Lions vs Bulls Predictions - The Lions tipped to continue home dominance in a Currie Cup clash

Nigel Williams

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Last updated: 01 Aug 2026

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Nigel Williams 01 Aug 2026

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Lions have won 4 of last 5 home games; strong form.
Bulls struggle away with heavy injury toll and poor results.
Lions tipped to cover -15.5 handicap in derby match.

Expired

The Lions tipped to continue home dominance in a Currie Cup clash (Getty Images)

Lions vs Bulls Predictions

The Lions are favourites given their recent home record. My best bet is the Lions to cover the -15.5 handicap at home.

Lions vs Bulls Predictions
Head-to-Head
Lions Form
Lions Injuries & Team News
Bulls Form
Bulls Injuries & Team News

Lions have won 4 of their last 5 home matches.
Lions beat the Pumas 52-29 in their last home match.
Lions have won 2 of the last 5 matches against the Bulls.
Bulls have lost 4 of their last 5 away matches.
Bulls lost 56-26 to Griquas in their last away match.

Head-to-Head

The Lions have won two of the last five meetings against the Bulls.

Lions Form

The Lions secured a dominant 52–29 bonus-point victory over the Pumas at Ellis Park in Johannesburg, bouncing back from their opening-round defeat. The home side ran in seven tries to the visitors' four, with flanker Jarod Cairns and fullback Latica Nela each scoring a brace.

Even when down to 14 men after a yellow card, the Lions didn't concede any points and held firm with a brilliant seven-man scrum.

The Lions have been strong at home, winning four of the last five matches. They beat the Bulls (44-5), Griquas (37-7) and Boland Cavaliers (67-19), before losing against Griquas (27-25) and a win against the Pumas (52-29).

The Lions are third in the Currie Cup table with seven points from two matches.

Lions Injuries & Team News

The venue will not be Ellis Park, instead the Lions will host the Bulls in a Round Three fixture at the UJ Stadium (capacity 10,000), in the Johannesburg suburb of Westdene.

Starting XV: 1 Morgan Naude, 2 Mahle Sithole, 3 Conraad van Vuuren, 4 Dylan Sjoblom, 5 Ruan Delport, 6 Thando Biyela, 7 Jarod Cairns, 8 Morne Venter, 9 Asad Moos, 10 Sam Francis, 11 Rabz Maxwane, 12 Rynhardt Jonker, 13 Likhona Finca, 14 Keagan Smith, 15 Gilermo Mentoe.

Replacements: 16 Ruan Welman, 17 Cecil Parsons, 18 Ruan Swart, 19 Marco Ferreira, 20 Renzo Du Plessis, 21 Zian Cilliers, 22 Matthew Coetzee, 23 Exauce Tshiamala.

Bulls Form

The Bulls lost 56-26 away to a dominant Griquas side in their previous match at Suzuki Stadium in Kimberley. This marked a second consecutive defeat for the Pretoria side, leaving them at the bottom of the table.

The Bulls have struggled on the road, winning against the Stormers (48-23), before losing to Boland (28-20), the Lions (44-5), Boland (24-10), and Griquas (56-26).

The Bulls are bottom (eighth) in the Currie Cup table with one point from two matches.

Bulls Injuries & Team News

The Bulls enter the derby with a heavy injury toll nearing 20 players, forcing major leadership and positional changes. Experienced lock Nicolaas Janse van Rensburg will take over the team captaincy in place of the injured Xaba.

Starting XV: 1 Damian Baker, 2 Jaundre Schoeman, 3 Dian Coetzee, 4 Sintu Manjezi, 5 Nicolaas Janse van Rensburg, 6 Kebotile Maake, 7 Heinrich Theron, 8 Thomas Beling, 9 Hendre Schoeman, 10 Keagan Johannes, 11 Lindsey Jansen, 12 Christiaan Vlok, 13 Hakeem Kunene, 14 Riyaad Bam, 15 Devon Williams.

Replacements: 16 Siphosethu Mnebelele, 17 Dylan Smith, 18 Jean Erasmus, 19 Johnathan Eloff, 20 Abongile Nonkontwana, 21 Cephas van Biljon, 22 Akahluwa Boqwana, 23 Xhanti Pongolo.