Wales v Ireland (in the pro12)

To add extra spice to potential world cup QF i've just realised that there are 4 Wales Ireland match ups in the Pro12 this weekend. What a coincidence eh?!

How does everyone see them going? Below are my predictions.

Friday, 23 September 2011

Cardiff Blues v Munster, 19:05

Munster have looked really strong so far without breaking into a sweat really. The Blues started well but looked really poor against Ulster. I fancy a narrow away victoy.

Connacht v Newport-Gwent D'gons, 19:30
The Dragons have really had a tough start to the season with this being their third trip to Ireland out of 4. Sadly the only home fixture didn't bring out the performance that they would have hoped even though the victory was the most important thing. Connacht have started strongly and I believe they will continue that with another victory this weekend, maybe even denying the Dragons a LBP.

Saturday, 24 September 2011

Scarlets v Leinster, 18:30
Neither team has started strongly which is a big surprise. If Leinster play anything like they did in their other away game this season tehn the Scarlets will be favourites. I expect Scarlets to take the points in a messy affair.

Sunday, 25 September 2011

Ospreys v Ulster, 16:30
Someone has to lose their 100% record record out of these two and its the hardest to call. The Ospreys have looked good for some periods of the opening fixtures but Ulster(especially last week) have looked better. Home advantage will prove to be the difference though and Ospreys for a narrow victory.

This would give a score of Wales 2 Ireland 2 for the weekend and set things up nicely for a potential world cup showdown.

Any thoughts?

I'd fancy at least Welsh regions to win.

By the way, I understand that there will be individual topics dedicated to each game which i'm in no way attempting to replace. This is more a casual look at the games and looking at them in this Wales v Ireland context.

All home wins I reckon, Os V Ulster should be the pick of the bunch.

Dragons look seriously beaten up already, they have an awful injury list and have had to promote from within with centre Geraint O'Driscoll stepping up from Pontypool.

A centre called O'Driscoll? How dare they. If there are two rules everyone knows in the world of rugby it's you're not allowed to wear black even if it's a change strip, and there's only one centre called O'Driscoll!

why is it a surprise that the Scarlets haven't started strongly?

1 home win and 2 away losses are about pretty spot on for us considering wc call ups and injuries.

Going to be a tough, hard fought match at Y Parc, can actually se Leinster winning it if our pack play like they did against Munster. But, hopefully with a large crowd expected it'll really lift the players and they can hold out for the win. I really hope so.

He's not a centre, he's a fullback and his acronym of GOD is obviously a million times better than BOD.

I'd agree with the OP in his prediction. Dragons never travel well to Connacht (well anywhere really), I reckon Munster will beat Blues (boo and hiss, as I dislike two of Munster's supporters), Scarlets to beat Leinster (though I'm not 100% on this) and Ospreys to beat their friends from Ulster.

Risca Rev wrote:He's not a centre, he's a fullback and his acronym of GOD is obviously a million times better than BOD.

You take that back!

Rugby dreamer - I think though we wouldn't be expected to beat Munster I would have expected a better performance from our pack, and though in the position we were in (not seen much of the game though) we probably should have secured the win against Connaught. But agree 1 win is what we would have expected, it's just the performance, mainly the pack that's the issue.

Think Ospreys/Ulster will be close but i'd go for the home side. Think Munster will do damage to the Blues, and unfortunately for the dragons they are really suffering with injuries/call ups and can see then loosing by around 12 as they never do well in Connaught (sp)

Smirnoff - agree with all of that. A win out in Connacht would have been a huge bonus for us, but realistically we have to target home wins at the start of this season. Agree that the performances so far habe been a bit disappointing.

I'm so gutting that I'm not going to the Leinster game (offered tickets and everytihng, but friends bday bash), as I think it should be a really good close game (though probably a bit messy) and I'm hoping we can win. I hope the performances get better and our pack starts to click.

Overall this season in Irish v Welsh it is

Played 6
Ireland 5 Wales 1

With 3 Welsh teams at home its a chance to readdress the balance,

However I'm going for 4 Irish wins though, Munster and Leinster are both capable of winning away from home, Leinster really do need to start playing well though.
Connacht are tough at home against any team, and given that Dragons don't travel well, are missing more players to WC and injuries, this game really should be a banker for Connacht.
Ospreys V Ulster is a very close call, normally I'd say home advantage would swing it in Ospreys favour, however with the world cup on I recon the Ulster XV is the better of the two, and that we will win this one (but it'll be close).

4 Irish wins to bring it to 9-1

George Naoupu and Rodney Ah You are out for Connacht.

they'll be misses but still recon that Connacht will win this.

On a slighty diffenert Connacht v Dragons,
Connacht are 3/1 to finish above Dragons this season,
I'd normally say it's worth a few pound, but I can never be bothered to put money on and then wait a season to get paid.

Kingshu wrote:Connacht are 3/1 to finish above Dragons this season,

Methinks the bookies forgot to factor in the Heineken Cup.

you are aware that for the Scarlets anyway, the only Irish fixture we won last season was home against Connacht (and we drew there against Leinster too). Otherwise we lost all the other ones. Rubbish record.

Smirnoff - I'm gutted I can't go to it either. Such a moment of Scarlets history and I'm missing it. Am stuck out in the sticks looking after my parents house as they're on hols and I can't drive. Gutted.

It is gutting - I'm so annoyed i can't drive (got my licence and everything!) and being reliant on Welsh public transport is so dibilitating for a rugby fan. Maybe I'll go and see the Blues game instead (though I'm usually put off by their dire form and the 3/4 empty stadium)

Yeah coz I checked getting a train (which I would have to get a taxi to the station!) and I'd be fine to get there, but there's not train coming back. ah well.

Reckon I'll be going to the Blues game as well. The atmosphere is a bit rubbish, but I just want to see my team play

3 of the games are on TV.(guess which game isn't ?) I'd say 2 Irish wins.

Thomond wrote:guess which game isn't ?

Well after the suicide inducing enthusiasm on the other thread I'm hoping it's Scarlets V Leinster!

Connacht as usual aren't on TV.

Well if it's a nice day (yeah right) that should get all the season ticket holders out for it. They got a bonus point against Dragons last year in the same fixture, it could be a good match, shame isn't not on telly.

I thought it might be Connaught as almost all games in Wales are usually on TV. But as Greybeard says we're not really expecting a great game between Leinster and Scarlets and the fans are competing in 'our .... is weaker than yours' stakes.

Smirnoffpriest wrote:I thought it might be Connaught as almost all games in Wales are usually on TV. But as Greybeard says we're not really expecting a great game between Leinster and Scarlets and the fans are competing in 'our .... is weaker than yours' stakes.

Haha yeah there is a bitta that!
Setting ourselves up for a fall

Connacht and Munster to win.
Leinster to lose
Ulster Ospreys to draw

Smirnoffpriest wrote:I thought it might be Connaught as almost all games in Wales are usually on TV

Connacht

Cardiff, Ospreys, Leinster and Connacht to win.
Can''t see it any other way.

Blues have a good record against Munster,

but they were very poor in the breakdown against Ulster and Treviso,

Munster are still the best in the pro12 at ruining the breakdown (our last 2 home games vs Munster have been horrific, won by 1pt and lost by 1pt both in crucial games where munster needed a LBP or a win)

Hopefully the Blues pack will actually get interested this week (I think we miss Dia Youngs analysis o the way the forwards play, they should have had a b*llocking after Treviso, but the new management dont want to criticise when they are so reliant on the players, especially after a BP win, though poor performance)

Leinster are missing 24 players. Backrow and 2nd row completely decimated. I can't see us winning in Wales. We lost to Glasgow at home. The World Cup can't end soon enough for Schmidt. Because our start to this season is shaping up to be worse than last year.

Munster, Connacht, Ulster and Scarlets to win. €5 on that on a 12/1 accumulator = BOOM!

Apologies Greybeard - I always seem to have a blind spot in my spelling when it comes to Connacht. I think it comes from the fact that I was brought up a Welsh speaker, so I see the similarities in French, Breton and other similar Celtic languages, where as Irish Gaelic and the Scots language is a different strain of Celtic and so I get a little confused as theres a different alphabet and pronunciations.

I will try and remember the correct spelling though

It's nae bother. There are alternative spellings (Connacht/Connaught) for the province, so it's easy to get confused.

But the team, logo, website etc are all "Connacht"

I see, maybe thats where I get confused - I've probably seen it in media reports as Connaught as well, coz they usually spell Llanelli wrong and still talk about the regions as Llanelli, Swansea, Cardiff, Newport instead of Scarlets, Ospreys, Blues, Dragons.

Anyway I hope it will be a good game and lets hope some future Irish/Welsh (particularly Welsh - including that Ruddock! lol) internationals shine

And Jarvis...

Poor performance by the regions in all. The Scarlets, Blues and Dragons all had great opportunities to win their matches but lacked the clinical edge when it really mattered. The biggest surprise of the weekened for me though were Ulster. For them to lose comfortably to a side that didn't play very well is a shock.

3-1 to Ireland and well deserved. Munster and Ospreys are the only teams with 100% win rate. Neither side have played that well and what's sad is they haven't needed to. Poor standard of rugby so far after round 4. Hope it changes quick sharp.

Not all... the Ospreys were the only one not to let Wales down (again)
Though the Scarlets losing to Leinster was a disgrace for them, they may as well pack up and go back to Welsh Premiership level if their going to play and lose like that again.

This season so far
Ireland 8
Wales 2

Smirnoffpriest wrote:I see, maybe thats where I get confused - I've probably seen it in media reports as Connaught as well, coz they usually spell Llanelli wrong and still talk about the regions as Llanelli, Swansea, Cardiff, Newport instead of Scarlets, Ospreys, Blues, Dragons.

Anyway I hope it will be a good game and lets hope some future Irish/Welsh (particularly Welsh - including that Ruddock! lol) internationals shine

Just remember. Connaught is a hotel in London. Connacht is a province of Ireland.

As regards Ruddock. You will have to content yourself with Ciaran as we have already capped Rhys, during the great summer backrow crisis of 2010. Also

Damn you lol