Road to the play-offs: Five spots for 12 chasers

SPOTLIGHT: Three teams have secured their place in the end-of-season United Rugby Championship play-offs, with Glasgow Warriors and Bulls having joined Leinster in booking their spots.

But, with three rounds of matches to go, there are still 12 other teams in with a mathematical chance of securing one of the five vacant spots in the knock-out stage.

Leaders Leinster look odds-on to finish top of the table – which would enable them to stay at home right the way through to the Final – as they are nine points clear.

They made it 14 wins out of 15 in the league and 20 out of 21 in all competitions with a 41-17 bonus point victory over Ulster in Dublin at the weekend.

It was a triumph which was notable for the real rarity of a second half hat-trick of tries from a replacement – prolific Ireland hooker Dan Sheehan.

Second-placed Glasgow were made to work hard by Zebre in Italy, as they turned around a 0-6 half-time deficit to graft out a 14-6 win which has guaranteed them a home quarterfinal.

The Bulls – in third spot – also faced a real test on the road before overcoming Munster 16-13 in Limerick, with super-sub Keagan Johannes landing the match-winning penalty eight minutes from time.

Their veteran flank Marcell Coetzee, who will turn 34 next month, was named Player of the Match after making 31 successful tackles, nine carries and scoring their one try.

Fellow South Africans, the Sharks left it even later as they too won away from home to strengthen their grip on a top-four spot.

They snatched the spoils in the final play against Edinburgh with Springboks wing Makazole Mapimpi going over in the corner to secure an 18-17 victory at the Hive Stadium.

Arguably, the performance of the round came out in Johannesburg, where Benetton ran in five tries to beat the Lions 42-31 and move up to fifth in the table.

Meanwhile, Cardiff and the Stormers are the two teams to have forced their way into the top eight over the weekend.

Cardiff recorded a 36-19 bonus point victory over the Ospreys in their Judgement Day clash at the Millennium Stadium to jump up to sixth, while the Stormers also claimed the maximum with a nail-biting 34-29 win over Connacht in Cape Town, where the visitors had a last-gasp try disallowed.

The Scarlets are sitting just outside the play-off zone, having fought back to beat the Dragons 31-23 in the second Judgement Day Welsh derby.

Things are still hugely congested in the middle section of the table, with just four points separating fifth and 11th.

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Match of the weekend

Edinburgh 17, Sharks 18

What a rip-roaring contest to welcome Eben Etzebeth back to the playing field.

Making his first appearance since suffering a concussion in early December, the Springboks’ second row skippered the Sharks to a dramatic last-gasp victory in the Scottish capital.

There were other games over the weekend with more tries and more points scored.

But in terms of intensity, physicality and feistiness, this compelling affair took some beating.

It also had a thrilling conclusion, with wing Makazole Mapimpi crossing for the match-winning try in the final play.

Giving his verdict, Etzebeth said: “It was a great game. It was two teams that were desperate. They want to finish in the top eight, and we are still trying to climb the table a bit.

“With this win, we are almost guaranteed a home quarter. We will take it game by game, try and build an innings and try and get some momentum going into the play-offs.”

Player of the weekend

Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (Stormers)

There were three hat-trick heroes to consider, but it’s Feinberg-Mngomezulu who gets the nod over Cardiff wing Gabriel Hamer-Webb and Leinster hooker Dan Sheehan.

The 23-year-old is viewed as one of the real rising stars of world rugby and showed just why with his masterclass in the Stormers’ 34-29 victory over Connacht in Cape Town.

Playing at flyhalf, he went through the full range of his attacking repertoire with his three tries.

For his first, he tantalised the defence by holding the ball in one hand as he sliced through before scorching away to the line.

His second saw him pirouette out of a tackle and pull off a one-two with flank Paul de Villiers to run in under the posts, and he completed a 25-minute hat-trick by collecting his own chip over the top.

If that were not enough, he also delivered an audacious pass to set up Suleiman Hartzenburg’s try and landed four shots at goal for a 24-point haul.

He is a special talent with the world at his feet.

Round 16

Next weekend will see the race for the play-offs heat up even more.

The Friday meeting between Cardiff and Munster at a packed Arms Park should be a real humdinger, with just one point and one place separating the two teams.

There’s also a mouth-watering encounter at Scotstoun where second hosts third, as Glasgow entertain the Bulls, while two more top eight sides meet in Cape Town where the Stormers face Benetton.

League leaders Leinster travel to the Scarlets, who are just outside the play-off zone, while there’s the final Welsh derby of the season as the Ospreys take on the Dragons in Swansea.

The other fixtures are Lions versus Connacht, Ulster versus Sharks and Zebre versus Edinburgh.