The United Rugby Championship (URC) quarter-final fixtures have been confirmed, with the games taking place on the first weekend of May.
The play-offs kick off in Belfast on Friday, May 5, where Ulster (2) hosts Connacht (7) in an Irish derby to decide who progresses to the semi-final stage.
Saturday’s opening game is a replay of last season’s final with defending champions, Stormers (3), hosting the Bulls (6).
The Bulls, who have struggled for most of the season and been inconsistent, arguably finished the league phase as the South African team with momentum after scoring a massive 62-7 win over Leinster, the biggest-ever defeat suffered by the proud Irish province.
They face a Stormers team a fortnight from now that picked up a few injuries against Benetton in Stellenbosch in their final game on Friday night. It needs to be noted that Leinster were severely under-strength but the Bulls were impressive and will have boosted their confidence in a game where they never put a foot wrong.
Table toppers Leinster host the Sharks (8) at the Aviva Stadium in the day’s second match.
The Sharks would have edged through into a position where they could possibly qualify for the Champions Cup had they held on to win as Connacht, who finish just ahead of them on the log, were narrowly beaten in a tight final game of the league phase by Glasgow Warriors at the Scotstoun Stadium.
Connacht were within two points of a win and in the Glasgow half at the final whistle.
The URC also confirmed that the semi-finals 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.
The semi-final winners will meet on Saturday, May 27, at the venue of the highest-ranked team to have qualified for the United Rugby Championship Grand Final.
The final place in the semi-finals will be decided in Scotland, where Glasgow Warriors (4) host Munster (5) at Scotstoun Stadium.
Friday, May 5
Quarter-Final 2: Ulster (2) v Connacht (7) at Kingspan Stadium, Belfast
KO: 20:35 SA
Saturday, May 6
Quarter-Final 3: DHL Stormers (3) v Vodacom Bulls (6) at DHL Stadium, Cape Town
KO: 15:30 SA
Quarter-Final 1: Leinster (1) v Cell C Sharks (8) at Aviva Stadium, Dublin
KO: 18:00 SA
Quarter-Final 4: Glasgow Warriors (4) v Munster (5) at Scotstoun Stadium, Glasgow
KO: 20:35 SA
My Goat Sports 