URC quarter-final results
Munster 23-7 Ospreys
Leinster 43-20 Ulster
Vodacom Bulls 30-23 Benetton Rugby
Glasgow Warriors 27-10 DHL Stormers
Munster’s reward for topping the original URC table sees them meet Glasgow Warriors in the competition’s semi-final in Thomond Park on Saturday, the side whom they beat in the 2023 URC quarter-final on their way to the title.
Leinster’s comfortable quarter-final victory over Ulster has left them with the rather daunting task of a trip to Pretoria to face The Vodacom Bulls.
Leo Cullen’s men previous venture to South Africa this season saw them defeated twice, albeit with an inexperienced squad, with only Ciarán Frawley and Jason Jenkins featuring in both that tour and the prior Investec Champions Cup quarter-final win over Ronan O’Gara’s Stade Rochelais back in April.
That will mean a first venture into the southern hemisphere this season for Joe McCarthy amongst others, with the lock receiving the man-of-the-match award in what came to be a fairly comprehensive 43-20 win on Saturday.
Having been beaten after extra-time in the Investec Champions Cup final a fortnight ago, The Vodacom Bulls will provide a further test of the eastern province’s mettle, with Leinster entering the fray as slight favourites.
The Springbok side were less than impressive in disposing of the vastly improved Italian outfit Benetton, with the usual suspects and national stars Kurt-Lee Arendse and Jesse Kriel grabbing the tries in that particular 30-23 success, also played at the Loftus Versfeld Stadium.
For Munster, it is a renewal of an intense rivalry with Glasgow Warriors, with the Thomond Park fixture bringing back memories of the emotional victory over the same opposition after the passing of former head coach Anthony ‘Axel’ Foley back in 2016.
Among the stars that day was Simon Zebo, and he was Graham Rowntree’s men’s first try scorer in Friday night’s quarter-final win over The Ospreys, with the Corkman due to retire at the conclusion of the campaign.
Should Munster win, his final game will be a send-off in Thomond Park, with a Leinster-Glasgow final the only scenario in which the showpiece event will be held in Croke Park.
A win for The Vodacom Bulls coupled with Munster defeat would see the South Africans at home for the third successive knockout game.