Glasgow Warriors learn URC play-off opponents but home final hopes keep dwindling

The final round of regular-season fixtures were concluded on Saturday evening, with Warriors finishing at the summit of the URC. Their reward for that is a match against eighth-placed Connacht at Scotstoun on Friday, May 29. The match will kick off at 7.45pm and will be shown live on Premier Sports.

Should Glasgow defeat Connacht, they will face the winners of Bulls against Munster on Saturday, June 6. That tie is set to be played at Murrayfield.

The other side of the draw sees Leinster host Lions in Dublin and Stormers welcome Cardiff to Cape Town. The team that progresses from that bracket would, under normal circumstances, face Glasgow away from home in the final should Warriors make it that far. However, with no ‘home’ venue in Scotland available to them over the weekend of June 20, Glasgow are expected to forfeit that advantage.

There are no Scottish stadia that Glasgow can use as Scotstoun, Murrayfield, Celtic Park, Ibrox, Tynecastle, Easter Road, Rugby Park and all the rest are either unavailable or unsuitable. The Affidea Stadium in Belfast has been mooted as an alternative venue and there is also the growing possibility that the URC could flip home advantage and allow Warriors’ opponents to host the match.

Warriors secured top spot on Friday night with a gritty 26-22 win over Ulster in Belfast. They played Connacht away from home earlier in the season and lost 15-10, although that match on February 28 was during the Six Nations and a number of Scotland internationalists were unavailable to head coach Franco Smith.

Glasgow Warriors have two weeks to get injured players such as back-rowers Rory Darge and Matt Fagerson back to full fitness. They won the URC title in 2024 by defeating the Bulls in South Africa and are desperate to get their hands on the trophy once again, with integral players such as Jack Dempsey, Huw Jones and Adam Hastings set to leave for pastures new at the end of the season.

Edinburgh Rugby, who are Scotland’s other representatives in the URC, signing off their campaign on Friday night with a 26-5 defeat at home to Connacht and ended the season in 12th place.