Another captivating round of Guinness PRO14 rugby is done and this one may be remembered as a round of close ties – with all but one of the seven fixtures decided by less than a converted try.

Benetton Rugby continued their excellent form with a draw at Ulster and the Isuzu Southern Kings stunned Edinburgh in style – here’s our round-up of all the action.

Glasgow Warriors 9-3 Ospreys

It was truly a tale of two kickers at Scotstoun, where Ospreys’ Sam Davies struggled to take his chances before half-time, notching just one of three kicks at goal. His opposite number Brandon Thomson kicked all three of his after the break, including one from 55 metres, which proved the difference for his side. Neither kicker even had an attempt into the wind at Scotstoun, showing the profound effect the wet and windy conditions had on the game.
The first half was short on incisive attacking play but one man stood out despite Glasgow spending most of the period on the back foot. Nikola Matawalu ran for 81 metres in the opening period, more than double any other player. Despite Glasgow dominating the territory after the break, he was far more subdued after half-time where he did not make any further ground for his side.
Despite there being no tries in the game, Glasgow did enough to get the win as they leaned on their pick-and-go game, carrying at close quarters in the hope of grinding their opponent down. They would win the crucial penalties they needed to get ahead and prove victorious. Lock Tim Swinson led the way with 14, with Kevin Bryce (12) and Adam Ashe (11) not far behind.

Ulster 17-17 Benetton Rugby

Ulster sealed a dramatic draw from the clutch of defeat with a last-gasp penalty try to deny Benetton a sixth successive victory. Benetton were seconds away from sealing the win, but when Ulster managed to clinch a penalty only seconds into overtime, the Irishmen went to the corner and for the second time in the match Dan McFarland’s men managed to power over the whitewash.
Ulster opened their account inside just 48 seconds with a rapid-fire blitz up the field and Louis Ludik managed to capitalise to put the hosts into the ascendancy. But a Benetton side that had 17 players missing through injury or international duty broke back as Federico Ruzza’s try put them ahead. Rob Herring broke back to draw level after the second-half.
Benetton were just moments away from making history by sealing only a second victory against Ulster in their history after Ratuva Tavuyara’s try, but it wasn’t to be as Ulster maintained their record of only one home defeat since February 2018. With the spoils shared, Benetton look good on their promise to reach the Finals Series for a first time in the Guinness PRO14.

Cardiff Blues 8-7 Connacht Rugby

Owen Lane was the man of the match but he came very close to becoming the villain of the afternoon. With five minutes remaining the 21-year-old Welshman showed his inexperience and took the ball over his own try line to give Connacht the five-metre scrum from which they scored.
The Blues’ early disciplinary issues led to them giving away eight penalties within the first 20 minutes. Failure to learn their lesson led to both Brad Thyer and Nick Williams being sin-binned but it was Owen Lane that came to the rescue – scoring the most stunning acrobatic try while his side only had 13 men on the pitch.
The result is a huge boost to the Blues’ season as a defeat would have left them a long way behind their matchday rivals, who currently occupy fourth place in Conference A. The win however moves them to within two points and well in the hunt.

Dragons 7-8 Munster Rugby

With no less than 10 Munster players called up to the Ireland Six Nations squad Johann van Graan made 13 changes to his starting lineup from the team that beat Exeter Chiefs 9-7 in the Champions Cup last weekend.
The conditions at Rodney Parade made for extremely difficult kicking and Josh Lewis, who was named man of the match, had the chance to put Dragons ahead late on from a penalty which was caught by the wind and finished up well wide.
Munster only relinquished their spot at the top of Conference A for one night only and their third straight win in the Guinness Pro14 put them straight back above the chasing Glasgow Warriors – who are now two points behind them.

Toyota Cheetahs 61-28 Zebre Rugby

Toyota Cheetahs ran in a sterling nine tries to extend their unbeaten streak to five matches with a comfortable victory over Zebre. The hosts took the lead inside two minutes through Rabz Maxwane and they never looked back to down the Italian side with some gusto in the boiling Free State sun.
Abongile Nonkontwana sealed the bonus point for Cheetahs on the 30-minute mark, but it was Malcolm Jaer who electrified the crowd with a stunning 60-metre dash before sidestepping one defender to touch down.
Zebre cut the deficit to 12 points after a three-minute try scoring flurry, but Cheetahs rallied to score a further four tries in the last 20 minutes as Shaun Venter notched up a brace. Even a red card to Justin Basson couldn’t scupper their dominance as Zebre fell to a seventh consecutive defeat.

Isuzu Southern Kings 25-21 Edinburgh Rugby

What an incredible finish to a game of rugby! Edinburgh had looked utterly dominant for the majority of this game and led by eight points going into the final five minutes, but a serious sting in the tail was on its way. First came a score for Bader Pretorius and then, two minutes from time, came from what will be one of the tries of the season, as Meli Rokoua broke from inside his own 22, threw an outrageous diving offload and watched on as Yaw Penxe flicked on the afterburners.
This was a match that saw the Kings rely on outstanding defence for large periods to enable themselves to be in a position to win the match in the final ten minutes – a gameplan they executed properly. And the man who led that effort was flanker Martinus Burger – who made a lung-busting 24 tackles – knocking back Edinburgh attackers time after time.
The win provides an interesting new instalment in the stories of both of these sides’ seasons. It’s the Kings’ second and brings them to within two of the Dragons in Conference B, where they’ll no doubt be looking to push on from. Edinburgh, meanwhile, were in stunning form and receive a brief setback to finish the weekend third in the Conference.

Leinster 22-17 Scarlets

Like many, Leinster’s squad has been depleted slightly by the return of the Guinness Six Nations but they once again proved they have plenty of strength in depth. The forwards stood tall and fought through, while the likes of Barry Daly and James Lowe slotted back in perfectly on the wing. The Leinster juggernaut keeps rumbling on.
It has been a tough season for the Scarlets so far but there was a lot to like at the RDS Arena. Defensively, they were water-tight for much of the first half and they did not shy away, with Kieran Hardy twice making a game of it. If only they executed better at key moments then they would have secured an away win.
The fixture list gets very interesting for Scarlets, with crunch games against Munster, Benetton Rugby and Cardiff Blues on the horizon. In a tight Conference B, every point matters and for Scarlets games like these will define the season. On Friday’s evidence, they look raring to go.