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.
If anyone was in the Tallaght area Saturday evening and heard a loud noise that was my ego crashing down to Earth. A chastening experience after weeks of being so successful, 2/6 is a career low for this newly humble scribe. Time to exorcise the demons by jumping straight back in.
Scarlets v Dragons
Scarlets: Followed their first defeat of the season with an unexpected loss to Treviso this weekend (pic) and it leaves Llanelli’s barn storming start edging dangerously close to derailment. Worse again was the manner of the defeat which saw them throw away a healthy 15 point halftime lead. Are there signs here that they don’t have the mental strength and hardiness to challenge consistently? Scarlets will need to come up with an answer soon because questions will only grow more urgent.
Dragons: Didn’t turn on the style as much as the margin of victory would suggest but ground out this victory by keeping the scoreboard ticking over via the boot of Tom Prydie. Impressive in its ruthlessness this should be the blueprint for future performances. With one of the weaker squads in the league it may be the only way of finishing any higher than 11th.
The Match: A tough one to call. The chinks are showing up in Scarlet’s armour and they really need to front up here or they’re in serious danger of free fall. A home match against the Dragons seems like the perfect medicine but they have a point of their own to prove after impressing at the weekend. It’s one that needs serious thought but I’m going to go for a home victory and back to business for the Scarlets.
Zebre v Ospreys
Zebre: Came tantalisingly close to a first ever victory at the weekend. Glasgow named a weakened team and the men from Parma spotted this and it brought the smell of blood to their nostrils. Came out flying in the first half but cynicism reduced them to 13 men and The Warriors were able to take full advantage and, led by the prolific DTH Van Der Merwe, took the lead before heading in for the first half. It was enough and Zebre went home with only a losing bonus point to show for their graft.
Ospreys: Controlled the match in Liberty Stadium and may even be slightly disappointed not to have crossed for a fourth try and a BP. Justin Tipuric took the game by the scruff of the neck with a real balls-out performance. Added to the incision of their backs, Fussell in particular, the Munster men were left chasing shadows, watching the game run away from them. I’ve said here already that a bad start didn’t mean that the champs had suddenly turned into a bad team and now that they’re picking up some momentum and growing in confidence no team will be relishing an encounter with them.
The Match: An easy one in my opinion. Ospreys will swagger onto the pitch and give Zebre a fierce hiding. If the Spreys were disappointed leaving a match against equals without the try bonus a repeat here will call their ruthlessness into question.
Edinburgh v Treviso
Edinburgh: The Edinburgh capitulation, for me, was the shock of the weekend. Edinburgh have quality throughout and The Dragons are a team they should be running close, if not beating, even away from home. A shaky start has left them in 7th and they would rate themselves higher than this. They need to bounce back and quickly.
Treviso: A great win for Treviso. Stadio De Monigo is building its reputation as a hard place to visit and it’s looking likely that few teams will emerge with ease from their trips here. Still second bottom though and if they’re to be looking upwards they will need to not only keep this fortress mentality but start picking up points on the road.
The Match: Edinburgh will be favourites here and if they have a game plan and stick to it they should emerge with the victory.
Cardiff v Glasgow
Cardiff: Cardiff will not want to dwell to long on this weekend’s action having suffered a mauling at the hands of a highly motivated Ulster team. Cardiff Arms is not turning out into the Mecca the Blues fans had hoped for with only one victory in three. Away form has been decent though and they are positioned nicely up the table. A team at roughly the same level are the next visitors giving an opportunity to start making things right.
Glasgow: Struggled to victory over whipping boys Zebre (pic) leaving me thinking they were going to add another to the incredible number of draws that The Warriors racked up last year. Mass changes to the team are the reason given for the under par performance but this shock to the system will not be easy to shake off. To compound things the red hot DTH Van Der Merwe was stretched out and is not expected back for a month or two.
The Match: Entry or exit from the top four at stake here. The Cardiff matches haven’t been great displays of champagne rugby and this offering doesn’t promise to buck the trend. A slugging match in the Welsh Capital with Cardiff emerging victorious, leap frogging their nearest rivals in the process.
Battle of the wounded titans at the Aviva Stadium; victory for Leinster.
The Irish cousins’ battle at Ravenhill; victory for Ulster.
Ever onwards and upwards we go. This week will be fun, just enough to whet the appetite for the following weeks Heineken Cup.
Liam Sinclair (@liam_bs) – Guesses, generalisations and clichés.
