Bulls and Sharks face awkward URC quarterfinal clashes

The Bulls and Sharks are on a collision course for the semifinals in the United Rugby Championship (URC) after they grabbed second and third spots on the points table in the final round of league matches at the weekend.

The Bulls stampeded the Dragons 55-15 in Pretoria, while the Sharks got the better of the Scarlets in a drab 12-3 win in Durban. Leinster topped the table after beating Glasgow Warriors 13-5, which condemned the Scottish team to fourth spot on the ladder.

Before the Bulls and Sharks can commence hostilities, however, they have potentially awkward home quarterfinal clashes against Edinburgh and Munster, respectively.

Edinburgh won April’s fixture against the Bulls in Scotland but are yet to beat the Bulls in Pretoria. They have, however, come close on a few occasions.

The Sharks potentially face even greater peril when they host the 2023 champions Munster. The Irish outfit are particularly difficult to put down in knock-out matches and their march to the title two years ago will forever be etched in the competition’s folklore.

Munster served a reminder of their prowess in knock-out rugby when they dumped two-time champions La Rochelle away from home from the Champions Cup in April. The Sharks will have to be better than they were against the Scarlets if they are to beat the belligerent Munstermen.

Though they secured fifth spot on the table with their 34-24 win over Cardiff on Friday the Stormers did not get the matchup they desired in the quarterfinals. Instead of travelling to Durban they now have to pack for Glasgow for a clash against the defending champions.

Should they beat Franco Smith’s team their reward is likely be a semifinal against desperately title seeking Leinster.

The Stormers will need no reminding of their defeat to the Warriors in Stellenbosch earlier in the campaign. In fact, after winning their first clash against the Warriors in the URC in 2022, the Stormers have now lost four in a row against the Glaswegians.

That defeat in Stellenbosch came at great cost but personnel wise John Dobson’s team has been in far better shape of late.

Leinster will play the Scarlets in the other quarterfinal despite the Welsh team’s defeat in Durban.

They grabbed eighth spot after Cardiff and Benetton suffered heartbreak in Cape Town and Cork in the final round.

The Lions finished 11th after they recorded a heart-stopping 29-28 win over the Ospreys in Johannesburg.