URC permutations: What the Irish teams need in round 18

The final round of the United Rugby Championship regular season takes place this weekend and there are a number of places still to be decided.

Five of the fixtures have direct consequences for the locations of the first knockout games.

The top four in the table all earn home quarter-finals, while the sides placed fifth to eight will have to negotiate tricky away ties, including cross-hemisphere trips.

The two losing bonus points that Leinster secured on their trip to South Africa means they are clear at the top and cannot be caught.

Their number one seeding also means that they will have a home semi-final and final should they progress through the knockout stages.

With a Heineken Champions Cup final to prepare for on Saturday week, Leinster are likely to rest most of their front-liners and give the opportunity to their squad players to impress Leo Cullen when they host Munster on Saturday evening (7.15pm).

On paper, that should make the visitors' job easier.

Johann van Graan’s men are currently second in the table on 56 points and a win of any colour guarantees a home quarter-final.

The 2011 champions are level with Cell C Sharks, DHL Stormers and Ulster with 11 games won so a try-bonus point victory could be key to earning number two ranking and securing a home semi-final (should they qualify).

Defeat, depending on how the Vodacom Bulls do against Ospreys, could see Munster, who lost to Toulouse in the Champions Cup quarter-final after a place-kicking shootout, drop to sixth.

FULL LIST OF THIS WEEKEND'S FIXTURES AND TABLE

"There’s in no doubt there’s a lot of pressure on Munster in this game," former Ireland head coach Eddie O’Sullivan told the RTÉ Rugby podcast.

"Not just that they want to cement their position for a home quarter