Leinster – 1st, 57pts, Pts Diff: +194
Leo Cullen’s team are about to road test their unbeaten record in all competitions – including 12 straight wins in the URC – in a playing environment in which they have struggled since the introduction of the South Africa teams to the tournament. The Irish province has only one win in seven attempts in South Africa and that was against the Lions in 2023. They face the Bulls and Sharks, third and fourth in the table respectively, on their two-match tour, while on the run-in they will also host second-placed side and reigning champions Glasgow Warriors in the last round of fixtures.
Leinster have a 13-point advantage in the table over the Scottish side, but their closest pursuers know they can take a big chunk out of that lead, especially if the Bulls and Sharks can hand the Irish province back-to-back defeats. It’s only two years ago that the Bulls thrashed a young visiting squad 62-7. Cullen is without the international contingent who have remained in Dublin to recover from the Six Nations and next week start to prepare for the upcoming Champions Cup game against Harlequins.
The next fortnight in South Africa will reveal the aptitude of a younger group, albeit one that contains Jordie Barrett, RG Snyman, Rabah Slimani, with some, like Jack Boyle, Gus McCarthy, Thomas Clarkson, potentially Jimmy O’Brien and Jamie Osborne too, flying with a view to possibly making the bench this week and playing the following one. Leinster haven’t confirmed who has travelled. Leinster have only one more game away from Dublin and that’s the short trip to Llanelli. It will be a huge surprise if they don’t make it to the playoffs as number one seeds.
Fixtures (all times Irish)
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Saturday, March 22nd: v Bulls, Loftus Versfeld, 3.0
Saturday, March 29th: v Sharks, Kings Park, 5.15
Saturday, April 19th: v Ulster, Aviva Stadium, 7.35
Saturday: April 26th: v Scarlets, Parc y Scarlets, 5.15
Saturday, May 10th: v Zebre, Aviva Stadium, 5.15
Saturday, May 17th: v Glasgow Warriors, Aviva Stadium, 7.35
Munster – 5th, 33 pts, Pts Diff -7
It’s a case of Friday night lights for four of Munster’s last six games, the two exceptions the eagerly awaited trip to MacHale Park in Mayo where they will take on Connacht and an evening clash against the Bulls at Thomond Park. Ian Costello’s charges begin what is a tough enough run-in – a young squad was beaten 42-19 by a strong Leicester Tigers side in a friendly at Welford Road last weekend – with a huge game away to the defending champions Glasgow Warriors on Friday night, albeit they have a very good record there having won on two of their last three visits.
Costello, who welcomed back scrumhalf Craig Casey, secondrow Jean Kleyn and flanker Jack O’Donoghue, still has an extensive injury list that includes Shane Daly (hamstring), Diarmuid Kilgallen (thigh), Mike Haley (ankle), Dave Kilcoyne (thigh), Thaakir Abrahams (shoulder), Liam Coombes (chest), Edwin Edogbo (Achilles), Roman Salanoa (knee).
Munster host the third-placed Bulls and take a trip to Cardiff, a side that trails them by just two points in sixth place in the table. Interprovincials can be tricky at the best of times and Munster face two, in taking the short road trip to Connacht, their hosts just four points adrift in a history-making game in Castlebar and then welcoming Richie Murphy’s Ulster to Limerick. Costello’s squad could give themselves a huge boost in not just making the knock-out stages of the tournament but ensuring the best seeding possible if they pick up 8-10 points over the next three matches.
Fixtures (all times Irish)
Friday, March 21st: v Glasgow Warriors, Scotstoun, 7.35
Saturday, March 22nd: v Connacht, MacHale Park, 2.30
Saturday, April 19th: v Bulls, Thomond Park, 5.15
Friday, April 25th: v Cardiff, Arms Park, 7.35
Friday, May 9th: v Ulster, Thomond Park, 7.35
Friday, May 16th: v Benetton, Musgrave Park, 8.0
Connacht – 9th, 29 pts, Pts Diff -19
Fate, well previous results to be precise, has decreed that Pete Wilkins’s side will play a host of teams around them in the table as they battle for a place in the playoffs, starting with a trip to Swansea at the weekend. He could have done with having Mack Hansen, Bundee Aki, Finlay Bealham and captain Cian Prendergast available but the players welfare programme means that this sit this game out. The Ospreys are two points behind them and the following week Connacht host a first game at MacHale Park against Munster, who sit four places above them in the table.
Connacht have just one further home game in their last six matches, against Edinburgh at Dexcom Stadium, another rival in those cluttered spots around the playoff places. The Irish province has a two-game itinerary in South Africa against the Lions and Stormers, before what on paper are potentially “less difficult” games against Edinburgh and this season’s overachievers Zebre.
Connacht have to be single-minded for the rest of the season, forget about coaches and players departing, or even those who’ve re-signed, and instead control the controllables. The province has some outstanding young players – Cathal Forde, Hugh Gavin, Finn Treacy, Matthew Devine, Shayne Bolton, Chay Mullins and Ben Murphy – some good older “uns” too. But performance levels need to rise, and consistent quality has to be a hallmark of those displays over the remainder of the season, domestically and in Europe. Anything less won’t suffice.
Fixtures (all times Irish)
Saturday, March 22nd: v Ospreys, Swansea Stadium, 5.15
Saturday, March 29th: v Munster, MacHale Park, 2.30
Saturday, April 19th: v Stormers, DHL Stadium, 3.0
Saturday: April 26th: v Lions, Emirates Park, 3.0
Saturday, May 10th: v Edinburgh, Dexcom Stadium, 7.35
Saturday, May 17th: v Zebre, Stadio Lanfranchi, 5.0
Ulster – 14th, 27 pts, -25
The condensed nature of the table is best illustrated by the fact that Ulster, in 14th place, are just two points behind the team that sits in eighth, the Lions, in the final playoff place. Richie Murphy’s side have only two home games left from six matches, against South African sides Stormers and the Sharks, while they also have a couple of interprovincials in making the trips to Dublin and Limerick. A non-negotiable is a victory this weekend against the Dragons, the bottom team in the league with only one victory all season.
Murphy has had to contend with injuries that have denied him important players at various stages of the season and some of those long-term, but Stuart McCloskey and James Hume are back, while hooker Tom Stewart and wing Rob Baloucoune could return the following weekend. Unfortunately captain Iain Henderson and Cormac Izuchukwu are still out while Jude Postlethwaite and Jake Flannery are doubtful. They have good young players James McNabney, Dave McCann, Lorcan McLaughlin and Postlethwaite to highlight a handful.
Ulster are light in a few areas but that’s not something that can be addressed before the end of the campaign, or looking at their outside recruitment with just number eight Juarno Augustus confirmed for next season. That’s another day’s work. Murphy has to find a way to get the most out of the resources at his disposal. There are some good young players, and his son Jack is one, but a dogfight at the tail end of a season isn’t an ideal environment to start taking punts. If they got the majority fit and focused, they possess the same group of players – minus Billy Burns and Will Addison who left – who made the quarter-finals last season, without Henderson or Hume.
Fixtures (all times Irish)
Saturday, March 22nd: v Dragons, Rodney Parade, 5.15
Friday, March 28th: v Stormers, Kingspan Stadium, 7.35
Saturday, April 19th: v Leinster, Aviva Stadium, 7.35
Saturday, April 26th: v Sharks, Kingspan Stadium, 7.35
Friday, May 9th: v Munster, Thomond Park, 7.35
Friday, May 16th: v Edinburgh, Hive Stadium, 7.35
