All You Need To Know | Sharks v Munster
19th April 2023 By The Editor
Conor Murray makes a clearance against Stormers.
Munster face Sharks in Durban on Saturday in round 18 of the URC with a huge amount at stake.
Both sides will be looking to finish as high as possible in the standings to secure Champions Cup rugby for next season.
Eight wins in our last 10 URC games have lifted Munster to fifth in the table. Seven of those wins were secured with bonus-points and the province have the second-best defensive record in the league.
Graham Rowntree’s side have won four away URC games in-a-row, defeating Edinburgh, Ulster, Benetton and Stormers.
See the state of play in the URC here.
Find out all you need to know ahead of the URC round 18 game below.
Where?
King’s Park, Durban
When?
Saturday, 5.15pm Irish time/6.15pm local
Broadcast
Live on: TG4, Premier Sports, SuperSport, Viaplay, Discovery +, FloRugby.com & URC.tv
Weather
23°C
Teams
Both sides will be named before 12pm on Friday.
Match Officials
Referee: Mike Adamson
Assistants: Cwengile Jadezweni & Griffin Colby
TMO: Hollie Davidson
Munster News
Gallery | Click here for the best training pics
Sean O’Brien To Join Munster Rugby
Did you know?
To have any chance of qualifying for next year’s Champions Cup via the league standings, teams must finish in the top 7 of the URC.
If Benetton or Scarlets win the Challenge Cup and if the winners of the URC have not already secured a Champions Cup place through the league standings, only the top five qualify for the Champions Cup.
Munster have secured a place in the quarter-finals that take place on the weekend of May 5/6/7.
A win or two losing bonus-points will secure fifth place in the table and guarantee a place in next season’s Champions Cup.
Sharks are eighth in the table and have all but secured their place in the quarter-finals. They will be targeting a bonus-point win to increase their chances of Champions Cup qualification.
It is the second-last game of round 18 with Glasgow Warriors, who have fourth-place already secured, hosting sixth-placed Connacht in the final game of the regular season.
If teams are level on points, the first tie-breaker is number of wins. If teams have the same number of wins, it will come down to points difference.
Round 18 Fixtures
Friday, April 21
Stormers v Benetton, Danie Craven Stadium, 5.30pm (6.30pm local);
Ulster v Edinburgh Rugby, Kingspan Stadium, 7.35pm;
Saturday, April 22
Lions v Zebre Parma, Loftus Versfeld, 12pm (1pm local);
Bulls v Leinster, Loftus Versfeld, 3pm (4pm local) – Live on TG4 & Premier Sports
Dragons RFC v Scarlets, Principality Stadium, 3pm;
Ospreys v Cardiff Rugby, Principality Stadium, 5.15pm;
Sharks v Munster, King’s Park, 5.15pm (6.15pm local);
Glasgow Warriors v Connacht, Scotstoun, 7.35pm – Live on TG4 & Premier Sports;
