Preview: Pro12, Round 22
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There will be no shortage of drama in the final round of the Pro12 regular season with something riding on every encounter.
With just one point separating the four teams at the top of the table, the line up for the Pro12 play-offs will not be confirmed until the final whistle is blown on Round 22.
And with Leinster guaranteeing their spot in Europe's top tier next season, three teams are left battling it out for the remaining automatic place in the tournament, or to be the Pro12's representative in a qualifying round.
Just two teams are involved in a direct head-to-head battle for home field advantage in the Pro12 play-offs, second placed Glasgow Warriors hosting fourth place Ulster.
Glasgow, having led the table for six of the last eight rounds, know any slip-up could let Ospreys and Munster take the coveted top two places. Ulster's destiny may not lie in their own hands, as even a win at fortress Scotstoun may not be enough to claim a home tie.
Ospreys emphatic win over Warriors last time out meant they reclaimed the top spot they had held for all but two of the first 13 rounds.
Ospreys will have to overcome a Connacht team themselves battling for European qualification if they are to remain at the top of the table and hope that their fellow Welsh region Newport Gwent Dragons will pull off a victory over Munster in Cork.
Scarlets and Edinburgh are the other two teams involved in a three way fight for the last remaining automatic place in the 2015/16 European Champions Cup, Scarlets perhaps having the edge by being four points ahead of their nearest rivals, but nothing can be taken for granted in this competition and as it enters the last round, 10 of the 12 teams still have a viable route to the Champions Cup awaiting them.
The calculators will be out as the teams take to the pitch in an unprecedented finale to 132 enthralling games.
We look at all the Round 22 matches.
Saturday May, 16
Benetton Treviso v Scarlets
(Stadio Monigo, Treviso – Kick-off: 16.00; 14.00 GMT)
Benetton Treviso require a victory to guarantee their place in next season’s European Champions Cup, but have been defeated in their last six Pro12 encounters since beating Cardiff Blues at Stadio Monigo at the end of February.
As it stands Scarlets require two points from this fixture to guarantee their participation in Europe’s top tier tournament next year. The Welshmen have won their last three Pro12 matches since tripping up at home to Edinburgh in Round 18. Scarlets are unbeaten against Italian sides for the past two seasons.
Scarlets have won their last three encounters with Treviso since the Italians were victorious at Parc y Scarlets in Round 22 of the 2012/13 campaign.
Teams:
Scarlets: 15 Liam Williams, 14 Adam Warren, 13 Hadleigh Parkes, 12 Scott Williams, 11 Steff Evans, 10 Rhys Priestland, 9 Gareth Davies, 8 John Barclay, 7 James Davies, 6 Aaron Shingler, 5 Lewis Rawlins, 4 Jake Ball, 3 Peter Edwards, 2 Ken Owens (captain), 1 Rob Evans.
Replacements: 16 Ryan Elias, 17 Phil John, 18 Wyn Jones, 19 George Earle, 20 Rory Pitman, 21 Rhodri Williams, 22 Steven Shingler, 23 Daniel Jones.
Benetton Treviso: 15 Jayden Hayward, 14 Andrea Pratichetti, 13 Luca Morisi, 12 Enrico Bacchin, 11 Simone Ragusi, 10 Sam Christie, 9 Henry Seniloli, 8 Mat Luamanu, 7 Francesco Minto, 6 Paul Derbyshire, 5 Corniel Van Zyl, 4 Antonio Pavanello (captain), 3 Rupert Harden, 2 Davide Giazzon, 1 Matteo Zanusso.
Replacements: 16 Albert Anae, 17 Romulo Acosta, 18 Salesi Manu, 19 Marco Fuser, 20 Meyer Swanepoel, 21 Nicola Cattina, 22 Angelo Esposito, 23 James Ambrosini.
Referee: George Clancy (Ireland)
Assistant Referees: Giuseppe Vivarini (Italy), Simone Boaretto (Italy)
TMO: Carlo Damasco (Italy)
Cardiff Blues v Zebre
(Cardiff Arms Park, Cardiff – Kick-off: 15.00; 14.00 GMT)
Cardiff Blues have lost their last five matches in all tournaments but have not lost six in succession since autumn 2012. The Blues lost their most recent encounter with an Italian opponent, 24-40 in Treviso in Round 15, but have never been beaten in successive games to sides from that country.
Zebre must win to give themselves any hope of overhauling Benetton Treviso for the Italian qualifier’s spot in next season European Champions Cup. Zebre have lost their last five Pro12 fixtures since beating Newport Gwent Dragons in Parma in March.
The Italians return to the scene of their only previous away victory in the Pro12 in September 2013. The two sides have met on five previous occasions with Blues having the slight edge by three wins to two.
Teams:
Cardiff Blues: 15 Aled Summerhill, 14 Alex Cuthbert, 13 Tom Isaacs, 12 Gavin Evans, 11 Richard Smith, 10 Rhys Patchell, 9 Tavis Knoyle, 8 Josh Navidi, 7 Sam Warburton, 6 Macauley Cook, 5 Lou Reed, 4 Filo Paulo, 3 Adam Jones, 2 Kristian Dacey, 1 Gethin Jenkins (captain).
Replacements: 16 Rhys Williams, 17 Thomas Davies, 18 Taufa'ao Filise, 19 Josh Turnbull, 20 Manoa Vosawai, 21 Lloyd Williams, 22 Garyn Smith, 23 Gareth Anscombe.
Zebre: 15 Dion Berryman, 14 Giulio Toniolatti, 13 Matteo Pratichetti, 12 Gonzalo Garcia, 11 David Odiete, 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 Oliviero Fabiani, 1 Andrea De Marchi.
Replacements: 16 Tommaso D'Apice, 17 Andrea Lovotti, 18 Luca Redolfini, 19 Valerio Bernabò, 20 Filippo Ferrarini, 21 Guglielmo Palazzani, 22 Tommaso Iannone, 23 Filippo Cristiano.
Referee: Gary Conway (Ireland)
Assistant Referees: TBC
TMO: TBC
Connacht v Ospreys
(Sportsground, Galway – Kick-off: 15.00; 14.00 GMT)
It’s likely that Connacht will have to win to keep alive their hopes of participating in the European top tier competition next season. Their 40-10 victory over Zebre in Parma in Round 21 earned the only bonus point of that entire round and stemmed a four game losing run in the Pro12.
As it stands Ospreys require a bonus point victory to guarantee themselves home field advantage in the play-offs. The Welshmen are the form team in the competition having dropped only five possible league points from their last six encounters since being defeated 16-19 in Glasgow in Round 15.
Connacht’s only victory over Ospreys in their last 13 fixtures since 2008 was 22-10 in Galway in February 2013, whilst the only occasion that the Irishmen have ever tallied a try bonus point against the Welsh region was on their very first meeting at St Helen’s, Swansea in October 2003.
Teams:
Connacht: 15 Tiernan O’Halloran, 14 Fionn Carr, 13 Robbie Henshaw, 12 Bundee Aki, 11 Matt Healy, 10 Jack Carty, 9 Kieran Marmion, 8 Eoin McKeon, 7 Eoghan Masterson, 6 John Muldoon (captain), 5 Aly Muldowney, 4 Andrew Browne, 3 Rodney Ah You, 2 Tom McCartney, 1 Denis Buckley.
Replacements: 16 Dave Heffernan, 17 JP Cooney, 18 Finlay Bealham, 19 Michael Swift, 20 George Naoupu, 21 John Cooney, 22 Miah Nikora, 23 Shane O'Leary.
Ospreys: 15 Dan Evans, 14 Hanno Dirksen, 13 Ben John, 12 Josh Matavesi, 11 Eli Walker, 10 Dan Biggar, 9 Rhys Webb, 8 Dan Baker, 7 Justin Tipuric, 6 James King, 5 Alun Wyn Jones (captain), 4 Tyler Ardron, 3 Dmitri Arhip, 2 Scott Baldwin, 1 Nicky Smith.
Replacements: 16 Sam Parry, 17 Marc Thomas, 18 Aaron Jarvis, 19 Rory Thornton, 20 Dan Lydiate, 21 Tom Habberfield, 22 Sam Davies, 23 Jonathan Spratt.
Referee: Marius Mitrea (Italy)
Assistant Referees: Andy Brace (Ireland), Nigel Correll (Ireland)
TMO: Seamus Flannery (Ireland)
Edinburgh v Leinster
(Murrayfield, Edinburgh – Kick-off: 15.00; 14.00 GMT)
Realistically Edinburgh require a bonus point victory to put themselves in contention for a European Champions Cup spot in 2015/16. The Scotsmen have lost just two of their last twelve home games in all competitions, both to Irish provinces.
Leinster’s 10-0 victory over Benetton Treviso at the RDS Arena last time out guaranteed a top six finish and automatic qualification for the European Champions Cup in 2015/16. The Leinstermen have not won successive Pro12 encounters since January, whilst their only victory on the road since their trip to Castres in October was at Cardiff Blues in January.
Edinburgh have won just one of their last eight fixtures with Leinster: 11-6 at Murrayfield in Round 10 last season, and have been restricted to a single try in each of their last six encounters with the Leinstermen.
Teams:
Edinburgh: 15 Jack Cuthbert, 14 Dougie Fife, 13 Sam Beard 12 Andries Strauss, 11 Tim Visser, 10 Tom Heathcote, 9 Sam Hidalgo-Clyne, 8 Cornell Du Preez, 7 Hamish Watson, 6 Fraser McKenzie, 5 Ben Toolis, 4 Anton Bresler, 3 John Andress, 2 Ross Ford, 1 Alasdair Dickinson.
Replacements: 16 Neil Cochrane, 17 Rory Sutherland, 18 Simon Berghan, 19 Ollie Atkins, 20 James Hilterbrand, 21 Nathan Fowles, 22 Jade Te Rure, 23 Tom Brown.
Leinster: 15 Rob Kearney, 14 Zane Kirchner, 13 Colm O'Shea, 12 Noel Reid, 11 Dave Kearney, 10 Ian Madigan, 9 Isaac Boss, 8 Jamie Heaslip (captain), 7 Sean O'Brien, 6 Jordi Murphy, 5 Mike McCarthy, 4 Devin Toner, 3 Mike Ross, 2 Richardt Strauss, 1 Jack McGrath.
Replacements: 16 Aaron Dundon, 17 Michael Bent, 18 Tadhg Furlong, 19 Tom Denton, 20 Jack Conan, 21 Luke McGrath, 22 Jimmy Gopperth, 23 Cian Kelleher.
Referee: Nigel Owens (Wales)
Assistant Referees: Andrew McMenemey (Scotland), Graeme Wells (Scotland)
TMO: Iain Ramage (Scotland)
Glasgow Warriors v Ulster
(Scotstoun Stadium, Glasgow – Kick-off: 15.00; 14.00 GMT)
Glasgow Warriors have been in the top two of the Pro12 table since Round 10 but are in danger of not qualifying for a home play-off if they do not win this game, and even then a bonus point may be needed.
The Warriors lost out to Ospreys in Swansea in Round 21 and have not lost successive Pro12 fixtures since Rounds 15 and 16 last season. Warriors are the only side with a 100 per cent home winning record in the tournament this season and have not lost at Scotstoun in the Pro12 since Dragons were the visitors in November 2013.
A victory in this game will ensure that Ulster will finish higher in the table than Glasgow but it may still not be enough to guarantee their play-off game is held in Belfast. The Ulstermen have been defeated only once in the Pro12 since Round 12: 22-26 at Dragons in March. Ulster are going for a clean sweep of victories over Scottish opponents this season.
The Ulstermen beat the Warriors 29-9 at Kingspan Stadium in Round 6 but have not achieved a Pro12 season’s double over the Scotsmen since 2010/11. Ulster’s only previous victory at Scotstoun came in the European Cup in October 2012.
Teams:
Glasgow Warriors: 15 Stuart Hogg, 14 Tommy Seymour, 13 Richie Vernon, 12 Peter Horne, 11 Sean Lamont, 10 Finn Russell, 9 Niko Matawalu, 8 Adam Ashe, 7 Chris Fusaro, 6 Josh Strauss, 5 Al Kellock (Captain), 4 Jonny Gray, 3 Rossouw de Klerk, 2 Dougie Hall, 1 Ryan Grant.
Replacements: 16 Pat MacArthur, 17 Gordon Reid, 18 Mike Cusack, 19 Leone Nakarawa, 20 Ryan Wilson, 21 Henry Pyrgos, 22 Duncan Weir, 23 Peter Murchie.
Ulster: 15 Louis Ludik, 14 Rory Scholes, 13 Sam Arnold, 12 Stuart McCloskey, 11 Mike Allen, 10 Ian Humphreys, 9 Paul Marshall, 8 Robbie Diack, 7 Chris Henry (captain), 6 Clive Ross, 5 Francois van der Merwe, 4 Lewis Stevenson, 3 Ricky Lutton, 2 Rob Herring, 1 Andrew Warwick.
Replacements: 16 Rory Best, 17 Kevin McCall, 18 Bronson Ross, 19 Iain Henderson, 20 Roger Wilson, 21 Ruan Pienaar, 22 Paddy Jackson, 23 Tommy Bowe.
Referee: Ian Davies (Wales)
Assistant Referees: Neil Paterson (Scotland), Sam Grove-White (Scotland)
TMO: Jim Yuille (Scotland)
Munster v Dragons
(Thomond Park, Cork – Kick-off: 15.00; 14.00 GMT)
Even a bonus point victory for Munster in this encounter may not be enough to give them a home play-off, whilst the Munstermen’s only defeat in the last nine rounds of Pro12 play came on a visit to Ospreys in Round 17. Munster have won their last nine matches in Cork since Cardiff Blues beat them there in January 2013.
Newport Gwent Dragons have already ensured that they will finish in ninth place in this season’s Pro12 and have lost just one of their last five matches in the competition. The Men from Gwent have own three of their four clashes with Irish provinces since the turn of the New Year.
The Welshmen’s only victory over Munster in their last eight encounters came at Rodney Parade in April 2013 whilst the only time they have been triumphant on Munster soil was on their very first meeting at Thomond Park in March 2004.
Teams:
Munster: 15 Felix Jones, 14 Keith Earls, 13 Andrew Smith, 12 Denis Hurley (captain), 11 Ronan O'Mahony, 10 Ian Keatley, 9 Conor Murray, 8 CJ Stander, 7 Paddy Butler, 6 Donnacha Ryan , 5 Paul O'Connell, 4 Billy Holland, 3 BJ Botha, 2 Eusebio Guinazu, 1 John Ryan.
Replacements: 16 Niall Scannell, 17 Dave Kilcoyne, 18 Stephen Archer, 19 Sean Dougall, 20 Jack O'Donoghue, 21 Duncan Williams, 22 JJ Hanrahan, 23 Andrew Conway.
Dragons: 15 Jason Tovey, 14 Tom Prydie, 13 Tyler Morgan, 12 Jack Dixon, 11 Hallam Amos, 10 Dorian Jones, 9 Jonathan Evans, 8 Taulupe Faletau, 7 Nic Cudd, 6 Nick Crosswell, 5 Rynard Landman (captain), 4 Cory Hill, 3 Brok Harris, 2 T. Hugh Gustafson, 1 Boris Stankovich.
Replacements: 16 Rhys Buckley, 17 Phil Price, 18 Lloyd Fairbrother, 19 Matthew Screech, 20 James Benjamin, 21 Richie Rees, 22 Ashton Hewitt, 23 Geraint Rhys Jones.
Referee: Ben Whitehouse (Scotland)
Assistant Referees: Dudley Phillips (Ireland), Sean Gallagher (Ireland)
TMO: Kevin Beggs (Ireland)
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