URC Road to play-offs: Shock Defeats leave Bulls and Sharks vulnerable
The Scarlets’ stunning 32-20 victory over the star-studded Sharks and the Lions’ 32-28 comeback triumph away to Benetton mean 14 of the 16 sides in the league can still finish in the top eight with just two rounds of matches to go.
Leinster, Stormers, Ulster and Glasgow have all booked play-off spots. The first three of those have already secured home advantage in the quarter-finals and Glasgow look set to join them after beating Munster 38-26 in Limerick on Saturday evening.
Then you have 10 sides battling it out for the four other spots.
The Lions are the team really coming up on the rails have seemed out of the picture just a few weeks ago.
They followed up after eye-catching wins over Glasgow Warriors and the Bulls by coming from behind to beat Benetton in Treviso.
They were trailing 28-13 going into the final quarter, but then scored three tries in the space of eight minutes, with flank Emmanuel Tshituka snapping up two of them.
Although they are down in eleventh place, they are only three points off the playoffs and their last two games are both at home. They are on a roll and very much in the hunt.
In terms of the fight for the top eight, the big match in the next round will be the meeting between Connacht and Cardiff in Galway.
The Irish province are now up to sixth after a 41-26 bonus-point victory over Edinburgh on the weekend.
Cardiff – who also picked up the maximum away to Zebre – are five points behind in tenth so really have to win at the Sportsground on April 15 if they are to have a chance of reaching the Play-Offs.
They are also in need of a victory to stay out in front in the contest for the Welsh Shield and automatic qualification for the Champions Cup.
At present, they are four points ahead of the Ospreys and six in front of the Scarlets.
It could all come down to Judgement Day in the final round when they meet the Ospreys at the Principality Stadium.
As for the pacesetters, Leinster are now sure of finishing top of the table following their 22-22 draw with the Stormers on Friday night.
It’s getting tight for the all-important second spot that secures home advantage up until the final.
Third-placed Ulster are just two points behind the Stormers having fought back to beat the Bulls 32-23 with a hat-trick from hooker Tom Stewart, the league’s top try scorer.
