South African rugby’s derby strength which has led to record attendances in the Vodacom United Rugby Championship will be showcased again as the competition’s new season kicks off this September with an opening round featuring a festival of local derbies.
The Vodacom United Rugby Championship announced the fixtures for Season 4 of the cross hemisphere competition on Thurdsday, leading with an opening weekend in which the Vodacom Bulls, DHL Stormers, Emirates Lions and Hollywoodbets Sharks all kick off their campaigns on home soil against each other. The DHL Stormers and Vodacom Bulls will tackle each other in Cape Town in Round 1, while the Hollywoodbets Sharks and Emirates Lions will face each other in Durban.
The derby showcase will also continue with the popular December coastal summer holiday fixtures that have been embraced by South African rugby fans and attracted some of the biggest fan turnouts in the history of the competition.
Cape Town will lead the way as the Mother City welcomes the Emirates Lions and Hollywoodbets Sharks for two clashes against the DHL Stormers on Saturday 21 December and Saturday 28 December respectively. And the Vodacom Bulls will travel to Durban to face the Hollywoodbets Sharks on Saturday 21 December.
The South African derbies have been a success story in the new competition leading to overall record attendance rounds throughout the league and highlighted by the North-South Derby between the Vodacom Bulls and DHL Stormers in March this year which drew over 50 000 spectators to Loftus Versfeld.
“The South African derbies are some of the biggest matches in the Vodacom United Rugby Championship and they bring a whole different energy to the competition which fans have embraced, from selling out Loftus Versfeld to the incredible turnout for the festive season matches,” said Michelle van Eyden, Head of Sponsorship for Vodacom.
“The players have also expressed how the derbies create that sense of playing for something bigger amongst themselves, so we’re delighted that Season 4 will build on this and allow us to create even more value and entertainment for the fans.”
The South African teams also face an interesting start to their campaigns with an opportunity to gain some early points on tour.
After the opening round, the Vodacom Bulls have two home fixtures against Edinburgh and Ulster but will then see an opportunity to pick up points on the road against the Ospreys, Scarlets, Benetton and Connacht.
The DHL Stormers and Hollywoodbets Sharks travel immediately after the opening round.
The DHL Stormers will also feel confident about the possibility of early away points as they face the Ospreys, Zebre Parma and Edinburgh.
The Hollywoodbets Sharks open their away campaign against Connacht followed by the Dragons and Benetton.
The Emirates Lions face Ulster and Edinburgh at home before taking to the road against the Dragons and Zebre Parma, and then have tough tour matches against Leinster and Munster.
The Grand Final will take place on Saturday 14 June 2025.
Issued by Michael Vlismas media
Photo by Steve Haag Sports/INPHO/Shutterstock/BackpagePix
