Gordon D’Arcy: Taxing weeks ahead for the provinces as business end of club season looms

Connacht's Andrew Smith and his team-mates show their dejection following the heavy home defeat to the Emirates Lions in the BKT United Rugby Championship clash at Dexcom Stadium, Galway. Photograph: Bryan Keane/Inpho

The most recent round of matches in the tournament offered a salutary reminder of how tough it is to win in this league. Nearly every match had something at stake and there are now only five points separating seven teams in the top 11 places in the URC standings. Connacht head coach Pete Wilkins will be desperate to try to resolve the issues on the fly in the coming weeks against a tough backdrop as four of their last five URC matches are on the road. Losing ground to the Lions, who now sit one point above the Irish province after their win in Galway, is a reminder that there is no wriggle room for those hoping to make the playoffs.

Phepsi Buthelezi of the Sharks celebrates after scoring a try against Ulster in the URC clash at Hollywoodbets Kings Park, Duban, South Africa. Photograph: Steve Haag/Steve Haag Sports/Inpho Leinster and Munster have a similar challenge in the next four weeks, albeit on slightly different paths. There are returning internationals and Champions Cup rugby to deal with, followed by a two-week jaunt down to South Africa as the jostling continues for home comfort in the knockout stages of the URC.

In contrast, Leinster, the main contributor to the Ireland squad, face a selection dilemma over the next couple of weeks in trying to manage the workloads of players coming off the back of the Six Nations with the need to get back into Leinster systems, complete with match minutes with their team-mates.In previous years Leinster have opted for rotation, with a heavy focus on the Champions Cup games.

Source: News Formal (newsformal.com)

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