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.
The tail end of the International break will be more interesting than exciting. The usual perks of added unpredictability and a good look at the fringe players is offset by the somewhat stuttering style of the rugby on show. I’m personally a fan so let’s have a look.
Edinburgh; Haven’t won in their last five Pro12 matches with the last outing a hammering at the hands of pace setters Ulster. They sit 10th in the table and don’t look like doing much. Europe hasn’t offered last year’s solace either with both matches really better consigned to history. At the risk of repeating myself Edinburgh have to do something soon to salvage their season.
Ospreys; They found their groove and they’re staying in it. A shaky start has been overcome with five victories on the trot including wins over top four rivals Scarlets, Munster and Leinster. In 5th but even on points with fourth. The form team in the tournament.
The Match; Two teams heading in completely opposite directions. Edinburgh will be hit harder by the International break due to The Ospreys depth and I can only see one result. The Welsh side will continue their charge up the table with moderate comfort.
Zebre; The Italians have played twice since the last instalment of this blog due to a fixture rearrangement. The first was a trip to Parc y Scarlets where they showed spirit and adventure before succumbing in the late stages of the match. The second was the visit of Ulster and the hosts came as close as they’ve ever come to getting a win before succumbing (inevitably maybe?) in the dying stages. 80 minutes rugby yet to be learned but there are hints that they are heading somewhere near the right direction….ish. Credit where it’s due a try BP in defeat is always appreciated.
Cardiff; Cardiff lost to Munster from a winning position last time out. It was a demoralising exclamation point to a demoralising run of matches. It leaves The Blues disappointingly off the pace in the bottom half of the table.
The Match; I’m going to do something I told myself I wouldn’t do anymore. I’m going to be a clever git. The Cardiff team seem fragmented and rudderless and it’s a perfect opportunity for the newcomers to record their maiden victory. (The third time I’ve said this if memory serves). 80 minutes is the key and if Zebre can keep it up for this long it’s theirs.
Dragons v Connacht; It’s the battle of the other teams! Dragons and Connacht are the bridesmaids of their respective unions, always looking upwards at their cousins. This fact, however, is unlikely to add spice to the occasion with intensity the keyword in these battles. Neither team loses hugely to the international sides so the sides on the pitch will be close to the norm. The Dragons lost heavily to Glasgow in their last fixture and have been generally underwhelming all season. Their low position is a fair reflection of their performances and I see more of the same. A decent Connacht team will show up here smelling blood and should have enough to bring victory back on the ferry home.
Treviso v Ulster; Is it that time yet? Is Ulster’s steamroller ready for a pit stop? Treviso aren’t exactly lighting the world on fire but they have shown in patches that they are serious men with serious intent. Both sides have been picked clean by their national teams leading up to this and it’s been Ulster, with two victories, who’ve coped better so far. Treviso went down fairly tamely to Connacht in their fixture. Ulster’s more recent fixture wasn’t the most convincing and I’m going to use this as my guide. The clever git hat is back on and I’m predicting that Treviso will be the first team to beat Ulster since the Heineken Cup final.
Glasgow v Leinster; Glasgow have been very impressive so far and are deservedly sitting comfortably in 3rd. Were ruthless when Newport came calling and have become very comfortable, very fast in Scotstoun. The visit of Leinster (albeit the diluted November version) serves up a good challenge to gauge where exactly this team are at. It will be close and whoever loses will probably get a losing BP. It will probably come down to who takes their chances. I’m going to go for Leinster but it’s a punt.
Munster v Scarlets; High flying Scarlets would have preferred to have this match when they were at full strength. Were unconvincing in victory over lowly Zebre these are another team on the rise and this would’ve been a good measure of the season’s progress. As it stands they’re travelling to a team blessed with depth and perfectly prepared for the challenge. Munster will slow burn and finish this off in the second half.
I like the possible shocks these weekends throw up. Hope I haven’t tried being too clever.
Liam Sinclair (@liam_bs) – Guesses, generalisations and clichés.
