Three play-off places guaranteed in the BKT URC
- Updated: 20/04/2025
BKT URC Round 15 Review
Three play-off spots sorted – five left to be filled
So we now know three of the teams in the end of season play-offs, with Glasgow Warriors and Vodacom Bulls having joined Leinster Rugby in booking their spots. But, with three rounds of matches to go, there are still 12 other teams in with a mathematical chance of securing one of the five vacant spots in the knock-out stage. Leaders Leinster look odds on to finish top of the table – which would enable them to stay at home right the way through to the final – as they are nine points clear. They made it 14 wins out of 15 in the league and 20 out of 21 in all competitions with a 41-17 bonus point victory over Ulster Rugby at the Aviva Stadium. It was a triumph which was notable for the real rarity of a second half hat-trick of tries from a replacement – prolific Ireland hooker Dan Sheehan.
Second placed Glasgow were made to work hard by Zebre Parma out in Italy as they turned around a 6-0 half-time deficit to graft out a 14-6 win which has guaranteed them a home quarter-final.
The Vodacom Bulls – in third spot – also faced a real test on the road before overcoming Munster 16-13 in Limerick, with super-sub Keagan Johannes landing the match-winning penalty eight minutes from time. Their veteran flanker Marcell Coetzee, who will turn 34 next month, was named Player of the Match after putting in no fewer than 31 tackles, as well as scoring their one try.
Fellow South Africans the Hollywoodbets Sharks left it even later as they too won away from home to strengthen their grip on a top four spot.
They snatched the spoils in the final play against Edinburgh Rugby with Springboks winger Makazole Mapimpi going over in the corner to secure an 18-17 victory at the Hive Stadium.
Arguably the performance of the round came out in Johannesburg where Benetton Rugby ran in five tries to beat the Emirates Lions 42-31 and move up to fifth in the table.
Meanwhile, Cardiff Rugby and the DHL Stormers are the two teams to have forced their way into the top eight over the weekend.
Cardiff recorded a 36-19 bonus point victory over the Ospreys in their Judgement Day clash at the Principality Stadium to jump up to sixth, while the Stormers also claimed the maximum with a nail-biting 34-29 win over Connacht Rugby in Cape Town where the visitors had a last gasp try disallowed.The Scarlets are sitting just outside the play-off zone having fought back to beat Dragons RFC 31-23 in the second Judgement Day Welsh derby.
Things are still hugely congested in the middle section of the table with just four points separating fifth and eleventh.
Cardiff players doing themselves proud
Cardiff Rugby coach Matt Sherratt says his players have done themselves proud with the way they have responded to recent events off the field.
In their first game since the club temporarily went into administration, Sherratt’s side claimed a 36-19 bonus victory over the Ospreys in the Judgement Day double header at the Principality Stadium.
In doing so, they kept themselves firmly in the hunt for a URC play-off spot with a huge game against top eight rivals Munster Rugby coming up at the Arms Park next Friday.They also clinched the Welsh Shield which is based on results in the derbies during the course of the season.
The win over the Ospreys, which was sealed with two late tries, has seen Cardiff move up to sixth in the table, level on points with Benetton and a point ahead of Munster and the Stormers.
Asked how much of an achievement it would be to make the play-offs, Sherrasaid: “I think it would be massive.
“When I took the job, I was thinking I would love to get us into a play-off or a knock-out game within three years.
“We are in the fight, aren’t we? That’s against a backdrop of quite a lot of negativity and a lot of twists and turns over the last two years.”
Following their move into administration – which Sherratt has admitted was unsettling – Cardiff were taken over by the WRU.
“It’s credit to the players how they have reacted. It would have been so easy for them to down tools in the last two weeks,” he said.
“What I said to the players before the game is they are the club and outwardly people will judge Cardiff by watching them on the field.
“If they can show the heart they have shown over the last two years and the ambition they have with the ball, that’s what 90 per cent of people will judge Cardiff on, not the stuff off pitch.
“So it’s important for the players to realise they are the perception of the club and, credit to them, they have done themselves proud.”
Reflecting on the six-try victory over the Ospreys, which featured a hat-trick from wing Gabriel Hamer-Webb, Sherratt said: “I was pleased with how brave we were in attack and we were pretty good defensively.
“It’s five points, six tries against local rivals. It’s made us the most successful Welsh region in terms of the derbies and that’s big for us as a club, especially with the backdrop of the last couple of weeks.”
Now all eyes turn to the titanic tussle with Munster which is set to see a full house at the Arms Park.
“Our fans have got history in terms of when the club needs them, they usually come out en masse,” said Sherratt.
“Let’s hope we can get the Arms Park rocking on Friday night.
“It will be a big occasion for many reasons. There’s the league table, but there’s also going to be some personal reasons. It will be some people’s last home game for the club.
“The Arms Park is always a special place to play and we will definitely use that in the week to build the players up.”
Giving his thoughts, Player of the Match Hamer-Webb said: “It’s our last game at home, the last time for a lot of lads to play together at home, so we’ll make it special.
“If it’s going to be a full house, brilliant. It would be an absolute privilege to have that.”
As for the play-off battle, he added: “Our captain, Liam Belcher, has made a brilliant point these last couple of weeks that this pressure is exactly what we want and we need to enjoy it and thrive on it.
“He has said it is a privilege and I couldn’t agree more. We want to be in at the business end. That’s why we are here.”
In the other Judgement Day fixture, the Scarlets kept their own play-off hopes alive as they fought back from 20-7 down to secure a 31-23 bonus point win over Dragons RFC.
That has taken them up to ninth in the table, just two points off the top eight, with league leaders Leinster the visitors to Llanelli next Saturday.
Coach Dwayne Peel said: “It was a tough game and I am pleased with the character and resilience we showed to fight back. We battled hard to get that win. Five points was all important.
“We are in the hunt. There’s obviously a massive challenge for us next week, but we are in it and you want to be in there fighting.
“If you look at the fixture list of those teams that are in the four to ten slot, they are all playing each other over the next couple of weeks, so it’s exciting.
“There are going to be sides taking points off each other, so we have got to focus on capitalising when the opportunity comes.”
On the prospect of taking on Leinster, Peel added: “It’s going to be an awesome week for us. That’s what we play the game for.
“We have all seen them over the last few weeks, they have looked very good. So the task is big, but the reward is big as well.
“We will look forward to it. These type of occasions are big at the club. That’s what you want. You want to be challenging yourself against the best.”
Match of the weekend
Edinburgh 17, Sharks 18
What a rip-roaring contest to welcome Eben Etzebeth back to the rugby field. Making his first appearance since suffering concussion in early December, the Springboks second row skippered the Sharks to a dramatic last-gasp victory in the Scottish capital.
There were other games over the weekend with more tries and more points scored. But in terms of intensity, physicality and feistiness, this compelling affair took some beating. It also had a thrilling conclusion, with winger Makazole Mapimpi crossing for the match-winning try in the final play.
Giving his verdict, Etzebeth said: “It was a great game. It was two teams that were desperate. They want to finish in the top eight and we are still trying to climb the table a bit.
“With this win, we are almost guaranteed a home quarter. We will take it game by game, try and build an innings and try and get some momentum going into the play-offs.”
Player of the weekend
Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (Stormers)
There were three hat-trick heroes to consider, but it’s Feinberg-Mngomezulu who gets the nod over Cardiff wing Gabriel Hamer-Webb and Leinster hooker Dan Sheehan. The 23-year-old is viewed as one of the real rising stars of world rugby and showed just why with his masterclass in the Stormers’ 34-29 victory over Connacht in Cape Town. Playing at fly-half, he went through the full range of his attacking repertoire with his three tries. For his first, he tantalised the defence by holding the ball in one hand as he sliced through before scorching away to the line.
His second saw him pirouette out of a tackle and pull off a one-two with flanker Paul de Villiers to run in under the posts and he completed a 25-minute hat-trick by collecting his own chip over the top. If that were not enough, he also delivered an audacious pass to set up Suleiman Hartzenburg’s try and landed four shots at goal for a 24-point haul. He really is a special talent with the world at his feet.
Quote of the weekend
Ospreys coach Mark Jones on the Judgement Day double header which drew a crowd of 28,328 to the Principality Stadium:
“The concept is the right one where you have a day where everyone comes together and celebrates Welsh rugby with the talent we have got and the way we can perform.
“We need to work out how we get 60,000 in there like we used to. That’s the challenge.
“The selfish side of me says open it up, make tickets £1, fill the place out and get them in love with rugby.
“I know electric is not free and you have to pay people to staff it and make money, so I get it.
“But, at some point, we have to get people back in love with Welsh rugby and get them in the stadiums cheering on the teams. We’ve got to create some heroes out of the players and, if we can do that, it can be self-fulfilling.
“We should definitely try and keep it going here, but everybody is aligned around the fact it needs to be a big spectacle from a visual point of view, as well.”
What’s coming next?
It’s Round 16 next weekend which will see the race for the play-offs hot up even more. The Friday night meeting between Cardiff and Munster at a packed Arms Park should be a real humdinger with just one point and one place separating the two teams. There’s also a mouth-watering encounter at Scotstoun where second hosts third, as Glasgow entertain the Bulls, while two more top eight sides meet in Cape Town where the Stormers face Benetton. League leaders Leinster travel to the Scarlets – who are just outside the play-off zone – while there’s the final Welsh derby of the season as the Ospreys take on the Dragons in Swansea. The other fixtures are Lions v Connacht, Ulster v Sharks and Zebre v Edinburg.
(Supplied by BTK URC)
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