RaboDirect PRO12 :PREVIEW 2012/13 Round Eleven : 21 & 22 December 2012 ROUND 11 PREVIEWS After their forays into Europe, this weekend sees the start of the festive derby fixtures for the RaboDirect PRO12 teams. Ulster still lead the way with a perfect ten out of ten in this competition, a full nine points clear of their nearest rivals, Scarlets, and are one of three Irish Provinces currently in the Play-Off Zone. They welcome Leinster to Ravenhill on Friday night, a victory for the visitors would close the gap between themselves and the leaders to single figures, a loss could, put their own top four place into jeopardy. The other all Irish fixture is on Saturday when fourth placed Munster travel to the Sportsground to play Connacht, who are looking for a clean sweep over the three other Irish Provinces in Galway this season. Munster have been in the top five of the table all season, but any slipup in Galway could let Glasgow Warriors or Ospreys take over their coveted Play-Off spot. There is only one all Welsh derby before Christmas as the round 11 game between Newport Gwent Dragons and Ospreys has been held back until New Year’s Eve, so the focus on Friday night will be in Cardiff where second placed Scarlets are the visitors at the Arms Park. Scarlets need to be aware of the teams both above and below them in the table; whilst they will be anxious to close the gap on the leaders, they must be aware that any slip up could see them lose the home Play-Off berth they currently hold. The remaining game on Friday night is the first of the Glasgow Warriors v Edinburgh Rugby double header. Honours were even in the first game last Christmas, with Warriors going on to take the second leg, and with the home team still very much in the running for a top four spot, there is guaranteed to be a capacity crowd at Scotstoun for this encounter. The only remaining game before Christmas will be in Italy on Saturday, with the first ever local derby between Zebre and Benetton Treviso. The hosts are still looking for their inaugural win in the competition, but Treviso, who were minutes away from pulling off the shock of the last round of European games, will be a hard team to beat. The RaboDirect PRO12 Previews for Round 12 will be updated on 23 December. ROUND 11 FIXTURES Friday 21 December CARDIFF BLUES v SCARLETS At Cardiff Arms Park , 7.05pm. Live on Referee: Ian Davies (WRU, 2nd competition game) Assistant Referees: James Jones, Sean Brickell (both WRU) Citing Commissioner: Gwyn Bowden (WRU) TMO: Gareth Simmonds (WRU) HEAD TO HEAD - RECENT RaboDirect PRO12 MEETINGS Date Venue C S Cardiff Blues scorers Scarlets scorers Sat 26 Sep 09 Cardiff City Stadium 19 15 Ben Blair(C/4P) Paul Tito(T) Jonathan Davies(T) David Lyons(T) Dan Evans(C/P) Sat 17 Apr 10 Parc y Scarlets 39 16 Ben Blair(4C/2P) Deiniol Jones(T) Richie Regan King(T) Stephen Jones(C/D/2P) Rees(T) Taufa'ao Filise(T) Jamie Roberts(2T) Fri 22 Oct 10 Cardiff City Stadium 10 16 Ceri Sweeney(T/C/P) Rhys Priestland(T/3P) Stephen Jones(C) Fri 6 May 11 Parc y Scarlets 23 38 Chris Czekaj(T) Dafydd Hewitt(T) Dan Ben Morgan(T) Iestyn Thomas(T) Sean Parks(2C/D/2P) Lamont(2T) Rhys Priestland(C/2P) Stephen Jones(2C/2P) Sat 24 Mar 12 Cardiff City Stadium 14 26 Alex Cuthbert(T) Ceri Sweeney(2C) Gareth Davies(T) Dom Day(T) Andy Casey Laulala(T) Fenby(2T) Aled Thomas(3C) Page 1 of 14 RaboDirect PRO12 :PREVIEW 2012/13 Round Eleven : 21 & 22 December 2012 Sat 5 May 12 Parc y Scarlets 20 29 Harry Robinson(T) Andries Pretorius(T) Gareth Davies(2T) Penalty Try(T) Rhys Alex Cuthbert(T) Dan Parks(P) Ceri Priestland(3C/P) Liam Williams(T) Sweeney(C) Cardiff Blues have won just one of their last six matches in the RaboDirect PRO12: 14-7 at struggling Zebre on 25 November. The Blues are the only side in the tournament who have tallied more league points on the road this season than they have accumulated at home! Scarlets four game winning run in the PRO12 came to a halt last time out with their 12-19 defeat to table-topping Ulster at Parc y Scarlets. The West Wales region are the second best away team in the tournament behind Ulster, and have lost just one of their last eleven fixtures against fellow Welsh regions. Scarlets have won their last six encounters with the Blues in all competitions, whilst they have not visited the Arms Park since May 2008. GLASGOW WARRIORS v EDINBURGH RUGBY At Scotstoun Stadium, 7.35pm. Live on Referee: Jerome Garces (FFR, 4th competition game) Assistant Referees: Andrew McMenemy, Bob Nevins (both SRU) Citing Commissioner: John Kirk (SRU) TMO: Jim Yuille (SRU) HEAD TO HEAD - RECENT RaboDirect PRO12 MEETINGS Date Venue G E Glasgow Warriors scorers Edinburgh Rugby scorers Sun 27 Dec 09 Firhill Stadium 25 12 Dan Parks(C/D/5P) Richie Vernon(T) Chris Paterson(4P) Sat 2 Jan 10 Murrayfield 22 15 DTH van der Merwe(T) Bernardo Chris Paterson(5P) Stortoni(T) Dan Parks(D/3P) Mon 27 Dec 10 Firhill Stadium 30 18 DTH van der Merwe(T) Max Evans(T) David Blair(6P) Ruaridh Jackson(3C/3P) Hefin O'Hare(T) Sun 2 Jan 11 Murrayfield 17 28 Rob Harley(T) Colin Gregor(2P) Ruaridh David Blair(2C/3P) Jim Thompson(T) Tim Jackson(2P) Visser(T) Netani Talei(T) Mon 26 Dec 11 Murrayfield 23 23 Duncan Weir(C/2P) Ruaridh Jackson(T) Greig Laidlaw(C/2P) Ross Rennie(T) Tim Alastair Kellock(T) Colin Shaw(T) Visser(2T) Sun 1 Jan 12 Firhill Stadium 17 12 Duncan Weir(3P) Moray Low(T) Scott Phil Godman(D/3P) Wight(P) Glasgow Warriors have slipped to four straight defeats in all competitions but were so close to claiming a notable scalp with their visit to Top-14 powerhouse Castres on Sunday, only slipping to an 8-10 defeat inside the last ten minutes. The Warriors have won three of their last four RaboDirect PRO12 contests at Scotstoun. Edinburgh Rugby have won their last two PRO12 fixtures against Ospreys and Connacht but have not won three in succession in the tournament since October 2010. Edinburgh’s only away win since September was 24-23 in Galway on 1 December. Glasgow currently hold the 1872 trophy having gained a win and a draw from last season’s festive fixtures with Edinburgh. ULSTER v LEINSTER At Ravenhill, 7.05pm. Live on Referee: George Clancy (IRFU, 48th competition game) Assistant Referees: Peter Fitzgibbon, Olly Hodges (both IFRU) Citing Commissioner: John Cole (IRFU) TMO: Dermot Moloney (IRFU) HEAD TO HEAD - RECENT RaboDirect PRO12 MEETINGS Date Venue U L Ulster scorers Leinster scorers Sat 26 Dec 09 Royal Dublin Society 3 15 Niall O'Connor(P) Jamie Heaslip(T) Shaun Berne(C/P) Rob Kearney(T) Mon 27 Dec 10 Ravenhill 13 30 Craig Gilroy(T) Niall O'Connor(C/2P) Shane Horgan(T) Sean O'Brien(2T) Isa Nacewa(3C/3P) Page 2 of 14 RaboDirect PRO12 :PREVIEW 2012/13 Round Eleven : 21 & 22 December 2012 Sat 16 Apr 11 Royal Dublin Society 26 34 Craig Gilroy(T) Ian Humphreys(3P) Ruan Luke Fitzgerald(T) Shane Horgan(2T) Pienaar(2C/P) Pedrie Wannenburg(T) Jonathan Sexton(3C/P) Richardt Strauss(T) Heinke van der Merwe(T) Fri 13 May 11 Royal Dublin Society (SF) 3 18 Ruan Pienaar(P) Luke Fitzgerald(T) Fergus McFadden(T/C) Jonathan Sexton(2P) Mon 26 Dec 11 Royal Dublin Society 13 42 James McKinney(C/2P) Chris Leo Auva'a(T) Fionn Carr(T) Sean Cochrane(T) Cronin(T) Jamie Hagan(T) Ian Madigan(T) Fergus McFadden(6C) Penalty Try(T) Fri 20 Apr 12 Ravenhill 8 16 Johann Muller(T) Ruan Pienaar(P) Kevin McLaughlin(T) Jonathan Sexton(C/D/2P) Ulster have made the best start to a RaboDirect PRO12 season since the tournament went “home and away” in 2003/04, whilst the only opposing team to triumph at Ravenhill in this competition since October 2011 were Leinster themselves in April. Leinster have lost just one of their last five PRO12 encounters: 10-19 away at Ospreys on 4 November. The Leinstermen have lost just one of their last nine fixtures against fellow Irish provinces. Ulster’s only win over Leinster in their last 18 clashes since 2004 was 16-14 at Ravenhill in the PRO12 on 24 October 2009. Saturday 22 December CONNACHT v MUNSTER At Sportsground, 5.15pm. Live on Referee: Dudley Phillips (IRFU, 26th competition game) Assistant Referees: David Wilkinson, Simon McDowell (both IRFU) Citing Commissioner: Murray White (IRFU) TMO: Marshall Kilgore (IRFU) HEAD TO HEAD - RECENT RaboDirect PRO12 MEETINGS Date Venue C M Connacht scorers Munster scorers Sat 26 Dec 09 Thomond Park 3 35 Ian Keatley(P) Paul Warwick(T/C/P) Ian Dowling(T) Ronan O'Gara(2C/2P) Damien Varley(T) Jean de Villiers(T) Sun 18 Apr 10 Sportsground 12 18 Ian Keatley(C) Johnny O'Connor(T) Paul Warwick(C/2P) Scott Deasy(T) Niall George Naoupu(T) Ronan(T) Mon 27 Dec 10 Sportsground 12 16 Ian Keatley(4P) Tom Gleeson(T) Ronan O'Gara(C/D/2P) 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) 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) Connacht have won just one of their last five RaboDirect PRO12 matches: 18-3 at home to Benetton Treviso on 3 November.