URC 2024: What time are matches on TV this weekend
URC 2024: What time are matches on TV this weekend
There is a lot on the line this weekend as the URC reaches the business end of the competition.
That’s especially true for the Bulls, not least because defeat will leave them vulnerable to the chasing Stormers in the race for four spot.
Bulls chasing URC playoffs home advantage
The Stormers are six behind the Bulls, but Connacht, Ulster and Benetton are tied together just one point further back in a tight race for home playoffs.
Let it slip now and the Bulls, who finish off their campaign with a potentially tricky trip to Durban to play the resurgent Sharks, could find themselves not in the top four, but sixth or seventh.
Benetton’s matchup with the Sharks in Durban is equally crucial as the matchup in Pretoria, considering their current standing and possible danger to the top four.
The Irish derby between Munster and Connacht may be the most competitive game of them all.
After a two-game trip of South Africa, Munster returned with full points and are on the rise, sitting just behind Leinster in third.
Connacht, however, are vying for a spot in the Champions Cup for the next season as well as a second consecutive participation in the URC playoff round.
Stormers in tough spot in Wales
Next week, Connacht will play the Stormers in Galway, which will heighten the Cape team’s intensity for their encounter with the Dragons on Friday night in Newport.
Although John Dobson’s team is much favoured, they haven’t played well lately in Wales.
The pressure on them is intense since a loss now would not only eliminate any chance of finishing in the top four, but also gravely jeopardise their Champions Cup position.
Both the Stormers and Edinburgh, who are now ranked ninth and narrowly outside the top eight, play on Friday night. In order to propel them back into the top eight and provide them a last push over the final two games, their South African coach Sean Everitt will be anticipating full points against Zebre.
Last chance lions
The Lions are playing Cardiff in a key game to secure a position in the top eight, while Ulster, who are in a group of teams with the same amount of points, ranked sixth through eighth, cannot afford to lose to Scarlets on Saturday afternoon.
Round 16 Vodacom United Rugby Championship fixtures
Edinburgh v Zebre (Edinburgh, Friday 20:35)
Dragons v DHL Stormers (Newport, Friday 20:35)
Vodacom Bulls v Glasgow Warriors (Pretoria, Saturday 14:00)
Hollywoodbets Sharks v Benetton (Durban, Saturday 16:05)
Scarlets v Ulster (Llanelli, Saturday 16:05)
Munster v Connacht (Limerick, Saturday 18:15)
Emirates Lions v Cardiff (Johannesburg, Saturday 18:15)
Leinster v Ospreys (Dublin, Saturday 20:35)