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Do you miss the Six Nations? I do. What an unbelievable run of fixtures we were treated to!
However, with test action now in the rearview mirror until July; we get an unfiltered run of club games to come. Champions Cup, URC, Prem, Super Rugby, Top 14… exquisite.
Realistically, the club rugby season in Europe comes in three parts: Pre-November, Christmas period and post Six Nations. The first and last are the marketable fixtures filled with hype and circumstance. But the middle period often ends up as jumpled in our brains as it is for consistency.
So, with that in mind; let’s get all you Irish fans or Irish connoisseurs caught up on how the provinces have fared, in the league, in the choppy-changey window gone by.
Form Line:
Eight games played since the end of November, and five wins. It’s been an even better middle block from Richie Murphy’s men, who also picked up just their second away victory of the last 12 months last weekend.
Wins over Connacht, Munster, Cardiff and Edinburgh serve the most importance given their respective league positions. The manner of such victories is important too picking up try bonus points in five of those eight games, and moving into first in the points scored column through the first 12 rounds.
Ulster now sit second in the table, but their upcoming run of fixtures is gruelling. Connacht (H), Leinster (H), Munster (A), Stormers (H) and Glasgow (H) all lie in store, to be balanced with a probable crack at the Challenge Cup.
Form Line:
All good things must come to an end, including Leinster’s 11 game winning streak across all competitions. It was Cardiff who spoiled that party last time out, meaning Leo Cullen’s men sit in the low spot of fourth…
That should be no obstacle for the defending champions however, especially if they can turn over Glasgow, in Scotstoun, on Saturday night. Their toughest game on the run in is a trip to Belfast, with the Scarlets, Benetton, Lions and Ospreys unlikely to pose any real challenge.
Four wins from six is a minumum, but five or even the full card will all but secure a home route to the final.
Form Line:
Munster’s new coach bounce that saw them start the season unbeaten may have faded in the middle block, yet they sit just two points behind both of the aforementioned fellow provinces, and well in the hunt.
A lack of bonus points against the Dragons and Zebre may prove costly, as could defeats at home to Stormers and Leinster, especially with a tricky South African tour upcoming in this fortnight.
That’s followed by their first Challenge Cup stint since 2011, and remaining URC fixtures against Benetton (A), Ulster (H), Connacht (A) and the Lions (H).
Form Line:
As is so often the case for Connacht, it’s a mixed tale in recent times. 8 games, 4 wins (3 at home) and 4 losses. But they enter the post Six Nations window with real momentum.
Stuart Lancaster’s men have won their last three on the bounce since defeat to Leinster in January, and the English coach will be hoping that welcoming back his Ireland contingent will help them move inside the top 8.
They take on Ulster (A) and the Ospreys (H) before a South African trip to the Stormers and Lions; and finishing with Munster and Edinburgh. Three more wins could be enough for playoff rugby, for a team riddled with inconsistency.