RaboDirect Pro12 round 4: preview and predictions

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v Treviso
Weslh international centre Jamie Roberts will get his first start since his knee injury on the back of 35 minutes last week against the Dragons.
The host Treviso who they never have lost to looking to back their 16-5 win in the derby against the Dragons last week.
Kris Burton returns at fly-half for Treviso while Giulio Toniolatti comes in for Ludovico Nitoglia on the wing.
Treviso had a promising start of the season with a win on the opening round against the Ospreys before pushing Munster and all the way.
Cardiff: Fish; Cuthbert, Evans, Roberts, James; Patchell, Williams; Trevett, Kyriacou, Bourrust; Davies (capt.), Reed; Navidi, Warburton, Copeland.
Replacements: Dacey, Ma’afu, Andrews, Cook, Watts-Jones, Lewis, Tovey, Hewitt.
Treviso: McLean; Gori, Benvenuti, Sgarbi, Toniolatti; Burton, Botes; De Marchi, Ghiraldini (capt.), Fernandez-Rouyet ; Minto, Budd; Filippucci, Zanni, Barbieri.
Replacements: Sbaraglini, Rizzo, Roux, Pavanello, Bernabò, Derbyshire, Semenzato, Morisi
Prediction: An upset could be on the card here but Cardiff will carry on their unbeaten record against the Italians to confirm their result from last week.
v Connacht
Gregor Townsend’s starting XV shows four changes to that which beat the Ospreys 28-10 last week in Swansea.
Sean Lamont comes in on the wing as Henry Pyrgos replaces Chirs Cusiter, who suffered a shoulder injury, at -half.
Up front Moray Low has recovered from a calf complaint to start at tight-head prop and Ryan Wilson resumes his No.8 duties.
Eric Elwood has rung the changes to the Connacht team that lost 24-11 to the last weekend.
19-year-old Robbie Henshaw gets his first start for the province at centre alongside David McSharry while Matthew Jarvis comes in at fly-half for Miah Nikora.
Up front hooker Adrian Flavin replaces Ethienne Reynecke and George Naoupu will link up in the second-row with David Gannon, who is set for his first start after three consecutive weeks of replacement appearances.
Glasgow: Murchie; Lamont, Dunbar, Horne, van der Merwe; Weir, Pyrgos; Grant, Hall, Low; Ryder, Kellock (capt.); Eddie, Barclay, Wilson.
Replacements: Gillies, Cusack, Reid, Swinson, Macdonald, Kennedy, Wight, Nathan.
Connacht: Duffy (capt.), Loxton, Henshaw, McSharry, McCrea; Jarvis, Marmion; Wilkinson, Flavin, White; Naoupu, Gannon; O’Connor, Faloon, McKeon
Replacements: O’Byrne, Buckley, Ah You, Swift, Kearney, Moore, Carty, Fifita.
Prediction: Glasgow missed out on the win against the Scarlets for their first home game at Scotstoun two weeks ago but this time they’ll get the goods.
Leinster v
Ireland international Gordon D’Arcy will make his first start of the season and will partner his old pal Brian O’Driscoll in the centre.
Up front, Sean Cronin replaces Richardt Strauss at hooker in a Leinster team that looks like their starting XV (to the exception of Strauss) for the first time of the season and look set to finally get their season going after their last gasp win at Treviso last Saturday.
After an exceptional start of the season and six tries in three games, try-scoring machine Tim Visser is being rested for Edinburgh’s trip to the RDS with Tom Brown now back to full fitness replacing him on the left wing.
In the pack, the return of prop Geoff Cross and flanker Roddy Grant completes the changes to the starting XV, while a quality quartet of youngsters, Robin Hislop, Robert McAlpine, Harry Leonard and Dougie Fife, are set for their first competitive outing of the season from the bench.
Leinster: Nacewa; Conway, O’Driscoll, D’Arcy, Carr; J. Sexton, Reddan; Healy, Cronin, Ross; Cullen (capt.), Denton; McLaughlin, Jennings, Heaslip
Replacements: T. Sexton, van der Merwe, Hagan, Toner, Murphy, Cooney, Madigan, Macken.
Edinburgh: Tonks; Jones, De Luca, Scott, Brown; Laidlaw (capt.), Rees; Yapp, Ford, Cross; Gilchrist, Cox; McInally, Grant, Talei
Replacements: Titterrell, Hislop, Nel, McAlpine, Basilaia, Leck, Leonard, Fife.
Prediction: Without Tim Visser, Edinburgh striking power is not the same and against a Leinster team back to full strength it will be a tough task to bring any point from Dublin. The champions will win.
Munster v Dragons
Ronan O’Gara and Peter Stringer will reform Munster’s classic half-back pairing for the first time in 19 with Stringer set to earn his 229th cap in his first start for the Irish Province in nearly a year.
Competition top-point-scorer Ian Keatley shifts to full-back to accommodate O’Gara who gets his first start of the season.
Irish international Keith Earls and Simon Zebo also come in the back line while Paddy Butler will be anchoring the scrum from No.8.
No.8 Tom Brown gets his first start of the season in the back row for the Dragons as centre Ashley Smith graces the starting lineup for the first time this season, the 99th start of his Dragons career
Munster: Keatley; Howlett (capt.), Earls, Downey, Zebo; O’Gara, Stringer; Horan, Sherry, Botha; Do. O’Callaghan, Holland; Da. O’Callaghan, Ronan, Butler.
Replacements: Varley, du Preez, Archer, Foley, O’Donnell, Murray, , Hanrahan.
Dragons: D. Evans; Harries , Hughes, Smith, Prydie; Robling, J. Evans; Price, S Jones (capt.), Way; Nimmo, A. Jones; Lydiate, Groves, Brown.
Replacements: Parry, Coundley, Ryan, Faletau, L. Evans, Davies, Tuilagi, Leach.
Prediction: The stars are back for the Irish province. The Red Army will be chanting after the game celebrating their beloved Munstermen win.
Scarlets v Ospreys
Despite a man-of-the-match display Jordan Williams is dropped and replaced by Liam Williams at full-back for the Scarlets.
Andy Fenby and Aaron Shingler return on the left wing and at for what promises to be a cracker between the top-of-table side and the winless reigning champions.
Ospreys are still looking for their first win of the season and see Samoan scrum-half Kahn Fotuali’i return to the starting team.
Dan Biggar carries on at No.10 while captain Alun Wyn-Jones and Ian Evans will form the lock partnership.
Scarlets: L. Williams; North, J. Davies, S. Williams, Fenby; Priestland, Knoyle; John, Owens, Manu; Earle, Kelly; Shingler, Turnbull, McCusker (capt.).
Replacements: Rees, P. Edwards, Lee, Timani, J. Edwards, G. Davies, Thomas, Maule.
Ospreys: Fussell; Dirksen, Isaacs, Bishop, Grabham; Biggar, Fotuali’i; Jones, Hibbard, Jarvis; Wyn-Jones (capt.), Evans; Stowers, Tipuric, Bearman.
Replacements: Baldwin, Bevington, Rees, Thomas, R. Jones, Webb, Morgan, Spratt
Prediction: Another week another loss for the Champions. The Scarlets are on fire and they will relish putting one past their Welsh rivals.
Zebre v Ulster
Following the death of Nevin Spence, the match has been postponed and will take place on a later date.

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