The BKT United Rugby Championship Quarter-Finals are now confirmed with eight teams from across Ireland, South Africa, Scotland and Wales reaching the Play-Offs which take place on May 29 and 30.
The most intense Play-Off race in the history of the BKT URC went all the way to final whistle of Round 18 where the result between Munster and the Fidelity SecureDrive Lions put the rubber stamp on a fascinating slate of Quarter-Final match-ups.
The results from Round 18 ensured that the four home teams were ranked; Glasgow Warriors (1), Leinster (2), DHL Stormers (3) and Vodacom Bulls (4). The away teams will be Munster (5), Cardiff (6), Fidelity SecureDrive Lions (7) and Connacht (8).
The 2024 champions, Glasgow Warriors, will get the Play-Offs underway on Friday, May 29 when they take on Connacht at Scotstoun (19:45 UK/ 20:45 SA). This will be followed by three games on the Saturday with the Vodacom Bulls taking on 2023 champions, Munster at 12:00 UK / 13:00 SA, the DHL Stormers welcome Cardiff to Cape Town at 14:30 UK / 15:30 SA with defending champions Leinster hosting Fidelity SecureDrive Lions at 20:00 UK / 21:00 SA.
All games will be broadcast live on Premier Sports (UK) and SuperSport (South Africa) with TG4 (Glasgow Warriors v Connacht and Leinster v Fidelity SecureDrive Lions) and S4C (DHL Stormers v Cardiff) screening selected games Free-to-Air in the UK and Republic of Ireland.
The qualification of both Cardiff and the Fidelity SecureDrive Lions means that 14 of the 16 teams in the league have reached the Play-Offs in the past five seasons, another sign of the competitive and unpredictable nature of the BKT URC.
BKT URC Play-Off Format
Quarter-Finals
Friday, May 29
QF1: (1) Glasgow Warriors v (8) Connacht
Venue: Scotstoun Stadium, Glasgow
KO: 19:45 UK / 20:45 SA
Live on Premier Sports, SuperSport, TG4, URC.tv, FloRugby
Saturday, May 30
QF4: (4) Vodacom Bulls v (5) Munster
Venue: Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria
KO: 12:00 UK / 13:00 SA
Live on SuperSport, Premier Sports, URC.tv, FloRugby
QF3: (3) DHL Stormers v (6) Cardiff
Venue: DHL Stadium, Cape Town
KO: 14:30 UK / 15:30 SA
Live on SuperSport, S4C, Premier Sports, URC.tv, FloRugby
QF2: (2) Leinster v (7) Fidelity SecureDrive Lions
Venue: Aviva Stadium, Dublin
KO: 20:00 UK / 21:00 SA
Live on TG4, Premier Sports, SuperSport, URC.tv, FloRugby
Semi-Finals – Saturday, June 6
SF1: Winner QF1 v Winner QF4
SF2: Winner QF2 v Winner QF3
BKT URC Grand Final – Saturday, June 20
Winner SF1 v Winner SF2
While the four home Quarter-Finalists are best placed to reach the decider, history may yet deliver a twist — only one team ranked No 1 has ever lifted the BKT URC trophy. In past seasons, it was fourth-placed Glasgow Warriors (2024), fifth-placed Munster (2023), and second-placed DHL Stormers (2022) who emerged as champions before first-placed Leinster finally claimed the crown last year.
THE 2ND ROW 