Guinness Pro 12 2016/17: Round 2

[Bruce_ma gooshvili]

Round 2 fixtures

Friday

Newport Gwent Dragons v Zebre, Rodney Parade, kick-off: 7.15pm
Munster v Cardiff Blues, Independent Park, Cork, kick-off: 7.35pm
Edinburgh v Scarlets, BT Murrayfield, kick-off: 7.35 pm



Saturday

Glasgow Warriors v Leinster, Scotstoun Stadium, kick-off: 3pm
Benetton Treviso v Ulster, Stadio Monigo, kick-off: 6.05pm
Connacht v Ospreys, The Sportsground, kick-off: 7.35pm


Preview:

http://www.pro12rugby.com/2016/09/08/peter-jackson-six-clues-guinness-pro12-round-1-2/

- - - Updated - - -

My picks in bold:

Newport Gwent Dragons v Zebre - lovely try against Ulster for the Dragons and the scoreline was more respectable than I thought (they've a new coach? Perhaps he is having an effect?). Zebre were awful, but still almost scored two tries away from home despite not starting Canna. If they are less idiotic then perhaps there is a glimmer of hope.

Munster v Cardiff Blues, Independent Park - I underestimated Munster in week one, so why change a habit? Too close to call.

Edinburgh v Scarlets - my wildly speculative tip for the ***le have to come good and playing in a 4% full stadium against a completely new backline should offer that opportunity.

Glasgow Warriors v Leinster - Yes Connacht weren't great, but Glasgow at home, new artificial turf and expanded stadium. Place should be jumping and I'm also underestimating Leinster.

Benetton Treviso v Ulster - I really want to pick Treviso here, but the head must rule the heart and they won't have Marty Banks available for selection until after the Mitre10 series (and I expect him to contribute to the improvement / development of Tomasso Allan). I can't see Treviso beating a team I think will make the playoffs if they are at full strength. If Ulster play a weakened side though they could be in for a rude awakening.

Connacht v Ospreys - Yes Connacht had no pre-season, retain a lot of quality in their side and coaching and last season were great at home. But I think the nature of the defeat to Glasgow will have after effects for their season. If they don't turn it around quickly then the buzz of being champions will wear off very quickly. I think this pressure may make it harder to bounce back here against an Osprey side that had a lovely gentle workout against a hapless Zebre.

 

[Amiga500]

Good job goose. Much better than the usual half-effort.


Includes a preview and all. The bar has been raised - others need to take note.

 

[Groundhog]

Hehe Cardiff beating us. Classic. Expect to put the away comfortably and wish them well for the flight home.
Probably agree with you elsewhere but Leinster Ospreys is 50:50 for me. If the Welsh sides ever backed up their early season they would win the thing every year.

 

[Peat]

Ulster have history for making very hard work of this fixture, not sure a defeat would surprise anyone.

 

[Every Time Ref]

I've got a new season's resolution to watch one Pro12 match a week. Which fixture is the jewel in the crown?

 

[Groundhog]

I've got a new season's resolution to watch one Pro12 match a week. Which fixture is the jewel in the crown?

Glasgow Leinster followed by Connacht and the Os are the pick of the bunch.

 

[Bruce_ma gooshvili]

Agree on Glasgow v Leinster as game of the week (although each game has interest this week). It has the most implications for playoffs and Glasgow can be easy on the eye (although less so without Finn Russell). After last season would ordinarily say anything with Connacht if they are playing in good weather (e.g. not at home) as they were sumptuous at times last season (see highlights of final) but they seem out of sorts.

Ulster sounding banged up. Getting my hopes up for Treviso. The Irish lad Ian Mckinlay with the eye problems (stud in eye) and specialist goggles looked okay in pre-season. I hope he manages to get some game time during the season and rebuilds a career for himself after his troubles.

Scholes dropped after one game for Edinburgh. Hardly given the chance of a touch of the ball so seems harsh if he hasn't picked up a knock. I hate chopping and changing teams unless there is a sound tactical reason. Brand new back line in first game so Solomons decides the solution is to jumble it up again for the second game by dropping two debutants. That'll really help them all gel won't it? Harrumph!

http://www.planetrugby.com/news/ulster-without-marshall-piutau-for-treviso/

 

[profitius]

. Getting my hopes up for Treviso. The Irish lad Ian Mckinlay with the eye problems (stud in eye) and specialist goggles looked okay in pre-season. I hope he manages to get some game time during the season and rebuilds a career for himself after his troubles.

He was rated ahead comfortably of Ian Madigan at the time of his accident. He was just breaking into the Leinster team and would have won many caps for Ireland by now. Losing an eye is a serious handicap for a 10 so fair play to him that he has made it back to being a professional rugby player.

 

[BPM]

He was rated ahead comfortably of Ian Madigan at the time of his accident. He was just breaking into the Leinster team and would have won many caps for Ireland by now. Losing an eye is a serious handicap for a 10 so fair play to him that he has made it back to being a professional rugby player.

When Zebre came to Ravenhill last season, he was their best player by some distance. Not bad for a guy with one eye.

 

[Groundhog]

Serious competitor and what he went through to get back to Pro Rugby with one eye and an experimental set of goggles is just triumph of the will. Would love to see him back on these shores if he's willing, but Italy has been good to him.
Keatley and O'Mahony are our only changes to the starting team. Zebo is injured and apparently Bleydaal has had a bloody calf strain. Hope the offseason has restored Keatley's confidence as he'll really be needed regardless this season.

 

[Leonormous Boozer]

Good job Goose, only pointer would be to refer to Leinster as the champions elect and maybe throw in some jokes that only I'd find funny! Other than that A1!!

Good job goose. Much better than the usual half-effort.


Includes a preview and all. The bar has been raised - others need to take note.

Excuse you, I always have previews, they may not be as well informed and they're definitely more insulting and non-PC, they might also actively deter potential new users from joining the forum but I do have ****ing previews... All this coming from the guy who stole my final last year too... Sick.

He was rated ahead comfortably of Ian Madigan at the time of his accident. He was just breaking into the Leinster team and would have won many caps for Ireland by now. Losing an eye is a serious handicap for a 10 so fair play to him that he has made it back to being a professional rugby player.

Out of interest, what position would losing an eye not be a serious handicap?

 

[Peat]

Out of interest Muff, what position would losing an eye not be a serious handicap?

Ref.

 

[Groundhog]

What would tight heads need eyes for. Their sense of smell is probably stronger than their vision in most cases anyway after they spent. I know for a fact that Dan Cole spent the first four years of his life being used to sniff out truffles before he was correctly identified as a human child.

 

[Leonormous Boozer]

I wonder what ugly pubescent Dan Cole looked like...

 

[Bruce_ma gooshvili]

Good job Goose, only pointer would be to refer to Leinster as the champions elect and maybe throw in some jokes that only I'd find funny! Other than that I find funny

Nae worries. I was thinking more of the ***le "reigning top losers" myself for Leinster. And before folk go bandying around allegations about me being "informed" I'd remind you I've tipped just one Irish Provence to make the playoffs and have watched pitifully little Pro12 action (the two facts possibly not being unrelated).

 

[die_mole]

Out of interest, what position would losing an eye not be a serious handicap?

would be advantage when mauling against the all blacks

 

[Groundhog]

would be advantage when mauling against the all blacks

 

[Amiga500]

We're down to the bare bones in our backline.

3rd choice wingers, 3rd choice fullback, 2nd or 3rd choice outside centre, 2nd choice inside centre, 2nd choice outhalf...


Dunnes Treviso:
[FONT=&quot]15 Jayden Hayward, 14 Angelo Esposito, 13 Tommaso Benvenuti, 12 Luke McLean ( C ), 11 Andrea Buondonno, 10 Tommaso Allan, 9 Giorgio Bronzini, 8 Marco Barbini, 7 Marco Lazzaroni, 6 Francesco Minto, 5 Filo Paulo, 4 Marco Fuser, 3 Simone Ferrari, 2 Ornel Gega, 1 Nicola Quaglio.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]16 Roberta Santamaria, 17 Alberto De Marchi, 18 Tiziano Pasquali, 19 Filippo Gerosa, 20 Dean Budd, 21 Edoardo Gori, 22 Ian McKinley, 23 David Odiete[/FONT]


[FONT=&quot]Ulster: (15-9): L Ludik, R Lyttle, L Marshall, S Olding, J Stockdale, B Herron, R Pienaar;[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot](1-8): K McCall, R Herring (c), R Ah You, K Treadwell, F van der Merwe, C Ross, S Reidy, R Wilson;[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Replacements (16-23): J Andrew, A Warwick, R Kane, P Browne, R Diack, A Lloyd, S McCloskey, D Cave.[/FONT]

 

[Bruce_ma gooshvili]

Gori and Odiete (again) on the bench? Is it normal for key international starters to be rested so much outside of the international windows? Connacht, Edinburgh and Cardiff also seemed to do this last week and it's hard to see that they can all be injury related at this early stage of the season. I think Treviso have just denied themselves a chance at a winnable game.

 

[Peat]

We're down to the bare bones in our backline.

3rd choice wingers, 3rd choice fullback, 2nd or 3rd choice outside centre, 2nd choice inside centre, 2nd choice outhalf...

Aka We still have a pretty good back line.