Weekend Pro 12 Action

This weekend's live rugby action from the Pro 12.

Friday

Ulster v Benetton Treviso 

KO: 7:35pm

TV: BBC 2NI

Referee: Dan Jones

Ulster welcome Treviso to Ravenhill on Friday night off the back of a comfortable win over Zebre last weekend. Les Kiss' charges currently lie one place outside the playoff spots & will be looking to secure a winning bonus-point victory to close the gap on Scarlets in 4th spot. Kieran Crowley's side welcome players from international duty but remain cemented to the foot of the Pro12 table, following just two wins all year. 

The Ulster back-line is quickly becoming one of the most feared in the league since the return of former Springbok Ruan Pienaar. Olding & Marshall have been excluded from the Ireland squad but are performing admirably for their province. The back three pairing of Charles Piutau, Jacob Stockdale & Tommy Bowe make Ulster a real threat from anywhere on the pitch. The home side begin the game as 29 point favourites - having beaten Zebre by 23 points & Glasgow by 20 in their last two games.

Connacht v Zebre

KO: 7:35pm

TV: TG4

Referee: Ben Whitehouse

Zebre travel to the Sportsground in search of their 2nd win of the season. Connacht lie in 8th position following a slow start to the league, but have seen an encouraging improvement in recent weeks. The return of Bundee Aki is a timely boost and Pat Lam will be hoping to finish out his time in Galway with a late push towards the playoff places. Connacht have won their last three games in the Pro 12, notching a bonus-point win over Treviso last weekend.

Zebre should be able to welcome back a few Italian internationals for the encounter. The parma-based outfit arrive into the clash following a heavy home defeat to Ulster and are rooted to the base of the Pro12 standings as they enter Round 17. A noisy Connacht crowd will be in full voice to cheer their troops to a 4th successive Pro12 win. Tiernan O' Halloran has been of the stand out players this season, with the injury to Rob Kearney, O' Halloran will be eager to impress the Irish coaching staff after his fine solo effort against Canada in November International.

Edinburgh v Ospreys

KO: 7:35pm

TV: BBC Wales/Alba

Referee: George Clancy

Ospreys lost their grip at the top of the Pro12 following a loss at home to Munster, but they hit back with a bonus-point win over Glasgow at the Liberty Stadium. Keelan Giles scored his 12th try of the season in the win that left the Welsh side in 2nd place in the Pro12 standings. Edinburgh have lost their last 4 fixtures, leaving themselves without much to play for in the remaining rounds. 

Ospreys, the 1 point favourites for the clash will travel to the Myreside Stadium in hope of putting pressure on Leinster, who play on Saturday against Scarlets. Steve Tandy team are showing a cutting edge in attack, with Sam Underhill playing some of his best rugby of his career & Keelan Giles showing Rob Howley what the national side are missing. They will also welcome back 6 players from the Wales squad including Sam Davies & Rory Thornton.

Saturday

Glasgow v Dragons

KO: 3pm

TV: Sky Sports 2

Referee: Andrew Brace

Gregor Townsend's last season in charge of the Scottish side has been a mixed bag between their Pro 12 & Champions Cup performances. Glasgow have lost their last 3 Pro12 fixtures, due to a combination of losing their best players to 6 Nations duty & an apparent lack of depth in the squad. As they prepare for a quarter-final clash against Saracens in Europe, their Pro12 form in recent weeks has been lacking. 

Kingsley Jones brings his side to Glasgow off the back of a hammering to the hands of Leinster last weekend. The Welsh side were bullied at set-piece, conceding 8 tries despite a late come-back. The Dragons find themselves 3rd from bottom, with only 4 wins from 16 matches. Glasgow will look to target this fixture in order to kick-start their domestic campaign.

Cardiff Blues v Munster

KO: 5:15pm

TV: Sky Sports 2

Referee: Mike Adamson

Munster travel to Wales to take on Cardiff in Saturday evening's clash. Rassie Erasmus will be looking for an improved performance from his side, after gifting Scarlets a win at Thomond Park in Round 16. After suffering just their first defeat at Thomond Park since December 2015, letting go a commanding 21-6 half time lead and conceding three tries in under ten minutes, failing to score in the entirety of the second half. The result left Munster in 3rd place, 2 points behind Leinster. 

Cardiff sit in 7th position in the Pro 12 table. With some notable leaders away on international duty, Danny Wilson's side recorded a gutsy win over Edinburgh in Round 17. The Blues already defeated Cardiff at the Irish Independent Park, while Munster's visit to the Welsh capital last season also ended in defeat.

Leinster v Scarlets

KO: 7:35pm

TV: TG4/S4C

Referee: Nigel Owens

Leinster returned to the top of the Pro 12 after an impressive 8 try victory away to the Dragons. With a squad depleted of their international stars, the Irish province put heavy reliance on the academy stars to secure the bonus-point victory. Leo Cullen's side have won 5 league games in a row and welcome Scarlets to the RDS on Saturday. 

Scarlets travel to Dublin hoping to build from their recent success over Munster at Thomond Park. The Welsh outfit find themselves in 4th place in the Pro12 standings. Scarlets performed with merit in the Champions Cup despite exiting in the group stages of the tournament and will be looking to remain in contention for some silverware at the end of the season.