Magners League / Cormac O'Keeffe / 06 March 2009 / Leave a comment

Cormac O'Keefe explains why the Magners League matters and picks the best bets from this weekend's fixtures...

In the middle of a grand slam bid the Magner's League may seem to have as
much relative appeal as a two-mile conditional jockey race at Towcester on Gold Cup day.

However, as well as providing a platform for Ireland's up-and-coming stars to shine, the league is an important competition in its own right and with Ireland chasing their second ever clean sweep and Munster and Leinster in the quarter finals of the Heineken Cup, an Irish side lifting the trophy again could be the icing on the cake of the perfect Irish rugby year.

Ospreys v Leinster

The standout clash of the weekend sees the second and third placed teams do battle at the Liberty Stadium. The sides are level on points and although both will be missing a number of their international players this should not reduce the intensity and quality of the game too much. Leinster are favourites for this match but I feel that they will miss their Irish internationals to a greater extent than the Ospreys who should prevail in a tight game.

Connacht v Cardiff Blues

If Connacht are to have any chance of avoiding the wooden spoon in this competition then they will have to beat fellow strugglers Cardiff on Friday evening. It should be a keenly fought game but the Welsh side should edge it despite missing a few of their big names who are involved in the six nations and will thus be rested. Connacht showed great mid-season promise but have faded away over the last few rounds of the league, only winning one of their last five games.

Dragons v Munster

Munster should cement their place at the top of the table with a victory over the Dragons. Although the Welsh side have been much improved over the last few weeks of the league, securing impressive wins against Ulster, Glasgow and the Ospreys, the reigning European champions should have too much power and pace for them. Munster are in the enviable position of having a strong pack even when the Irish internationals are missing and the fact that the backline is largely made up of New Zealanders and Irish players who are on the fringes of the Irish Six Nations squad means that the side is not significantly weakened. On a side note, Munster are still available at 2.1 to finish top of the league this year. This is a great price since their two closest rivals are playing each other this weekend and Munster have to play both at Thomond Park before the end of the year.

Ulster v Warriors

Ulster's disappointing defeat against the Dragons two weeks ago means that they are third last in the league. However, home advantage against a Warriors side that have also struggled this year should be enough to ensure a victory that would lift them up towards mid-table. Ulster only have a handful of players who play in the Six Nations and thus will have a strong squad to pick from this week.

Recommended Bets:

Ospreys
Munster
Ulster
Cardiff
Accumulator on all four of the above.
Regular Season Winner - Munster @ [2.1].