We have reached the quarter-finals of the 2024-25 URC season. Three South African teams are still in the running, but it will take some effort to beat a dominant Leinster team if they can get past their playoff hoodoo.
Here is a look at the four quarter-final matches:
Glasgow Warriors (4) VS Stormers (5)
Friday, 30 May – Scotstoun Stadium, Glasgow
The defending champs have backed into the playoffs. The Warriors have lost three matches on the bounce, slipping from second to fourth on the log at the worst possible time. This has given them a much tougher draw than expected at the beginning of May.
The Stormers are much better in Cape Town than on the road, especially in the Northern Hemisphere. They have also lost four of their five matches against Glasgow. They will also be missing Springbok Damian Willemse as he serves his suspension for a high tackle against Cardiff in Round 18.
Even with that, this feels like the best chance of an upset all weekend. The Stormers have more than enough to cover, and I like them to steal a win late on.
Bulls (2) VS Edinburgh (7)
Saturday, 31 May – Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria
The Bulls’ reward for their late-season surge to second on the log is welcoming Edinburgh to Loftus Versfeld.
The Scottish side made the playoffs based on their excellent home form. Their away form, not so much.
Edinburgh has won just twice on the road in URC action all season, and they must make the arduous trip to the altitude of Pretoria. Star winger Duhan van der Merwe is likely to miss the match with ankle ligament damage.
If they win here, the 2024 runners-up will claim a home semi-final. They have won seven on the bounce, hitting form at the right time of the long campaign. Flyhalf John Goosen and loosehead Gerhard Steenekamp will be missing, but the Bulls will still roll through in this one.
Leinster (1) VS Scarlets (8)
Saturday, 31 May – Aviva Stadium, Dublin
Leinster’s ability to roll through a regular season and then fall apart when the pressure is on will be tested again here.
The Irish side dominated the regular season. They won 16 of 18 matches to finish on 76 points, but their team, loaded with British and Irish Lions call-ups, has already been stunned once this season in a major competition. This was when they fell to the underdog Northampton 37-34 in the semi-final of the European Champions Cup.
Scarlets were one of the two teams that beat Leinster in URC play this season. Ironically, that came in a game where the Irish side was resting players, with head coach Leo Cullen making 11 changes to his side so they could be fresh to face Northampton. This strategy did not age well.
Expect Leinster to go hard here. I like them to win by four tries as they aim to show that this year will be different.
Sharks (3) VS Munster (6)
Saturday, 31 May – Kings Park Stadium, Durban
This looks to be the second closest of the four quarter-final matches. Sharks won 13 games this season to finish third on the log, while Munster had an even record of nine wins and nine defeats to finish sixth. This meant they only claimed a finals berth in Round 18.
Sharks are a strange team. Their squad includes international stars like Eben Etzebth, Ok Nche, Bongi Mbobambi, and Siya Kolisi. If that set of names can fire in the playoffs, then this team can win it all.
Munster don’t travel particularly well, so I like the hosts to win by a couple of tries in Durban.
