Four rounds left... and lots to play for in play-offs race
THE Guinness PRO12 season is about to enter the final straight and there’s all to play for with four rounds of matches left.
It’s going to be a titanic tussle to secure a spot in the play-offs, with both the Ospreys and the Scarlets pushing hard for a top four finish.
We look at the run-in for the two Welsh sides and their Irish rivals, while also casting an eye over what’s left for Cardiff Blues and the Dragons. It’s shaping up to be a season to stand alongside the golden years of the Brian O’Driscoll era for the Dubliners.
They have only lost four of their 24 matches in league and Europe, which sees them standing top of the PRO12 and through to the semi-finals of the Champions Cup.
Personnel wise, they have that great balance between seasoned international experience and exciting youth, with Johnny Sexton, Sean O’Brien, Isa Nacewa, Cian Healy, Devin Toner, Robbie Henshaw and Jack McGrath alongside the likes of Garry Ringrose, Tadhg Furlong, Joey Carbery, Adam Byrne, Luke McGrath, Dan Leavy and Jack Conan.
A top four finish is pretty much in the bag, as they are 12 points clear of the fifth-placed Scarlets, but they will want to secure a home play-off semi-final via a top two finish.
Looking at their run-in, it’s pretty testing, with three of their remaining four games being away from home, including trips to play-off rivals the Ospreys and Ulster.
But they are on a real roll, being unbeaten in all competitions in 2017, while last weekend’s 32-17 Champions Cup quarter-final victory over Wasps was a mightily impressive statement. Fixtures Saturday, April 8: Ospreys (a, 3pm) Saturday, April 15: Connacht (a,7.35pm) Friday, April 28: Glasgow (h, 7.35pm) Saturday, May 6: Ulster (a, 5.15pm) They have been Munstermen on a mission since the tragic death of their coach Anthony Foley in October.
Riding on a wave of emotion, they have won 18 of their 20 matches since his passing, to lie second in the PRO12 and join Leinster in the semi-finals of the Champions Cup.
Passion has been coupled with power and precision, as director of rugby Rassie Erasmus has got them playing a compelling brand of rugby
The likes of CJ Stander, Conor Murray, Peter O’Mahony, Keith Earls and Simon Zebo have all been firing, along with fellow Irish internationals Donnacha Ryan, Tommy O’Donnell, Dave Kilcoyne and John Ryan, as have imports Tyler Bleyendaal and Jaco Taute, while young Darren Sweetnam, Ronan O’Mahony, Jack O’Donoghue and the Scannell brothers have come on leaps and bounds.
They look very well placed for a top two finish, with three out of four games at home, with the one issue being how they approach their meeting with Ulster selection-wise, as they take on Saracens in the semi-final of the Champions Cup the following week. Fixtures Saturday, April 8: Glasgow (h, 7.35pm) Saturday, April 15: Ulster (h, 3pm) Saturday, April 29: Treviso (a, 8pm) Saturday, May 6: Connacht (h, 5.15pm) It’s been a difficult and damaging couple of weeks for Steve Tandy’s Ospreys.
First came the shock PRO12 defeat out in Treviso and then the European Challenge Cup quarter-final loss to Stade Francais.
They now have just the league to play for and that reverse in Italy has left them with a lot of work to do.
Having looked on course for a home semi-final for most of the season, they are now in danger of slipping out of the play-offs altogether if they are not careful.
They do at least have their destiny in their own hands. If they win their four remaining matches, then they will be guaranteed a top four spot and could yet finish in the top two.
But that’s easier said than done, as they face three of their play-off rivals in the run-in.
They face red-hot league leaders Leinster and in-form Ulster either side of Judgement Day, before completing their regular season programme by heading to the Scarlets.
That derby clash could yet prove decisive in terms of which west Wales team makes the play-offs. Fixtures Saturday, April 8: Leinster (h, 3pm) Saturday, April 15: Cardiff Blues (a, 2.45pm) Saturday, April 29: Ulster (h, 3pm) Saturday, May 6: Scarlets (a, 5.15pm) After a generally disappointing season, Ulster have hit a purple patch just at the right time to surge into the play-off zone.
They have won six on the trot in the PRO12, aided by a friendly run of games which included three successive fixtures against Italian opposition followed by a meeting with the Dragons.
That sequence has seen then play themselves into form, with the likes of Charles Piutau, Ruan Piennar, Craig Gilroy, Jared Payne, Luke Marshall, Jacob Stockdale and serial-tackling flanker Sean Reidy coming to the fore, while Rory Best, Iain Henderson and Paddy Jackson are now back from Six Nations to join the burst up the rails.
You would expect them to continue the winning run against Cardiff Blues in Belfast this weekend, but then comes the real acid test, with games against play-off rivals Munster, Ospreys and Leinster. That’s a sequence which will tell us whether they really are back on track and have a huge bearing on the make-up of the final top four. Fixtures Friday, April 7: 7.35pm) Saturday, April 15: Munster (a, 3pm) Saturday, April 29: Ospreys (a, 3pm) Saturday, May 6: Leinster (h, 5.15pm)
LEINSTER OSPREYS
Cardiff Blues (h,