EXPLAINED: How Ulster can qualify for next season's Champions Cup

With a unique set of scenarios in place, the possibility is there for Ulster to reshape the eight European places allocated through the United Rugby Championship.

Under normal circumstances, the top eight teams in the final URC table automatically secure qualification for the following season’s Champions Cup. However, EPCR regulations create an important exception when a URC side wins either the Investec Champions Cup or the EPCR Challenge Cup without already qualifying through league position.

That scenario is now very much in play for the Belfast side.

Ulster Rugby finished ninth in the URC standings and therefore outside the automatic qualification spots for the Champions Cup. However, Richie Murphy’s side will contest this weekend’s EPCR Challenge Cup Final against Montepellier, with victory enough to secure a place in next season’s Champions Cup regardless of their league finish.

Should Ulster lift the trophy, their qualification would come from the URC’s existing allocation of eight places. That would mean Connacht, who currently occupy eighth position following their final day surge to take Ulster's place, would lose their Champions Cup spot thanks to their Irish rivals.

But the situation becomes even more complicated if Connacht were then to go on and win the URC title itself, once the upcoming play-offs are finalised.

As league champions, Connacht would automatically qualify for the Investec Champions Cup irrespective of their league position. In that case, they would effectively reclaim a European place, with the side that finished seventh — the Lions — dropping into the EPCR Challenge Cup instead.

The unusual sequence of possibilities means supporters may not know the final European qualification picture until both the EPCR finals and the URC playoffs are completed.