URC play-off paths and Euro qualification: Everything you need to know

There is a huge amount at stake in this weekend’s final round of the United Rugby Championship with three home quarter-finals and three regional shields all up for grabs.

• Five games will have direct consequences on the locations of home quarter-finals
• Any team from positioned 2 to 6 can earn a home quarter-final
• The Sharks, Stormers and Bulls can all still win the SA Shield
• Ospreys and Scarlets both in contention to win the Welsh Shield
• Edinburgh and Glasgow Warriors will compete for the Italian x Scottish Shield and the 1872 Cup
• All four Shield winners are guaranteed a place in next season’s Heineken Champions Cup
• The Welsh Shield winner will finish in 9^th position meaning that only seven of the top eight will qualify for the Heineken Champions Cup

United Rugby Championship Play-Off Paths

Quarter-final 1 (QF1) – the team ranked first in the Standing League Table will play at home against the team ranked eighth in the Standing League Table.

Quarter-final 2 (QF2) – the team ranked second in the Standing League Table will play at home against the team ranked seventh in the Standing League Table.

Quarter-final 3 (QF3) – the team ranked third in the Standing League Table will play at home against the team ranked sixth in the Standing League Table.

Quarter-final 4 (QF4)– the team ranked fourth in the Standing League Table will play at home against the team ranked fifth in the Standing League Table.

The winners of the quarter-final matches will proceed to the semi-finals. The semi-finals will be knock-out, each played over one match and organised as follows:

Semi-final 1 (SF1) – the winner of QF1 versus the winner of QF4. The winner of QF1 will be the ‘home’ team.

Semi-final 2 (SF2) – the winner of QF2 versus the winner of QF3. The winner of QF2 will be the ‘home’ team.

Grand Final – the winner of SF1 versus the winner of SF2. The Semi-final winner possessing the highest ranking from the Standing League Table will be the ‘home’ team for the URC Grand Final. This is subject to the highest-ranked semi-final winner having access to a venue with a capacity of 18,000 and above.

How the United Rugby Championship ‘Shields’ work

Points in all URC games contribute to Shield standings so victories against regional rivals have added importance when it comes to finishing top of the group and locking up a place in the Heineken Champions Cup.

Shield opponents also face each team within their group home and away (6 games) while facing the remaining 12 URC teams just once (home or away).

• Irish Shield: Connacht, Leinster, Munster, Ulster
• South African Shield: Bulls, Lions, Sharks, Stormers
• Welsh Shield: Cardiff Rugby, Dragons, Ospreys, Scarlets
• Italian & Scottish Shield: Benetton, Edinburgh, Glasgow Warriors, Zebre

Heineken Champions Cup Qualification

• Qualification for the Champions Cup will be evenly split between rankings in the league table (4 teams) and regional Shields (4 teams)
• Each of the four regional Shield winners will qualify automatically
• Those four Shield winners will be removed from the final league table and the four remaining highest-ranked teams will also qualify

Seedings for Champions Cup will be based upon the league ranking of all eight teams.