RaboDirect PRO12 PREVIEW 2013/14 Round 20: 18-20 April 2014 ROUND 20 PREVIEWS With the announcement last week from European Professional Club Rugby confirming the structure of European competition next season, the RaboDirect PRO12 Round 20 games over the Easter weekend take on even more significance. Pick of the round must be the Good Friday fixture at Scotstoun between Glasgow Warriors and Ulster. Glasgow have already secured the automatic Scottish European Rugby Champions Cup qualification spot, but with a game in hand over their nearest rivals, can still claim a RaboDirect PRO12 home Play-Off spot. Winning this fixture is vital for either team’s chances of hosting a home knock-out game. Also on Good Friday Leinster welcome Benetton Treviso to the RDS in Dublin. Treviso have pulled out an 8 point lead over Zebre in the table, and victory this weekend, dependent upon Zebre’s results could see them claim the Italian spot in Europe next season. Leinster on the other hand are looking to secure not only top seeding in the RaboDirect PRO12 Play- Offs, but also the guaranteed spot for Irish participation in the senior European competition for 2014/15. The other two Irish provinces, Connacht and Munster, meet at the Sportsground on Saturday with the visitors the third Irish team in the battle for both the RaboDirect PRO12 Play-Offs and guaranteed European qualification. Over in Italy the same day Zebre know this is a must win game if they are to stand any chance of overtaking Treviso for the Italian European Rugby Champions Cup spot, whilst Edinburgh, only 10 points behind Scarlets and with a game in hand over their rivals, can still claim one of the three European places awarded to the RaboDirect PRO12 teams on merit. Easter Sunday sees the double header “Judgement Day” at the Millennium Stadium take on added spice. Ospreys are the only Welsh Region still in with a chance of reaching the RaboDirect PRO12 Play-Offs, but are four points off the Play-Off Zone, with their nearest rivals, Glasgow Warriors, having a game in hand, it is going to be a hard task. Also up for grabs is the automatic Welsh place in Europe and possibly a second place in next season’s competition based on meritocracy. Ospreys and Scarlets currently hold these positions, but Cardiff Blues are not out of the equation yet, and with the vagaries of the fixture list giving them two games against Scarlets and another against Connacht before the end of the season, there is still every chance that they could claim a top tier place in Europe next season. ROUND 20 FIXTURES Friday 18 April GLASGOW WARRIORS v ULSTER At Scotstoun Stadium, 7.35pm. Live on Referee: John Lacey (IRFU, 34th competition game) Assistant Referees: David Changleng, Graeme Marshall (both SRU) Citing Commissioner: John Montgomery (SRU) TMO: Jim Yuille (SRU) HEAD TO HEAD - RECENT RaboDirect PRO12 MEETINGS Date Venue G U Glasgow Warriors scorers Ulster scorers Fri 25 Mar 11 Firhill Stadium 19 22 Duncan Weir(P) Ryan Grant(T) Ruaridh Ruan Pienaar(T/C/5P) Jackson(C/3P) Fri 2 Sep 11 Ravenhill Stadium 14 28 Duncan Weir(3P) Troy Nathan(T) Darren Cave(T) Chris Henry(T) Ian Humphreys(2C/3P) Paul Marshall(T) Fri 25 Nov 11 Firhill Stadium 17 9 Duncan Weir(D/3P) Troy Nathan(T) Ian Humphreys(3P) Fri 31 Aug 12 Ravenhill Stadium 10 18 Duncan Weir(P) Tommy Seymour(T) Craig Gilroy(T) Mike Allen(T) Niall Ruaridh Jackson(C) O'Connor(C/2P) Fri 22 Feb 13 Scotstoun Stadium 20 14 Nikola Matawalu(T) Tim Swinson(T) Stuart Olding(T) Ruan Pienaar(3P) Tommy Seymour(T) Peter Murchie(T) Fri 13 Sep 13 Ravenhill Stadium 13 12 Stuart Hogg(C/2P) James Eddie(T) Paddy Jackson(4P) Page 1 of 13 RaboDirect PRO12 PREVIEW 2013/14 Round 20: 18-20 April 2014 Glasgow Warriors have won their last four RaboDirect PRO12 matches and have only failed to score a try in just one game in any competition this season: at home to Munster in October. The Warriors record against Irish provinces this season is won five, lost two. Ulster Rugby have lost just one of their last eight PRO12 encounters: 23-28 at Cardiff Blues in round 18, whilst the eight tries they tallied in their defeat of Connacht on Friday was the most they have scored in a PRO12 game since May 2006. Glasgow have won their last two encounters with Ulster and are attempting to record a fist season’s double over the Ulstermen since 2009/10. LEINSTER v BENETTON TREVISO At Royal Dublin Society, 5pm Live on Referee: Neil Paterson (SRU, 59th competition game) Assistant Referees: Eddie Hagon-O’Connell, Will O’Connor (both IRFU) Citing Commissioner: Eugene Ryan (IRFU) TMO: Dermot Moloney (IRFU) HEAD TO HEAD - RECENT RaboDirect PRO12 MEETINGS Date Venue L B Leinster scorers Benetton Treviso scorers Fri 25 Feb 11 Royal Dublin Society 30 5 Andrew Conway(T) Dave Kearney(T) Ian Gonzalo Padro(T) McKinley(T) Isa Nacewa(3C/3P) Sat 26 Nov 11 Stadio Monigo 30 20 Leo Auva'a(T) Fionn Carr(T) Eoin Tobias Botes(5P) Manoa Vosawai(T) O'Malley(T) Fergus McFadden(3C/3P) Thu 9 Feb 12 Royal Dublin Society 42 8 John Cooney(T) Fionn Carr(T) Ian Alberto di Bernardo(D) Matteo Madigan(T/C) Isa Nacewa(T/3C/3P) Muccignat(T) Richardt Strauss(T) Sat 15 Sep 12 Stadio Monigo 19 18 Brian O'Driscoll(T) Jonathan Robert Barbieri(T) Kris Burton(C/P) Alberto Sexton(C/D/3P) di Bernardo(P) Fabio Semenzato(T) Sat 16 Feb 13 Royal Dublin Society 40 5 Leo Auva'a(T) Dominic Ryan(3T) Sean Ludovico Nitoglia(T) Cronin(2T) Ian Madigan(4C) Fergus McFadden(C) Sun 24 Nov 13 Stadio Monigo 21 20 Noel Reid(T) Jimmy Gopperth(C/3P) Mat Berquist(2C/2P) Angelo Esposito(T) Lote Tuqiri(T) Ludovico Nitoglia(T) Leinster have now lost their last two matches, at Toulon and at Ospreys, and have not lost three in a row since December 2012. The Leinstermen are unbeaten in their last eleven RaboDirect PRO12 home matches including eight successive wins. The Irishmen have never lost at home to an Italian side. Benetton Treviso have won two of their last three matches whilst their bonus point win at home to Dragons on Saturday was their first five league point victory since round 22 last season. The Italians have not been victorious in Ireland since beating Connacht in Galway in December 2011. The two sides have met on nine previous occasions in all tournaments with Treviso’s only previous victory being 29-13 at Stadio Monigo in the PRO12 in September 2010. Saturday 19 April CONNACHT v MUNSTER At Sportsground, 6.15pm. Live on Referee: Marius Mitrea (FIR, 27th competition game) Assistant Referees: David Wilkinson, Mark Patton (both IRFU) Citing Commissioner: Peter Ferguson (IRFU) TMO: Marshall Kilgore (IRFU) HEAD TO HEAD - RECENT RaboDirect PRO12 MEETINGS Date Venue C M Connacht scorers Munster scorers Fri 6 May 11 Thomond Park 6 22 Ian Keatley(2P) Doug Howlett(T) Ronan O'Gara(2C/P) Alan Quinlan(T) Simon Zebo(T) Mon 26 Dec 11 Thomond Park 9 24 Niall O'Connor(3P) Sean Scanlon(T) Ian Keatley(C/4P) Tomas O'Leary(T) Page 2 of 13 RaboDirect PRO12 PREVIEW 2013/14 Round 20: 18-20 April 2014 Sat 24 Mar 12 Sportsground 16 20 Miah Nikora(C/3P) Ethienne Reynecke(T) Ian Keatley(2C/2P) Tommy O'Donnell(T) Simon Zebo(T) Sat 22 Dec 12 Sportsground 12 16 Dan Parks(D/3P) Ian Keatley(C/3P) Penalty Try(T) Sat 23 Mar 13 Musgrave Park 0 22 Paul O'Connell(T) Ronan O'Gara(2C/P) Damien Varley(2T) Fri 27 Dec 13 Thomond Park 16 22 Dave Heffernan(T) Dan Parks(C/3P) JJ Hanrahan(T/C/5P) Connacht have slipped to back-to-back defeats in the RaboDirect PRO12, both on the road, to Scarlets and to Ulster. Connacht’s only defeat at the Sportsground in any tournament since mdi-December was 8-16 to Leinster in the PRO12 on 4th January. Connacht have lost their last ten matches against Irish provinces but have not suffered a clean sweep of defeats to fellow Irishmen in the same season since 2007/08. Munster’s only win in their last four PRO12 matches was at home to Treviso in round 17. The Munstermen have been defeated in their last two encounters with opponents from Ireland and have lost three in a row against the other provinces since January 2009. Connacht’s solo victory over Munster since 1986 was 12-6 in Galway in December 2008. ZEBRE v EDINBURGH RUGBY At Stadio XXV Aprile, 3.30pm local time (2.30pm UK & Ireland). Live on Referee: Peter Fitzgibbon (IRFU, 55th competition game) Assistant Referees: Matteo Liperini, Andrea Spadoni (FIR) Citing Commissioner: Roberto Carra (FIR) TMO: Carlo Damasco (FIR) HEAD TO HEAD - RECENT RaboDirect PRO12 MEETINGS Date Venue Z E Zebre scorers Edinburgh Rugby scorers Fri 14 Sep 12 Murrayfield 10 41 Sinoti Sinoti(T) Daniel Halangahu(C/P) Sean Cox(T) Ross Ford(T) Greig Laidlaw(5C/2P) Penalty Try(T) Tim Visser(2T) Fri 29 Mar 13 Stadio XXV Aprile 7 9 Luciano Orquera(C) Dries van Greig Laidlaw(3P) Schalkwyk(T) Fri 1 Nov 13 Murrayfield 23 25 Leonardo Sarto(T) Tommaso Iannone(T) Harry Leonard(2C/2P) WP Nel(T) Cornell Luciano Orquera(2C/3P) du Preez(T) Greig Tonks(T) Zebre have attained league points in their last two RaboDirect PRO12 matches; drawing 25-all with Dragons and losing 20- 27 at Scarlets, and have only once before gained points from three successive matches, between rounds 10 and 12 earlier this season.