United Rugby Championship round 18: All you need to know

For half of the teams in the BKT United Rugby Championship, it'll be season over by Saturday night. For others, it's only getting started.

Round 18 is upon us as the URC regular season comes to a close, but while we're almost certain which eight teams will be heading on to the quarter-finals next month, there's a lot of movement to be done to decide who travels to whom, as well as figuring out the final Champions Cup qualification.

After last weekend's clean sweep, all four Irish provinces have guaranteed their place in the playoffs, but for Munster [v Sharks] and Connacht [v Glasgow], Champions Cup qualification isn't certain, and depending on results this weekend their fate may not be known until the Challenge Cup final on 26 May.

Given the fact that there is one Champions Cup spot reserved for each of the Shield winners, it would be an incredible achievement if all four Irish sides were to be at the top table of European competition next season.

For Ulster, Round 18 is about solidifying second place, and Dan McFarland's side can do so with a win of any kind against Edinburgh, whose season has petered out badly since the turn of the year.

Leinster's South African tour comes to a close in Pretoria as they take on the Bulls, and the league leaders could very well be welcoming Jake White's side to Dublin in a few weeks, if they can cap off an unbeaten regular season with a win.

TV

Bulls v Leinster [3pm], Sharks v Munster [5.15pm] and Glasgow v Connacht [7.35pm] are all live on TG4 on Saturday. Ulster v Edinburgh [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.

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