Ulster Rugby v Connacht

The only way to top the terrific action and surprise results from the past few weeks is to sprinkle in our first derby games of the Guinness PRO14 season which has hit a breathless pace already. Again, we’ve seen the attacking prowess of the Toyota Cheetahs stand out while the hard work from Conor O’Shea and the Italian clubs was evident in Zebre’s well-deserved win over Ulster. Michael Bradley’s team are showing that reputations don’t matter to them and they will be very confident heading to Edinburgh this week hoping to repeat their heroics from the Scottish capital last season. Naturally, the derby games in Wales and Ireland will draw a lot of attention with champions Scarlets making the short trip to face Ospreys at Liberty Stadium and Leinster entertaining Munster at Aviva Stadium – two fixtures to whet the appetite of rugby fans around the Championship. Dragons look a renewed force under Bernard Jackman who brings his team to face Cardiff Blues while Connacht must enter Kingspan Stadium to take on a wounded Ulster team. The Cheetahs finish their stretch of four home games by taking on the undefeated Glasgow Warriors in a fixture that should showcase everything that is good and exciting about our new Championship. Of course, all of this action is available for you to watch every Sunday after 5pm across our social media channels. Highlights of each game go up on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube so no matter where you like to get your video content we’ve got you covered. In every round there is so much to play for now that we have introduced a Conference system to the Championship. This ensures that every team has a greater opportunity of reaching the Guinness PRO14 Final Series with the Top 3 from each conference qualifying for the knock-out rounds. We’ve also worked closely with our unions to schedule those Derbies away from international windows, too. Like you, we want to see the best players in the best games because we are hugely proud of the 295 Internationals who played in the Championship last season, not to mention the 26 called up for the British & Irish Lions tour. Those players are certainly keeping true to that quality with our Positive Play stats – among the best in Europe – looking good again this season. Already our teams, their coaches and players are producing almost six tries a game as they continue to play ambitious and attractive rugby each week. You only have to look at our recent champions in Scarlets, Connacht, Glasgow Warriors and Leinster to see the attacking rugby it takes to win our title. Last season we saw a record for tries scored (711) while crowds were up and nowhere was that more evident than at the Final at Aviva Stadium. A new record attendance saw Scarlets’ scintillating play prove too much for Munster in a game that showcased the attacking calibre of our Championship. That’s one of the reasons that makes it so exciting to bring the first ever Guinness PRO14 Final to Dublin on May 26, 2018. Right now, we have an Early Bird offer for fans who decide to back their teams and buy tickets well in advance of the Final on www.ticketmaster.ie where prices start at €5 for children and €30 for adults. Enjoy the game. Martin Anayi Chief Executive Officer