The Bulls and Stormers are well placed for home quarterfinals as the Lions face a tough Ireland tour.

The United Rugby Championship (URC) has to be one of the least predictable regional leagues in the game. Over the past four years, the tournament has produced four different champions hailing from three different countries.

The perennial joust for playoff positions has been particularly fierce and, even though the inter-hemisphere dynamic has posed significant travel and player welfare challenges, it has added to the sense of jeopardy in the latter stages of the fledgling tournament.

Top teams know that the chances of lifting the trophy decrease with every intercontinental flight taken over the course of the three-match playoff stage.

With this in mind, South Africa's (SA's) three title contenders should be gunning for maximum points in the final two rounds of the league phase in an attempt to mitigate - and possibly eliminate - the travel factor in the knockouts.

The Stormers (first in the standings), Lions (third) and Bulls (seventh) are still in the running for a home quarterfinal, whereas the Sharks (10th) recently bowed out of the playoff race.

The results of the coming URC matches - as well as the looming Challenge Cup final on 22 May and Champions Cup decider on 23 May - will determine...