Neil Best previews the Guinness Pro14 playoffs

There is no point in winning contests if you can’t leave scars in the minds of the opposition teams.

There has been plenty of debate around the Guinness Pro14 Conference and playoff format, but this weekend has served up two cracking matches -with Munster hosting Edinburgh followed a few hours later by the Cheetahs and Scarlets. Both matches could genuinely go either way -and the away teams will hope results earlier in the season will play on the minds of their opponents.

Munster might be strong favourites but a Richard Cockerill team won’t yield easily – and to fold is no longer Edinburgh’s DNA. In mid-March Edinburgh narrowly beat Munster at Murrayfield as part of a five-match winning streak which saw them beat all four Irish provinces. Munster have lost one more game in the Pro14 this year than the Scots but picked up many more bonus points along the way. And that in the end, may prove the difference between the teams on Saturday. Edinburgh are comparatively as difficult as Munster to put away but they don’t find it just so easy to put points on the board themselves. With a little hesitation, my prediction is narrow win for Munster with their forwards doing most of the work.

The second playoff will be a contrasting affair when the Scarlets host the free-scoring Cheetahs. Expect tries on both sides and some really great open rugby. The Cheetahs are only fractionally behind Glasgow as the second highest scorers across both Conferences but scoring hasn’t translated so freely into wins and they have fewer than any other team who made the playoffs -although one of those wins was over Scarlets in December. Scarlets will want to get control and dictate the shape and pace of the game from early on because if they don’t and the Cheetahs get a sniff, they will prove difficult to contain. Expect Tadgh Beirne -the turnover king of this seasons Pro14 -to feature strongly again as Scarlets seek to dominate possession.

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Beirne has been magnificent all year and will expect to feature prominently for Ireland in Australia this summer now Iain Henderson is out injured.

If the playoffs go with the home sides both will be away in the semi-finals two weeks later. Munster at Leinster and Scarlets at Glasgow. The point of advantage will be handed over by both teams.

On a personal note, Andrew Trimble’s announcement that he won’t be around for next season really is the end of an era for an Ulster legend who’s been thirteen years at the club. We shared time at Ulster -winning the Celtic League together in 2006 -an early incarnation of the Pro14. And he ranks right up there in terms of professionalism and attitude. Trimby fought off some great competition to earn those 70 Irish caps and should reflect on his career with great pride that he gave it absolutely everything. I wish him the absolute best for his next chapter.

Every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end