26 (H), Leinster 21–29 (H), Munster 41–14 (A). Challenge Cup: wins over Racing 92, Stade Francais, Cheetahs, Stade Rochelais, Exeter; semi-final to come.
The defining Ulster result of the season remains the 28–3 demolition of Munster at Kingspan in January — proof of what they can do at home when fully switched on. The Munster reverse fixture in April (41–14) cancelled most of that momentum, but the Challenge Cup run is still alive (29–12 over Exeter last week), and Kingspan continues to be where Ulster show up: nine of their twelve total home games this season have produced wins. They are a different team in Belfast.
Stormers11W, 4L (URC) · 4W, 2L (ECC)
URC wins: Glasgow 48–12 (H), Lions 34–27 (H, R12 era), Bulls 32–19 (A), Bulls 13–8 (H), Munster 27–21 (A), Ospreys 26–10 (H), Benetton 31–16 (A), Zebre 31–13 (A), Scarlets 34–0 (A), Dragons 29–21 (H), Edinburgh 33–14 (H), Leinster 35–0 (H). URC losses: Sharks home and away, Lions 24–10 (A), Connacht 24–33 (H). Champions Cup: Toulouse, Saracens, Bayonne, La Rochelle, Leicester wins; QF loss Toulon 28–27.
This is one of the most productive Stormers seasons in years — 11 URC wins, a Champions Cup quarter-final, and a 48–12 demolition of the URC's table-toppers six days ago. Their road record this season is genuinely elite: wins at Bulls, Munster, Benetton, Zebre, Ospreys (and the Scarlets thumping was effectively away). What they have not done is travel from Cape Town to a UK or Irish venue and win — Belfast and Edinburgh have historically been their kryptonite, and that pattern is what Ulster will be banking on.
Ulster XV
Ulster name a strong side with Angus Bell back from a foot injury at loosehead and captain Iain Henderson partnered by returning Charlie Irvine in the second row. Cormac Izuchukwu shifts to blindside flank, joining Nick Timoney and Juarno Augustus — the South-African-born No. 8 who came through the Stormers system and will be a focal point for the visitors. Ethan McIlroy, Jude Postlethwaite and Werner Kok return to the backline, with young Jack Murphy at fly-half and Nathan Doak at scrum-half. Stuart McCloskey is on the missing list alongside Stewart Moore and James Hume — a big midfield blow.
Stormers XV
Big reshuffle for the Stormers. Captain Ruhan Nel is out (calf), Cobus Reinach is injured — so 22-year-old Imad Khan starts at scrum-half — and Damian Willemse shifts back to inside centre with Warrick Gelant restored at fullback. Veteran Deon Fourie takes the captaincy in his 140th appearance and packs down at openside in a back row alongside Ben-Jason Dixon and Evan Roos. The bench is loosie-heavy — six back-rowers in the matchday 23, a Rassie-style ploy borne of an injury crisis at lock and centre. Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (URC top-3 points scorer) runs the show at 10.
Key Matchups
The collision points favour the Stormers across the park. Up front, a Bok-stacked tight five plus Fourie/Dixon/Roos is a heavier and more decorated pack than an Ulster eight missing Iain Henderson's usual lieutenants. In the backline the gap is wider: Feinberg-Mngomezulu against 22-year-old Jack Murphy at 10 is a kicking and game-management mismatch, and Willemse/du Plessis bring Test-level edge to a midfield Ulster have had to patch up after the McCloskey/Hume injuries. Ulster's best route is the Augustus reunion — the SA-born No. 8 will know exactly where to hurt his old side — plus Werner Kok's breakdown jackal threat and a fast Belfast tempo Stormers haven't been exposed to since landing on Tuesday.
Match Forecast
The Stormers are a better team and the gap is widening at the right time. A 48–12 thumping of league leaders Glasgow is the kind of result that resets a season, and the squad arriving in Belfast is — even with Nel and Reinach out — deeper than the one Ulster can field after the McCloskey/Hume/Moore injury list. Up front a Bok front row should win the scrum count, Feinberg-Mngomezulu against a 22-year-old Jack Murphy at 10 is a tactical mismatch, and the Stormers' road record this season (wins at Bulls, Munster, Benetton, Ospreys, Zebre) tells you they're not a side that wilts away from Cape Town when their preparation is right.
The flag in the system is venue history. Stormers have never won at Kingspan — they shipped 35–5 here in 2023 and lost a 38–34 thriller last March — and the long-haul Cape Town to Belfast trip is the most consistent dampener on SA away form in this competition. If Ulster can squeeze tempo through Doak's box-kicking, get Augustus and Kok over the ball at the breakdown, and ride the home crowd through a fast first 20, this becomes a coin-flip. But the form gap is too steep right now, and Stormers' depth — with six back-rowers on the bench — is the kind of finishing kit that wins a tight Belfast Friday night by two scores.
Stormers to break their Kingspan duck — class and form override the venue hex by a converted try.