Chaotic weekend ahead in final round of URC as quarter-final spots to be confirmed

As we head into Round 18 of the BKT United Rugby Championship seven of the eight places for quarter-finals are all to play for.

QUARTER-FINAL PLACES: Round 18 of the URC will be chaotic as teams chase the best possible quarter-final. 

The final round of fixtures in the BKT URC is here and it looks like it will be a chaotic finish. Leinster are the only side who have nailed down their spot in the final eight. They will top the table and cannot be surpassed. As for the next seven spots, it is all to play for.

Currently sitting in second place Ulster need to defeat Edinburgh with five points to maintain second spot as DHL Stormers are just one point behind. Stormers will be looking to get a win at home to Benetton and will need Edinburgh to defeat Ulster to claim second place.

Glasgow have an outside shout at leapfrogging Stormers if they defeat Connacht and collect all five points at home but will depend on Stormers losing with no bonus points against Benetton.

Munster face Cell C Sharks . Can they overcome the disappointing loss in the Champions Cup to take five points. However, for them to claim fourth spot and home advantage they would need neighbours Connacht to do them a favour and defeat Glasgow by a wide margin and not allow them to get any bonus points.

Connacht need a BP win in Glasgow to guarantee sixth place and to have a chance of jumping ahead of Munster. Bulls are just one point behind Connacht with Sharks just two points behind them. If they were to win and Connacht lose, the Westerners could find themselves in eighth place with a trip up the road to Dublin as their prize.

Both Connacht and Munster will be vying for a top seven finish to guarantee Champions Cup rugby next season.

It is all to play for in Round 18 of the BKT URC with seven teams vying for the best possible outcomes for a quarter final place.

As the table stands, this is the possible quarter-final pairings:

QF1: (1) Leinster v (8) Cell C Sharks 

QF2: (2) Ulster v (7) Vodacom Bulls 

QF3: (3) DHL Stormers v (6) Connacht 

QF4: (4) Glasgow Warriors v (5) Munster