Challenge Cup, Round One - Teams and Predictions

PREVIEW: South African interest takes centre stage as the 2026-27 EPCR Challenge Cup kicks off on Friday, with the Sharks chasing a strong start to their campaign in France and the Cheetahs facing a formidable test against in-form Aviron Bayonnais on Sunday.

The Sharks, the only South African team to have lifted the trophy, travel to Lyon determined to bounce back from their defeat to the Stormers and reignite their European ambitions. The Cheetahs, meanwhile, will look to make an early statement against a Bayonne side unbeaten at home in the Top 14 this season.

The competition kicks off on Friday with two intriguing opening-round clashes, as Dragons host USAP and Edinburgh Rugby welcome RC Toulon.

Saturday’s action begins with the Ospreys travelling to Tbilisi to face Black Lion, hoping to build on their 38-31 victory over the Dragons last weekend.

The Sharks travel to France to take on Lyon. The Durban-based side will be eager to bounce back from their disappointing defeat to the Stormers and make an early statement in a competition they have already won.

Lyon have endured a difficult spell, losing their last three matches, despite recording three victories in their opening six Top 14 outings. The Sharks will look to capitalise on that run of form as they begin their European campaign.

Zebre Parma host Ulster Rugby later on Saturday before Newcastle Red Bulls travel to the Scarlets to round off the day’s fixtures.

Sunday brings three more clashes, with the Cheetahs facing a stern examination away to Aviron Bayonnais, Harlequins taking on RC Vannes and Castres Olympique meeting Benetton Rugby.

Sharks out to revive European ambitions

The Sharks remain the only South African team to have won the EPCR Challenge Cup, lifting the trophy in 2024. They reached the Round of 16 last season and will be determined to improve on that performance as they begin another campaign.

Their trip to Lyon offers an early opportunity to respond after the disappointment of their defeat to the Stormers. The French side have recorded three wins in six Top 14 matches but arrive on the back of three consecutive defeats.

The Sharks will hope to exploit Lyon’s struggles and establish momentum from the outset, although playing away from home presents its own challenges.

But they will have to do it without their big star Springboks, who are all taking time off before joining the side on Sunday.

#TransferNews: Powerful Sharks lock signs for Stormers 👇#URC #Stormers #Sharks https://t.co/5Twt6zlAVD

— Rugby365 (@rugby365com) October 16, 2026

Cheetahs face formidable Bayonne challenge

The Cheetahs face one of their toughest assignments of the season when they travel to France to take on Aviron Bayonnais on Sunday.

Bayonne have made a strong start to their Top 14 campaign, winning four of their first six matches to sit fourth in the standings. They have also remained unbeaten at home in the league, leaving the Free Staters with a formidable challenge.

The Cheetahs will need to deliver a top-class performance if they are to upset the French side, but they will be determined to show they can compete at this level.

The Free Staters are entering their fifth consecutive season as an invitational participant in the EPCR Challenge Cup. Their best campaigns came in 2022-23 and 2023-24, when they progressed beyond the pool stage before losing in the Round of 16 to Toulon and Clermont, respectively.

The past two seasons have ended at the pool stage, and the Cheetahs will be keen to make further progress this time around.

Their task is complicated by the fact that, as an invitational team, they must play all their matches in Europe. Having previously based their home fixtures at the Netherlands National Rugby Stadium in Amsterdam, they will stage their designated home matches at St Helen’s Stadium in Swansea this season.

#TeamAnnouncement: Faf and Els get starting roles for Cheetahs in Challenge Cup opener 👇#ChallengeCup #Cheetahs https://t.co/HTouw05t3E

— Rugby365 (@rugby365com) October 16, 2026

Dragons’ milestone man eyes revenge against USAP

Friday’s clash between Dragons RFC and USAP will be a special occasion for Welsh international Rio Dyer, who is set to make his 100th appearance for the Dragons.

The milestone comes with an opportunity for the Welsh club to settle an old score against the French visitors at Rodney Parade.

The Dragons reached last season’s Challenge Cup semi-finals but suffered a defeat to Perpignan in the opening round. Their home meeting with USAP offers a chance to reverse that result and launch the new campaign on a positive note.

Ulster will be eager to make a strong start after consecutive seasons outside the Investec Champions Cup, a competition they had not missed before 2024-25.

Richie Murphy’s side reached last season’s Challenge Cup final, where they suffered a heavy defeat to Montpellier in Bilbao. Their domestic campaign also faltered, leaving them back in the second-tier competition for a second successive season.

Drawn alongside familiar United Rugby Championship opponents Zebre Parma and the Dragons, as well as French sides Bayonne and Perpignan, Ulster will target a return to the knockout stages.

They showed their ability to navigate the latter rounds last season by beating Racing 92, Exeter Chiefs and La Rochelle on their way to the final.

EPCR announces competition changes for 2026-27

Several rule changes have been introduced for the 2026-27 season, with the aim of increasing competitiveness and keeping matches meaningful until the final whistle.

Attacking bonus point: Teams will now earn an attacking bonus point when they score at least three more tries than their opponents.

Investec Champions Cup qualification: The top three teams in each pool will qualify automatically for the Round of 16. The remaining four places will be awarded to the four teams with the most match points across the four pools, regardless of pool.

EPCR Challenge Cup qualification: The three highest-ranked teams in each pool will automatically progress to the Round of 16. The remaining three places will go to the teams with the most match points across the three pools, regardless of pool. Four teams will also drop down from the Investec Champions Cup to complete the Round of 16 lineup.

With the Sharks aiming to reignite their European campaign, the Cheetahs facing a major challenge in France and several familiar names chasing early momentum, the opening round promises plenty of intrigue.

Friday, 16 October 

Dragons RFC v USAP
(Rodney Parade, Gwent – Kick-off: 20.00 BST; 21.00 CEST; 19.00 GMT)

Prediction: Dragons by six points

Teams:

Dragons RFC: 15 Tinus de Beer, 14 Rio Dyer, 13 Fine Inisi, 12 Aneurin Owen, 11 Jared Rosser, 10 Jac Lloyd, 9 Che Hope, 8 Harri Keddie, 7 Harry Beddall, 6 Shane Lewis-Hughes, 5 Ben Carter (captain), 4 Barny Langton-Cryer, 3 Owain James, 2 Brodie Coghtan, 1 Rhodri Jones
Replacements: 16 Elliot Dee, 17 Wyn Jones, 18 Dillon Lewis, 19 Matthew Screech, 20 Evan Minto, 21 Rhodri Williams, 22 Fetuli Paea, 23 Anzelo Tuitavuki

USAP: 15 Tristan Tedder, 14 Seta Toganiyadrava, 13 Sevu Reece, 12 Jeronimo de la Fuente (captain), 11 Maxim Granell, 10 Jake McIntyer, 9 Luke McGrath, 8 Adnro Dvali, 7 Jules Coulon, 6 Jaco van Tonder, 5 Mathieu Tanguy, 4 Bastien Chinarro, 3 Marco Riccioni, 2 Sama Malolo, 1 Lorencio Boyer-Gallardo
Replacements: 16 Mathys Lotrian, 17 Giorgi Tetrashvili, 18 Brad Amituanai, 19 Lucas Velarte, 20 Simon Taty, 21 Posolo Tuilagi, 22 Antoine Aucagne, 23 Diego Mascarenc

Referee: Hanru van Rooyen
Assistant Referees: Alex Thomas, Hamish Grant
TMO: David Rose

Edinburgh v RC Toulon
(Hive Stadium, Edinburgh – Kick-off: 20.00 BST; 21.00 CEST; 19.00 GMT)

Prediction: Edinburgh by four points

Teams:

Edinburgh: 15 Piers O’Conor; 14 Darcy Graham, 13 Matt Currie (co-captain), 12 Mosese Tuipulotu, 11 Malelili Satala; 10 James Grayson, 9 Hector Patterson; 8 Magnus Bradbury (co-captain), 7 Freddy Douglas, 6 Tom Currie, 5 Glen Young, 4 Callum Hunter-Hill, 3 Ollie Blyth-Lafferty, 2 Ewan Ashman, 1 Pierre Schoeman
Replacements: 16 Jerry Blyth-Lafferty, 17 Jamie Stewart, 18 Paul Hill, 19 Grant Gilchrist, 20 Euan McVie, 21 Conor McAlpine, 22 Geordie Gwynn, 23 Rory McHaffie

Toulon: 15 Melvyn Jaminet; 14 Setariki Tuicuvu, 13 Antoine Frisch, 12 Jérémy Sinzelle, 11 Apete Narogo; 10 Matéo Garcia, 9 Ben White (captain); 8. Patrick Tuifua, 7 Esteban Abadie, 6 Zach Mercer, 5 Corentin Mezou, 4 Swan Rebbadj, 3. Beka Gigashvili, 2 Gianmarco Lucchesi, 1 Jean-Baptiste Gros
Replacements: 16 Teddy Baubigny, 17 Samuel Jean-Christophe, 18 Owen Sorhaindo, 19 Luciano Asevedo, 20 Lewis Ludlam, 21 Joe Quere Karaba, 22 Baptiste Serin, 23 Luka Keletaona.

Referee: Ben Breakspear
Assistant Referees: Carwyn Sion, Lloyd Edwards
TMO: Dan Jones

Saturday, 17 October 

Lyon v Sharks
(Matmut Stadium, Lyon – Kick-off: 14.00 CEST; 14.00 SAST; 12.00 GMT)

Prediction: Lyon by five points

Teams:

Lyon:15 Gabin Lorre, 14 Alfred Parisien, 13 Josiah Maraku, 12 Adrien Seguret, 11 Monty Ioane, 10 Paddy Jackson, 9 Baptiste Couilloud, 8 Maxime Gouzou, 7 Liam Allen, 6 Dylan Cretin, 5 Janse Roux, 4 Mickael Guillard, 3 Matteo Nocera, 2 Camille Chat, 1 Thomas Gallo.
Replacements: 16 Mathis Sarragallet, 17 Hamza Kaabeche, 18 Thomas Marceline, 19 Marvin Okuya, 20 Lilian Baret, 21 Sanele Nohamba, 22 Léo Berdeu, 23 Thibaut Regard.

Sharks: 15 Zekhethelo Siyaya, 14 Jaco Williams, 13 Suleiman Hartzenberg, 12 Murray Koster, 11 Lili Bester, 10 Jordan Hendrikse, 9 Ivan van Zyl, 8 Nick Hatton (captain), 7 Manu Tshituka, 6 Matt Romao, 5 Deon Slabbert, 4 Stephan Lewies, 3 Hanro Jacobs, 2 Ethan Bester, 1 Phatu Ganyane.
Replacements: 16 Esethu Mnebelele, 17 Cameron Dawson, 18 Nemo Roelofse, 19 Emile van Heerden, 20 Tinotenda Mavesere, 21 Bradley Davids, 22 Gianni Lombard, 23 Jurenzo Julius.

Referee: Federico Vedovelli
Assistant Referees: Daniele Pompa, Matteo Angelo Locatelli
TMO: Stefano Penne

Black Lion v Ospreys
(Avchala Stadium, Tbilisi – Kick-off: 16.00 GET; 13.00 BST; 12.00 GMT)

Prediction: Ospreys by seven points

Teams:

Black Lion:15 Luka Tsirekidze, 14 Akaki Tabutsadze, 13 Luka Tabatadze, 12 Data Akhvlediani, 11 Romani Makhatadze, 10 Giorgi Babunashvili, 9 Giorgi Spenderashvili, 8 Potu Leavasa, 7 Lasha Tsikhistavi, 6 Luka Narsia, 5 Michael Curry, 4 Mikheil Babunashvili (captain), 3 Nika Khatiashvili, 2 Irakli Kvatadze, 1 Dato Abdushelishvili.
Replacements: 16 Vakhtang Jincharadze, 17 Giorgi Mamaiashvili, 18 Giorgi Chkhartishvili, 19 Lado Chachanidze, 20 Sandro Mamamtavrishvili, 21 Otar Giorgadze, 22 Temur Dzodzuashvili, 23 Otar Metreveli.

Ospreys: 15 Lewis Edwards, 14 Luke Morgan, 13 Owen Watkin (captain), 12 Lalakai Foketi, 11 Iestyn Hopkins, 10 Lawson Creighton, 9 Reuben Morgan-Williams, 8 Morgan Morse, 7 Gwilym Evans, 6 Huw Sutton, 5 Ryan Smith, 4 Lewis Jones, 3 Ben Warren, 2 Lewis Lloyd, 1 Steffan Thomas.
Replacements: 16 Efan Daniel, 17 Cameron Jones, 18 Kian Hire, 19 Ben Roberts, 20 Morgan Morris, 21 Luke Davies, 22 Harri Wilde, 23 Evardi Boshoff.

Referee: Benoit Rousselet
Assistant Referees: Remi Aigubonne, Tomas Chereque
TMO: Herve Lasusa

Zebre v Ulster
(Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi, Parma – Kick-off: 16.15 CEST, 15.15 BST, 14.15 GMT)

Prediction: Ulster by 10 points

Teams:

Zebre: 15 Giovanni Montemauri, 14 Giulio Bertaccini, 13 Marco Zanon, 12 Damiano Mazza, 11 Tobias Wade, 10 Giacomo da Re, 9 Alessandro Fusco (captain), 8 Giovanni Licata, 7 Bautista Stavile Bravin, 6 Giacomo Ferrari, 5 Alessandro Ortombina, 4 Francesco Ruffolo, 3 Juan Barbotti, 2 Tommaso di Bartolomeo, 1 Sergio Pelliccioli.
Replacements: 16 Giampietro Ribaldi, 17 Federico Pisani, 18 Francisco Minervino, 19 Leonard Krumov, 20 Jacopo Botturi, 21 Patricio Baronio, 22 Riccardo Casarin, 23 Mirko Belloni.

Ulster: 15 Jacob Stockdale, 14 Robert Baloucoune, 13 Daniel Hawkshaw, 12 Jake Flannery, 11 Zac Ward, 10 Jamie Benson, 9 Nathan Doak, 8 Juarno Augustus, 7 David McCann (captain), 6 James McKilllop, 5 Cormac Izuchukwu, 4 Harry Sheridan, 3 Keynan Knox, 2 Henry Walker, 1 Tom O’Toole
Replacements: 16 Tom Stewart, 17 Eric O’Sullivan, 18 Scott Wilson, 19 Joe Hopes, 20 Martin Moloney, 21 Matthew Devine, 22 Jack Murphy, 23 Michael Lowry

Referee: Ben Connor
Assistant Referees: Rhys Jones, Marcus Caudle
TMO: Adam Jones

Scarlets v Newcastle Red Bulls
(Parc y Scarlets, Llanelli – Kick-off: 20.00 BST; 19.00 GMT)

Prediction: Scarlets by 15 points

Teams:

Scarlets: 15 Blair Murray, 14 Ellis Mee, 13 Joe Roberts, 12 Johnny Williams, 11 Macs Page, 10 Sam Costelow, 9 Gareth Davies, 8 Fletcher Anderson, 7 Josh Macleod (captain), 6 Sam Lousi, 5 Alex Groves, 4 Harvey Cuckson, 3 Harri O’Connor, 2 John McKee, 1 Kemsley Mathias.
Replacements: 16 Ryan Elias, 17 Sam O’Connor, 18 Gabe Hawley, 19 Taine Plumtree, 20 Dan Davis, 21 Dane Blacker, 22 Joe Hawkins, 23 Eddie James

Newcastle Red Bulls: 15 Josh Hodge, 14 Obi Ene, 13 Chris Harris, 12 Cameron Hutchison, 11 Brandon Jackson, 10 Jake Dalziel, 9 James Elliott, 8 Sam Graham (captain), 7 Ollie Leatherbarrow, 6 Allan Ferrie, 5 Franco Molina, 4 Finn Baker, 3 Francisco Moreno, 2 Ollie Fletcher, 1 Tom West.
Replacements: 16 Samson Adejimi, 17 Adam Brocklebank, 18 Murray McCallum, 19 Oscar Usher, 20 Max Hicks, 21 Simón Benítez Cruz, 22 Brett Connon, 23 Oli Spencer.

Referee: Evan Urruzmendi
Assistant Referees: Anthony Lac, Ludovic Lespes
TMO: Jean Lespes

Sunday, 18 October

Aviron Bayonnais v Cheetahs
(Stade Jean Dauger, Bayonne – Kick-off: 14.00 CEST; 14.00 SAST; 12.00 GMT)

Prediction: Bayonne by nine points

Teams:

Aviron Bayonnais:15 Yohan Orabe, 14 Madosh Tambwe, 13 Guillaume Martocq, 12 Federico Mori, 11 Viliame Tutuvuli, 10 Rob du Preez, 9 Baptiste Tilloles, 8 Giovanni Habel-Kuffner (captain), 7 Baptiste Heguy, 6 Mahno Dealle Facquez, 5 Brian Alainu’uese, 4 Manus van Leeuwen, 3 Luke Tagi, 2 Facundo Bosch, 1 Ignacio Calles.
Replacements: 16 Lucas Martin, 17 Swan Cormenier, 18 Lasha Macharashvili, 19 Lucas Paulos, 20 Hugo Leclerq, 21 Herschel Jantjies, 22 Bastien Rasal, 23 Tom Spring.

Cheetahs: 15 Henry Immelman, 14 Michael Annies, 13 Carel-Jan Coetzee, 12 Zander Du Plessis, 11 Prince Nkabinde, 10 Tiaan Swanepoel, 9 Faf de Klerk, 8 Carl Els, 7 Simon Miller, 6 Neels Volschenk, 5 Victor Sekekete, 4 Carl Wegner, 3 Frankie Dos Reis, 2 Louis van der Westhuizen, 1 Matome Manyama.
Replacements: 16 Jaundre Schoeman, 17 Tebogo Nkosi, 18 Ben Pitout, 19 Aidon Davis, 20 Siya Ningiza, 21 Erich Visser, 22 Cohen Jasper, 23 Marco Jansen van Vuren.

Referee: Peter Martin
Assistant Referees: Keane Davison, Jack MacNeice
TMO: Leo Colgan

Harlequins v RC Vannes
(Twickenham Stoop, Twickenham – Kick-off: 13.00 BST; 14.00 CEST, 12.00 GMT)

Prediction: Harlequins by 12 points

Teams:

Harlequins: 15 George Furbank, 14 Rodrigo Isgró, 13 Luke Northmore, 12 Bryn Bradley, 11 Cadan Murley (captain), 10 Marcus Smith, 9 Lucas Friday, 8 Lucas Schmid, 7 Seb Driscoll, 6 Guido Petti Pagadizábal, 5 Kieran Treadwell, 4 James Dun, 3 Simon Kerrod, 2 Sam Riley, 1 Will Hobson
Replacements: 16 Jimmy Staples, 17 Harry Johnson-Holmes, 18 Ollie Streeter, 19 Elliot Williams, 20 Harry Browne, 21 Will Evans, 22 Will Porter, 23 Tyrone Green

RC Vannes:15 Joe Jonas, 14 Paul Bard, 13 Marin Boulier, 12 Inia Tabuavou, 11 Enzo Benmegal, 10 Jean Cotarmanac’h, 9 Simione Kuruvoli, 8 Rudi Brown, 7 Steeve Blanc-Mappaz, 6 Bautista Pedemonte, 5 Matteo Desjeux, 4 Thomas Ployet, 3 Santiago Medrano, 2 Theo Beziat, 1 Wayan de Benedittis.
Replacements: 16 Hayam El Bibouji, 17 Hugo Djehi, 18 Simon Bourgeois, 19 Jesse Stegenhuis, 20 Basile Paul, 21 Mikheil Alania, 22 Robin Gicquel, 23 Robin Taccola.

Referee: Sara Cox
Assistant Referees: Harry Walbaum, Jamie Leahy
TMO: Peter Allan

Castres Olympique v Benetton
(Stade Pierre-Fabre, Castres – Kick-off: 18.30 CEST; 16.30 GMT)

Prediction: Castres by seven points

Teams:

Castres Olympique:

Benetton: 15 Matt Gallagher, 14 Louis Lynagh, 13 François Mey, 12 Leonardo Marin, 11 Federico Zanandrea, 10 Jacob Umaga, 9 Alessandro Garbisi, 8 Michele Lamaro (captain), 7 Giulio Marini, 6 Isaia Walker-Leawere, 5 Federico Ruzza, 4 Niccolò Cannone, 3 Simone Ferrari, 2 Bautista Bernasconi, 1 Matias Medrano.
Replacements: 16 Nicholas Gasperini, 17 Ivan Nemer, 18 Giosué Zilocchi, 19 Mattia Midena, 20 Anthony Miranda, 21 Andy Uren, 22 Rhyno Smith, 23 Onisi Ratave

Referee: Morne Ferreira
Assistant Referees: Ru Campbell, Ciaran Stark
TMO: Marius Jonker