It was another unbeaten weekend in the Guinness Pro 12 for the Irish Provinces. Munster climbed to the top of the league with a bonus point win over Glasgow Warriors. Ulster had five points to spare against the Scarlets. Connacht hammered Treviso 53-5 while Leinster only managed a draw with the Ospreys. Here is my review of the Irish Provinces after Week 16 of the Guinness Pro 12.
Munster:
Anthony Foley’s team marched to the top of the Pro 12 table thanks to a bonus point win over Glasgow Warriors. Tries from Jack O’Donoghue, Eusebio Guinazu, Keith Earls and CJ Stander secured the win for the Red Army.
Munster played their best rugby of the season in this game with Keith Earls again in sparkling form. Earls and Denis Hurley are forming an extremely effective centre partnership but it is Earls who is returning to his best after injury. His exquisite flick to collect Ian Keatley’s grubber kick for his own try was the highlight of the game.
If Earls’ form continues it will not be long until he returns to the Irish set up. Munster visit the Ospreys this weekend hoping to keep on to 1st place in the league. They do not have the greatest of records at the Liberty Stadium but should keep up their good form with a tight win.
Ulster:
Ulster kept up their recent good form with a five point win over in form Scarlets. They have now won their last four in a row in the Pro 12. Tries from Craig Gilroy, Luke Marshall and Ruan Pienaar saw off a strong challenge from the Welsh outfit.
Neil Doak’s team will be disappointed to not have secured a try bonus point but he will be heartened by strong performances from Rob Herring, Ruan Pienaar and Ian Humphreys on his 100th Ulster cap.
Next up for Ulster is another game against Welsh opposition with a trip to Newport Gwent Dragons on Sunday afternoon. It is a game Ulster will expect to get full points from but the Dragons are always a tricky proposition at Rodney Parade. In saying that, given recent form it is hard not to see Ulster winning this game comfortably.
Connacht:
Connacht notched up seven tries in an annihilation of lowly Italian outfit Treviso. Six tries in the second half did all the damage with tries from Jake Heenan, Matt Healy (2) Denis Buckley, Aly Muldowney and Danie Poolman adding to Tiernan O’Halloran’s first half effort.
Craig Ronaldson also put in a near perfect display with the boot kicking eight successful kicks from nine attempts. This win puts Connacht six points clear of the Scarlets in the race for the much coveted sixth place in the table.
Connacht also take on Welsh opposition this weekend with a trip to Cardiff to take on the Blues. Although the Blues are improving, Connacht will fancy that they can get a result from the Arms Park. It could prove a tricky task but a losing bonus point is the minimum they can hope for.
Leinster:
Leinster managed a draw against the Ospreys thanks to three Jimmy Gopperth penalties. Matt O’Connor’s side managed to hold on to their fourth place in the table but are struggling badly without their Irish contingent.
This was a poor game from start to finish with the only real positive for Leinster was the return of back row forward Rhys Ruddock. He has been badly missed by his team and should be a strong presence for the rest of the season.
On the back of the Ospreys game centre Ben Te’o has been cited for allegedly striking an opponent with a forearm. Leinster face a tough trip to Wales to play the Scarlets this weekend. They could have some of their Irish players available for this game and if this is the case, Leinster could come away from Parc Y Scarlets with a positive result.
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