2025–26 Cardiff Rugby season

Matches

27 September 2025	(1 BP) Cardiff	33–20	Lions	Cardiff Arms Park
19:45	Try: Thomas 9' c Winnett 23' c Mann 52' c Lloyd 60' c, 76' m Con: Sheedy (4/5) 10', 24', 53', 61' Cards: Thomas  30'	Report	Try: Venter 27' c Steenkamp 48' c Con: Dobela (2/2) 28', 49' Pen: Dobela (2/2) 17', 37'	Attendance: 5,711 Referee: Filippo Russo

4 October 2025	Munster	23–20	Cardiff (2 BP)	Thomond Park, Limerick
19:45	Try: Quinn 29' m Coombes 52' c Barron 61' m Con: Crowley 53' Pen: Crowley 67' Drop: Crowley 77'	Report	Try: J. Adams 15' m Bowen (3) 44', 57', 80+2'	Attendance: 12,066

11 October 2025	Cardiff	14–8	Connacht (1 BP)	Cardiff Arms Park
19:45	Try: Bowen (2) 14' c, 75' c Con: Sheedy 15' Lloyd 76'	Report	Try: O'Connor 80+2' m Pen: Forde 11'	Attendance: 7,092[20] Referee: Gianluca Gnecchi (Italy)

17 October 2025	(1 BP) Dragons	17–24	Cardiff (1 BP)	Rodney Parade, Newport
19:45	Try: Coghlan 7' c Carter 72' c Con: de Beer (2) 8', 73' Pen: O'Brien 80'	Report	Try: Mann 2' m Faletau 14' c Dan Thomas 20' m Southworth 61' c Con: Sheedy 14' Ben Thomas 62'	Attendance: 7,483[21] Referee: Federico Vedovelli (Italy)

25 October 2025	Cardiff	20–19	Edinburgh (1 BP)	Cardiff Arms Park
19:45	Try: Mulder 7' m Adams 15' c Sebastian 43' m Con: Lloyd 16' Pen: Lloyd 74'	Report	Try: Wells 3' m Shiel 9' c Ashman 19' c Con: Scott 9' Lang 20'	Attendance: 7,189[22]

29 November 2025	Zebre Parma	14–29	Cardiff (1 BP)	Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi, Parma
13:00	Try: Licata 30' c Zanon 74' c Con: Roger (2/2) 31', 74' Cards: Licata  16' Ruggeri  49' Zanon  80+2'	Report	Try: Hughes (3) 13' c, 18' m, 40' c Basham 80+3' c Con: Lloyd (2/3) 19', 41' Wilde (1/1) 80+4' Pen: Lloyd 48' Cards: Basham  69'	Attendance: 2,392 Referee: Marius van der Westhuizen (South Africa)

19 December 2025	(1 BP) Cardiff	17–21	Scarlets	Cardiff Arms Park
19:45	Try: Grady 29' c Adams 54' c Con: Sheedy (2) 30', 55' Pen: Sheedy 41'	Report	Try: James 23' c Davies (2) 51' c, 57' c Con: Hawkins (3) 24', 52', 58' Cards: Macleod  25' Davies  28' Williams  60'	Attendance: 11,278 Referee: Ben Breakspear (Wales)

26 December 2025	Cardiff	22–19	Dragons (1 BP)	Cardiff Arms Park
15:00	Try: Sebastian 20' c Mann 30' m J Adams 47' c Con: Sheedy (2) 21', 48' Pen: Sheedy 70' Cards: McNally  78'	Report	Try: Hope (2) 7' m, 32' c Penalty try 78' Con: O'Brien, 32' Cards: Keddie  57'	Attendance: 12,125 Referee: Adam Jones (Wales)

1 January 2026	(1 BP) Ospreys	33–22	Cardiff (1 BP)	Brewery Field, Bridgend
17:30	Try: Giles 14' c Hardy (2) 25' m, 51' c Parry 42' c Hopkins 69' c Con: D Edwards (4/5) 15', 43', 51', 70' Cards: Morse  80'	Report	Try: Adams (2) 22' c, 74' m Faletau 76' m Sebastian 80+1' m Con: Sheedy (1/3) 23' Cards: Belcher  31'	Attendance: 7,700[23] Referee: Adam Jones (Wales)

24 January 2026	Cardiff	17–8	Benetton	Cardiff Arms Park
19:45	Try: McNally 49' m Pen: Sheedy (3) 13', 16', 60' Lloyd 80+1' Cards: Mann  26'	Report	Try: Ruzza 66' m Pen: Smith 46'	Attendance: 8,052 Referee: Sam Grove-White

31 January 2026	Ulster	21–14	Cardiff (1 BP)	Ravenhill Stadium, Belfast
19:45	Try: Wilson 12' c Bell 19' c Irvine 66' c Con: Murphy (3/3) 12', 20', 67'	Report	Try: Mulder 54' c Emanuel 68' c Con: Sheedy (2/2) 55', 69'	Attendance: 12,012 Referee: Hollie Davidson (Scotland)

27 February 2026	Cardiff	8–7	Leinster (1 BP)	Cardiff Arms Park
19:45	Try: Davies 54' m Pen: Sheedy 19'	Report	Try: McGrath 68' c Con: Tector (1/1) 69'	Attendance: 7,571 Referee: Sam Grove-White

20 March 2026	(1 BP) Bulls	40–7	Cardiff	Loftus Versfeld Stadium, Pretoria
17:00	Try: Coetzee 9' c Grobbelaar 14' m Kriel 27' c Papier 35' c Louw 40' c Vermaak 58' c Con: Pollard (4/5) 10', 28', 36', 41' Kriel (1/1) 58'	Report	Try: Millard 3' c Con: Sheedy 4'	Attendance: 6,607 Referee: Eoghan Cross

27 March 2026	Sharks	21–15	Cardiff (1 BP)	Kings Park Stadium, Durban
17:00	Try: Buthelezi (2) 6' c, 32' c Penxe 38' c Con: Hendrikse (2) 7', 39' Davids 33' Cards: Hendrikse  27'	Report	Try: Grady (2) 17' c, 28' m Con: Sheedy 18' Pen: Lloyd 73'	Referee: Gianluca Gnecchi (Italy)

18 April 2026	(2 BP) Scarlets	24–28	Cardiff (1 BP)	Parc y Scarlets, Llanelli
17:30	Try: Plumtree 23' m Williams 46' c Blacker 48' m Murray 54' c Con: Hawkins (2) 47', 55' Cards: Plumtree  70' Murray  76'	Report	Try: Thomas 10' c Sebastian (2) 71' c, 79' c Winnett 76' c Con: Sheedy (4) 10', 72', 76', 80+1'	Referee: Morné Ferreira (South Africa)

24 April 2026	Cardiff	24–21	Ospreys (1BP)	Cardiff Arms Park
19:45	Try: Thornton 24' c Belcher 46' c Thomas 56' Con: Sheedy (3) 25', 47', 57' Pen: Sheedy 17' Cards: Belcher  7' McNally  75'	Report	Try: Williams 37' c Walsh 68' c Edwards 76' c Con: Edwards (3) 38', 69', 77' Cards: Kasende  18' Watkin  24' Edwards  46'	Referee: Christopher Allison (South Africa)

8 May 2026	(1 BP) Glasgow Warriors	40–17	Cardiff	Scotstoun Stadium, Glasgow
19:45	Try: Dempsey 19' c Steyn 24' c Matthews (2) 32' c, 54' c Schickerling 65' m Rowe 74' c Con: Horne (4/5) 20', 26', 33', 55' O. Smith (1/1) 74'	Report	Try: J Adams 28' c Southworth 59' m Beetham 80' m Con: Sheedy (1/3) 29'	Attendance: 7,321 Referee: Eoghan Cross (Ireland)

15 May 2026	(1 BP) Cardiff	22–16	Stormers (1 BP)	Cardiff Arms Park
19:45	Try: Beetham (2) 16' c, 49' m Bowen 20' m Lloyd 40' m Con: Lloyd (1/4) 17' Cards: Belcher  4' Hughes  80+1'	Report	Try: A. Smith 7' Con: Feinberg-Mngomezulu 8' Pen: Feinberg-Mngomezulu (3) 30', 46', 80+2' Cards: A Smith  38'	Attendance: 10,143 Referee: Andrew Brace (Ireland)

Tables

More information Pos, Pld ...

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	PF	PA	PD	TF	TA	TB	LB	Pts	Qualification
1	Glasgow Warriors	18	13	0	5	479	338	+141	72	48	11	2	65	Qualification for the Champions Cup and knockout stage
2	Leinster (CH)	18	12	0	6	515	370	+145	77	51	13	2	63
3	Stormers	18	12	1	5	504	344	+160	63	48	9	1	60
4	Bulls (RU)	18	12	0	6	576	406	+170	82	59	10	1	59
5	Munster	18	11	0	7	396	376	+20	59	51	8	3	55
6	Cardiff	18	11	0	7	353	372	−19	52	52	7	4	55
7	Lions	18	10	1	7	532	473	+59	73	70	9	3	54
8	Connacht	18	10	0	8	442	395	+47	62	56	10	4	54
9	Ulster	18	9	1	8	494	420	+74	72	60	10	4	52	Qualification for the Challenge Cup
10	Sharks	18	8	1	9	467	428	+39	71	57	9	3	46
11	Ospreys	18	7	2	9	376	454	−78	55	69	4	3	39
12	Edinburgh	18	7	0	11	362	439	−77	57	66	6	4	38
13	Benetton	18	6	2	10	327	493	−166	41	71	4	1	33
14	Scarlets	18	4	2	12	361	460	−99	52	63	3	5	28
15	Dragons	18	3	4	11	350	481	−131	46	71	4	4	28
16	Zebre	18	2	0	16	312	587	−275	43	85	3	4	15

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Play-offs

For the first time in their history, Cardiff reached the United Rugby Championship play-offs, becoming the 14th of the current teams to do so in the URC era.

The top eight teams in the regular season standings advance to the knockout stage, a single-elimination tournament culminating in a Grand Final to crown the overall champion.

Teams are seeded based on the regular season standings, with teams ranked 1–4 receiving home field advantage in the quarter-final, with 1 playing 8, 2 playing 7 etc. The top two teams in the standings are seeded so as not to meet until the Grand Final.

Home-field advantage for the semi-finals and Grand Final will be awarded to the highest-ranked team in each tie; the top two teams are therefore guaranteed home advantage until the final for as long as they remain in the tournament, and the top ranked team, Glasgow Warriors, in the standings will be awarded home advantage should they reach the Grand Final. In the build up to the final week of the regular season, it was reported that Glasgow Warriors may be forced to play a semi-final and final outside Scotland due to venue unavailability, although they would technically remain the home team. In the week of the quarter-final, it was announced they would, if they progressed, play their semi-final and Grand Final on home soil, at Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh.^[25]

Cardiff and Lions both made the play-offs for the first time. Stormers, Glasgow Warriors, Leinster, Munster and Bulls reached their fifth URC play-off phase from five seasons. Glasgow Warriors became the first non-Irish team to top the regular season table and take the number one seeding since they did so themselves in 2019.

	Quarter-finals					Semi-finals					Final
	1	Glasgow Warriors	33
	8	Connacht	21
						1	Glasgow Warriors	21
						4	Bulls	22
	4	Bulls	45
	5	Munster	14
											2	Leinster	36
											4	Bulls	7
	3	Stormers	44
	6	Cardiff	21
						2	Leinster	20
						3	Stormers	11
	2	Leinster	59
	7	Lions	10

Quarter-final

30 May 2026	Stormers (3)	44–21	(6) Cardiff	DHL Stadium, Cape Town
15:30	Try: Venter 24' c Mchunu 29' c Zas 36' c Feinberg-Mngomezulu 52' m de Villiers 64' m Kotze 78' c Con: Feinberg-Mngomezulu (3/4) 25', 30', 37' Jurie Matthee (1/2) 79' Pen: Matthee (2) 69', 80+1'	Report	Try: Winnett 19' c Basham 45' c Botham 60' c Con: Lloyd (3/3) 20', 46', 61' Cards: Assiratti  32' Sebastian  64'	Attendance: 30,595 Referee: Eoghan Cross (Ireland)

URC Welsh Shield

More information Team, P ...

2025–26 United Rugby Championship Regional Shield tables view · watch · edit · discuss
Welsh Shield
	Team	P	W	D	L	PF	PA	PD	TF	TA	TBP	LBP	Pts	Pos overall
1	Ospreys	6	4	1	1	145	117	+28	21	17	2	1	21	11
2	Cardiff	6	4	0	2	137	135	+2	20	20	3	1	20	6
3	Dragons	6	1	2	3	131	124	+7	17	19	2	3	13	15
4	Scarlets	6	1	1	4	124	161	–37	19	21	2	3	11	14
If teams are level at any stage, tiebreakers are applied in the following order:[26] number of matches won the difference between points for and points against the number of tries scored the most points scored the difference between tries for and tries against the fewest red cards received the fewest yellow cards received
Green background indicates teams currently leading the regional shield. Upon the conclusion of the regular season, these teams win their respective regional shields. (S) : URC Shield champion

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Pool standings

More information Pos, Pld ...

EPCR Challenge Cup Pool 3

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	PF	PA	PD	TF	TA	TB	LB	Pts	Qualification
1	Ulster (3)	4	3	0	1	141	55	+86	21	8	4	1	17	Home round of 16
2	Stade Français (4)	4	3	0	1	129	90	+39	19	13	3	1	16
3	Exeter Chiefs (7)	4	2	1	1	129	70	+59	18	11	3	1	14
4	Cardiff (15)	4	2	0	2	78	108	−30	11	17	2	0	10	Away round of 16
5	Racing 92	4	1	1	2	82	152	−70	13	21	2	0	8
6	Cheetahs	4	0	0	4	62	146	−84	9	21	1	1	2

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Pool matches

6 December 2025	(1 BP) Stade Français	38–17	Cardiff	Stade Jean-Bouin, Paris
14:00	Try: Ibo (2) 17' m, 50' m Halaifonua 42' c Sclezo 61' c Foursans-Bourdette 66' c Laloi 76' c Con: Foursans-Bourdette (4/6) 42', 62', 67', 77'	Report	Try: Stephens 24' m Young 34' m Sebastian 79' c Con: Wilde (2/3) 80'	Attendance: 10,643 Referee: Peter Martin (Ireland)

13 December 2025	(1 BP) Cardiff	29–26	Ulster (2 BP)	Cardiff Arms Park, Cardiff
20:00	Try: Nott 7' c Bowen 13' m Southworth 65' c Thomas 73' c Con: Halfpenny (1/1) 8' Sheedy (2/2) 65', 74' Pen: Sheedy (1/1) 80+1' Cards: Botham  68'	Report	Try: Stewart 22' c Hume 40' c Kok (2) 45' m, 54' c Con: Flannery (3/4) 23', 41', 55' Cards: Sheridan  68' Carson  72'	Attendance: 6,425 Referee: Evan Urruzmendi (France)

10 January 2026	(1 BP) Cardiff	32–13	Racing 92	Cardiff Arms Park, Cardiff
15:15	Try: Bowen 6' c Thornton 40' m Assiratti 45' c Thomas 74' c Con: Sheedy (2/3) 7', 46' Beetham (1/1) 75' Pen: Sheedy (2/2) 55', 65'	Report	Try: Ravutaumada 13' m Prisciantelli 31' m Pen: Gibert (1/1) 5' Cards: Ravutaumada  1'	Attendance: 8,400 Referee: Sara Cox (England)

18 January 2026	(1 BP) Exeter Chiefs	31–0	Cardiff	Sandy Park, Exeter
13:00	Try: Tchumbadze (2) 5' c, 19' c Dweba 23' m Heaven 66' c Brown-Bampoe 77' m Con: Slade (3/4) 6', 20', 67'	Report	Cards: Thornton  18'	Attendance: 8,756 Referee: Griffin Colby (South Africa)

Knock-out stage

	Round of 16					Quarter-finals					Semi-finals					Final
	1	Montpellier	53
	16	Perpignan	13
						1	Montpellier	45
						8	Connacht	22
	8	Connacht	29
	9	Sharks	12
											1	Montpellier	18
											13	Dragons	12
	5	Zebre Parma	31
	12	Pau	15
						5	Zebre Parma	32
						13	Dragons	35
	4	Stade Français	31
	13	Dragons	36
																1	Montpellier	59
																3	Ulster	26
	3	Ulster	28
	14	Ospreys	24
						3	Ulster	41
						11	La Rochelle	24
	6	Newcastle Red Bulls	18
	11	La Rochelle	26
											3	Ulster	29
											7	Exeter Chiefs	12
	2	Benetton	38
	15	Cardiff	35
						2	Benetton	41
						7	Exeter Chiefs	44
	7	Exeter Chiefs	31
	10	Munster	21

Round of 16

4 April 2026	Benetton (2)	38–35	(15) Cardiff	Stadio Comunale di Monigo, Treviso
18:30	Try: Menoncello (2) 1' c, 41' m Umaga (2) 2' c, 13' c Gallo 12' c Ratave 28' m Con: Umaga (4/6) 1', 3', 12', 14' Cards: Umaga  45'	Report	Try: Belcher 8' c Beetham (2) 21' c, 53' c Lawrence 39' c Bevan 44' c Con: Sheedy (5/5) 9', 22', 40', 45', 54'	Attendance: 5,000 Referee: Kevin Bralley (France)