Welsh sides see off the Irish challenge as the Scots record bonus point wins over the Italians

Round 17 of the Pro 12 offered a small taste of what could unfold this weekend at the Millennium stadium as all eight Welsh and Irish provinces faced off.

Joe Schmidt and the Ireland coaching staff will be hoping the results of the round will bare little significance to the Six Nations encounter. In the other two games both Scottish sides recorded comfortable bonus point wins over Italian opposition.

Cardiff Blues 18 – 17 Connacht Rugby
Pat Lam and co. were left seething after this one but all the praise must fall to a Blues side that never failed to give up. An incredible six and a half minutes into overtime the home side kept the ball alive long enough for winger Joaquin Tuculet to dot down close to the posts to narrow Connacht’s lead to just one point at the death. Up stepped Rhys Patchell and with nerves of steel he dispatched the winning kick to send the home fans wild and the visitors home scratching their heads. Connacht had enjoyed a seemingly comfortable 10-3 lead at the break but credit to the home side for their dogged determination to drag themselves back into the game and record a first win over an Irish side this season. The game would mark the beginning of a tough weekend for the Irish provinces.

Glasgow Warriors 26 – 5 Zebre
Both sides went into the game in unfamiliar territory with the Italians winning their previous outing against the Dragons and the home side reeling from an away defeat to Munster. Three minutes was all it took for Glasgow to opening the scoring as they went on to record a four try bonus point win. Two tries from DTH van der merwe and one a piece for Chris Fusaro and Kevin Bryce all coming in the first half ended the game as a contest. The Warriors never kicked on in the second as Zebre scored a consolation try of their own when winger Dion Berryman collected a grubbing kick and crossed the line. The second half then fizzled out as it was evident both sides attentions had turned to other matters.

Ospreys 26 – 12 Munster Rugby    
Sam Davies (pictured) put in a memorable performance as he scored twenty-one of his teams twenty-six points and guided them to an impressive win over title rivals Munster. The traveling side had just dismantled Glasgow the week before but the team that showed up at the Liberty Stadium was way off the pace. A 17-0 score line at half time told its own story, as Munster never looked like taking four points back home. They did manage to out score the Ospreys two tries to one, but the boot of Davies was crucial to the home side’s victory. A late push for a losing bonus point was in vain as the Ospreys re-affirmed their title ambitions and moved back into the top four.

Scarlets 23 – 13 Leinster Rugby
Leinster traveled to the Parc Y Scarlets boasting a formidable line-up with a number of returning international players. The home form of the Scarlets was very impressive with no defeats in fifteen months and that record was kept firmly intact after Leinster feel away in the second. The Irish province led 10-8 at half time thanks to Ben Teo’o and his neatly taken line in the build up to his try. John Barclay, Rory Pitman and Jordan Williams all scored for the Scarlets as they ran out comfortable winners.  Leinster’s chances of claiming a semi-final place look in serious jeopardy now. The win sees the Scarlets narrow the gap between themselves and Connacht to three points in the race to finish sixth.

Benetton Treviso 8 – 29 Edinburgh Rugby
Edinburgh ended a run of three defeats on the bounce thanks in part to a brace of tries from Matt Scott on their way to victory over Treviso. Alan Solomons rang eight changes before the game as he welcomed back a number of his international contingent. The team struggled early on but two tries in two minutes from Scott and Mike Coman eased a few nerves and all but assured the win. Edinburgh can now start looking back up the table in the direction of Connacht after the western Irish province fell to defeat in this round.

Newport Gwent Dragons 26 – 22 Ulster Rugby
The biggest shock of round 17 came in the clash at Rodney Parde. Ulster were on a fine run of form chasing their fifth consecutive victory while the Dragons had lost their last two. A stagnant and low scoring game in the first half came alive in the second with both teams clocking up three tries. The result looked to be going only one way when Craig Gilroy dotted down in the first half but credit to the Dragons who muscled their way back into the contest and ran out eventual winners. The result rounded off a clean sweep of victories for the Welsh over the Irish as attention now turns to the Millennium stadium this Saturday.