Magners League: Round 2 Preview

After an impressive opening weekend that saw all home victories – only the second time six out of six games have ended in home wins, with an average of 53.3 points scored per game, the best average since the 2006/07 season – round 2 of the Magners League kicks off with two games on Friday night.

In Scotland, Edinburgh play host to Munster at Murrayfield where the visitors’ record is an impressive won five, lost one. Also on Friday night, reigning champions, the Ospreys, welcome newcomers Benetton Treviso to the Liberty Stadium.

Not only did Treviso make history when they took to the pitch last week as the first Italian team to compete in the Magners League, but their entertaining 34-28 win over Scarlets also put them fourth in the table.

Round 2 continues on Saturday with Connacht, who top the table after a full round of games for the first time ever, the visitors to Parc y Scarlets. Connacht have not won in Llanelli since October 2004, while the Scarlets will be hoping to put that opening loss to Treviso behind them.

Elsewhere on Saturday, last season’s beaten grand finalists, Leinster, host the Cardiff Blues at the RDS, and Ulster make the trip to Italy to face newcomers Aironi Rugby at Stadio Zaffanella in Viadana, which becomes the 34th different venue to stage a Magners League game.

The grand final apart, Leinster have won their last 15 Magners League regular season matches at the RDS, and are now looking for the first victory in their 2010/11 campaign.

The round wraps up with Glasgow Warriors’ trip to the Newport Gwent Dragons on Sunday afternoon. Glasgow are hoping to build on their opening day victory over Leinster and continue the form in which they finished the regular season last term.

Congratulations, meanwhile, to Steve Jones (Newport Gwent Dragons), Phil Godman (Edinburgh) and Paul Warwick (Munster) who made their 100th Magners League appearances last weekend.

MAGNERS LEAGUE – ROUND 2 FIXTURES:

Friday, September 10 –

Edinburgh v MUNSTER, Murrayfield, 7.05pm (live TG4/BBC ALBA)

Ospreys v Benetton Treviso, Liberty Stadium, 7.05pm (live BBC 2 Wales)

Saturday, September 11 –

Scarlets v CONNACHT, Parc y Scarlets, 3pm

LEINSTER v Cardiff Blues, the RDS, 6.30pm (live RTE 2/S4C)

Aironi Rugby v ULSTER, Stadio Zaffanella, 7.05pm local time/6.05pm Irish time (live Dahlia TV)

Sunday, September 12 –

Newport Gwent Dragons v Glasgow Warriors, Rodney Parade, 4.10pm (live S4C/BBC ALBA)