The Bulls begin their 2026/27 Investec Champions Cup campaign against Stade Français at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria on Saturday.
The teams have been drawn in Pool 4 alongside Northampton Saints, Bath, Cardiff and Montpellier, making a winning start particularly important in the battle for qualification.
Bulls v Stade Français, Saturday 17th October, Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria, kick-off 14:00 SAST
Referee: Christophe Ridley (England)
Assistant Referees: George Selwood (England), Jamie Parr (England)
TMO: Aled Griffiths (Wales)
Weather Forecast – Pretoria
Bulls
The Bulls have won two of their opening three matches in the United Rugby Championship and head into Europe on the back of an emphatic performance.
They began their campaign with a convincing 47-13 bonus-point victory away to Zebre before losing a competitive match 26-22 against Munster at Thomond Park.
The Bulls returned to Loftus in Round 3 and completely outplayed the Lions, running in nine tries on their way to a dominant 57-15 victory.
That result moved the Pretoria side up to third on the URC table with 11 points from their opening three matches.
The Bulls are priced at 22/1 to win the Champions Cup.
Stade Français
Stade Français have made an inconsistent start to their Top 14 campaign, winning three and losing three of their opening six matches.
They began with a narrow 28-26 home victory over Perpignan before suffering consecutive away defeats against Clermont and Bordeaux.
The Paris-based side bounced back by beating Lyon 31-10 at home but then went down 35-32 away to Bayonne. They returned to winning ways in their final match before the Champions Cup, beating Montpellier 30-22 in Paris.
Stade Français reached the Top 14 semi-finals last season, where they were beaten 25-15 by Montpellier.
They are priced at 40/1 to win the Champions Cup.
Head-to-head
The teams have met once previously, also at Loftus Versfeld during the pool stage of the 2024/25 Champions Cup.
The Bulls dominated that encounter, winning 48-7.
Previous meeting
18 January 2025: BULLS 48-7 Stade Français – Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria
Team news
Bulls: 15 Luan Giliomee, 14 Sebastian de Klerk, 13 Sango Xamlashe, 12 Harold Vorster, 11 Cheswill Jooste, 10 Handre Pollard, 9 Paul de Wet, 8 Cameron Hanekom, 7 Elrigh Louw (captain), 6 Marco van Staden, 5 JF van Heerden, 4 Cobus Wiese, 3 Khutha Mchunu, 2 Jan-Hendrik Wessels, 1 Alu Tshakweni.
Replacements: 16 Johan Grobbelaar, 17 Gerhard Steenekamp, 18 Francois Klopper, 19 Jaco Grobbelaar, 20 Jeandre Rudolph, 21 Embrose Papier, 22 Stravino Jacobs, 23 Willie le Roux
Stade Français: Team to follow.
The Betting
Bulls -24.5
Stade Français +24.5
Betting angle
Bet to follow.
All our Champions Cup bets will be posted in the Round 1 betting blog.
See what other punters fancy and have your say in the Goodforthegame Rugby Forum thread.
Disclaimer: Odds are subject to change. Please gamble responsibly. No bet is guaranteed to win. Please only bet what you can afford to lose.
