Head Coach: Umberto
Casellato
Stadium: Stadio di Monigo,
TrevisoCaptain: Antonio Pavanello
Star Man: Michele Campagnaro
Treviso really haven’t lived up to the hype that they created around
themselves a couple of years ago when they really threatened the top four of
the Pro12. Last year they fell to a dismal 11th place, only just
holding off the challenge of minnows Zebre while losing head coach Franco Smith
too. Now they enter 2014/15 having lost a sizable amount of their front line stars
to big European teams knowing that they have a massive task to simply stay
ahead of their Italian rivals. Can they remind the rugby community that Italian
sides can compete at the highest level? Common sense and the amount of players
they’ve lost would dictate not, but a word of warning: never write off the Leoni and the awkward away trip that the
Stadio di Monigo poses.
CARDIFF BLUES
Head Coach: Mark Hammett
Stadium: BT Sport Cardiff
Arms Park, CardiffCaptain: Matthew Rees
Star Man: Alex Cuthbert
Of all the teams in the Pro12, the word “disappointment” springs to
mind when you think of the Cardiff Blues. No offence to any fans of the Blues
that read this but even they will agree that ever since they reached the
Heineken Cup semi-final in 2009, their form both domestically and in Europe
hasn’t been good enough. Not that they haven’t tried though, the Blues can
cause a lot of problems when in full stride, but when you think of the stars
they’ve had at their disposal over the past few seasons their exploits
should’ve been much greater. Stealing Adam Jones from the Ospreys and bringing
in Mark Hammett as Director of Rugby will help their plight dramatically, but
not enough for them to mount a serious challenge to the top sides.
CONNACHT RUGBY
Head Coach: Pat Lam
Stadium: Galway
Sportsground, GalwayCaptain: John Muldoon
Star Man: Mils Muliaina
Pat Lam was brought in to Galway to try and convince the IRFU that
Connacht are not just the fourth province in Ireland anymore and that they
deserve equal standing. Based on how his debut season went, he has a lot to
improve upon this campaign. He’s used his contacts well and managed to convince
ex-All Blacks star Mils Muliaina that the Sportsground is where he should spend
his twilight years, but losing the experience of Dan Parks at fly-half is a
worry for an inexperienced squad that will rely heavily on their stars in
Kieran Marmion and Robbie Henshaw. A low finish is likely to be repeated this
season, although don’t rule out a shock result or two at the Sportsground on a
wet and windy Friday night.
EDINBURGH RUGBY
Head Coach: Alan Solomons
Stadium: BT Murrayfield,
EdinburghCaptain: TBD
Star Man: Tim Visser
Edinburgh are one of the hardest sides in the Pro12 to work out, and
I’ll be honest, writing this preview is the trickiest of the twelve. Probably
the best side of the bottom six teams in the Pro12, this year is the first
where the formerly named Gunners will sense that they have a realistic chance
to break into the top six, especially since they have managed to hold onto all
of their front line players while strengthening their squad over the summer
too. If they can make Murrayfield into a true fortress, their pack can do a lot
of damage, while the ever present threat of Tim Visser is enough to strike fear
into any defender.
GLASGOW WARRIORS
Head Coach: Gregor Townsend
Stadium: Scotstoun Stadium,
GlasgowCaptain: Alastair Kellock
Star Man: Sean Maitland
Surprisingly, I reckon if you ask many Glasgow fans what they think of
last season then they’d be disappointed. And I would share that disappointment
– the Warriors were the most consistent team in the league by a long way and
toward the end of the season some of the rugby they played was simply
irresistible, they simply fell at the final hurdle due to a lack of experience
at the highest level. This year they have learned vital lessons, managed to
strengthen an already star-studded squad and are hungry for revenge. And based
on those things, plus a fully fit and unpredictable Niko Matawalu thrown into
the mix, this could really be their year.
LEINSTER RUGBY
Head Coach: Matt O’Connor
Stadium: RDS Arena, DublinCaptain: Jamie Heaslip
Star Man: Sean O’Brien
Defending champions, most successful side in the competition, anybody
else want to throw a few more superlatives at Leinster? Even when they had lost
Joe Schmidt, Jonny Sexton and Isa Nacewa ahead of last season they still
managed to dig deep and find the victory yet again, and it is that winning
mentality that still makes them the best side in the Pro12. That title is going
to be strongly disputed this season and having lost Brian O’Driscoll they will
be severely wanting in the centre department. Nevertheless, you’ll find very
few teams will triumph over the Boys in Blue this year and it will take a
massive effort from any team to overcome the Dubliners’ destructive front five.
MUNSTER RUGBY
Head Coach: Anthony Foley
Stadium: Thomond Park,
Limerick/Musgrave Park, CorkCaptain: Peter O’Mahony
Star Man: Simon Zebo
Last season we saw real glimpses of the Munster of old, yet even the
die-hard Munster fans will admit that they are nowhere near the level that they
used to be. Over the summer head coach Rob Penney was ousted and replacing him
is fans’ favourite Anthony “Axel” Foley who will attempt to instil that former
mentality at Thomond Park, but that is easier said than done. While Munster now
have a younger group of players coming through who are showing real promise,
they are still a few years away from the real deal and unless Foley can really
invigorate their rather limp back line then it will be another trophyless
season in the south of Ireland.
NEWPORT-GWENT DRAGONS
Head Coach: Lyn Jones
Stadium: Rodney Parade,
NewportCaptain: Lee Byrne
Star Man: Taulupe Faletau
Keeping hold of Taulupe Faletau was integral to the success of the
Dragons, and not only did Lyn Jones manage to do that, but he went one step
further and also convinced winger Aled Brew and full-back Lee Byrne that Rodney
Parade was the place for them to come to this season – two fantastic
acquisitions. Although their returns won’t necessarily mean a play-off place is
in the offing for the region, expect them to be a lot more competitive this
season and pull away from the two Italians at the bottom of the table. That is,
if their trio of stars can stay injury free…
OSPREYS
Head Coach: Steve Tandy
Stadium: Liberty Stadium,
SwanseaCaptain: Alun Wyn Jones
Star Man: Justin Tipuric
No point in sugar coating it, 2013/14 was nothing short of a failure
for the Ospreys. No play-off match for them in the Pro12 and an early exit from
Europe reflected a fall from grace for the Swansea-based region and this season
is fully motivated by a need for a return to the top table of Celtic rugby. Dan
Biggar will provide the reliability required from behind the pack while Alun
Wyn Jones will act as the figurehead in the scrum. Richard Hibbard’s departure
will severely weaken their scrum however and unless a few younger players step
up, it may be another difficult year for them.
SCARLETS
Head Coach: Wayne Pivac
Stadium: Parc y Scarlets,
LlanelliCaptain: Ken Owens
Star Man: Rhys Priestland
The Scarlets have always been up and around the play-off places yet
they very rarely make them. This season they’ve made positive steps in trying
to make sure they are no longer ‘possibles’ and instead are ‘probables’ by
bringing in Wayne Pivac as head coach, while securing the return of Regan King
from Clermont and the capture of Michael Tagicakibau on the wing. The loss of
Jonathan Davies is a worrying point for the Scarlets and unless their scrum can
make more of an impact in the big games then they will continue to be on the
outside looking in.
ULSTER RUGBY
Head Coach: Les Kiss
Stadium: Kingspan Stadium,
BelfastCaptain: Rory Best
Star Man: Ruan Pienaar
The nearly men of rugby in the past few years, last season was a
particularly difficult one for the Ulstermen and it culminated in head coach
Mark Anscombe losing his job over the course of a very turbulent summer in
Belfast. Also departing are Director of Rugby David Humphreys, Johann Muller,
Stephen Ferris and John Afoa leaving a sizable gap in the Ulster squad. However,
with Ireland assistant coach Les Kiss stepping in as head coach on an interim
basis and the signings of Franco van der Merwe and Wiehahn Herbst, things may
not be so bad. However, with so many changes, this may simply be a transitional
year for the White Knights.
ZEBRE
Head Coach: Andrea Cavinato
Stadium: Stadio XXV
Aprille, ParmaCaptain: Gonzalo Garcia
Star Man: Mauro Bergamasco
Zebre are the side everyone wants to do well – except when they’re
playing against their side! Since they took over from Aironi a couple of
seasons ago, Zebre have slowly improved, notching up several victories and
giving several teams a run for their money in some tight matches. However, it
has been a rather quiet off-season in Parma and without any significant
investment into the team, this season looks doomed to be just as unsuccessful
as the previous few. A basement battle with Treviso looks the most likely outcome
yet again for Zebre, yet if they can find their feet early on then maybe more
could be on the cards…
Adam’s prediction:
1.
Glasgow Warriors
2. Leinster
Rugby
3. Ulster
Rugby
4. Munster
Rugby
5. Ospreys
6. Scarlets
7. Edinburgh
Rugby
8. Cardiff
Blues
9. Newport-Gwent
Dragons
10. Connacht
Rugby
11. Benetton
Treviso
12.
Zebre
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