STATS: The URC semifinalists over the years

SPOTLIGHT: History will not tell us what the 2025/26 United Rugby Championship semifinals hold, but it sure gives us a glimpse into how the qualifying teams got there.

Glasgow Warriors will host the Bulls at Murrayfield in the first URC semifinal on Saturday, with Leinster hosting the Stormers at the Aviva Stadium later in the day.

The South Africans marched into the last four with convincing wins at home, with the Bulls dominating Munster and the Stormers overcoming Cardiff.

In the Northern Hemisphere, Glasgow Warriors battled past a plucky Connacht outfit, while Leinster tore the Lions apart to bag a victory.

The results saw the Scottish and Irish teams book home semifinals after finishing in first and second position on the log after the regular season.

While it’s been a mixed bag for Glasgow and the Bulls, the winner of Leinster v Stormers contests has always been the home side.

The only exception was in March 2023, when their game ended in a 22-all draw at RDS Arena.

We look at past results between the semifinalists and how history has played out since the start of the URC in the competition’s current form.

Glasgow Warriors v Bulls: Their History

The teams have faced each other five times in the URC, with Glasgow coming out on top in three of those meetings, while the Bulls have claimed two.

The home team won their last three games against Connacht (33-21, quarterfinal), Ulster (22-26), and Cardiff (40-17), while they lost their two tour matches in South Africa against the Stormers (12-48) in Round 16 and the Lions (12-54) in Round 15 before returning to Europe.

Franco Smith’s group have scored 19 tries across their last five games.

The Bulls, meanwhile, go into the semis with a five-match winning streak after registering wins against Munster (45-14, quarterfinal), Benetton (45-19), and Zebre (55-19) at home, while they also overcame Scarlets (21-23) and the Dragons (7-47) away.

Johan Ackermann’s charges have scored 30 tries in their last five matches.

While Glasgow have scored first in only two of their last five games, the Bulls have opened the scoring in every one of their clashes since Round 15.

Between these two teams, the home side have won 60 percent of matches in their history, while the team to score the first try has gone on to win in 40 percent of their encounters.

Continues below…

Season Stats:

Glasgow Warriors

According to the numbers, Glasgow ranks second in attack.

They have scored 512 points and 77 tries and performed 118 offloads and 172 clean breaks, while they have beaten 547 defenders and have covered 8914 metres.

On defence, Glasgow are ranked 11th with 2856 tackles attempted and 2498 completed for a success rate of 82 percent. They have won 106 turnovers and lost 252.

Glasgow trail the other semifinalists in the kicking department, with 58 conversions scored and 15 missed, one penalty connected and one sent wide.

They have made 406 kicks from hand and retained 65. They have scored three tries from kicks and covered 10449 metres with the boot.

The Scotsmen are sixth in the scrummaging department with 95 scrums won and nine lost for a success rate of 91 percent. They have snatched 24 scrum penalties.

Only the Sharks rank higher than Glasgow when it comes to the line-out.

They have won 285 line-outs and lost 31 for a success rate of 90 percent, while they’ve poached 27 of the opposition’s balls.

Glasgow have conceded the most penalties of the four play-off teams, 190.

In terms of discipline, they have been guilty of 39 scrum offences, seven line-out offences, and have copped nine yellow cards.

Bulls

The Pretoria side lead the attack stats.

They have scored 611 points and 88 tries, while they have made 169 offloads and 189 clean breaks, beaten 420 defenders, and have racked up 8904 metres.

The Bulls are 14th on defence, with 2754 tackles attempted and 2352 completed for a success rate of 77 percent. They have won 118 turnovers and lost 297.

The Bulls’ kicking game is ranked ninth. They have slotted 62 conversions and missed 25, sent 14 penalties through the sticks and missed six, while they’ve completed 449 kicks from hand and retained 77.

They have scored six tries from kicks and covered 11288 metres with their kicks.

The Bulls are the top scrummaging team in the URC semifinals, with 120 scrums won and just five lost for a winning percentage of 96 percent. They have won 44 scrum penalties.

The official URC stats place the Bulls at No.11 in the line-out section, with 223 won and 26 lost (90 percent). They have made 19 steals at the set-piece.

In the discipline section, they’ve been yellow-carded 11 times and have conceded 186 penalties.

In terms of scrum and line-out offences, they have been responsible for 36 and 10, respectively.

Glasgow Warriors v Bulls URC Results:

Oct 24, 2025: Glasgow Warriors 21 – 12 Bulls (Scotstoun Stadium)

Apr 25, 2025: Glasgow Warriors 19 – 26 Bulls (Scotstoun Stadium)

Jun 22, 2024: Bulls 16 – 21 Glasgow Warriors (Grand Final, Loftus Versfeld)

May 11, 2024: Bulls 40 – 34 Glasgow Warriors (Loftus Versfeld)

Oct 8, 2022: Glasgow Warriors 35 – 21 Bulls (Scotstoun Stadium)

Leinster v Stormers: Their History

Leinster have faced the Stormers five times in the URC, winning just once, while the Stormers have beaten them three times.

One match, a Round 16 clash at RDS Arena in 2023, ended in a draw.

Leo Cullen’s unit dismantled the Lions for a 59-10 quarterfinal win at the Aviva Stadium after thumping Ospreys 68-14 at home.

In Round 17, a late surge helped them sink the Lions 31-7 in Dublin, while they went down to Benetton by 26 points to 29 at Stadio Monigo in Round 16.

In Round 15, they secured a 21-29 result over Ulster at Affidea Stadium.

The Irish giants have scored 32 tries in their last five URC games.

The Stormers have won just two of their last five outings.

Prior to their 44-21 quarterfinal win over Cardiff, they suffered a 22-16 defeat against the same team at Arms Park after drawing level with Ulster (38-38) in Round 17 away.

Round 16 saw them soar to a 48-12 thrashing of Glasgow in Cape Town, while Connacht handed them a 24-33 disappointment in front of their home crowd in Round 15.

The Capetonians have scored 21 tries in their last five outings.

Leinster have grabbed the first try in all five of their last matches, while the Stormers have scored first in only two of their last five fixtures.

Season Stats:

Leinster

The Champions Cup runners-up stats are ranked third on attack.

The Dubliners have scored 574 points and 86 tries, while they have made 169 offloads and 193 clean breaks. They have left 410 defenders in the dust and have accumulated 8906 metres.

Leinster are 13th in the defence column, with 2852 tackles attempted and 2431 completed for a success rate of 78 percent. They have won 113 turnovers and lost 264.

The defending champions are sixth in the kicks department. They have kicked 63 conversions and missed 23, scored six penalties and missed two, while they’ve completed 502 kicks from hand and retained 98.

They have scored two tries from kicks and have covered 12544 metres of ground with kicks.

Leinster are No.10 when it comes to the scrum, with 102 won and 11 lost (90 percent). They have won 37 scrum penalties.

They feature in fifth spot in the line-out department, having won 233 line-outs and losing 20 for a 92 percent success rate. They have managed 22 steals.

Among the semifinal teams, they have conceded the most yellow cards, 16, while they have also been shown cards. They have also been charged with 52 scrum offences and eight at the line-out.

Stormers

The inaugural URC winners come in seventh on the attack charts.

They have scored 548 points and 69 tries, performed 122 offloads and 136 clean breaks, and have beaten 413 defenders and gathered 6599 metres.

The coastal team are 15th on defence, with 2584 tackles attempted and 2192 completed for a success rate of 78 percent. They have won 100 turnovers and lost 270.

The Stormers are the highest-placed team in terms of kicking stats.

They have kicked 49 conversions and missed 17, sent 33 penalties over and missed 15, while they’ve completed 500 kicks from hand and retained 116.

They have scored four tries from kicks and have gained 13020 metres from the boot.

The Stormers have won 123 scrums and have lost 11 for a 92 percent success rate. They have won the most scrum penalties in the competition, 62.

John Dobson’s team are third in the line-outs stats. They have won 289 line-outs and have lost 25 for a 92 percent success rate. They have stolen the fourth most line-out balls, 25.

The Stormers have conceded 180 penalties this season. They have accumulated 15 yellow cards, while they’ve conceded 40 scrum penalties and 11 line-out offences.

Leinster v Stormers URC Results:

Sep 26, 2025: Stormers 35 – 0 Leinster (Cape Town Stadium)

Jan 25, 2025: Leinster 36 – 12 Stormers (Aviva Stadium)

Apr  27, 2024: Stormers 42 – 12 Leinster (Cape Town Stadium)

Mar 24, 2023: Leinster 22 – 22 Stormers (RDS Arena)

Apr 30, 2022: Stormers 20 – 13 Leinster (Cape Town Stadium)