URC playoffs take shape for SA teams

Barring some major drama in the final round of the United Rugby Championship (URC), South Africa will again have three teams in the quarter-finals after the Bulls booked their place in the top eight alongside the Stormers, while the Sharks did enough to ensure that they are in pole position to remain in playoff contention.

Unfortunately, the Lions’ hopes of sneaking into the quarter-finals were dashed late in their match on Saturday, when Leinster fought back to win in a heart-breaking result for the men from Johannesburg.

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The Sharks beat Benetton – the only team that can still pip them to a spot in the top-eight – in the first match of the penultimate pool round by 43-33 in Durban on Friday, and the Bulls added to the excitement as they outclassed Zebre Parma 78-12 in Johannesburg on Saturday.

But the momentum swung against the South African sides as the Lions suffered a last-minute 39-36 defeat against Leinster in Johannesburg, while the Stormers managed to score a late try to secure two bonus points as they went down 26-24 against Munster in Cape Town.

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These results saw the defending champions, the Stormers, drop to third place on the log – one point behind the second placed Ulster – which means although they hold onto their home quarter-final, they will only know after their final pool match next week if they are still in line for a possible home semi-final.

The victories for the Bulls and Sharks also ensured that they remained in the top eight, with the Pretoria side in seventh place with 48 points, while the KwaZulu-Natalians are one spot down in eighth place with 46 points – five above the ninth-placed Benetton and with a points difference advantage of 83 points.

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There is everything to play for in the URC

Benetton, who need a big win to possibly force their way into the top-eight, travel to Stellenbosch to face the Stormers on Friday, followed by another Gauteng double-header on Saturday afternoon when the Lions take on Zebre Parma and the Bulls host Leinster at Loftus Versfeld.

The last local URC match is in Durban, where the Sharks will know exactly what they need to do against Munster to book their place in the quarter-finals.

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How the log currently looks: