Preview: Pro14, Round Eight
WELSH-SCOTTISH MATCH-UPS: The return of the Pro14 was marked by a number of eye-catching results and thrilling finishes, none
more so than Rory Scannell's match-winning penalty against Glasgow
Warriors. Elsewhere Dan Evans crossed in the final minute as the Ospreys edged Connacht while Zebre and Scarlets both overcame double-digit deficits to see off Edinburgh and the Southern Kings respectively.
In Round Eight, there is a pair of intriguing Welsh-Scottish match-ups on Friday while the five intra-conference encounters this weekend could have a huge bearing on the final Pro14 Finals Series places.
What's at Stake
On Friday the Ospreys host Glasgow Warriors at the Liberty Stadium in a game that could have huge ramifications in the race for a Final Series position. It was a tale of two finishes last weekend for the sides as the Ospreys snatched victory against Connacht in the final minute, while Glasgow was undone at the death by Munster.
The Ospreys come into the game on the back of a nine-match winning streak at home in the Championship but their last Pro14 loss at the Liberty Stadium was at the hands of the Warriors. On that occasion, the Warriors ran out 47-6 winners, their only win at the venue in the last four years.
On Saturday Benetton play host to Ulster at the Stadio Monigo in a crucial Conference B clash. Ulster will head into the game with confidence following their victory over the Dragons last weekend, while Benetton struggled for both possession and territory in
their defeat to Leinster.
Ulster has certainly had the wood over Benetton in the past, with the Italians' only victory in matches between the teams coming back in 2011. Both of last year's encounters were tight, with Ulster sneaking a 23-22 victory at home, while they held on for a 21-14 win on their last trip to the Stadio Monigo, having raced into a 21-0 lead.
The second game on Saturday sees Connacht welcome the Dragons to the Sportsground, with both teams losing on the road last weekend. Connacht have been very strong at home this season, with their only defeat coming at the hands of Leinster, while the Dragons are still searching for a first away win of the campaign in the Championship, although they were victorious on their travels in
Europe. The Dragons were 21-8 winners at Rodney Parade in the only meeting between the sides last season.
Sunday's action begins in South Africa when the Southern Kings take on Leinster at Madibaz Stadium in Port Elizabeth. The champions
bounced back from European defeat to Toulouse with victory in Treviso last week and will look to strengthen their hold at the top of Conference B.
The Kings, meanwhile, will be looking to bounce back after narrowly missing out on a second successive home win against the Scarlets last weekend. Both clashes at Madibaz Stadium so far have been high-scoring affairs with the Kings beating Glasgow Warriors before last Friday's narrow loss Wayne Pivac's side.
The action continues in Wales where the Cardiff Blues will be out for revenge against Zebre at the Cardiff Arms Park. When the two sides met earlier this season, it was the Blues who raced into a 21-0 lead only to see Zebre come from behind to win the game 26-24. Zebre has enjoyed some success against the Blues with their first-ever victory coming against the Welsh side, but they have not completed the double over the Blues since 2013/14. Two places and two points currently split the sides after seven rounds of action.
The second fixture of the weekend in South Africa sees a mouth-watering clash as Cheetahs entertain Munster in Bloemfontein in a clash between two of last year's Final Series sides. Last year Munster edged a tight game in South Africa but they face a Cheetahs team who broke their duck last week with a comfortable win over the Cardiff Blues. Munster are now third in Conference A and can consolidate their position with victory against the Cheetahs. The two teams have already met once this season, with Munster victorious 38-0 at home.
Pick of the Round
Edinburgh v Scarlets
On Friday Edinburgh welcome conference high-flyers Scarlets to Murrayfield. Games between the sides have tended to go the way of the home team over the last six matches, with the Scarlets' last win at Murrayfield coming in 2013.
Richard Cockerill's side has won six in a row at Murrayfield in all competitions, with their last loss coming to Ulster back in April. The game will also see Ben O'Keeffe become the third New Zealander to referee a game in the Championship.
We look at all the Round Eight matches!
Friday, November 2
EDINBURGH v SCARLETS
(Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh - Kick-off: 19.35; 19,35 GMT)
Ben O'Keeffe becomes only the third New Zealand referee to take charge of a Championship fixture, the others being Kelvin Deaker in November 2006 and Paul Williams last February.
Edinburgh's last ten matches in the Pro14 have all been won by the home side on the day.
The Scotsmen have won their last six matches in all tournaments at Murrayfield since losing there to Ulster in April.
Scarlets only defeat in the last rounds of the Pro14 was to Connacht in Galway on 22 September.
Scarlets only defeat in their last seven fixtures against Scottish opponents came in this equivalent fixture at Murrayfield last season.
The last six encounters between the two sides have all gone with home field advantage with Scarlets most
recent success at Murrayfield coming in September 2013.
The teams:
Edinburgh: 15 Dougie Fife, 14 Tom Brown, 13 James Johnstone, 12 Chris Dean, 11 Duhan van der Merwe, 10 Simon Hickey, 9 Henry Pyrgos (captain), 8 Bill Mata, 7 Ally Miller, 6 Luke Hamilton, 5 Callum Hunter-Hill, 4 Jamie Hodgson, 3 Murray McCallum, 2 Ross Ford, 1 Pierre Schoeman.
Replacements: 16 David Cherry, 17 Rory Sutherland, 18 Pietro Ceccarelli, 19 Callum Atkinson, 20 Lewis Wynne, 21 Nathan Fowles, 22 Jason Baggott, 23 Juan Pablo Socino.
Scarlets: 15 Johnny McNicholl, 14 Ioan Nicholas, 13 Kieron Fonotia, 12 Paul Asquith, 11 Morgan Williams, 10 Dan Jones, 9 Sam Hidalgo-Clyne, 8 Will Boyde (captain), 7 Josh Macleod, 6 Blade Thomson, 5 David Bulbring, 4 Steve Cummins, 3 Werner Kruger, 2 Ryan Elias, 1 Phil Price.
Replacements: 16 Dafydd Hughes, 17 Dylan Evans, 18 Simon Gardiner, 19 Tom Price, 20 Ed Kennedy, 21 Kieran Hardy, 22 Clayton Blommetjies, 23 Uzair Cassiem.
Referee: Ben O'Keeffe (New Zealand)
Assistant referees: Sam Grove-White, David Sutherland (both Scotland)
TMO: Neil Patterson (Scotland)
OSPREYS v GLASGOW WARRIORS
(Liberty Stadium, Swansea - Kick-off: 19.35; 19.35 GMT)
Ospreys' only defeat in their last four Pro14 matches was 17-20 at Scarlets in round 6.
Ospreys have won their last nine home games in the Championship since Glasgow beat them at Liberty Stadium almost twelve months ago.
Glasgow Warriors last four matches in the Pro14 have all been won by the home side on the day; their most recent success on the road in the Championship was against Cheetahs in Bloemfontein in Round Three.
Glasgow's only defeat in Wales on their last five trips in all competitions was at Scarlets in round 19 last season.
The Warriors achieved a season's double over Ospreys last year reversing the trend of 2016/17.
Glasgow's victory at Liberty Stadium last November was their first at the venue for four years.
The teams:
Ospreys: 15 Dan Evans, 14 Hanno Dirksen, 13 Cory Allen, 12 Tiaan Thomas-Wheeler, 11 Keelan Giles, 10 Sam Davies, 9 Tom Habberfield, 8 Rob McCusker, 7 Will Jones, 6 Olly Cracknell (captain), 5 James King, 4 Lloyd Ashley, 3 Ma’afu Fia, 2 Scott Otten, 1 Rhodri Jones.
Replacements: 16 Sam Parry, 17 Gareth Thomas, 18 Tom Botha, 19 James Ratti, 20 Guido Volpi, 21 Matthew Aubrey, 22 James Hook, 23 Tom Williams.
Glasgow Warriors: 15 Ruaridh Jackson, 14 DTH van der Merwe, 13 Nick Grigg, 12 Stafford McDowall, 11 Rory Hughes, 10 Brandon Thomson, 9 Nick Frisby, 8 Tevita Tameilau, 7 Callum Gibbins (captain), 6 Adam Ashe, 5 Scott Cummings, 4 Rob Harley, 3 D’Arcy Rae, 2 George Turner, 1 Oli Kebble.
Replacements: 16 Grant Stewart, 17 Jamie Bhatti, 18 Adam Nicol, 19 Kiran McDonald, 20 Matt Smith, 21 Bruce Flockhart, 22 Paddy Kelly, 23 Niko Matawalu.
Referee: Andrew Brace (Ireland)
Assistant referees: Kieran Barry (Ireland), Craig Evans (Wales)
TMO: Jon Mason (Wales)
Saturday, November 3
BENETTON v ULSTER
(Stadio Monigo, Treviso - Kick-off: 16.00; 14.00 UK time; 14.00 GMT)
Benetton's only victory in the last five rounds of the Pro14 was at home to Southern Kings on 6 October.
The Italian's three game-winning run at Stadio Monigo in all tournaments ended with the visit of Leinster on Saturday.
Benetton has now lost their last eight home games played against Irish provinces.
Ulster ended a three-game winless sequence in the Pro14 with their home win over Dragons on Friday.
Ulster's only away win in any competition this season was against Southern Kings in Port Elizabeth in Round Three.
The Ulstermen's only defeat in their last thirteen fixtures against Italian opponents was to Zebre in Parma in September 2017.
Ulster has met Benetton on 22 previous occasions in all tournaments with the Italian's only victory coming in Belfast in October 2011.
Teams
Benetton Rugby: 15 Jayden Hayward, 14 Ratuva Tavuyara, 13 Ignacio Brex, 12 Alberto Sgarbi, 11 Tommaso Benvenuti, 10 Tommaso Allan, 9 Dewaldt Duvenage, 8 Marco Barbini, 7 Michele Lamaro, 6 Dean Budd (Capatin), 5 Alessandro Zanni, 4 Irné Herbst, 3 Simone Ferrari, 2 Hame Faiva, 1 Derrick Appiah
Replacements: 16 Tomas Baravalle, 17 Alberto De Marchi, 18 Marco Riccioni, 19 Niccolò Cannone, 20 Giovanni Pettinelli, 21 Edoardo Gori, 22 Antonio Rizzi, 23 Angelo Esposito.
Ulster: 15 Peter Nelson, 14 Robert Baloucoune, 13 James Hume, 12 Stuart McCloskey, 11 Henry Speight, 10 Billy Burns, 9 David Shanahan, 8 Nick Timoney, 7 Sean Reidy, 6 Marcell Coetzee, 5 Kieran Treadwell, 4 Alan O'Connor, 3 Marty Moore, 2 Rob Herring, 1 Eric O'Sullivan.
Replacements: 16 John Andrew, 17 Andrew Warwick, 18 Tom O'Toole, 19 Clive Ross, 20 Greg Jones, 21 Jonny Stewart, 22 Johnny McPhillips, 23 Angus Kernohan
Referee: Mike Adamson (Scotland)
Assistant referees: Ben Blain (Scotland), Gabriel Chirnoaga (Italy)
TMO: Stefano Penne (Italy)
CONNACHT v DRAGONS
(The Sportsground, Galway - Kick-off: 17.15; 17.15 GMT)
Connacht's only defeat in the last four home games in all competitions was to Leinster in Round Five of the Pro14.
Connacht has won their last two home games against Welsh regions, beating Ospreys in February and Scarlets in September.
Dragons are without a win in the Pro14 since beating Zebre at Rodney Parade in Round Four, whilst their last four away wins since March 2015 have all come in the European Challenge Cup.
Dragons have won two of their last three fixtures against Connacht following on from a sequence of seven straight defeats to the Irishmen.
Dragons only previous victory at the Sportsground came on their first ever visit in May 2004.
Teams
Connacht: 15 Tiernan O’Halloran, 14 Cian Kelleher, 13 Kyle Godwin, 12 Tom Farrell, 11 Colm De Buitlear, 10 David Horwitz, 9 Kieran Marmion, 8 Jarrad Butler (Captain), 7 Colby Fainga’a, 6 Sean O’Brien, 5 James Cannon, 4 Ultan Dillane, 3 Conor Carey, 2 Tom McCartney, 1 Denis Buckley,
Replacements: 16 Shane Delahunt, 17 Matthew Burke, 18 Conan O’Donnell, 19 Joe Maksymiw, 20 James Connolly, 21 Caolin Blade, 22 Jack Carty, 23 Eoin Griffin.
Dragons: 15 Jordan Williams, 14 Dafydd Howells, 13 Hallam Amos, 12 Jarryd Sage, 11 Will Talbot-Davies, 10 Jason Tovey, 9 Rhodri Williams, 8 Taine Basham, 7 Nic Cudd, 6 Harrison Keddie, 7 Nic Cudd, 6 Huw Taylor, 5 Lewis Evans, 4 Joe Davies, 3 Lloyd Fairbrother, 2 Richard Hibbard (captain), 1 Brok Harris.
Replacements: 16 Rhys Lawrence, 17 Aaron Jarvis, 18 Dan SUter, 19 James Thomas, 20 Huw Taylor, 21 Tavis Knoyle, 22 Jack Dixon, 23 Adam Warren.
Referee: Quinton Immelman (South Africa)
Assistant referees: Johnny Erskine, Rob O'Sullivan (both Ireland)
TMO: Leo Colgan (Ireland)
Sunday, November 4
SOUTHERN KINGS v LEINSTER
(Madibaz Stadium, Port Elizabeth - Kick-off: 14.45; 12.45 UK time; 12.45 GMT)
Southern Kings only victory so far this season was against Glasgow Warriors at the Madibaz Stadium in Round Four.
Southern Kings' record against Irish provinces in the PRO14 is played seven, lost seven.
Leinster's only defeat in the Pro14 since April was 21-23 at Scarlets in Round Two.
Leinster have twice before visited South Africa, beating the Kings across town at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium but losing to Cheetahs up in Bloemfontein, both in September 2017.
The two sides have met twice before with Leinster victorious with maximum points on both occasions.
Teams
Southern Kings: 15 Masixole Banda, 14 Michael Makase, 13 Harlon Klaasen, 12 Tertius Kruger, 11 Yaw Penxe, 10 Martin du Toit, 9 Stefan Ungerer, 8 Ruaan Lerm, 7 Martinus Burger, 6 Stephan de Wit, 5 JC astle (captain), 4 Stephan Greeff, 3 Justin Forwood, 2 Alandre van Rooyen, 1 Schalk Ferreira
Replacements: 16 Tango Balekile, 17 Lupumlo Mguca, 18 Nicolaas Oosthuizen, 19 Andries van Schalkwyk, 20 CJ Velleman, 21 Godlen Masimla, 22 Berton Klaasen, 22 Meli Rokoua
Leinster: 15 Dave Kearney; 14 Adam Byrne, 13 Rory O’Loughlin, 12 Conor O’Brien, 11 Joe Tomane; 10 Noel Reid, 9 Jamison Gibson-Park; 8 Max Deegan, 7 Dan Leavy, 6 Josh Murphy, 5 Scott Fardy (Captain), 4 Ross Molony, 3 Michael Bent, 2 James Tracy, 1 Ed Byrne.
Replacements: 16 Bryan Byrne, 17 Peter Dooley, 18 Vakh Abdaladze, 19 Mick Kearney, 20 Caelan Doris, 21 Hugh O’Sullivan,22 Ciarán Frawley, 23 Tom Daly.
Referee: Lloyd Linton (Scotland)
Assistant referees: Ben Crouse, Paul Mente (both South Africa)
TMO: Johan Greeff (South Africa)
CARDIFF BLUES v ZEBRE
(Cardiff Arms Park - Kick-off: 14.45; 16.45 Italian time; 14.45 GMT)
Cardiff Blues defeat to Cheetahs in Bloemfontein last weekend ended a run of three straight victories in the Pro14.
The Blues only defeat in their last seven Championship matches at Cardiff Arms Park was by a single point to Leinster in Round One this season.
Zebre has won their last two matches, both at home, to Bristol in the European Challenge Cup and Edinburgh in the Pro14.
The Italians' solitary home defeat in the last seven matches in all tournaments was to Ospreys in the Pro14 in September.
The Italians have visited Wales on 23 previous occasions and won just once, at Cardiff Arms Park against The Blues in September 2013.
Zebre has already beaten Cardiff Blues this season, 26-24 in Parma and have only once before achieved a season's double over the Welsh region - in 2013/14.
Teams:
Cardiff Blues: 15 Tom Williams, 14 Aled Summerhill, 13 Garyn Smith, 12 Rey Lee-Lo, 11 Jason Harries, 10 Steve Shingler, 9 Lloyd Williams (captain), 8 Nick Williams, 7 Olly Robinson, 6 Josh Turnbull, 5 Seb Davies, 4 George Earle, 3 Scott Andrews, 2 Kirby Myhill, 1 Brad Thyer
Replacements: 16 Kristian Dacey, 17 Gethin Jenkins, 18 Keiron Assiratti, 19 James Down, 20 Samu Manoa, 21 Lewis Jones, 22 Dan Fish, 23 Harri Millard.
Zebre: 15 Giovanni D’Onofrio, 14 Gabriele Di Giulio, 13 Tommaso Boni, 12 Nicolas De Battista, 11 Paula Balekana, 10 Francois Brummer, 9 Riccardo Raffaele, 8 Antoine Koffi, 7 Apisai Tauyavuca, 6 Jacopo Bianchi, 5 Leonard Krumov, 4 David Sisi (captain), 3 Eduardo Bello, 2 Luhandre Luus, 1 Cruze Ah-Nau
Replacements: 16 Marco Manfredi, 17 Daniele Rimpelli, 18 Roberto Tenga, 19 Samuele Ortis, 20 Davide Ruggeri, 21 Maicol Azzolini, 22 Jamie Elliott, 23 Giovanbattista Venditti
Referee: George Clancy (Ireland)
Assistant referees: Stuart Gaffikin (Ireland), Mike English (Wales)
TMO: Brian MacNeice (Ireland)
CHEETAHS v MUNSTER
(Stadium, Bloemfontein - Kick-off: 16.45; 14.45 UK time; 14.45 GMT)
Cheetahs obtained their first victory of the 2018/19 campaign with their home win over Cardiff Blues last weekend.
Cheetahs have lost only two of their last nine encounters played in Bloemfontein.
The South Africans have lost just once to an Irish province at Stadium, against Munster in April.
Munster's only defeat in their last five matches in all competitions was away to Leinster in Round Six of the Pro14.
Munster have not won away from home in any tournament since they visited Bloemfontein in April.
The two sides have met on three previous occasions with the Munstermen victorious every time.
Teams
Cheetahs: 15 Rhyno Smith, 14 William Small-Smith, 13 Benhard Janse van Rensburg, 12 Nico Lee, 11 Rabz Maxwane, 10 Tian Schoeman, 9 Shaun Venter (captain), 8 Aidon Davis, 7 Junior Pokamela, 6 Gerhard Olivier, 5 JP du Preez, 4 Walt Steenkamp, 3 Aranos Coetzee, 2 Joseph Dweba, 1 Ox Nche.
Replacements: 16 Reinach Venter, 17 Charles Marais, 18 Erich de Jager, 19 Sinthu Manjezi/Justin Basson, 20 Daniel Maartens, 21 Abongile Nonkontwana , 22 Tian Meyer, 23 Louis Fouche.
Munster: 15 Mike Haley, 14 Shane Daly, 13 Sammy Arnold, 12 Tyler Bleyendaal (captain), 11 Alex Wootton, 10 Bill Johnston, 9 Alby Mathewson, 8 Arno Botha, 7 Chris Cloete, 6 Fineen Wycherley, 5 Darren O'Shea, 4 Jean Kleyn, 3 Stephen Archer, 2 Kevin O'Byrne, 1 James Cronin
Replacements: 16 Mike Sherry, 17 Jeremy Loughman, 18 John Ryan, 19 Sean O’Connor, 20 Gavin Coombes, 21 Duncan Williams, 22 Ian Keatley, 23 Rory Scannell.
Referee: Marius Mitrea (Italy)
Assistant referees: Cwengile Jadezweni, Ruhan Meiring (both South Africa)
TMO: Sean Veldsman (South Africa)
Source: @PRO14Official