URC: Playoff permutations for all four SA teams
With the URC well and truly entering the business end, the four SA teams continue to pin their hopes on victories to stay in the race for quarter-final spots or the best possible log positions with only three rounds of pool matches remaining.
While the Bulls (in third position with 54 points) and Sharks (in fourth place with 49 points) will be resolute in their quest to maintain their standing in the top four as they hunt home quarter-finals, the Stormers (in eighth position with 40 points) will give everything to remain in the top eight, which could require winning all three remaining round-robin matches.
The Lions, meanwhile, are under immense pressure to win their match to keep their faint playoff hopes alive after suffering five successive defeats in the competition.
The Bulls will kick-start the action on Friday against the Glasgow Warriors in Pretoria in a repeat of last year's Grand Final – only this time in Scotland – while Saturday will be action-packed as the Lions host Connacht in Johannesburg, the Stormers welcome Benetton to Cape Town, and the Sharks take on Ulster in Belfast.
The battle between the Bulls and second-placed Glasgow Warriors is expected to be a humdinger given how closely matched the teams are on the table and in terms of their performances this season, with only four log points separating them and both sides being tied on 11 victories in their 15 matches to date.
The men from Pretoria can still finish in the top two on the log, should they bag a few good results in their remaining matches, starting in Glasgow.
Glasgow Warriors v Bulls
Date: Friday, 25 AprilVenue: Scotstoun Stadium, GlasgowSA Time: 20h35Referee: Andrew Brace
TV: SuperSport
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