Despite being 13th in the League, the Durban-based outfit claimed the Challenge Cup title with a 36-22 win over Gloucester at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, making history as the first South African team to win a European trophy and earning them passage into the top flight for next season.

That, however, is bad news for Ulster as it means they are no longer guaranteed a place in the Champions Cup next year courtesy of just qualifying for the URC Play-Offs, and means they will have to finish at least sixth in the table to ensure their spot.

They could also still make it in should they finish seventh, however that would lead to another nervy wait as they could still miss out should the eighth-placed team go on to win the Play-Offs and be crowned URC champions.

With an inter-provincial clash against Munster to round off their regular season schedule next weekend, Ulster know that avoiding defeat at Thomond Park would ensure they will be dining at the top table in Richie Murphy’s first full campaign as head coach.

They have been aided by the fact that the League’s seventh- and eighth-placed teams, Edinburgh and Benetton, meet in the final round, but the Emirates Lions could also spoil the party if they were to stun the DHL Stormers in Cape Town.

That means there are a variety of other events that could take place that would lead to qualification. Ulster will be guaranteed Champions Cup rugby next season if one of the following scenarios takes place:

• Ulster picks up at least two League points from their match against Munster
• Ulster picks up one League point from their match against Munster and Edinburgh does not claim a try bonus point win against Benetton, or Benetton either does not claim a try bonus point in a win against Edinburgh or wins with a try bonus point but there is less than a 47-point difference between it and the Ulster result
• Ulster picks up no League points from their match against Munster and the match between Edinburgh and Benetton ends in a draw or Benetton wins and there is less than a 47-point difference between it and the Ulster result and the Emirates Lions do not claim a try bonus point win against the DHL Stormers

Ulster could yet finish eighth, which would require them to win the URC to gain entry into the Champions Cup, should they earn no points against Munster and both the victor of Edinburgh’s clash with Benetton and the Emirates Lions pick up a try bonus point, the latter of which would have to be in a win.