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Welcome to Round 17 of the Guinness PRO12 championship. With only six full rounds
to go, the season is really building towards its climax. A number of clubs are still in
contention to make the Play-Offs in May as well as automatic qualification for Europe.
Every game counts.
Last weekend the top five teams remained unchanged in the championship table
but there was movement amongst the mid-table teams vying for those crucial Play-
Off and European places. Connacht still sit at the top of the Guinness PRO12 table
with 54 points, following their exciting 30-22 win over the Ospreys. Leinster (second)
and Edinburgh (fifth) had two good wins against Zebre and Scarlets respectively
whilst Ulster remain fourth despite being pipped by a resurgent Cardiff Blues second
half performance. Munster also improved their position to sixth in the table after a
close encounter with Treviso. And Glasgow Warriors narrowly defeated Dragons to
continue their move up the table and currently occupy seventh place, but have two
games in hand.
Once again we saw some thrilling games and three out of the six encounters saw the
Dragons, Scarlets and Treviso take losing bonus points. And, despite the seasonal
weather, on average there are still over four tries scored per match.
Tonight’s contest will be exciting as both Ulster and Zebre lost last week and will be
keen to return to their winning ways.
It is a credit to the unions, clubs, coaches and players that our championship is as
competitive as it is and many of the talented players that compete in the Guinness
PRO12 have been on international duty. Last weekend 72 players were prominent in
the RBS 6 Nations.
I would like to take this opportunity to wish all the teams, players and officials all the
very best for their games this weekend and thank you, the fans, for your continued
support.
Enjoy the game.