South Africa’s franchises got off to a mixed start in the EPCR Challenge Cup.
The Sharks managed a late win away at Lou Rugby, while the Cheetahs rued a late decision to not take 3 points.
Here’s how the Challenge Cup first-round games went for the South African teams.
Sharks vs Lou Rugby
First half
The Sharks won their high-intensity opener against Lou (Lyon Olympique Universitaire) Rugby on 17 October at Stade de Gerland.
The Durban side got on the board first when Lili Bester found space after a strong rolling maul (Sharks 5-0 Lou).
They extended their lead through a brilliant interception by Jaco Williams, which Jordan Hendrikse converted (Sharks 12-0 Lou).
Lou then hit back, passing it wide as Adrien Seguret got the five points (Sharks 12-7 Lou).
The hosts took the lead again when Monty Ioane burst through the defence and dotted down (Sharks 12-14 Lou).
However, the visitors took the lead back a few minutes later after Manu Tshituka muscled his way over (Sharks 19-14 Lou).
Second half
Lou started strongly and converted that pressure into a converted try (Sharks 19-21 Lou).
After another dominant scrum, Hendrikse missed a chance to put the Sharks ahead from the kicking tee.
The Sharks made a period of strong work count, with captain Nick Hatton adding the points (Sharks 26-21 Lou).
Zekhethelo Siyaya capped a fantastic outing with a try at 62 minutes (Sharks 33-21 Lou).
The visitors remained in the hunt as Gabin Lorre scored their 4th try (Sharks 33-26 Lou).
The Sharks looked to have put it to bed after back-and-forth play, leading to Bradley Davids scoring.
However, the try was disallowed after the TMO pinged Stephan Lewies for colliding with Paddy Jackson.
Finally, Baptiste Couilloud got his team level in the final minutes (Sharks 33-33 Lou).
With nothing on the clock, Bester got his brace from a slick Siyaya offload to seal a first Challenge Cup win this season.
Final score: Sharks 40 – 33 Lou Rugby.
Absolute Cinema 🤩🔥
— Sharks Rugby Club (@SharksRugby) October 17, 2026
European Rugby at its best!#HollywoodbetsSharks #ChallengeCupRugby pic.twitter.com/8ldWClrBDe
Cheetahs vs Aviron Bayonnais
First half
The Cheetahs won/lost their clash with Aviron Bayonnais (Bayonne) on 18 October at Stade Jean Dauger.
The visitors were on the scoreboard first after Tiaan Swanepoel sunk his penalty attempt after just 3 minutes.
The Cheetahs moved into a comfortable lead when Michael Annies scored in the corner (Cheetahs 10-0 Bayonne).
5 minutes later, Bayonne hit back with a Facundo Bosch try from the rolling maul (Cheetahs 10-5 Bayonne).
They took the lead on the quarter mark through Federico Mori, with Rob du Preez slotting the conversion (Cheetahs 10-12 Bayonne).
Swanepoel put the South Africans back in front with another penalty kick (Cheetahs 13-12 Bayonne).
Yohan Orabe was next to put points on the board for the hosts, after a clean lineout steal (Cheetahs 13-17 Bayonne).
Bayonne continued to squeeze the visitors – Bosch scored his second try from the maul to take the score to 22-13 at halftime.
Second half
The Cheetahs got the first points of the second 40 after Carel-Jan Coetzee chased down a kick into space (Cheetahs 20-22 Bayonne).
The visitors then regained the lead when Louis van der Westhuizen rumbled his way over (Cheetahs 27-22 Bayonne).
It took another 15 minutes for the hosts to score again, with Herschel Jantjies making a long run to the try line (Cheetahs 27-29 Bayonne).
The Cheetahs then turned down a kick at goal to push for a try, eventually turning over the ball.
Time then ran out for the South Africans, getting their EPCR Challenge Cup campaign started with a loss.
Final score: Cheetahs 27 – 29 Aviron Bayonnais
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