URC 2026/27 · Round 1
Zebre Parma
Bulls
Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi, Parma
Championship Standings
The 2026/27 league opens this weekend. No current-season table advantage is awarded; the empty rows avoid presenting last season’s standings as current. Previous league results are assessed separately under form.
| Pos | Team | P | W | L | PD | Pts |
|---|
Zebre Parma
W0, D0, L5United Rugby Championship only: 5 completed matches, 2026-03-28 to 2026-05-16; 98 points for and 186 against. Zebre’s last two league games both ended 54–19, against Bulls and Sharks. The one-point defeats to Dragons and Edinburgh show they were not uniformly uncompetitive, but defence against stronger opposition remains the concern.
Bulls
W4, D0, L1United Rugby Championship only: 5 completed matches, 2026-05-09 to 2026-06-19; 173 points for and 109 against. Bulls beat Munster 45–14 and Glasgow 22–21 before losing the final 36–7. That final matters, yet their four prior wins are a much stronger form base than Zebre’s finish.
Head-to-head: retrieved recent sample
0 – 0 – 5
Zebre Parma wins · Draws · Bulls wins; 5 United Rugby Championship meetings, all venues, 2022-02-25–2026-05-09
Zebre Parma (0)The Bulls won every retrieved meeting. Parma margins were 38 and 25, although the age of those matches and changed selections argue against simply forecasting another rout. This is the retrieved recent sample, not an all-time record.
Recent Results
| Date | Competition | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 2026-05-09 | United Rugby Championship | Bulls 54–19 Zebre Parma |
| 2025-03-29 | United Rugby Championship | Bulls 63–24 Zebre Parma |
| 2023-11-04 | United Rugby Championship | Zebre Parma 29–54 Bulls |
| 2023-04-15 | United Rugby Championship | Bulls 78–12 Zebre Parma |
| 2022-02-25 | United Rugby Championship | Zebre Parma 7–45 Bulls |
Average score in the last 6 meetings: Sample mean, rounded: Zebre Parma 18.2 – Bulls 58.8. Team orientation is fixed regardless of venue.
Extended Form
Zebre ParmaW2, D0, L16
Retrieved United Rugby Championship sample within 25 September 2025–24 September 2026 (18 matches; not asserted to be a complete season): 2026-05-16 Sharks 54–19 Zebre Parma; 2026-05-09 Bulls 54–19 Zebre Parma; 2026-04-24 Zebre Parma 18–19 Dragons; 2026-04-17 Edinburgh 31–30 Zebre Parma; 2026-03-28 Zebre Parma 12–28 Ulster; 2026-03-20 Scarlets 36–17 Zebre Parma; 2026-02-28 Munster 21–7 Zebre Parma; 2026-01-31 Zebre Parma 15–31 Connacht; 2026-01-24 Zebre Parma 21–26 Glasgow Warriors; 2026-01-03 Glasgow Warriors 47–10 Zebre Parma; 2025-12-27 Zebre Parma 23–37 Benetton; 2025-12-20 Benetton 21–15 Zebre Parma; 2025-11-29 Zebre Parma 14–29 Cardiff Rugby; 2025-10-25 Leinster 50–26 Zebre Parma; 2025-10-18 Zebre Parma 13–31 Stormers; 2025-10-11 Ospreys 24–0 Zebre Parma; 2025-10-05 Zebre Parma 22–20 Lions; 2025-09-27 Zebre Parma 31–28 Edinburgh
Only United Rugby Championship results are counted in this extended window; other competitions and friendlies are excluded. Zebre’s last two league games both ended 54–19, against Bulls and Sharks. The one-point defeats to Dragons and Edinburgh show they were not uniformly uncompetitive, but defence against stronger opposition remains the concern.
BullsW14, D0, L7
Retrieved United Rugby Championship sample within 25 September 2025–24 September 2026 (21 matches; not asserted to be a complete season): 2026-06-19 Leinster 36–7 Bulls; 2026-06-06 Glasgow Warriors 21–22 Bulls; 2026-05-30 Bulls 45–14 Munster; 2026-05-16 Bulls 45–19 Benetton; 2026-05-09 Bulls 54–19 Zebre Parma; 2026-04-25 Scarlets 21–23 Bulls; 2026-04-17 Dragons 7–47 Bulls; 2026-03-28 Bulls 34–31 Munster; 2026-03-20 Bulls 40–7 Cardiff Rugby; 2026-03-14 Bulls 19–32 Stormers; 2026-02-28 Bulls 41–12 Sharks; 2026-01-31 Lions 17–52 Bulls; 2026-01-23 Edinburgh 17–19 Bulls; 2026-01-03 Stormers 13–8 Bulls; 2025-12-20 Sharks 21–12 Bulls; 2025-11-29 Bulls 33–43 Lions; 2025-10-24 Glasgow Warriors 21–12 Bulls; 2025-10-17 Connacht 27–28 Bulls; 2025-10-11 Ulster 28–7 Bulls; 2025-10-04 Bulls 39–31 Leinster; 2025-09-27 Bulls 53–40 Ospreys
Only United Rugby Championship results are counted in this extended window; other competitions and friendlies are excluded. Bulls beat Munster 45–14 and Glasgow 22–21 before losing the final 36–7. That final matters, yet their four prior wins are a much stronger form base than Zebre’s finish.
Zebre Parma XV
Confirmed 24 September. Allan starts at fullback, Da Re at ten and Fusco captains from nine. Licata anchors a back row with Ferrari and Locatelli.
Bulls XV
Confirmed 24 September. Coetzee captains alongside Liebenberg and Rudolph; Bosch partners de Wet. Le Roux and de Klerk start in the back three, while the Test contingent in Perth is unavailable.
Key Matchups
Zebre need Allan’s kicking and Fusco’s tempo to play in the correct half. Coetzee and Liebenberg can squeeze their possession, while le Roux offers the Bulls a second distributor behind Bosch. The home chance depends on preventing repeat lineout entries rather than trading tries.
Match Forecast
Bulls are the clearest away call in the URC batch. Form, the five-match rivalry and the selected spine all favour them, even with important internationals absent. The house model produces a much smaller margin than the historical meetings and that restraint is appropriate in round one.
Allan gives Zebre a credible way to manage territory and narrow defeats late last season show they can stay in games. Bulls still have to turn their experience into clean set-piece ball. A sloppy opening would make this much closer than the badge comparison suggests. The margin band is an editorial range, not a statistical confidence interval.
Bulls by 8 — the selected sides and verified results set the case.
Zebre Parma points for–against in the 5-match United Rugby Championship form window.
Bulls points for–against in the 5-match United Rugby Championship form window.
Zebre Parma wins–draws–Bulls wins in the explicitly scoped H2H sample.
Seven-dimension house score from the home perspective; positive favours the home team before the model intercept.