Preview: Pro 12, Round 19

The side have lost three of their last four outings and another loss will be detrimental to their playoff hopes. Connacht are currently sitting pretty at the top of the table having only lost five times all season and will be hoping for their first win in Belfast since 1960.

Ulster's two home defeats this season were by a margin of only two points to Munster in Round 11 and just one point against Scarlets in Round 15, Connacht will have to be at their best to take anything from the game.

"This is a must-win game for us. We have put ourselves in a corner and we have to come out fighting. I have every confidence that that is going to bring the very best out of us.

"But we know Connacht are going to be a handful here. They deserve all the credit they are getting because they are playing unbelievable rugby with ball in hand and entertaining the crowds," Trimble said.

The side will make five changes from last week's fixture with Pete Browne replacing the injured Alan O'Connor in the second row while Iain Henderson is set to make his first home appearance since December in the back row.

Ulster also welcome back their Irish trio from international duty as captain Rory Best and fullbacks Andrew Trimble and Jared Payne return.

Table-toppers Connacht are due to make a number of changes to their side as they look to extend their lead. With Tiernan O'Halloran missing with a quad injury, Robbie Henshaw will start the game at fullback, while Shane O'Leary will be handed the reins at flyhalf for his first start.

Kieran Marmion will be replaced by scrumhalf John Cooney on his return from injury and up front Rodney Ah You comes in for the injured Nathan White and Andrew Browne forms a new second row partnership with Aly Muldowney.

On the back of last week's Leinster win, head coach Pat Lam has been working his men hard in training as he chases his first win against Ulster as Connacht boss.

"The interpros mean a lot to the boys, and the one team we haven't beaten since I've been here is Ulster. So it will be a big week and we'll put a lot of work into trying to beat them. Now we've got a tough challenge, six days' turnaround to a pretty physical, fired-up Ulster, who are desperate. And that's probably what's pleased me most.

"In the last six games that we've won, for all of the teams that we've played, it's not a normal game. Their season is on the line too," Lam said.

We look at all the weekend's action!

Friday, April 1

Newport Dragons v Ospreys

(Rodney Parade, Kick-off: 18.05 GMT)

Newport Dragons have gained just one victory since Round Nine at home to Leinster on January 29. Dragons have not beaten a fellow Welsh region in the tournament since overcoming Cardiff

Blues on Boxing Day 2014.

Ospreys have slipped to three straight defeats and have only once before lost four in a row in the same season – their inaugural campaign in 2003/04. Ospreys have won four times on the road this season, being victorious on both trips to Italy, at Scarlets and at Munster.

Ospreys have won their last eight fixtures against Dragons since the Men from Gwent's 21-20 win at Rodney Parade in January 2012.

Teams:

Newport Dragons: 15 Carl Meyer, 14 Ashton Hewitt, 13 Tyler Morgan, 12 Adam Warren, 11 Hallam Amos, 10 Dorian Jones, 9 Sarel Pretorius, 8 Taulupe Faletau (captain), 7 Nic Cudd, 6 Lewis Evans, 5 Matthew Screech, 4 Rynard Landman, 3 Brok Harris, 2 Elliot Dee, 1 Phil Price.

Replacements: 16 Thomas Rhys Thomas, 17 Boris Stankovich, 18 Lloyd Fairbrother, 19 Nick Crosswell, 20 Ed Jackson, 21 Charlie Davies, 22 Geraint Rhys Jones, 23 Adam Hughes.

Ospreys: 15 Dan Evans, 14 Hanno Dirksen, 13 Owen Watkin, 12 Josh Matavesi, 11 Eli Walker, 10 Dan Biggar, 9 Rhys Webb (captain), 8 James King, 7 Sam Underhill, 6 Olly Cracknell, 5 Rynier Bernardo, 4 Adam Beard, 3 Dmitri Arhip, 2 Scott Baldwin, 1 Nicky Smith.

Replacements: 16 Scott Otten, 17 Gareth Thomas, 18 Aaron Jarvis, 19 Dan Lydiate, 20 Joe Bearman, 21 Brendon Leonard, 22 Sam Davies, 23 Jeff Hassler,

Referee: John Lacey (Ireland)

Assistant Referees: Ben Whitehouse (Wales), Sean Brickell (Wales)

TMO: Paul Adams (Wales)

Edinburgh v Zebre

(Murrayfield, Kick-off: 18.35 GMT)

Three of Edinburgh's last five encounters have been decided by a single point, the Scotsmen beating Dragons but sharing the spoils in two fixtures against Scarlets. Edinburgh have not lost at home in any tournament to an opponent other than an Irish province since Cardiff Blues visited Meggetland in April 2014.

Zebre have lost their last six matches and have not scored a point for 167 minutes. Zebre have lost on all of their six previous visits to Scotland. Zebre have won three of their last four matches against Edinburgh, whilst the two sides have met on seven previous occasions with Edinburgh having the slight edge by four wins to three.

Teams:

Edinburgh: 15 Blair Kinghorn, 14 Damien Hoyland, 13 Michael Allen, 12 Phil Burleigh, 11 Tom Brown, 10 Jason Tovey, 9 Sean Kennedy, 8 Cornell Du Preez, 7 Hamish Watson, 6 Mike Coman (captain), 5 Ben Toolis, 4 Anton Bresler, 3 WP Nel, 2 Ross Ford, 1 Alasdair Dickinson.

Replacements: 16 Stuart Mcinally, 17 Allan Dell, 18 John Andress, 19 Alex Toolis, 20 Magnus Bradbury, 21 Sam Hidalgo-Clyn, 22 Chris Dean 23 Will Helu.

Zebre: 15 Kayle Van Zyl, 14 Ulrich Beyers, 13 Tommaso Boni, 12 Matteo Pratichetti, 11 Leonardo Sarto, 10 Kelly Haimona, 9 Guglielmo Palazzani, 8 Johan Meyer, 7 Federico Ruzza, 6 Jean Cook, 5 Marco Bortolami, 4 Quintin Geldenhuys (captain), 3 Dario Chistolini, 2 Oliviero Fabiani, 1 Andrea Lovotti.

Replacements: 16 Bruno Postiglioni, 17 Guillermo Roan, 18 Pietro Ceccarelli, 19 Gideon Koegelenberg , 20 Emiliano Caffini, 21 Luke Burgess, 22 Carlo Canna, 23 Giulio Bisegni.

Referee: Leighton Hodges (Wales)

Assistant referees: Sam Grove-White (Scotland), Graeme Ormiston (Scotland)

TMO: Charles Samson (Scotland)

Ulster v Connacht

(Kingspan Stadium, Kick-off: 18.35 GMT)

Ulster's only victory in their last four fixtures was 32-0 against Zebre in Belfast in Round 17. Ulster's two home defeats this season were by a margin of only two points to Munster in Round 11 and just one point against Scarlets in Round 15.

Connacht are in the midst of their best ever sequence of victories, having won their last six matches since their 19-21 reversal at Scarlets in Round 12. Connacht have won their last three away games, all with maximum points.

Ulster's only defeat in their last 19 encounters with Connacht since 2005 was 21-26 in Galway in April 2012, whilst Connacht's most recent victory in Belfast came in November 1960.

Teams:

Ulster: 15 Jared Payne, 14 Andrew Trimble, 13 Luke Marshall, 12 Stuart McCloskey, 11 Craig Gilroy, 10 Paddy Jackson, 9 Ruan Pienaar, 8 Roger Wilson, 7 Chris Henry, 6 Iain Henderson, 5 Franco van der Merwe, 4 Pete Browne, 3 Ricky Lutton, 2 Rory Best (captain), 1 Callum Black.

Replacements: 16 Rob Herring, 17 Kyle McCall, 18 Bronson Ross, 19 Robbie Diack, 20 Sean Reidy, 21 Paul Marshall, 22 Stuart Olding, 23 Darren Cave.

Connacht: 15 Robbie Henshaw, 14 Niyi Adeolokun, 13 Bundee Aki, 12 Peter Robb, 11 Matt Healy, 10 Shane O'Leary, 9 John Cooney, 8 Eoin McKeon, 7 James Connolly, 6 John Muldoon (captain), 5 Aly Muldowney, 4 Andrew Browne, 3 Rodney Ah You, 2 Tom McCartney, 1 Denis Buckley.

Replacements: 16 Dave Heffernan, 17 Ronan Loughney, 18 Finlay Bealham, 19 Ultan Dillane, 20 Sean O'Brien, 21 Caolin Blade, 22 Cormac Brennan, 23 Danie Poolman.

Referee: Dudley Phillips (Ireland)

Assistant referees: Gary Conway (Ireland), Nigel Correll (Ireland)

TMO: Brian MacNeice (Ireland)

Saturday, April 2

Scarlets v Cardiff Blues

(Parc y Scarlets, Kick-off: 14.00 GMT)

Scarlets' only defeat in the last five rounds was 23-24 in Edinburgh on February 28. A Scarlets victory should ensure their qualification for next season's Champions Cup, keeping their record intact of qualifying for the top tier European competition every year.

Cardiff Blues have secured maximum point wins in the last two rounds since their defeat in Glasgow on March 6. The Blues' only victory on the road this season came on a visit to Ospreys in Round Eight.

Blues won 29-27 at Cardiff Arms Park in Round 11 and have only once before achieved a season's double over their western neighbours, in 2009/10.

Teams:

Scarlets: 15 Michael Collins, 14 Steff Evans, 13 Regan King, 12 Hadleigh Parkes, 11 DTH van der Merwe, 10 Dan Jones, 9 Gareth Davies, 8 Morgan Allen, 7 James Davies, 6 John Barclay, 5 David Bulbring, 4 Jake Ball, 3 Samson Lee, 2 Ken Owens (captain), 1 Rob Evans.

Replacements: 16 Kirby Myhill, 17 Dylan Evans, 18 Peter Edwards, 19 George Earle, 20 Maselino Paulino, 21 Aled Davies, 22 Aled Thomas, 23 Gareth Owen.

Cardiff Blues: 15 Rhys Patchell, 14 Dan Fish, 13 Garyn Smith, 12 Rey Lee-Lo, 11 Tom James, 10 Gareth Anscombe, 9 Lloyd Williams, 8 Josh Navidi, 7 Ellis Jenkins, 6 Sam Warburton, 5 James Down, 4 Josh Turnbull, 3 Taufa'ao Filise, 2 Matthew Rees, 1 Gethin Jenkins (captain).

Replacements: 16 Kristian Dacey, 17 Brad Thyer, 18 Dillon Lewis, 19 Jarrad Hoeata, 20 Manoa Vosawai, 21 Lewis Jones, 22 Jarrod Evans, 23 Aled Summerhill.

Referee: Marius Mitrea (Italy)

Assistant referees: Wayne Davies (Wales), Greg Morgan (Wales)

TMO: Jon Mason (Wales)

Benetton Treviso v Glasgow Warriors

(Stadio Monigo, Kick-off: 16.30 GMT)

Benetton Treviso have lost their last three matches since beating Newport Dragons 19-17 in Italy in Round 15. Treviso have not beaten a Scottish opponent since their victory over Edinburgh at Stadio Monigo in March 2014.

Glasgow Warriors have won their last five matches since tripping up at Ulster in Round 14. Warriors won their most recent away game at Dragons and are attempting to win successive away games in the tournament for the first time since October 2014.

Glasgow have won their last eight fixtures against Treviso since the Italians' 15-13 victory at Firhill in September 2011.

Teams:

Treviso: 15 Jayden Hayward, 14 Ludovico Nitoglia, 13 Tommaso Iannone, 12 Sam Christie, 11 Angelo Esposito, 10 James Ambrosini, 9 Edoardo Gori, 8 Robert Barbieri, 7 Alessandro Zanni (captain), 6 Marco Lazzaroni, 5 Marco Fuser, 4 Filo Paulo, 3 Filippo Filippetto, 2 Luca Bigi, 1 Alberto De Marchi.

Replacements: 16 Davide Giazzon, 17 Matteo Zanusso, 18 Rupert Harden, 19 Dean Budd, 20 Abraham Steyn, 21 Andrea De Marchi, 22 Alberto Lucchese, 23 Luke McLean.

Glasgow: 15 Stuart Hogg, 14 Taqele Naiyaravoro, 13 Mark Bennett, 12 Peter Horne, 11 Sean Lamont, 10 Finn Russell, 9 Henry Pyrgos, 8 Adam Ashe, 7 Simone Favaro, 6 Josh Strauss, 5 Jonny Gray, 4 Tim Swinson, 3 Sila Puafisi, 2 Fraser Brown, 1 Gordon Reid.

Replacements: 16 James Malcolm, 17 Jerry Yanuyanutawa, 18 D'arcy Rae, 19 Leone Nakarawa, 20 Tyrone Holmes, 21 Grayson Hart, 22 Glenn Bryce, 23 Lee Jones.

Referee: Nigel Owens (Wales)

Assistant referees: Claudio Blessano (Italy), Gregorio Piran (Italy)

TMO: Stefano Pennè (Italy)

Leinster vs Munster

(Aviva Stadium, Kick-off: 16.30 GMT)

Leinster have slipped to successive defeats in Glasgow and at Connacht and have not scored a try for 224 minutes. The Leinstermen have played 14 previous matches at the Aviva Stadium, their only defeat being in their most recent encounter against Munster in October 2014.

Munster's only defeat in their last four rounds came on a visit to Cardiff Blues on March 18. Munster are one of only four sides who have won five away games this season.

Leinster beat Munster 24-7 when the two rivals clashed at Thomond Park on December 27 and have not achieved a season's double over them since the 2012/13 season. The two since have met on seven previous occasions at Aviva Stadium, with Leinster taking the first six, including the 2001/02 Final but Munster won 34-23 in Round Five last year.

Teams:

Leinster: 15 Zane Kirchner, 14 Isa Nacewa (captain) 13 Garry Ringrose, 12 Ben Te'o, 11 Dave Kearney, 10 Johnny Sexton, 9 Eoin Reddan, 8 Jamie Heaslip, 7 Jordi Murphy, 6 Rhys Ruddock, 5 Hayden Triggs, 4 Devin Toner, 3 Tadhg Furlong, 2 Sean Cronin, 1 Jack McGrath.

Replacements: 16 Richardt Strauss, 17 Cian Healy, 18 Mike Ross, 19 Ross Molony, 20 Josh van der Flier, 21 Luke McGrath, 22 Ian Madigan, 23 Fergus McFadden.

Munster: 15 Simon Zebo, 14 Andrew Conway, 13 Francis Saili, 12 Rory Scannell, 11 Keith Earls, 10 Johnny Holland, 9 Conor Murray, 8 CJ Stander (capatin), 7 Tommy O'Donnell, 6 Dave O'Callaghan, 5 Billy Holland, 4 Donnacha Ryan, 3 Stephen Archer, 2 Niall Scannell, 1 James Cronin.

Replacements: 16 Mike Sherry, 17 Dave Kilcoyne, 18 John Ryan, 19 Robin Copeland, 20 Jack O'Donoghue, 21 Tomás O'Leary, 22 Ian Keatley, 23 Darren Sweetnam.

Referee: Ian Davies (Wales)

Assistant referees: David Wilkinson (Ireland), Mark Patton (Ireland)

TMO: Simon McDowell (Ireland)