Munster, Leinster and Ulster returned to Pro 12 action with victories while Connacht suffered their second defeat of the season. Anthony Foley’s side moved into the top four with a last gasp win over Cardiff Blues. Ulster had a comfortable win against Newport / Gwent Dragons. Leinster notched up a bonus point victory against Edinburgh, and Connacht were comfortable beaten by top-of-the-table Ospreys.
Irish Provinces Review after Week Seven of Guinness Pro 12
Munster:
Paddy Butler was Munster’s hero as his 77th minute try snatched victory from the jaws of defeat against Cardiff Blues. It was a cruel blow to the Blues as they dominated the majority of play but Munster’s never-say-die attitude kept them in the game.
Munster, missing 11 players due to call ups to the Irish squad, had JJ Hanrahan to thank for the bulk of their scores. He put in a flawless kicking display, scoring seven from seven for 21 points.
Gerhard Van Den Heever, Rory Scannell on debut and Andrew Smith also impressed in the Munster line up. Rodney Parade on November 21st is the next port of call for Munster when they take on Newport / Gwent Dragons in a game they should win.
Leinster:
Luke Fitzgerald came back into the Leinster team in scintillating form as they beat Edinburgh 33-8. Two tries from Dominic Ryan and one each for Jack Conan, Ben Marshall and Mick McGrath secured Leinster’s bonus point win against a poor Edinburgh side at the RDS.
Leinster coach Matt O’Connor will be a lot happier with this performance but the broken arm suffered by debutant Ben Te’o put a dampener on their emphatic victory. Outside of Fitzgerald’s display the home side had impressive performances from Jack Conan, Jimmy Gopperth and Zane Kirchner.
With the Pro 12 now taking a break, next up for Leinster is a trip to bottom-of-the-table Treviso on Sunday November 23rd. The boys in blue will expect another bonus point victory at the Stadio Monigo.
Ulster:
Ulster got back to winning ways with a comfortable win in desperate conditions last Saturday. They beat the Newport / Gwent Dragons 23-6 at the Kingspan Stadium. Stuart Olding stole the show at fullback scoring two tries, with Declan Fitzpatrick adding a third late on.
The atrocious weather made sure that the game wasn’t much of a spectacle but Ulster will be happy to get back to winning ways after their two defeats in their opening Champions Cup fixtures. They did not earn an expected bonus point but this was mainly down to the horrendous conditions.
The Pro 12 leaders Ospreys visit Belfast on Friday November 21st in Ulster’s next game. This could be a defining match for Neil Doak’s side in the context of the Pro 12 season. A win could see them replace the Ospreys at the top of the league if results go their way.
Connacht
Connacht suffered a 15 point defeat to the Ospreys at the Liberty Stadium last Friday night. They couldn’t take advantage of their Welsh opponents who were missing the majority of their International players.
Eoin McKeon scored a late consolation try but it was in vain for Pat Lam’s side who had New Zealander Bundee Aki making his debut. It was an error-strewn 80 minutes for Connacht who now lie in 6th place in the table.
After the break, Connacht welcome Zebre to the Sportsground. This is a game that Connacht badly need to win to keep momentum going after a promising start to the season. An improving Zebre team will be a tough nut to crack, but the home side should get the win.
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