It was a mixed bag of results for the Irish provinces in the opening weekend of the Guinness Pro 12. Connacht were the only side to win, beating the Dragons. Ulster managed to get a thrilling draw away to the Scarlets. It was a poor opening weekend for Munster and Leinster. Munster were very poor at home to Edinburgh, while Leinster lost out to Glasgow Warriors.
Connacht:
It was all smiles for Connacht and their fans after they beat Newport/Gwent Dragons at the Sportsgrounds. They had tries from number eight Eoin McKeon and winger Danie Poolman.
McKeon’s try came from good work from Darragh Leader and new signing Niyi Adeolokun. Jack Carty was the creator in chief for Poolman’s score, lofting a high cross field kick that Poolman did well to gather and touchdown.
Pat Lam’s men now travel to Edinburgh for their second game of the season. Lam will be absolutely delighted with the start and will be hoping for a similar result in Murrayfield on Friday night. Robbie Henshaw will play his first game since returning from injury. Scrum half Kieran Marmion also makes his return.
Ulster:
Ulster’s opening game versus the Scarlets was by far and away the most entertaining of round one and the northern province will be expecting a victory in this weekend’s game at home to Zebre.
Les Kiss’ side managed to come from behind to gain a draw at Parc y Scarlets and that kind of spirit bodes well for the rest of the season, as will the outstanding performance of inside centre, Stuart Olding. The versatile back put in a truly stunning performance after 10 months out injured.
If Olding can maintain that type of form, he could well be part of Ireland’s squad going forward. One bad bit of news coming out of Ulster is the injury to Iain Henderson. He requires surgery for a hip injury and is likely to miss the Autumn Internationals.
Munster:
Munster were woeful against Edinburgh at Thomond Park last Friday night. Although they upped the intensity in the second half, it was still nowhere near good enough for a team that prides itself on its home record. The game finished with Edinburgh victorious by one point but to be honest it should have been a lot more.
The only bright sparks for Munster were Simon Zebo’s constant threat and the two tries scored by CJ Stander. The forwards didn’t get close to Edinburgh at the breakdown and were completely beaten in the majority of contests.
The form of Duncan Williams will also be a major worry for Munster. Williams has got plenty of chances at the top level but he, along with other players on show against Edinburgh, do not seem to be up to the required standard. It makes you wonder why Peter Stringer was allowed to leave so easily given his form with Bath. He gets another chance to start in the game away to Treviso on Friday night.
Leinster:
Leinster travelled to Glasgow with the home side looking to avenge the Rabo Direct Pro 12 Final defeat of last season. It looked like it was going to be a long night at half time with the Scottish team in full control leading 19-3.
If it wasn’t for two horrendous errors by the Glasgow defence, Leinster would not have had any chance in this game. Tries from Jack McGrath and Tom Denton came directly from poor Glasgow play Leinster took full advantage.
Leinster Coach Matt O’Connor has a lot to ponder going into this weekend’s home game versus the Scarlets. For the Glasgow game he had six Internationals in his forward pack and the worry is that they were completely bullied by a Glasgow eight that has nowhere near the same pedigree.
Home comfort of the RDS should give them enough to beat the Scarlets but like Munster, they have to improve significantly if they want to challenge for silverware this season.
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