Dragons v Connacht

After two convincing defeats Dragons coach Bernard Jackman will be hoping its a case of third time lucky when Connacht arrive in Newport this weekend. Despite the nature of the defeats to Leinster and Edinburgh it is still early days for the new regime at Rodney Parade, and the hope is that the likes of Gavin Henson and Ashton Hewitt will soon flourish in attack where there have been initial signs of promise. Connacht head into their first away match of the season off the back of a convincing bonus-point victory over the Southern Kings following on from their narrow defeat to Glasgow in Round One, and will be a tough nut to crack in defence whist having plenty of dangerous runners in attack. A tight game that could swing either way. Connacht by 6

Ulster v Scarlets

A mouth-watering clash between two sides with 100% records this season. Ulster continued their winning start to the season with a hard-fought win away in Italy against Bennetton, whilst the Scarlets maintained their perfect start to the season with yet another bonus-point victory this time over Zebre. Having thrilled rugby fans everywhere with their cavalier attacking style of rugby that saw them storm to the Pro12 title last season, this Scarlets team have maintained that form in attack and look the team to beat this year. Ulster themselves have looked dangerous in attack and with players such as Charles Piutau and Leigh Halfpenny likely to be on the pitch Friday night, this could be a humdinger. Scarlets by 4

Edinburgh v Bennetton

Under the guidance of new coach Richard Cockerill, Edinburgh have enjoyed a fine start to the season with two wins from two, including a convincing 38-18 win over the Dragons last time out. Having struggled over the last few years, the arrival of former Leicester coach Cockerill has added some much-needed steel in defence to go with the Scottish side’s substance in attack. Just one try conceded in their opening two games is an impressive statistic that they will hope to improve upon with the visit of Bennetton to Myreside this weekend. The Italian side recovered from a heavy defeat at Munster to put in a much-improved effort against Ulster last weekend but came up short once again despite scoring two tries, and will need to shore up their defence if they are to leave the Scottish capital with more points on the board. Edinburgh by 16

Southern Kings v Leinster

History will be made in South Africa this weekend, as Leinster become the first Pro14 side to visit the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium. It has been a tough start to life in Northern Hemisphere rugby for the Kings with two heavy defeats away from home leaving them without a point going into round three. In contrast their opponents Leinster could not have had a better start with two bonus-point wins seeing them lead the standings in Conference B alongside the Scarlets with ten points. On paper this looks like another easy win for the visitors but factors such as playing at altitude could make this a challenging trip for Leo Cullen’s side. Expect the home side to put up more of a fight than in previous games, but class to tell in the end. Leinster by 12

Ospreys v Munster

Another big game as the Liberty Stadium hosts a repeat of last season’s Pro12 semi-final. Ospreys will be hoping for a different outcome than the 22-3 semi-final defeat suffered at Thomond Park back in May, but with Munster racking up two bonus-point wins they could be in for a tough match. Unconvincing in victory over Zebre in round one, a 31-10 defeat in Glasgow has left many Ospreys supporters depressed at their sluggish start to the campaign, although a home game against Munster should fire up the players to put in a big display in front of their fans. Munster may have maximum points from their two games but those victories came at home to limited opposition, the challenge of facing the Ospreys in Swansea represents a big step up in class. Ospreys by 4

Cheetahs v Zebre

Two sides without a point to show from their opening two games, something will have to give in Bloemfontein. Still settling in to a new league, the Cheetahs have two defeats but have shown slightly more ability than their South African rivals the Kings. With a number of players missing on international duty with the national side, the Cheetahs are not yet up to full speed but should have enough to see off the plucky Italians. Cheetahs by 10

Cardiff Blues v Glasgow

A disappointing opening day defeat to Edinburgh was followed up by a chastening defeat to Leinster last weekend, and things don’t get any easier for Danny Wilson’s Blues side with the visit of Dave Rennie’s Glasgow in round three. New Zealander Rennie will be hoping his side can maintain their 100% record this season having seen of Connacht and Ospreys in the opening rounds, and facing a side low on confidence there is a good chance the Warriors will return to Scotland with the points in the bag. The hosts will struggle to play as badly as they have in the opening two games and in front of their home support an improvement in performance is likely, although it still might not be enough. Glasgow by 9

By Jon Davies