Pro 12 Round 3 Preview

Round 3

Cardiff v Glasgow

This looks on paper to be the most enticing matchup of the weekend for the Guinness Pro12. The two early pace setters who are both unbeaten meet at the Cardiff venue. Cardiff had a good win last weekend against Munster but you have to feel they face a lot stiffer test against Glasgow who look like the cream of the crop in the Pro12 this year.

The Cardiff back row last week was excellent last weekend against Munster with Josh Navidi claiming the man of the match award. The blues played good offloading attacking rugby but it was really helped by the poor defending by Munster, while Cardiff made the most of the opportunities Munster gave them they would be naïve to think that Glasgow will allow them the same space and missed tackles that Munster gave them. They were excellent with ball in hand and looked dangerous going forward. Cardiff put up an impressive 32 points per game last year at home and to have a chance of beating Glasgow they are going to have to score quite a few tries.

Glasgow had a good tough game against Leinster and were under pressure for a lot of the game. Although they conceded three tries they were able to score five against a good Leinster side. They are traditionally one of the better defences in the Pro12 and after conceding 25 points last week will look to tighten up again this week. The only time they conceded more than 23 points was away to Cardiff last year. Their pack was impressive last week against a strong Leinster outfit. With such a mean defence and strong pack I fancy the Glasgow men to get a result here. Glasgow +2

Ulster v Scarlets

Ulster has the best home defence in the Pro12 last year conceding an average 10 points per game last year. They look very comfortable at home and a very tough place to go to get a result. Although their pack isn’t has some question marks around it the return of their international players will give them a big boost. This team has some real talent to it and they have a back line that most teams would be in envy of. I still have some question marks about their pack and in both of their wins so far it was the backline that was the difference.

Scarlets are coming here after two losses and staring at three straight defeats to begin the season should provide them with plenty of motivation. They along with Munster were the only two sides last season to get a result here. They too have a backline of real international quality and playmaking ability but again question marks hangover this pack as to whether they can give their backline a platform to play off. So far in their opening two games they have only scored one try and that was by a clever break from the scrum half. Their halfbacks have been struggling to find a rhythm and altogether seem a bit incoherent as a team. It’s still hard to see anything but a home win here but with desperation being a factor for scarlets it should be tight game. Ulster to win by 1-12

Edinburgh v Leinster

Edinburgh put in a decent showing last week and used home advantage to its full. In tough conditions they ground out a good win and once again their defence saw them to victory at home. The backs are still a cause of concern if you are an Edinburgh fan, Duncan Weir is starting to settle in and kicked some good scores to keep them ahead last weekend. Leinster will be disappointed to come away from their trip to Glasgow last week without any points. They will be looking to gain some momentum after a decent showing last week and aiming for a solid performance against Edinburgh this week. They will be able to compete with Edinburgh’s excellent scrum and for my opinion are well capable of going and winning this game. Their attack which has been a little blunt over the last few months might be a cause for concern but overall I fancy them to get a result here, Leinster +2

Zebre v Connacht

Zebre were able to improve on their opening round performance last week with a narrow loss away to the Dragons, They need to find a way to start scoring more though, in their last two games they scored 11 points in total. I would expect them to improve at home but still don’t see them scoring more than 15 – 18 points.

Although Connacht was beaten quite heavily again at home last week this is a chance for Pat Lam’s men to get a badly needed win. Watching Connacht last week they seem to be playing a bit too flat and lateral when attacking they started getting the ball wider at least. They won’t have it all their own way over in Italy but a win is a must although it might be a lot tighter than expected. Connacht by 12

Dragons v Munster

Dragons got a badly needed win last week at home but looked far from convincing. Attack wise they are struggling and although they are making strides in defence the will be outscored by most sides in the league. They lost the last five home games of last season and only average 18 points a game at home which I don’t see them getting this week.

Munster will be very disappointed with their performance last week and would have to accept that Cardiff were deserved winners. They gave away soft tries and were generally poor in defence. Jaques Nienbarr will have no doubt showed them these errors and driven home the message that it was an unacceptable performance in defence. They looked strong in the forwards in the second half and poor performances by the half backs added to their problems. They will see this however as an opportunity to get back on track and although they lost here last year they will surely be expecting a win. Munster win by 5

Ospreys v Treviso

Ospreys were excellent last week and the sportsground is not an easy place to go. Their forwards carried well and posed a lot of problems for Connacht. Ospreys are a side that can score at will and punish a poor side, it might be a tough day for the Italians.

Benetton put up a good account of themselves for the first half against Ulster last week but never really looked like they thought they could win the game. If they pick up two away wins all season it would be a success on the road.

This is game of how many Ospreys will score and I think it could be Ospreys by 20

#Pro12