The bread and butter of the Pro12 (How I've missed you)

The world cup is over and though the drama and the scale of the tournament were very enjoyable I, for one, am looking forward to getting back into the Pro12. The part time international supporters can now go back into supporting football till the 6 nations and we can concentrate on our lovely little multi national league. The first 6 rounds weren’t to the greatest standard because of the absence of the internationals but with them coming back and with new signings looking to make their mark it promises to raise the standard sufficiently. Rather surprisingly my team have already built a 6 point gap at the top but the big surprises for me are down there at 8th and 9th. Ulster even more so, a team I’d expect to be locked in the play offs are already 4 points adrift of it.

Anyway, the purpose of this thread is to reintroduce the Pro12 league to 606v2 and to ask who people are looking forward to seeing play for their team either returning or brand new? Predictions for round 7 and the season as a whole? Basically anything relating to the Pro12.

League as it stands

Team P PTS
1 Ospreys 6 24
2 Munster 6 18
3 Leinster 6 18
4 Cardiff Blues 6 16
5 Glasgow 6 14
6 Treviso 6 14
7 Connacht 6 14
8 Ulster 6 12
9 Scarlets 6 11
10 NG Dragons 6 10
11 Edinburgh 6 10
12 Aironi 6 6

Round 7 Fixtures (My points earned prediction in brackets)

Edinburgh(1) v Leinster(4)
Glasgow(1) v Ospreys(4)
Munster(5) v Aironi(0)
Connacht(4) v Cardiff Blues(1)
Scarlets(1) v Ulster(4)
Treviso(4) v Newport-Gwent D'gons(0)

My pick of the Round 7 fixtures

Scarlets v Ulster

Neither team will be happy with their current position and will be looking for a good win this weekend. Will the Scarlets be able to incorporate their internationals into the team as I’m sure Ulster will? If they are I can see it being close but if not an away win will be on the cards.

By the way considering doing a weekly pro12 article as there doesn't seem to be any at present. What kind of info would people like to see published in it if I do?

I'm looking forward to the West Wales derby on the 5th of November more cause I'm going....and as for who I'm looking forward to seeing play...well I don't need to say...

As for a weekly P12 article, people usually put up a thread for each game so they can chat before/during/after that match in particular, so I'm not sure where another would fit in the grand scheme of things? MMC used to do a weekly article which gave the statistics to do with the competition each week - I don't know if he still does that?

its been hard to keep up with domestic club rugby over the last few weeks. i have had a few games on telly but they quickly fell into the background; the games on the whole just wernt as exciting as all that world cup rugby, although dragons wasps had me on the edge of my seat right up until the end

looking forward to settling back down into the domestic league though.

the blues have an interesting season ahead. no coach, but that might prove better than dai yawn. (and no coach worked for the french)

gavin is an interesting addition to the squad. could be a a great, strenghtening signing or it could tear the changing room apart. i wonder how the returning rwc hero, jimbob, will greet him

I remember that, he did it on the old 606 but can't recall seeing a 606v2 version. Maybe you're right about there not being a need for a weekly pro12 article. Looking forward to the west Wales derby myself. To some degree it will be the Welsh backs agianst the forwards. Should be a cracker!

Dogtooth - I might have to come and have a squiz at Tangtastic Gav when he plays for your lot being as he's only up the road now.

George - you could still do a weekly article, it just depends what use you put it up for. I mentioned MMC's statistics one as it was an interesting and popular one. Maybe you could take that over if he's no doing it anymore?

MMc used to make a great effort. Maybe we could do a collective effort. Ask at the beginning of the week who has time to do it...


Seems unfair to leave our enjoyment to just one person all the time...!

How quickly will the internationals be left back into club teams in Italy/Wales/Scotland. I assume the welsh players definitely need an extra week?

I'm very pleased Leinster managed to keep towards the top during the start of the season but have been dissappointed with the focus of the team and general levels of intensity. We have had a few injuries also but they should be all back and fit around the same time as the internationals arrive.

For Leinster I reckon the big guns will come back in for the Munster game in the New Lansdowne Road but BOD and 1 or 2 others could even be rested past that game (which is a risk). So for me, the Edinburgh game, a bogey team for Leinster in an away fixture with people (even me) looking at Munster and HC coming up shortly is a very dangerous trip. Plus Murrayfield is a terrible place to play when it is virtually empty.

thebandwagonsociety wrote:How quickly will the internationals be left back into club teams in Italy/Wales/Scotland.

Think most of the Scottish guys are back this week.

Would be amazed if any of the Welsh guys are involved this week.

Dorothy_Mantooth wrote:

thebandwagonsociety wrote:How quickly will the internationals be left back into club teams in Italy/Wales/Scotland.

Think most of the Scottish guys are back this week.

Would be amazed if any of the Welsh guys are involved this week.

Some of the welsh players haven't been over used in the last few weeks and will be keen to get out and play some rugby, others might need until the start of the HeC to get back into it.

Playing France with fourteen men took a hell of a lot out of them.

Faletau is having a week off to visit family in Tonga apparently - would be great to have our fab five back for the Cardiff match in a few weeks time

Sam Warburton was still in NZ yesterday - he was covering the final with S4C, so he won't be back for a while either.

maestegmafia wrote:

Dorothy_Mantooth wrote:

thebandwagonsociety wrote:How quickly will the internationals be left back into club teams in Italy/Wales/Scotland.

Think most of the Scottish guys are back this week.

Would be amazed if any of the Welsh guys are involved this week.

Some of the welsh players haven't been over used in the last few weeks and will be keen to get out and play some rugby, others might need until the start of the HeC to get back into it.

Playing France with fourteen men took a hell of a lot out of them.

I think from a player management point of view you might find that they sit out this round of games and return next week. Its just not the game time they have had, its the coming back from New Zealand getting over jet-lag, getting a bit of a break from Rugby.

True the jet lag is a big one, unless you can manage to sleep all the way home. God bless melatonin, works a treat.

I'm not too excited about Aironi this weekend (and I think Dragons will lose too). I really can't wait for Dragons v Blues a week Friday though. A lot planned for that night too, like Max Boyce singing and Richard Parks being guest of honour.

With regards to the Welsh guys, well I read Toby F and Danny L have a week off. I'm pretty sure that the Welsh guys will be back for the derby weekend though, even in a limited capacity. Our fringe players like Brewy and Burns will probably start v Blues and I guess the other three is just a wait and see.

Treviso and Connacht should get a mention for playing particulary well with their limitations. They should start to slip though as the season ware's on and the rest become stronger. Dragons had a very tough start to the League. I wonder what sort of impact the 4 Wales forwards will have coming back into the team? I am expectant of big things from the pack with four top internationals in the eight seeing as a couple of the others aren't bad either. Want to see a backline of Evans, Tovey, Chavanga, Smith, Hughes, Brew, Thomas - don't think they've even had one runout together yet?

With regards to the dragons the current crop who played against wasps are a tidy bunch, considering they were reserves and academy lads they were excellent. Real talent there,good coaching too. I think the dragons will give a vy good account of themselves this year.

I imagine all the blues internationals won't be playing this weekend, maybe Bradley will be on the bench as he probably played the least out of them all?

The return of Parks will soothe the hurt, mind

If we can beat Wasps away then we have a fair chance against Aironi.

We may have Brew and Lloyd back too

gcBlues wrote:
The return of Parks will soothe the hurt, mind

Gavin didn't come down your way to play anywhere other than fly-half, which is good as I still think he's a very good fly-half. How soon will he be playing for you?

Starting to see the individual match threads come in now which kind of makes this thread redundant (as Cari predicted) so i'll bid everyone (apart from Warriors fans) good luck for the weekend. This weekend's games might not have the scale and crowds of what we've been witnessing over the last couple of months but for me it's proper rugby and I can't wait.

Brew and Burns back for Dragons Derby

http://www.southwalesargus.co.uk/sport/9325386.Wales_duo_back_for_Dragons__derby_with_Blues/

Morgannwg wrote:

gcBlues wrote:
The return of Parks will soothe the hurt, mind

Gavin didn't come down your way to play anywhere other than fly-half, which is good as I still think he's a very good fly-half. How soon will he be playing for you?

Couple of weeks, i think. He's out of plaster so maybe just a bit of rehab, maybe in time for our first HEC game.

The Blues are going to have to wait a while for our internationals...

Warbs, Roberts and Halfpenny will be shattered.

Hopefully B.Davies and L.Williams will be back sooner which should help us at the breakdown - but without M.Williams or Warburton we are in trouble :/