Champions Cup week 2 preview: Springboks back in action for South African sides

Week 1 was something of a mixed bag of results for the South African teams in the Champions Cup.

While a much-depleted Stormers outfit pulled off an impressive 26-17 win over Bayonne away from home, the Bulls suffered a 33-46 defeat at the hands of defending champions Bordeaux Begles at Loftus Versfeld and the Sharks were thrashed 19-56 by Toulouse at Stade Ernest-Wallon.

With the three teams selecting a plethora of Springboks after the recently concluded November internationals series, they will be looking to seize the advantage against tough opposition in Week 2.

Stormers vs La Rochelle

Date: Saturday 13 December

Venue: Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Gqeberha

Time: 15:00

The Stormers have enjoyed an incredible start to the 2025-26 campaign, having gone unbeaten in all competitions and will be hoping to extend that run against La Rochelle on Saturday.

Their win over Bayonne in Week 1 of the Champions Cup was particularly impressive given how dominant their scrum was, showing they have taken a leaf out of the Springboks' playbook.

With nine Springboks featuring in their team for the Week 2 clash against La Rochelle, they will be expecting an even stronger performance and looking for a win to propel them to the top of Group 3.

Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu and Cobus Reinach will partner up at halfback in a combination forged by fire during the November internationals and pose a significant threat to La Rochelle.

Warrick Gelant has recovered from an illness and is fit enough to start at fullback after Damian Willemse was ruled out with a minor hamstring strain - he is expected to return in Week 3.

Both sides have made a habit of effecting turnovers so far this season, so the breakdowns could be chaos and it is important to get on top in this area of the game to gain an advantage in what is likely to be a closely-fought encounter.

La Rochelle have a dangerous lineout-maul combination and the Stormers will need to maintain their discipline in their own half to avoid giving penalties that will allow the visitors to exploit this strength.

The Stormers' form and suedo-home ground advantage give them the edge in what promises to be a thrilling encounter at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium.

Sharks vs Saracens

Date: Saturday 13 December

Venue: Kings Park Stadium

Time: 17:15

After being humbled by Toulouse in the opening round of the Champions Cup last week, the Sharks will be hoping the return of several key players will help them get the better of Saracens and their campaign back on track in Week 2.

Saracens experienced much-different fortunes in Week 1, having thrashed Clermont 47-10 for a near-perfect start to their campaign and they will be all too aware that another win over the Sharks will put them in a prime position to qualify from Group 1 for the playoffs.

Versatile centre Andre Esterhuizen is back in the Sharks lineup and will captain the side in what will be his 100th cap for the KwaZulu-Natal outfit. His experience, skill and sheer size will be crucial for the Sharks as they look to turn what has been a disappointing season so far around.

In addition to Esterhuizen, the Sharks also welcome back Springbok captain Siya Kolisi, whose leadership will be invaluable to getting the side back in form and will provide the perfect foil to assist Esterhuizen in leading the side.

Grant Williams returns at scrumhalf and experienced hooker Bongi Mbonambi is back in the front row, while exciting fullback Aphelele Fassi - who has been out of action since September with an ankle injury - is fit again and will start against Saracens.

An already challenging outing for the Sharks was made even more complicated after John Plumtree stepped down as head coach after their defeat to Toulouse, with former Springbok star JP Pietersen stepping into an interim role, leaving the Sharks in something of a transitional period.

They will be hoping the experience and skill of their returning Springboks will be able to mitigate some of the upheaval but it is far from ideal against a settled and motivated Saracens side.

Bulls vs Northampton Saints

Date: Sunday 14 December

Venue: cinch Stadium, Northampton

Time: 17:15

The Bulls looked impressive for large portions of their Week 1 defeat to Bordeaux but will need to shore up their defence to avoid suffering a similar fate against an impressive Northampton Saints outfit, who stole a gritty 35-27 win over Section Paloise a week ago.

With ball in hand, the Bulls looked as good as any team in the competition against Bordeaux but there is no question they fell short on defence after allowing the French side to score 46 points.

If they can stabilise that weakness, their attacking potential gives them every chance to get their campaign back on track. However, it will be a challenging ask away from home against a determined and motivated opposition.

The Pretoria side was unfortunately not able to call on the likes of Handre Pollard, Wilco Louw or Ruan Nortje as the trio are serving mandatory rest periods after their tour with the Springboks.

However, the Bulls still boast nine Springboks in their lineup to take on Northampton, including veteran Nizaam Carr who returns from a lengthy spell on the sidelines with injury to provide a timely boost of skill and leadership to the Bulls pack.

He is joined in the loose trio by Cobus Wiese while Gerhard Steenekamp will be an imposing presence in the front row of the scrum.

In the backline, the Bulls will be leaning on the experience of Willie le Roux to provide some stability on defence while also expecting him to provide a crucial attacking outlet when they have ball in hand.

There is no question that Northampton have the upper hand on home soil but the experience the Bulls have in their squad for the match means they have every chance of causing an upset if they can get firing on all cylinders. They will need a fast start, though, as it would get exponentially more challenging for them if they were to fall behind early.

READ MORE: Salmaan Moerat warns Stormers must get their discipline right against La Rochelle