The third round of matches in the Guinness PRO12 take place this weekend with three matches scheduled for Friday night, two for Saturday and one for Sunday.
Welsh outfit the Ospreys, who are unbeaten in the PRO12 this season, will head into round 3 at the top of the table with nine points. The only two other unbeaten teams are Glasgow Warriors and Connacht who are in 2nd and 3rd position respectively. Ulster are the other team in the top 4, courtesy of a draw and a win in their first two fixtures and they are the only team who have two bonus points for scoring four tries or more. Ulster top the try scoring list at this early stage in the competition having scored nine tries in their two matches. However, they have conceded the most tries, a handful, of the teams in the top four.
Newport Gwent Dragons will have to make do without lock Andrew Coombs in their match against Glasgow Warriors. Coombs was sited for stamping on Ospreys lock Alun Wyn Jones in their match-up in round two. He was found guilty of the transgression at a disciplinary hearing and has banned for three weeks, meaning he misses out on facing Glasgow Warriors, Benetton Treviso and Scarlets before he may return to action on 11 October against Edinburgh.
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We take a look at the upcoming matches in round 3 and the latest log.
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Fixtures
Round 3
- Fri 19 Sep 19:30 Munster vs Zebre, Thomond Park
- Fri 19 Sep 19:35 Cardiff Blues vs Ulster, BT Sport Cardiff Arms Park (BBC Wales)
- Fri 19 Sep 19:35 Connacht vs Leinster, Sportsground (TG4)
- Sat 20 Sep 14:40 Newport Gwent Dragons vs Glasgow Warriors, Rodney Parade (Sky TV)
- Sat 20 Sep 18:00 Scarlets vs Benetton Treviso, Parc y Scarlets
- Sun 21 Sep 16:00 Ospreys vs Edinburgh, Liberty Stadium (S4C / BBC2S)
Preview
Munster vs Zebre
Munster ended a three game losing run with their 21-10 victory in Treviso on Friday evening.
The Munstermen have been defeated in an unprecedented three successive games at Thomond Park in the professional era, but have never lost to an Italian side in Ireland.
Zebre have slipped to three successive Guinness PRO12 defeats without tallying a single league point in the process.
Zebre have lost all 21 previous encounters with Irish provinces in all competitions, gaining just five losing bonus points and a try bonus point in the process.
Zebre have accumulated just one losing bonus point from their four previous encounters with Munster, whilst the Munstermen have recorded three maximum point victories.
Referee: Ian Davies (WRU, 18th competition game)
Assistant Referees: Nigel Correll, Gary Glennon (both IRFU)
Citing Commissioner: Wayne Sheridan (IRFU)
Previous Meetings
| Date | Home | Score | Away | Att |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15/2/14 | Munster | 36 – 8 | Zebre | 7,330 |
| 13/9/13 | Zebre | 21 – 43 | Munster | 2,550 |
| 3/5/13 | Zebre | 25 – 27 | Munster | 2,500 |
Cardiff Blues vs Ulster
Cardiff Blues’ solo victory in their last three Guinness PRO12 clashes was 41-26 against Zebre in Parma in round 1.
The Blues have been victorious in their last two encounters with Irish provinces but have not won three in a row against opponents from that Union since May 2010.
Ulster are unbeaten in the opening two rounds and have secured back-to-back try bonus points.
The Ulstermen are winless against Welsh opposition since beating the Scarlets in Belfast in March, whilst their only victory in Wales since 2012 came at Ospreys last October.
Each side won its respective home game during last season’s PRO12 competition, whilst the Blues have not beaten Ulster in successive matches since April 2010.
Ulster’s only win at the BT Sports Cardiff Arms Park since September 2005 came on 28 September 2012, (although they did win when Cardiff moved home to the City Stadium).
Referee: Neil Paterson (SRU, 61st competition game)
Assistant Referees: Leighton Hodges, Jon Mason (both WRU)
Citing Commissioner: Denis Jones (WRU)
TMO: Gareth Simmonds (WRU)
Previous Meetings
| Date | Home | Score | Away | Att |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 29/3/14 | Cardiff Blues | 28 – 23 | Ulster | 7,084 |
| 25/10/13 | Ulster | 39 – 21 | Cardiff Blues | 12,948 |
| 3/5/13 | Ulster | 37 – 13 | Cardiff Blues | 10,700 |
Connacht vs Leinster
Connacht have begun the new Guinness PRO12 season with back-to-back narrow victories over Dragons and Edinburgh, but have never begun a season with three successive wins.
Connacht have been defeated in their last eleven contests with fellow Irish provinces since beating Leinster at the Sportsground in September 2012.
Leinster’s only loss in their last seven PRO12 games came in Glasgow in the opening round.
The Leinstermen have won their last six fixtures against fellow Irish provinces since tripping up in Munster last October.
Connacht have achieved three victories over Leinster in their last twelve meetings, all in Galway during Leinster’s last six visits.
Referee: Peter Fitzgibbon (IRFU, 58th competition game)
Assistant Referees: Eddie Hagan-O’Connell, Olly Hodges (both IRFU)
Citing Commissioner: John Cole (IRFU)
TMO: Seamus Flannery (IRFU)
Previous Meetings
| Date | Home | Score | Away | Att |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4/1/14 | Connacht | 8 – 16 | Leinster | 7,210 |
| 26/10/13 | Leinster | 16 – 13 | Connacht | 16,780 |
| 29/12/12 | Leinster | 17 – 0 | Connacht | 18,500 |
Newport Gwent Dragons vs Glasgow Warriors
Newport Gwent Dragons’ only victory in their last ten Guinness PRO12 matches was 20-19 at home to Treviso in round 22 last season,they have however managed to claim losing bonus points in their two matches, but have never before gained three losing bonus points in a row.
Conversely, Dragons have not recorded a try bonus point in the competition since the opening round of the 2012/13 season, whilst the Welshmen have won two of their last three fixtures against Scottish opponents.
Glasgow Warriors’ only loss in their last dozen Guinness PRO12 matches was in last year’s final to Leinster at the RDS Arena.
Since April 2013 Glasgow have played ten matches against Welsh opponents in the PRO12 with their only two defeats both being to Dragons, at Scotstoun in November 2013 and at Rodney Parade in February.
The Dragons achieved the PRO12 double over Warriors last season for the first time since 2006/07. Glasgow have lost just once at Rodney Parade in all tournaments since 2010: 23-24 on their most recent visit on 23rd February.
Referee: David Wilkinson (IRFU, 27th competition game)
Assistant Referees: Neil Hennessy, Dan Jones (both WRU)
Citing Commissioner: Russell Howell (WRU)
TMO: Tim Hayes (WRU)
Previous Meetings
| Date | Home | Score | Away | Att |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23/2/14 | Newport Gwent Dragons | 24 – 23 | Glasgow Warriors | 3,916 |
| 22/11/13 | Glasgow Warriors | 8 – 23 | Newport Gwent Dragons | 4,665 |
| 15/2/13 | Newport Gwent Dragons | 3 – 60 | Glasgow Warriors | 4,311 |
Scarlets vs Benetton Treviso
Scarlets are without a win in the Guinness PRO12 so far this season, having drawn 32-all at home to Ulster and losing to Leinster in Dublin.
Scarlets are unbeaten at home since Harlequins were the visitors in the European Cup on 19th January.
The Welshmen did not lose to an Italian opponent last season whilst the only Italian side ever to win at Parc y Scarlets was Treviso in this equivalent fixture two seasons ago.
Benetton Treviso have slipped to five straight defeats since their 45-27 victory over Dragons at Stadio Monigo in April, they at least have not been held try-less in any game since they visited Munster in March.
Treviso’s only victory over a Welsh region in their last nine encounters was the above success over Dragons.
Scarlets did the PRO12 double over Treviso last season reversing the trend of 2012/13. Scarlets have won four of their five previous fixtures against Treviso at Parc y Scarlets in all tournaments.
Referee: Matteo Liperini (FIR, 7th competition game)
Assistant Referees: Sean Brickell, Jon Mason (both WRU)
Citing Commissioner: Ray Wilson (WRU)
Previous Meetings
| Date | Home | Score | Away | Att |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8/2/14 | Benetton Treviso | 33 – 41 | Scarlets | 2,918 |
| 14/9/13 | Scarlets | 26 – 10 | Benetton Treviso | 5,847 |
| 3/5/13 | Scarlets | 17 – 41 | Benetton Treviso | 9,129 |
Ospreys vs Edinburgh
Ospreys’ only defeat in their last six Guinness PRO12 matches was 27-30 to Zebre in Parma in round 21 last season.
Ospreys have won their last four games at Liberty Stadium since Munster were the visitors in February.
The Welshmen have lost their last three fixtures against Scottish opponents, but have never lost four in a row to teams north of the border.
Edinburgh’s only victory in their last seven fixtures was 14-13 over Munster in Limerick in round 1, the Scotsmen, therefore, are going for successive away victories in the PRO12 for the first time since November 2009.
Edinburgh won on their most recent visit to Wales: 23-19 over Dragons at Rodney Parade in April, and have not won back-to-back games in the Principality since September 2009.
The last four encounters between the two sides have all been won by the home team on the day whilst Edinburgh have not been victorious at Liberty Stadium since a 32-30 win on 25th April 2009.
Referee: Dudley Phillips (IRFU, 43rd competition game)
Assistant Referees: Simon Rees, Chris Williams (both WRU)
Citing Commissioner: Denis Jones (WRU)
TMO: Derek Bevan (WRU)
Previous Meetings
| Date | Home | Score | Away | Att |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28/2/14 | Edinburgh | 31 – 25 | Ospreys | 3,000 |
| 21/9/13 | Ospreys | 44 – 10 | Edinburgh | 8,356 |
| 22/2/13 | Ospreys | 24 – 7 | Edinburgh | 5,580 |
Log
| Pos | Team | P | W | D | L | PF | PA | Diff | TF | TA | TB | LB | Pts | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  |
 |
Ospreys | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 61 | 28 | 33 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 9 |
| 2 |  |
Glasgow Warriors | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 55 | 32 | 23 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 | |
| 3 | |
 |
Connacht Rugby | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 30 | 24 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| 4 |  |
Ulster Rugby | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 65 | 45 | 20 | 9 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 8 | |
| 5 |  |
Leinster Rugby | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 62 | 34 | 28 | 8 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 6 | |
| 6 |  |
Munster Rugby | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 34 | 24 | 10 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | |
| 7 |  |
 |
Edinburgh Rugby | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 27 | 27 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 5 |
| 8 | |
 |
Cardiff Blues | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 53 | 59 | -6 | 5 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 |
| 9 | |
 |
Scarlets | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 44 | 74 | -30 | 6 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| 10 | |
 |
Newport Gwent Dragons | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 26 | 33 | -7 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| 11 | |
 |
Zebre | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 39 | 74 | -35 | 4 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 12 | |
 |
Benetton Treviso | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 23 | 65 | -42 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 |