The 2019 Guinness PRO14 regular season concluded with an enthralling final day as the last few spots in the Final Series were decided after seven blockbuster encounters. While defending champions Leinster were already assured of a home Semi-Final as Conference B winners, there was still plenty to play for below them and in Conference A. Meanwhile, outside of the race for the end-of-season showpiece, there was also a place in the Champions Cup Play-Off match up for grabs for the two fourth-placed teams. Here’s the lowdown on the final standings as Glasgow Warriors booked themselves a home Semi-Final and Benetton created history by becoming the first Italian side to reach the Final Series. WARRIORS FINISH ON TOP Glasgow Warriors and Munster went into the final round knowing top spot in Conference A was on the line as they faced derby rivals Edinburgh and Connacht, respectively. And Dave Rennie’s men, who had a three-point advantage at the summit going into the game, secured their home Semi-Final place with a dominant 34-10 win over Edinburgh. Tries from Sam Johnson, Ali Price, Niko Matawalu and Tommy Seymour got the job done in style at Scotstoun Stadium, meaning Munster could not overhaul them at the top. Warriors will now host the winners of the Semi-Final Qualifier between Ulster (B2) and Connacht (A3) for the chance to contest the Guinness PRO14 Final in their own city. But despite Munster being unable to topple Glasgow, tries from Tadhg Beirne, Mike Haley and JJ Hanrahan saw the Irish province finish the regular season with a 27-14 win against Connacht. BENETTON CREATE HISTORY Munster will welcome Benetton Rugby to Thomond Park next weekend in their Semi-Final Qualifier after Kevin Crowley’s side made history by becoming the first Italian side to reach the Final Series. Benetton’s challenge in Conference B has been ever-present all season, but a run of three straight Guinness PRO14 games without a win piled the pressure on in the final round of games. They still knew a bonus-point win would guarantee their place in the knockout stage, though, and duly delivered as they saw off Italian rivals Zebre 25-11 at Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi. First-half tries from Luca Morisi and Toa Halafihi settled the nerves for the visitors before Sebastian Negri and Monty Ioane assured Benetton of third place. A trip to Limerick for their Semi-Final Qualifier is the reward for the Italians, with the winner facing a daunting test against the reigning champions Leinster in their own backyard. JUDGEMENT DAY DRAMA Scarlets were the only Welsh side with an outside chance of reaching the Final Series going into the final round of action – although only if Zebre did them a favour against Benetton. But in the end their fate was sealed by Dragons, who marked the end of their season with a memorable 34-32 victory on Judgement Day at the Principality Stadium. A brace from Matthew Screech proved enough to overturn a 17-6 first-half deficit, after Ioan Nicholas Johnny McNicholl and Gareth Davies dotted down for Scarlets. Thankfully for Wayne Pivac’s side, they finished the day with the consolation of a Champions Cup Play-Off after Edinburgh lost without any bonus points against Glasgow Warriors. They will now face-off against Ospreys for their place amongst Europe’s elite next season, after they edged out Cardiff Blues 26-23 in the battle to finish fourth in Conference A.
