Saturday afternoon is going to need a plan. A Test series could be decided in Cape Town, the Springbok Women and the Stormers play in the same city fifteen minutes apart, and at 15:30 the country stops for Pirates and Chiefs. Here are the SA sport weekend fixtures from Friday 30 October to Sunday 1 November, with every time in SAST and an honest “to be confirmed” where the organisers do not agree.
| Quick facts | |
|---|---|
| Dates | Friday 30 October to Sunday 1 November 2026 |
| The big one | Orlando Pirates v Kaizer Chiefs, Saturday 15:30, FNB Stadium |
| Premiership | Eight league games, one on Friday and seven on Saturday |
| URC round five | Lions away on Friday; Stormers and Bulls at home, Sharks away, on Saturday |
| Springbok Women | v Ireland, second Test, Saturday 15:00, Athlone Stadium |
| Cricket | Newlands days four and five, Friday and Saturday from 10:30, if needed |
| Sunday | Nothing scheduled for our teams |
SA sport weekend fixtures at a glance
| Date | Match | Competition | Time (SAST) | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Friday 30 October | South Africa v Australia, day four | Third Test | 10:30 | Newlands, Cape Town |
| Friday 30 October | Marumo Gallants v Siwelele | Premiership | 19:30 | Royal Bafokeng Stadium, Rustenburg |
| Friday 30 October | Glasgow Warriors v Lions | United Rugby Championship | 21:45 | Scotstoun Stadium, Glasgow |
| Saturday 31 October | South Africa v Australia, day five (if needed) | Third Test | 10:30 | Newlands, Cape Town |
| Saturday 31 October | Stormers v Ulster | United Rugby Championship | 14:45 | DHL Stadium, Cape Town |
| Saturday 31 October | Springbok Women v Ireland | WXV Global Series, second Test | 15:00 | Athlone Stadium, Cape Town |
| Saturday 31 October | Orlando Pirates v Kaizer Chiefs | Premiership | 15:30 | FNB Stadium, Johannesburg |
| Saturday 31 October | Milford v Sekhukhune United | Premiership | 15:30 | Sugar Ray Xulu Stadium, Clermont |
| Saturday 31 October | Bulls v Scarlets | United Rugby Championship | To be confirmed (16:00 or 17:00) | Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria |
| Saturday 31 October | Stellenbosch v Chippa United | Premiership | 18:00 | Danie Craven Stadium, Stellenbosch |
| Saturday 31 October | AmaZulu v Golden Arrows | Premiership | 18:00 | Princess Magogo Stadium, Durban |
| Saturday 31 October | Polokwane City v TS Galaxy | Premiership | 18:00 | Old Peter Mokaba Stadium, Polokwane |
| Saturday 31 October | Munster v Sharks | United Rugby Championship | 19:30 | Thomond Park, Limerick |
| Saturday 31 October | Kruger United v Richards Bay | Premiership | 20:15 | Mbombela Stadium, Nelspruit |
| Saturday 31 October | Mamelodi Sundowns v Durban City | Premiership | 20:15 | Royal Bafokeng Stadium, Rustenburg |
The Soweto Derby: settled at last
For weeks the details depended on who you asked. Some reports had Chiefs as the hosts, others said the PSL had it as a Pirates home game at Orlando Stadium with the venue undecided. The PSL’s own fixture list now settles it: Orlando Pirates v Kaizer Chiefs, Saturday 31 October, 15:30, FNB Stadium in Johannesburg. Pirates are the home side, and their own website also places the match at FNB Stadium.
It is the only Premiership game in the 15:30 slot apart from Milford’s home match against Sekhukhune United in Clermont, so the afternoon belongs to Soweto. For everything on the home side’s season so far, see our Orlando Pirates page.
The rest of the Premiership weekend
The league returns after the cup’s last-16 round, and it starts on Friday night in Rustenburg, where Marumo Gallants host Siwelele at 19:30.
Saturday has seven games. After the 15:30 pair, three kick off together at 18:00. In the Winelands, Chippa United are the visitors, and that makes it a reunion for Sinoxolo Kwayiba, the forward profiled in our One to Watch. AmaZulu host Golden Arrows at Princess Magogo Stadium, a KwaZulu-Natal derby between two clubs who have both just been drawn in the cup quarter-finals. Polokwane City meet TS Galaxy at Old Peter Mokaba Stadium.
The late slot, 20:15, has two more. Kruger United play Richards Bay at Mbombela Stadium, and Mamelodi Sundowns host Durban City at Royal Bafokeng Stadium in Rustenburg, according to the PSL’s list. Durban City go there a few days after drawing their first CAF group.
There is no Premiership football on Sunday. The PSL’s list moves straight from Saturday to Wednesday 4 November.
Newlands: day four, and maybe day five
The third Test against Australia runs from Tuesday 27 to Saturday 31 October, so Friday is day four and Saturday, if it is needed, is day five. Play starts at 10:30 each day, with lunch from 12:30 to 13:10 and tea from 15:10 to 15:30, and stumps at 17:30, with time added if overs have been lost.
The series is level at 1-1, so this Test decides it. Where things stand after Thursday will be in tonight’s day-three report. Our day-two report has how the first half of the match went. If the Test does reach Saturday, its final session will overlap with the derby, the Springbok Women and the Stormers.
URC round five: the clocks have changed
One thing to know before you plan around the rugby. Britain and Ireland put their clocks back last Sunday, so their games now kick off two hours later in South African time, not one. A 19:45 start in Glasgow is 21:45 here.
Friday: Glasgow Warriors v Lions, 21:45, Scotstoun Stadium. Glasgow list the game for 19:45 local time on Friday 30 October. That is a late one for Johannesburg, and the Lions are the only one of our URC sides playing on Friday.
Saturday: Stormers v Ulster, 14:45, DHL Stadium. The Stormers’ own website gives 14:45, and the URC’s UK slot of 12:45 matches it. For the background on the franchise, see our Stormers page.
Saturday: Bulls v Scarlets, Loftus Versfeld, kick-off to be confirmed. This is the one to check. The Bulls’ website lists 16:00. The URC fixture list has the game at 15:00 UK time, which became 17:00 in South Africa when Britain went back to GMT. The Stormers’ kick-off moved by exactly that hour, from 13:45 in the original list to 14:45, which suggests the URC kept its UK slots. Until the Bulls or the URC settle it, we are not going to pick one. We will update this guide as soon as one of them does.
Saturday: Munster v Sharks, 19:30, Thomond Park. The game is listed for 17:30 Irish time in Limerick, which is 19:30 in South Africa.
Springbok Women v Ireland: the second Test
The Springbok Women host Ireland again at Athlone Stadium in Cape Town on Saturday at 15:00, the time SA Rugby gave when it announced the two-Test series. Ireland won the first Test at the same ground last Saturday, and our first Test report has the story of that afternoon. This is a chance to square the series at home.
Cape Town has a crowded afternoon. The Stormers kick off at the DHL Stadium at 14:45 and the Bok Women at Athlone at 15:00, so anyone hoping to see both in person will have to choose.
Saturday, hour by hour
If you want one simple plan for Saturday 31 October:
- 10:30: Newlands, if the Test is still alive.
- 14:45: Stormers v Ulster.
- 15:00: Springbok Women v Ireland.
- 15:30: Orlando Pirates v Kaizer Chiefs, and Milford v Sekhukhune United.
- 16:00 or 17:00: Bulls v Scarlets, to be confirmed.
- 18:00: Stellenbosch v Chippa United, AmaZulu v Golden Arrows, Polokwane City v TS Galaxy.
- 19:30: Munster v Sharks.
- 20:15: Kruger United v Richards Bay, and Mamelodi Sundowns v Durban City.
How we checked these times
Every time in this guide is in SAST and comes from the organiser or the home club where they have published one: the PSL’s fixture list for the Premiership, SA Rugby for Athlone, the home clubs for the URC, cross-checked against the URC’s own UK and Irish times. We do not take rugby times from pages that show them in UTC, which runs two hours behind. Broadcast details for this round had not been confirmed by the organisers when we checked on Thursday morning, so we have left them out rather than guess.
Frequently asked questions
What time is the Soweto Derby on Saturday?
Orlando Pirates host Kaizer Chiefs at 15:30 SAST on Saturday 31 October at FNB Stadium in Johannesburg, according to the PSL’s fixture list. Pirates are the home side, and their own website also places the match at FNB Stadium.
What time do the Lions play Glasgow Warriors?
The game is on Friday 30 October at Scotstoun Stadium in Glasgow, at 19:45 local time. That is 21:45 in South Africa, because Britain went back to GMT on Sunday 25 October.
What time do the Stormers, Bulls and Sharks play on Saturday?
The Stormers host Ulster at 14:45 SAST at the DHL Stadium. The Sharks play Munster at Thomond Park at 19:30 SAST. The Bulls’ home game against Scarlets is to be confirmed: the Bulls list 16:00, while the URC’s UK time of 15:00 would make it 17:00 in South Africa.
When is the Springbok Women’s second Test against Ireland?
It is on Saturday 31 October at 15:00 SAST at Athlone Stadium in Cape Town, the time SA Rugby gave when it announced the series. Ireland won the first Test at the same ground on 24 October.
Is there cricket at Newlands this weekend?
Yes, if the third Test lasts. Friday 30 October is day four and Saturday 31 October is day five, with play from 10:30 SAST each day. The series is level at 1-1, so this Test decides it.