What Munster must do to guarantee URC playoff spot and Champions Cup rugby next season
If
Munster
thought they were in knock-out territory ahead of last Friday's 38-20 win over Ulster in Thomond Park, they certainly are now. Next Friday night at Musgrave Park (kick-off 8pm) they host Benetton in what effectively amounts to a straight win-or-bust shoot-out with the Italians for a place in both the playoffs and next season's Champions Cup.
Due to results elsewhere over last weekend's penultimate round, Munster only climbed one place to eighth in light of that bonus-point win over Ulster, moving above Cardiff on points difference after the latter's 45-21 loss away to the Bulls.
But seventh-placed Benetton stayed above Munster in a three-way tie on 46 points by dint of having won more matches thanks to their 33-7 bonus-point victory over the champions Glasgow at home on Saturday. The Scarlets also stayed above Munster in sixth on 48 points after their 32-19 bonus-point win away to the Lions on Sunday.
Lurking two points behind Benetton, Munster and Cardiff in 10th place on 44 points are Edinburgh after their 31-21 bonus-point win away to Connacht on Saturday. The Scottish team host Ulster, now out of the playoff picture and consigned to next season's Challenge Cup, next Friday in Hive Stadium (kick-off 7.35pm).
READ MORE
As things stand therefore, Leinster (who are assured of top seeding), the Bulls, Glasgow Warriors and Sharks have guaranteed themselves home quarter-finals, while the Stormers have also secured their place in the playoffs.
Five other teams remain in the hunt for the other three spots, namely the Scarlets, Benetton, Munster, Cardiff and Edinburgh.
Cardiff are away to the fifth-placed Stormers on Friday at 6pm Irish time, meaning Munster will know their fate at the conclusion of their game against Benetton in Cork.
A win of any kind would ensure Munster finish above Benetton and Edinburgh and thus guarantee themselves a top-eight finish. However, a draw without bonus points, or with one apiece, would leave Munster behind Benetton by dint of the Italians having won more matches and mean they would miss out on the playoffs and next season's Champions Cup were either Edinburgh or Cardiff to win on Friday night. A defeat against Benetton would also see Munster miss out on the top eight were either Edinburgh or Cardiff to win.
Benetton's Sebastian Negri and Federico Ruzza celebrate the victory over Glasgow Warriors at Stadio Monigo in Treviso. Photograph: Luca Signolfi/Inpho
Five into three
6
th
Scarlets 48 points (9 wins, +54 points difference)
Final round game: v Sharks (away) Saturday 6.30pm Irish time
Dwayne Peel's side will know exactly what's required of them at kick-off as the four teams below them all play on Friday night. It could be that they will already have qualified for the top eight or might need something from this game.
7
th
Benetton 46 points (9 wins, -76)
Final round game: v Munster (away) Friday 8pm.
Despite a vastly inferior points difference Benetton sit above Munster and Cardiff by dint of winning more matches, the first criteria for separating sides on the same points total. A win of any kind would thus ensure Benetton of a place in the top eight. A draw, provided they emerged from the game with the same match points as Munster, would also suffice provided Cardiff and Edinburgh didn't both win, the latter with a bonus point. However, a defeat would see Benetton miss out on the top eight if Cardiff or Edinburgh win.
8
th
Munster 46 points (8 wins, +6)
Final round game: v Benetton (home) Friday 8pm
Munster know that a win of any kind would guarantee a top-eight finish as they would finish above Benetton and could not be overtaken by Edinburgh.
A draw, with a bonus point while denying Benetton one, would see Munster finish above the Italians and might be sufficient to make the top eight provided Cardiff and Edinburgh didn't both win, the latter with a bonus point.
A draw, and the same tally of match points as Benetton, would see Munster miss out on the top eight if either Cardiff or Edinburgh win. A loss to Benetton, and a win for either Cardiff or Edinburgh, would also see Munster finish outside the top eight.
9
th
Cardiff 46 points (8 wins, -58)
Final round game: v Stormers (away) Friday 6pm Irish time
The Blues know that a win of any kind in Cape Town against the Stormers, who have secured a playoff place and cannot earn a home quarter-final, will ensure them of a top-eight finish. A draw or a defeat would not be sufficient if Edinburgh win.
10
th
Edinburgh 44 points (7 wins, +34)
Final round game: v Ulster (home) Friday 7.35pm
Edinburgh may sit 10th but they look reasonably well placed to qualify for the playoffs. A Cardiff loss, coupled with a clear result in Cork and a win of any kind against Ulster would ensure the Scots of a top-eight finish.
A win over Ulster with a bonus point would seal a place in the top eight provided Cardiff don't win. If the Blues did win, then Edinburgh would be waiting on the outcome of the Stormers-Scarlets match.
A draw, without a bonus point, or a loss would see Edinburgh miss out on the top eight.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Times
an hour ago
- Irish Times
Mark English moves into world-class territory as he lowers Irish 800m record
Mark English became the first Irish athlete to break the 1:44-barrier in the 800 metres as he clocked 1:43.92 to win the FBK Games in the Dutch city of Hengelo on Monday evening. At age 32, it's shaping up to be the season of his life as English once again displayed all his racing experience to take the win on the latest stop on the World Athletics Continental Tour Gold series. His 1:43.92 improved his previous best of 1:44.34, set when winning the Continental Tour Gold meeting in Bydgoszcz, Poland last Friday week. Last summer, he'd improved the Irish record to 1:44.53, and is now running in properly world-class 800m territory. Sitting in third coming into the homestretch, a few metres down on Peter Sisk from Belgium and Yanis Meziane from France, English coolly kicked past them both in the last 50m. Meziane held on for second in 1:44.32, with Craig Payton from Australia given the same time in third. Sisk faded right back to seventh. READ MORE After pacemaker Simon Mohlosi took them to the bell in 49.20, a fast time was clearly on. English bided his time, however, the Donegal athlete keeping his finishing kick until it mattered most. English won his fifth European medal back in March, taking bronze at the European Indoors in Apeldoorn, adding to his two outdoor medals, and another two indoors. Over the winter English moved to Australian coach Justin Rinaldi, and continues to take a break from his medical career. He'd already run well inside the automatic qualifying standard for the Tokyo World Championships of 1:44.50, and in this form will certainly fancy his chances of making the final when those championships take place in September.
The 42
an hour ago
- The 42
GAA confirm All-Ireland SHC and Tailteann Cup fixtures next weekend
NEWBRIDGE WILL HOST a double-header next Saturday afternoon after the GAA confirmed the fixtures for the All-Ireland SHC preliminary quarter-finals and Tailteann Cup quarter-finals. The Kildare hurlers will host Dublin at 4pm, after their historic Joe McDonagh Cup success yesterday, with the Kildare footballers taking on Offaly afterwards at 6.30pm. The other hurling fixture on Saturday sees Laois host Tipperary, a curtain-raiser to the Roscommon-Cork game in the All-Ireland senior football championship. Advertisement Fermanagh will face Sligo in the Tailteann Cup on Saturday, while in the same competition there will be quarter-finals on Sunday with Wicklow playing Westmeath and Limerick taking on Wexford. ***** Saturday 14 June All-Ireland senior hurling preliminary quarter-finals Laois v Tipperary, Laois Hire O'Moore Park, Portlaoise 1.45pm – GAA+. Kildare v Dublin, Cedral St Conleth's Park, Newbridge, 4pm. Tailteann Cup quarter-finals Fermanagh v Sligo, Brewster Park, Enniskillen, 5pm. Kildare v Offaly, Cedral St Conleth's Park, Newbridge, 6.30pm. ***** Sunday 15 June Tailteann Cup quarter-finals Wicklow v Westmeath, Echelon Park, 1.15pm – GAA+. Limerick v Wexford, TUS Gaelic Grounds, 3.45pm – GAA+. **** * Check out the latest episode of The42′s GAA Weekly podcast here
The 42
an hour ago
- The 42
Ireland boss urges players to be excited by progress but demands no drop off against Luxembourg
REPUBLIC OF IRELAND boss Heimir Hallgrimsson has encouraged his players to be excited by the progress they have made as they prepare for a new World Cup qualifying campaign. Ireland will bring down the curtain on this season's fixtures with a friendly in Luxembourg on Tuesday evening knowing that when they next meet up in September, it will be the hard currency of qualification points which will be at stake against Hungary and Armenia. They go into the game having won four and drawn one of the nine matches they have played to date under Hallgrimsson and the Icelander, who helped guide his native country to the quarter-finals at Euro 2016 courtesy of a famous last 16 win over England, believes they have established a momentum. Asked about replicating that excitement with Ireland, he said: 'I think it comes automatically. It comes because we are growing as an unit. 'It comes because we are saying the same thing over and over again – probably boring for the players to listen to because we are saying the same thing over and over – and I have said before, basics first before details. Basics before details. Advertisement 'The excitement comes from that. We can feel that we are growing every time we play, like how comfortable we were against Senegal. 'That's one step taken. We can have the same against Luxembourg, so it shouldn't be up and down performances, it should be consistent performance. That is what we need.' Friday night's 1-1 draw with Senegal, who are ranked 41 places above Ireland by FIFA, in Dublin was a creditable result, but Hallgrimsson and his players would dearly love to go into the competitive games with a another victory under their belts. However, they know from painful experience that Luxembourg are no longer the push-over they once may have been having lost 1-0 to Luc Holtz's men in a World Cup qualifier at the Aviva Stadium in March 2021. Hallgrimsson, who has drafted Stoke defender Bosun Lawal into the squad, said: 'They have shown in the past how quickly they have developed as a football team. 'They have had the same coach for a long time, really consistent in team selection, so it's more like playing a club team. Their knowledge of the team and each other is really at a high level. 'I watched the Sweden game when they played here – they beat Sweden 1-0, they could have scored more goals against Sweden. I know a little bit about them, and the strength of Sweden, so I wouldn't look at it as a shock to the nation if we would not get a good result here. 'It's that good a team that a win here would be really good for us at this stage. I hope nobody is taking them lightly, if that is the right word to say.' That said, that night in Dublin was a dark one for Irish football and then manager Stephen Kenny – they won the return 3-0 to restore a measure of wounded pride – although defender Nathan Collins does not want to dwell on the past. He said: 'It's just football, isn't it? football changes, people change, managers change, teams change and you just have to reflect on that. 'It is about what works for us now, and we can't have that on our mind. We are here with fresh faces, it is a fresh game, it is a new game.'
