There are two rescheduled Guinness PRO14 games to look forward to this weekend as part of another bumper feast of rugby at both domestic and international level.
Friday night sees Benetton going for their first win of the season as they take on Connacht in Galway, while Glasgow Warriors and Dragons are also in action as they meet in Scotland.
It’s been a tough start to the season for the Italian side, while, in contrast, Connacht have won three of their five matches and can go second in the Conference B standings with a win.
Dragons are currently sixth in the Conference A table, but they have two games in hand on most of their rivals and three on leaders Ulster, with the Covid-19 pandemic impacting their campaign so far.
Friday – Connacht v Benetton
Connacht have won their last six encounters with Italian teams and they will be confident of making that a magnificent seven when Benetton come to town.
Although Munster seem to already have an unassailable lead in Conference B, second place is up for grabs and a win for the Galway men will see them leapfrog Scarlets and into the top two.
Connacht’s home form is strong, with three wins from their last four contests at the Sportsground, while they have only lost to Benetton once at home and that came all the way back in 2011.
However, it would be very unwise to count out the Italian side who, despite not winning a game this season, have shown a marked improvement week-by-week.
They have taken losing bonus points from three of their last four games but will need to be at their best to secure a first win on Irish shores since beating Leinster in 2018.
Saturday – Glasgow Warriors v Dragons
Glasgow Warriors snapped a four-game losing streak against Cardiff Blues in Round 8 and head coach Danny Wilson will hope that’s the turning point this season.
Huw Jones scored the vital try in that match and he will be keen to face Dragons and extend an impressive scoring record, which stands at three in three matches.
Dragons have beaten Warriors in just one of their last ten meetings, while the Welsh team have not won back-to-back away games since 2012.
Victory for either side could lift them as high as third in the Conference A standings, a place currently occupied by Ospreys.