Who will clinch that vital second spot?

THE fact that things are so tight between the Sharks and the Stormers in the United Rugby Championship (URC) only adds to what has been an impressive turnaround.

We all remember how grim things looked for the Stormers, Sharks, Bulls and Lions when they first joined the competition last year.

Wins were elusive and their struggles didn’t do much to add any excitement for those who were already not too keen on the South African teams joining the European competition after exiting Super Rugby.

Not one of the four franchises looked anything like title contenders.

It would have been simply bizarre to even suggest such a thing after the first few rounds, but now, having three SA teams in the top eight has been made even sweeter by the fact that there isn’t much on the standings separating the Sharks and the Stormers.

Following last weekend’s fixtures, Leinster will finish in top spot and enjoy homeground advantage throughout the play-offs.

Munster and Ulster will add more Irish flavour to the quarter-finals, while the Stormers, Sharks, Bulls, Glasgow Warriors and Edinburgh fill out the top eight spots.

There will be no Welsh teams in the play-offs after their only hope, Scarlets, lost to Ospreys in a derby at the weekend to end their push for qualification.

Again, given how things started for the SA teams, this alone gives local supporters much to smile about. But it’s the battle for the second spot that makes things even more thrilling.

The Stormers, Sharks and Munster are all on 56 points.

While they are deadlocked on points, there is no question as to who will face the toughest challenge in the final league game.

Munster will go head-tohead against Leinster – who earned a losing bonus point against the Stormers at Cape Town Stadium at the weekend, despite playing their B team, to finish on top of the URC standings – while the Sharks will take on Ulster in what should be another challenging fixture.

The Stormers, who have now won their last eight games at home and 11 overall, and have suffered the fewest defeats (four) in the competition, can certainly feel pretty confident about their chances against Scarlets on May 21.

The Sharks, in third position, are above the Stormers (fourth) simply because the Durbanites have scored one more try than their coastal rivals (57 to 56).

The two teams are tied in the first two criteria used to separate sides with the same points tally. They have bagged the same number of wins in the competition, while they also have the exact same points difference (148). What are the odds?

It’s exactly that that makes the final round of action so exciting.

There is everything to play for, and given that two South African outfits are in the running for that crucial second spot, the excitement – and determination – levels couldn’t be any higher with one game remaining before the knockout stages.