Next up: DHL Stormers

The details

Fixture: Edinburgh Rugby vs DHL Stormers
Competition: BKT United Rugby Championship, Round 2
Date: Friday 2 October
Kick-off: 7.45pm
Venue: Hive Stadium
Broadcast: Live on Premier Sports
Tickets: Available HERE

The match-up

Two sides who both left Ireland with five points last weekend meet in the capital on Friday night.

This is Edinburgh’s first home fixture of the new BKT United Rugby Championship season, and it’s the Stormers’ first trip back to EH12 in two years.

Both teams come in off bonus-point wins, and both had to dig deep to get them. Edinburgh held off a late Ulster surge in Belfast, while the Stormers came from behind in Galway. Something has to give at Hive Stadium.

Round 1: Edinburgh in Belfast

Edinburgh opened their campaign with a bonus-point 34-29 win over Ulster at Affidea Stadium.

Tries from Freddy Douglas, Malelili Satala, Hector Patterson and Piers O’Conor were all converted by James Grayson. That put Edinburgh 34-5 up inside 48 minutes.

Ulster hit back with 24 unanswered points in the final half-hour, but Edinburgh stood firm. Replacements Jerry Blyth-Lafferty and Euan McVie won crucial turnovers in the closing minutes to see the game out.

Round 1: DHL Stormers in Galway

The Stormers came from behind to beat Connacht 29-15 and take a full haul of points.

They did it despite losing Evan Roos and Marcell Theunissen to injuries before kick-off.

Connacht scored two tries just before the break to lead 12-10 at half-time. In the final minutes, replacement hooker Vernon Paulo powered over. Replacement scrum-half Ezekiel Ngobeni then chased down a Seabelo Senatla kick to seal the win. Both were making their debuts.

Players to watch

James Grayson (Edinburgh): The stand-off joined from Japan in the summer, having previously played for Northampton Saints.

On his debut he ran the attack well and was involved in all four tries, finishing with 14 points. His first outing at Hive Stadium is one to look forward to.

Freddy Douglas (Edinburgh): Douglas opened the scoring in Belfast and then took control at the breakdown.

He won one jackal penalty straight from a restart and another in his own 22.

André-Hugo Venter (DHL Stormers): The hooker was named Player of the Match in Galway after a strong all-round display.

Warrick Gelant (DHL Stormers): Gelant scored one of the Stormers’ four tries against Connacht and is a proven attacking threat from the back.

Last time out at Hive Stadium

The Stormers’ last visit to the capital was in October 2024. It produced Edinburgh’s biggest win in the fixture, a 38-7 bonus-point victory.

Paddy Harrison, Darcy Graham and Grant Gilchrist all scored, and Ben Muncaster added two tries. Edinburgh had lost to the Lions the week before and were determined to put things right.

History favours the home side here. The first ever meeting between the sides was a 20-20 draw at Hive Stadium in October 2021. The most recent was a 33-14 defeat in Cape Town in March 2026, so Edinburgh won’t be short of motivation.

What they said on the weekend

Edinburgh Head Coach Sean Everitt:

“I think that’s the fight that we want to show within this team,” said Everitt.

“We’ve shown a lot of growth because sometimes Edinburgh have been guilty of just slipping away in those pressure moments. I think that’s what I’m proud of, is that we’re able to come back, gather momentum and close the game out and win. That’s really important for us.

DHL Stormers Director of Rugby John Dobson:

“It’s going to sound arrogant, but I thought we deserved to win. Given the disruptions of this week, it was an extraordinary performance. To win in a place like this is really special for us.“