Guinness Pro14 Rugby Final 2019 Odds, Preview, and Prediction

The Guinness Pro14 is a yearly rugby union competition involving professional teams from Ireland, Italy, Scotland, South Africa and Wales. It is one of the three major professional rugby leagues in Europe along with the English Premiership and the French Top 14.

This year’s edition, the  2018-19 Guinness Pro14, is the 18th season of the professional rugby union competition which was previously known as the Celtic League.14 teams competed this year including four from Ireland (Connacht, Leinster, Munster and Ulster), two from Italy ( Benetton and Zebre) two from Scotland (Edinburgh and Glasgow), two from South Africa (Cheetahs and Southern Kings) and four from Wales (Cardiff Blues, Dragons, Ospreys and Scarlets).

Leinster won the Pro14 title in 2018, their fifth in the competition. The win also made them only the second team in professional rugby union and the first from the Pro14 to win the domestic league and European Cup double. This year, Leinster aims to add to its trophy case as the current odds-on-favorite to win again.

Here are the odds to win the 2019 Guinness PRO14 Final. Odds taken from William Hill as of 5/15/19:

The penultimate weekend of the Guinness Pro14 will be this May 17-18, 2019 when the semifinals will take place. Below are the two semi-finals fixtures which will determine who will play in the 2019 Pro14 Grand Final:

May 17, 2019: GLASGOW WARRIORS (1st, Con A) v ULSTER (2nd, Con B), Scotstoun Stadium, 7.35pm

The Glasgow Warriors have not tasted victory since their first title win in 2015, where they also beat Ulster in the semi-finals. Connacht, the Scarlets and Leinster have raised the trophy since then but the Warriors are keen on getting it back this year. With Dave Rennie’s team seemingly peaking at the right time, a home final awaits them if they can beat Ulster.

The Warriors comfortably beat Ulster when these teams met in Round 19 in Scotstoun but Ulster is displaying winning form with players returning from injury and like Glasgow, they may be getting things together at the right time. This could very well be the final game of captain Rory Best in an Ulster uniform so that’s an added motivation for them.

May 18, 2019: LEINSTER (1st, Con B) v MUNSTER (2nd, Con A), the RDS, 2.30pm

Rugby betting favorite Leinster finished on top of the Pro14 Conference B with 76 points to claim home advantage for the Pro14 Final Series. On the other hand, Munster finished second in Conference A with 77 points. That set them up for a semi-final qualifier against Benetton Rugby  at Thomond Park. They beat Benetton 15-13 to set up this semifinal tie against Leinster at RDS.

This was exactly where these two sides were at this point last season. After 80 minutes of play, only one point separated them. If that epic encounter wasn’t enough, we’re getting another one on May 18th. These teams have played each other twice this season and each team has won once. Munster had a weekend off while Leinster are still licking the wounds from their Champions Cup loss to Saracens last weekend.

Who Wins?

I think Leinster and Glasgow are going to win their respective semifinal outings and they are going to fight it out in the 2019 Pro14 Grand Final.

Glasgow appears to be peaking at the right time and they have the tools to overcome Ulster in the semifinals. They were here last year and lost to the Scarlets after a three-week break from competition. Having last played on April 27, the same concern worries the Warriors but they are confident they know what not to do this time around.

Fresh from their defeat at the Champions Cup, Leinster will have flanker Josh Van der Flier will return to action beginning the semifinals. Van der Flier’s return will boost the defending champions. Leinster is the most successful team in the history of the tournament and Leo Cullen’s wards are the current champions so they’re justified to hoist the PRO14 trophy this year. To get them at -110 isn’t too bad considering how good they are playing right now. So yeah, I think Leinster does have good betting value at -110. Prediction: Leinster

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