Preview: Pro12, Round 21
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One of the most exciting penultimate rounds of recent years could set up a grandstand finish for the last round of the regular season.
The May Day weekend should provide some of the most intense scrutiny of the PRO12 tables during the season, with almost every team still having something to play for at the start of the round.
The opening fixture between Zebre and Ospreys could go a long way to answering some of the questions – a loss for the hosts would put Treviso in the box seat for the Italian spot in next season’s European competition
A loss for the visitors Ospreys, without picking up any league points would take away their mathematical chances of making the Play-Offs.
Bonus point wins are the big prize in the game at Ravenhill on Friday night – a bonus point win for the hosts would secure their place in the Play-Offs regardless of the Ospreys result
Whilst a maximum pointer for Leinster would gain them home advantage having already qualified for a top four finish.
Also on Friday Scarlets have the chance to secure European rugby next season needing just two points from their game with Newport Gwent Dragons to deny Cardiff Blues or Edinburgh any mathematical chance of beating them to sixth place.
Glasgow Warriors bonus point victory over Edinburgh in their rearranged fixture last weekend lifted the Warriors into second spot, whilst they have racked up the most wins, 16, in the competition so far this season.
Both will stand them in good stead as they will no doubt be looking for maximum points in Italy to support their push for a home Play-Off.
Depending on the results of the May Day game, their hosts Benetton Treviso, will also know exactly what they have to do to claim the Italian berth in Europe next season.
The calculators will be to the fore in Limerick as Munster fans watch their three main competitors for the Play-Offs battle it out on Friday night before Munster take on Edinburgh the following day.
Any points that the Munstermen can take out of this game reduces the pressure on their last fixture, which will be against Ulster.
We look at all the Round 21 games!
Thursday, May 1
Zebre v Ospreys
(Stadio XXV Aprile – Kick-off: 18.00; 19.00GMT 17.00 BST)
Zebre are still very much in contention for the Italian spot in next season’s European Cup, being just 4 points behind Treviso, and really need to win this match.
Zebre are unbeaten in their last three matches in Parma since losing there to Connacht in round 15.
Ospreys are also still in the mix for a Play-Off spot having won three of their last four PRO12 contests, but have not won a game on opposition soil in any tournament in 2014.
Ospreys have won all three previous contests with Zebre, with the Italians’ only league point being earned during the 15-16 defeat at Liberty Stadium last season.
Teams:
Zebre:15 David Odiete, 14 Dion Berryman, 13 Kameli Ratuvou, 12 Gonzalo Garcia, 11 Giovanbattista Venditti, 10 Luciano Orquera, 9 Brendon Leonard, 8 Samuela Vunisa, 7 Andries van Schalkwyk, 6 Mauro Bergamasco, 5 Marco Bortolami (captain), 4 Quintin Geldenhuys, 3 Dario Chistolini, 2 Davide Giazzon, 1 Salvatore Perugini.
Replacements: 16 Andrea Manici, 17 Matias Aguero, 18 Dave Ryan 19 George Biagi, 20 Filippo Ferrarini, 21 Guglielmo Palazzini, 22 Tommaso Iannone, 23 Ruggero Trevisan.
Ospreys: 15 Sam Davies, 14 Hanno Dirksen, 13 Ashley Beck, 12 Andrew Bishop, 11 Aisea Natoga, 10 Dan Biggar, 9 Tom Habberfield, 8 Dan Baker, 7 Justin Tipuric, 6 James King, 5 Alun Wyn Jones (captian), 4 Ian Evans, 3 Aaron Jarvis, 2 Scott Baldwin, 1 Nicky Smith.
Replacements: 16 Scott Otten, 17 Marc Thomas, 18 Adam Jones, 19 Ryan Jones, 20 Joe Bearman, 21 Sam Lewis, 22 Tito Tebaldi, 23 Jeff Hassler.
Referee: Peter Fitzgibbon
Assistant Referees: Elia Rizzo, Filippo Bertelli
TMO: Carlo Damasco
Friday, May 2
Treviso v Glasgow Warriors
(Stadio Monigo – Kick-off: 20.00; 21.00 GMT; 19.00 BST)
Benetton Treviso’s last six PRO12 encounters have all been won by the home side on the day, whilst they are looking for a victory to keep Zebre at bay for the Italian European spot.
Treviso have won their last two home games at Stadio Monigo but have not won three in a row at home in the competition for twelve months.
Glasgow Warriors are the best team in the PRO12 on current form having won their last six matches and gained 26 league points in the process.
The Scotsmen have won their last nine clashes with Italian opponents since tripping up to Treviso at Firhill in September 2011.
The two sides have met on seven previous occasions in the PRO12 with Glasgow having the edge by five wins to two.
Teams:
Treviso: 15 Brendan Williams, 14 Ludovico Nitoglia, 13 Michele Campagnaro, 12 Luke McLean, 11 Angelo Esposito, 10 Mat Berquist, 9 Tobias Botes, 8 Marco Filippucci, 7 Paul Derbyshire, 6 Manoa Vosawai, 5 Marco Fuser, 4 Antonio Pavanello (captain), 3 Lorenzo Cittadini, 2 Leonardo Ghiraldini, 1 Alberto De Marchi.
Replacements: 16 Giovanni Maistri, 17 Matteo Muccignat, 18 Ignacio Fernandez-Rouyet, 19 Valerio Bernabò, 20 Dean Budd, 21 Alberto Sgarbi, 22 Fabio Semenzato, 23 James Ambrosini.
Glasgow: 15 Stuart Hogg, 14 Tommy Seymour, 13 Mark Bennett, 12 Peter Horne, 11 Niko Matawalu, 10 Finn Russell, 9 Henry Pyrgos, 8 Josh Strauss (captain), 7 Tyrone Holmes, 6 Rob Harley, 5 Jonny Gray, 4 Tim Swinson, 3 Geoff Cross, 2 Pat MacArthur, 1 Gordon Reid.
Replacements: 16 Fraser Brown, 17 Ryan Grant, 18 Jon Welsh, 19 Leone Nakarawa, 20 Chris Fusaro, 21 Chris Cusiter, 22 Ruaridh Jackson, 23 Sean Maitland.
Referee: George Clancy
Assistant Referees: Andrea Spadoni, Simone Boaretto
TMO: Stefano Penne
Scarlets v Dragons
(Parc y Scarlets – Kick-off: 19.05; 20.00 GMT)
Scarlets require two points from this game to secure a sixth place finish in the table and qualification for Europe.
Scarlets have won their last five fixtures at Parc y Scarlets in all tournaments and have not lost there in the PRO12 in 2014.
Scarlets have lost all four games they have played against fellow Welsh regions in the tournament so far this season.
Newport Gwent Dragons have picked up only three league points from their last six PRO12 matches and have not won away from home in the competition since a trip to Glasgow in round 8.
Dragons only victory at the home of a fellow Welsh Region in any tournament since 2007 came against Ospreys at Liberty Stadium in October 2010.
Dragons were victorious 23-16 when the two sides met at Rodney Parade in round 3 and have only once before achieved a season’s double over their neighbours from the West; in 2007/08.
Teams:
Scarlets:15 Steven Shingler, 14 Kristian Phillips, 13 Jonathan Davies (captain), 12 Olly Barkley, 11 Jordan Williams, 10 Rhys Priestland, 9 Gareth Davies, 8 Rob McCusker, 7 John Barclay, 6 Josh Turnbull, 5 George Earle, 4 Jake Ball, 3 Samson Lee, 2 Ken Owens, 1 Phil John.
Replacements: 16 Kirby Myhill, 17 Rob Evans, 18 Rhodri Jones, 19 Johan Snyman, 20 Aaron Shingler, 21 Rhodri Williams, 22 Gareth Maule, 23 Frazier Climo.
Dragons: 15 Hallam Amos, 14 Tom Prydie, 13 Pat Leach, 12 Jack Dixon, 11 Will Harries, 10 Kris Burton, 9 Richie Rees, 8 Taulupe Faletau, 7 Nic Cudd, 6 Lewis Evans, 5 Matthew Screech, 4 Andrew Coombs (captain), 3 Bruce Douglas, 2 T. Rhys Thomas, 1 Phil Price.
Replacements: 16 Sam Parry, 17 Owen Evans, 18 Duncan Bell, 19 Jevon Groves, 20 Darren Waters, 21 Jonathan Evans, 22 Jason Tovey, 23 Tyler Morgan.
Referee: Leighton Hodges
Assistant Referees: Gwyn Morris, Kelvin Shorte
TMO: TBC
Ulster v Leinster
(Ravenhill – Kick-off: 19.30; 20.30 GMT)
A maximum point victory would ensure Ulster a place in the Play-Offs for a second successive year.
The Ulstermen’s only defeat at Ravenhill in the PRO12 this season came in their opening home game to Glasgow, 12-13.
Leinster require a bonus point victory to guarantee a home Play-Off spot for a fifth successive year since the top four Play-Offs were introduced. The Leinstermen’s only defeat in their last ten PRO12 fixtures was at Ospreys in round 19.
Ulster’s only two victories over Leinster in their last 11 encounters in all tournaments came in both regular season PRO12 fixtures in 2012/13.
The Leinstermen have lost only two of their nine most recent visits to Ravenhill, and have not lost back to back matches at Ulster’s citadel since 1992.
Teams:
Ulster: 15 Ricky Andrew, 14 Andrew Trimble, 13 Jared Payne, 12 Luke Marshall, 11 Tommy Bowe, 10 Paddy Jackson, 9 Paul Marshall, 8 Nick Williams, 7 Chris Henry, 6 Roger Wilson, 5 Iain Henderson, 4 Johann Muller (captain), 3 Andrew Warwick, 2 Rob Herring, 1 Tom Court.
Replacements: 16 Niall Annett, 17 Callum Black, 18 Adam Macklin, 19 Dan Tuohy, 20 Sean Doyle, 21 Michael Heaney, 22 James McKinney, 23 Darren Cave.
Leinster: 15 Rob Kearney, 14 Zane Kirchner, 13 Brian O'Driscoll, 12 Gordon D'Arcy, 11 Dave Kearney, 10 Ian Madigan, 9 Isaac Boss, 8 Jamie Heaslip (captzin), 7 Shane Jennings, 6 Rhys Ruddock, 5 Mike McCarthy, 4 Devin Toner, 3 Martin Moore, 2 Sean Cronin, 1 Cian Healy.
Replacements: 16 Richardt Strauss, 17 Jack McGrath, 18 Mike Ross, 19 Leo Cullen, 20 Jordi Murphy, 21 Luke McGrath, 22 Jimmy Gopperth, 23 Luke Fitzgerald.
Referee: Luke Pearce
Assistant Referees: John Lacey, David Connolly
TMO: Dermot Molony
Saturday, May 3
Connacht v Cardiff Blues
(Sportsground – Kick-off: 17.00; 18.00 GMT)
Connacht have lost their last three PRO12 matches since beating Newport Gwent Dragons 24-8 at Rodney Parade on 23rd March. Connacht’s record against the Welsh regions this season is won 2, lost 4.
By the time this game is played Cardiff will know if they still have a chance to qualify for Europe next season.
The Blues have won their last three PRO12 matches, whilst they have not won four in a row in the competition since February 2011.
The Blues record against Irish provinces this season is won 2, lost 5, whilst they have not been triumphant in Ireland since a trip to Munster in January 2013.
Connacht’s only victory in their last 8 fixtures with Cardiff Blues was 26-22 at the Arms Park on 22nd February 2013.
Teams:
Connacht: 15 Darragh Leader, 14 Danie Poolman, 13 Robbie Henshaw, 12 Eoin Griffin, 11 Matt Healy, 10 Miah Nikora, 9 Kieran Marmion, 8 Eoin McKeon, 7 Willie Faloon, 6 John Muldoon (captain), 5 Mick Kearney, 4 Aly Muldowney, 3 Rodney Ah You, 2 Jason Harris-Wright, 1 Ronan Loughney.
Replacements: 16 Dave Heffernan, 17 Denis Buckley, 18 Finlay Bealham, 19 Michael Swift, 20 Andrew Browne, 21 Frank Murphy, 22 Dan Parks, 23 Gavin Duffy.
Cardiff Blues: 15 Dan Fish, 14 Alex Cuthbert, 13 Cory Allen, 12 Dafydd Hewitt, 11 Harry Robinson, 10 Gareth Davies, 9 Lloyd Williams, 8 Ellis Jenkins, 7 Josh Navidi, 6 Macauley Cook, 5 Filo Paulo, 4 Bradley Davies, 3 Taufa'ao Filise, 2 Matthew Rees (captain), 1 Gethin Jenkins.
Replacements: 16 Kristian Dacey, 17 Thomas Davies, 18 Scott Andrews, 19 Chris Dicomidis, 20 Luke Hamilton, 21 Lewis Jones, 22 Simon Humberstone, 23 Isaia Tuifua.
Referee: Neil Paterson
Assistant Referees: Dudley Phillips, Olly Hodges
TMO: TBC
Edinburgh v Munster
(Meggetland – Kick-off: 17.00; 18.00 GMT)
Edinburgh Rugby’s only win in their last six PRO12 contests was 23-19 against the Dragons at Rodney Parade on 3rd April, but they did pick up two bonus points in their defeat at Glasgow last weekend, the first time they have achieved this for almost a decade.
Munster will be looking for the result from Italy on Thursday to see what they have to do, if anything, to secure a Play-Off spot.
The Munstermen have won just two of their last five PRO12 matches, and are going for a pair of PRO12 victories in Scotland for the first time since season 2010/11.
Edinburgh’s only victory in their last eight encounters with Munster in all competitions was 29-23 at Murrayfield in the European Cup on 12th October.
Teams:
Edinburgh: 15 Jack Cuthbert, 14 Tom Brown, 13 Matt Scott, 12 Andries Strauss, 11 Tim Visser, 10 Carl Bezuidenhout, 9 Greig Laidlaw (captain), 8 Cornell du Preez, 7 Tomas Leonardi, 6 Mike Coman, 5 Dave Denton, 4 Grant Gilchrist, 3 Willem Nel, 2 Ross Ford, 1 Al Dickinson.
Replacements: 16 James Hilterbrand, 17 Wicus Blauuw, 18 Simon Berghan, 19 Ben Toolis, 20 Dimitri Basilaia, 21 Grayson Hart, 22 Piers Francis, 23 Sam Beard.
Munster: 15 Simon Zebo, 14 Gerhard van den Heever, 13 Johne Murphy, 12 Denis Hurley, 11 Andrew Conway, 10 JJ Hanrahan, 9 Conor Murray, 8 Paddy Butler, 7 Tommy O'Donnell, 6 CJ Stander, 5 Paul O'Connell (captain), 4 Donncha O'Callaghan, 3 John Ryan, 2 Duncan Casey, 1 James Cronin.
Replacements: 16 Damien Varley, 17 Dave Kilcoyne, 18 Alan Cotter, 19 Dave Foley, 20 James Coughlan, 21 Duncan Williams, 22 Ian Keatley, 23 Luke O'Dea.
Referee: Marius Mitrea
Assistant Referees: Peter Allan, Bob Nevins
TMO: Ian Ramage
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