The PRO14 action continues this coming weekend with seven games being played between Friday the 11th of October and Saturday the 12th of October.
Despite a number of players away on World Cup duty, the PRO14 conferences have very normal looks to them with Irish powerhouse Munter topping Conference B and their local rivals Leinster level on points with the Conference A leading Free State Cheetahs.
Will we be in for a shock or two this weekend? Or will the big boys continue to deliver the goods?
Cheetahs v Munster
Friday 11 October
Toyota Stadium
18:15
To Win (80 Mins)
Cheetahs 3/10
Draw 22/1
Munster 26/10
The Free State Cheetahs will be looking to bag their third successive bonus-point victory when they take on a Munster side that is also yet to taste defeat this term.
The hosts followed up their 48-14 opening-round victory over the Glasgow Warriors with a resounding 63-26 Round 2 victory over Ulster. Munster also fared rather well in Round 2 as they picked up a bonus-point win over the Kings, running out 20-31 victors in Port Elizebeth.
Verdict: Cheetahs 3/10
This game is likely to be a lot tighter than the Cheetahs’ previous two encounters but I can see them coming out on top in Bloemfontein for a third week in a row.
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Leinster v Edinburgh
Friday 11 October
RDS Arena
20:35
To Win (80 Mins)
Leinster 1/7
Draw 25/1
Edinburgh 47/10
We go from the top of the two conferences clash to a game between the tournament’s two second-placed sides with Leinster taking on Scottish Province Edinburgh in Friday evening’s second encounter.
Leinster have managed to get two wins under their belts despite fielding what is essentially a second-string splattered with a number of academy prospects. Their latest win was a highly impressive one as they beat the Ospreys 53-3.
Edinburgh have more of their first-stringers available and have made a good start to the campaign beating Zebre 50-15 in Round 1 and the Cardiff Blues 11-19 in Round 2.
Verdict: Edinburgh 47/10
This is very speculative and I won’t be having a massive strike on it but I do feel Edinburgh may well upset the applecart this Friday evening.
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Dragons v Connacht
Friday 11 October
Rodney Parade
20:35
To Win (80 Mins)
Dragons 17/10
Draw 18/1
Connacht 5/10
The Dragons face another stern test this coming weekend as they will face a very exciting Connacht side in Friday evening’s final fixture.
The Dragons and Connacht head into this one with identical win/loss ratios with Connacht’s win being last weekend’s 41-5 victory over Treviso and the Dragons victory also coming in Round 2 where they beat Zebre 28-52.
Verdict: Connacht 5/10
The away side may be a bit short but I can see them having no problems beating a very limited Dragons outfit.
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Kings v Ulster
Saturday 12 October
Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium
16:00
To Win (80 mins)
Kings 26/10
Draw 22/1
Ulster 3/10
Ulster will be looking to bounce back from their 63-26 humiliation at the hands of the Cheetahs by beating a Southern Kings side that only went down to Munster by 11 points last weekend.
The visitors have had the better start to the season bagging an impressive 38-14 win over the Ospreys before going down heavily to the Cheetahs, while the Kings first fixture saw them lose 27-31 to the Cardiff Blues.
Verdict: Kings 26/10
I’m going for the upset here. The Kings have given a good account of themselves thus far and I think they’ll finally bag that elusive win.
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Scarlets v Zebre
Saturday 12 October
Parc Y Scarlets
16:00
To Win (80 Mins)
Scarlets 1/100
Draw 40/1
Zebre 1/11
Zebre will be looking to avoid another embarrassing defeat when they head to Wales to take on the undefeated Scarlets.
The visitors have shipped a mammoth 102 points in the opening two rounds going down 50-15 to Edinburgh in their opener and then 28-52 to the Dragons the following week.
The hosts have enjoyed a far brighter start to the tournament beating Connacht 18-10 and Glasgow 21-25.
Verdict: Scarlets 1/100
I’d fancy the hosts to clear any minus handicap under the 43 points mark.
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Glasgow Warriors v Cardiff Blues
Saturday 12 October
Scotstoun
20:35
To Win (80 Mins)
Glasgow 3/10
Draw 18/1
Cardiff 5/2
Last season’s runners-up, Glasgow, will be looking to register their first win of the campaign when they take on the Cardiff Blues, who have won one and lost one so far with their victory coming over the Kings on the opening week and their defeat coming at the hands of Edinburgh last weekend.
Verdict: Glasgow 3/10
The Warriors will be desperate for the win and I can see that desperation spurring them on to a home victory.
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Ospreys v Treviso
Saturday 12 October
Liberty Stadium
20:35
To Win (80 Mins)
Ospreys 2/9
Draw 20/1
Treviso 34/10
Two of this season really strugglers will go head-to-head in the round’s final fixture with Conference A’s last-placed side, the Ospreys, playing hosts two Conference B cellar-dwellers, Treviso.
Both teams experienced heavy defeats last weekend with the Ospreys going down 53-5 to Leinster and Treviso losing 41-5 to Connacht.
Verdict: Treviso 34/10
Both teams have been poor thus far so I will be avoiding this one like the plague. If you must have a punt, I recommend a very small strike on the away win.
Written by Darry Worthington for Hollywoodbets
