The end is nigh! Crunch time in the United Rugby League

The penultimate round of the URC has some intriguing match-ups and little room for error. The match previews below will be updated with Live Blogs on each of the matches by Sunday morning. Refresh page for updates.

Preview: Edinburgh versus Munster: Friday 7.35PM; TG4, Premier Sports

Both Edinburgh (7th.) and Munster (3^rd.) are in the hunt for the Champions Cup rugby next season and trying to get as high as possible in the play-off seedings with home advantage the big prize. Munster are still in the hunt for 1st. Place and home advantage right up to the final and are coming off five wins on the trot. They have everyone bar O’Mahony, Carbery, and Kleyn fit and with Jack O’Donoghue (30) the fourteenth and youngest player ever to reach the 200 cap mark look well primed to keep up their Championship chase.

Edinburgh are no mugs however, and are coming off three wins in a row, have an all international pack and 6 Nations star Van der Merwe and ex-Munster player (and top URC points scorer) Ben Healy in the backs. The battle between the back-rows should be worth the admission money alone. Munster will need to be at their best to come away with a win. Munster to win

Edinburgh: W Goosen; M Currie, M Bennett, J Lang, D van der Merwe; B Healy, B Vellacott (co-capt); P Schoeman, E Ashman, WP Nel; S Skinner, G Gilchrist (co-capt), J Ritchie, H Watson, V Mata. Reps: D Cherry, B Venter, J Sebastian, M Sykes, L Crosbie, A Price, C Scott, C Dean.

Munster: M Haley; C Nash, A Frisch, A Nankivell, S Daly; J Crowley, C Casey; J Loughman, N Scannell, O Jager; F Wycherley, T Beirne (capt); J O’Donoghue, A Kendellen, G Coombes. Reps: E Clarke, M Donnelly, J Ryan, RG Snyman, T Ahern, C Murray, R Scannell, B Gleeson.

Live Blog: Munster were second best in at the scrum and breakdown early on but more potent in attack through the backs, Frish scoring an excellent try on the wing after a brilliant kick ahead.. Edinburgh’s sole tactic seemed to be the high box kick or kick ahead but this was paying dividends as Munster knocked on on several occasions, conceding territory and then penalties which Ben Healy converted.

Haley went off injured and Munster were having a nightmare at the back dealing with kicks ahead conceding a very soft try. The 6:2 bench split could also hurt them quite badly now. The referee appeared to allow a free for all at the breakdown which Edinburgh were exploiting adroitly, but finally Frish gets over for  a second try after a series of close in rumbles. He is going to be some loss to Munster and Ireland if he moves to Toulon, as rumoured. Edinburgh lead 16-12 at H/T.

Munster run in a facile try off first phase at the start of the second half to right the perception that the first half score line did not really do their efforts justice. Unfortunately RG Snyman’s first act on the pitch was to pass the ball to compatriot Van Der Merve.  Edinburgh are wining the breakdown battle and Healy kicks another penalty. He is winning the kicking duel, but Crowley is winning everywhere else. Munster get their bonus point try after another close in rumble. They are seriously up for this match. 19-26

Despite having the tallest second row combination in URC history to aim at, Scannell manages to miss his 6′ 9″  twin towers Snyman and Ahearn, and an attacking opportunity is lost.  Edinburgh come back strongly but Crowley saves a certain try and then Murray, on for the injured Nankivell,  cops a card or off-feet at a ruck. It’s down to the benches now and Munster’s 6:2 split doesn’t help. Edinburgh lay siege to the Munster line and after interminable reviews are adjudged to have grounded the ball. Clear and obvious it was not. 26-26

Finally Edinburgh are pinged at the breakdown and Crowley nails it. Strangely, Munster go to the corner with another and Edinburgh survive, but time is up and Munster win a very tight encounter 26-29 and with an important bonus point secured.  They are top of the table at least for today and have done Ulster and Connacht a big favour as Edinburgh are one of their direct competitors for a playoff and Champions Cup spot.

This has been a tough encounter between two near equally matched sides. Edinburgh’s lack of a running game cost them in the end but they more than matched Munster under the high ball, at the breakdown, and up front. Beirne was everywhere as usual, but Crowley was my MOTM and Healy showed what a loss he is to Irish rugby. It will be a pity if Frisch now follows him.

Preview: Connacht versus Stormers; Saturday 5.05.

Connacht have just announced that 11 players will be leaving the club at the end of the season, including ex captain Jarrad Butler and former fringe Ireland squad members Tom Daly and Gavin Thornbury. Professional rugby can be a cruel sport. One day you are lapping up the adulation of a crowd and the next you can be redundant. Connacht wouldn’t be the most highly rated of clubs, and if you can’t make it there, a career in the French D2 or Championship beckons unless you can demonstrate you’ve been hard done by.

Tom Farrell is rumoured to be joining Munster as a replacement for Frisch together with fellow Connacht player Diarmuid Kilgallen. Others leaving without a known destination include props Dominic Robertson-McCoy and Mathew Burke, hooker Tadgh McIlroy, and fullback Oran McNulty with Tiernan O’Hhaloran’s retirement already announced.

This is Connacht’s last home match before the Clan terrace is torn down to make way for a new stand. The Stormers  come locked and loaded with several Springboks and should be too strong unless Connacht can improve on their recent inconsistent form. Santiago Cordero makes his long delayed debut off the bench following a pre-season injury.

Connacht: T O’Halloran; J Porch, D Hawkshaw, B Aki, B Ralston; J Carty, C Blade; P Dooley, D Heffernan (capt), F Bealham; J Joyce, D Murray; C Prendergast, S Hurley-Langton, S Jansen. Replacements: D Tierney-Martin, J Duggan, J Aungier, O Dowling, J Butler, C Reilly, C Forde, S Cordero.

DHL Stormers: W Gelant; S Hartzenberg, D du Plessis, D Willemse, A Davids; M Libbok, H Jantjies; B Harris, J Dweba, F Malherbe; S Moerat (capt), R van Heerden; E Roos, B Dixon, H Dayimani.  Replacements: A Venter, K Blose, N Fouche, A Smith, M Theunissen, S Ungerer, J du Plessis, S Feinberg-Mngomezulu.

Ulster v Leinster; 7.35pm,  TG4 and Premier Sports

Despite Cullen’s pledge not to field weakened teams in the remainder of the regular URC season, none of the starters against Ulster started against Northampton. Hugo Keenan and James Ryan make their long awaited return from injury but Ringrose has still not recovered and is replaced at 13 by the versatile Jimmy O’Brien who may be covering the back positions in the European Cup final next week-end. Others who might feature off the bench against Toulouse include Cian Healy, Rónan Kelleher, Michael Ala’alatoa, Jack Conan and Luke McGrath, but this is essentially a second XV.

Ulster are missing only Baloucoune, Hume and Henderson from their first choice XV and should be good enough, with home advantage, to win this match. Besides, they need it more, to assure themselves of a place in the play-offs and the Champion’s Cup next season.  Leinster’s priority is clearly the European Cup, with a home pathway to the URC final a bonus, but dependent on Glasgow slipping up against the Lioms in any case. Ulster to Win

Ulster: Ethan McIlroy; Mike Lowry, Will Addison, Stuart McCloskey, Jacob Stockdale; Billy Burns, John Cooney; Eric O’Sullivan, Rob Herring, Tom O’Toole; Kieran Treadwell, Alan O’Connor (capt); Cormac Izuchukwu, David McCann, Nick Timoney. Replacements: Tom Stewart, Andy Warwick, Scott Wilson, Harry Sheridan, Matty Rea, Nathan Doak, Stewart Moore, Jude Postlethwaite.

Leinster: Hugo Keenan; Tommy O’Brien, Jimmy O’Brien, Charlie Ngatai, Rob Russell; Harry Byrne, Cormac Foley; Cian Healy, Rónan Kelleher, Michael Ala’alatoa; James Ryan (capt), Brian Deeny; Max Deegan, Will Connors, Jack Conan. Replacements: John McKee, Michael Milne, Thomas Clarkson, Ross Molony, Scott Penny, Luke McGrath, Sam Prendergast, Ben Brownlee.

Frank Schnittger is the author of Sovereignty 2040, a future history of how Irish re-unification might work out. He has worked in business in Dublin and London and, on a voluntary basis, for charities in community development, education, restorative justice and addiction services.