Defending PRO14 champions Leinster and Scottish hopefuls Glasgow Warriors go into round five of this weekend’s Rainbow Cup clashes knowing the loser will have their title hopes squashed while the winner will have a chance to catch log leaders Benetton.
The Italian side is the surprise leaders in the tournament but are not in action this weekend as the focus shifts to Leinster and Glasgow’s hopes of making up ground on them ahead of the final round of fixtures.
A loss for either side would end their hopes of advancing to the final, and Glasgow have bounced back from their opening round mauling at the hands of Benetton, recording three consecutive wins for the first time since last February.
But to advance further the Scottish side need to beat Leinster, whose spectre over other teams at times is as difficult as playing them.
Leinster bounced back from their opening round defeat to Munster to post 71 points in wins over Connacht and Ulster and their impressive record shows they have been beaten just once away from home since April 2019.
The Dubliners have also won their last five matches against the Warriors, who have lost their previous nine to an Irish province
For this reason, they will start as favourites, but the recent form has given Glasgow hope, especially their coach Danny Wilson.
“The first thing is we’re coming into it in a bit of form and playing some decent rugby,” he said heading into the fixture. “Having three good wins under our belt, confidence is hopefully where it needs to be.
“I was wondering after coming off two derbies where you know that emotionally you’re going to be very high, whether there was going to be a drop-off playing Dragons away last weekend, but I was really pleased because that was probably the most physical performance we’ve put out. So, that shows that emotionally we were in a good place, and I think the work ethic was strong.
“It will have to be the same against Leinster. It’s a different animal playing Leinster, one of the best sides in Europe, whichever side they put out. It’s a big challenge, an exciting challenge, here on a fast track on a Friday night. I think it’s one that the boys will want to play in.”
Leinster have suffered since losing to Munster and then La Rochelle in the European Cup but they are still the formidable foe that they’ve always been.
“With these teams, the myth goes with them, and as soon as you see a fixture against Leinster your senses perk up because you know it is a very strong side with a very good record,” Wilson said.
“But, at the same time, if you look at them the tail-end of this season, they’ve had a couple of results which maybe aren’t to the standard they would want.
“Sides have beaten them, so I think they are very much beatable – whilst still respecting that they are a very strong side. We’re playing them at home which, again, is a bit different, so we’ll see.”
Connacht will want to put their poor form against Benetton last weekend behind them as they face the Ospreys, who themselves have won two of their last three games against Irish opposition.
On Saturday both Ulster and Edinburgh will be looking for redemption as they continue in the competition.
Ulster head to the Scottish capital seeking a first win in the Rainbow Cup and looking to end a wretched run of form.
The Irish province has gone five matches without a win after Scarlets were awarded the points following the cancellation of last weekend’s clash due to coronavirus cases in the camp.
Edinburgh’s record is marginally better with their sole win in their last six matches in all competitions coming against Zebre in Round 1.
In the weekend’s final game Cardiff will be looking to bounce back from their narrow defeat at the hands of Munster last weekend to continue their impressive form in the Rainbow Cup.
They have won their last eight games against the Italian opposition and Zebre shouldn’t be too much of a challenge for them on Saturday night.
Zebre and Ulster are the only two sides yet to record a victory in the Rainbow Cup, with Michael Bradley’s side having lost their last seven matches.
The Blues have lost just once in seven against Zebre, who are the only Italian side to have beaten Cardiff in their own backyard having prevailed at the Arms Park back in September 2013.
Fixtures
Friday
Connacht vs Ospreys (19.00)
Glasgow Warriors vs Leinster (21.15)
Saturday
Edinburgh vs Ulster (18.15)
Cardiff Blues vs Zebre (20.15)