Preview: Pro 12, Round 20

This late in the season, the results of each round can have a dramatic impact on a team's place in the table, especially in the contest for a top four finish and ultimately a place in the tournament's flagship event, the Final at Murrayfield on May 28.

Round 20 starts on Friday night and Ospreys will face tough competition from a Treviso side still trying to make up ground on Zebre, who currently hold the designated Italian place in next season's European Champions Cup.

Elsewhere, table topping Leinster host seventh-placed Edinburgh. Victory is vital for both teams' prospects: Leinster to maintain their push for a home play-off; Edinburgh to try and ensure there are two Scottish qualifiers in the 2016/17 Champions Cup - but there can be only one winner.

The pick of the round must be the clash between Scarlets and Glasgow Warriors on Saturday. Warriors took over Scarlets' third place spot in the table, and victory here could propel them to a home play-off spot. Scarlets, who have been in the top four since Round Two, need a victory to maintain their own challenge for the knockout phase.  

Later on Saturday, fifth-placed Ulster are in action in Italy and should the result of the earlier game go their way, victory over Zebre could see Ulster return to the top four. Zebre need as many points they can gain to fend off the challenge from Treviso for a place in Europe's top tier next season.  

"Super Saturday" finishes with a game at the Sportsground in Galway and an all-Irish clash between Connacht and Munster. Connacht have to put the disappointment of their European Challenge Cup exit behind them to concentrate on their quest for a first-ever title, but need to overcome three-time champions Munster.

The round wraps up on Sunday with European Challenge Cup semifinalists Newport Dragons hosting fellow Welsh region Cardiff Blues at Rodney Parade. Both teams are hoping to represent Wales in the Champions Cup next season, but Dragons could progress through the Challenge Cup.

We look at all the weekend's action!

Friday, April 15

Ospreys v Treviso

(Liberty Stadium, Kick-off: 19.35 GMT)

Ospreys' 26-20 victory at Newport Dragons in Round 19 ended a three match losing run. Ospreys have never lost at home to an Italian side. Treviso have lost their last four encounters since beating Dragons at Stadio Monigo in Round 15.

The Italians' most recent victory in Wales came on a visit to Scarlets in May 2013. Ospreys' only league defeat to Treviso was 6-12 in Italy in August 2012.

Teams:

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

Replacements: 16 Scott Baldwin, 17 Gareth Thomas, 18 Aaron Jarvis, 19 Rory Thornton, 20 Dan Lydiate, 21 Brendon Leonard, 22 Sam Davies, 23 Ben John.

Treviso: 15 Jayden Hayward, 14 Angelo Esposito, 13 Luca Morisi, 12 Alberto Sgarbi, 11 Ludovico Nitoglia, 10 Sam Christie, 9 Edoardo Gori, 8 Robert Barbieri, 7 Alessandro Zanni (captain), 6 Marco Lazzaroni, 5 Jeff Montauriol, 4 Filo Paulo, 3 Simone Ferrari, 2 Luca Bigi, 1 Alberto De Marchi.

Replacements: 16 Ornel Gega, 17 Matteo Zanusso, 18 Salesi Manu, 19 Dean Budd, 20 Abraham Steyn, 21 Francesco Minto, 22 Chris Smylie, 23 James Ambrosini.

Referee: David Wilkinson (Ireland)

Assistant referees: Dan Jones (Wales), Martin Lewis (Wales)

TMO: Tim Hayes (Wales)

Leinster v Edinburgh

(RDS Arena, Kick-off: 19.35 GMT)

Leinster are unbeaten in their last twelve home games since their 14-16 reversal to Newport Dragons in February 2015. The Leinstermen have not lost at home to a Scottish opponent since Glasgow visited in September 2011.

Edinburgh's only defeat in the last four Rounds was 23-28 at home to Connacht on March 4. Edinburgh won their most recent away game, at Dragons in Round 18, but have not won successive fixtures on their travels for over 12 months.

Edinburgh were victorious 16-9 at Meggetland in Round One and have only once before achieved a season's double over the Leinstermen in 2003/04. Edinburgh's most recent victory on Leinster's soil came on a trip to Donnybrook in November 2005.

Teams:

Leinster: 15 Rob Kearney, 14 Fergus McFadden, 13 Ben Te'o, 12 Noel Reid, 11 Luke Fitzgerald, 10 Ian Madigan, 9 Luke McGrath, 8 Jordi Murphy, 7 Josh van der Flier, 6 Rhys Ruddock (captain), 5 Mick Kearney, 4 Ross Molony, 3 Mike Ross, 2 Richardt Strauss, 1 Cian Healy.

Replacements: 16 Sean Cronin, 17 Peter Dooley, 18 Tadhg Furlong, 19 Devin Toner, 20 Dominic Ryan, 21 Eoin Reddan, 22 Cathal Marsh, 23 Dave Kearney.

Edinburgh: 15 Blair Kinghorn, 14 Damien Hoyland, 13 Chris Dean, 12 Phil Burleigh, 11 Tom Brown, 10 Jason Tovey, 9 Sam Hidalgo-Clyne, 8 Cornell Du Preez, 7 John Hardie, 6 Jamie Ritchie, 5 Ben Toolis, 4 Anton Bresler, 3 WP Nel, 2 Ross Ford (captain), 1 Alasdair Dickinson.

Replacements: 16 Stuart McInally, 17 Rory Sutherland, 18 John Andress, 19 Alex Toolis, 20 Magnus Bradbury, 21 Hamish Watson, 22 Sean Kennedy, 23 Mike Allan.

Referee: Marius Mitrea (Italy)

Assistant referees: Andy Brace (Ireland) (Ireland), Leo Colgan (Ireland)

TMO: Dermot Moloney (Ireland)

Saturday, April 16

Scarlets v Glasgow Warriors

(Parc y Scarlets, Kick-off: 15.15 GMT)

Scarlets tripped up at home to Cardiff Blues in Round 19 and have not lost successive matches at Parc y Scarlets since the start of the 2013/14 campaign. Scarlets have not tallied a try bonus point in any competition since their victory over Newport Dragons in October.

Glasgow Warriors have won their last seven matches since losing out to Ulster in Belfast in Round 14. The Warriors' only defeat to a Welsh region so far this season came in the opening Round at home to Scarlets.

The two sides have met on three occasion this season with Scarlets winning 16-10 at Scotstoun in September and Warriors taking both encounters in the Champions Cup in December. Glasgow have appeared in seven matches at Parc y Scarlets, winning three - in 2009, 2010 and 2013.

Teams:

Scarlets: 15 Liam Williams, 14 Steff Evans, 13 Gareth Owen, 12 Hadleigh Parkes, 11 DTH van der Merwe, 10 Steve Shingler, 9 Gareth Davies,  8 John Barclay, 7 James Davies, 6 Maselino Paulino, 5 David Bulbring, 4 Jake Ball, 3 Samson Lee, 2 Ken Owens (captain), 1 Rob Evans.

Replacements: 16 Kirby Myhill, 17 Phil John, 18 Peter Edwards, 19 George Earle, 20 Morgan Allen, 21 Aled Davies, 22 Aled Thomas, 23 Steff Hughes.

Glasgow Warriors: 15 Stuart Hogg, 14 Tommy Seymour, 13 Mark Bennett, 12 Alex Dunbar, 11 Lee Jones, 10 Finn Russell, 9 Henry Pyrgos, 8 Josh Strauss, 7 Ryan Wilson, 6 Rob Harley, 5 Jonny Gray (captain), 4 Tim Swinson, 3 Sila Puafisi, 2 Fraser Brown, 1 Gordon Reid.

Replacements: 16 Pat MacArthur, 17 Jerry Yanuyanutawa, 18 Zander Fagerson, 19 Leone Nakarawa, 20 Tyrone Holmes, 21 Grayson Hart, 22 Duncan Weir, 23 Taqele Naiyaravoro.

Referee: George Clancy (Ireland)

Assistant referees: Ian Davies (Wales), Sean Brickell (Wales)

TMO: Jon Mason (Wales)

Zebre v Ulster

(Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi, Kick-off: 17.00, 16.00 GMT)

Zebre are without a win since beating Treviso 18-8 at Stadio Monigo on January 3. Zebre's only previous victory over an Irish province came against Ulster in Parma in September 2014.

Ulster's last four encounters have all been won by the home side on the day, whilst their only away victory in the competition in 2016 came on a trip to Treviso in January. The two sides have met on seven previous occasions with Zebre's only victory being 13-6 at Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi in Round Four last season.

Teams:

Zebre: 15 Kayle Van Zyl, 14 Dion Berryman, 13 Giulio Bisegni, 12 Matteo Pratichetti, 11 Leonardo Sarto, 10 Carlo Canna, 9 Guglielmo Palazzani, 8 Gideon Koegelenberg, 7 Federico Ruzza, 6 Jean Cook, 5 Valerio Bernabò, 4 Quintin Geldenhuys (captain), 3 Pietro Ceccarelli, 2 Oliviero Fabiani, 1 Andrea Lovotti.

Replacements: 16 Bruno Postiglioni, 17 Andrea De Marchi, 18 Dario Chistolini, 19 Marco Bortolami, 20 Emiliano Caffini, 21 Luke Burgess, 22 Ulrich Beyers, 23 Tommaso Boni.

Ulster: 15 Jared Payne, 14 Tommy Bowe, 13 Luke Marshall, 12 Stuart Olding, 11 Craig Gilroy, 10 Paddy Jackson, 9 Ruan Pienaar, 8 Roger Wilson, 7 Sean Reidy, 6 Iain Henderson, 5 Franco van der Merwe, 4 Pete Browne, 3 Ricky Lutton, 2 Rory Best, 1 Callum Black.

Replacements: 16 Rob Herring, 17 Kyle McCall, 18 Andrew Warwick, 19 Robbie Diack, 20 Chris Henry, 21 Paul Marshall, 22 Darren Cave, 23 Rory Scholes.

Referee: Nigel Owens (Wales)

Assistant referees: Claudio Blessano (Italy), Andrea Spadoni (Italy)

TMO: Carlo Damasco (Italy)

Connacht v Munster

(Sportsground, Kick-off: 19.15 GMT)

Connacht's six match winning run ended in Ulster on April 1. Connacht's only defeat at the SportsgRound in their nine encounters this season was 3-10 to Ulster on December 26. Munster's last four matches have all been won by the home side on the day whilst the Munstermen's only victories outside of Ireland since November, have all been on trips to Italy.

Connacht have won two of their last three fixtures with Munster but have never achieved a season's double over their southern neighbours.

Teams:

Connacht: 15 Robbie Henshaw, 14 Niyi Adeolokun, 13 Bundee Aki, 12 Peter Robb, 11 Matt Healy, 10 Shane O'Leary, 9 Kieran Marmion, 8 John Muldoon (captain), 7 Eoin McKeon, 6 Sean O'Brien, 5 Aly Muldowney, 4 Ultan Dillane, 3 Finlay Bealham, 2 Tom McCartney, 1 Denis Buckley.

Replacements: 16 Jason Harris-Wright, 17 Ronan Loughney, 18 JP Cooney, 19 Andrew Browne, 20 James Connolly, 21 John Cooney, 22 Jack Carty, 23 Fionn Carr.

Munster: 15 Simon Zebo, 14 Darren Sweetnam, 13 Francis Saili, 12 Rory Scannell, 11 Keith Earls, 10 Johnny Holland, 9 Conor Murray, 8 Jack O'Donoghue, 7 Tommy O'Donnell, 6 CJ Stander (captain), 5 Billy Holland, 4 Donnacha Ryan, 3 Stephen Archer, 2 Mike Sherry, 1 James Cronin.

Replacements: 16 Niall Scannell, 17 Dave Kilcoyne, 18 John Ryan, 19 Robin Copeland, 20 Jordan Coghlan, 21 Tomás O'Leary, 22 Ian Keatley, 23 Andrew Conway.

Referee: Ben Whitehouse (Wales)

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

TMO: Brian MacNeice (Ireland)

Sunday, April 17

Cardiff Blues v Newport Dragons

(Cardiff Arms Park, Kick-off: 14.30 GMT)

Cardiff Blues have won their last three matches since tripping up at Glasgow on March 6. The Blues' only home defeat in any tournament since November was by a single point to Leinster on February 20.

Newport Dragons have lost their last seven matches since beating Leinster at Rodney Parade on January 29. Dragons have not won away from home in the competition since a trip to Treviso in March

2015.

Cardiff Blues beat Dragons 21-20 in Round 10 and have not achieved a season's double over their closest neighbours since 2012/13. Dragons won 23-17 on their most recent visit to Cardiff Arms Park on Boxing Day 2014.

Teams:

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 Turnbull, 7 Sam Warburton, 6 Ellis Jenkins, 5 James Down, 4 Jarrad Hoeata, 3 Taufa'ao Filise, 2 Kristian Dacey, 1 Gethin Jenkins (captain).

Replacements: 16 Matthew Rees, 17 Brad Thyer, 18 Dillon Lewis, 19 Manoa Vosawai, 20 Josh Navidi, 21 Tomos Williams, 22 Harri Millard, 23 Aled Summerhill.

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

Replacements: 16 Rhys Buckley, 17 Boris Stankovich, 18 Lloyd Fairbrother, 19 Matthew Screech, 20 Ed Jackson, 21 Charlie Davies, 22 Angus O'Brien, 23 Geraint Jones.

Referee: Peter Fitzgibbon (Ireland)

Assistant referees: Leighton Hodges (Wales), Gwyn Morris (Wales)

TMO: Gareth Simmonds (Wales)

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