RaboDirect Pro12 round 3: preview and predictions

Connacht v Scarlets
Andrew Browne has been named at blindside flanker for Connacht in what will be his first game since an injury during the 2011 pre-season
He will partner Willie Faloon and Eoin McKeon in the back row while Brett Wilkinson will start at loose-head alongside new signing Nathan White at tight-head.
Connacht go into the game on the back of a convincing 30-17 win at Zebre last week but they are facing the red hot Scarlets who top the table after two dominant win in the opening two rounds.
Young Scarlets talent Jordan Williams will make his debut for the Welsh region at full-back while new signing Jake Ball is on the bench and Wales international centre Jonathan Davies captains the side for the first time in his career.
Connacht: Duffy (capt.); O’Halloran, Griffin, McSharry, Vainikolo; Nikora, Marmion; Wilkinson, Reynecke, White; Swift, McCarthy; Browne, W. O’Connor, McKeon.
Replacements:  Flavin, Buckley, Ah You, Gannon, J. O’Connor, Moore, Jarvis, Henshaw
Scarlets: J. Williams; North, J. Davies (capt.), S. Williams, Reynolds; Priestland, G. Davies; John, Rees, Lee; Timani, Kelly; Turnbull, J. Edwards, Murphy.
Replacements: Owens, P. Edwards, Manu, Ball, McCusker, A. Davies, Thomas, Maule.
Predictions: Confidence will be high for the Irish but the Scarlets will be just too strong for them in the end.
Dragons v Cardiff Blues
Dan Lydiate has successfully passed all fitness tests and will start at blindside to tackle the Blues tomorrow in the derby.
The Welsh international overcame a minor chest injury and will start alongside his Red Dragon teammate Toby Falatau in the back row while in form Tom Prydie and Dan Evans start on the wing and at full-back respectively.
Meanwhile, Cardiff welcome back Jamie Roberts to the matchday squad after the Lions centre recovered from his knee injury.
Thomas Williams will make his first RaboDirect Pro12 start replacing the injured Leigh Halfpenny while Harry Robinson replaces wing Tom James.
Rhys Patchell and Lloyd Williams will form a new half-back partnership with Marc Breeze and Nathan Trevett also coming at hooker and loose-head.
Dragons: D. Evans; Harries, Leach, Tuilagi, Prydie; Steffan Jones, J. Evans; Price, Steve Jones, Way; Nimmo, A. Jones; Lydiate, L. Evans (capt.), Faletau.
Replacements: Gustafson, Coundley, Buck, Groves, Brown, Davies, Smith, Hughes.
Cardiff Blues: T. Williams; Cuthbert, Evans, Hewitt, Robinson; Patchell, L. Williams; Trevett, Breeze, Filise; B. Davies, Down; Navidi, Warburton, Pretorius (capt.).
Replacements:  Dacey, T. Davies, Bourrust, Reed, Watts-Jones, Jones, Sweeney, Roberts.
Predictions: Derby games are won up front and the Dragons will come on top targeting a fragile Blues’ scrum to confirm they good start of the season.
Edinburgh v Zebre
Edinburgh have made five changes to the side that beat Cardiff Blues in a dramatic fashion last week.
Inside centre Matt Scott returns for his first match of the new campaign with props John Yapp and Willem Nel trading places with Allan Jacobsen and Geoff Cross, who start on the bench.
Scotland and Fiji internationals Ross Rennie and Netani Talei replace Roddy Grant and the injured David Denton in the back row.
Former Waratahs playmaker Daniel Halangahu will make his debut for Zebre alongside Matteo Pratichetti in the centre of the attack.
Alberto Chiesa is handed the fly-half role ahead of Luciano Orquera while another Italian international Tito Tebaldi features at scrum-half.
Edinburgh: Tonks; Jones, De Luca, Scott, Visser; Laidlaw (capt.), Rees; Yapp, Ford, Nel; Gilchrist, Cox; McInally, Rennie, Talei.
Replacements: Titterrell, Jacobsen, Cross, Parker, Basilaia, Leck, Houston, Brown.
Zebre: Sinoti; Venditti, Pratichetti, Halangahu, Trevisan; Chiesa, Tebaldi ; De Marchi, Festuccia, Leibson ; Geldenhuys (capt.), Sole ; Caffini, Bergamasco, van Schalkwyk.
Replacements: Manici, Aguero, Redolfini, Cazzola, Ferrarini, Chillon, Buso, Benettin.
Predictions: Hard to see past a win for the Scottish.
Ospreys v Glasgow
Winger Tom Grabham will make his first competitive start for the Ospreys with Dan Biggar coming back in the starting XV and Justin Tipuric captaining the side from openside.
The reigning champions lost both their opening two games and a win against the Scottish is vital for the rest of their campaign.
Dougie Hall and Mike Cusack start at hooker and tight-head for the Warriors while Scotland international John Barclay moves to blinside with Chris Fusaro coming in at openside in the back row and Duncan Weir replaces Ruaridh Jackson at No.10
Ospreys: Fussell; Dirksen, Spratt, Beck, Grabham; Biggar, Webb; Jones, Hibbard, Jarvis; Gough, Evans; Stowers, Tipuric (capt.), Bearman.
Replacements: Baldwin, Bevington, Rees, Wyn-Jones, Lewis, Fotuali’i, Morgan, Bishop.
Glasgow Warriors: Murchie; Seymour, Dunbar, Horne, van der Merwe; Weir, Cusiter; Grant, Hall, Cusack; Ryder, Kellock (capt.); Barclay, Fusaro, Wilson.
Replacements: Gillies, Hunter, Reid, Eddie, Macdonald, Pyrgos, Jackson, Lamont.
Predictions: Glasgow will be keen to rub some salt in the Ospreys’ wound but the Champions will wake up and finally get their season going at home.
Treviso v Leinster
Treviso coach Franco Smith has named a strong starting XV, which boasts 352 international caps, featuring 12 internationals and only one player classified as foreigner, Kiwi Dean Budd, who is on the bench.
Centre Tommaso Benvenuti, scrum-half Tobias Botes and hooker Leonardo Ghiraldini all get their first start of the season while Luke McLean returns at full-back.
But Leinster have met fire with fire welcoming the return of Irish internationals Brian O’Driscoll, Jonathan Sexton, Jamie Heaslip, Eoin Reddan and Fergus McFadden to the starting XV.
O’Driscoll and McFadden will link up in the centres while Sexton and Reddan will form the half-back partnership and Heaslip captains the side from No.8.
Devin Toner will earn his 100th cap for the European champions at second row alongside Damian Browne while Heinke van der Merwe is joined in the front row by hooker Richardt Strauss and Ireland tight-head prop Mike Ross.
Treviso: McLean; Gori, Benvenuti, Sgarbi, Nitoglia; Di Bernardo, Botes ; De Marchi, Ghiraldini, Fernandez-Rouyet; Minto, Van Zyl (capt.); Favaro, Zanni, Barbieri.
Replacements: Sbaraglini, Rizzo, Cittadini, Bernabò, Budd, Filippucci, Semenzato, Burton.
Leinster: Madigan; Conway, O’Driscoll, McFadden, Carr; Sexton, Reddan; van der Merwe, Strauss, Ross; Browne, Toner; McLaughlin, Jennings, Heaslip (capt.)
Replacements: Cronin, Healy, Hagan, Cullen, Murphy, Cooney, Reid, Nacewa
Predictions: There will be a clash of internationals but this Leinster team is something different. Big win in perspective for BOD and Co.
Ulster v Munster
Stephen Ferris will make his first start of the season and in doing so will earn his 100th cap for Ulster.
There is a new front row as Tom Court, John Afoa and Nigel Brady all return to the starting XV at the expense of Callum Black, Declan Fitzpatrick and Rob Herring, who all drop to the bench.
Andrew Trimble starts on the right wing taking over from Craig Gilroy, while Paul Marshall and Paddy Jackson have been promoted from the bench to take place at half-backs.
Meanwhile, David Foley makes way for the return of Donncha O’Callaghan in Munster’s second row with David Kilcoyne and BJ Botha joining Damien Varley in the front row.
Returning Ireland internationals Conor Murray, Ronan O’Gara and Keith Earls are all on the bench.
Ulster: Payne; Trimble, Cave, L. Marshall, Allen; Jackson, Marshall; Court, Brady, Afoa; Muller (capt.), Stevenson, Ferris, Doyle, Williams.
Replacements: Herring, Black, Fitzpatrick, McComb, McComish, Heaney, Nelson, Gilroy.
Munster: Hurley; Howlett (capt.), Laulala, Downey, O’Dea; Keatley, Williams; Kilcoyne, Varley, Botha; Do. O’Callaghan, Holland, Da. O’Callaghan, Dougall, Coughlan.
Replacements: Sherry, Horan, Archer, Foley, O’Donnell, Murray, O’Gara, Earls.
Predictions: The first big clash of the season. Both teams are two from two but it’s Ulster who will be three from three tonight thanks to their pack’s go forward.