Cardiff host the Sharks in Round 4 of the United Rugby Championship at Cardiff Arms Park on Friday night. Both teams have won two of their opening three URC matches, with Cardiff sitting sixth on the table and the Sharks a point ahead of them in fifth.
Cardiff v Sharks, Friday 23rd October, Cardiff Arms Park, Cardiff, kick-off 20:45 SAST
Referee: Andrea Piardi (Italy)
Assistant Referees: Ben Whitehouse (Wales), Carwyn Sion (Wales)
TMO: Stefano Penne (Italy)
Weather Forecast – Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff began their season with a 21-15 victory away to the Scarlets before beating Zebre 40-27 at Cardiff Arms Park.
Their unbeaten start came to an end in Round 3 when they were well beaten by Leinster, going down 29-5 in Dublin.
Cardiff are sixth on the URC table with nine points from their opening three matches.
They made a number of changes for their opening Champions Cup match against Northampton Saints and were beaten 28-12 in difficult conditions.
Sharks
The Sharks made an excellent start to their URC campaign, beating the Ospreys 41-24 in Durban before claiming a 26-20 victory over defending champions Leinster.
They suffered their first defeat of the season in Round 3, going down 39-22 against the Stormers in Cape Town.
The Sharks are fifth on the table with ten points from their opening three matches.
They made several changes for their opening Challenge Cup match against Lyon but came away from France with an impressive and dramatic 40-33 victory.
Recent URC head-to-head results
27 March 2026: SHARKS 21-15 Cardiff – Durban
25 January 2025: Cardiff 22-42 SHARKS – Cardiff
18 May 2024: Sharks 14-36 CARDIFF – Durban
27 November 2022: Sharks 0-35 CARDIFF – Durban
16 October 2021: CARDIFF 23-17 Sharks – Cardiff
Cardiff have won three of the five URC meetings between the sides, although the Sharks have won the last two. The teams have met twice at Cardiff Arms Park, with one victory apiece.
Team news
Cardiff: Team to follow.
Sharks: Team to follow.
The Betting
Updated 20 October
Cardiff -2.5 points
Sharks +2.5 points
Odds quoted were available at the time of writing but are subject to change.
Betting angle
Bet to follow.
All our URC bets will be posted in the Round 4 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.
