Glasgow take Pro12 top spot

Glasgow have taken the top spot of the Pro12, beating Treviso 40-23. They managed a try-bonus point as well (scoring six tries in all) which gave them the extra point to take them past Ospreys.

Ospreys, who had held the top spot in the Rabo for most of the first few weeks, also won their match against Zebre. But they only managed to win by a point, the eventual score being 16-15.

It was Ospreys’ closest game of the tournament so far this season, which is surprising as Zebre have only won one match and are propping up the table.

Both Glasgow and Ospreys retain their perfect record, and no other team in all the leagues (English Premiership, Top14 and Super Rugby) have managed that feat.

It was a very good performance by Glasgow, who outshone their hosts. Though Treviso showed some fight, the Scottish side were too much for them. Treviso actually were the first team to touch down, scoring a try in the first 10 minutes, but Glasgow came back with a vengeance.

Ospreys received quite a shock against Italian side Zebre, who put up a hell of a fight. Zebre actually played the more attractive rugby of the two sides, scoring a try in the first few minutes of the game.

But the Ospreys kept themselves in it through penalties, and Zebre’s ill-discipline cost them. It was the boot of Sam Davies who won the game for Ospreys, kicking five penalties in all.

In what was the big match of the weekend, Munster trounced Leinster 34-23. The Irish derby between these sides is usually a much closer affair, but Munster proved just too much for Leinster.

The Aviva Stadium crowd were shocked by the dominance of Munster in the first-half, and the two-time Heineken Cup champions went into the break with a 28-9 lead against their arch rivals. Leinster did well to claw some points back in the second half but they were helped by the fact that Munster had four players sent off.

It wasn’t enough for Leinster, Munster ran away with the victory. And there was more bad news as Fergus McFadden has been ruled out for six weeks with an ankle injury. On the plus side, several Leinster players have returned to training from injury, including Rob Kearney, Martin Moore and Jack McGrath.

Connacht have kept up their good form with a draw against Cardiff. They have now won three of their last five games, with one draw and one loss.

Connacht had a strong lead going into the last 15 minutes of the game, been 24-10 ahead. But Cardiff managed to score a brace of tries in the last 10 minutes to draw the match. Connacht are currently place fifth on the Pro12 table, and if they can keep up their good form they have a chance of qualifying for next year’s Rugby Champions Cup.

Ulster recovered from last week’s shock loss to Zebre, thrashing Edinburgh 30-0. The score belied the quality of the match, which was dire, but Ulster won’t be complaining as they secured a try-bonus point. Edinburgh continue their poor run, having only won one match out of the last five, drawing one and losing three

In the Welsh derby, Scarlets managed a strong victory over the Dragons, winning the game 26-13. The hosts just didn’t have enough to match their Welsh counterparts. The win puts the Scarlets two places ahead of Cardiff on the table, at sixth. If the Scarlets can keep up their form, they also have a good chance of appearing in next year’s Rugby Champions Cup.