Ulster cruise, Leinster stagger, and Munster...

Missed (picture http://bit.ly/T2ZGQb)

Ulster started the weekend in fine style for the Irish provinces with a bonus point win. Marshall was in fine form at scrum half – hope Declan Kidney was watching –full value for his two tries, and super sub Ruan Pienaar put the cherry on top with a bonus point try after the hooter had sounded.

Next up were Munster, who had to play on a soggy pitch in driving  rain. That would have suited them once, but in fairness, they are trying to play some running rugby, and it didn’t quite come off. The annoying thing is they could have won, but managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory, and it was all their own doing. This wasn’t just the one that got away, it the one that stopped on the way to wave it’s private parts in your aunties face. I guess like Leinster, they have got to learn to earn the right to go wide first. Impressive first outing from Paulie. I’m ignoring the 6 foot 2inch elephant in the room (Connor Murray) as I’ve said enough about him already.

Leinster looked none to sharp fumbling past Exeter. That doesn’t do justice to how well Exeter played, they are team in serious form. But Leinster are trying to do fancy wrap arounds and what not, before theforwards have tied up the defence and created the space. The lineout is a shambles, they are missing SOB, but to play badly, and still beat a side like Exeter, they doing OK. Die hard Leinster supporters will be pointing to the fact that they looked pretty pooey at the start of their last two triumphant HC campaigns, but it takes a lot of belief to back them at the moment – Father Christmas and the Easter Bunny will be handing them the HCup this year!

Connacht got the win over Zebre, and I watched a fair amount of Quins/Biarritz, and it was impressive how Quins picked themselves up in the second half and put their foot on the accelerator.

Watched a bit of the Leicester/Toulouse match,a nd saw 30mins of hard work by the Tigers undone by one bit of magic from the Frenchmen.

Heineken Cup Ospreys
 38 - 17 Benetton Treviso 
Ulster 41 - 17 Castres
Racing Metro 92 22 - 17 Munster 
Zebre 10 - 19 Connacht 
Leinster 9 - 6 Exeter 
Clermont Auvergne 49 - 16 Scarlets 
Edinburgh 0 - 45 Saracens
 Harlequins 40 - 13 Biarritz
Northampton 24 - 15 Glasgow 
Sale 34 - 33 Cardiff Blues 
Toulon 37 - 16 Montpellier 
Toulouse 23 - 9 Leicester