After a dramatic first round of action across both hemispheres, this weekend serves up a bumper schedule as all 16 teams take to the field.
Benetton will be looking to follow up their shock victory over Glasgow in Round 1 of the Guinness PRO14 Rainbow Cup when they visit Zebre on Friday, before the Warriors welcome Edinburgh and Ulster head to Munster later that evening.
Ulster will be keen to bounce back from their recent defeats while Munster will hope to build on a big win over Leinster, who visit Connacht on Saturday.
The Welsh derbies round off the weekend, as the Ospreys visit Parc y Scarlets on Saturday night before the Dragons take on Cardiff Blues in the capital on Sunday.
Friday – Munster v Ulster
Ulster will still be smarting from their defeats to Connacht in the opening round of the Rainbow Cup and then Leicester in the Challenge Cup semi-finals.
The Ulstermen have not suffered three first-team losses on the bounce since 2018, but they hold a positive record over the PRO14 runners-up, having lost just two of the last seven meetings.
That said, their most recent success in Limerick was a 19-17 victory in May 2014, while Munster’s only two home defeats this season have come against PRO14 winners Leinster and Heineken Champions Cup finalists Toulouse.
Friday – Glasgow Warriors v Edinburgh
Glasgow will be aiming to build on their strong home form as they bid to swiftly recover from their defeat to Benetton a fortnight ago.
Danny Wilson’s side have lost just once at Scotstoun since early December, while Edinburgh have hit a rough patch on the road.
Since their dramatic late win at Connacht in the latter stages of the regular PRO14 season, the capital club have been beaten at Cardiff Blues, the Dragons and Racing 92.
These two sides have taken four wins apiece from their last eight meetings, but Edinburgh have won just twice in nine visits to Scotstoun.
Saturday – Connacht v Leinster
Connacht claimed a shock victory over Leinster when these sides met in Dublin in January, while their win against Ulster last time out halted a four-game losing run in all competitions.
However, the Westerners have picked up only one win in Galway since early December and have not beaten Leinster twice in the same season since the 2015-16 campaign.
Leo Cullen’s men were beaten by Munster in the opening round and suffered Heineken Champions Cup semi-final defeat to La Rochelle at the weekend. They have not lost three successive first-team matches since 2015.
Leinster have won their last five away games played against fellow Irish provinces.
Saturday – Scarlets v Ospreys
The Ospreys have waited a long time to collect a victory at rivals the Scarlets, having not won in Llanelli since they were 27-26 victors on Boxing Day 2015.
They were edged out 16-14 on their last visit in December – a match for which the Ospreys were actually classed as the home side while work was carried out on the Liberty Stadium playing surface.
The Scarlets, who have won just one of their last four matches, are on a three-match losing run against their fellow Welsh regions, while the Ospreys have won three of their last four such fixtures.
Sunday – Cardiff Blues v Dragons
The Dragons have been in encouraging form of late, having won three of their last four matches and thumped the Scarlets 52-32 in their Rainbow Cup opener.
But they head to the capital having lost their last 10 meetings with the Blues, although they have been generally tight affairs, with only one of the last five producing a winning margin greater than five points.
The Dragons, who last triumphed at the Arms Park on Boxing Day 2014, have won their last two matches against Welsh opposition and have not won three such fixtures in row since 2011.