The PRO 12 springs back to life this weekend!

 

 Joey Carbery

The PRO 12 springs back to life this weekend, with Leinster poised to get the show on the road in fine style against Treviso. That's the team below, and it looks good and strong, a mixture of youth and experience. Joey Carbery gets to start, so he seems primed to be Sexton's understudy, and elsewhere it's what you'd expect with the majority of Irish internationals rested. I just hope that Brian Byrne get's his throwing right, but we should win this easily.

15. Rob Kearney (176)    14. Zane Kirchner (65)    13. Garry Ringrose (22)    12. Noel Reid (59)    11. Fergus McFadden (142)    10. Joey Carbery (1)    9. Luke McGrath CAPTAIN (50)    1. Cian Healy (153)    2. Bryan Byrne (12)    3. Michael Bent (63)    4. Ross Molony (23)    5. Mike McCarthy (63)    6. Dominic Ryan (104)    7. Josh van der Flier (24)    8. Dan Leavy (13)        16. James Tracy (16)    17. Andrew Porter (0)    18. Mike Ross (135)    19. Hayden Triggs (15)    20. Jordi Murphy (80)    21. Jamison Gibson-Park (0)    22. Cathal Marsh (14)    23. Rory O'Loughlin (0)

Ulster should sort out the Dragons easily enough. They've just been rocked by the news that the IRFU  will not let them renew Ruan Pienaar's contract at the end of the season. He's the rock that Ulster are built on now... and like with Nathan Hines and Leinster, the idea that they are holding local talent back is a load of balls.

Munster should have a competitive fixture away to the Scarlets - that's the team below, very home grown, and a chance at last perhaps for Bleyendaal to shine.

Simon Zebo; Darren Sweetnam, Dan Goggin, Rory Scannell, Ronan O'Mahony; Tyler Bleyendaal, Duncan Williams; James Cronin, Niall Scannell, John Ryan; Dave Foley, Billy Holland - capt.; Dave O'Callaghan

Finally, the pick of the matches is Connacht v Glasgow, with Pat Lam ( and everyone else) hoping the men of the West pick up where they left off.

Guinness Pro12
2 Sep 2016
Leinster vs Benetton Treviso 18:35
Ospreys vs Zebre 18:35
Ulster vs Newport Gwent Dragons 18:35
3 Sep 2016
Scarlets vs Munster 14:00
Connacht vs Glasgow Warriors 16:15
Cardiff Blues vs Edinburgh 18:35