By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
South African teams—the DHL Stormers, Vodacom Bulls, and Hollywoodbets Sharks—were eliminated from the European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR) competitions during the 2025/26 Round of 16.
The Stormers and Bulls lost their respective Investec Champions Cup matches, while the Sharks were knocked out of the EPCR Challenge Cup.
Stormers were left heartbroken after their 28-27 defeat against Toulon in France on Saturday in a nail-biting clash, and it was a case of déjà vu for the Bulls, who went down 25-21 to the Glasgow Warriors in a tense encounter in Scotland.
In the EPCR Challenge Cup, meanwhile, the Sharks went down 29-12 against Connacht in Ireland, with these results bringing down the curtain on their European campaigns this season.
The quarterfinals in both competitions will play out next weekend, while the domestic franchises will have an extra week to regroup before the Vodacom United Rugby Championship resumes in two weeks.