RELAX, RUGBY FANS. It’s back…
Munster issues run deeper than just hurt feelings
AS FRIDAY NIGHT’S kick-off approach, the consensus grew that Munster would thrive in this diversity.
They would choke down the hurtful words in that infamous late August e-mail and turn their adversity into a performance – ‘better when we’re bitter’, all that stuff.
Instead, the unit put in a lacklustre display and slumped to a third straight defeat in the once impregnable fortress Thomond.
Sure, Ian Keatley’s late long penalty (not to mention CJ Stander’s growing collection of tries) could have papered over the cracks for another week, but their opening night was an almost complete systems failure.
Connacht keep the green flag flying
How satisfying, in the week when Sky expands the Pro12 audience to England, that Connacht should be the side nestled into second place.
Pat Lam’s side have their injury problems and he will have taken far greater pleasure in the sight of Jack Carty continuing his growth towards owning the province’s number 10 jersey. Darragh Leader also showed his value with long-distance penalties ensuring the western province provided Ireland with their only win of the opening Guinness Pro12 weekend.
Glasgow are still the league’s most exciting team
Glasgow away was always going to be the toughest start to anyone’s season, particularly Leinster as Gregor Townsend sent his side out to prove that their collapse in the Pro12 final was not the beginning of a downward spiral.
The Warriors’ passing skills are what make them a thrilling spectacle and their superior possession should have yielded a bonus point try and sealed victory long before Stuart Hogg’s late penalty.
Stuart Olding is well and truly back
It’s been a long hard road of recovery for the man who received his international debut under Les Kiss in 2013, but Stuart Olding appears to have returned better than ever.
Olding ruptured his ACL while playing for the Ravens last November. Now 21, though he is a relatively compact presence in the modern game, his elusive running and footwork made him a constant threat to the Scarlets Defence and paved the way for vital Ulster scores.
Slow start for the Leinster juggernaut
Three tries and 19 points down before scoring their first penalty of the new season can’t have been what Matt O’Connor imagined his title defence would begin like.
Yet it’s difficult to pillory Leinster for a slow start, because they’ve made a habit of it. Last week we mentioned that O’Connor’s side had timed their run perfectly to Pro12 success last time out. They almost repeated the trick within the confines of an 80 minute display in Scotstoun.
Though that set-piece driven salvage operation was commendable, a side with 10 internationals and three more to call on from the bench should never have found themselves so far adrift to begin with.
Results:
Ospreys 44 Treviso 13
Zebre v Cardiff (Sunday 17:00)
