Ulster look forward to match action after the postponement of Round 2's scheduled fixture against Edinburgh Rugby at Hive Stadium, due to the impact of Storm Amy.
Richie Murphy's side aim to pick up where they left off against Dragons and pick up more points before embarking on a two match tour of South Africa against Hollywoodbets Sharks and Emirates Lions.
Back Ulster against the Bulls!
Tickets for Saturday's match are still available via the link below:
Our opposition
The Bulls made it two wins from two in Pretoria, defeating Leinster by 39-31 in a thrilling match at Loftus Versfeld. The Bulls showcased their exciting brand of rugby for the second weekend in succession, after Round 1's 53-40 victory over Ospreys.
Those two bonus-point victories leave the Bulls sitting on top of the league going into matchweek 3.
The Bulls are one of the favourites to push for the URC title, given their consistency and squad depth.
Under Jake White, the Bulls finished second in the 2024/25 regular season and reached the URC final, where they were defeated by Leinster at Croke Park.
This time around, Johan Ackermann, is the Head Coach, and the former Lions and Gloucester coach has got off to the ideal start ahead of their run of away fixtures against Ulster, Connacht and Glasgow.
Ackermann also has called upon some 13 Springbok internationals for the tour, including Handre Pollard, Wilco Louw and Canan Moodie.
Match Details
🤝 Ulster Rugby v Vodacom Bulls<br>
🗓 Saturday 11th October, 7.45pm
🏟 Affidea Stadium <br>
🏆 BKT United Rugby Championship – Round 3<br>
📺 Live on Premier Sports and URC.tv
Fixture Rewind
The Bulls previous visit to Belfast resulted in a tight victory for the Ulstermen, who edged the South Africans by 26-19 in October 2023.
Hooker, Tom Stewart, and wing, Jacob Stockdale, scored tries for the home side, with Nathan Doak adding four well-taken penalties to make the difference in the scoreline.
Tighthead prop, Tom O'Toole, was the player of the match, in a contest that revolved around dominance around set pieces, with Ulster standing up physically to the powerful South Africans.
The Ireland international prop was also superb in the loose, and fired out a brilliant pass out wide to Jacob Stockdale, who scored in the corner in the first half.
Players to watch
Handrè Pollard
The Springbok fly-half has been named in the Bulls touring squad, and would be in line to make his first appearance for the Bulls since joining from Leicester Tigers earlier this summer. Pollard is South Africa's 2nd highest all-time points scorer and kicked all the points for the rainbow nation in the 2023 World Cup Final - clinching a tight 11-12 victory over New Zealand.
Johann Grobbelaar
The Bulls captain has got off to a brilliant start to the campaign, with three tries across the opening two matches. Grobbelaar is a powerful unit in the Bulls front row and is a big try scoring threat from lineouts.
Willie Le Roux
A legend of the game, double world cup winning Springbok, Willie Le Roux, is one the best full-backs in world rugby. His kicking game is a super strength, and he is always a threat to opposition with time and space around the ball with his ability to pick out teammates with pinpoint passing or kicks in behind. The 36 year-old is top class and his reading of the game is huge for the Bulls.
Cheswill Jooste
A 19 year-old winger who has impressed in his opening minutes of senior rugby for the Bulls. The quick winger grabbed two scores against Ospreys, looking a big talent for the future with his agility.
