RaboDirect Pro12 round 8: preview and prediction

Cardiff Blues v Munster
Following their hammering by Leinster last week, the Blues are bracing themselves before hosting another Irish giant at the Arms Park without eight Wales internationals.
Dan Fish and Dafyd Hewitt come in for Leigh Halfpenny and Jamie Roberts at full-back and inside centre while Josh Naividi, who operated from blindside last week, switches to openside in the absence of Sam Warburton.
Up front, James Down replaces Bradley Davies at lock.
Ronan O’Gara has been named in the Munster side who is missing a vast number of Irish international.
O’Gara limped out of the opening Heineken Cup game against Racing-Metro after 33 minutes and returns for the first time having come through training on Wednesday unscathed.
His presence sees Ian Keatley switch to inside centre while captain Doug Howlett also returns to action having been rested last week when Zebre visited.
Cardiff Blues: Fish; T. Williams, Evans, Hewitt, James; Tovey, Jones; Ma’afu, R. Williams, Filise; Reed, Down; Copeland, Navidi, Pretorius (capt.).
Replacement: Kyriacou, Hobbs, Harford, Cook, Hamilton, Lewis, Sweeney, O. Williams
Munster: Jones; Howlett (capt.), Laulala, Keatley, O’Dea; O’Gara, Williams; Horan, Sherry, Archer; Foley, Holland; O’Callaghan, Dougall, O’Donnell.
Replacement: Varley, Ryan, Du Preez, Nagle, Butler, Stringer, Barnes, Murphy.
Predictions: Cardiff are in a dark place after last week and you’d feel they are the worst off the two side to suffer from their international players absence. Munster are used to played without theirs so they’ll get an away win to keep the pressure on the Top Four.
Connacht v Treviso
Connacht will host Treviso on Saturday at The Sportsground, with the visitors looking for a repeat of last year’s win in Galway.
Connacht have made six changes to the team that started against Ospreys last weekend, with four of those in the pack.
Denis Buckley returns to the starting XV at loosehead while Mike McCarthy, on his release from the Irish camp, joins Michael Swift in the second row.
Flanker Andrew Browne was back to full training this week so he joins Johnny O’Connor and Eoin McKeon in the back row.
Danie Poolman makes his first start after being named at outside centre while Dave McSharry will starts alongside him in midfield.
On the bench, Gavin Duffy makes a welcome return to the squad.
Treviso have made plenty of changes to the starting XV with Marco Fuser making his debut at lock and Angelo Esposito makes his first start on the left wing.
Christian Loamanu is at outside centre along with Andrea Pratichetti, while Brendan Williams wears 15. The half-backs are Fabio Semenzato and Alberto Di Bernardo, who has recovered from injury.
Valerio Bernabò is at flanker alongside Manoa Vosawai with Marco Filippucci at number eight. In the front row, Matteo Muccignat makes his debut, with Bees Roux at tighthead prop and Franco Sbaraglini as hooker.
Connacht: Henshaw; O’Halloran, Poolman, McSharry, Vainikolo; Parks, Marmion; Buckley, Harris-Wright, White (capt.); Swift, McCarthy; Browne, O’Connor, McKeon.
Replacements: Flavin, Ah You, Loughney, Muldoon, Kearney, Moore, Nikora, Duffy.
Treviso: Williams; Vilk, Loamanu, Pratichetti, Esposito; Di Bernardo, Semenzato; Muccignat, Sbaraglini, Roux; Fuser, Van Zyl (capt.); Vosawai, Bernabò, Filippucci.
Replacements: Ceccato, De Marchi, Fernandez-Rouyet, Maistri, Targa, Toniolatti, Ambrosini, Morisi.
Prediction: Treviso strength in depth will be tested tomorrow and a trip to Galway is not the best way to do it. Connacht need the win and it will not come much easier that against the Italians without their internationals. A much needed four points for the hosts.
Glasgow v Dragons
Start signing Josh Strauss starts at No.8 for Glasgow who will be looking to follow up their win at Treviso last week against the struggling Dragons.
Strauss is one of seven changes, a number of them owing to players’ involvement with Scotland ahead of the first Test against New Zealand next Sunday.
Alongside the South African in the pack, Gordon Reid lines up at loosehead prop with Tim Swinson and Chris Fusaro starting at lock and openside
In the backline, Troy Nathan will make his first start of the season at inside centre while Canadian Taylor Paris is on the wing and Scott Wight, named man-of-the-match in Italy last week, starts at fly-half.
Meanwhile, the Dragons have made only two changes to their team which lost to Ulster last Friday.
Adam Jones starts at lock in place of Ian Nimmo and Jevon Groves replaces last week’s captain Lewis Evans who is out with a groin injury.
The backs are unchanged with Lewis Robling and Andy Tuilagi at fly-half and inside centre
Glasgow: Murchie; Seymour, Dunbar, Nathan, Paris; Wight, Matawalu; Reid, Hall, Cusack; Ryder, Swinson; Harley, Fusaro (capt.), Strauss.
Replacement: Gillies, Fainga’anuku, Araoz, Eddie, Barclay, Wilson, Kennedy, Horne.
Dragons: Prydie; Harries, Hughes, Tuilagi, Chavhanga; Robling, J. Evans; O. Evans, Stev. Jones (capt.), Buck; A. Jones, Sidoli; Brown, Groves, Faletau.
Replacement: Parry, Williams, Way, Nimmo, Cudd, Davies, Stef. Jones, Leach.
Predictions: This looks like a golden opportunity for Glasgow to assert their place in the Top Four just before the International break against a struggling side. They are missing some key players so it could be closer than expected and it will. The Warriors will just do it though.
Ospreys v Leinster
Ospreys hooker Matthew Dwyer will make his first start for the Welsh side on Sunday as they host the double Heineken Cup champions in a remake of last year’s Pro12 final.
Both side look very different though with a host players on international duties with either Wales or Ireland.
Talented youngster Matthew Morgan replaces Dan Biggar at fly-half while Tom Isaacs comes in for Ashley Beck in the midfield.
Lock Lloyd Peers makes his first Pro12 start alongside Jonathan Thomas who moves up to the engine room and captains the side while Arthur Ellis, Marc Thomas and Daniel Suter will all make their Ospreys debuts if they come off the bench.
Andrew Goodman will make his debut for Leinster at inside centre in a team which shows wholesale changes from the team which defeated the Cardiff Blues last weekend.
David Kearney is one of only two players who remain in the backline and he moves to full-back with Ireland scrum-half Isaac Boss partnering Ian Madigan at half-back.
Shane Jennings leads the team and he is named in the back-row alongside No.8 Leo Auva’a and Rhys Ruddock who made his first senior appearance this season last weekend.
Ospreys: Fussell; Dirksen, Isaacs, Bishop, Walker; Morgan, Webb; D. Jones, Dwyer, Rees; Peers, J. Thomas (capt.); Stowers, Lewis, Bearman.
Replacement: Ellis, M. Thomas, Suter, King, Allen, Fotuali’i, Spratt, R. Jones.
Leinster: Kearney; Conway, Macken, Goodman, Carr; Madigan, Boss; Van der Merwe, Sexton, Hagan; Browne, Toner; Ruddock, Jennings (capt.), Auva’a.
Replacement: Tracy, McGrath, Moore, Marshall, Murphy, Cooney, Reid, Coghlan-Murray.
Predictions: The Ospreys had found some form in recent weeks but it will be the end of it without their Welsh stars. They have some young talent but Leinster will be more experience and will get the goods even if it’s not pretty.
Scarlets v Zebre
The Scarlets are without 12 memebers of their squad on duty with Wales so this home game against the winless Zebre is a chance for the West Wales region to hand starting-place opportunities to a number players.
Former Ospreys duo Kristian Phillips and Gareth Owen get starts with Owen partnering up with Gareth Maule in the centre while Phillips replaces the absent George North on the right wing.
In the pack, hooker Kirby Myhill returns from a injury with South African second row pairing George Earle and Joe Snyman back to the field after a week’s absence and Argentinean international Tomás Vallejos moves to the back row alongside Johnathan Edwards who takes over as Scarlets skipper with Rob McCusker on international duty and Kieran Murphy comes in at No.8.
Meanwhile, five internationals selected by Italy coach Jacques Brunel are unavailable for Zebre this week as they make a few changes to the starting line-up from last Friday’s match with Munster
Captain Garcia and scrum-half Martinelli are not travelling to Wales due to injuries suffered at Thomond Park while Perugini is ruled out due to a fever.
Zebre’s skipper for the game will be flanker Cristiano on his fifth appearance in the PRO12. Marco Bortolami is still recovering from shoulder surgery.
Scarlets: Stoddart; Phillips, Maule, Owen, Fenby; Thomas, G. Davies; John, Myhill, Manu; Earle, Snyman; Vallejos, J. Edwards (capt.), Murphy.
Replacement: Hawkins, Hopkins, P. Edwards, Timani, Price, A. Davies, Williams, Reynolds.
Zebre: Trevisan; Odiete, Pratichetti, Halangahu, Pace; Buso, Tebaldi; Aguero, Manici, Redolfini; Sole, Cazzola; Ferrarini, Cristiano, Van Schalkwyk.
Replacements: De Marchi,  Leibson, Fazzari, Caffini, Belardo, Chiesa, Sarto, Benettin.
Predictions: Even without their Welsh members, it’s hard to see the Scarlets lose this one.
Ulster v Edinburgh – LIVE BLOG HERE
Stephen Ferris makes his return for Ulster after recovering from his back injury which kept him out of the last three games.
Ferris comes back at blinside in one of nine personnel changes to the starting team which won away to Dragons last weekend as Ricky Andrew makes his first start for Ulster from fullback.
As a result, Jared Payne switches to outside centre while the half back pairing of Paul Marshall and Ruan Pienaar remains unchanged from last weekend.
Nigel Brady will captain the side from hooker in an all new front row which includes Callum Black and All Black John Afoa with Neil McComb coming in at lock.
After being released by Andy Robinson, Grant Gilchrist, Stuart McInally and Lee Jones all start for the Scottish side as they try to avoid a fourth loss on the bounce against the unbeaten Ulstermen.
With Greig Laidlaw unavailable, Sean Cox assumes the captaincy and starts on the blindside of a new-look back row made of Roddy Grant and McInally.
Robert McAlpine steps into the lock berth vacated by Cox to partner Gilchrist while the back three has a familiar feel as Jones lines up alongside this season’s ever-present full-back Greig Tonks and wing Tom Brown.
John Houston returns to partner James King in the midfield and Gregor Hunter replaces the injured Harry Leonard at fly-half to partner Chris Leck, whose composed performance against Scarlets is rewarded with a recall.
Follow Ulster versus Edinburgh live here
Ulster: Andrew; Cochrane, Payne, Wallace, Gilroy; Pienaar, Marshall; Black, Brady (capt.), Afoa; Stevenson, McComb; Ferris, McComish, Wilson;
Replacement: Annett, Lutton, Macklin, Diack, Williams, O’Connor, Olding, Nelson.
Edinburgh: Tonks; Jones, Houston, King, Brown; Hunter, Leck; Yapp, Titterrell, Nel; Gilchrist, McAlpine; Cox (capt.), Grant, McInally.
Replacement: Walker, Jacobsen, Niven, Van der Westhuizen, Watson, Rees, Fife, Visser.
Predictions: This one will make it ten in a row for Ulster. Edinburgh are not at their best right now so it’ll be mission impossible to get any points from Ravenhill.