There were buckets of tries and dollops of drama as the Guinness PRO14 exploded back into life during Round 1 – leaving us all counting down the days ahead of Friday night. The Toyota Cheetahs showed off their potential, Leinster their class and Munster their muscle in opening-day wins that already leaves things tantalisingly placed in both conferences. The World Cup has taken many of the league’s top stars away to Japan for a month or two but in their places come a talented bunch of youngsters ready to show their credentials. And that is where we start our media roundup… Watching a young out-half make his way in the game is an exciting prospect and Leinster fans can already start to dream about Harry Byrne’s potential. Byrne – younger brother of Ross – made his Leinster debut in the win at Benetton, kicking the late penalty which sealed the win and sparked Leinster’s title defence. As he told the42.ie, it was a pretty sweet moment.) 🚨 FIRST LOOK AT THE CONFERENCES 🚨After a fantastic first flurry of fixtures, here are the #GuinnessPRO14 standings 👊@CheetahsRugby and @EdinburghRugby lead the way, but which teams are the ones to watch?? 👀Stay up to speed with our app 📲 https://t.co/tnVOY7zjcY pic.twitter.com/9yBEkyJ2SB— PRO14 RUGBY (@PRO14Official) September 30, 2019 While Leinster revelled in the perfect start in Italy, over in Limerick it was a very different story for the Dragons. Dean Ryan’s side will surely thrive in this new era but Munster are hardly the team you want to start against. Experience ultimately told as the hosts eased to victory but Ryan is already seeing green shoots of optimism. After two injury-hit years, Mark Bennett underlined his undoubted ability with a hat-trick in Edinburgh’s victory against Zebre. The 26-year-old could have been part of Gregor Townsend’s World Cup squad but their loss is the Guinness PRO14’s gain and – as he told the Scotsman – he’s eager to push on. Munster wasted no time in securing cover in the forward pack, signing Australian Jed Holloway to a short-term deal. The 26-year-old is straight off to South Africa after being named in the squad to face the Southern Kings. If England are to win the World Cup, Billy Vunipola will key. The No.8 is a box-office powerhouse, capable of dominating the gainline and smashing players out of his way. So, it must be encouraging for Scotland fans to hear their former international Kelly Brown tipping two of their own to become Vunipola mk 11. Jamie Ritchie and Magnus Bradbury are in Japan currently but will be key players once back in Edinburgh blue.
