Guinness Pro12 Round 4

[Amiga500]

Fekin browser collapsed and lost the best round intro of 2016-2017 by far. Raging!


EDIT: The Treviso game on Friday kicked off at 19:05 UK time (must have been Central European time listed on BBC website), so might also be the case for Zebre/Blues on Sat.

[TABLE="width: 800"]
<tbody>[TR]
[TD]Friday
[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Glasgow[/TD]
[TD]vs.[/TD]
[TD]Ulster[/TD]
[TD][19:35][/TD]
[TD]BBC2 Scotland, BBC2 NI[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Leinster[/TD]
[TD]vs.[/TD]
[TD]Ospreys[/TD]
[TD][19:35][/TD]
[TD]BBC2 Wales[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Treviso[/TD]
[TD]vs.[/TD]
[TD]Dragons[/TD]
[TD][20:05][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Saturday[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Munster[/TD]
[TD]vs.[/TD]
[TD]Edinburgh[/TD]
[TD][15:00][/TD]
[TD]WHOOOSH (Sky)[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Zebre[/TD]
[TD]vs.[/TD]
[TD]Blues[/TD]
[TD][17:05][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Scarlets[/TD]
[TD]vs.[/TD]
[TD]Connacht[/TD]
[TD][19:35][/TD]
[TD]S4C[/TD]
[/TR]
</tbody>[/TABLE]



Previews
Glasgow and Ulster are two pretty well balanced teams right now, hard to pick a winner. Glasgow's home comforts should see them win.
Ospreys face their toughest test to date in Leinster, but Leinster's defence is not the force of last year - Kurt McQuilkin is sorely missed. Ospreys to win due to a leaky defence.
Treviso impressed me when Ulster were on the ropes for long spells a couple of weeks back. With a bit more composure and conviction, they'd have went in at half time with a handy lead and likely went on to win. Should be able to beat the Dragons.

Munster should find enough to overcome an Edinburgh outfit that never really convinces me.
Blues to easily overcome the hapless Zebre, even if it takes them 60+ minutes to break the dam.
Connacht will be getting desperate - but Scarlets were very organised last week in defeat against us. Scarlets to win I think.

---

If anyone has TV info, please post in the thread - might be useful to someone.

 

[Leonormous Boozer]

Excuses dude!! Thanks for putting this up, was on a wee holiday hunting for Ian Madigan.

I think I agree with you in all predictions bar Leinster (Quelle Surprise) but that's purely because whenever Leinster and the Ospreys play it seems that the team who is in worse form wins and quack science worked for me predicting the Scarlets defeat last week!

 

[MojoPin]

Thanks once again for putting all of this into a single thread, and good predictions as always. I'll (optimistically, and perhaps naively) disagree about the Dragons though - they didn't do too badly against Munster last week so I'm hoping they'll step it up another notch and manage their second win. Scarlets though...that's a tough one. If the forwards keep it tidy and disciplined then they should manage a win but if they get any cards then things might go south. Think the home advantage will help them through, but far from a sure thing.

Glasgow v Ulster should be a cracker, gonna have that on a second screen tonight I think! Too close to call. Gut says Glasgow (especially with Finn Russell back in the squad) but Ulster are looking very, very dangerous.

 

[Bluemoon]

Two massive fixtures tonight. I'm actually looking forward to Ospreys being really tested. They obviously managed to buy a pint for the fixture list organisers for the first three rounds. Ospreys have looked good up to now, but really they not had the threat that they'll be facing this evening. Both sides having some big names come back into the team. I wonder if anyone will be undercooked. I'm going for the Ospreys in a tight game, but just.

Glasgow and Ulster are who I think will be in the final this year. Glasgow at home will want to make amends for last week and they are playing some really quick rugby. Ulster will want to boss the breakdown, as that is one way of stopping the Glasgow flow. It's a good game to have Pienaar controlling at 9.

 

[Gavin]

Well that was stupid by Henderson

 

[Bluemoon]

I thought the Ospreys were at home!! Just turned it on. Looking comfortable for Leinster?

 

[LeinsterMan (NotTigsMan)]

BS call by the ref against ulster.

Really really BS call.

 

[Bluemoon]

Only briefly saw the Ulster penalty try... felt it was a little harsh maybe as the attacker changed direction into the tackle? Sarto did catch him with no arms I guess.

 

[Amiga500]

Think Ian Davies had a bit of a stinker of a first half. He improved in the second though.

 

[Leonormous Boozer]

When you're good, you're good!!

 

[Groundhog]

Nasty old hit on O'Donoghue here as he's stretchered off. Well the intent wasn't malicous, the result was just bad. Yellow the right call but it's tough for players to make powerful clearouts without damaging other players these days.

 

[Groundhog]

John Ryan has become a very good tight head from nowhere this season. He's locked out and on occasion dominated every loosehead put in front of him.

 

[Groundhog]

I've never seen Sky Sports wax lyrical about a team who are losing 28-14 as if they're having a great game. Jesus.

 

[LeinsterMan (NotTigsMan)]

hoping Keatley starts V Leicester.

 

[Groundhog]

Williams and Keatley are a miserable halfback pairing. Couldn't create a decent run if play even if they had the All Blacks backline outside them.

 

[munstermuffin]

Great win for us yes there are still alot of areas to improve but:
Tyler starting to shine
Murray was unreal again
Earls is back
Our defense is playing superbly
The scrum is a weapon again
John Ryan has literally reinvented himself and is developing a huge engine. He was my MOTM yesterday.

People slating Williams and Keatley but being fair I thought Keatley did well at 15 and when he went 10 Williams gave him awful passes.

Oliver really took his chance at 7, Sweetnam and Bohane also really stating cases to start in Europe. Jean Kleyn really settling in as an enforcer type player for us too.
We still a long way from being challengers but Rassie really has us on right track

 

[Bruce_ma gooshvili]

Predictions of improvement in Italian sides is coming true (although personally I only really picked Treviso to progress, some season previews were tipping Zebre). Zebre were a conversion away from a draw against the top team (infuriating that Canna presumably wasn't on the field to take the kick) and Treviso seemed to be bordering on comfortable against the Dragons. Cautiously optimistic that coaches for both Italian sides might be more capable than I was fearing. They both need to sort out why their teams capitulate away from home though. Also, the times of the home fixtures in Italy are routinely published incorrectly this season. Very amateur.

Edinburgh went to pieces in the second half and the completely new back five combinations every week are starting to drive me potty (apparently Solomons "saw a lot of positives").

Ulster simply better than Glasgow in my opinion. Paddy Jackson again making me look a bit silly, mistook him for the Piatau lad a couple of times in the game and Andy Nicol described him as just about scoring the best "non-try he'd ever seen" with his solo run. And as part of the Scotland team Andy Nicol became an expert at seeing "non-tries" at close quarters, so he knows what he's on about. To think I once had Paddy Jackson and Duncan Weir as being at a similar level.

Ospreys scored 19 unanswered points and missed a sitter of a try from Rhys Webb during that period (so should have been 26). I take it Leinster had just taken their foot off the gas after having secured the bonus point at 31-0? They definitely took their foot off the gas against Edinburgh in similar circumstances the previous week.

Quite enjoying watching the Welsh Scrum V Sunday programme on the iPlayer. Obviously Welsh focussed, but sometimes decent analysis of the games (and we have nothing equivalent to that up here). Also good to see Scot Williams squirm after being asked by a kids "why do Scarlets miss so many tackles" and "what is going on with the Scarlets this season". Out of the mouths of babes!

Already a pretty big gap has developed already between the top 6 and bottom 6. I can only see the Scarlets having a chance of straddling that gap.

 

[ALJ]

Interesting decision.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/wales/37810500