Round 17 of the URC brings us even closer to playoff action. Everything is on the line this weekend, with nine teams still in contention for the eight available playoff spots.
TOP LINES:
- 5th and 9th places are separated by just seven points
- 10 points are still available over the final two rounds
- Eight of the nine teams in contention play each other this weekend – only Bulls (7) face a non-top-nine side
AS IT STANDS:
Stormers (1)
Remaining Fixtures: Ulster (A), Cardiff Rugby (A)
- Despite a shock loss at home to Connacht in Round 15, Stormers climbed back to the top of the table with a bonus point win over previous top seed, Glasgow Warriors
- Evan Roos leads the try scoring charts, still the only player to hit double digits so far this season (11)
- Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu is second in the competition for points scored despite only playing 11 of the 16 games so far this campaign (126)
- Stormers are 2-1 against Irish sides this year, beating Leinster and Munster but losing to Connacht
Glasgow Warriors (2)
Remaining Fixtures: Cardiff Rugby (H), Ulster (A)
- Glasgow Warriors have lost three games in a row in all competitions for just the second time in the last four seasons
- Glasgow Warriors have won their last three head-to-heads with Cardiff Rugby, with an average winning margin of 16 points
- Wingers Josh McKay (694) and Kyle Rowe (644) are fourth and fifth in the URC for metres gained
- Glasgow Warriors lead the URC in both metres gained (7234) and defenders beaten (433)
Lions (3)
Remaining Fixtures: Leinster (A), Munster (A)
- Lions are unbeaten in nine of their last 10 URC games and currently boast a six game winning streak
- During their last six games, Lions have scored a total of 241 points, averaging over 40 points scored per game
- Lions are the top point scorers in the URC so far this season (508)
- Chris Smith leads the point scoring charts in the URC this season (145)
- Lions have not won in the Northern Hemisphere in the URC this season, losing three times and drawing once (vs Ospreys)
Leinster (4)
Remaining Fixtures: Lions (H), Ospreys (H)
- Despite fluctuating success in the URC this season, Leinster have been perfect in Europe, boasting an undefeated campaign and making a fourth Champions Cup final in the past five seasons
- Leinster’s stoppage time loss against Benetton in Round 16 was their first loss at Stadio Monigo since 2010
- Leinster now have just two wins from their last five URC matches, hindering their push for a top four spot
- Leinster have scored 157 points in their last four games across all competitions
- 22 year old winger Joshua Kenny has nine tries in 11 appearances in his debut URC season
Munster (5)
Remaining Fixtures: Connacht (A), Lions (H)
- Munster have won back to back games in the URC for the first time since Round 4 and 5
- Munster have scored 86 points in their last two games whilst conceding only 29
- Munster edged past Connacht earlier in the season with a late Jack O’Donoghue try snatching four points for the hosts
Cardiff Rugby (6)
Remaining Fixtures: Glasgow Warriors (A), Stormers (H)
- Cardiff Rugby are on course to qualify for their first ever URC playoffs, boasting a previous best finish of 9th place, last season
- Cardiff Rugby are the lowest scoring side of the nine teams still in contention for playoffs, with 314 points scored (9th/9) and 45 tries scored (9th/9)
- Cardiff Rugby are on a two-match win streak following closely fought victories against Welsh opposition (Scarlets, Ospreys)
Bulls (7)
Remaining Fixtures: Zebre Parma (H), Benetton (H)
- Vodacom Bulls have won seven of their previous eight games in the URC
- Vodacom Bulls edged past Scarlets in Round 16 thanks to a late winning penalty from Handre Pollard, who scored 18 of their 23 points on the day
- Youngster Cheswill Jooste has scored four tires in just six URC appearances in his debut campaign
Ulster (8)
Remaining Fixtures: Stormers (H), Glasgow Warriors (H)
- Ulster find themselves in the Challenge Cup Final after an almost flawless run in Europe, losing just once by three points to fellow URC playoff contenders Cardiff Rugby
- Despite their successes in Europe, Ulster have lost three of their last four games in the URC, all coming against Irish opposition (Connacht, Leinster and Munster)
- Winger Zac Ward leads the URC in three attacking leaderboards: metres gained (888), clean breaks (26) and defenders beaten (48)
- Ulster have fallen from 3rd place to 8th place in the span of two rounds, and are now just three points clear of 9th place Connacht in the race for a playoff spot
Connacht (9)
Remaining Fixtures: Munster (H), Edinburgh (A)
- Connacht’s loss on the road to Lions bought an end to their six-game winning run
- Connacht are the only remaining team outside the top eight sides who can still mathematically qualify for the playoffs
- Back row Sean Jansen is tied in second place for most tries in the URC this season (9)
- Full-back Sam Gilbert has the best kick percentage in the URC this season (88%)
Ospreys (10)
Remaining Fixtures: Scarlets (H), Leinster (A)
- Ospreys are unbeaten in six of their last nine URC matches
- Ospreys last win against an Irish side in the URC was in Round 13 of the 2024/25 season against Connacht
- Captain Jac Morgan is expected to make his final home appearance for Ospreys on Saturday before his inevitable move to Gloucester Rugby in the Summer
Sharks (11)
Remaining Fixtures: Benetton (H), Zebre Parma (H)
- Hollywoodbets Sharks’ most recent triumph over Benetton in the URC was in April 2023
- Hollywoodbets Sharks haven’t won outside of South Africa since April 2025 (Ulster)
- Hollywoodbets Sharks have one of the most extensive injury lists in the URC, which has hindered them in the run-in towards playoffs and now leaves them out of top eight contention
Benetton (12)
Remaining Fixtures: Sharks (A), Bulls (A)
- Benetton’s victory against Leinster was their first against the defending champions at the Stadio Monigo in 16 years
- Benetton are tied with Zebre Parma in last place for tries scored in the URC this season (37)
- Fly-half Jacob Umaga is the third top points scorer in the competition (96)
Edinburgh (13)
Remaining Fixtures: Dragons RFC (A), Connacht (H)
- Edinburgh’s victory over the Hollywoodbets Sharks was their first triumph against a South African side since they beat the DHL Stormers in October 2024
- Edinburgh are 2-1 against Welsh opposition this season, losing by just one point on the road to Cardiff Rugby
- Utility back Wes Goosen ranks 6th in the URC for metres gained (640) and defenders beaten (43)
Scarlets (14)
Remaining Fixtures: Ospreys (A), Dragons RFC (H)
- Scarlets have won just once in their last seven URC games, significantly underperforming compared to last years’ top eight finish
- Scarlets have recorded just one win against Welsh opposition in the URC this season, their lowest record since the competition began
- Flyhalf Sam Costelow has the third best kicking percentage in the URC (84%)
Dragons RFC (15)
Remaining Fixtures: Edinburgh (H), Scarlets (A)
- Dragons RFC’s victory against Zebre Parma in Round 16 guaranteed them their highest points tally since the URC’s inception (currently 25, previous best of 24)
- Dragons RFC have lost five of their last seven URC matches
- Angus O’Brien has the fourth best kick percentage in the league (84%)
Zebre Parma (16)
Remaining Fixtures: Bulls (A), Sharks (A)
- Despite opening the season with back-to-back home victories, Zebre Parma have lost all 14 URC matches since, including seven games at home
- Zebre Parma are tied with Benetton in last place for tries scored in the URC this season (37)
- Zebre are the most ill-disciplined side in the URC this season, having received the joint-most yellow cards (15, tied with Leinster) and most red cards (3)
