After back-to-back rounds of the Champions Cup and Challenge Cup, domestic action returns this weekend with 14 matches taking place across TOP14 and PRO14 competitions.
Here, we pick out our three matches to keep an eye on.
BENETTON V LEINSTER (Saturday, 18:00)
Leinster will be looking to bounce back this weekend as the focus switches to domestic action.
The Blues were beaten by Toulouse in the Champions Cup on Sunday, recording their first defeat in Europe in 11 games.
But the Dublin side – who currently top Conference A with five wins from six – will seek to pick up the pieces when they take on Benetton in Treviso.
Kieran Crowley’s side are in fine fettle this season with three wins from six and won’t fear the defending champions, whom they beat 17-15 in Dublin in April.
The Italian side have stepped up over the last two seasons and have earned respect from their rivals due to their improvements in skillset and ability to play a more attractive brand of rugby.
For Leinster boss Leo Cullen, a number of high profile names will be rested for the trip to Italy, but Irish stars Rob Kearney and Dan Leavy are available for selection after recovering from respective injuries.
CLERMONT V CASTRES (Saturday, 16:45)
Clermont are slowly looking back to their best after a disastrous 2017-18 campaign which saw them finish ninth – and relegated to Challenge Cup action for the new season.
Les Jaunards though are starting to show flashes of class again and will be bidding for their sixth win of the season when they welcome defending champions Castres to the Parc des Sports Marcel Michelin.
The visitors will be in confident mood after beating Exeter in a Champions Cup thriller last weekend. Christophe Urios’s side are a settled group, capable of dominating up front, but it remains to be seen whether they bring their A-game for the 300km north trip to Clermont.
With Peter Betham and Greig Laidlaw in sterling form of late, Clermont will be difficult to break down, especially with serious momentum in their favour after winning both Challenge Cup games by a combined 111-point margin over the past two weeks.
MUNSTER V GLASGOW (Saturday, 20:15)
Munster and Glasgow will be looking to transfer their promising European form back on to the PRO14 stage when they meet at Thomond Park on Saturday.
The Red Army were 36-22 winners over Gloucester last weekend, while an Adam Hastings-inspired Glasgow overcame Cardiff Blues at Arms Park.
Rhys Marshall, Dan Goggin and Tommy O’Donnell are all doubtful for the home side after picking up injuries against Gloucester. But the positive news from the Limerick camp is that Keith Earls is available for selection after recovering from a knee injury.
Glasgow though will be brimming with confidence. The Sottish side currently sit top of Conference A with five wins from six and boast the best attacking record in the competition this season.
In fly-half Hastings, they have one of the most in-form players in the PRO14. The 22-year-old has beaten 25 defenders in the first six league games and was a menace in the Champions Cup in recent weeks. However, he’ll face a stiff test against Munster’s talismanic No10 Joey Carbery, who has been equally inspirational since joining from Leinster.
