Fifth round provides chance to curb Irish dominance of URC

The South African teams won’t be involved in this weekend’s fifth round of the Vodacom United Rugby Championship but the coaches, players and the local supporters should be watching with interest as the Irish dominance of the competition is challenged.

At this point Ulster are the front-runners after gathering a full house of five log points from each fixture they have played, but there are two other Irish teams that are also unblemished in terms of wins - champions Leinster and Munster. Both those sides have missed out on one try scoring bonus point, so are one point adrift of Ulster.

The leaders could be under threat as they head to Galway in one of two plum games scheduled for Friday night to play Connacht. They are up against the least fashionable of the Irish provinces, but Connacht have often pulled off upsets, particularly on their home ground, which is a considered a tough place for any team to visit.

But the most interesting game should be the other Friday night clash at The Scotstoun Stadium in Glasgow, where the Warriors host Leinster. The Warriors are fourth, five points behind Ulster and four behind the other two Irish teams, but it is not just their current status as the next best team to the Irish trio that offers hope of an upset win in Friday night’s game.

That comes by way of the fact that Glasgow beat Leinster the last time they visited Glasgow, and that win wasn’t exactly a bolt out of the blue either.

WILL GLASGOW CHANGE THINGS FOR LEINSTER?

Indeed, if you consider how Leinster have dominated what was previously the PRO14 over the past few seasons, you might even consider the synthetic 4G pitch in Glasgow to be a hoodoo ground for the champions. Leinster have lost more than they have won at Scotstoun in recent years, with the record from the last 10 games at the venue across all competitions being six wins to the Warriors and four to the Irish team.

Couple that with the Warriors’ good recent run of form, with the Scots going into the game off a three-game winning streak, and this one adds up to a game that should be watched with considerable interest by those who are hoping for Leinster to slip up and be shown to be beatable.

What doesn’t weigh in the Warriors’ favour though is their recent record against Irish teams. Their win over Leinster in the Rainbow Cup in June was their only positive result in the last 11 games. They lost to Ulster in the first week of the URC and will need to play well in order to ensure they avoid making it two losses in two against teams from the hitherto dominant nation in the competition.

British and Irish Lions centre Robbie Henshaw is almost certain to be missing from the Leinster team, and Ireland’s veteran first choice flyhalf Jonny Sexton, who was crucial to the Lions’ drawn series result against the All Blacks in 2017, is doubtful because of a hip injury. However, a number of big name players are expected to be in the selection mix after having injuries assessed, and they include Harry Byrne, Dave Kearney, Rory O’Loughlin and Jimmy O’Brien.

OTHER TEAMS FOR SA TO WATCH

There are some other games that should be of interest to the South African teams, who will be viewing the battle for the top eight spot that will secure entry into the Champions Cup next year as an ancillary goal to the quest for silverware. For instance the Ospreys, who struggled last season, are mounting a challenge this time around after winning three out of four, that one defeat being to the Cell C Sharks, and will consider themselves to be in with a chance when they host Munster in the late game on Saturday.

Earlier on Saturday the Dragons visit Cardiff and as the 11th placed team currently will be desperate for the win that will lift them into the Champions Cup placings. Likewise Cardiff Blues, after winning two in four, won’t want to slip up as they are currently seventh and within the bracket for Cup qualification.

Of course it is early days, but one team that looks well out of it is Zebre, with the Italian team only having one try scoring bonus point to their credit from four games. They will be supremely motivated to beat visitors Edinburgh in the afternoon game on Saturday, while Scarlets need to pick up the pieces after shipping more than a 100 points in their last two games when they host the other Italian team, Benetton.

Weekend Vodacom United Rugby Championship Fixtures

Glasgow Warriors v Leinster (Glasgow, Friday 20.35)

Scarlets v Benetton (Llanelli, Friday 20.35)

Zebre v Edinbugh (Parma, Saturday 14.00)

Connacht v Ulster (Galway, Saturday 18.15)

Cardiff Blues v Dragons (Cardiff, Saturday 18.15)

Ospreys v Munster (Swansea, Saturday 20.35)