Glasgow Warriors and Ulster are now the only remaining unbeaten sides in the competition, while arguably the most impressive performance was Zebre coming from 21-0 down to beat Cardiff Blues in dramatic fashion in Parma. Round 4 will see the unbeaten pair of Glasgow and Ulster away in South Africa, while Munster travel to Cardiff Blues in a potentially exciting game on Friday night.
What’s at Stake
The action begins on Friday evening in Bloemfontein when Ulster travel to take on the Toyota Cheetahs at Toyota Stadium (live on Premier Sports 2, 18:15, & SuperSport 1, 19:15). Following last week’s victory over the Isuzu Southern Kings, Ulster are now three from three in the competition and looking good under new director of rugby Dan McFarland. John Cooney was the star of their first two victories before a more comfortable win in Port Elizabeth and they will be keen to finish their South African trip on a high in Bloemfontein. The Cheetahs come into the game off the back of a high-scoring loss to Glasgow Warriors. While they started very well, the five second-half tries conceded will be a concern and something Franco Smith’s team cannot afford a repeat against the team they faced in their very first match in the Guinness PRO14.
The second match on Friday sees the Cardiff Blues host Munster at Cardiff Arms Park (live on Premier Sports 1, eir sport 2 & TG4, 19:35). The Blues are still searching for a first win of the season but they will wonder how they have not yet managed it, with a points difference of just -5 across those three losses. The last one will have hurt the most, letting a 21-0 lead slip to Zebre and they will be keen to put things right at home to Munster. While Munster have won on four of their last six visits to the Arms Park, they were beaten there last season, with the teams splitting their fixtures in Conference A.
On Saturday a new stadium will be used in Port Elizabeth when the Isuzu Southern Kings play host to Glasgow Warriors in Nelson Mandela University Stadium (live on Free Sports, eir sport 1, 14:00, & SuperSport 1, 15:00). The Kings are yet to be pick up a win this season, losing their first home encounter of the season last time out against Ulster. The Warriors, meanwhile, are three from three, including wins on the road against Connacht and the Cheetahs as they start the season on a winning run for the second straight year. The Warriors won the only previous meeting of the sides last October in Scotstoun.
Connacht entertain the Scarlets at the Sportsground (live on TG4 & Premier Sports 1, 17:15) looking to get back to winning ways. Andy Friend’s side had to settle for a losing bonus point away in Edinburgh last week, while the Scarlets won a thriller against Benetton. Wayne Pivac’s team have now won two straight games at home, but they were beaten on the road at Ulster on the opening weekend. Connacht, meanwhile, will be looking to end a run of three straight losses to the West Walians since a win at the Sportsground in January 2016.
The action continues on Saturday at Rodney Parade where the Dragons play host to Zebre (live on Premier Sports 2, S4C, 17:15, & DAZN, 18:15). Zebre have won two from three to start the season but have only ever won one match in Wales, against Cardiff Blues back in 2013. They have won three of their last four games against the Dragons, with a bonus point on each occasion, but all of those have come at home. The Dragons return to Rodney Parade where they won against the Kings in Round 2.
The final match of the round sees two of the early pacesetters up against one another as Ospreys host Benetton Rugby (live on Premier Sports 1, eir sport 2, 19:35, & DAZN, 20:35). Both teams won their first two games of the campaign before losing for the first time last weekend. For the Ospreys, that was a heavy defeat in Munster, while Benetton were on the wrong end of a ten-try classic away to the Scarlets, an impressive effort considering they played more than 50 minutes with 14 men. Benetton have won their last two games against the Ospreys, but they are still searching for a first win at the Liberty Stadium, having lost 11 in a row there in all competitions. They Ospreys have won seven in a row at home at the Liberty Stadium since a defeat to Glasgow Warriors in November last year.
Did you know?
- Dragons only victory since February in the Guinness PRO14 was against Southern Kings at Rodney Parade in round 2.
- The Welshmen have not won back-to-back matches in the Championship at the venue since September 2017.
- Dragons have not beaten an Italian opponent since Benetton visited Newport in January 2017.
- Zebre’s only defeat in the last six rounds of the Guinness PRO14 was to Connacht in Galway on 8 September.
- Zebre have won their last three encounters with Welsh regions, but all were played in Italy. Zebre’s only previous victory in Wales was against Cardiff Blues at the Arms Park in September 2013.
- The last seven matches between the two sides have all been won by the home side on the day.
