Sharks, Stormers and Bulls racing for home semi

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With the Vodacom Bulls, Sharks and Stormers still fighting for a place in the Vodacom United Rugby Championship top four, here’s what each team is shooting for in the final round of league matches this weekend.

Sharks
Current position: 3rd

Opponent: Ulster (A)

A win over Ulster would guarantee the Sharks of a finish inside the URC top four and a home quarter-final.

The Sharks can finish in second place, but this is contingent on Munster (2nd) losing to Leinster, or the Sharks beating Ulster with a four-try bonus point, Munster failing to pick up five log points and the Stormers losing against the Scarlets.

Worst case: If the Sharks lose to Ulster, they could fall outside the top four, depending on other results.

Stormers
Current position: 4th

Opponent: Scarlets (A)

Like the Sharks, the Stormers only need to win to be guaranteed of a top-four place and home quarter-final.

The Stormers’ hopes of finishing second are obviously based on them overtaking the Sharks and Munster. The easiest way to do this is to claim a bonus-point win against Scarlets while the Sharks and Munster lose, or win without a bonus point. In other routes to a home semi-final where their rivals both win with a bonus point, the Stormers would have to overcome a tries-scored deficit in the case of the Sharks and a points-difference deficit in the case of Munster.

Losing to Scarlets would not necessarily deny the Stormers a top-four finish, but they would need other results to go their way.

Bulls
Current position: 6th

Opponent: Ospreys (A)

In order to finish in the top four, the Bulls need to beat Ospreys with a bonus point and hope that two from Munster, the Stormers and Sharks drop points.

Mathematically, the Bulls can also finish second, but they require a win against Ospreys by a margin of more than 24 points, picking up a bonus point in the process, while also relying on the Stormers and Munster to lose, and the Sharks and Ulster playing to ad raw without either side claiming a bonus point.

If the Bulls lose against Ospreys, they could drop down to seventh place and potentially face Munster in the quarter-finals.

Photo: Gerhard Duraan/BackpagePix

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Dylan Jack