Darry Worthington previews Round 6 of the 2019/20 PRO14 season, which gets underway on Friday the 8th of November.
Leinster are the only unbeaten side remaining in the PRO14 as we reach Round 6. They currently Top Conference A while fellow Irish Province Munster top Conference B. There’s actually an Irish theme to the play-off places at the minute with Ulster in second in Conference B and Connacht in second in Conference B.
Edinburgh v Dragons
Friday 8 November
Murrayfield
21:35
To Win Match
Edinburgh 1/16
Draw 40/1
Dragons 7/1
Edinburgh will be looking for their fourth win of the campaign when they take on a Dragons side that have on have only won two of their five fixtures.
The two sides come into this one off the back poor results with the Dragons hammered 50-15 by Leinster and Edinburgh going down 18-16 to Treviso away from home.
Verdict: Edinburgh 1/16
I fully expect the hosts to bounce back from last weekend’s result. My money is on them taking this by more than 12.
Connacht v Leinster
Friday 8 November
The Sportsground
21:35
To Win Match
Connacht 15/10
Draw 20/1
Leinster 11/20
Undefeated Leinster will be looking to bag their fifth win of the campaign when they travel to Connacht for what is sure to be a feisty all-Irish affair.
The hosts have been in decent touch themselves this season with their only defeat being their 18-10 Round 2 loss to the Scarlets.
Both teams head into this one off the back of positive results with Leinster drubbing the Dragons by 35 points and Connacht beating Ospreys 10-20.
Verdict: Connacht 11/20
These Irish derbies tend to go the way of the home side. While I fully expect Connacht to win it, any plus line over 5.5 should be backed as this is likely to be a tight old affair.
Zebre v Glasgow Warriors
Saturday 9 November
Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi
17:00
To Win Match
Zebre 38/10
Draw 22/1
Glasgow 2/11
Zebre will be looking for their first win of the season when they take on a Warriors side that only has two wins to their names.
The hosts have endured a tough old season and currently sit in last place on Conference A with a points differential of -121.
While they haven’t had it all their way in a lot of games, Glasgow sit in the far prettier position of fourth. They also head into this one off the back of a morale-boosting 50-0 victory over the Kings.
Verdict: Warriors 2/11
The Scottish outfit should have no trouble dispatching a very poor Zebre side. I can see them winning this one by more than 20 points.
Ospreys v Kings
Saturday 9 November
Liberty Stadium
17:00
To Win Match
Ospreys 1/10
Draw 30/1
Kings 57/10
The Kings will be looking for their first win of the season when they travel to Wales to take on a struggling Ospreys outfit.
The men from South Africa have endured a tough start to the campaign and currently sit at the foot of the Conference B table with a points differential of -96.
Ospreys have struggled this term and have only won one of their five fixtures. They come into this one off the back of a 10-point home defeat to Connacht.
Verdict: Ospreys 1/10
There’s not much value here but the home win is a banker.
Munster v Ulster
Saturday 9 November
Thomond Park
19:15
To Win Match
Munster 1/4
Draw 22/1
Ulster 3/1
Munster will be looking to retain their perch at the top of the Conference B standings when they take on Ulster in the second all-Irish game of the weekend.
The hosts are enjoying a solid start to the campaign and have only lost one fixture which was to the Cheetahs in Round 1. They head into this one off the back of a great 23-33 win over the Cardiff Blues.
Ulster, like Munster, have only been beaten by the Cheetahs. They also head into this one having posted a positive result in Round 5 as they beat Zebre 22-15.
Verdict: Munster 1/4
As I noted earlier in the preview, Irish derbies tend to go the way of the hosts.
Cardiff Blues v Free State Cheetahs
Saturday 9 November
Cardiff Arms Park
19:15
To Win Match
Cardiff 17/20
Draw 18/1
Cheetahs 1/1
The Cheetahs continue their tour of Europe with a stop in Wales where they will take on the Cardiff Blues.
The South Africans have struggled since hitting the road losing their first two away fixtures. The first result saw them go down 24-22 to Connacht. This was followed by a disappointing 17-13 loss against the Scarlets.
Cardiff have endured a far tougher start to the campaign and only have one win to their names. They head into the clash having gone down by 10-points to Munster in Round 5.
Verdict: Cheetahs 1/1
I’ll be backing the Cheetahs to finally come good on the road.
Scarlets v Treviso
Saturday 9 November
Parc Y Scarlets
21:35
To Win Match
Scarlets 7/20
Draw 22/1
Treviso 5/2
The Scarlets will be looking bag their fifth win of the campaign when they take on a rejuvenated Treviso outfit in the final game of the weekend.
The visitors head into this one off the back of a great result having beaten Edinburgh by two-points in Round 5. This was only their second win of the campaign.
The Scarlets also enjoyed a solid Round 5 as they beat the Cheetahs by four points.
Verdict: Scarlets 7/20
While the Scarlets will take this one, any plus line in excess of ten points should be gobbled up.
