Pro 12? Get the hell outta here - Guinness Pro 14: R.1

[Amiga500]

Excited to see what Jordan Larmour and Max Deegan can do. Hope James Ryan gets a chance to showcase his skills too. Exciting team.

This is exactly what I mean about not cutting games! Yeah, not a full strength team - but seeing some of the kids come on and play well can often be more enjoyable (at least for me) than watching an established star put in a 6/10.

 

[Welshdragon2000]

Teams for Ospreys-Zebre game:
Ospreys: Dan Evans; Keelan Giles, Ben John, Cory Allen, Jeff Hassler; James Hook, Tom Habberfield (capt); Paul James, Sam Parry, Ma'afu Fia, Bradley Davies, Rory Thornton, Olly Cracknell, Justin Tipuric, Dan Baker.

Replacements: Scott Otten, Nicky Smith, Rhodri Jones, Lloyd Ashley, James King, Reuben Morgan-Williams, Sam Davies, Kieron Fonotia.

Zebre: Matteo Minozzi; Giulio Bisegni, Mattia Bellini, Tommaso Castello (capt), Gabriele Di Giulio; Carlo Canna, Marcello Violi; Andrea Lovotti, Oliviero Fabiani, Dario Chistolini, David Sisi, George Biagi, Derick Minnie, Renato Giammarioli; Giovanni Licata.

Replacements: Tommaso D'Apice, Andrea De Marchi, Roberto Tenga, Leonard Krumov, Jacopo Sarto, Guglielmo Palazzani, Tommaso Boni, Ciaran Gaffney

 

[Bruce_ma gooshvili]

Just a reminder for anyone with access to the BBC iplayer that you can change your settings to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to get live coverage of different games.

I believe Wales and Scotland are both showing Cardiff vs Edinburgh. If you watch live on BBC Alba you actually get an option to watch it in English.

NI coverage of the Ulster game is underway.

 

[Leonormous Boozer]

And the first Sputh African derby of the pro 14 is underway. Energetic start from the Cheetahs.

 

[SomeOke]

I'm can already see the pronunciation is going to entertain me haha.

 

[big ginger 8]

Ulster should have had some law classes over the summer.

 

[Bruce_ma gooshvili]

Not a shabby start to a new era so far. Slightly surreal watching this. No disrespect to the Cheetahs but I think it is important that an above average Pro12 side can beat an under strength Cheetahs at home.

Cheetahs looking more coherent in their play than I was expecting with those 7s guys.

 

[Bruce_ma gooshvili]

High balls targetting the 7s players. What can possibly go wrong? Cheetahs an absolute cut above so far.

 

[big ginger 8]

Ryle Nugent just orgasmed.

 

[SomeOke]

I remember why the Cheetahs are hard to watch now, great try followed by some open gates.

 

[Leonormous Boozer]

I thought the Cheetahs and Kings were joining the pro12 rather than the pro 12 joining super rugby! Entertaining rugby and bad place kicking has come to Europe!

 

[snoopy snoopy dog dog]

Ulster very ill disciplined and Cheetahs look the better team.

Have been impressed by both scrumhalves so far.

 

[LeinsterMan (NotTigsMan)]

Damn he fast.

He so fast he makes fast things look not so fast.

 

[Bruce_ma gooshvili]

Haha, commentator called the comp "Super 14". Crowd confused by rooting against the Orangemen.

Puzzled why Brace is reffing this one given the announcement of neutral refs. Only game with a ref from one of the two competing unions.

 

[LeinsterMan (NotTigsMan)]

Cockers edinburgh doing well in the scrum.

 

[ratsapprentice]

Damn he fast.

He so fast he makes fast things look not so fast.

Think the two Saffa sides would do well to load their sides with pace... the pale celts won't be able to handle it.

 

[Leonormous Boozer]

Good to see Cooney playing well, was always a fan!

 

[Groundhog]

Treviso are easy like Sunday morning. They're getting blitzed by our young bucks. Maybe time to watch Ulster.

 

[unrated]

My stream cut out in the last 5 mins. What is the halftime score? And who looks like they have the upper hand ? From what I've seen the Ulster Pack is beating the Cheetahs pack but Cheetahs backs looking dangerous.

 

[SomeOke]

Ulster in control at the moment but you get the sense this game has more points in it for either team. Cheetahs yellow and poor defense cost them 14 quick points.
I did say they'd score a few good tries and lose by 15, hopefully the margin doesn't get any worse!

Leliafano is class, comes back from Leukemia and he's as assured as ever.

 

[TRF_stormer2010]

Damn. It took Ulster only 20 minutes to realize not to kick at the Cheetahs but just keep ball in hand and the holes will come.

 

[Bruce_ma gooshvili]

Cheetahs defence even worse than in Super Rugby, but good under the high ball.

Blues vs Edinburgh had some decent quality, Cardiff playing through the phases for days and with purpose, Edinburgh defending well, taking their only chance and dominating at the scrum. Positives for both.

 

[Cruz_del_Sur]

That's a yellow? Seriously?

 

[Welshdragon2000]

Ridiculous decision

 

[SomeOke]

Ulster deserve to be winning 100% but a quick question, are both of those yellows pretty typical in this competition?

In super rugby you don't get a yellow for the first infringement at the maul, and I thought that high tackle was a penalty only.

Cheetahs haven't exactly embarrassed themselves so far but certainly well beaten. If they don't learn to defend they're never going to threaten anyone.

 

[LeinsterMan (NotTigsMan)]

If anything Trimble should get the yellow for being caught by a prop.

 

[Bruce_ma gooshvili]

That's a yellow? Seriously?

A bit of a shame that call as there was no element of danger in a horse collar tackle is there? I guess the fact Trimble was clean down the line was a major factor in the card. A try looked likely.

 

[Bruce_ma gooshvili]

Ulster deserve to be winning 100% but a quick question, are both of those yellows pretty typical in this competition?

In super rugby you don't get a yellow for the first infringement at the maul, and I thought that high tackle was a penalty only.

Cheetahs haven't exactly embarrassed themselves so far but certainly well beaten. If they don't learn to defend they're never going to threaten anyone.

Both yellows seem a bit harsh to me by Pro12 standards. I only started watching it last year and thought the refereeing was good, but there are often wild rumours of a pro-Irish bias. The neutral ref rule introduced last year should kill that (although bizarrely it is an IRFU ref for this match).

 

[big ginger 8]

The horse collar would be a definite yellow for me. You can't do that and it was killing a scoring opportunity.

 

[SomeOke]

In general, the refereeing has been great, was just curious about those yellows.