Munster and Benetton will put their 100 per cent records on the line this week as the Guinness PRO14 Rainbow Cup prepares for an action-packed Round 3.
The Irish side and Italian challengers are the only two northern section teams with unbeaten records after two matches, opening a three-point gap on their closest rivals the Dragons.
Munster host Connacht at Thomond Park on Friday while Benetton are in derby mode again when they play at home to Zebre 24 hours later.
The competition's intensity is underlined by the fact that 10 of the 12 northern sides have won at least one game, with only Zebre and Ulster yet to get off the mark.
Friday - Munster v Connacht
The form guide points to unbeaten northern section leaders Munster making it three wins from three when Connacht arrive at Thomond Park.
They have lost just once in their last five matches on home soil - against Heineken Champions Cup opponents Toulouse - and can reflect on 32 victories from 38 PRO14 starts at Connacht's expense.
Connacht launched their Rainbow Cup campaign with an impressive 26-24 victory over Ulster but they have not won successive away games since February and gone more than three years since last beating Munster.
Connacht's only win against Munster in Limerick since 1986 was an 18-12 triumph in November 2015.
Friday - Leinster v Ulster
Ulster will have every incentive to end a three-game losing run when they tackle PRO14 champions Leinster in Dublin on Friday.
Not only were Ulster's hopes of reaching the PRO14 final thwarted by Leinster in Conference A, they now tackle Leinster striving to avoid suffering four successive defeats in all tournaments for the first time since January 2017.
Leinster bounced back to winning ways with a 50-21 success against Connacht last time out and they have won their last five encounters against Friday's opponents.
They will also be acutely aware Ulster can reflect on a solitary win - 22-18 in 2013 - from their last 18 visits to the RDS.
Saturday - Scarlets v Cardiff Blues
Welsh rivals the Scarlets and Cardiff Blues each have one win out of two from their opening Rainbow Cup fixtures.
Both teams arrive in their latest encounter on the back of victories, with Scarlets defeating the Ospreys 22-6 and Blues edging out the Dragons 17-16 last weekend.
While the Blues have won just one of their last four away fixtures, recent PRO14 form should put them in good heart for the trip to Llanelli.
Dai Young's team were victorious in both matches they played against the Scarlets in this season's PRO14, including a tense 13-10 success on their travels in January.
Saturday - Benetton v Zebre
Benetton have hit the heights during the Rainbow Cup so far, winning their first two games to be level on points with northern leaders Munster.
Victory over fellow Italian side Zebre at Stadio Monigo on Saturday would mean Treviso winning three successive matches for the first time since early 2019.
In contrast to Benetton's Rainbow Cup form, which has seen them collect nine points from a possible 10, Zebre have suffered six successive defeats since beating PRO14 opponents the Dragons.
Zebre, though, claimed an away win against Benetton in January, with the last six meetings between the teams being split at three wins each.
Saturday - Edinburgh v Glasgow
Edinburgh has a quickfire chance to turn the tables when they host Glasgow at BT Murrayfield.
Glasgow will make the short journey buoyed by a 29-19 victory over their rivals last week and they have won three out of the last four fixtures against Edinburgh.
Glasgow has a solitary Murrayfield win since December 2017 and they have only won once away in the PRO14 since November while Edinburgh will be anxious to rediscover a consistent winning formula.
Richard Cockerill's team have won one of their last five games and it is more than a year since they claimed successive victories on home soil.
Sunday - Dragons v Ospreys
The Dragons have hit form recently, winning four games since the start of March, while they currently sit just three points behind Rainbow Cup northern pace-setters Munster and Benetton.
It promises to be a tight and tense encounter at Rodney Parade this weekend, though, especially as the Ospreys will be fired up to bounce back from a 22-6 loss at Scarlets last time out.
The last seven meetings between Dragons and Ospreys have produced three wins each and one draw, which underlines how tough it is to call their encounters.
But Ospreys will head to Newport on the back of already winning there this season, courtesy of a 28-20 verdict in the PRO14.