The Bulls and Stormers are traveling to Europe this week with strong squads for their Champions Cup playoff matches. The Bulls face Glasgow in Scotland, while the Stormers take on Toulon in France. Coaches express optimism despite a poor historical record in European playoffs.
Bulls coach Ackermann selected Handré Pollard, Willie le Roux and available Springboks for the trip to Scotland. "If we’re in the playoffs of the EPCR, we must give it a go," he said. "We’re going to go out and give it our best shot."
Stormers coach John Dobson was similarly upbeat: "We want to respect this competition and we want to go as far as we can." He noted no South African team has reached a semifinal, but added that despite injuries, the squad now has more depth to compete fully.
South African teams have yet to win a Champions Cup playoff in Europe. Past defeats include Toulouse's 33-9 thrashing of the Bulls in 2023 and Northampton's 59-22 quarterfinal win in 2024.
The Stormers sit second in the URC standings and face a struggling Toulon side, winless in their last five Top 14 matches. Victories for both could set up a historic all-South African quarterfinal in Cape Town. The Bulls have won six of their last seven matches, though their defense faces a stern test.
