Round 13 of the 2018/19 PRO14 season will get underway on Saturday the 5th of January.
The PRO14 closed out 2018 with a round full of drama with the most dramatic game being the Irish derby between Munster and Leinster which saw the visitors receive two yellow cards and a red during their 26-17 loss at Thomond Park.
The tournament returns to a full fixture list this coming weekend with the South African sides the Kings and Cheetahs back in action. There are also a multitude of derbies taking place, so Round 13 should be another cracker.
Treviso v Glasgow Warriors
Saturday 5 January
Stadio Comunale di Monigo
16:00
To Win (80 Mins)
Treviso 28/10
Draw 20/1
Glasgow 3/10
We kick things off we a clash between two sides who experienced contrasting fortunes over the festive period with in-form Treviso taking on a struggling Glasgow outfit. The hosts head into Saturday’s affair off the back of a derby double over domestic rivals Zebre, with their latest victory being a 28-10 victory over their countrymen.
Glasgow, on the other hand, head into this one off the back of consecutive defeats to Edinburgh. While their first loss to their local rivals – the 23-7 away defeat – would have hurt, it was last weekend’s 8-16 home defeat to the same opponents that would have been daggers in the hearts of the Scottish big guns.
Verdict: Glasgow 3/10
Despite their two derby defeats, I can still see Glasgow taking this one. Yes, they are in poor form but they have to good a squad to go down to the Italian minnows.
Ospreys v Cardiff Blues
Saturday 5 January
Liberty Stadium
17:00
To Win (80 Mins)
Ospreys 4/10
Draw 18/1
Cardiff 21/10
The first PRO14 derby game of the year is next up with the Ospreys and Cardiff locking horns out at the Liberty Stadium. The Ospreys suffered a derby day defeat last week as they went down by a solitary point to the Dragons away from home.
Cardiff enjoyed a far more positive Round 12 as they managed to register a solid 5-34 away victory over the Scarlets.
Verdict: Cardiff 21/10
The Blues are starting to hit their straps at just the right time in the season. I can see them edging what will undoubtedly be a tight affair.
Leinster v Ulster
Saturday 5 January
RDS Arena
19:15
To Win (80 Mins)
Leinster 1/12
Draw 35/1
Ulster 6/1
The derby action continues this Saturday with a wounded Leinster side taking on domestic rivals Ulster. The reigning champions suffered only their second defeat of the PRO14 season last week as they went down by nine points to local rivals Munster in a fiery Irish derby.
Ulster also lost their derby against Connacht by an identical margin as they went down 21-12 at the Sportsground.
Verdict: Leinster 1/12
They will be without former Waikato Chiefs winger James Lowe this coming weekend as he coped a massive ban for a dangerous tackle during the clash with Munster. Despite Lowe’s absence, I can still see Leinster bouncing back in style and taking the spoils here by more than eight points.
Scarlets v Dragons
Saturday 5 January
Parc ye Scarlets
19:15
To Win (80 Mins)
Scarlets 1/7
Draw 25/1
Dragons 47/10
We return to Wales for our next fixture which will see the Scarlets and Dragons clash in the weekend’s penultimate derby. The hosts head into the encounter off successive derby defeats as the went down 19-12 to the Ospreys in Round 11 and 5-34 to the Cardiff Blues in Round 12.
The Derby fixtures were slightly kinder to the Dragons who bounced back from a three-point defeat to the Cardiff Blues by beating the Ospreys 23-22 in Round 12.
Verdict: Scarlets 1/7
They will be desperate to get something from their run of derby games and I can see them achieving that here. My money is on the hosts taking it by between three and seven points.
Edinburgh v Kings
Saturday 5 January
Murrayfield
22:30
To Win (80 Mins)
Edinburgh 1/50
Draw 45/1
Kings 10/1
The Kings will return from their sabbatical with an extremely tough assignment as they lock horns with a red-hot Edinburgh side at Murrayfield. The hosts enjoyed a marvellous festive season as they racked up successive wins over arch-rivals Glasgow.
The Kings have been out of action for almost a month and may well head into this one rather rusty. They have only managed to claim a solitary win this season, and that victory came on home soil.
Verdict: Edinburgh 1/50
The Scottish outfit should have no troubles getting one over a Kings side that is shocking on the road. My money is on the hosts taking the spoils by 20 points or more.
Connacht v Munster
Saturday 5 January
Sportsground
22:30
To Win (80 Mins)
Connacht 15/20
Draw 18/1
Munster 11/10
Our final derby fixture of the weekend will see Irish rivals Connacht and Munster clash at the Sportsground. The visitors will come into this one full of confidence having beaten reigning champions Leinster 26-17 last weekend.
Connacht also closed out the festive season with a derby win as they claimed a 21-12 victory over Ulster.
Verdict: Connacht 15/20
I’m going to back the hosts here. They have looked good on home soil this season and Muster are likely to be missing a plethora of first-stringers after last week’s attritional fixture against Leinster.
Zebre v Cheetahs
Sunday 6 January
Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi
15:00
To Win (80 Mins)
Zebre 8/10
Draw 18/1
Cheetahs 21/20
Sunday’s solitary fixture will see a wounded Zebre side take on the Cheetahs. The hosts endured a frustrating festive season as they lost both their home and away fixtures against local rivals Treviso.
Like the Kings, the Cheetahs head into Sunday’s affair off the back of a long break. They have also struggled for results this term and have only been able to win two of the ten games they have played.
Verdict: Zebre 8/10
The Cheetahs may well struggle to hit their straps having been out of action for so long. I can see the hosts taking full advantage of this.
