We head into the final round of the URC regular season with playoff positions still to be finalised and several sides battling to secure a place in the top eight. This blog will focus on all things betting related.
ROUND 17 RESULTS
Glasgow Warriors 40-17 Cardiff Rugby – Glasgow were -16.5 and I left this game alone
Ulster 38-38 DHL Stormers – There was money for Ulster from +3.5 to +0.5 and I backed the Stormers to win at 9/10. They had their chances but came up just short.
Vodacom Bulls 54-19 Zebre Parma – The handicap was Bulls -33.5 and the points line 73.5. I took Zebre over 3.5 tries and it looked on but they made some shocking kicks when on attack and were pushed off an attacking scrum put in.
Hollywoodbets Sharks 46-7 Benetton – The over 8.5 total tries snuck in after a slow start and although Benetton were backed from +14.5 to +10.5 the Sharks easily delivered on the handicap
Ospreys 27-20 Scarlets – Ospreys started -5.5 and I included over 48.5 points in a treble
Leinster 31-7 Fidelity ADT Lions – I was on the Lions +12.5 and at one stage I thought they might win but Leinster finished strong
Dragons 15-24 Edinburgh– no real interest but did have over 51.5 in a treble
Connacht 26-7 Munster – I was torn between Connacht -4 and a 1-12 win and chose incorrectly
LEAGUE TABLE UPDATE
At the top of the table, the fight for home playoff advantage remains wide open, while lower down Connacht are still trying to force their way into the quarter-finals.
The Glasgow Warriors (60 pts) remain top heading into the final round after a convincing win over Cardiff.
The Stormers (59 pts) are right behind them following their dramatic draw with Ulster, while Leinster (58 pts) remain firmly in contention for a top-two finish after comfortably beating the Lions.
The Bulls (54 pts) are well placed for a home quarter-final with a dominant victory over Zebre.
Further down:
- Lions (53 pts) remain 5th despite their loss in Dublin
- Munster (51 pts) are 6th
- Cardiff (50 pts) currently occupy 7th
- Ulster (50 pts) hold the final playoff spot
The pressure is squarely on Connacht (49 pts), who kept themselves alive with a crucial win over Munster and now head into the final round just one point outside the top eight.
ROUND 18 FIXTURES
Friday 15 May 2026
Cardiff Rugby vs DHL Stormers
Ulster vs Glasgow Warriors
Edinburgh Rugby vs Connacht
Saturday 16 May 2026
Hollywoodbets Sharks vs Zebre Parma
Vodacom Bulls vs Benetton
Leinster vs Ospreys
Scarlets vs Dragons RFC
Munster vs Fidelity ADT Lions
This final round has the feel of playoff rugby already, particularly for the teams fighting around the cutoff line.
Connacht still have a genuine chance of sneaking into the top eight, while Ulster and Cardiff both face extremely difficult assignments against title contenders.
At the top, the race for home-ground advantage throughout the playoffs remains critical and there is still plenty to play for despite several quarter-final spots already being secured.
I’ll have projected handicaps up later tonight.