Magners League: Round 5 Preview

The undoubted highlight of round 5 of the Magners League must be the clash of the champions at the RDS on Saturday night, when defending Magners League champions visit current Heineken Cup holders Leinster.

Munster achieved a Magners League double over their arch rivals last season, but Leinster defeated them on their way to lifting the Heineken Cup, so there is plenty of incentive for a victory on both sides.

The round opens on Friday night with Ulster welcoming the Scarlets to Ravenhill. Both teams are struggling to find consistency at the moment, but the Scarlets will be buoyed buy the fact they won on their last visit to Belfast.

Apart from the ‘clash of the champions’, there are two further games on Saturday – a televised double-header with Welsh language channel S4C broadcasting the Newport Gwent Dragons v Connacht game at 4.30pm, followed immediately by Cardiff Blues v Glasgow Warriors.

The Dragons have won their last four matches at Rodney Parade, but Connacht will not be overawed by this having tasted victory there themselves in the 2007/08 season.

After a great start that saw them placed second in the Magners League table, Glasgow have slipped to back-to-back defeats, both by Welsh regions, the Dragons and Ospreys.

The last seven encounters between the Blues and Warriors have been won by the home side on the day, while Glasgow’s only previous victory in the city of Cardiff was in August 2002.

The round wraps up on Sunday with the Ospreys entertaining Edinburgh to the Liberty Stadium.

Having defeated the other Scottish side, Glasgow Warriors, last weekend, the Ospreys will be looking to topple the league leaders, but Edinburgh have won on their last two visits to the ground.

The Scots will be hoping to maintain their top-of-the-table spot as the league takes a break and the focus turns to European competition.

MAGNERS LEAGUE – ROUND 5 FIXTURES:

Friday, October 2 –

ULSTER v Scarlets, Ravenhill, 7.05pm (live Setanta Sports Ireland/BBC Wales)

Saturday, October 3 –

Newport Gwent Dragons v CONNACHT, Rodney Parade, 4.30pm (live S4C)

Cardiff Blues v Glasgow Warriors, Cardiff City Stadium, 4.30pm (live S4C)

LEINSTER v MUNSTER, The RDS, 6.30pm (live Setanta Sports 1) 

Sunday, October 4 –

Ospreys v Edinburgh, Liberty Stadium, 4pm (live Setanta Sports Ireland/BBC Wales)