And then there were four, after eight months of intense rugby action, the United Rugby Championship has reached its final four. 

There can be little arguing that the four most in-form teams in the competition have found their way to the business end. As Leinster, Munster, the DHL Stormers and Connacht get set for the semi-finals, here are five of the main takeaways from the quarterfinals. 

Ulster Fast Becoming Nearly Men 

Promising so much yet once again failing to deliver when it counts, Ulster Rugby crashed out of the 2022/23 season in a state of flux. With grumblings of an unhappy camp ahead of the weekend, Ulster reverted to midseason form as they failed to fire a shot against Connacht. To their credit, the Galway side shut down Dan McFarland’s men in defence and whilst they had to rely on five penalty kicks from Jack Carty to close out the win. 

They were deserved winners against a side that, in addition to the mass exodus of players, face uncertainty in the coaching box. Letting slip yet another golden opportunity to host a home semi-final will sting the Ulstermen and will make for an awfully long offseason. 

Munster March On But At What Cost? 

In direct contradiction to their northern neighbours, Munster once again showed that when their backs are to the wall, they come out swinging. Never has the team mantra of “stand up and fight” been more applicable than this weekend’s spikey clash away at a hostile venue. Having slipped up heavily at home just weeks ago to the same opposition, Munster’s red wall in defence was simply immense as it suffocated Glasgow. 

Yet, despite what was yet another impressive win in the Graham Rowntree era, Munster could be short of five key starters for next weekend’s semi-final with Leinster. Leaving the match early was influential captain Peter O’Mahony, who went down inside the first five minutes. 

He would soon be joined by RG Snyman, Conor Murray and Calvin Nash, who all failed their Head Injury Assessments and will thus miss the semi-final. Add in Hooker Diarmuid Barron’s injury at Munster and travel to Dublin severely short-handed. In saying all of this, would you bet against them, causing the upset against a side with an eye on the following week’s Heineken Champions Cup?

Stormers Remain The Class Of South Africa

Another north vs south derby clash has come and gone, with the Stormers now firmly holding the advantage over their Pretoria-based brethren. 

Six wins on the bounce in the URC for John Dobson’s Stormers over Jake White’s Bulls tells you all you need to know about the balance of power in South African Rugby. In simple terms, there was only one team in this game from the off, despite putting up a gallant defensive effort early on, the Bulls had no answers for the Stormer's tempo. 

Perhaps most surprisingly, the Stormers dominated the physical exchanges as they knocked back Bull's ball carriers and held a clear ascendancy in the scrum and maul. 

In the backline, the biggest question mark surrounding the Stormers was Mani Libbok’s kicking from the tee. As a huge mark of a player, he emphatically put to bed any concerns in this area with a perfect 100% record. 

Thanks to Connacht’s impressive win over Ulster on Friday evening, the Stormers will now host a second successive semi-final in Cape Town. Whilst Connacht will absolutely pose more of a challenge to the Cape Townians, the path to the final is clear for Dobson and co.

Irish International Form Trickles Down

Three teams from four in the semi-finals reflect incredibly well on Irish rugby who have carried their international form into the provincial game. Never before has the game on the Emerald Isle been in such rude health, especially in a World Cup year. 

Throw into the mix Leinster’s place in this season’s Heineken Champions Cup final, and one can see the depth of quality available to Andy Farrell and his Ireland coach team. Whilst Connacht must travel to Cape Town to face the Stormers, Munster and Leinster will duke it out in Dublin. 

Should Connacht manage to pull off a second upset in a row, then an all-Irish final against either Leinster or Munster awaits. 

What a time to be an Irish rugby fan. 

Where To For Scotland, Wales And Italy? 

No semi-final representatives from three of the five competing nations highlight how strong Irish and South African rugby currently is. Whilst Glasgow did well to secure a home semi-final, they were clearly second best to Munster. 

Cardiff and Benetton were each within touching distance of the playoffs without ever really being contenders. Whilst Edinburgh, Scarlets, Ospreys, Dragons and Zebre were never at the races this season. 

Therefore, the questions must be asked in particular of Wales, where to from here? Given the turmoil surrounding Welsh Rugby at the moment, it is unlikely there will be an immediate bounce back. 

Glasgow and Edinburgh are certainly contenders for the top eight next season based purely on the quality of players available. But given Edinburgh’s no-show this season and Glasgow’s crumbling when it counts, it is impossible to simply pencil them in as contenders next season.