Weir kicks Glasgow to away win

Glasgow continued their 100 percent away-day start to the Pro12 season.

It was an impressive kicking display from Duncan Weir that sealed a 19-12 win at Connacht.

* In other action on Saturday Munster reclaimed top spot in the Pro12 thanks to the boot of Ian Keatley as they defeated Ospreys 12-6.

* John Barclay scored the only try of the match as the Scarlets got back to winning ways on home soil with a 17-9 victory over Ulster.

* Sam Hobbs' second-half try proved decisive as Cardiff Blues got back to winning ways in the Pro12 with a 17-13 victory over Treviso.

We look at Saturday's matches!

Cardiff Blues 17-13 Treviso

Sam Hobbs' second-half try proved decisive as Cardiff Blues got back to winning ways in the Pro12 with a 17-13 victory over Treviso.

The Blues lost 39-21 against Ulster last weekend but, after making ten changes from that game, head coach Phil Davies saw his side pick up their third league win of the season.

Many of Cardiff's stars were away on international duty, but they raced into a 10-0 lead as Kristian Dacey dotted down in the first half.

But the Italian outfit fought back, and actually led at half-time after some impressive kicking from Mat Berquist and a try from Michele Campagnaro.

But prop Hobbs forced his way over after the break to seal a timely win for the Blues, which leaves Treviso with just the one victory this term in the Pro12.

The opening exchanges saw both sides feeling each other out, the hosts were looking most threatening but it took until the 14th minute until the deadlock was broken.

Gareth Davies squirmed his way through a gap in the Treviso defence, who were caught offside, and then added the three points from a penalty.

Three minutes later the hosts added to their advantage. It stemmed from a Treviso scrum, but Andries Pretorius picked the ball up, found Lewis Jones who in turn fed Dacey who bundled his way over from three metres.

The wind at Cardiff Arms Park was strong, but Treviso fly-half Berquist was having little difficulty with his kicking game and he notched two quick-fire penalties before the half-hour.

The visitors then took the lead when Campagnaro crashed over on 32 minutes.

The Italian centre supported Robert Barbieri well on the overlap, and he finished under the posts – Berquist added the extras.

It was an advantage Treviso deserved, they had spent the previous ten minutes camped in the Cardiff half, and they took it into half-time.

Josh Navidi tried to step his way through just after the break for the hosts but he was halted in his progress.

Pretorius, too, was stopped in his tracks, this time by the referee, as the flanker thought he had scored but a forward pass earlier in the move proved costly.

There was no stopping Hobbs moments later, though. He forced his way over the line, in the middle of the posts, to regain the lead for the Blues after full-back Dan Fish was initially held up.

Davies converted and the hosts found themselves 17-13 up with 54 minutes gone.

Treviso did try to force their way back into the game, but the Blues defence held strong for the most part and in fact they could have added to their lead in the latter stages.

Navidi was again held up as Cardiff pressurised in the Treviso 22, but it mattered little as they saw the game out.

The scorers:

For Cardiff Blues:

Tries: Dacey, Hobbs

Cons: G Davies 2

Pen: G Davies

For Treviso:

Try: Campagnaro

Con: Berquist

Pens: Berquist 2

Teams:

Cardiff Blues: 15 Dan Fish, 14 Tom Williams, 13 Richard Smith, 12 Dafydd Hewitt, 11 Chris Czekaj, 10 Gareth Davies, 9 Lewis Jones, 8 Robin Copeland, 7 Josh Navidi (captain), 6 Andries Pretorius, 5 Filo Paulo, 4 Lou Reed, 3 Fau Filise, 2 Kevin Dacey, 1 Sam Hobbs.

Replacements: 16 Marc Breeze, 17 Thomas Davies, 18 Benoit Bourrust, 19 James Down, 20 Rory Watts-Jones, 21 Alex Walker, 22 Aled Summerhill, 23 Harry Robinson.

Treviso: 15 Brendan Williams, 14 Ludovico Nitoglia, 13 Michele Campagnaro, 12 Alberto Sgarbi, 11 Andrea Pratichetti, 10 Mat Berquist, 9 Tobias Botes, 8 Manoa Vosawai, 7 Robert Barbieri, 6 Dean Budd, 5 Marco Fuser, 4 Valerio Bernabò (captain), 3 Lorenzo Cittadini, 2 Enrico Ceccato, 1 Michele Rizzo.

Replacements: 16 Franco Sbaraglini, 17 Ignacio Fernandez-Rouyet, 18 Pedro Di Santo, 19 Corniel Van Zyl, 20 Marco Filippucci, 21 Christian Loamanu, 22 Fabio Semenzato, 23 James Ambrosini.

Referee: Andrew McMenemy (Scotland)

Assistant referees: Wayne Davies (Wales), Chris Williams (Wales)

Connacht 12-19 Glasgow Warriors

Glasgow continued their 100 per cent away-day start to the new Pro12 season after an impressive kicking display from Duncan Weir sealed a 19-12 win at Connacht.

The Glasgow No.10 contributed 14 points with the boot; while Gabriel Ascarate scored the games only try to seal the win, with former Warrior Dan Parks experienced an evening to forget for Connacht as he missed an avalanche of kicks.

Glasgow started like an express train, looking more like the home team than their struggling Irish counterparts and the Warriors were rewarded after just five minutes as Ascarate went over for the opening score – Duncan Weir added the conversion.

Gregor Townsend's men saw their unbeaten start to the new season ended last time out at home team to Munster but the Warriors replied in the best way possible.

The Warriors have won on two of their last three visits to Ireland and that statistic never looked like changing despite a missed penalty attempt by Mark Bennett on nine minutes.

Former Glasgow and Scotland fly-half Dan Parks ensured Connacht remained in touch as he knocked over a penalty of his own on 15 minutes.

Weir rewarded a period of Glasgow pressure with a kick of his own at goal on 24 minutes as the Warriors stretched their lead back to seven at 10-3.

Connacht saw their pre-game plan disrupted just before the half hour as Kieran Marmion was replaced by Paul O'Donohoe.

And just six minutes later Weir further increased Glasgow's lead with his third successful kick at goal to put Connacht under sever pressure approaching the break.

In testing conditions, Parks was not as accurate second time around and with just minutes to go until the break the former Scotland international missed his effort at goal.

And it was the same old story again six minutes into the second-half as Parks – usually so reliable with the boot – failed to turn Connacht pressure into points as he missed his kick at goal.

At the third time of asking Parks reduced the deficit to 13-6 as he knocked over a 51st minute conversion but the joy was short-lived as Weir responded with an effort of his own four minutes later.

Craig Ronaldson came on to replace the erratic Parks just after the hour mark and just minutes later he kicked a penalty of his own to give Connacht an outside change of getting something out of the game.

It remained at just a four-point gap for the next seven minutes but the sin binning of Connacht's Mata Fifita with just four minutes remaining effectively killed the game.

And Weir made sure of the Glasgow win as he kicked another penalty with just a minute remaining to make sure of the points.

Scorers:

For Connacht:

Pens: Parks 2, Ronaldson 2

For Glasgow:

Try: Ascarate

Con: Weir

Pens: Weir 4

Yellow card: Mata Fifita Connacht, 76)

Teams:

Connacht: 15 Fionn Carr, 14 Darragh Leader, 13 Dave McSharry, 12 Matt Healy, 10 Dan Parks, 9 Kieran Marmion, 8 George Naoupu, 7 Jake Heenan, 6 Mata Fifita, 5 Craig Clarke, 4 Michael Swift, 3 Rodney Ah You, 2 Jason Harris-Wright, 1 Brett Wilkinson

Replacements: 16 Dave Heffernan, 17 JP Cooney, 18 Nathan White, 19 Aly Muldowney, 20 Mick Kearney, 21 Paul O'Donohoe, 22 Craig Ronaldson, 23 Tiernan O'Halloran

Glasgow Warriors: 15 Niko Matawalu, 14 Byron McGuigan, 13 Mark Bennett, 12 Gabriel Ascarate, 11 DTH van der Merwe, 10 Duncan Weir, 9 Chris Cusiter (captain), 8 Josh Strauss, 7 Chris Fusaro, 6 Rob Harley, 5 Jonny Gray, 4 Tom Ryder, 3 Jon Welsh, 2 Dougie Hall, 1 Gordon Reid.

Replacements: 16 , 17 Jerry Yanuyanutawa, 18 Jon Welsh, 19 , 20 Chris Fusaro, 21 Niko Matawalu, 22 Ruaridh Jackson, 23 Mark Bennett.

Referee: Neil Paterson (Scotland)

Assistant referees: Leo Colgan (Ireland), Kim Imbusch (Ireland)

TMO: Dermot Moloney (Ireland)

Munster 12-6 Ospreys

Munster reclaimed top spot in the Pro12 thanks to the boot of Ian Keatley as they defeated Ospreys 12-6.

Glasgow temporarily took over at the top after beating Connacht earlier in the day but Keatley's three penalties and one from JJ Hanrahan edged out Ospreys in a tight encounter.

It was Munster's first win against their Welsh opponents since 2011 and means they have won six of their first seven games to lead the Pro12.

Munster and Ospreys met after enjoying fine starts to the season but the Welsh side boasted the added advantage of going unbeaten in their last five games against the Irish side.

Having won three games on the spin the stage looked set for Munster to end their sticky recent run against Ospreys and they duly took the lead when Keatley kicked over a penalty in the fifth minute.

The 26-year-old fly-half was offered the chance to double the advantage ten minutes later but this time he failed with his penalty attempt.

Undeterred, Keatley stepped up to the mark again on 22 minutes and added another three points to the Munster haul to give them the initiative in a low-scoring half.

The Ospreys response was swift and after a penalty was awarded four minutes later Matthew Morgan halved the deficit to leave the score 6-3 at the break.

The Welsh region looked to have struck a crucial blow in the second half when Tito Tebaldi crossed the try line but after it was referred to the TMO the score was ruled out.

While Ospreys were still trailing on the scoreboard they at least had the pleasure of welcoming back flyer Hanno Dirksen, who came off the bench at the start of the second half for his first appearance in almost 12 months due to knee troubles.

However, it was the kickers who were continuing to dominate and Keatley in particular as he missed from the tee on 52 minutes only to succeed four minutes later, stretching Munster's lead to 9-3.

JJ Hanrahan replaced Keatley on 64 minutes and four minutes later he nudged Munster 12-3 ahead with a penalty.

Morgan could have reduced the gap further but he connected poorly with a penalty attempt with ten minutes left on the clock and then missed with a drop goal with two minutes to go.

But with the last kick of the match Morgan finally succeeded, kicking a penalty to earn the Ospreys a losing bonus point from a 12-6 defeat.

The scorers:

For Munster:

Pens: Keatley 3, Hanrahan

For Ospreys:

Pen: Morgan 2

Teams:

Munster: 15 Felix Jones, 14 Johne Murphy, 13 Casey Laulala, 12 Ivan Dineen, 11 Ronan O'Mahony, 10 Ian Keatley, 9 Duncan Williams, 8 CJ Stander. 7 Sean Dougall, 6 Dave O'Callaghan, 5 Dave Foley, 4 Donncha O'Callaghan, 3 BJ Botha, 2 Damien Varley (captain), 1 David Kilcoyne.

Replacements: 16 Duncan Casey, 17 James Cronin, 18 John Ryan, 19 Billy Holland, 20 James Coughlan, 21 Cathal Sheridan, 22 JJ Hanrahan, 23 Cian Bohane.

Ospreys: 15 Richard Fussell, 14 Aisea Natoga, 13 Jonathan Spratt (captain), 12 Andrew Bishop, 11 Ben John, 10 Matthew Morgan, 9 Tito Tibaldi, 8 Morgan Allen, 7 Sam Lewis, 6 Joe Bearman, 5 James King, 4 Lloyd Peers, 3 Joe Rees, 2 Scott Baldwin, 1 Marc Thomas.

Replacements: 16 Matthew Dwyer, 17 Nicky Smith, 18 Dan Suter, 19 Rhodri Hughes, 20 Arthur Ellis, 21 Tom Habberfield, 22 Sam Davies, 23 Hanno Dirksen.

Referee: Giuseppe Vivarini (Italy)

Assistant referees: Gary Conway (Ireland), John Carvill (Ireland)

TMO: Jude Quinn (Ireland)

Scarlets 17-9 Ulster

John Barclay scored the only try of the match as the Scarlets got back to winning ways on home soil with a 17-9 victory over Ulster.

Barclay, who started on the replacements bench but entered the fray after just 14 minutes, dived over just after half-hour mark as the Scarlets built an 11-3 lead.

Ruan Pienaar kicked Ulster to within five points soon into the second half but with Aled Thomas also coming off the bench to kick three penalties in total, the Scarlets exacted revenge for last season's Pro12 semifinal defeat.

It was a second home win of the season for the Scarlets, who needed Rhys Priestland's last-gasp penalty to salvage a draw last time out away to Zebre.

Simon Easterby was without seven of his squad, away on international duty, and it was the visitors who broke the deadlock on nine minutes, South African Pienaar nailing his first penalty attempt in difficult conditions at Parc y Scarlets.

The hosts responded well however and Steven Shingler levelled things up on 23 minutes after a period of concerted pressure from the hosts brought a penalty in front of the posts.

And the Scarlets continued to build momentum as the half wore on and moved into a five-point lead when Barclay, on as a replacement for Aaron Shingler, finished off an impressive move in the corner.

Steven Shingler missed the conversion but Scarlets continued to attack in waves and only some desperate Ulster defence denied Easterby's side another try.

They did however extend their lead before the break when Thomas, on for Steven Shingler, added a penalty on the stroke of half-time.

Ulster, rattled at the break, began the second half the brighter and Pienaar was handed the chance to trim the deficit just three minutes after half-time, but he was off target from the tee.

Two minutes later however, he nailed another penalty after the Scarlets were adjudged to be offside, bringing Ulster back to within touching distance.

With the rain sheeting down, a kicking duel ensued with neither side able to string many phases together.

On 64 minutes however, Ulster replacement David McIlwaine was sent to the sin bin as Gareth Davies attempted to streak clear for the hosts.

Thomas bisected the posts to make it 14-6 to the hosts, but Pienaar responded with his third penalty of the night after the Scarlets infringed at the scrum on 69 minutes to set up a tense finish.

But Pienaar then missed a straightforward kick from in front of the posts before Roger Wilson was sent to the sin bin on 74 minutes, and when Thomas slotted the subsequent penalty, the Scarlets able to see out the win.

The scorers:

For the Scarlets:

Try: Barclay

Pens: Shingler, Thomas 3

For Ulster:

Pens: Pienaar 3

Yellow cards: David McIlwaine (Ulster, 63), Roger Wilson (Ulster, 74)

Teams:

Scarlets: 15 Gareth Owen, 14 Nick Reynolds, 13 Gareth Maule, 12 Adam Warren, 11 Jordan Williams, 10 Steve Shingler, 9 Gareth Davies, 8 Sione Timani, 7 Josh Turnbull, 6 Aaron Shingler, 5 George Earle, 4 Jake Ball, 3 Samson Lee, 2 Kirby Myhill, 1 Phil John (captain).

Replacements: 16 Darran Harris, 17 Rob Evans, 18 Jacobie Adriaanse, 19 Johan Snyman, 20 John Barclay, 21 Aled Davies, 22 Aled Thomas, 23 Chris Knight.

Ulster: 15 Jared Payne (captain), 14 Andrew Trimble, 13 Darren Cave, 12 Chris Farrell, 11 Michael Allen, 10 Ruan Pienaar, 9 Paul Marshall, 8 Nick Williams, 7 Roger Wilson, 6 Robbie Diack, 5 Neil McComb, 4 Lewis Stevenson, 3 John Afoa, 2 Rob Herring, 1 Callum Black.

Replacements: 16 Niall Annett, 17 Kyle McCall, 18 Ricky Lutton, 19 Mike McComish, 20 Sean Doyle, 21 James McKinney, 22 Ricky Andrew, 23 David McIlwaine.

Referee: Alain Rolland (Ireland)

Assistant referees: Gwyn Morris (Wales), Andrew Davies (Wales)

TMO: Tim Hayes (Wales)