PRO14 report card: Leinster and Glasgow top of the class as Southern Kings fail

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  • Leinster saw off Glasgow on Saturday to clinch back-to-back PRO14 titles.

    Here, we grade the performances of all 14 teams in the competition this season.

    BENETTON

    2018/19 record: Won 11, Lost 8, Drew 2

    A stunning season for the Italian side with 11 victories, the same as last season, after winning just three, three and five in the 2014-15, 2015-16 and 2016-17 campaigns respectively. Kieran Crowley’s team will have earned respect from their rivals due to their improvements in skillset, game plan and ability to play a more attractive brand of rugby.

    Grade: B

    CARDIFF BLUES
    2018/19 record: Won 10, Lost 11

    A fairly balanced season for the Blues, finishing fifth in their conference – one place worse than last season. Their 10 wins is similar to their three previous campaigns with triumphs over Munster (37-13) and back-to-back comprehensive wins over the Scarlets among their key results.

    Grade: C

    CHEETAHS
    2018/19 record: Won 8, Lost 12, Drew 1

    The Bloemfontein side were a breath of fresh air in their maiden campaign, reaching the quarter-finals, but struggled this year, with just eight victories. Notable scalps over Cardiff and Benetton will add positivity in the off-season. Need to continue to build momentum and tighten their defence in the off-season – they conceded 12 more tries than 2017-18.

    Grade: D+

    CONNACHT
    2018/19 record: Won 12, Lost 9

    A blistering season for the Irish side after a subpar 2017-18 season where they won just seven times. Reached the knock-out stages of the league and qualified for next season’s Champions Cup in the process. Under new boss Andy Friend, they look a revitalised outfit and continue to play an attractive and exciting brand a rugby.

    Grade: B

    DRAGONS
    2018/19 record: Won 5, Draw 1, Lost 15

    An improvement upon their previous campaign but they still only managed to finish second from bottom in their conference above Southern Kings. With only 22 per cent win record in their last 100 fixtures, new director of rugby Dean Ryan will have his work cut out for him. The Englishman needs to inspire a team who have only won one away match since March 2015.

    Grade: D

    EDINBURGH
    2018/19 record: Won 10, Lost 11

    Won five less games than the previous season and only managed to finish fifth in their conference. Victories over Leinster and Connacht will surely have added some bite and drive into a burgeoning side who also reached the quarter-finals in the Champions Cup. Need to step up again next season. Boast the league’s best player in No8 Bill Mata.

    Grade: B-

    GLASGOW WARRIORS
    2018/19 record: Won 16, Lost 5

    The Scottish club continue to go from strength to strength and played some scintillating rugby across the season. With a 76-per cent win ratio this campaign, the Ryan Wilson-led outfit showed dominance and ruthlessness to finish top of their conference before crashing to a 18-15 defeat against Leinster in the final.

    Grade: A

    LEINSTER
    2018/19 record: Won 15, Draw 1, Lost 5

    The league champions showed plenty of quality and are now on the brink of sealing a fourth domestic title in even years. To underline their squad depth in this competition, Leo Cullen used 57 players during the 21 regular season matches. Scored 12 more tries than any other team.

    Grade: A+

    MUNSTER
    2018/19 record: Won 16, Lost 5

    A tight semi-final defeat to Leinster cannot be underestimated and for large parts of the season, Johann van Graan’s side played an attractive and efficient brand of rugby. A mix of youth and experience served them well, with star man Tadhg Beirne stepping up superbly over the course of the campaign. Boast the best defensive record in the league.

    Grade: B+

    OSPREYS
    2018/19 record: Won 12, Lost 9

    A vast improvement. They were the only Welsh team to qualify for the Champions Cup next season and finished highest out of the Welsh regions in the PRO14. With Alun Wyn-Jones and George North in superb form, confidence looks high again at Liberty Stadium.

    Grade: B-

    SCARLETS
    2018/19 record: Won 10, Lost 11

    Poor season for a team who were dominant for the two previous campaigns. They failed to qualify for the Champions Cup for the first time since 2003 and lost five more games than the 2017-18 season. Many fans blamed the early announcement of Wayne Pivac as Wales boss as the turning point of their disastrous season.

    Grade: C-

    SOUTHERN KINGS
    2018/19 record: Won 2, Draw 1 Lost 18

    Hard to draw many positives for the Port Elizabeth-based side in their second season. Wins over Glasgow and Edinburgh will represent a glimmer of postivity, but overall, they were a team lacking any creativity and consistency with ball in hand. Defensively, the gaps grew as the season progressed and they shipped a woeful 735 points.

    Grade: F

    ULSTER
    2018/19 record: Won 13, Draw 2, Lost 6

    Reached the semi-finals of the PRO14 and quarter-finals of the Champions Cup, a significant achievement with a make-shift squad. En route to booking their place in the last four of the league, they finished second in their conference behind Leinster. In Marcel Coetzee, they boast one of the most powerful and inspirational players in the British Isles.

    Grade: B+

    ZEBRE
    2018/19 record: Won 3, Lost 18

    After a strong 2017-18 campaign where they won a franchise record seven matches, the Italian side look like they have slipped back to their old ways, yielding just three victories this term. They also scored 15 less tries and conceded eight more than the previous campaign.

    Grade: F

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