The Quickening. Final stages of the inaugural Pro 12 season

[johng]

The Numbers

Six (or seven) games left in the "regular" season

Seven teams with any chance of the play offs

Eleven games left between these seven

Four for Munster & Cardiff

Three for Leinster, Glasgow, Scarlets & Ospreys

Two for Ulster.

Apart from next week, there are two of these games each week

Fri 2 Mar Ospreys v Warriors Liberty Stadium
Fri 23 Mar Leinster v Ospreys Royal Dublin Society
Sat 24 Mar Blues v Scarlets Cardiff City Stadium
Fri 30 Mar Warriors v Blues Firhill Stadium
Sat 31 Mar Munster v Leinster Thomond Park Stadium
13/14/15 Apr Blues v Ospreys Cardiff City Stadium
13/14/15 Apr Munster v Warriors Musgrave Park
20/21/22 Apr Scarlets v Munster Parc y Scarlets
20/21/22 Apr Ulster v Leinster Ravenhill
Sat 5 May Munster v Ulster Thomond Park Stadium
Sat 5 May Scarlets v Blues Parc y Scarlets

My Predictions are Leinster & Munster (Hopefully in that order) for the home SFs.

Ospreys to do just enough to stay top 4.

The other place between the remaining 4. Scarlets & Cardiff could knock each other out. Ulster have a handy run barring Munster away. Glasgow must travel to Liberty AND Thomond.

Ulster could knick it. Depending on whether they are still in the HC.

[glenageary]

season ticket renewal notices out and people already calcaulating the end of year league positions - jez - anyone got a prediction on the end of the recession!!

[totalrandomer]

season ticket renewal notices out and people already calcaulating the end of year league positions - jez - anyone got a prediction on the end of the recession!!

5 past 9 last Wednesday.

[ronk]

season ticket renewal notices out and people already calcaulating the end of year league positions - jez - anyone got a prediction on the end of the recession!!

5 past 9 last Wednesday.

Quick, put everything into shares in Irish banks. They're sure to take off. Invest in more than one so there's no risk.

[Oldschool]

There can be only one!

[aisling7]

and I have a serious credit card bill!!

[cormac]

With six games remaining we're only 11 points behind the 70 points we got in total for last season when we finished 2nd. For the 16 games we've played so far, we've picked up an extra 10 points on the matches against the same opponents from last season.

Last season we picked up 21 points from our matches against the same six teams we have left to play this season. Five wins (no bonus points) and a bp defeat away to Munster.

[[Jackass]]

I could only see us losing a maximum of 2 more games, so that would only really leave Munster who could catch us, and they would need to win all their remaining matches and then it would come down to a bonus point here or there seals it. We can afford a defeat away to Munster and hopefully win our other games and we should be fine. Scarlets was a bit of a setback, but can't really complain too much about it.

[johng]

I could only see us losing a maximum of 2 more games, so that would only really leave Munster who could catch us, and they would need to win all their remaining matches and then it would come down to a bonus point here or there seals it. We can afford a defeat away to Munster and hopefully win our other games and we should be fine. Scarlets was a bit of a setback, but can't really complain too much about it.

Munster and???? Presumably Ulster?

I would agree. We can beat the Dragons in the last game if we have to. Just be nice not to have to. If they can do a job on Munster this weekend, then happy days.

If we win v Cardiff in the HC we have a semi the week before the Dragons game AND the week after. It would be great to have the luxury of sending the Willow park U13s to Dave Parade.

We have several chances of making this come true. 1/ Beat Munster. 2/ Beat Ulster. (Presuming we win in Aironi and our home games) 3/ get loads of BPs 4/ Dragons or Scarlets beat Munster.

[Degz]

How was scarlets a bit of a setback?

[johng]

How was scarlets a bit of a setback?

Think he meant Glasgow.

[Apocrypha]

I could only see us losing a maximum of 2 more games, so that would only really leave Munster who could catch us, and they would need to win all their remaining matches and then it would come down to a bonus point here or there seals it. We can afford a defeat away to Munster and hopefully win our other games and we should be fine. Scarlets was a bit of a setback, but can't really complain too much about it.

Munster and???? Presumably Ulster?

I would agree. We can beat the Dragons in the last game if we have to. Just be nice not to have to. If they can do a job on Munster this weekend, then happy days.

If we win v Cardiff in the HC we have a semi the week before the Dragons game AND the week after. It would be great to have the luxury of sending the Willow park U13s to Dave Parade.

We have several chances of making this come true. 1/ Beat Munster. 2/ Beat Ulster. (Presuming we win in Aironi and our home games) 3/ get loads of BPs 4/ Dragons or Scarlets beat Munster.

Can't see Munster overtaking Leinster...we have 3 away trips in a row and then Leinster in TP...in last couple of games we have been awful - so have ye, btw - but have somehow managed to pick up 9 points...

That said...

Munster to beat Sarries @Twickers in the HEC...and then debone Leinster a week later in the Aviva...you read it here first...

[johng]

I could only see us losing a maximum of 2 more games, so that would only really leave Munster who could catch us, and they would need to win all their remaining matches and then it would come down to a bonus point here or there seals it. We can afford a defeat away to Munster and hopefully win our other games and we should be fine. Scarlets was a bit of a setback, but can't really complain too much about it.

Munster and???? Presumably Ulster?

I would agree. We can beat the Dragons in the last game if we have to. Just be nice not to have to. If they can do a job on Munster this weekend, then happy days.

If we win v Cardiff in the HC we have a semi the week before the Dragons game AND the week after. It would be great to have the luxury of sending the Willow park U13s to Dave Parade.

We have several chances of making this come true. 1/ Beat Munster. 2/ Beat Ulster. (Presuming we win in Aironi and our home games) 3/ get loads of BPs 4/ Dragons or Scarlets beat Munster.

Can't see Munster overtaking Leinster...we have 3 away trips in a row and then Leinster in TP...in last couple of games we have been awful - so have ye, btw - but have somehow managed to pick up 9 points...

That said...

Munster to beat Sarries @Twickers in the HEC...and then debone Leinster a week later in the Aviva...you read it here first...

I think I'd rather play Munster 2 weeks in a row. If you're good we'll let you win the 2nd one again.

[johng]

Now that Glasgow have won the biggest game of the weekend. I think Ulster will have to beat us to make it. Hope we don't need the points in Ravers.

[simonokeeffe]

Hopefully Munster will be resting players before a HC semi for trip to Scarlets.
Would be nice to be not needing a final day win so all the more reason to win in Thomond (which is going to be easier sans POC and Murray).

Only way Ulster would beat us would be if we played first choice team v Munster, Cardiff and Edinburgh successive weekends and needed to rest guys. First team v first team we have a brilliant head to head against Ulster, infinitely stronger bench plus Pienarr and Humphreys still can't/dont want to defend

[[Jackass]]

I agree our record v Ulster is great, but I wouldn't underestimate them, they've been one of the best teams in Europe over the last couple of seasons (2 quarter finals, wins v Clermont and Leicester in Ravenhill...)

[simonokeeffe]

Am confident we'd beat them but yeah no cakewalk (away interpros rarely are)
If you made a composite XXXIII you'd have 17/18 Leinster guys in there

[Lar]

Am confident we'd beat them but yeah no cakewalk (away interpros rarely are)
If you made a composite XXXIII you'd have 17/18 Leinster guys in there

Assume that should read XXIII....

[mfjoc]

When are the actual dates for the remaining matches going to be confirmed?
Edinburgh match is less than 6 weeks away

[johng]

When are the actual dates for the remaining matches going to be confirmed?
Edinburgh match is less than 6 weeks away

Last year it was the 1st week in March........