URC Semi-Final Match-Ups Locked In As Connacht Qualify For Champions Cup
Three Irish teams remain in the running to lift the BKT United Rugby Championship trophy later this month ©INPHO/Billy Stickland
The line-up for the BKT United Rugby Championship semi-finals has been confirmed with Dublin and Cape Town hosting the games next Saturday (May 13).
As the highest-ranked teams who qualified for the last-four, Leinster (1) and the DHL Stormers (3), will be the home sides, entertaining Munster (5) and Connacht (7) respectively. The winners will reach the BKT URC final on Saturday, May 27.
The weekend’s results also confirm that Connacht’s place in next season’s Heineken Champions Cup is now confirmed.
Semi-final 1 will take place at 5.30pm at the Aviva Stadium as Leinster host provincial rivals Munster in the Irish capital.
Semi-final 2 will take place at 4pm local time/3pm Irish time at DHL Stadium in the Western Cape where Connacht will be hoping to end the DHL Stormers’ reign as URC champions.
The winners will face each other in the URC title decider, with the highest-ranked team hosting the game at their nominated venue.
BKT UNITED RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP SEMI-FINALS:
Saturday, May 13 –
DHL STORMERS v CONNACHT, DHL Stadium, kick-off 4pm local time/3pm Irish time
Live on: SuperSport, TG4, ViaPlay, URC.tv, Premier Sports, Discovery+/Eurosport, FloRugby
LEINSTER v MUNSTER, Aviva Stadium, kick-off 5.30pm
Live on: RTÉ, SuperSport, ViaPlay, URC.tv, Premier Sports, Discovery+/Eurosport, FloRugby
Semi-Final Path:
The winners of QF1 (Leinster) plays the winners of QF4 (Munster) in semi-final 1, and the winners of QF2 (Connacht) plays the winners of QF3 (DHL Stormers) in semi-final 2.
In a change to last season’s rules, the teams with the highest seeding in each semi-final will have home venue rights. Previously, the winners of QF1 and QF2 were guaranteed home draws no matter their ranking.
BKT URC QUALIFIERS FOR 2023/24 HEINEKEN CHAMPIONS CUP:
LEINSTER (Irish Shield winners)
DHL Stormers (South African Shield winners)
ULSTER (highest ranked non-Shield winners)
Glasgow Warriors (Scottish Italian Shield winners)
MUNSTER (second highest ranked non-Shield winners)
Vodacom Bulls (third highest ranked non-Shield winners)
CONNACHT (fourth highest ranked non-Shield winners)
Cardiff (Welsh Shield winners)