United Rugby Championship 2023 Quarterfinals: What You Need To Know

The second year of the United Rugby Championship regular season has come to an end after 18 action-packed rounds. 

With the top eight sides now confirmed, attention will turn to the upcoming quarterfinal series, which will take place across Friday, May 5^th and Saturday, May 6^th, in Ireland, South Africa and Scotland.

What are the URC Quarterfinal Fixtures? 

Ulster Rugby vs Connacht Rugby

First up is the Irish derby matchup between rivals Ulster and Connacht, which gets underway at 14.35 ET. 

The clash will take place at Ulster’s home crowd, The Kingspan Stadium in Belfast, a location where Connacht last won in the 2020-21 season. 

Head-to-head over the past ten fixtures between the two sides, Ulster leads the series with six wins to Connacht’s four. Crucially, Ulster have won the past three meetings between the two, with their latest victory being a narrow 22 – 20 win back in December 2022. 

A win for Ulster would secure a home semi-final, whilst a win for Connacht would lead to a second road playoff game likely to take place in Dublin against Leinster should they beat the Sharks. 

DHL Stormers vs Vodacom Bulls 

Kicking off Saturday’s run of fixtures is the brutally physical South African derby between the DHL Stormers and the Vodacom Bulls in a repeat of last season’s final. The match will get underway at 09.30 ET at the DHL Stadium in Cape Town. 

Edging out their northern rivals for the title in 2022, John Dobson’s Stormers will be looking to continue their fine run of form against Jake White’s side. 

Having never lost to the Bulls in the URC, the Cape Town-based Stormers are riding a five-game win streak over their arch-rivals, who regularly had their number when the two sides competed in the Super Rugby competition. 

Should the Stormers win, then they remain in with a chance of hosting a home semi-final should either Leinster or Ulster lose their matches. 

Leinster Rugby vs Cell C Sharks

Heineken Champions Cup finalist Leinster will host the Cell C Sharks at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin at 12.00 ET on Saturday, May 6^th.

Hoping to complete a brace of titles in Dublin this season, Leinster Rugby will likely pick a rotated yet still strong side for the clash with the Sharks. 

Shoulder Leinster complete a season sweep of the Sharks, who they defeated earlier this season 54 – 34. Then they will set up a home semi-final which will take place May 13^th, just a week before they play in the Heineken Champions Cup final, which will also take place at the Aviva Stadium against French side La Rochelle. 

For the Sharks, a win over Leinster is a non-negotiable should they wish to plan in next season’s Heineken Champions Cup. Finishing in 8^th position on the log ensured a place in this season’s competition but not a place in next season’s Champions Cup. 

Glasgow Warriors vs Munster Rugby 

Two of the hottest teams in terms of form coming into the playoffs will do battle at Scotstun Stadium in Glasgow at 14.35 ET. 

Last meeting…