
United Rugby Championship Round 17: All You Need To Know
The penultimate round of the regular season in the BKT United Rugby Championship, and there's one big Interpro that has the potential to be season-defining at Thomond Park.
Munster v Ulster is the pick of the games on Friday night, where both sides know a defeat could be fatal for their hopes of reaching the play-offs, but more importantly for their chances of qualifying for next season's Investec Champions Cup.
On Saturday, Leinster return to action following last week's devastating Champions Cup semi-final defeat to Northampton Saints. Leo Cullen's side host Zebre, knowing a win will guarantee themselves top seed for the play-offs, which will give them home advantage for as long as they stay in the competition.
Later on Saturday, Connacht host Edinburgh at the Sportsground, looking for their first URC win since early March. Even a bonus-point win against the Scottish side is unlikely to give them a realistic chance at making the top-eight, although quite a few teams around them will be hoping the province can dent Edinburgh's play-off hopes along the way.
TV
Watch Munster v Ulster (Friday, 7.35pm) on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player, with coverage getting under way at 7pm.
Watch Leinster v Zebre on Saturday from 5.10pm on the RTÉ News Channel and RTÉ Player.
Connacht v Edinburgh (Saturday, 7.35pm) will be live on TG4 and Premier Sports.
All games are shown live on URC.tv.
RADIO
Listen to live commentary of Munster v Ulster on RTE Radio 1 Extra from 7.35pm on Friday. Saturday Sport on RTÉ Radio 1 will have updates of Leinster v Zebre.
ONLINE
We'll have live score updates, reports and reaction from all games.
WEATHER
The weather forecast is a delight this weekend.
Limerick city will have temperatures of around 14C by kick-off on Friday night, with barely a puff of wind.
On Saturday, it will be around 16C and blue skies for Leinster v Zebre, although there could be a bit more wind for the kickers to deal with.
It will also be a beautiful night in Galway for Connacht v Edinburgh, with a clear, dry evening and temperatures in the mid-teens.
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This one doesn't need a hard sell.
With two games to play, both Munster and Ulster sit outside the play-offs, although the packed nature of this middle third of the table means that whoever wins on Friday night will be right back in the mix. It could be curtains for whoever loses.
If this is anything like their pre-Christmas meeting, it will be a dramatic night at Thomond Park. On that occasion it took a late Tom Farrell try for Munster to pinch a bonus-point 22-19 win in Belfast.
The form book leans towards neither side. Both teams have lost three in a row in all competitions coming into this week.
Even recent meetings between these sides make it a difficult one to split. Their last six clashes have been evenly split, both teams winning twice at home and once away.
For Munster, it will be a final Thomond Park outing for Peter O'Mahony and Stephen Archer who are in the starting team, as well as Conor Murray on the bench.
This is one of two away games Ulster have to finish the season, but they have been able to welcome Iain Henderson, Rob Baloucoune and Mike Lowry back from injury.
Munster: Thaakir Abrahams; Calvin Nash, Tom Farrell, Alex Nankivell, Diarmuid Kilgallen; Jack Crowley, Craig Casey; Michael Milne, Niall Scannell, Stephen Archer; Jean Kleyn, Tadhg Beirne (capt); Peter O'Mahony, John Hodnett, Gavin Coombes.
Replacements: Lee Barron, Josh Wycherley, John Ryan, Fineen Wycherley, Tom Ahern, Conor Murray, Seán O'Brien, Alex Kendellen.
Ulster: Michael Lowry; Rob Baloucoune, Jude Postlethwaite, Stuart McCloskey, Jacob Stockdale; Jack Murphy, Nathan Doak; Andrew Warwick, Rob Herring, Scott Wilson; Iain Henderson (capt), Cormac Izuchukwu; Matty Rea, Nick Timoney, James McNabney
It will have been a tough week at Leinster Rugby HQ as they picked apart the remains of their Champions Cup elimination, and the province will be grateful that the stakes aren't as high this week for the visit of Zebre to Dublin.
With an eight-point led over Glasgow Warriors coming into this week, Leo Cullen's side know they only need one win across the next two games to guarantee the top seed for the play-offs.
While Zebre have pulled off a few shocks this season, beating both Munster and Ulster, the Italian side are one of just two teams mathematically ruled out of the play-offs.
Leinster have never lost to Zebre, winning all 18 meetings between the sides, and they haven't lost a URC game on home soil since January 2024.
While Connacht can still mathematically qualify for the play-offs, their chances of doing so are extremely slim.
Even if they pick up bonus-point wins in their final two games, Cullie Tucker's side would still need some surprise results elsewhere to go their way if they're to sneak into the top half of the table.
While they're probably not going to get to the play-offs, they will have a big say on who does get there, with Saturday's opponents Edinburgh right in the mix in tenth place, with a home game against Ulster to follow next week.
Connacht have been in free-fall in recent months, not helped by the off-field issues which saw head coach Pete Wilkins resign following a period of sick leave.
Since their last win in early March, Connacht have lost five of their last six games in all competitions, with their only victory in that time being a Challenge Cup Round of 16 tie against Cardiff.
Edinburgh have won their last two games in Ireland, against Munster this season, and Ulster last season, and have never won three consecutive games on Irish soil.
The Scottish side have also won three of their last four Championship matches against Connacht.
Team news: Friday 12pm
With so many teams still in play-off contention, quite a few of this week's games are worth noting from an Irish point of view.
On Friday, the Sharks host the Ospreys at 6pm, with the Welsh side still very much in the play-off race back in 11th place.
Munster and Ulster fans will be hoping the Bulls can beat Cardiff at home on Saturday at 3pm, while they will be looking for Glasgow to pick up an away victory at eighth-place Benetton.
The Lions could also do the Irish provinces a favour if they beat Scarlets in Johannesburg on Sunday afternoon at 2pm.
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RTÉ News
2 hours ago
- RTÉ News
Leinster Lions quartet of Furlong, Van der Flier, Ringrose and Keenen still in running to face Bulls
Leinster's Tadhg Furlong, Garry Ringrose and Josh van der Flier trained with Leinster today "to some degree" and are still in the running to face Bulls in Saturday's BKT URC final. Ireland and Lions prop Furlong has not played since the start of May as he recovers from a calf injury. Centre Ringrose, who will go on his first Lions tour this summer, has been out since the Zebre game on 10 May with a calf issue, and missed both knockout wins over Scarlets and Glasgow. Flanker van der Flier, also a first time Lions tourist, came off after 28 minutes of Leinster's win over Scarlets with a tight hamstring nine days ago. "They were at different levels but it's great to have them out on the park," Leinster assistant Tyler Bleyendaal told RTÉ Sport when asked about Furlong and Ringrose's prospects for the Croke Park clash. "They were kind of mixing their rehab with a bit of rugby and we'll see how far they integrate during the week whether or not they are available for selection. On Van der Flier and Hugo Keenan, who was ruled out of their semi-final win against Warriors late last week with a calf injury, the New Zealander said: "The same, out on the pitch to some degree and depending on their rehab plans, they might progress more or have to stay but we'll make that assessment, probably tomorrow morning." Speaking after the 37-19 win over the defending champions, head coach Leo Cullen indicated that Van der Flier and Ringrose were closer to the "top" of the list of possible Lions players who could feature at Croke Park, while Furlong and Keenan were ranked in "the middle". "Tadhg obviously brings a lot and hopefully he comes through the week well," said hooker Dan Sheehan, who scored a brace of tries at Aviva Stadium on Saturday. "Obviously we have quite a few big names out but that's just part of this time of the season, boys are banged up so anyone we can get back would be great, but we also have a strong squad with good depth." There were no further updates on Will Connors, Brian Deeny, Caelan Doris and Robbie Henshaw, while Tommy O'Brien came through the game with no issues following a recent injury. Meanwhile, Bleyendaal admitted that Leinster, last league champions in 2021, will need to improve but felt that the Warriors battle will stand to them. Franco Smith's side scored two late converted tries to put a deceptive look on the scoreboard, while Sam Prendergast missed six kicks at goal. "It's an interesting one," said the attack specialist. "We had a tight battle against the Scarlets, who did play well and we ground out a good win. "Glasgow turned up with great intent, I thought. They are still a very difficult team. "The scoreboard might not have reflected that but if you ask the players I'm sure they are feeling all the contacts from the weekend and it definitely wasn't an easy match. "We feel like it was a great result for us, a semi-final victory, it was hard earned, and it was a physical battle. "We're grateful for the win and very much aware that we do need to improve again." Leinster and Bulls, who beat Sharks 25-13 in their semi-final, will name their teams for the final on Thursday.

The 42
2 hours ago
- The 42
So, just how serious are we about hurling promotion?
AS YOU APPROACHED the corner where the Drumcondra and Clonliffe Roads meet, several buses were queued up on Sunday lunchtime. Dozens of children emerged clad in the garb of their local clubs or else Galway and Kilkenny jerseys. Noticeable to this eye was the proliferation of kids from Belfast club, Michael Davitts, a bijoux planted off the corner of the Falls Road and Clonard Street. Elsewhere in the stadium, another Belfast club, O'Donovan Rossa, had a busload of children. 33 in total, along with their mentors. It's not unknown for the Leinster final attendance to be swollen by hurling units from Ulster. Most years you are guaranteed a top-quality game, within a travelling distance that is manageable enough that kids won't be blowing chunks all around a bus after a day of munching sweets, and for the tolerance levels of mentors, some of whom realise that children can be a bit like farting; you can just about stand your own. However, there can be no doubt that the Leinster Council did the right thing in meeting these units half way. Around a fortnight ago it was announced that they were donating 20,000 tickets for children under the age of 14. As they explained, the move came about through Leinster GAA's, 'ongoing commitment to youth participation and community engagement, providing young players with the opportunity to experience the excitement and atmosphere of Senior Hurling Championship match days.' For every ten children, there had to be two supervising adults. Speaking prior to handing over the Bob O'Keefe Cup to John Donnelly, Kent gave a shout-out to the various hurling units that had made the effort to come along for the day, hailing those from Tyrone, Armagh and Down by name. It's not sacrilege to also admit at the same time that the appetite for such a game was meagre at best. Advertisement The take-up was believed to be around half in an overall attendance of 37,503. So essentially, for a Leinster hurling final, with the Joe McDonagh Cup final of Kildare and Laois as the curtain-raiser, brought in just over 27,000 apart from the freebies. The presence of Hurling Development Chairman Terry Reilly and National Head of Hurling Willie Maher, sitting in a prominent position when Kildare were being presented with the Joe McDonagh Cup, was instructive. Reilly has been exacting and exhausting in his efforts to date in his role. He has demanded a great deal, but he has also been careful to take his time in identifying what needs to be done, by whom and by when. Terry Reilly, Chairman of the HDC. Laszlo Geczo / INPHO Laszlo Geczo / INPHO / INPHO Maher was originally on the committee, but has had to step down in order to take up this role, which had been occupied by former Kilkenny coach Martin Fogarty until his contract ran out in December 2021 and the GAA in a dereliction of duty, did not arrange for an extension or a replacement. The symmetry was too tempting for GAA President Jarlath Burns to ignore. In his speech before handing over the Joe McDonagh cup, he declared Kildare's triumph to be an early 'win' for his Hurling Development Committee, given part of their remit was to expand the number of counties who could compete in the Liam MacCarthy Cup. That status is now bestowed on Kildare, and reward for the plan they devised and began in 2018, and have carried through to fruition so far. Good for Kildare. The sugar rush of a Joe McDonagh Cup needs to be capitalised upon by Kildare when they play Dublin in the preliminary quarter-final. Though you may question why they have to do so much winning to keep playing hurling in the early summer. In his programme notes, Kent noted, 'Almost 60% of our senior hurling teams in Leinster will have no hurling in June, which surely demonstrates a troubling lack of hurling promotion. On the contrary, over 91% of our football teams, all but one of the 12 in the province, will play football this month. That clearly highlights an imbalance in the playing of our games.' The line between Galway and Dublin is the Mason-Dixon Line of hurling. the Confederate states south of that hurling equator have access to each other, where the hurling culture is strongest. The four teams playing in Croke Park were all within that area. As hard as it is to call out the troops in the heartlands, consider the work then that is going on north of that line. One of the chief aims of the Hurling Development Committee has been to increase the number of units in this area. They have already started that project with their 'starter packs' of equipment for clubs that have previously only fielded in Gaelic football, to offer hurling. Empty spaces at the Leinster hurling final. Bryan Keane / INPHO Bryan Keane / INPHO / INPHO Good. Brilliant. Excellent. However, there is absolutely no point in new clubs starting, unless they have help and support. To that end, our eye gets drawn to a job advertised by the Ulster Council recently for a regional hurling development officer. There are a number of them in the province and people generally don't tend to last long in the roles. The salary advertised was circa £27,000 (€32,000). To put this into context, the average graduate wage in the north is £32,500 (€38,600). The minimum wage in the north, since April 1, 2025 is £25,396. Related Reads 'The fact it went to penalties is a bit mad' - Cork's Munster win with a difference Kildare crowned Joe McDonagh Cup champions with victory over Laois 'It was a whole new world for me': Limerick-Cork Munster final memories 50 years on A job at the interface of hurling development, where the work is most badly needed, is barely more than a minimum wage. If you were wondering how serious the GAA were about promoting hurling, that's one area to fix. Immediately. * Check out the latest episode of The42′s GAA Weekly podcast here


Irish Times
3 hours ago
- Irish Times
Leinster monitoring Lions quartet ahead of URC final
Leinster will continue to monitor the injuries of Josh van der Flier , Garry Ringrose , Hugo Keenan and Tadhg Furlong ahead of this Saturday's URC final against the Bulls at Croke Park (kick-off 5pm). The province confirmed Ringrose, Keenan and Furlong are all carrying calf injuries, while van der Flier is managing a hamstring injury, causing them to sit out last weekend's semi-final win over Glasgow Warriors at the Aviva Stadium. They will be assessed further over the coming days and a final decision will be made later this week on their availability for Saturday's final. The four are part of the British & Irish Lions squad set to get their summer Tour under way against Argentina in Dublin on June 20th. READ MORE Leinster also confirmed Tommy O'Brien, who featured in the win over Glasgow, and Jordan Larmour, who was part of the extended matchday squad, are both available for selection. No further updates were given on Caelan Doris, Robbie Henshaw, Brian Deeny or Will Connors.