Reigning champions Union Bordeaux Bègles will kick off the defence of their Investec Champions Cup crown against the Vodacom Bulls in Pretoria, while the DHL Stormers and Hollywoodbets Sharks both face tough away fixtures in France as the European showpiece gets underway this weekend.
The Capetonians are away to Aviron Bayonnais in Bayonne on Friday evening, and the Durbanites take on six-time European champions Stade Toulousain in Toulouse on Sunday afternoon.
South African eyes will be on Stade Jean Dauger, Loftus Versfeld, and Stade Ernest Wallon this weekend when the DHL Stormers, Vodacom Bulls and Hollywoodbets Sharks kick-start their Investec Champions Cup campaigns.
The aerial battle should be key in the clash between Aviron Bayonnais and the DHL Stormers in the southwest of France on Friday evening (22h00 SA time), where the visitors will have to be extra sharp in the air, as Bayonne led the EPCR Challenge Cup statistics last year by retaining 20.7% of their kicks and 13.3% of their restarts.
But the Capetonians will take a lot of momentum into their clash in Bayonne, topping the standings in the Vodacom United Rugby Championship with a perfect start from their first six matches, which includes a superb victory over Munster, the only other unbeaten team after round five, in Limerick last weekend.
The DHL Stormers had the highest ruck speed in the competition last season, and they also like to kick when on attack, with a competition-high average of 8.8 attacking kicks per game.
Union Bordeaux Bègles will be looking to kick their title defence off with a victory over the Vodacom Bulls on Saturday afternoon (17h15) in Pretoria, where the hosts will be keen to reverse a slump in form after a good start to the season.
The visitors will be mindful of the Vodacom Bulls’ pack though, especially at lineout time, where they stole five lineouts and conceded only one maul penalty, while their goal-kicking success rate of almost 89% was the third best in the competition last year.
The French giants’ success last season was built on breakdown dominance – they led the competition for turnovers won (83) and jackals (42) – and the Vodacom Bulls will have to make sure they protect their possession at rucks.
The final match of the opening weekend, featuring a South African team, kicks off at 17h15 (SA time) on Sunday in Toulouse, where the most successful team in the history of the Investec Champions Cup, Stade Toulousain, await the Hollywoodbets Sharks.
Toulouse are on a four-match win streak in the French Top 14 and top the standings with eight victories after 11 matches, while the KwaZulu-Natalians have not had the best start in the Vodacom URC, but what has happened so far this season won’t count on Sunday.
If the Hollywoodbets Sharks can replicate their scrumming feat from last season, when they achieved a 100% success rate, they can exert some pressure on their hosts.
They also led the carrying metrics with 4.5m carry, while their attacking prowess also extended to the lineout drive, with four maul tries, placing them joint first on the list.
Fixtures:
Aviron Bayonnais v DHL Stormers
Date: Friday, 5 December 2025
Venue: Stade Jean Dauger, Bayonne
SA Time: 22h00
Referee: Nika Amashukeli (Geo)
TV: SuperSport
Vodacom Bulls v Union Bordeaux Bègles
Date: Saturday, 6 December 2025
Venue: Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria
SA Time: 17h15
Referee: Karl Dickson (Eng)
TV: SuperSport
Stade Toulousain v Hollywoodbets Sharks
Date: Sunday, 7 December 2025
Venue: Stade Ernest Wallon, Toulouse
SA Time: 17h15
Referee: Christophe Ridley (Eng)
TV: SuperSport