Ulster to face Ospreys in European play-off on 20 May

Ulster defeated Ospreys 8-0 when the sides met in April

Ulster will face Ospreys in a play-off for a place in next season's European Champions Cup.

The match will take place at Kingspan Stadium on Sunday 20 May at 15:05 BST.

The game was confirmed after Gloucester missed out on a top six finish in the English Premiership, meaning it was no longer possible for Ulster to automatically qualify.

The winner of the play-off will take the seventh Pro14 place for next season's competition.

The sides missed out on automatic qualification as they failed to register a top-three finish in their respective conferences.

Ulster finished fourth in Conference B while Ospreys came fifth in Conference A, but they qualify for the play-off as third-placed Cheetahs are not eligible for the Champions Cup given that they are a South African side.

A play-off was always likely but there were a number of permutations which could have resulted in the game not being required.

The fact that Gloucester missed out on a top-six finish in their league means that they qualify for the European competition as Challenge Cup finalists, and have therefore taken the 20th and final qualifying spot.

Ulster defeated Ospreys 8-0 when the sides met at Kingspan Stadium in April.

The Irish province recently confirmed Scotland forwards coach Dan McFarland as their head coach for next season. Jono Gibbes will leave the role at the end of the current campaign.