URC: Who is booking a date with who?
SPOTLIGHT: With the United Rugby Championship heading into the final round, teams ranked sixth to 10th are all in the hunt to secure play-off qualification.
The top four consisting of Leinster, the Bulls, Glasgow Warriors and the Sharks cannot be caught.
The Stormers (fifth) are locked in and their final position will be determined by their result against Cardiff this coming weekend.
The Scarlets following their impressive win against the Lions just need a win against the Sharks to nail down their qualifying spot. Should they lose, their fate will be in the hands of other teams.
Benetton and Munster are on 46 points each but despite the Irish province’s superior points difference, the Italians are above them in seventh place having had one more win.
The two sides will be battling it out to remain in the top eight on Friday evening.
Cardiff preferably needs to get a bonus-point win against the Stormers to have any hope of a top-eight finish as does 10th-placed Edinburgh, who are in the same boat when they face Ulster.
@rugby365com takes a look at the possible quarterfinals that can occur following this coming weekend’s results.
On Friday evening the Stormers face Cardiff. The home side should be the firm favourites considering their record at the Cape Town Stadium and their recent run of form.
Should the Stormers win and remain in fifth place they will either travel to Durban or Glasgow depending on the outcome of the Sharks v Scarlets and Leinster v Glasgow results.
Following that clash Edinburgh takes on Ulster. The Irish outfit has struggled this season but they have shown patches of brilliance as well.
Edinburgh themselves blew hot and cold throughout the season but should be slight favourites to clinch the match and possibly make the play-offs. A loss will end their hopes.
The last match on Friday evening will be a potential ‘qualifier’ for the quarterfinals between Munster and Benetton.
The Italians made a statement last weekend by defeating the Glasgow Warriors whilst Munster recorded a solid win over rivals Ulster.
A victory for either side could be enough to see them through. A defeat, however, will leave their hopes hanging on a thread depending on other results.
The Bulls should make easy work of the Dragons on Saturday and will be hopeful to remain second. The later result between Leinster and Glasgow Warriors will determine whether the defending champions will end third or fourth.
The Sharks are favourites to beat the Scarlets but have been found wanting at times during the competition. They will in all probability end in third place.
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See @rugby365com‘s quarterfinal predictions below.
QF 1: Leinster v Edinburgh
QF 2: Bulls v Scarlets
QF 3: Sharks v Munster
QF 4: Glasgow Warriors v Stormers
Do you agree or disagree with these predictions? Let us know in the comments below.
