And Edinburgh, who are currently sat fifth and four points behind Ulster, will be looking to close the gap even further as they host top-of-the-table Connacht on Friday night.
Round 16 saw wins for three Irish provinces - Connacht, Munster and Leinster - and the former will be hoping for more of the same after they saw second-place Leinster close the gap on them ever so slightly with a bonus point in their victory over Zebre.
And the omens all point to a good night for the GUINNESS PRO12 leaders Connacht with round 16 featuring three away victories - for Glasgow Warriors, Munster and Leinster, while top try-scorer Matt Healy has touched down five times in his last three outings.
Healy currently has nine tries to his name this term and will be hoping to go into double figures with second-placed Isa Nacewa breathing down his neck on seven.
Connacht also won on their last trip to BT Murrayfield, but Edinburgh have only lost once in front of their home fans this GUINNESS PRO12 campaign.
Elsewhere on Friday night, Ulster and Scarlets will be looking to bounce back from defeats last time out as they host Zebre and Benetton Treviso respectively.
Both Italian GUINNESS PRO12 clubs lost last time out but bottom club Treviso did close the gap on Zebre to three points as they picked up a bonus point at home to Munster.
Ulster, meanwhile, will be looking to avoid losing three consecutive GUINNESS PRO12 games for the first time since the 2011/12 campaign, while the game at Scarlets could be a close one if the form book is anything to go by, with the Welsh regions last three league matches all being decided by a solitary point.
Despite sitting second by one point, Leinster do have a game in hand and Saturday sees them host an Ospreys side that slipped from sixth to eighth following defeat at Connacht last time out.
Leinster are the only side left with a 100 per cent home record in the GUINNESS PRO12 this term, while they have lost just once in the last ten rounds of action.
Before the defeat last time out the Ospreys had gone three unbeaten, and they head to the RDS Arena hoping for a repeat of the 2012 final that saw them down Leinster.
And there is also plenty for Sam Davies to play for as heading into round 17 he sits just 15 points behind top GUINNESS PRO12 points scorer this season, Rhys Patchell of Cardiff Blues.
Later that evening Munster, who were leading the GUINNESS PRO12 table after round four, host tenth-place Newport Gwent Dragons at Thomond Park.
Munster's only victory in their last five home games in all competitions came against Stade Francais on January 16,while they have also lost their last three matches against Welsh regions.
However, the Dragons have lost their last four games and have also suffered defeats in all eight GUINNESS PRO12 clashes they have played on the road this term.
They do have two of the most accurate kickers in the GUINNESS PRO12 this term on their books though, with Dorian Jones and Angus O'Brien both having been successful with 13 of their 15 kicks at the posts for an 86.67 per cent conversion rate, the duo sat joint top with Leinster's Ian Madigan boasting the same record.
And round 17 wraps up in Scotland on Sunday when reigning champions Glasgow Warriors face a Cardiff Blues side who beat Ulster 23-13 the last time out.
Glasgow have won their last nine fixtures between the two teams - a run dating back to February 2011.
The game could also see hooker Pat MacArthur play his 100th GUINNESS PRO12 game, a milestone Donnacha Ryan will be hoping to achieve 24 hours earlier when Munster host the Dragons.
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