Four teams have been confirmed to play in the United Rugby Championship semi-finals – Munster, Glasgow Warriors, Leinster and the Bulls.
Defending champions Munster first booked their place in the last four with a convincing 23-7 win over the Ospreys on Friday night.
URC semi-finals confirmed
Simon Zebo and Neil Scannell scored tries for Graham Rowntree’s team, while Jack Crowley added 13 points off the tee to seal the win.
Jake White’s Bulls, who finished second in the URC overall rankings after the regular season, avenged their loss in the 2021 Rainbow Cup final with a hard-fought 30-23 win over Benetton in the first leg of the quarter-finals at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday.
Springbok flyer Kurt Lee Arendse scored two tries for the Bulls, David Kriel another and Johan Goosen added 15 points. Italy kept fighting with tries from Onisi Ratabe, Tomas Albornoz and Malachi Fekitoa.
Leinster became just the second Irish team to reach the semi-finals of the tournament after beating Ulster 43-20 in the all-Irish last-eight match.
Ireland’s leading players shine as Leinster edge Ulster to reach the United Rugby Championship semi-finals
Coach Leo Cullen welcomed back his main players for the quarter-final win, with James Rowe scoring two goals to help the team win, while Jordan Larmour, Josh van der Flier and Ross Moloney also scored tries.
The result means Munster will face a semi-final clash with Glasgow Warriors at Thomond Park, while Leinster face the tough task of travelling to South Africa to take on the Bulls at Loftus Versveld.
Ultimately, Glasgow defeated back-to-back finalists and inaugural URC champions the Stormers, 27-10 in the quarter-finals.
George Horne scored 12 points from a tee kick, while Sebastian Cancellier, Henko Venter and Ross Thompson also scored tries to contribute to the victory.
URC Semi-final match schedule
Saturday, June 15
Bulls v Leinster
venue: Loftus Versfeld Stadium, Pretoria
kick off: 16:00 SA (15:00 Ireland and UK)
Broadcaster: SuperSport, RTÉ, Premier Sport, URC.tv
Munster vs Glasgow Warriors
venue: Tommond Park, Limerick
kick off: 18:00 Ireland & UK (19:00 South Africa)
Broadcaster: TG4, SuperSport, Premier Sports, URC.tv
read more: The Bulls beat Benetton in the quarterfinals but struggled
