Six more matches take place in the Guinness PRO14 this weekend as the race to compete in the March 27 final and next season’s European competition continues.
Leinster extended their lead over nearest rivals Ulster to five points in Conference A with a 35-29 victory at Dragons last Friday.
Leo Cullen’s side are back in Dublin on Sunday when they take on fourth-placed Glasgow Warriors, whose hopes of catching the Ospreys suffered a major setback with a home defeat by Ulster.
Ulster now host third-placed Ospreys, who are eyeing a fifth successive victory, while the Dragons travel to Parma to face Zebre.
Conference B is much tighter with just 11 points separating second-placed Connacht from Cardiff Blues in fourth. Blues suffered a 32-17 defeat at Connacht last Saturday and it does not get any easier this weekend as they entertain Munster.
Connacht take on Benetton in Treviso on Friday night, while third-placed Scarlets will be hoping to avenge their 6-3 home defeat by Edinburgh on the following day.
Zebre v Dragons – Match Preview
Zebre followed back-to-back victories over fellow Italian side Benetton at the start of the year with defeats against Edinburgh and Ospreys which has left them rooted to the bottom of Conference A, albeit just two and three points adrift of Dragons and Warriors respectively.
Victory for Michael Bradley’s side means they would leapfrog Dragons, and with the Warriors travelling to Leinster on Sunday they would move up to fourth for at least 24 hours.
Although the Welshmen have won on their last two visits to Italy, they share three wins apiece in the last six encounters with Zebre.
Dragons have lost their last seven matches in all competitions although they pushed champions Leinster close last time out, so they will have hope of landing their first win since the start of December.
Location:
Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi, Parma | KO 17:15 UK | Live on Premier Sports, DAZN, eir sport
Officials:
Referee: Gianluca Gnecchi (FIR, 6th competition game) Assistant Referees: Manuel Bottino, Matteo Liperini (both FIR) TMO: Stefano Roscini (FIR)
Overall Guinness PRO14 head to head record:
Played 15, Zebre won 5, Dragons won 9 with 1 game drawn.
Did you know?
- Zebre have lost their last two Guinness PRO14 fixtures, at home to Edinburgh and away at Ospreys.
- Zebre have won only two home games since January 2020, against Ospreys in November and Benetton in January.
- Dragons are without a win in any tournament since beating Glasgow Warriors by a single point at Scotstoun on 5 December
- The Welshmen have won on their last two visits to Italy beating Zebre in Parma in October 2019 and Benetton in Treviso in November 2020.
- Dragons have lost only one of their last four encounters with Zebre: 12-39 at Rodney Parade in Round 7 of the Guinness PRO14 last season.
