Pro12 title race hots up as endgame gets closer
An all-Ireland final is still on the cards but we can expect more twists, writes Cian Tracey
WITH just five rounds of the regular Pro12 season left, the race to the Dublin final heats up this weekend as a host of international players return to boost their clubs’ hopes of making it to the Aviva on May 27.
With three of the four Irish provinces occupying the semi-final places, an all-Ireland final is on the cards but with plenty of twists and turns still to come, we assess how the quartet are looking as we enter the home straight.
CONNACHT
Like the notoriously difficult second album, Connacht have failed to hit the heights of last season and as a result have left themselves scrambling to ensure that they are back in the Champions Cup next season.
Injuries certainly didn’t help the Westerners’ cause as their squad depth was pushed to the limits, particularly when they were fighting on the domestic and European front. Pat Lam’s untimely departing announcement was also unsettling.
Their re-fixed game against Zebre tomorrow week should yield five points but they face a difficult test against Glasgow this weekend before facing Leinster, Scarlets and Munster.
While a top-six finish may prove beyond them, Connacht face uncertainty over their European hopes as their current seventh-place position may be made redundant by the fact that, under EPCR rules, the best-placed Italian team would leapfrog them.
Connacht then may be forced to qualify via a play-off involving Pro12, Premiership and Top 14 teams. They need a big finish to the season. Don’t write them off just yet.
LEINSTER
Leo Cullen’s side blitzed their way through the tricky Six Nations period by winning 20 points from a possible 20. It was a remarkable run which proved once again that there isn’t a team in the Pro12 with the same strength in depth as Leinster.
The majority of the focus will be on next week’s Champions Cup clash with Wasps but Leinster are perfectly equipped to deal with the demands of both.
Top-of-the-table clashes against Ospreys and Ulster will have a major say in whether or not Leinster seal a home semi-final, while their trip to Galway and the visit of Glasgow is far from straightforward.
Even with a tricky run, Leinster look odds on to be back at the Aviva in May.
MUNSTER
Munster had been ticking along nicely before throwing away a 21-6 half-time lead at home to the Scarlets but they have since bounced back well. It was a rare lapse in concentration from Rassie Erasmus’ men but it was nevertheless a wake-up call that they have seemed to have learned from.
They will fancy their chances of overturning Toulouse in Thomond Park next weekend but they are sweating over the fitness of Conor Murray. Like Connacht, Munster’s squad depth has been tested and as we approach the business end of the season, they will need all of their first-choice players fit and firing.
Munster slipped from top spot but are just three points off Leinster. Their run-in isn’t as difficult as some of their opponents and with their final two away games in Italy, they will believe that they can claim maximum points.
It’s been six years since Munster last lifted a trophy but they’ve put themselves in a good position to end that drought.
ULSTER
Having flattered to deceive for so many years, Ulster have looked good recently which has given them a great chance of being in the Pro12 shake-up.
Their exit from Europe has refocused their attention and having put together a run of five straight wins, they have climbed into a semi-final spot in fourth. A win this evening against the Dragons is crucial, especially given that they still have to travel to Munster and the Ospreys before hosting Leinster on the final day of the season.
Les Kiss will be buoyed by the form of Paddy Jackson, Iain Henderson and Jared Payne, even if he will be without Marcell Coetzee.
But that said, we have been down this road before with Ulster; is this another false dawn or can they end their own 11-year wait for a trophy? Time will tell.