The Stormers will have a rematch against Cardiff in the URC quarter-finals next weekend.
South Africa’s no-show in the Champions Cup has put the pressure on the Bulls, Stormers, and Lions to fly the flag high in the United Rugby Championship quarter-finals, but looking further ahead, it will require a minor miracle for a South African team to win the URC title.
That is because quarter-final success is likely to be followed by away semi-finals.
The quarter-final lineup took shape after the most competitive “race to eight’ in the tournament’s history, with some positions still on the line as the 80-minute mark approached in the last game of the final week, the Lions’ clash with Munster. The Irish team held on for a 24-17 win.
That meant this top eight: Glasgow Warriors (1), Leinster (2), Stormers (3), Bulls (4), Munster (5), Cardiff (6), Lions (7), Connacht (8). The top four teams earned home quarter-finals, and the remaining have to travel.
