A dropped bonus point against Zebre meant they didn’t claim a record 20 points from their first four games of the Guinness PRO14 season, but Leo Cullen will be more than happy with the unbeaten start his side have made. The defending champions edged a low-scoring 3-0 encounter with struggling Zebre in Round 4 to emerge as the only side left in the competition to win all their games so far. Round 5 sees them entertain a revitalised Dragons side that will be buoyed by an impressive 18-5 win over last year’s beaten finalists Glasgow Warriors last weekend, and they will be hoping to go one better by toppling the Dublin-based side. Leinster have made several changes, including a first start of the season for Conor O’Brien, while Devin Toner is named captain for only the second time on his 235th appearance. Dean Ryan has made two changes, with highly-rated academy product Connor Edwards poised to make his first senior league appearance since April 2018, while fit-again back row forward Harri Keddie also returns. Kick-off: At RDS Arena, Dublin | KO 19:35, Friday 1 November How to watch: Live on Freesports, eir Sport 1, DAZN, TG4, PRO14.tv Players to watch out for: Dave Kearney (Leinster), Ollie Griffiths (Dragons) Dave Kearney appeared to have hit the ground running with a hat-trick of tries in Leinster’s opening weekend win at Benetton, and he will be keen to add to his tally in only his second appearance since that night in Italy. With Leinster having been uncharacteristically points-shy last time out, the Ireland international will surely be among the likely candidates to get them back on track. Ollie Griffiths looked nailed on to become an established Wales international when he first broke on to the scene, but injuries since dogged his career. Now though, he is seemingly back to his best and he will be hoping to replicate his impressive display in Round 4 to help steer his side to an unlikely victory. Key stat: Dragons have won three of their last five Guinness PRO14 encounters but have not managed successive victories in the Championship since November 2016. Leinster: Jimmy O’Brien, Dave Kearney, Rory O’Loughlin, Conor O’Brien, James Lowe, Harry Byrne, Jamison Gibson-Park, Peter Dooley, Rónan Kelleher, Michael Bent, Devin Toner, Ryan Baird, Max Deegan, Scott Penny, Caelan Doris Replacements: James Tracy, Michael Milne, Jack Aungier, Ross Molony, Will Connors, Hugh O’Sullivan, Ciarán Frawley, Cian Kelleher Dragons: Jordan Williams, Owen Jenkins, Adam Warren, Connor Edwards, Ashton Hewitt, Sam Davies, Rhodri Williams, Brok Harris, Richard Hibbard, Leon Brown, Joe Davies, Matthew Screech, Harri Keddie, Ollie Griffiths, Taine Basham Replacements: Ellis Shipp, Josh Reynolds, Lloyd Fairbrother, Max Williams, Huw Taylor, Luke Baldwin, Arwel Robson, Tyler Morgan Cardiff City Stadium will play host to the 2020 Guinness PRO14 Final on June 20 as one of the most exciting days in the club rugby calendar comes to Wales! General sale tickets are available from http://bit.ly/PRO14Cardiff2020 and prices start at just £13 for concessions and £26 for adults (subject to booking fees), that’s a 15% early bird discount. Family ticket (2 adults / 2 children) prices begin at £64 and fans are encouraged to buy early to get the best value tickets.
