2025–26 Lions (United Rugby Championship) season

Lions
	2025–26 season
Head coach	Ivan van Rooyen
← 2024–25	2026–27 →

The 2025–26 season is the Lions' fifth season in the United Rugby Championship, their 30th season of professional rugby and their 136th season of representative rugby since the foundation of their provincial union, the Transvaal Rugby Union. Along with competing in the URC and its South African Shield competition, the club will also participate in the 2025–26 European Rugby Challenge Cup.

United Rugby Championship

Matches

The full fixture list for the URC season was released on 21 May 2025.

27 September 2025	(1 BP) Cardiff	35 – 20	Lions	Cardiff Arms Park
19:45	Try: Thomas 9'c Winnet 23'c Mann 52'c Loyd 60'c,76' Con: Sheedy (4/5) 10', 24', 53',61, Cards: Thomas 30'	Report	Try: Venter 27'c, Steenkamp 48'c Con: Dobela (2/2) 28', 49' Pen: Dobela (2/2) 17', 37'	Attendance: 5 711 Referee: Filippo Russo

11 October 2025	(1 BP) Benetton	41 – 15	Lions	Stadio Comunale di Monigo, Treviso
15:00	Try: R Smith(8') Lynagh (14', 30', 71', 83') Ferrari (20') Con: Umaga (21', 31', 72') R Smith(84') Pen: Umaga (42') Cards: Gallo 53' Avaca 80'	Report	Try: Ntlabakanye (27') v. Vuuren (78') Con: CW Smith(28') Pen: CW Smith (2') Cards: Jonker 69' Horn 80'+2

18 October 2025	(1 BP) Lions	29 – 18	Scarlets	Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg
12:45	Try: Horn (25') Marais (58') Brandon (70', 74') Pen: CW Smith (47') Lombard (53', 81') Cards: Landsberg 38'	Report Scoreboard	Try: Roberts (77') Pen: Costelow (12', 50')	Attendance: 1,771^[1] Referee: Eoghan Cross

25 October 2025	(1 PT) Lions	49 – 31	Ulster (1 PT)	Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg
12:45	Try: SJ Kotze (2'c) Keyter (8'c) Venter (46'c) du Plessis (61'c) van Wyk (71'm) van Vuuren (76'm) Brandon (81'm) Con: CW Smith (3', 9', 47', 62') Pen: CW Smith (33', 50') Cards: Ntlabakanye 27'	Report Highlights	Try: Baloucoune (5'c, 40'm, 52'm) Hume (24'c) McCann (67'c) Con: Doak (6', 24') Flannery (67')	Attendance: 4,061 Referee: Ben Connor

29 November 2025	(1 BP) Bulls	33 – 43	Lions (1 BP)	Loftus Versfeld Stadium, Pretoria
12:00	Try: Papier (30' c, 33' c) A. van der Merwe (40' m) Johannes (76' c) de Klerk(77' c) Con: Johannes (4/5) (31', 34', 76', 78')	Report	Try: Mpeku (19'c) Steyn (23' c, 74' c) Cairns (36' m) E. Oosthuizen (52' c) Keyter (72' c) Con: CW Smith (5/6) (19', 24', 53', 73', 74') Pen: CW Smith (11')	Attendance: 14,122 Referee: Aimee Barrett-Theron

20 December 2025	Stormers	v	Lions	Cape Town Stadium
13:30

TBC	Lions	v	Sharks	Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg
TBC

3 January 2026	Sharks	v	Lions	Kings Park Stadium, Durban
13:30

23 January 2026	Ospreys	v	Lions	TBC
19:45

31 January 2026	Lions	v	Bulls	Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg
12:30

28 February 2026	Lions	v	Stormers	Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg
12:30

21 March 2026	Lions	v	Edinburgh	Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg
12:45

28 March 2026	Lions	v	Dragons	Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg
14:30

18 April 2026	Lions	v	Glasgow Warriors	Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg
14:45

25 April 2026	Lions	v	Connacht	Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg
15:00

9 May 2026	Leinster	v	Lions	TBC
17:30

16 May 2026	Munster	v	Lions	Thomond Park, Limerick
19:45

Tables

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	PF	PA	PD	TF	TA	TB	LB	Pts	Qualification
1	Stormers	7	7	0	0	218	87	+131	27	10	4	0	32	Qualifies for home URC quarter-final; Qualification for the 2026–27 Champions Cup
2	Munster	7	6	0	1	172	126	+46	25	19	4	1	29
3	Cardiff	7	5	0	2	157	122	+35	24	16	4	2	26
4	Glasgow Warriors	7	5	0	2	185	99	+86	26	12	4	1	25
5	Ulster	6	4	0	2	202	140	+62	29	20	5	1	22	Qualifies for URC quarter-final; Qualification for the 2026–27 Champions Cup
6	Leinster	7	4	0	3	174	166	+8	27	23	4	1	21
7	Lions	7	3	0	4	203	212	−9	27	30	3	2	17
8	Connacht	6	2	0	4	148	139	+9	21	19	4	3	15
9	Bulls	7	3	0	4	184	211	−27	26	30	3	0	15	Qualification for the 2026–27 Challenge Cup
10	Benetton	7	3	0	4	122	191	−69	13	28	1	0	13
11	Edinburgh	6	2	0	4	140	112	+28	22	18	2	3	13
12	Sharks	7	2	1	4	134	192	−58	20	24	2	0	12
13	Zebre Parma	7	2	0	5	121	203	−82	16	29	2	1	11
14	Dragons	7	1	2	4	132	203	−71	17	30	1	1	10
15	Scarlets	6	2	0	4	102	143	−41	12	19	0	0	8
16	Ospreys	7	1	1	5	137	185	−48	20	28	1	1	8

Updated to match(es) played on 20 December 2025. Source: UnitedRugby.com
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers for teams tied on points: 1) Number of matches won 2) The difference between points for and points against 3) The number of tries scored 4) The most points scored 5) The difference between tries for and tries against 6) The fewest red cards received 7) The fewest yellow cards received.^[2]

2025–26 United Rugby Championship Regional Shield tables

South African Shield

Team

P

W

D

L

PF

PA

PD

TF

TA

TBP

LBP

Pts

Pos overall

1

Lions

2

1

0

1

70

67

+3

9

1

6

—

2

Stormers

1

0

34

27

+7

4

3

1

0

5

3

Sharks

1

0

21

12

+9

3

0

4

—

4

Bulls

2

0

2

45

64

-19

5

9

1

0

1

——

If teams are level at any stage, tiebreakers are applied in the following order:^[3]

number of matches won
the difference between points for and points against
the number of tries scored
the most points scored
the difference between tries for and tries against
the fewest red cards received
the fewest yellow cards received

Green background indicates teams currently leading the regional shield. Upon the conclusion of the regular season, these teams win their respective regional shields.

(S) : URC Shield champion

European Challenge Cup

EPCR Challenge Cup Pool 2
Pos	Team	Pld	W	L	PF	PA	PD	TF	TA	TB	LB	Pts	Qualification
1	Benetton	2	2	0	70	49	+21	8	5	1	0	9	Home round of 16
2	Newcastle Red Bulls	2	2	0	37	24	+13	5	3	0	0	8
3	Perpignan	2	1	1	72	61	+11	8	8	1	0	5
4	Dragons	2	1	1	40	62	−22	6	8	0	0	4	Away round of 16
5	Lyon	2	0	2	35	46	−11	5	6	0	2	2
6	Lions	2	0	2	28	40	−12	3	5	0	1	1

Source: EPCR^[4]
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers for teams tied on points: 1) Number of matches won; 2) Difference between points for and against; 3) Total number of points for; 4) Aggregate number of points scored in matches between tied teams; 5) Number of matches won excluding the first match, then the second and so on until the tie is settled.

Pool Matches

6 December 2025	Lions	18–26	Benetton	Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg
15:00	Try: Mpeku 37' c Venter 45' m Con: C. Smith (1/2) 38' Pen: C. Smith (2/3) 9', 57' Cards: Mpeku 66'	Report	Try: Smith 6' m Marin 71' c, 75' m Con: Albornoz (1/2) 72' Pen: Umaga (1/2) 13' Albornoz (1/1) 60' Drop: Albornoz (1/1) 79'	Attendance: 4,120 Referee: Kevin Bralley (France)

13 December 2025

Newcastle Falcons	v	Lions

Kingston Park

10 January 2026

Lions	v	Lyon

Ellis Park Stadium

17 January 2026

Perpignan	v	Lions

Stade Aime Giral

Notes

References

^ "Late surge secures win for Lions in Johannesburg". Scarlets Rugby. 18 October 2025. Retrieved 18 October 2025.
^ "Competition rules – United Rugby Championship". United Rugby Championship. Archived from the original on 22 September 2022. Retrieved 25 February 2025.
^ League Format (3) "Competition Rules". United Rugby Championship. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
^ "Pool Tables | EPCR Challenge Cup". European Professional Club Rugby. Retrieved 2 July 2024.

[1] "Late surge secures win for Lions in Johannesburg". Scarlets Rugby. 18 October 2025. Retrieved 18 October 2025.

[2] "Competition rules – United Rugby Championship". United Rugby Championship. Archived from the original on 22 September 2022. Retrieved 25 February 2025.

[3] League Format (3) "Competition Rules". United Rugby Championship. Retrieved 23 October 2023.

[4] "Pool Tables | EPCR Challenge Cup". European Professional Club Rugby. Retrieved 2 July 2024.

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