Scarlets 25-22 Munster
Scarlets shoot to the top after a last-ditch penalty secures victory for the Llanellians.
Ian Keatley got the weekend’s scoring underway with a penalty from a scrum after five minutes.
Scarlets responded agressively from the restart, immediately pushing Munster into their their 22 and forcing a penalty. Steve Shingler’s first kick was a poor one and he was unable to find the posts.
After some impressive play by DTH Van Der Merwe, the Scarlets almost scored a try, but Lewis Rawlins just couldn’t keep a hold of the ball and knocked-on before the try line. Scarlets could not keep the momentum up and Andrew Conway broke away to score the game’s first try in the 25th minute.
Shingler got his second chance at goals a few minutes later, this time finding the mark. It didn’t take long for Munster to regain a ten point lead, Keatley returning a penalty after Gareth Owen got back up after being tackled.
Some back and forth play consumed the rest of the half before Shingler saw it out with a second successful penalty.
Scarlets came out of the blocks running with DTH scoring his third goal in two games for the Scarlets but a missed conversion prevents them from taking the lead. Munster turned up the intensity and made good ground but decided to let Keatley take 3 points when given a penalty.
A series of substitutions in the 50th minute benefited the Scarlets as Tom Williams touched down in the corner to give his team the lead but Shingler’s poor form with the boot meant another two points lost for the Welsh team.
Keatley was given a chance to put Munster back in front but kicks it short. He made up for it with a drop goal several minutes later however.
That lead was short lived as Shingler managed to split the sticks from a penalty. Keatley gave Munster back the lead with another kick going into the final five minutes.
The teams once again drew level with a 78th minute kick from Shingler. In the final play of the game the Scarlets were awarded a penalty from 46 metres out, which Shingler put between the posts to win the game for the Scarlets.
The Scarlets replace Munster as leaders as the Irishmen drop to third.
Dragons 19-12 Benetton Treviso
The Dragons take away a win after a hard battle against the Italian side with neither side impressing much during the match.
The Dragons got the scoring going early with a kick at goal after four minutes of play which Jason Tovey scored easily from just outside the 22.
After a particularly messy series of infringements and scrum resets, Treviso got their own kick at goal and Jayden Hayward made easy work of it.
A second session of play wrought with offsides, knock-ons and scrum resets ensued and the Dragons forced a maul through the Italian’s defence to let Nick Cudd to touch down in the 23rd.
More of the same sloppy play continued and a penalty for each team saw the Dragons leading by 7 going into the break.
There were no improvements to the scrum coming into the second half with Hayward scoring for Treviso after a Dragons collapse.
Discipline was also still a problem for both sides as Treviso conceded a penalty for a tackler not releasing and a high tackle against Simone Ragusi meant both Tovey and Hayward got to add three more points to the scoreboard.
Another infringement of hands in the ruck meant three points to the Dragons with 20 minutes to go. The Dragons committed a similar violation moments, this time earning Rhys Buckley a yellow card. However, Hayward’s steady kicking in this game wavered as he missed a rather easily placed kick at goal.
A similar style of coarse play that was seen earlier in the match saw the game out.The win for the Dragons bumped them up to eight and Treviso dropped below Italian partners into the bottom slot.
Ulster 24-17 Cardiff Blues
A flattering scoreline for Ulster that doesn’t quite tell the full story as they looked second best to the visitors for large portions of the match.
Cardiff got the first points on the board with an early penalty from a collapsed scrum. Rhys Patchell pushed himself further as the top scorer so far of the competition.
A long period of play began with neither side gaining advantage over the other until a long pass from Ian Humpheries out to Andrew Trimble for a try in the corner in the 19th minute put Ulster up by two.
Poor play from Ulster gave Cardiff a penalty from the restart. An excellent kick from Patchell gave Cardiff back the lead.
This time from the restart a session of rugby ball tennis ensued before Cardiff pushed up on Ulster in a long passage of offensive play from the Blues resulting in a kick at goal in the 36th minute.
A collision between the boot of Josh Turnbull and the head of Paul Marshall ended in a sin-binning for the Cardiff player.Ulster elected to go for a scrum from the penalty. Paul Marshall proved to have no ill effects with the earlier collision as he sniped over the line for a try meaning that at half-time, Ulster led by three.
Some impressive set piece play from Ulster at the beginning of the half led to their second try. The ball was worked over the line from the back of a maul to send Nick Williams over.
No time is wasted by Ulster to get their next score. An initial burst by Trimble and a quick wide ball out to Stuart McCloskey saw him touch down in the corner.
A yellow card for Wiehaan Herbst in the 56th minute created space for an attacking Cardiff to put Josh Navidi over in the corner for the Blues first try.
A drawn out game of kick tennis proceeded over the next passage of play. Both teams penetrated in to the opposites 22 but no results came until a Cardiff penalty in the 73rd minute, which were the last points of the game.
Ulster stay put at fifth and Cardiff trade places with Dragons, dropping to ninth.
Leinster 23-18 Glasgow Warriors
An ill-disciplined Glasgow side gave Leinster a win in the RDS as the Warriors conceded two yellow cards and a penalty try.
Both sides began the game with good intensity with good running and imposing set pieces.
The first score didn’t arrive until the 14th minute with Zander Fagerson bursting over the line after a number of phases inside Leinster’s 22. Duncan Weir converted.
Several minutes later, Fergus McFadden got a chance to warm up his kicking boot slotting over a penalty from 35 metres out. He made a repeat performance four minutes later from 22 metres out.
Weir didn’t give Leinster a chance to take the lead, adding three more points from an easy kick 35 metres out. A big mistake from Leinster gave Weir another 3 points from the 10 metres out.
A reckless swinging arm from Pat MacArthur on Aaron Dundon meant the Warriors would start the second half without him. Dundon was also forced off with a potential concussion. McFadden misses the resulting kick and Leinster trail by seven going to the break.
Not long after the restart, Leinster were awarded a penalty on the half way line and Cathal Marsh hit touch at the 22. The ball found its way to Gary Ringrose from the line-out who made great ground towards the try line. Some forward pressure from scrumhalf Luke Mcgrath produced a try for Leinster.
It only took six minutes for Glasgow to retake the lead when winger Taqele Naiyaravoro powered over in the corner but a missed conversion from Weir meant only a five point lead was gained.
The Fijian’s glory didn’t last long however as he was shown a yellow for a deliberate knock on and letting McFadden kick home a penalty try.
Another missed kick from Weir meant Leinster retained their three-point lead until the final minute when McFadden increased that to six in the final kick of the game.
The two teams swap places on the league table with Leinster moving up to sixth and the Warriors slidding back to seventh.
Ospreys 16-21 Connacht
Connacht came away with a win from the Liberty Stadium as they continue their superb start to the season.
Sam Davies opened the scoring with a 2nd minute penalty after Connacht a penalised at the Ruck.
Jack Carty missed his chance to bring the score back level with a kick at goal four minutes later but managed to do so after another four minutes.
An impressive run from Eli Walker saw Ospreys make enough ground to let Dan Baker in for a try but Sam Davies missed the conversion.
Carty missed another chance a goal three minutes later when the ball hit the post from a tricky kick.
Josh Matavesi was shown a yellow card following a cynical foul in his own 22, this time Carty added the tree points from the kick.
Kieran Marmion broke from the scrum and gave a well placed offload to Matt Healy, who crossed the line for the visitors first try.
Another missed kick from Sam Davies brought the game to half time.
Connacht started strong in the second half as Bundee Aki crossed the line extend their lead. Craig Ronaldson picked up kicking duty in this half with a well kicked conversion.
Sam Davies’ poor form with the boot continued with two more missed kicks in quick succession of each other.
Returned Wales international Justin Tipuric led an attack that resulted in him scoring a try but a missed conversion from Davies prevented Ospreys from drawing level.
A final kick at goal from Craig Ronaldson with two minutes remaining, extended Connacht’s lead to five points and set the final score.
The Ospreys hold firm on the table, two from the bottom, while Connacht jump to second, only being held out of first due to points difference.
Zebre 19-11 Edinburgh
Zebre gathered their first win of the season in a close and physical battle at the Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi.
Edinburgh didn’t hang around at the kick off, straight on the attack. Jack Cuthbert raced towards the line but is held up over the line.
It was nine minutes in before a score got on the board, Nathan Fowles hitting a lovely kick after Zebre were penalised at the breakdown.
Carlo Canna almost immediately leveled the score when Edinburgh gave away a penalty at the restart.
It seemed to be a game that was to be decided by the kickers when Zebre were given two more opportunities at the posts, both of which Canna executed perfectly.
Fowles hit back with two of his own in the closing five minutes of the half to bring his side back within three.
Hamish Watson brought Edinburgh back into the lead by two with the games first try going into half-time.
Another tough 15 minutes of play ensued after the break before another score was seen. An excellent finish from Dion Berryman gave Zebre a try of their own.
Five minutes later Canna extended Zebre’s lead as he continues his good kicking form with a penalty.
Both teams played with as much intensity in the final 15 minutes as they did in the first. No other scoring oppurtunity presented itself in the tough play that occurred except for two missed penalty chances for Edinburgh with both Sam Hidalgo-Clyne and Blair Kinghorn but having a go.
Edinburgh fall to fourth place while Zebre final lift themselves from the bottom of the table into eleventh.
