Glasgow Warriors book finals berth as Zebre upset Connacht

Glasgow Warriors became the first team to clinch a place in this season’s Pro14 finals after they recorded a 37-23 victory over Cheetahs on Friday.

Despite the absence of a number of key players due to injuries and international commitments, the Warriors scored five tries to complete the league double over the South African franchise and, in the process, extend their huge lead at the top of Conference A.

George Horne finished off a flowing move to grab the bonus-point score for the hosts midway through the second half, while Adam Hastings kicked three conversions and two penalties.

At the opposite end of the table, Zebre recorded just their fourth win of a difficult campaign, and snapped Connacht’s three-game unbeaten run in the process, with a 19-11 triumph on the road.

The Italians had Maxime Mbanda and Rory Parata sin-binned during the closing stages but held firm with 13 men to stun their hosts.

In Conference B, Duncan Weir’s last-minute drop goal secured Edinburgh Rugby a 17-16 victory over Ulster – a result that means the victors leapfrog their opponents in the standings.

John Cooney scored all of Ulster’s points, including crossing for their only try, but they were pushed down to fourth place when Weir slotted over the winning kick in added time.

Ospreys had no such problems at home to the winless Southern Kings, however, as two second-half penalty tries helped them ease to a 26-12 victory at the Liberty Stadium.

?#ULSvEDI

??? @duncan_weir slots a last-gasp drop goal and @EdinburghRugby leapfrog @UlsterRugby into 3??rd in Conference B#GUINNESSPRO14 pic.twitter.com/Liv17EyJJS

— BKT United Rugby Championship (URC) (@URCOfficial) February 16, 2018