After two weeks of Champions Cup action, the BKT United Rugby Championship returns, as we reach the final two weekends of the regular season.
As things stand, all four Irish provinces are on course to reach the playoffs, but Munster and Connacht both have work to do to make sure they qualify for the Heineken Champions Cup.
Munster will be almost certain of a Champions Cup spot if they beat the Stormers this weekend, although that task is a lot easier said than done, with the defending champions unbeaten in Cape Town since December 2021, and Munster looking low on confidence after consecutive defeats.
Connacht's European chances are likely to come down to next week and their trip to Glasgow, but first they need to stay in the hunt with a win against Cardiff, in what looks like being Andy Friend's final home game in charge of the province.
Ulster have a home quarter-final secure, but for Dan McFarland's side the next two weeks represent a chance of building momentum for the playoffs. Two good wins will also keep their chances of a home semi-final alive (should they get there), although they will need the Stormers to slip up along the way.
For Leinster, the next fortnight is about the long term. With their top-seed already guaranteed and a Champions Cup semi-final on the horizon, Leo Cullen has brought an inexperienced group down to South Africa for their games against the Lions and Bulls, with more than half of the 30-man squad coming from their academy and development structures.
TV
Lions v Leinster (3pm), Stormers v Munster (5.15pm) and Connacht v Cardiff (7.35pm) are all live on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player on Saturday. Ulster v Dragons (Friday 7.35pm) is live on Premier Sports.
All games are live on URC TV.
ONLINE
Follow live scoring and live updates on rte.ie/sport and the RTÉ News app with match reports and reaction from around the grounds.
WEATHER
A showery day is expected to clear up by kick-off in Belfast ahead of Ulster v Dragons, with temperatures of around 8C.
In Johannesburg, it's forecast to be a sunny 22C for Leinster's meeting with the Lions, while down in Cape Town the temperatures will have dropped to a slightly cooler 19C for the evening game between Stormers and Munster.
Connacht and Cardiff is expected to be wet and windy in Galway with showers forecast and temperatures around 10C.
All Ulster can do until the playoffs is to win and wait.
Dan McFarland's side will be expected to pick up two wins, and probably bonus-point wins in their final two home games against Dragons and Edinburgh, which would leave them primed to leapfrog the Stormers into second in the table should the defending champions slip up.
The province were beaten 30-15 by Leinster last time out in the Round of 16 in the Champions Cup, but they're on a three-game winning run in the URC, seeing off the Sharks, Cardiff and Bulls.
Recent history between these sides would point towards an Ulster win, with their last defeat to the Dragons coming back in 2011, while they're unbeaten at home against the Welsh side since 2008.
Dai Flanagan's Dragons look set to finish off another disappointing campaign, currently 15th in the table and without a win in the URC since the end of October, while their only away win all season came in the Challenge Cup.
Rob Herring, Robert Baloucoune and Rory Sutherland all miss out for Ulster, but McFarland has been able to pick an otherwise strong XV, with plenty of quality on the bench in the form of Jeff Toomaga Allen, Kieran Treadwell and Nick Timoney.
Ulster: Mike Lowry; Craig Gilroy, James Hume, Stuart McCloskey, Jacob Stockdale; Billy Burns, John Cooney; Eric O'Sullivan, Tom Stewart, Tom O’Toole; Alan O’Connor (capt), Sam Carter; David McCann, Marcus Rea, Duane Vermeulen
Replacements: John Andrew, Andy Warwick, Jeffery Toomaga Allen, Kieran Treadwell, Nick Timoney, Nathan Doak, Stewart Moore, Ethan McIlroy
Dragons: Jordan Williams; Rio Dyer, Jared Rosser, Max Clark, Ashton Hewitt; Angus O’Brien, Rhodri Williams (capt); Rhodri Jones, Elliot Dee, Leon Brown; Ben Carter, Matthew Screech; George Nott, Taine Basham, Aaron Wainwright
Replacements: Brodie Coghlan, Josh Reynolds, Lloyd Fairbrother, Sean Lonsdale, George Young, Lewis Jones, Will Reed, Aneurin Owen
Referee: Ben Blain (SRU)
With Leo Cullen's side locked into first place in the regular season, and guaranteed a top seed in the playoffs, Leinster have been able to treat their trip to South Africa as a lesson for what is a largely inexperienced touring party.
If there's any degree of pressure for the league leaders to deal with, it will be maintaining their unbeaten season. Their winning record was ended in their last URC outing against the Stormers, but the province are still unbeaten in 22 games in all competitions this season.
Altitude will also be a factor for Leinster to deal with, both this week in Johannesburg, and next week in Pretoria where they will take on the Bulls.
The Lions still have an outside chance of reaching the playoffs, and come into the game on the back of a three-game winning run in the URC, although Ivan van Rooyen's side saw their Challenge Cup journey ended last week by Glasgow Warriors at the quarter-final stage.
Saturday's game will be an eighth game against Irish opposition for the Lions, whose only win against the provinces came at home to Munster in March 2022.
Emirates Lions: Quan Horn; Stean Pienaar, Manuel Rass, Marius Louw (capt), Edwill van der Merwe; Gianni Lombard, Sanele Nohamba; Rhynardt Rijnsburger, PJ Botha, Asenathi Ntlabakanye; Willem Alberts, Ruben Schoeman; Jaco Kriel, Ruan Delport, Francke Horn
Replacements: Morne Brandon, JP Smith, Ruan Dreyer, Darrien Landsberg, Travis Gordon, Morne van den Berg, Rynhardt Jonker, Andries Coetzee
Leinster: Chris Cosgrave; Tommy O'Brien, Liam Turner, Ben Brownlee, Dave Kearney; Sam Prendergast, Nick McCarthy; Michael Milne. Lee Barron, Vakhtang Abdaladze; Brian Deeny, Jason Jenkins; Rhys Ruddock (capt), Will Connors, Max Deegan.
Replacements: Tadgh McElroy, Ed Byrne, Thomas Clarkson, Alex Soroka, James Culhane, Ben Murphy, Charlie Tector, Rob Russell.
Referee: Mike Adamson (SRU)
Two weeks on from their Champions Cup humbling in Durban, Munster are back in South Africa.
Graham Rowntree's side will have a rematch with the Sharks next week, but before that they have to take on the defending champions Stormers, who have made their DHL Stadium in Cape Town a fortress.
John Dobson's side haven't lost on home soil since December 2021, while they've maintained their push for a top-two finish with three wins and a draw in their last four games in the URC.
The holders have had mixed fortunes against the provinces this season, beating Connacht at home, losing to Ulster away, and most recently drawing with leaders Leinster at the RDS.
Munster arrive in South Africa low on confidence, losing two games in a row in all competitions, and conceding 130 points in their last three matches.
One win in their final two games should be enough for Munster to secure Champions Cup rugby, but the province have lost each of their three games in South Africa since the start of last season (one in the Champions Cup), with their last victory in tour in SA coming against the Southern Kings in 2019.
DHL Stormers: Damian Willemse; Suleiman Hartzenberg, Ruhan Nel, Dan du Plessis, Seabelo Senatla; Manie Libbok, Paul de Wet; Steven Kitshoff (capt), Joseph Dweba, Frans Malherbe; Ruben van Heerden, Marvin Orie; Willie Engelbrecht, Ben-Jason Dixon, Hacjivah Dayimani
Replacements: JJ Kotze, Ali Vermaak, Neethling Fouche, Ernst van Rhyn, Marcel Theunissen, Evan Roos, Herschel Jantjies, Clayton Blommetjies
Munster: Mike Haley; Calvin Nash, Antoine Frisch, Malakai Fekitoa, Shane Daly; Jack Crowley, Conor Murray; Jeremy Loughman, Diarmuid Barron, Stephen Archer; Jean Kleyn, RG Snyman; Peter O'Mahony (capt), Alex Kendellen, Gavin Coombes.
Replacements: Scott Buckley, Josh Wycherley, Keynan Knox, Fineen Wycherley, Jack O’Donoghue, Craig Casey, Ben Healy, Keith Earls.
Referee: Craig Evans (WRU)
While there's still a lot to play for, it will be an emotional evening in Galway for what should be Andy Friend's final home game in charge.
The Australian will be hoping Connacht's season still has plenty of life left in it though, as they look to take a step closer to a playoff spot, and maybe even a place in the Champions Cup.
It seemed unlikely the province would be in this situation back in October, having lost four of their first five games, but eight wins from their last 11 in the URC, as well as five in a row, have seen them move into a healthy top-six position with two games left.
Connacht will be hoping their Challenge Cup last-16 defeat to Benetton hasn't knocked them off track though, with the province falling apart in the second half in Treviso to see their European campaign come to an end a fortnight ago.
Cardiff have won two of their last three fixtures against Connacht but have lost on their last three visits to the Sportsground, while their last win away to an Irish province came in September 2017.
Connacht: Tiernan O'Halloran; Diarmuid Kilgallen, Tom Farrell, Bundee Aki, Mack Hansen; Jack Carty (capt), Caolin Blade; Denis Buckley, Dylan Tierney-Martin, Finlay Bealham; Josh Murphy, Niall Murray; Cian Prendergast, Conor Oliver, Jarrad Butler.
Replacements: Eoin de Buitléar, Peter Dooley, Dominic Robertson-McCoy, Oisín Dowling, Shamus Hurley-Langton, Kieran Marmion, Tom Daly, Shane Jennings.
Cardiff Rugby: Ben Thomas; Owen Lane, Mason Grady, Max Llewellyn, Jason Harries; Rhys Priestland, Tomos Williams (capt); Corey Domachowski, Liam Belcher, Keiron Assiratti Lopeti Timani, Seb Davies; James Botham, Thomas Young, Taulupe Faletau
Replacements: Kristian Dacey, Rhys Carre, Dillon Lewis, Teddy Williams, Josh Turnbull, James Ratti, Lloyd Williams, Harri Millard
Referee: Sam Grove-White (SRU)
FULL URC TABLE, FIXTURES AND RESULTS
