RaboDirect PRO12 PREVIEW 2013/14

Round 18: 28-30 March 2014

PREVIEW ROUND 18 The pick of the round must be the sell-out Leinster v Munster game at the Aviva on Saturday. The two teams currently occupy the home Play-Off slots, but Munster must know that any slip up in could see third placed overtake them in the search for that end of season home advantage.

The game at Scotstoun on Friday night is also critical to the Play-Offs; Warriors currently sit in 5th place in the table just 4 points behind their opponents, , but with two games in hand and a better winning record. Should they beat the Welshmen, Glasgow will take over their spot in the Play-Off zone with the added advantage of an extra 10 points to play for to consolidate their position.

Sunday’s game, whilst not directly affecting the Play-Off Zone, does have implications in the table - Connacht’s run of four successive victories has lifted them up five places to 7th and they travel to in the knowledge that a win, depending on the scoreline, could see them reside in the top half of the table for the first time since the opening round this season. ROUND 18 FIXTURES Friday 28 March

GLASGOW WARRIORS v OSPREYS At , 7.35pm. Live on Referee: John Lacey (IRFU, 34th competition game) Assistant Referees: Peter Allan, TBC (both SRU) Citing Commissioner: Paul Minto (SRU) TMO: TBC

HEAD TO HEAD - RECENT RaboDirect PRO12 MEETINGS Date Venue G O scorers Ospreys scorers Sat 5 Mar 11 6 37 (2P) Ashley Beck(T) (T/3C/D/P) Jerry Collins(T) Penalty Try(T) Tom Smith(T) Fri 28 Oct 11 Firhill Stadium 28 17 Richie Gray(T) Duncan Weir(C/7P) Matthew Morgan(T/4P) Fri 2 Mar 12 Liberty Stadium 26 20 (2C/4P) Colin Shaw(T) Dan Biggar(2C/2P) Hanno Dirksen(T) Kahn (T) Fotuali'i(T) Fri 14 Sep 12 Liberty Stadium 28 10 Chris Fusaro(T) Duncan Weir(2C/2P) Dan Biggar(C/P) (T) DTH van der Merwe(2T) Ruaridh Jackson(P) Fri 19 Apr 13 Scotstoun Stadium 35 17 Pete Horne(P) Duncan Weir(2C/P) Nikola Sam Lewis(T) Dan Biggar(2C/P) Cai Matawalu(T) DTH van der Merwe(T) Griffiths(T) (2T) (T) Fri 29 Nov 13 Liberty Stadium 28 16 Ryan Wilson(T) (P) Chris Sam Davies(C/D/2P) Jeff Hassler(T) Cusiter(T) DTH van der Merwe(T) Ruaridh Jackson(2C/2P)

Glasgow Warriors have won their last two matches at Scotstoun but have not managed to score more than two tries in a game at the venue in any match this season. The most recent RaboDirect PRO12 fixture featuring the Warriors to yield a try bonus point for either side came when the Ospreys last visited Scotstoun in round 21 last season. Ospreys have slipped to four straight away defeats in all competitions and have not won outside of since a trip to Connacht in the PRO12 in September. The Welshmen’s only victory in their last eight visits to since 2009 came when they beat 15-14 at Murrayfield in February 2012. Glasgow have won their last five contests with Ospreys whilst the Welsh region’s most recent victory in Glasgow came on a trip to Firhill in September 2009.

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Round 18: 28-30 March 2014

Saturday 29 March

BENETTON TREVISO v At Stadio Monigo, 7pm local time (6pm UK & ). Live on Referee: Nigel Owens (107th competition game) Assistant Referees: Stefano Penne, Stefano Traversi (both FIR) Citing Commissioner: Stefano Marrama (FIR) TMO: Alan Falzone (FIR)

HEAD TO HEAD - RECENT RaboDirect PRO12 MEETINGS Date Venue B E Benetton Treviso scorers Edinburgh Rugby scorers Fri 6 May 11 Stadio Monigo 31 6 Luke McLean(2T) Willem de Waal(2C/4P) (2P) (T) Sat 5 Nov 11 Stadio Monigo 11 22 Kris Burton(D/P) Ludovico Nitoglia(T) Harry Leonard(C/5P) Allan Jacobsen(T) Sat 5 May 12 Murrayfield 21 44 Tommaso Benvenuti(T) (T) (T) (T/5C/3P) Kris Burton(3C) Ludovico Nitoglia(T) Chris Paterson(T) Kyle Traynor(T) (T) Fri 5 Oct 12 Murrayfield 27 22 (2T) Alberto di Dougie Fife(T) Greig Laidlaw(2C/P) Lee Bernardo(3C/2P) Penalty Try(T) Jones(T) Tim Visser(T) Fri 19 Apr 13 Stadio Monigo 30 10 Alberto di Bernardo(3C/3P) Manoa (T) Greig Laidlaw(C/P) Vosawai(T) (T) (T) Fri 25 Oct 13 Murrayfield 13 20 Luke McLean(T) James Ambrosini(P) WP Nel(T) Greig Tonks(T) Greig Tobias Botes(C/P) Laidlaw(2C/2P)

Benetton Treviso have lost their last eight matches in all tournaments and have not scored a try in the RaboDirect PRO12 for 266 minutes, since crossed against Ospreys on 16th February – this is still a long way short of the league record though, which RFC hold at 350 minutes. Edinburgh Rugby’s only victory in their last five matches in all tournaments came against Ospreys at Meggetland on 28th February. The Scotsmen have picked up just two league points away from home this season, both losing bonus points, in their last two matches at Connacht and at Scarlets. Edinburgh have won three of their last four matches against Italian opposition. The two sides have met on seven previous occasions with the Scotsmen having the slight edge by four wins to three.

CARDIFF BLUES v ULSTER At Arms Park, 6.30pm. Live on Referee: Marius Mitrea (FIR, 25th competition game) Assistant Referees: Gwyn Morris, Sean Brickell (both WRU) Citing Commissioner: Russell Howell (WRU) TMO: Gareth Simmonds (WRU)

HEAD TO HEAD - RECENT RaboDirect PRO12 MEETINGS Date Venue C U Blues scorers Ulster scorers Fri 25 Feb 11 13 32 Dan Fish(T) (C/2P) (T) (T) (3C/2P) Ruan Pienaar(T) (T) Fri 16 Sep 11 Ravenhill Stadium 3 20 Ceri Sweeney(P) (P) (2T) Ian Humphreys(2C/P) Fri 17 Feb 12 Arms Park 21 14 Tom James(T) (T/C/3P) Ruan Pienaar(3P) Robbie Diack(T) Fri 28 Sep 12 Arms Park 19 48 Harry Robinson(T) Gareth Davies(C/P) Paddy Jackson(5C/P) Mike Allen(T) (3P) (2T) (T) Nick Williams(2T) Andrew Trimble(T) Fri 3 May 13 Ravenhill Stadium 13 37 (C/D/P) Dafydd Hewitt(T) Ruan Pienaar(T/4C/3P) Andrew Trimble(2T) Robbie Diack(T)

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Round 18: 28-30 March 2014

Fri 25 Oct 13 Ravenhill Stadium 21 39 Richard Smith(T) Robin Copeland(T) Paddy Jackson(3P) Luke Marshall(T) Dan (C/3P) Tuohy(2T) Jared Payne(T) Ruan Pienaar(C/P) Andrew Trimble(T)

Cardiff Blues have lost their last five RaboDirect PRO12 matches equalling their worst ever run in the competition. The Blues only victory in their last nine fixtures with Irish provinces was 21-10 over Connacht at the Arms Park in round 2 this season. Ulster have won their last eight matches in all tournaments although their 9-3 victory at Edinburgh on Friday was only the third time in the history of the tournament that Ulster have won a game without scoring a try. The Ulstermen have lost on two of their last three visits to Wales whilst the Blues only victory in their last seven encounters with Ulster was 21-14 at the Arms Park in February 2012.

LEINSTER v MUNSTER At , 7pm. Live on Referee: Pascale Gauzere (FFR, 5th competition game) Assistant Referees: David Wilkinson, Michael Black (both IRFU) Citing Commissioner: Peter Ferguson (IRFU) TMO: Simon McDowell (IRFU)

HEAD TO HEAD - RECENT RaboDirect PRO12 MEETINGS Date Venue L M Leinster scorers Munster scorers Sat 28 May 11 (TF) 9" 19 (3P) (T) Doug Howlett(T) Ronan O'Gara(2C) Penalty Try(T) Fri 4 Nov 11 Aviva Stadium 24 19 (D) Jonathan Sexton(7P) Ronan O'Gara(C/4P) Penalty Try(T) Sat 31 Mar 12 Thomond Park 18 9 (D) Fergus McFadden(P) Ronan O'Gara(3P) Jonathan Sexton(4P) Sat 6 Oct 12 Aviva Stadium 30 21 Ian Madigan(T) Brian O'Driscoll(T) (T) Peter O'Mahony(T) Ian Jonathan Sexton(3C/3P) Richardt Keatley(C) Ronan O'Gara(3P) Strauss(T) Sat 13 Apr 13 Thomond Park 22 16 Ian Madigan(C/5P) Brian O'Driscoll(T) Felix Jones(T) Ian Keatley(T/2P) Sat 5 Oct 13 Thomond Park 15 19 Ian Madigan(4P) Fergus McFadden(P) Keith Earls(T) Ian Keatley(C/4P)

Leinster have won their last nine matches in all tournaments and have dropped only two points out of a possible thirty in their last six RaboDirect PRO12 fixtures. The Leinstermen have lost on their last two visits to Aviva Stadium, but both of these games were in the European Cup, however the Leinstermen have won all twelve previous RaboDirect PRO12 games they have played at the venue . Munster’s only defeat in their last seven matches in all tournaments was 13-18 at the Scarlets in round 16 of the PRO12. The Munstermen have lost on their last four visits to the home of Irish Rugby since they beat Leinster at the old in the semi-final of the European Cup in 2006. Munster beat Leinster 19-15 at Thomond Park in round 5 and are going for a first regular season double over their fiercest rivals since 2008/09.

ZEBRE v NEWPORT GWENT At Stadio XXV April, 4pm local time (3pm UK & Ireland). Live on Live on Referee: Peter Fitzgibbon (IRFU, 54th competition game) Assistant Referees: Matteo Liperini, Elia Rizzon (both FIR) Citing Commissioner: Marco Dordelli (FIR) TMO: Carlo Damasco (FIR)

HEAD TO HEAD - RECENT RaboDirect PRO12 MEETINGS Date Venue Z N scorers Newport Gwent Dragons scorers Fri 31 Aug 12 6 37 (2P) Will Harries(T) Tom Prydie(4C/2P) Steffan Jones(D) Andy Tuilagi(T) (2T)

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Round 18: 28-30 March 2014

Sun 24 Feb 13 Stadio XXV Aprile 13 14 Alberto Chillon(C/2P) Matteo Steffan Jones(3P) Jevon Groves(T) Pratichetti(T) Fri 4 Oct 13 Rodney Parade 7 30 Leonardo Sarto(T) Luciano Orquera(C) (2T) Jason Tovey(3C/3P) Lewis Evans(T)

Zebre’s only victory in their last five RaboDirect PRO12 matches came against Cardiff Blues in Parma two rounds ago. Zebre are attempting to win back-to-back home games for the first time in their history. Newport Gwent Dragons have also won only one of their last five PRO12 contests: 24-23 at home to Glasgow in round 15. The Dragons only away victory in the competition since they visited Zebre last year was when they beat Glasgow at Scotstoun on 22nd November. The Welsh region have won all three previous encounters with Zebre but only won by the narrowest of margins, 14-13 on their only previous visit to Stadio XXV Aprile in round 16 last season.

Sunday 30 March

SCARLETS v CONNACHT At , 2.05pm. Live on Referee: Neil Paterson (SRU, 58th competition game) Assistant Referees: Wayne Davies, Martyn Lewis (both WRU) Citing Commissioner: Russell Howell (WRU) TMO: Tim Hayes (WRU)

HEAD TO HEAD - RECENT RaboDirect PRO12 MEETINGS Date Venue S C Scarlets scorers Connacht scorers Sat 12 Feb 11 Sportsground 13 17 Dan Newton(C/2P) Gareth Maule(T) Ian Keatley(4P) Frank Murphy(T) Sat 10 Sep 11 Sportsground 11 13 (T) Dan Newton(2P) Matt Jarvis(C/P) Mark McCrea(T) Niall O'Connor(P) Fri 2 Mar 12 Parc y Scarlets 38 10 Kieran Murphy(T) Rhodri Jones(T) Andy Miah Nikora(C/P) Ethienne Reynecke(T) Fenby(T) Phil John(T) Emyr Phillips(T) Stephen Jones(5C/P) Sat 15 Sep 12 Sportsground 24 11 Jordan Williams(2T/C) (T) Eoin Griffin(T) Miah Nikora(2P) Jonathan Davies(T) (C) Fri 8 Feb 13 Parc y Scarlets 25 15 Owen Williams(C/6P) Joe Snyman(T) Danie Poolman(T) Dan Parks(D) Michael Swift(T) Miah Nikora(C) Sat 23 Nov 13 Sportsground 24 21 Frazier Climo(T) Gareth Davies(T) Kirby Matt Healy(T) Jason Harris-Wright(T) Craig Myhill(T) Aled Thomas(3C/P) Ronaldson(C/3P)

Scarlets have slipped to successive RaboDirect PRO12 losses, away at Ulster and at Glasgow. The Welshmen have won their last three matches in all tournaments at Parc y Scarlets. Connacht have won their last four PRO12 matches and climbed from 12th to 7th spot in the table in the process. Another victory would equal their best ever run in the competition set way back in 2002. Scarlets have won their last four encounters against Connacht, whilst the Irish province’s most recent victory in Llanelli came in October 2004 at the old .

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Round 18: 28-30 March 2014

ROUND 17 MICROCOSM FRIDAY 21 MARCH LEINSTER (8)27 ZEBRE (0)0 Ian Madigan(2C/P) Att: 14,855 Noel Reid(33) (59/ 66) (80) (b) EDINBURGH RUGBY (3)3 ULSTER (6)9 Carl Bezuidenhout(P) Paddy Jackson(3P) Att: 6,333 (B) OSPREYS (17)34 CARDIFF BLUES (9)9 Dan Biggar(3C/P) Gareth Davies(3P) Ashley Beck(10) Att: 8,832 Aisea Natoga(16/ 29/ 70) (48) SATURDAY 22 MARCH MUNSTER (7)14 BENETTON TREVISO (3)3 JJ Hanrahan(2C) Mat Berquist(P) Keith Earls(37) Att: 13,946 James Downey(55) GLASGOW WARRIORS (11)14 SCARLETS (3)6 Duncan Weir(3P) Olly Barkley(2P) Nikola Matawalu(31) Att: 4,679 SUNDAY 23 MARCH NEWPORT GWENT DRAGONS (3)8 CONNACHT (14)24 (B) Jason Tovey(P) Dan Parks(2C) Tom Prydie(69) John Muldoon(17/ 67) Att: 5,474 Rodney Ah You(23) Michael Swift(79) Key: winning team shown in green, losing team in red, a draw marked in amber Note: (B) denotes a try bonus point and (b) a losing bonus point

RaboDirect PRO12 DEBUTS IN ROUND 17 (3) Ewan McQuillin (Edinburgh Rugby), Quentin MacDonald (Munster), Scott Otten (Ospreys)

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Round 18: 28-30 March 2014

HOW THEY STAND

RaboDirect PRO12 Record Points Attack Defence Pos Team P W D L TB LB Tot T C PG DG For T C PG DG Agst TB LB PD 1 Leinster (1)  17 13 1 3 7 3 64 43 35 42 1 414 26 17 34 1 269 0 4 145 2 Munster (2)  17 14 0 3 5 1 62 42 36 43 0 411 17 12 43 1 241 0 6 170 3 Ulster (3)  17 13 0 4 5 2 59 34 24 41 0 341 17 10 35 1 213 0 5 128 4 Ospreys (4)  17 10 1 6 5 4 51 47 36 41 5 445 23 18 47 2 298 0 4 147 5 Glasgow Warriors (5)  15 11 0 4 0 3 47 25 18 35 0 266 15 14 38 3 226 0 9 40 6 Scarlets (6)  17 7 1 9 1 5 36 28 21 40 0 302 33 27 38 0 333 3 3 -31 7 Connacht (9)  17 6 0 11 3 5 32 28 19 29 2 271 29 23 42 1 320 2 2 -49 8 Edinburgh Rugby (8)  15 6 0 9 1 4 29 24 18 36 0 264 33 23 37 1 325 3 5 -61 9 Newport Gwent Dragons (7)  16 6 0 10 0 4 28 22 16 37 5 268 30 25 39 3 326 4 4 -58 10 Cardiff Blues (10)  17 4 1 12 0 6 24 21 19 54 3 314 44 37 46 2 438 6 1 -124 11 Benetton Treviso (11)  16 3 1 12 0 6 20 19 19 42 0 259 49 38 24 2 399 4 1 -140 12 Zebre (12)  17 3 1 13 0 4 18 25 17 28 1 246 42 34 45 0 413 5 3 -167 TOTALS 99 96 3 96 27 47 470 358 278 468 17 3801 358 278 468 17 3801 27 47

2013/14 ABBREVIATED RULES The RaboDirect PRO12 shall consist of a league stage followed by a play-off stage. In the league stage, four league points shall be awarded for a win and two league points shall be awarded for a draw.

One bonus league point shall be awarded to a Team scoring four or more tries and one bonus league point shall be awarded to a Team losing by seven points or less.

The top four Teams in the league at the end of the season shall qualify for the play- offs which shall consist of the RaboDirect PRO12 Semi Finals and the RaboDirect PRO12 Final.

If two or more Teams finish with the same number of league points, their placings will be determined by the following criteria in descending order: number of matches won; the difference between points for and points against; the number of tries scored; the most points scored; the difference between tries for and tries against; the fewest number of red cards received; the fewest number of yellow cards received.

In the RaboDirect PRO12 Semi-Finals, the Team placed first in the league shall play the Team placed fourth and the Team placed second shall play the Team placed third. The RaboDirect PRO12 Semi-Finals shall be held at the home grounds of the first and second placed Teams respectively. The winners shall meet in the RaboDirect PRO12 Final.

The RaboDirect PRO12 Final is provisionally scheduled to take place the weekend of 31st May 2014. RaboDirect PRO12 will determine the venue for the RaboDirect PRO12 Final however the Team that finished highest in the league stage competing in the Final will be able to propose a venue within its own Union’s jurisdiction (which may include the team's own ground) to host the RaboDirect PRO12 Final, provided that the venue meets certain commercial criteria and has capacity for a minimum of 18,000 spectators.

The winner of the RaboDirect PRO12 for 2013/14 will therefore be the Team that wins the RaboDirect PRO12 Final.

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Round 18: 28-30 March 2014

THE PLAYOFF ZONE Positions by Round 2013/14

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

Blues Connacht Edinburgh Glasgow Dragons Leinster Munster Ospreys Scarlets Ulster POZ Zebre Treviso

If the Play Offs were to happen after this round they would be: 1st v 4th – Leinster v Ospreys 2nd v 3rd – Munster v Ulster

THE RUN IN

Team Pts Round 18 Rearranged Round 19 Round 20 Rearranged Round 21 Round 22 10 May (6.30pm) 1 Leinster 64 29/3: MUNSTER 11/4: Ospreys 18/4: TREVISO 2/5: Ulster EDINBURGH 2 Munster 62 29/3: Leinster 12/4: WARRIORS 19/4: Connacht 2/5: Edinburgh ULSTER 3 Ulster 59 29/3: Blues 11/4: CONNACHT 18/4: Warriors 2/5: LEINSTER Munster 4 Ospreys 51 28/3: Warriors 11/4: LEINSTER 20/4: Dragons 2/5: Zebre CONNACHT 5 Glasgow Warriors 47 28/3: OSPREYS 4/4: TREVISO 12/4: Munster 18/4: ULSTER 25/4: EDINBURGH 2/5: Treviso ZEBRE 6 Scarlets 36 30/3: CONNACHT 12/4: ZEBRE 20/4: Blues 2/5: DRAGONS BLUES 7 Connacht 32 30/3: Scarlets 11/4: Ulster 19/4: MUNSTER 2/5: BLUES Ospreys 8 Edinburgh Rugby 29 29/3: Treviso 3/4: Dragons 11/4: BLUES 19/4: Zebre 25/4: Warriors 2/5: MUNSTER Leinster 9 Newport Gwent Dragons 28 29/3: Zebre 3/4: EDINBURGH 12/4: Treviso 20/4: OSPREYS 2/5: Scarlets TREVISO 10 Cardiff Blues 24 29/3: ULSTER 11/4: Edinburgh 20/4: SCARLETS 2/5: Connacht Scarlets 11 Benetton Treviso 20 29/3: EDINBURGH 4/4: Warriors 12/4: DRAGONS 18/4: Leinster 2/5: WARRIORS Dragons 12 Zebre 18 29/3: DRAGONS 12/4: Scarlets 19/4: EDINBURGH 2/5: OSPREYS Warriors Key: Versus top 4 team Versus middle 4 team Versus bottom 4 team Home games in CAPS

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Round 18: 28-30 March 2014

SPECSAVERS FAIRPLAY LEAGUE The Specsavers Fairplay League rewards the best disciplinary record, with the club with the fewest disciplinary points (1 point for each yellow card, and 3 points for each red card or upheld citing) at the end of the 22 week regular season given £10,000 to spend on their youth development programme.

FAIRPLAY LEAGUE YC RC PC Pts 1 Ulster 6 0 0 6 2 Connacht 8 0 0 8 2 Glasgow Warriors 8 0 0 8 4 Ospreys 9 0 0 9 4 Leinster 9 0 0 9 6 Edinburgh Rugby 8 0 1 11 6 Cardiff Blues 8 0 1 11 6 Munster 11 0 0 11 9 Benetton Treviso 9 0 1 12 9 Scarlets 12 0 0 12 11 Zebre 13 0 0 13 12 Newport Gwent Dragons 14 1 0 17 TOTALS 115 1 3 127 The above sets out a summary of certain provisions of the RaboDirect PRO12 Rules for information purposes only. As such these provisions may not be relied upon and for a full and proper understanding of the provisions and rules of the RaboDirect PRO12, reference must be made to the RaboDirect PRO12 Rules in their existing and entire form. PROVEN CITINGS (3) (Cardiff Blues v Connacht, 13 Sept). Cited for an infringement of Law 10.4(a) (Punching or striking a player), suspended for two weeks. Lorenzo Cittadini (Benetton Treviso @ Scarlets, 14 Sept). Cited for an infringement of Law 10.4(a) (Punching or striking a player), suspended for three weeks. Aleki Lutui (Edinburgh @Ospreys 21 Sept) been cited for an infringement of Law 10.4(e) (dangerous tackling), suspended for two weeks. (note, the above is only a brief summary for purposes of the Specsavers Fairplay chart) RED CARDS (1) Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro (Newport Gwent Dragons at Leinster, 14 Feb) suspended for a period of 10 weeks for a dangerous "tip" tackle, contrary to Law 10.4 (j). YELLOW CARDS (115) Blues (8) Robin Copeland(2), Filo Paulo(2), Macauley Cook, Pat Palmer, Rory Watts-Jones, Owen Williams Connacht (8) Rodney Ah You, Mata Fifita, Darragh Leader, Ronan Loughney, Frank Murphy, Paul O’Donohoe, Kiernan Marmion, Nathan White Dragons (14) Owen A. Evans(2), Jevon Groves(2), Andrew Coombs, Nathan Buck, Lewis Evans, , Adam Jones, Ieuan Jones, Pat Leach, Matthew Pewtner, Robert Sidoli, Netani Talei Edinburgh (8) Cornell du Preez(2), Ollie Atkins, Tom Brown, , Lee Jones, WP Nel, Izak van der Westhuizen Leinster (9) Sean Cronin, , Tom Denton, Darren Hudson, , Jack McGrath, Brendan Macken, Ian Madigan, Jack O’Connell Munster (11) James Cronin(2), , Keith Earls, , Paul O’Connell, Niall Ronan, Cathal Sheridan, Mike Sherry, CJ Stander, Duncan Williams Ospreys (9) Scott Baldwin, Ashley Beck, Andrew Bishop, Aaron Jarvis, Alun-, , Aisea Natoga, Marc Thomas, Scarlets (12) Rob Evans(2), Gareth Owen(2), Jacobie Adriaanse, , John Barclay, Gareth Davies, Mike

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Round 18: 28-30 March 2014

Poole, Aaron Shingler, Sione Timani, Treviso (9) Alberto di Bernardo(2),Robert Barbieri, Dean Budd, Ignacio Fernandez-Rouet, Marco Filippucci, , Giovanni Maistri, Michele Rizzo Ulster (6) Sean Doyle, , David McIlwaine, Stuart Olding, Lewis Stevenson, Roger Wilson Warriors (8) , Stuart Hogg, Tyrone Holmes, , , Nikola Matawalu, , Jon Welsh Zebre (13) Filippo Ferrarini(2), (2), , Dion Berryman, , Tommaso Iannone, , Kameli Ratuvou, Luca Redolfini, Dries van Schalkwyk,

TOP RaboDirect PRO12 ACCUMULATORS TOP RaboDirect PRO12 POINTS SCORERS Rank Name Team Apps Mins Try Conv PG DG Points 1 Dan Biggar Ospreys 12 911 1 26 29 3 153 2 JJ Hanrahan Munster 9+5 732 3 23 25 0 136 3 Jason Tovey Newport Gwent 13+1 960 1 12 29 4 128 Dragons 4 Mat Berquist Benetton Treviso 12+1 905 0 13 31 0 119 5 Paddy Jackson Ulster 12 928 3 9 26 0 111 6 Leinster 8+8 735 1 16 23 1 109 7 Leigh Halfpenny Cardiff Blues 7 560 0 7 28 0 98 8 Ian Madigan Leinster 10+4 862 1 19 18 0 97 9 Dan Parks Connacht 12+5 958 1 17 16 2 93 10 Luciano Orquera Zebre 9+3 778 1 11 19 1 87 11 Ian Keatley Munster 9+4 704 1 13 18 0 85 12 Ruan Pienaar Ulster 8+1 658 1 10 13 0 64 13 Gareth Davies Cardiff Blues 7+7 767 1 8 13 1 63 14 Greig Laidlaw Edinburgh Rugby 5 400 0 7 16 0 62 15 Aled Thomas Scarlets 8+3 695 0 13 9 0 53 16 Rhys Priestland Scarlets 7+2 606 0 3 15 0 51 17 Duncan Weir Glasgow Warriors 5 358 0 3 15 0 51 Best in a PRO12 Season: 287pts by Felipe Contepomi (Leinster) in 2005/06 TOP RaboDirect PRO12 TRY SCORERS TOP RaboDirect PRO12 TRY SCORERS Rank Name Team Apps Mins Tries Home Away 1st H 2nd H 1 Gareth Davies Scarlets 13+2 887 8 3 5 5 3 2 Jeff Hassler Ospreys 13+2 978 6 3 3 3 3 3 Ashley Beck Ospreys 11+1 862 5 4 1 4 1 4 Cardiff Blues 8+5 552 5 4 1 4 1 5 Aisea Natoga Ospreys 7+2 553 5 5 0 3 2 6 Ludovico Nitoglia Benetton Treviso 16 1215 5 4 1 1 4 7 Noel Reid Leinster 11+2 841 5 2 3 3 2 8 Tommy Bowe Ulster 5 343 4 4 0 3 1 9 Fionn Carr Connacht 12+4 1071 4 4 0 2 2 10 Darren Cave Ulster 13+3 1090 4 2 2 3 1 11 Dougie Fife Edinburgh Rugby 14 1013 4 3 1 3 1 12 Jordan Williams Scarlets 10+3 879 4 2 2 2 2 13 Kieran Marmion Connacht 15+2 1078 4 2 2 3 1 14 Nikola Matawalu Glasgow Warriors 8+2 673 4 2 2 3 1 15 John Muldoon Connacht 12+2 1014 4 2 2 2 2 16 Munster 7+1 579 4 3 1 2 2

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Round 18: 28-30 March 2014

Best in a PRO12 Season: 14 by Tim Visser (Edinburgh) 2010/11

RHINO GOLDEN BOOT AWARD BEST RaboDirect PRO12 KICKERS Rank Name Team Good Att Kick% Last 10 kicks Conv PG Streak 1 JJ Hanrahan Munster 48 54 88.89% 22/32c/2/pp22 23/24 25/30 Last 2 2 Gareth Davies Cardiff Blues 21 24 87.50% 3/2c32/32/333 8/9 13/15 Last 7 3 Steve Shingler Scarlets 14 16 87.50% 23333/32p/3c 4/5 10/11 Missed last 1 4 Duncan Weir Glasgow Warriors 18 21 85.71% 33333c/33c3 3/5 15/16 Last 1 5 Glasgow Warriors 12 14 85.71% 2233p/2c323 6/7 6/7 Last 3 6 Dan Biggar Ospreys 55 66 83.33% 33c3/2cc232 26/34 29/32 Last 3 7 Alberto di Bernardo Benetton Treviso 10 12 83.33% 3332/p/32/333 2/2 8/10 Last 5 8 Matthew Morgan Ospreys 10 12 83.33% p3/33333c23 2/3 8/9 Last 2 9 Greig Laidlaw Edinburgh Rugby 23 28 82.14% 2/c33p/3233p 7/8 16/20 Missed last 1 10 Ian Madigan Leinster 37 46 80.43% 33c2/3pc2c2 19/23 18/23 Last 1 11 Leigh Halfpenny Cardiff Blues 35 44 79.55% 33/p3333pp3 7/8 28/36 Last 1 12 Mat Berquist Benetton Treviso 44 56 78.57% 3333/33p/3pp 13/13 31/43 Missed last 2 13 Carl Bezuidenhout Edinburgh Rugby 11 14 78.57% 3/23c2333/3p 4/5 7/9 Missed last 1 14 Rhys Priestland Scarlets 18 23 78.26% 33/33/p3p333 3/4 15/19 Last 3 15 Harry Leonard Edinburgh Rugby 16 21 76.19% 3/pc2323/cc2 6/9 10/12 Last 1 16 Jimmy Gopperth Leinster 39 52 75.00% 3p2/223322p 16/20 23/32 Missed last 1 17 Ruan Pienaar Ulster 23 31 74.19% p2/22/3/222pp 10/11 13/20 Missed last 2 18 Aled Thomas Scarlets 22 30 73.33% 2/332c2p/32/p 13/17 9/13 Missed last 1 19 Jason Tovey Newport Gwent 41 56 73.21% p/cc33/32/3pc 12/17 29/39 Missed last 2 Dragons 20 Luciano Orquera Zebre 30 41 73.17% c32/c333p/p3 11/15 19/26 Last 1 21 Sam Davies Ospreys 12 17 70.59% 22c22/3pcp3 8/10 4/7 Last 1 22 Rhys Patchell Cardiff Blues 12 17 70.59% p333p333/2/3 1/1 11/16 Last 5 23 Paddy Jackson Ulster 35 52 67.31% 22222/c/33p3 9/18 26/34 Last 1 24 Ian Keatley Munster 31 47 65.96% 22/233c/323p 13/18 18/29 Missed last 1 25 Dan Parks Connacht 33 51 64.71% 22c/22322/22 17/22 16/29 Last 7 26 Craig Ronaldson Connacht 13 23 56.52% p3pp3/3pppc 1/2 12/21 Missed last 4 27 Ruaridh Jackson Glasgow Warriors 8 16 50.00% c22/c3ppp/p2 4/7 4/9 Last 1 28 Stuart Hogg Glasgow Warriors 5 10 50.00% 33p2/pp2p/p/3 2/2 3/8 Last 1 Qual: 10 place kicks at goal Under Streak, "Last 4" means has kicked last four place kicks in a row successfully. Under "Last 10 kicks" 3 denotes a penalty goal, 2 a conversion, p is a missed penalty and c a missed conversion, whilst separate matches are divided with forward slashes.

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Round 18: 28-30 March 2014

RaboDirect PRO12 RECORD CENTRE INDIVIDUAL GAME RECORDS All-Time Best in 2013/14 Most points 32 - Stephen Jones (Llanelli RFC @ 23 – Greig Laidlaw , 4 Oct 02) (Edinburgh v Connacht, 29 Nov) Most tries 4 - Mike Mullins (Munster @ Caerphilly, 11 3 – Aisea Natoga Sep 01) (Ospreys v Blues, 21 Mar) 4 - Lee Abdul (Blues v Ospreys, 25 Oct 03) 4 – Jamie Robinson (Blues v Borders, 27 Feb 04) Most conversions 9 - Brendan Laney (Edinburgh @ 6 – Sam Davies Caerphilly, 21 Sep 02) (Ospreys v Treviso, 16 Feb) Most penalty goals 9 – Luciano Orquera 6 by five players ( v Treviso, 23 Dec 11) Most drop goals 4 – Dan Parks 2 – Dan Biggar (Glasgow v Ulster, 16 Apr 10) (Ospreys @ Treviso,6 Sep) Fastest try 18 secs – Nathan Brew 2 mins – Dafydd Hewitt (Dragons @ Blues, 27 Dec 05) (Blues v Zebre, 20 Sep) Quickest 17 mins 43 secs – Tommy Bowe 34 mins – Penalty Try bonus point try (Ulster v Reivers, 12 May 06) (Ulster v Dragons, 28 Feb)

TEAM RECORDS All-Time Best in 2013/14 Most points in a home 75-7 Ospreys v Treviso 75-7 Ospreys v Treviso game (Liberty Stadium, 16 Feb 14) (Liberty Stadium, 16 Feb) Most points in an away 67-15 Ulster @ Caerphilly 43-21 Munster @ Zebre game (Virginia Park, 5 Oct 02) (Stadio XXV Aprile, 13 Sep) 43-26 Ospreys @ Connacht (Sportsgound, 28 Sep) Highest aggregate of 98pts - Caerphilly 32, Edinburgh 66 74pts – Treviso 33, Scarlets 41 points in game (Virginia Park, 21 Sep 02) (Stadio Monigo, 8 Feb) Biggest home win 68pts – Ospreys 75, Treviso 7 68pts – Ospreys 75, Treviso 7 (Liberty Stadium, 16 Feb 14) (Liberty Stadium, 16 Feb) Biggest away win 57pts – Dragons 3, Glasgow 60 23pts – Scarlets 19, Leinster 42 (Rodney Parade, 15 Feb 13) (Parc y Scarlets, 6 Sep) 23pts – Zebre 8, Leinster 31 (Stadio XXV Aprile, 9 Feb) Best attendance 50,645 – Leinster v Munster 20,646 – Munster v Leinster (regular season) (Aviva Stadium, 2 Oct 10) (Thomond Park, 5 Oct) Note: 2013/14 Season bests set or equalled this past round shown in italics.

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Round 18: 28-30 March 2014

APPROACHING CAREER MILESTONES POINTS SCORING 1,500 points: - 1,000 points: Ian Keatley (900) 500 points: Ruan Pienaar (445), Duncan Weir (441), Greig Laidlaw (422) Record: 1,574 points – Dan Parks (Glasgow Warriors, Cardiff Blues & Connacht) TRY SCORING 50 tries: - 25 tries: Sean Lamont (22), Brian O’Driscoll (22), (21), Darren Cave (21) Record: 55 tries – Tommy Bowe (Ulster & Ospreys) MATCHES PLAYED 150 games: (145), (143), Robert Sidoli (140) 100 games: Lou Reed (99), (98), (98), Chris Czekaj (97), Paul Marshall (97), Darren Cave (97) Record: 178 games – Michael Swift (Connacht)

CAREER TOP TENS MOST POINTS MOST GAMES MOST MINS PLAYED MOST TRIES Dan Parks 1574 Michael Swift 178 John Muldoon 11392 Tommy Bowe 55 Dan Biggar 1093 Dan Parks 166 Dan Parks 11219 Tim Visser 50 Ronan O’Gara 940 John Muldoon 164 10631 39 Ian Keatley 900 Adam Jones 160 Michael Swift 10377 36 Felipe Contepomi 877 Phil John 160 Tommy Bowe 9842 Andrew Trimble 35 Chris Paterson 810 157 9791 34 David Humphreys 786 Alastair Kellock 154 9760 Fionn Carr 34 Stephen Jones 741 Duncan Jones 152 Allan Jacobsen 9546 30 Ceri Sweeney 698 Ceri Sweeney 151 Richard Fussell 9196 30 Paul Warwick 664 Allan Jacobsen 148 Robert Sidoli 9185 Matthew Watkins 30 Active players in RaboDirect PRO12 marked in orange

Compiled for RaboDirect PRO12 by SFMS Ltd Tel: 0044 1455 442849 Fax: 0044 1455 442559 e-mail: [email protected]

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