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Familiar foes collide as derbies’ second leg set to ignite
The Mercury
|January 26, 2026
IT IS all about familiar foes this weekend in the United Rugby Championship (URC) as the Lions and Bulls lock horns at Ellis Park in the return Jukskei derby, while the Sharks and Stormers head to Durban following a Cape Town arm wrestle this past weekend.
THE Lions' Ivan van Rooyen says they are excited to face the Bulls on Saturday after two tough overseas matches. | BackpagePix
(BackpagePix)
Valuable URC log points and the battle for the South African Shield will be on the order of the day as three sides, the Sharks, Stormers and Lions are locked on 10 points. Whoever gets the victory in KwaZulu-Natal will put some daylight between themselves and at least two other sides, while it is a must-win for the Lions to stay in the hunt for the title.
The Gauteng match will kick-start the action on Saturday afternoon (2.30pm start), and while both sides returned from a two-week European trip unbeaten, the Pretoria side will have a bone to pick with their neighbours.
This story is from the January 26, 2026 edition of The Mercury.
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