Inter-continental club action in Rugby 5

With the end-of-year international Tests in the Northern Hemisphere now a thing of the past, this weekend’s Rugby 5 pool features some interesting inter-continental club action.

In Match 1 the Cheetahs host Connacht.

The Cheetahs overcame Benetton to record their second win of the season last weekend. They didn’t have things all their own way, however, and they’ll have to be more consistent in their execution if they are going to beat Connacht.

The visitors boast five wins out of their nine matches this season and have won two of their four away matches. They will start favourites, but don’t be surprised if the boys from the Free State keep the momentum going.

Match 2 sees Ulster take on the Cardiff Blues.

Ulster were well beaten away at the Scarlets last weekend. The defeat will sting as Ulster would have fancied their chances due to the number of players Scarlets had on international duty.

Moreover, Ulster relinquished second spot on the points table to Scarlets who are still well behind pacesetters Leinster in Conference B. That defeat makes this clash a must-win for Ulster if they are to sustain their challenge.

The Welsh side suffered a humbling 40-15 defeat away to Glasgow Warriors in their last match and Ulster should have their measure.

Saracens face Wasps in Match 3. The well-oiled Saracens machine is showing no signs of slowing down.

They are second on the Premiership points table and trail leaders Exeter Chiefs only on points difference after eight matches.

Wasps are a distant third and have lost three Premiership matches this season, while the two pace-setting teams are unbeaten. Wasps remain a wonderfully attack-minded team, but their defence is leaky and is likely to be exposed by Saracens, who should be too powerful.

Match 4 is the clash between Glasgow Warriors and Scarlets.

This should be one of the matches of the week. It pits the leaders in Conference A against the second-placed team in Conference B and both recorded resounding victories last weekend.

The Warriors, however, have been more consistent this season and have one more win than the Scarlets. More importantly, they have been more comprehensive in achieving those wins and are favourites here.

Expect a close match which could very well be won – or lost – in the final minutes. Goalkicking could be the difference between the two teams.

The pool finishes off with the match between the Southern Kings and Benetton Treviso.

The Kings slumped to another home defeat last weekend against a well-organised Connacht team.

While they remain a potent team with ball in hand, the Kings don’t have enough substance to make a mark in this competition. Despite their lowly log position, they do however possess attacking threat having surprisingly scored more tries than half their opponents in the Pro14.

Benetton come off a defeat against the Cheetahs and will be highly motivated to get a result in Port Elizabeth, but this is a golden opportunity for the Kings to record a second win of the campaign.