Preview: Pro12, Round 15
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It was all change in the play-off zone after the weekend's fixtures with all four teams moving around in the table.
After their resounding win over Zebre, Glasgow Warriors returned to the top of the table, having not been in the lead of the Pro12 since Round Nine, whilst Munster would also currently claim a home play-off as they now sit in second place.
The biggest losers from the last round must be Ospreys, who dropped from top to third after their loss at Edinburgh, the lowest position they have been after a complete round all season, whilst Leinster and Ulster swapped places yet again, Ulster climbing back into the play-off zone at the expense of their provincial rivals.
Both provinces are in action once more on Friday, Ulster travelling to Edinburgh and Leinster hosting Zebre.
Neither game will be easy as both their opponents have plenty to play for, Zebre looking to overhaul Treviso for the Italian spot in next season's Champions Cup, whilst Edinburgh are one of three teams along with Connacht and Scarlets competing for sixth place in the table.
Ospreys are in action on Saturday in what must be the game of the round when they travel to Scotstoun to take on league leaders, Glasgow Warriors.
Already four points adrift of their opponents, another loss for Ospreys could see the Welsh region drop out of the play-off zone altogether.
In the opening game on Saturday, Scarlets and Munster go head to head in Llanelli.
Scarlets have already stated their aim of finishing in the top six so need to make their home games count, as their close rivals, Edinburgh are also at home this round.
Connacht, the other team with in the battle for European qualification, are away at Newport Gwent Dragons in the final round 15 fixture on Sunday.
We look at all the Round 15 matches!
Friday, February 20
Edinburgh v Ulster(Murrayfield, Edinburgh – Kick-off: 19.35; 19.35)
Edinburgh have lost just one of their last five Pro12 encounters: 6-16 to Glasgow at Scotstoun on December 27.
The capital side have won their last eight home games since their 20-all draw with Scarlets in Round Four.
The Scotsmen have lost their last three home games against Irish provinces since beating Leinster at Murrayfield in December 2013.
Ulster ran in six tries in defeating Benetton Treviso at Kingspan Stadium on Friday and have lost just one of their last four Pro12 matches: 11-24 to Leinster in Dublin on January 3.
Ulster’s only victory in their last eight away games in all competitions came in Treviso in the Pro12 on January 11.
Edinburgh have won only one of their last eight fixtures with Ulster in all tournaments: 14-8 at Murrayfield on March 22 2013.
Teams:
Edinburgh: 15 Jack Cuthbert, 14 Dougie Fife, 13 Sam Beard, 12 Phil Burleigh, 11 Tim Visser, 10 Tom Heathcote, 9 Grayson Hart, 8 Mike Coman, 7 Hamish Watson, 6 Roddy Grant, 5 Ben Toolis, 4 Anton Bresler, 3 WP Nel, 2 Neil Cochrane, 1 Rory Sutherland.
Replacements: 16 Stuart McInally, 17 Grant Shiells, 18 John Andress, 19 Ollie Atkins, 20 Hugh Blake, 21 A N Other, 22 Jade Te Rure, 23 Andries Strauss.
Ulster: 15 Louis Ludik, 14 Craig Gilroy, 13 Darren Cave, 12 Stuart McCloskey, 11 Michael Allen, 10 Ian Humphreys, 9 Ruan Pienaar, 8 Nick Williams, 7 Mike Comish, 6 Roger Wilson (captain), 5 Franco van der Merwe, 4 Iain Henderson, 3 Wiehahn Herbst, 2 Rob Herring, 1 Calum Black.
Replacements: 16 John Andrew, 17 Andrew Warwick, 18 Bronson Ross, 19 Lewis Stevenson, 20 Clive Ross, 21 Paul Marshall, 22 Luke Marshall, 23 Peter Nelson.
Referee: Leighton Hodges (Wales)
Assistant referees: Sam Grove-White (Scotland), Mike Adamson (Scotland)
TMO: David Changleng (Scotland)
Leinster v Zebre(RDS Arena, Dublin – Kick-off: 19.45; 19.45 GMT)
Leinster are winless in their last two matches, drawing 20-all with Wasps and tripping up at home to Dragons but have not gone three games without a victory since December 2012.
The Leinstermen have never lost successive matches at the RDS Arena.
Zebre’s solitary victory in their last nine fixtures in all competitions came at home to Brive in the European Challenge Cup in January.
Zebre’s only two away victories since they were formed in 2012 came at Cardiff in the Pro12 in September 2013 and at Brive in the Challenge Cup in October 2014.
Leinster have won all five previous encounters with Zebre outscoring the Italians by 20 tries to five, with Zebre gaining no league points and Leinster a maximum on four occasions.
Teams:
Leinster: 15 Zane Kirchner, 14 Fergus McFadden, 13 Ben Te'o, 12 Gordon D'Arcy, 11 Luke Fitzgerald, 10 Jimmy Gopperth, 9 Eoin Reddan, 8 Jack Conan, 7 Shane Jennings (captain), 6 Dominic Ryan, 5 Kane Douglas, 4 Mike McCarthy, 3 Marty Moore, 2 Aaron Dundon, 1 Michael Bent.
Replacements: 16 Sean Cronin, 17 Cian Healy, 18 Tadhg Furlong, 19 Ben Marshall, 20 Dan Leavy, 21 Isaac Boss, 22 Cathal Marsh, 23 Dave Kearney.
Zebre: 15 Hendrik Daniller, 14 Dion Berryman, 13 Mirco Bergamasco, 12 Matteo Pratichetti, 11 Michele Visentin, 10 Luciano Orquera, 9 Brendon Leonard, 8 Samuela Vunisa, 7 Mauro Bergamasco (captain), 6 Jacopo Sarto, 5 Michele Sutto, 4 Valerio Bernabò, 3 Luciano Leibson, 2 Oliviero Fabiani, 1 Andrea De Marchi.
Replacements: 16 Lorenzo Giovanchelli, 17 Laert Naka, 18 Luca Redolfini, 19 Giacomo Bernini, 20 Ruben Riccioli, 21 Alberto Chillon, 22 Edoardo Padovani, 23 David Odiete.
Referee: Nigel Owens (Wales)
Assistant referees: Kieran Barry (Ireland), Stuart Douglas (Ireland)
TMO: Dermot Moloney (Ireland)
Benetton Treviso v Cardiff Blues(Stadio Monigo, Veneto – Kick-off: 20.05; 20.05 GMT)
Benetton Treviso won just one of their last four matches in all tournaments: 23-20 at home to Ospreys in the European Champions Cup in January.
Treviso have won two of their last three home games in all tournaments whilst the Italian outfit have not beaten a Welsh region in the Pro12 since Dragons visited Stadio Monigo last April.
Cardiff Blues’ only win in their last four Pro12 matches was 11-9 at Newport Gwent Dragons on New Year’s Day.
The Blues have lost only one of their last seven encounters with Italian opponents in all tournaments:10-15 at Zebre in the Pro12 last March.
Treviso’s only previous victory over Cardiff Blues in the nine past encounters was 26-17 at Stadio Monigo in the Pro12 in March 2013.
Teams:
Treviso: 15 Jayden Hayward, 14 Angelo Esposito, 13 Enrico Bacchin, 12 Sam Christie, 11 Simone Ragusi, 10 James Ambrosini, 9 Alberto Lucchese, 8 Mat Luamanu, 7 Dean Budd, 6 Marco Barbini, 5 Marco Fuser, 4 Antonio Pavanello (captain), 3 Rupert Harden, 2 Davide Giazzon, 1 Matteo Zanusso.
Replacements: 16 Albert Anae, 17 Romulo Acosta, 18 Salesi Manu, 19 Tomas Vallejos, 20 Meyer Swanepoel, 21 Andrea Pratichetti, 22 Joe Carlisle, 23 Henry Seniloli.
Cardiff: 15 Rhys Patchell, 14 Lucas Gonzalez Amorosino, 13 Tom Isaacs, 12 Adam Thomas, 11 Joaquin Tuculet, 10 Gareth Anscombe, 9 Lloyd Williams, 8 Josh Navidi, 7 Ellis Jenkins, 6 Josh Turnbull, 5 Filo Paulo, 4 Macauley Cook, 3 Adam Jones, 2 Kristian Dacey, 1 Tau Filise.
Replacements: 16 Rhys Williams, 17 Thomas Davies, 18 Scott Andrews, 19 Miles Normandale, 20 Manoa Vosawai, 21 Tavis Knoyle, 22 Gareth Davies, 23 Owen Jenkins.
Referee: Gary Conway (Ireland)
Assistant referees: Marius Mitrea (Italy), Gregorio Piran (Italy)
TMO: Carlo Damasco (Italy)
Saturday, February 21
Scarlets v Munster (Parc y Scarlets, Llanelli – Kick-off: 14.40; 14.40 GMT)
Scarlets last four fixtures in the Pro12 have all been won by the home side on the day whilst the Welshmen have not been defeated at Parc y Scarlets in the tournament since Ospreys were the visitors on Boxing Day 2013.
The most recent Irish province to win at Scarlets’ home was Leinster in the Pro12 in September 2013.
Munster’s only loss in their last four fixtures was 10-23 at Saracens in the European Champions Cup on January 17.
The Munstermen have won just one of their last five away games in all tournaments: 31-7 over Zebre in Parma in January.
Munster have won four of their five encounters with Welsh regions this season.
The last four clashes between the two sides have all been won by the home team on the day, whilst Munster’s most recent victory at Parc y Scarlets was 17-14 in the European Cup in December 2011.
Teams:
Scarlets: 15 Jordan Williams, 14 Harry Robinson, 13 Regan King, 12 Hadleigh Parkes, 11 Michael Tagicakibau, 10 Steven Shingler, 9 Aled Davies, 8 John Barclay, 7 James Davies, 6 Aaron Shingler, 5 Johan Snyman, 4 Lewis Rawlins, 3 Peter Edwards, 2 Ken Owens (captain), 1 Phil John.
Replacements: 16 Ryan Elias, 17 Rob Evans, 18 Jacobie Adriaanse, 19 George Earle, 20 Rob McCusker, 21 Gareth Davies, 22 Rhys Priestland, 23 Kristian Phillips
Munster: 15 Felix Jones, 14 Andrew Conway, 13 Keith Earls, 12 Denis Hurley (captain), 11 Luke O'Dea, 10 Ian Keatley, 9 Duncan Williams, 8 CJ Stander, 7 Tommy O'Donnell, 6 Dave O'Callaghan, 5 Billy Holland, 4 Donnacha O'Callaghan, 3 Stephen Archer, 2 Kevin O'Byrne, 1 Dave Kilcoyne.
Replacements: 16 Eusebio Guinazu, 17 John Ryan, 18 BJ Botha, 19 Jack O'Donoghue, 20 Paddy Butler, 21 Neil Cronin, 22 JJ Hanrahan, 23 Ivan Dineen.
Referee: Dudley Phillips (Ireland)
Assistant referees: Ben Whitehouse (Wales), Greg Morgan (Wales)
TMO: Derek Bevan (Wales)
Glasgow Warriors v Ospreys(Scotstoun Stadium, Glasgow – Kick-off: 17.15; 17.15 GMT)
Glasgow Warriors only Pro12 defeat since Round Eight was away in Edinburgh in January.
The Warriors have won their last fifteen Pro12 matches played at Scotstoun since the Dragons beat them there in November 2013.
Glasgow’s only loss in their last seven fixtures with Welsh regions was 9-19 at Scarlets in the Pro12 in November.
Ospreys only win in their last five matches in all competitions was 13-10 at Bath in the Anglo-Welsh Cup in February.
The Welshmen have been defeated in their last four away games in the Pro12 since they won 15-14 at Zebre in Round Five.
Ospreys only win in their last ten visits to Scotland since 2009 was 15-14 over Edinburgh at Murrayfield in February 2012.
Glasgow Warriors have won their last six fixtures against Ospreys since the Welshmen were victorious 37-6 at Liberty Stadium in March 2011 whilst the last time that Ospreys won on Glasgow soil came at Firhill in September 2009.
Teams:
Glasgow Warriors: 15 Peter Murchie, 14 Niko Matawalu, 13 Richie Vernon, 12 Fraser Lyle, 11 DTH van der Merwe, 10 Peter Horne, 9 Ali Price, 8 Josh Strauss, 7 Tyrone Holmes, 6 James Eddie, 5 Al Kellock (captain), 4 Leone Nakarawa, 3 Rossouw de Klerk, 2 Pat MacArthur, 1 Ryan Grant.
Replacements: 16 Kevin Bryce, 17 Alex Allan, 18 Zander Fagerson, 19 Fraser McKenzie, 20 Will Bordill, 21 Connor Braid, 22 Rory Hughes, 23 Glenn Bryce.
Ospreys: 15 Dan Evans, 14 Tom Grabham, 13 Jonathan Spratt, 12 Josh Matavesi, 11 Dafydd Howells, 10 Sam Davies, 9 Martin Roberts, 8 Dan Baker, 7 Justin Tipuric, 6 James King, 5 Tyler Ardron (captain), 4 Tevita Cavubati, 3 Aaron Jarvis, 2 Scott Baldwin, 1 Ryan Bevington.
Replacements: 16 Scott Otten, 17 Marc Thomas, 18 Dmitri Arhip, 19 Rory Thornton, 20 Joe Bearman, 21 Ieuan Jones, 22 Tom Habberfield, 23 Hanno Dirksen.
Referee: George Clancy (Ireland)
Assistant referees: Andrew McMenemy (Scotland), Neil Paterson (Scotland)
TMO: Jim Yuille (Scotland)
Sunday, February 22
Newport Gwent Dragons v Connacht(Rodney Parade, Newport – Kick-off: 16.00; 16.00 GMT)
Newport Gwent Dragons only defeat in their last five fixtures in all tournaments was 32-37 at home to Exeter in the Anglo-Welsh Cup in February.
The Dragons have won just two of their last six home games in the Pro12 and have not beaten an Irish province at Rodney Parade since lowering the colours of Ulster in September 2013, the Dragons did however end Leinster’s 21 game unbeaten run at the RDS in the Pro12 with their victory on Sunday.
Connacht’s only win in their last five Pro12 matches was 24-16 over Munster in Galway on New Year’ Day.
The Irishmen have not won away from home in the tournament since they visited Treviso in October.
Connacht have slot on their last four visits to Wales since winning this equivalent fixture at Rodney Parade last year.
Dragons sole victory in their last seven encounters with Connacht was 14-3 in Newport in November 2012.
Connacht have won on two of their last three visits to Rodney Parade.
Teams:
Dragons: 15 Jason Tovey, 14 Tom Prydie, 13 Pat Leach, 12 Jack Dixon, 11 Hallam Amos, 10 Dorian Jones, 9 Jonathan Evans, 8 Nick Crosswell, 7 Nic Cudd, 6 James Thomas, 5 Rynard Landman (captain), 4 Andrew Coombs, 3 Brok Harris, 2 T. Rhys Thomas, 1 Boris Stankovich .
Replacements: 16 Rhys Buckley, 17 Phil Price, 18 Dan Way, 19 Ian Gough, 20 James Benjamin, 21 Richie Rees, 22 Ashley Smith, 23 Matthew Pewtner.
Connacht: 15 Darragh Leader, 14 Danie Poolman, 13 Dave McSharry, 12 Craig Ronaldson, 11 Matt Healy, 10 Jack Carty, 9 John Cooney, 8 Eoghan Masterson, 7 Jake Heenan, 6 John Muldoon (captain), 5 Aly Muldowney, 4 Quinn Roux, 3 Nathan White, 2 Tom McCartney, 1 Denis Buckley .
Replacements: 16 Shane Delahunt, 17 Rodney Ah You, 18 Finlay Bealham, 19 Mick Kearney, 20 George Naoupu, 21 Ian Porter, 22 Niyi Adeolokun, 23 Tiernan O’Halloran.
Referee: Lloyd Linton (Scotland)
Assistant referees: Rhys Thomas (Wales), Sean Brickell (Wales)
TMO: Gareth Simmonds (Wales)
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