Magners League Round 13 Preview

…Round 13 of the Magners League takes place this weekend…

After their defeat to Leinster in front of a record crowd on the last day of 2006, Magners League leaders Ulster will be looking to start 2007 on a much better note when they travel to Glasgow Warriors in this weekend’s Round 13 fixtures.

The leaders are now only three points clear of Leinster and will need to record a fourth successive win over the Warriors on Saturday if they are to be sure of holding on to top spot. Should Glasgow continue their recent run of good form and topple Ulster then Leinster will have their eyes on the lead if they can overcome the third placed Ospreys at Donnybrook also on Saturday. Leinster have won their last 14 games at home but will face a stiff challenge from a buoyant Ospreys who won both their games over the holiday period and racked up 50 points in the victory over Llanelli Scarlets.

The round however kicks off on Friday night with two games. Wins over Leinster and Connacht have propelled Munster up the league and they will travel to Newport Gwent Dragons having now leapfrogged their hosts in the table. Despite a recent Heineken Cup win in Cardiff over the Blues, Munster have lost on their last five league trips to the Principality and the Dragons will be looking for their sixth consecutive home win.

The Scarlets title hopes were dealt a blow over the holiday period with back to back defeats and they will face Edinburgh at Murrayfield knowing they need to win if they are to stay in sight of the top of the table. However they have lost their last three matches against Edinburgh and have never won on their three previous visits to Murrayfield.

The final game of the round pits Cardiff Blues and Border Reivers at the Arms Park – where the Blues have a 100% record in the league this season. The Reivers have also lost their last seven – although they came within a few minutes of winning in their last outing , when a last gasp Warriors converted try robbed them of the points.