We’re not happy here at HoR covering just the Irish provinces in the RaboPro12, so throughout the season Liam Sinclair will keep an eye on the rest of the league for us.
Another weekend to forget for the Non-Irish Pro12 picking up no wins between the lot of them. This means that Ospreys victory over Treviso remains the only win for the lot, a shocking played 16, won 1, lost 15. It’s an embarrassing set of circumstances. Plenty of making up to do for most teams so as we dive back into the bread and butter of the RaboDirectPRO12.
Edinburgh; Edinburgh ran rampant in the disaster stakes finishing with zero across the board. No scores, no points and the concession of two try BPs. Last year’s semi-finalists seem to have played themselves out of contention already. Couple this with their underwhelming 9th at home? Basic credibility is under threat. Time to get your shit together lads. A tough but winnable fixture against the Scarlets. It could be the turnaround or the beginning of the end.
Scarlets; Might not be as bent over from the weekend as other teams who failed to record victories. Clermont and Leinster are two of the favourites for the competition and getting anything from these matches was always going to be challenging. Despite their quality there is a feeling that they are still a tad callow for battle on two fronts. A top 4 finish at home is a realistic goal and it can be built on in the medium term. Having let their foot off the gas somewhat after a storming start they need to start putting consecutive wins together again. No time like the present, an important weekend.
The Match; A possible humdinger here. Both teams should be highly motivated and both teams are irresistible when at their swashbuckling best. It’s a tough one to call as, despite what the table may say, these teams are close in ability. A mixture of home advantage and a beefier pack should see Edinburgh through.
Treviso; Another team who wouldn’t have been burdened by expectation heading into the European fixtures. The group of death in many eyes it would’ve taken optimism bordering on the absurd to predict anything but last for the Italians. It’ll be another year of being ‘plucky’ and ‘hard-working’ for the Italians. Gave a good account of themselves in defeat though and will be happier than most……….. Maybe not happy? Content?
Warriors; Too cute for my own good predicting a win for these at the weekend. An attempt at being clever which I’m told frequently doesn’t suit me. Maybe time to listen? Seriously though, this was a big loss for Glasgow. At least one win was needed in these rounds and a grim aspect is added to forthcoming European matches. Domestically on the other hand Glasgow are on solid ground. Flying high in third, life is good. Starting with Treviso there’s a run of winnable matches coming up (Dragons, Connacht) and Glasgow will want to use these matches to cement their position.
The Match; Treviso have been in impressive form at home with 9 of their 13 points won there. It’s a not unimpressive 8 out of 18 for Glasgow on the road but I do think the Italians have the edge here. If they can keep the Glasgow backs quiet they’ll score a narrow victory.
Dragons v Ulster; The only Pro12 team mucking about in the Challenge Cup did not bring glory to the brand at all. And although the teams they faced were as tough as it gets at this level they will have been disappointed not to have got at least one victory. It’s more of the same at home for the region in 11th with only two victories under the belt from six attempts. One of those against the spare team from Italy sees the grim prophecies surrounding Newport in the build-up proving true with only the odd whimper of protest from Rodney Parade. I still think Ulster will run out of steam soon and are due a loss but it won’t be this weekend.
Munster v Zebre; Zebre didn’t just lose in Europe. They saw their best chance of victory in their maiden campaign disappear back to Galway. They are just making up the numbers in Europe and have no realistic chance of making any kind of splash. There’s very little enjoyment gained in writing about them and my feeling is that there won’t be for a good, long while. (Credit where it’s due, at least they didn’t finish on nil in either or both their matches. It can happen.) The next step in a campaign edging closer to self-parody is a trip to Munster where a loss is once again on the cards. Munster for the BP win.
Ospreys v Connacht; The standard bearers for this column in Europe. A 50% return including a winning BP has the other teams seething with envy! Unfortunately the more recent outing saw a rampant Tigers team claim the full 5 points leaving them neck and neck in the pool. A tough double header follows, definitely one to look forward to. Less glamorous fixtures to navigate first, Connacht are next. Despite the recent loss there remains a feeling that Ospreys are hitting their stride and they will be confident of overcoming Connacht. Another team who regularly have condescending and unhelpful clichés thrown at them praising hard work and bravery will have to deal with more by the end of the weekend. The Irish team won’t roll over but it’s a victory for Ospreys.
Leinster v Cardiff; I had high hopes for Cardiff at the beginning of the season but they have me on the verge of developing a complex. A lukewarm domestic start in which victories where only recorded over the supposed weaker teams and losses came in all 3 matches against teams they’d consider their peers was followed by a bizarre loss to Sale. There’s no shame in losing to the stylish Toulon team but even that match had its ‘what if’ moments. An early try and Halfpenny’s inaccuracy from the tee being the big talking points. When you’re demoralised a trip to Dublin is among the last places you want to be going. Leinster may not have set the world alight in either of their European victories but the style and ruthlessness is creeping back into their play. They will see Cardiff as ripe for the picking and I don’t think the visitors will offer much in the way of resistance.
It feels like a bit of a come down now but once the kick-offs start you’ll be right back in Pro12 bliss. Enjoy.
Liam Sinclair (@liam_bs) – Guesses, generalisations and clichés.
