United Rugby Championship quarter-finals: Date for Stormers v Bulls blockbuster confirmed

The dates and kick-off times for the United Rugby Championship quarter-finals – featuring three teams from SA – have been confirmed.

The dates and kick-off times for the United Rugby Championship (URC) quarter-finals – featuring three teams from South Africa – have been confirmed.

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The 2023 URC playoffs will kick off in Belfast where Ulster will host an Irish derby against Connacht at Kingspan Stadium on Friday, 5 May at 20:35 (SA time).

The Saturday slate will begin in Cape Town where defending champions, the Stormers, will take on the Bulls, in a rematch of last season’s URC Grand Final. The game at the Cape Town Stadium is scheduled to get underway at 15:30.

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No 1 ranked Leinster will host the Sharks at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin at 18:00 (SA time) in what will be the Durbanites’ second trip to the Irish capital this season having taken part in a thrilling 88-point encounter back in October.

The quarter-finals close out at 20:35 (SA time) in Scotland where Glasgow Warriors make their return to the playoffs for the first time since 2019. Their opponents at Scotstoun Stadium will be Munster who are searching for their first league title since 2011.

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UNITED RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP QUARTER-FINALS

All times SA

Friday 5 May

Ulster v Connacht
Venue: Kingspan Stadium, Belfast
SA time: 20:35

Saturday, 6 May

Stormers v Bulls
Venue: Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town
SA time: 15:30

SEMI-FINAL PATH

In the semi-finals, to be played the weekend of May 12/13, the winner of QF1 will play the winner of QF4 and the winner of QF2 will play the winner of QF3.

In a change to last season’s rules, the teams with the highest seeding in each semi-final will have home venue rights. Previously, the winners of QF1 and QF2 were guaranteed home draws no matter their ranking.

SF1: Leinster (1) / Sharks (8) v Glasgow Warriors (4) / Munster (5)

SF2: Ulster (2) / Connacht (7) v Stormers (3) / Bulls (6)

The semi-final winners will meet on Saturday, 27 May at the venue of the highest-ranked team to have qualified for the United Rugby Championship Grand Final.

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