Race for URC play-off places in final league round
Edinburgh, Cardiff, Scarlets and Munster all start the final weekend of the United Rugby Championship's regular season with a chance of making the play-offs
- Published
With 17 rounds of the United Rugby Championship (URC) completed, the regular season will conclude with the final set of fixtures this weekend.
The top eight sides in the 16-team competition will extend their season, with knockout quarter-finals leading towards June's Grand Final.
More than half of the competition's sides still have something to play for, whether they are chasing a favourable draw in the knockout stages or trying to claim one of the top-eight berths, with two teams certain to miss out on the play-offs at the final hurdle.
A top eight spot will also guarantee Champions Cup rugby next season.
So which teams still have work to do - and what do they need to make the play-offs?
The top four
Leinster, Bulls, Glasgow and Sharks have already nailed down places in the top four, meaning they are guaranteed home quarter-finals.
Bulls will secure second place if they get a point at home to bottom club Dragons this weekend, which would ensure a home fixture in the semi-finals should they reach the last four.
Sharks will be keen to leapfrog Glasgow into third place as that is likely to mean an away semi-final in Pretoria as opposed to a trip to Europe.
Currently one point above Sharks, Glasgow finish their season away to runaway leaders Leinster.
Below the top four, only Stormers have confirmed a top-eight finish.
There is an argument to be made that they would prefer to see Glasgow finish above the Sharks, handing them a quarter-final fixture in Durban rather than a visit to Scotland.
Who will miss out?
Who plays when in play-off shake-up?
Friday, 16 May
Stormers v Cardiff, 18:00 BST
Edinburgh v Ulster, 19:35 BST
Munster v Benetton, 20:00 BST
Saturday, 17 May
Sharks v Scarlets, 18:30 BST
What happens if teams finish on the same points?
With just four points covering the five contenders, it is possible more than one team will finish on 47 or 48 points.
In that scenario, final placings would be decided on total games won over the season before points difference.
Benetton and Scarlets each have nine wins, Munster and Cardiff both have eight and Edinburgh seven.
Should Cardiff and Munster finish on the same points, they would be separated on points difference - and the Irish province's record in that column is vastly superior.
Scarlets wait on Friday fixtures
Unlike some sporting competitions, all games on the URC's final weekend do not kick off at the same time.
By the time Scarlets visit Sharks on Saturday evening, their top-eight spot may already be secured.
As it stands, after successive wins against Ospreys, Dragons, Leinster and Lions, Dwayne Peel's side know a single point at the Sharks would be enough to extend their season.
Even if they get nothing from their final game, Scarlets will qualify for the knockouts if Edinburgh fail to get maximum points and either Cardiff or Munster lose.
If Benetton pick up two losing points and Scarlets achieve no points, it would come down to points difference - and Scarlets have a 130-point advantage over their Italian rivals as it stands.
The game between Munster and Benetton in Cork on Friday could be the key match of the weekend, with both sides locked on 46 points.
The winner will grab a play-off spot, while the other will be looking for losing bonus points.
A high-scoring draw between Munster and Benetton, which would see both secure three match points, would shake things up.
Cardiff and Edinburgh aim to upset top eight
Cardiff could not quite manage a bonus point in last Saturday's defeat at Bulls and dropped from sixth place to ninth
Cardiff and Edinburgh are the two teams who currently lie outside the top eight but are hoping to break into the play-off places.
Cardiff may well be left ruing their failure to gain a losing bonus point in last weekend's 45-21 defeat to Bulls in Pretoria.
A place in the top eight might even have slipped from their grasp after a missed pass between Gabriel Hamer-Webb and Cam Winnett which looked likely to result in a score for the three-try Blue and Blacks.
Matt Sherratt's side now face the challenging task of getting a result in Cape Town knowing a win against the Stormers would definitely do the job of securing a play-off place.
Like Benetton and Munster, Cardiff will be aware that two losing bonus points might get them over the line, especially if Ulster defeat Edinburgh.
The Scottish side, in 10th, have ground to make up though they do have a home finish against an already eliminated side.
Even a maximum bonus-point win would not guarantee knockout rugby for Edinburgh.
But with both of their Welsh play-off rivals playing top-five opposition in South Africa, and Munster and Benetton facing each other, a four-try victory might well be enough.
However, having won fewer matches than the other sides in contention, Edinburgh will assume they have to win to stand any chance of extending their season.
When are the quarter-finals?
The quarter-finals will be played on the weekend of 31 May.
This will give sides a fortnight to prepare, although it might mean Scarlets or Cardiff will have to head back to South Africa for the knockout stages, a week after returning to Wales.
The semi-finals will take place on 7 June, with the Grand Final - to see who succeeds last year's winners Glasgow - a week later.