All four Welsh sides occupy the wrong half of the United Rugby Championship table but there's still plenty to play for when the competition resumes this weekend.
With a mere two rounds remaining, including Judgement Day, before the URC enters its play-off stage there is no room for any more slip-ups.
WalesOnline take a look at what each region has left to play for and what they need to reach their goals.
Cardiff
Current position - 10th
Remaining fixtures - Connacht (a), Ospreys (JD)
Cardiff are Wales' best hope of making it into the top eight and securing a place in the play-offs but they have two very tricky fixtures remaining.
Having been knockout out of the Challenge Cup by Benetton last Saturday Dai Young's side can put all their eggs into one basket.
Even though they are currently the highest placed Welsh side they are still playing catch up being two points off the Sharks who occupy the final play-off spot.
Cardiff face a very difficult task against sixth placed Connacht in Galway this weekend, a place where they have historically struggled, while they finish with a clash against the Ospreys at the Principality Stadium, another side they have always found difficult to overcome.
The Sharks are strong favourites to retain their place in the play-offs given they have two home games in Durban to finish their season against Benetton and Munster, respectively.
Make no bones about it Cardiff are up against it, and it might be wiser if they readjusted their aims by focussing instead on topping the Welsh Shield which will ensure they qualify for next season's Heineken Champions Cup.
Ospreys
Current URC position: 12th
Remaining fixtures: Edinburgh (a), Cardiff (JD)
Mathematically the Ospreys can still reach the play-offs given they are sixth points off eighth place with two games remaining but given the Sharks' favourable run in it's a long shot.
It is much more realistic for Toby Booth's side to target retaining the Welsh Shield and their place in the Champions Cup, especially given how well they fared in Europe this season.
They travel to the Scottish capital this weekend to take on a strong Edinburgh side who themselves have a very slim mathematical chance of reaching the last eight.
The challenge for the Ospreys is picking themselves up after a tremendous effort in their last 16 Champions Cup tie at Saracens, but one which saw them fall just short.
But on the flip side the Ospreys have beaten French champions Montpellier (twice), and English kings Leicester Tigers in recent months. They have the pack to go up to Edinburgh and win while they will be very confident of seeing off Cardiff on Judgement Day.
They are four points off Cardiff who currently top the Welsh Shield so they need to win their remaining games, while it would also help their cause if Connacht took care of Young's side this weekend.
Scarlets
Current URC position: 13th
Remaining fixtures: Glasgow Warriors (a), Dragons RFC (JD)
Like the Ospreys they have a mathematical chance of making the play-offs but realistically they are as good as done in the URC for this season given they are eight points off the Sharks.
Winning the Welsh Shield is a bit more realistic. They are six points off Cardiff, but even if they win their remaining two fixtures against Glasgow Warriors and the Dragons, respectively, they will need other results to go their way.
Head coach Dwayne Peel faces a dilemma as his side are the only Welsh club left in either European competition and have a home Challenge Cup semi-final against Glasgow to look forward to in a couple of weeks time.
Does he rest up his frontline players for at least one of the remaining URC matches throwing all his eggs into one basket or does he go full throttle in a bid to win the Welsh Shield?
Realistically, their squad is too threadbare to compete on both fronts so the Challenge Cup is likely to be his priority, and understandably so.
Dragons RFC
Current URC position: 15th
Remaining fixtures: Ulster (a), Scarlets (JD)
You can forget about the Dragons it is impossible for them to qualify for the play-offs or win the Welsh Shield.
It has been another disastrous season for the Men of Gwent who have only won three of their 16 URC fixtures this season.
Despite this being head coach Dai Flanagan's first season in charge it is simply not good enough and given they conceded 73 points in Glasgow a fortnight back it would be a surprise if they didn't lose their remaining two fixtures against Ulster and the Scarlets heavily.
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