The United Rugby Championship semifinals will take place this coming Saturday, June 6, in Edinburgh and Dublin.
Teams from Ireland, Scotland and South Africa compete to reach the 2026 Final.
Having won their quarterfinals Glasgow Warriors (ranked No.1), Leinster (No.2), Stormers (No.3) and Bulls (4) have been paired off to see who will reach the URC finale in three weeks’ time.
Semifinal One will take place in the Scottish capital city of Edinburgh, where top ranked Glasgow Warriors host the Bulls at Murrayfield.
It is the first meeting of the teams in the knock-out stages since the Scottish side claimed a famous Final victory against the Bulls at Loftus Versfeld two years ago.
Semifinal Two will take place in Dublin, where the defending champions Leinster will welcome the Stormers to the Irish capital.
The team from Cape Town became the first URC champions in 2022 and this is their first appearance in the semifinals since 2023.
URC semifinal line-ups
Saturday, June 6
Glasgow Warriors v Bulls
(Murrayfield, Edinburgh – Kick-off: 14.30; 15.30 SA time)
Leinster v Stormers
(Lansdowne Road, Dublin – Kick-off: 17.30; 18:30 SA time)
- Unfortunately, the Lions’ campaign came to a heartbreaking end against a ruthless Leinster outfit in Dublin, and in the first quarterfinal, played on Friday, the Glasgow Warriors defeated Connacht.
(Continue below ….)
Bulls produce masterclass to power past Munster
The Bulls produced a commanding all-round display to dispatch Munster 45-14 at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday, running in six tries to two, to book their place in the semifinals and extend their winning run in the URC to seven matches.
Johan Ackermann’s charges set the tone from the opening exchanges and never relinquished control, combining a sharp attacking edge with a powerful scrum and driving maul to keep the visitors at an arm’s length throughout.
The home side struck early through Embrose Papier, who twisted his way out of a tackle to touch down close to the posts in the fourth minute, and they doubled their lead when sharp vision from Willie le Roux sent Kurt-Lee Arendse racing away to use his pace and finish in the corner.
Munster, however, refused to fold and hit back with two tries early in the second quarter, while the hosts could only score a penalty goal by Handre Pollard.
The Bulls’ forwards took charge in the closing stages of the half, with Johann Grobbelaar rumbling over from a maul in the 34th minute, and Cameron Hanekom powered across shortly after from another strong driving maul to stretch their lead to 31-14 going into the break.
The hosts picked up where they left off after the interval, with Papier grabbing his brace in the 53rd minute after snatching the ball from the base of a ruck and sprinting clear to the line, before Stravino Jacobs rounded off the scoring in the 58th minute as he gathered a slick pass out wide to seal the comprehensive 45-14 victory.
Scorers:
Bulls
Tries: Embrose Papier (2), Kurt-Lee Arendse, Johann Grobbelaar, Cameron Hanekom, Stravino Jacobs
Cons: Handre Pollard (6)
Pen: Pollard
Munster
Tries: Jack O’Donoghue, Alex Nankivell
Cons: JJ Hanrahan (2)
Stormers stand strong against committed Cardiff
The Stormers delivered a gutsy performance to overcome a determined Cardiff side 44-21 at the Stadium on Saturday, booking their place in the semifinals in a hard-fought but ultimately convincing encounter.
The Capetonians dominated the early exchanges and applied sustained pressure on attack, but they struggled initially to convert their advantage into points as Cardiff proved resolute in defence.
The visitors struck first, but the Stormers responded emphatically, with André-Hugo Venter crashing over from a powerful rolling maul in the 24th minute to level matters.
Ntuthuko Mchunu then darted through from a lineout to crash over at pace in the 28th minute as the home side took control, and it wasn’t long before Cardiff’s ill-discipline saw them reduced to 14 men in the 31st minute, which Leolin Zas punished by racing down the touchline to stretch their lead to 21-7 at the break.
Cardiff refused to go quietly in the second half, pulling back to 21-14 from a scrum close to the hosts’ tryline, before Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu settled the home side’s nerves in the 51st minute, dashing to the tryline after taking a well-timed pass.
The Welshmen kept scrapping and reduced the gap to 26-21 from a rolling maul after an hour of play, but a second yellow card for Cardiff proved decisive as Paul de Villiers powered over to break the game open. Jurie Matthee extended their lead with two penalty goals and JJ Kotze scored the last try to round off a deserved 44-21 victory.
Scorers:
Stormers
Tries: André-Hugo Venter, Ntuthuko Mchunu, Leolin Zas, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Paul de Villiers, JJ Kotze
Cons: Feinberg-Mngomezulu (3), Jurie Matthee
Pens: Matthee (2)
Cardiff
Tries: Cam Winnett, Taine Basham, James Botham
Cons: Ioan Lloyd (3)
Lions bow out as Leinster prove too strong in Dublin
The Lions’ historic first URC playoff campaign came to a disappointing end in Dublin on Saturday as a clinical Leinster outfit ran riot to win 59-10, running in nine tries to two by the Johannesburgers.
The Lions started the contest with real intent, running hard and competing fiercely, but Leinster’s ability to convert pressure into points proved the difference, as they crossed twice in the opening quarter to lead 14-0.
The Lions had some reprieve when Leinster were reduced to 14 men following a yellow card for a dangerous tackle in the 34th minute, and Henco van Wyk pounced from a pick-and-go after sustained pressure close to the line to get the Gauteng side on the scoreboard.
Leinster, however, continued to threaten and scored on the stroke of halftime to take a 21-5 lead going into the break.
The hosts came out like a house on fire after the restart, stretching their lead with a wide try and an intercept score in quick succession to move 33 points clear.
Unfortunately for the Lions, their evening suffered a further blow as Quan Horn was yellow-carded for an intentional knockdown, and Leinster pounced immediately with a maul try to move 40-5 clear.
Despite this, the Johannesburgers continued to show their fighting spirit with Van Wyk grabbing his brace from a smart kick-through in the 56th minute, but it was a mere consolation as Leinster ran riot with three more tries before the final whistle to secure the emphatic 59-10 victory.
Scorers:
Leinster
Tries: Dan Sheehan, Hugo Keenan, James Ryan, Scott Penny, Sam Prendergast, Gus McCarthy, Jimmy O’Brien, James Lowe (2)
Cons: Prendergast (7)
Lions 10
Tries: Henco van Wyk (2)
- Picture credit: Suresh Rajcoomar
Sources: URC & SARU
