We look back on a weekend that produced a number of unexpected results across the URC and Gallagher Premiership, with the last four of the latter competition now confirmed.
URC R17: Munster end weekend top as Stormers secure playoff participation
Munster’s 29-26 win at Edinburgh on Friday, coupled with Glasgow Warriors’ 21-44 defeat at the Lions and Leinster’s 21-23 loss in Ulster, means they will head into the final weekend of URC matchups in pole position. The defending champions sit on 63 points, closely followed by the Bulls (61) who trampled Benetton 56-35 at Loftus thanks to a Canan Moodie hat-trick. Leinster and Glasgow are third and fourth respectively and each sit on 60 points, six better off than the newly qualified Stormers.
John Dobson’s men may be out of the race for quarter-final home-ground advantage, but their 16-12 win at Connacht has secured them a last-eight spot regardless of what happens in the final round. Their next opponents, the Lions, are ninth but sit level on points with Benetton and could yet feature in the post-season.
Elsewhere, a severely weakened Hollywoodbets Sharks team fell 14-36 to Cardiff in Durban after Timo Mavesere saw red, Scarlets claimed a 32-14 victory at Zebre and Ospreys saw off Dragons 26-13 in Swansea.
👏 The Stormers finally find a way through with a lovely try! #CONvSTO #URC pic.twitter.com/PmjF01YFM5
— Planet Rugby (@PlanetRugby) May 18, 2024
Gallagher Prem R18: Semi-finals all set on crazy final day
In a whirlwind final round of the Gallagher Premiership, Bath secured second spot after defeating table-topping Northampton Saints 43-12 at The Rec. Despite finishing the regular season on the same number of points (60) as their opponents on Saturday, Johann van Graan’s side complete their campaign second on the standings and will host Sale Sharks in the second semi-final on 1 June.
The Manchester-based club themselves have a remarkable 20-10 victory at Saracens to thank for their third-place finish, their fifth win in a row. The result lifted them above Mark McCall’s side into third place, with the defending champions having been left stunned at the StoneX. Knowing them though, they’ll be well up for their trip to Franklin’s Gardens for the first semi-final on 31 May.
In other results from a crazy final round, Bristol Bears’ 53-28 win at Harlequins wasn’t enough for them to progress as they finished fifth with ‘Quins one place back; Jasper Wiese was shown red in his final Leicester game as Tigers saw off Exeter Chiefs 40-22 at Welford Road; and Gloucester outplayed winless Newcastle Falcons 54-14 at the Kingsholm.
Making pressure count 👊@SaleSharksRugby chased down a Play-Off spot with a win over Saracens yesterday 🦈#GallagherPrem pic.twitter.com/F3rMAL44Xq
— Premiership Rugby (@premrugby) May 19, 2024
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