Week 13 of Guinness Pro 12 took place last weekend and three out of the four Irish Provinces tasted success. Munster had a convincing win over Zebre in Italy. Leinster travelled to Wales and beat the Cardiff Blues. Ulster withstood a storming Treviso comeback to get a four point win at the Stadio Monigo. Connacht lost out to Edinburgh by three points on Friday Night. The Pro 12 now takes a break until February 13th.
Connacht
Connacht could not follow up their sensational win over Munster with another victory over Edinburgh last weekend. The weather conditions at the Sportsground were even worse than they were for Munster’s visit as both Connacht and their Scottish visitors struggled to adapt.
It was Edinburgh scrum half Sam Hidalgo Clyne’s brilliant kicking form in the inclement weather that earned the win for Scottish side. Dave Denton scored a first half try that Clyne converted but Connacht hit back with two penalties from out half Miah Nikora as well as a penalty try. With the gale force wind at their backs, Connacht led by six points at half time.
It was Clyne who stole the show in the second half with a 100% kicking display, landing three penalties, including a massive one from 50 metres. Connacht could not hold onto their unbeaten home record and remain in 6th place in the Pro 12 table.
This weekend sees Connacht return to European Challenge Cup action with a massive game against Exeter Chiefs at the Sportsground. Whoever wins this one will be favourites to progress to the knockout stages of the competition.
Munster:
Munster got back to winning ways at the weekend with an easy win in Italy against bottom of the table Zebre. First half tries from Felix Jones, CJ Stander and Connor Murray as well as Simon Zebo’s second half effort secured the bonus point for Anthony Foley’s team.
The win secures Munster’s third place position in the Pro 12 table. One bit of major news for Munster from this game was the return of Keith Earls. The Centre/Wing/Full Back had not played since last May and his comeback is a massive boost for Munster ahead of this weekend’s do or die Champions Cup game against Saracens.
Munster travel to Allianz Park as underdogs in this game and have some selection headaches. Scrum half Conor Murray is a major doubt for the game following a neck injury picked up against Zebre. Keith Earls comes into contention but a game of this magnitude may have come a bit early. James Cronin also made his comeback in the Zebre win and is expected to start at loose head prop. It is also a 50/50 call between JJ Hanrahan and Denis Hurley at inside centre. This should be a cracker of a game.
Leinster
Leinster’s season is starting to gather pace as two Pro 12 wins on the bounce consolidate third place in the Pro 12 table. The win against Cardiff Blues is ideal preparation for this weekend’s clash against French opposition Castres.
A bonus point win didn’t look likely as Matt O’Connor’s men as they down by eight points but late tries from Jimmy Gopperth, Luke McGrath and Tadhg Furlong added to Noel Reid’s opening score, secured the maximum points. The turning point in the game occurred just before half time as Blues second row Jarred Hoeata was sent off for a high and dangerous tackle on Rob Kearney.
Leinster go into the Castres game with major doubts surrounding their captain Jamie Heaslip. He has trained this week but it is not known if he will take the field on Saturday. Jack Conan is a more than able deputy for Heaslip but Leinster should win comfortably against a Castres side team that have endured a woeful season up to now.
Ulster
Ulster nearly managed to blow a 24 point lead against Treviso last Sunday in the weekend’s final Pro 12 match. Neil Doak’s side racked up the 24 points in under half an hour with tries from Paddy Jackson, Ruan Pienaar and Tommy Bowe. Jackson also landed a penalty early on in the game.
It looked at this stage that Ulster would go on to earn a massive win against their hosts but Treviso fought back and could have won the game but Michele Campagnaro knocked on with the try line at his mercy.
Ulster are in the midst of a curious season. Many tipped them for honours before the season started but things have stalled. David Humphreys’ departure was deeply unsettling and head coach Mark Anscombe’s exit soon followed to nobody’s surprise.
Neil Doak, Jonny Bell and Allan Clarke are holding things together but only just. Les Kiss’s tenure as Ulster’s Director of Rugby begins after this year’s World Cup and they need someone of his stature to shake things up. Ulster face a daunting trip to Toulon this weekend in their Champions Cup game.
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