GUINNESS PRO12: Round 8 Preview

After the success of the first ever ‘Big Weekends’ in the GUINNESS PRO12, the Championship continues this week with a full slate of fixtures on Friday and Saturday.

Attendances and entertainment is on the rise in the GUINNESS PRO12 and nowhere was it more evident than in rounds 6 and 7 where 75 tries were scored in front of over 134,000 supporters who have responded positively to the ‘Big Weekend’ concept.
 
It all topped off a very successful October where marquee games in the Championship book-ended a positive start to European campaigns by teams from the PRO12. With a third of the PRO12 regular season already played, all 12 teams will line out this weekend before the competition takes a two-week break to accommodate the November international fixtures.

In one of the most competitive seasons yet in the history of the PRO12, three teams are currently level on points at the top of the table with four-time champions Leinster currently in first position by virtue of games won.
 
Alongside Leinster are the Ospreys and Glasgow Warriors, who have both lifted the PRO12 trophy in the past four years. The battle to reach the PRO12 final at Aviva Stadium on Saturday, May 27 does not end with the top three teams as Ulster and Munster are just three points behind, while the Scarlets and Cardiff Blues are within striking distance of the top four.

GUINNESS PRO12 – ROUND 8 FIXTURES:

Friday, November 4 –

Newport Gwent Dragons (10th) v CONNACHT (9th), Rodney Parade, 7.15pm

MUNSTER (4th) v Ospreys (2nd), Irish Independent Park, 7.35pm (live TG4/BBC 2 Wales)

Edinburgh (8th) v ULSTER (5th), BT Murrayfield, 7.35pm (live BBC 2 Northern Ireland/BBC ALBA)

Benetton Treviso (12th) v Cardiff Blues (7th), Stadio di Monigo, 8.05pm local time (Sky Sports 2 HD)

Saturday, November 5 –

Zebre (11th) v LEINSTER (1st), Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi, 5.05pm local time/4.05pm Irish time

Scarlets (6th) v Glasgow Warriors (3rd), Parc y Scarlets, 7.35pm (live S4C/BBC ALBA)

Munster return to Irish Independent Park in Cork where they will host the Ospreys in a game that could see the winner reach the top of the PRO12 table.

History does not lend itself to predicting a winner of this fixture with Munster’s last two home losses in the Championship coming in Cork to Cardiff Blues and the Ospreys, while the Welsh visitors have only won two of their last 12 matches against Irish opposition.
 
Both teams possess burgeoning stars in Rory Scannell (Munster) and Keelan Giles (Ospreys). Scannell has been ever-present in the Munster midfield for the last 12 months and scored the winning drop goal in the dying moments against Ulster last week.

Teenager Giles has continued his fast start to life in the Ospreys first team with two tries against the Dragons last Saturday. He also led the Opta stats in round 7 for ‘clean breaks’ and ‘defenders beaten’.

TOP PERFORMERS IN GUINNESS PRO12 AFTER ROUND 7 (Powered by Opta Statistics):

TOP POINTS SCORERS –

Sam Davies (Ospreys) 51
Rhys Patchell (Scarlets) 49
Paddy Jackson (Ulster) 44
Gareth Anscombe (Cardiff Blues) 43
Tyler Bleyendaal (Munster) 40

TOP TRY SCORERS –

Tommy Seymour (Glasgow Warriors) 7
Ben John (Ospreys) 5
Tom James (Cardiff Blues) 5
Sam Parry (Ospreys) 4

TOP TRY ASSISTS –

Sam Davies (Ospreys) 6
Josh Matavesi (Ospreys) 4
Rhys Webb (Ospreys) 4
Henry Pyrgos (Glasgow Warriors) 4
Stuart Hogg (Glasgow Warriors) 4
Joey Carbery (Leinster) 3
Darren Sweetnam (Munster) 3
Dan Evans (Ospreys) 3
Duncan Williams (Munster) 3
Carlo Canna (Zebre) 3
Lloyd Williams (Cardiff Blues) 3
Jason Tovey (Edinburgh) 3

METRES GAINED –

Dan Evans (Ospreys) 546
Tom James (Cardiff Blues) 500
Liam Williams (Scarlets) 467
Tiernan O’Halloran (Connacht) 462
Hallam Amos (Newport Gwent Dragons) 431

MOST CARRIES –

CJ Stander (Munster) 82
Ed Jackson (Newport Gwent Dragons) 79
Bundee Aki (Connacht) 74
Lewis Evans (Newport Gwent Dragons) 66
Jonny Gray (Glasgow Warriors) 65

CLEAN BREAKS –

Tom James (Cardiff Blues) 13
Tommy Seymour (Glasgow Warriors) 12
Darren Sweetnam (Munster) 11
Dan Evans (Ospreys) 10
Rey Lee-Lo (Cardiff Blues) 9
Steffan Evans (Scarlets) 9

DEFENDERS BEATEN –

Magnus Bradbury (Edinburgh) 25
Bundee Aki (Connacht) 23
Ben John (Ospreys) 22
Charles Piutau (Ulster) 21
Tom James (Cardiff Blues) 19

MOST PASSES –

Ruan Pienaar (Ulster) 545
Rhys Webb (Ospreys) 370
Henry Pyrgos (Glasgow Warriors) 314
Tom Habberfield (Ospreys) 313
Luke McGrath (Leinster) 311

MOST OFFLOADS –

Charles Piutau (Ulster) 13
Bundee Aki (Connacht) 10
Josh Matavesi (Ospreys) 10
Rey Lee-Lo (Cardiff Blues) 10
Ashley Beck (Ospreys) 8
Scott Williams (Scarlets) 8

KICKS FROM HAND –

Rhys Patchell (Scarlets) 81
Sam Davies (Ospreys) 79
Duncan Weir (Edinburgh) 75
Carlo Canna (Zebre) 70
Tommaso Allan (Benetton Treviso) 64

MOST TACKLES –

Sean Reidy (Ulster) 104
Billy Holland (Munster) 102
Jonny Gray (Glasgow Warriors) 86
Lewis Evans (Newport Gwent Dragons) 81
Justin Tipuric (Ospreys) 78

LINEOUTS WON –

Ben Toolis (Edinburgh) 36
Grant Gilchrist (Edinburgh) 34
Jonny Gray (Glasgow Warriors) 24
Franco van der Merwe (Ulster) 21
Aaron Shingler (Scarlets) 21

TURNOVERS WON –

James Davies (Scarlets) 10
Dan Leavy (Leinster) 9
Justin Tipuric (Ospreys) 7
Billy Holland (Munster) 7
John Barclay (Scarlets) 7

For more statistics, please visit www.pro12rugby.com/powered-by-opta