ROAD TO THE PLAY-OFFS: Crunching the URC numbers

SPOTLIGHT: Round 11 of the 2023/24 United Rugby Championship season is done and dusted and things are starting to heat up with a whopping 12 of the 16 teams still in contention for the play-offs.

It’s been an interesting campaign so far in the URC, to say the least, with very little separating many of the teams – as we approach the business end of the season.

Just FIVE points separate fourth-placed Edinburgh and the 11th-placed Lions as the play-offs loom – with just SEVEN games left in the regular season.

Munster and Ulster are both on 34 points, the same as Edinburgh, with Connacht one point behind them, and Benetton just two points behind, making the battle for the top four just as interesting.

At the top of the table, just FOUR points separate the Bulls and Glasgow Warriors from leaders Leinster – following their respective wins in Round 11.

Previous seasons

A total of 50 points was enough to make the play-offs for URC One, with 58 points being the magic number for the top four.

For URC Two, just 48 points was enough to make the play-offs, but teams needed 63 points to make the top four and secure a home quarterfinal.

What will it take this year?

The numbers have been crunched and as things stand, 49 points is the magic number to make the URC play-offs this year, one point more than last season and one point less than the season before that.

As for the top four, 57 points is the target if teams are looking for that all-important home advantage.

So who’s in contention?

This is where it gets interesting, with a whopping 12 of the 16 teams still in contention for the playoffs.

As for the top four, 11 teams can still make it, with seven games left to play.

It’s all to play for when Round 12 kicks off on March 22.