Ospreys, Leinster, Scarlets and Glasgow pick up wins
Ospreys and Leinster got their PRO14 campaigns off to a positive start as they beat Zebre and the Dragons respectively on Saturday.
Elsewhere Scarlets and Glasgow picked up victories over the Kings and Connacht in the later games to start their seasons on a high note.
Ospreys 22-13 Zebre
Keelan Giles opened the try scoring only three minutes in, with a second coming just before half-time from Ma'afu Fia putting Ospreys into the driving seat with a 15-3 lead.
But Zebre were the better side even after a yellow card to George Biagi, and Carlo Canna's try with 10 left to play reduced the gap to just two. But a late second from Giles spared Ospreys blushes as they recorded the 22-13 win.
It was a tale of old and new in the line-ups. Paul James started in the front row, equalling Duncan Jones' record of 223 Ospreys appearances. Whilst for new look Zebre, they were hoping to make Michael Bradley's first game in charge an enjoyable affair.
But Bradley wouldn't have enjoyed his opening moments, as Zebre conceded a try within just three minutes. Ospreys had been on top in the opening 180 seconds and with Zebre penned back, Giles found the line, although the conversion attempt from James Hook missed the sticks. Zebre cut the gap with a penalty courtesy of Canna, with an early yellow to Ben John causing an issue for Ospreys as he was penalised for foul play in the air.
Ospreys managed the 10 minutes though and even added an extra three from James Hook. The hosts were on top and the advantage was stretched just before the break with try number to. Fia got it after some more prolonged pressure, going in underneath the posts amid a flood of bodies, with Hook converting.
Zebre's tally went up to six a minute after half-time with Canna slotting another penalty through, and they were arguably the better side in the second half. Even with the yellow card shown to Biagi, the Italians continued to press the hosts back and even found themselves over the line, but they were unable to find the space to ground as Ospreys stood firm.
That was until a mammoth run downfield from Ciaran Gaffney eventually saw Canna swerve himself through, adding the two and making it a two point gap with 10 minutes still left on the clock. But Giles got his second and Ospreys third to settle any worries, finishing off a Sam Davies kick to avoid an opening day scare.
The scorers:
For Ospreys:
Tries: Giles 2, Fia
Cons: Hook, Davies
Pen: Hook
Yellow Card: John
For Zebre:
Try: Canna
Con: Canna
Pens: Canna 2
Yellow Card: Biagi
Ospreys: 15 Dan Evans, 14 Keelan Giles, 13 Ben John, 12 Cory Allen, 11 Jeff Hassler, 10 James Hook, 9 Tom Habberfield (c), 8 Dan Baker, 7 Justin Tipuric, 6 Olly Cracknell, 5 Rory Thornton, 4 Bradley Davies, 3 Ma'afu Fia, 2 Sam Parry, 1 Paul James
Replacements: 16 Scott Otten, 17 Nicky Smith, 18 Rhodri Jones, 19 Lloyd Ashley, 20 James King, 21 Reuben Morgan-Williams, 22 Sam Davies, 23 Kieron Fonotia
Zebre: 15 Matteo Minozzi, 14 Giulio Bisegni, 13 Mattia Bellini, 12 Tommaso Castello (c), 11 Gabriele Di Giulio, 10 Carlo Canna, 9 Marcello Violi, 8 Giovanni Licata, 7 Renato Giammarioli, 6 Derick Minnie, 5 George Biagi, 4 David Sisi, 3 Dario Chistolini, 2 Oliviero Fabiani, 1 Andrea Lovotti
Replacements: 16 Tommaso D'Apice, 17 Andrea De Marchi, 18 Roberto Tenga, 19 Leonard Krumov, 20 Jacopo Sarto, 21 Guglielmo Palazzani, 22 Tommaso Boni, 23 Ciaran Gaffney
Referee: Quinton Immelman (South Africa)
Assistant referees: Stuart Berry (South Africa), Robert Price (Wales)
Dragons 16-39 Leinster
Leinster took a slender lead into half-time with a try from Jamison Gibson-Park, and that lead grew after the break with a penalty try and Jordan Larmour. The bonus point rounded the day off from Dan Leavy, before a penalty try improved the scoreline just a touch. But Cathal Marsh rounded off the scoring for a 39-16 Leinster win.
Dragons handed debuts to Zane Kirchner and Gavin Henson, and it took just 10 minutes for the notorious Welshman to roll back the years, kicking through the opening three points as Dragons grabbed the opening points of what was expected to be a tight match. Adam Byrne levelled soon after in a quiet opening first 20.
But it was Leinster who did strike first when it came to finding the line. A scrum in front of the posts always threatened to undo Dragons and it happened, with Gibson-Park getting enough space to go over. Byrne added the two.
Neither side could grab full control and Dragons added another three from the boot of Henson, though Byrne countered that right on half-time as Leinster went in 13-6 to the good.
But the hosts start to the second half was poor and Leinster increased their lead courtesy of a penalty try. A line-out caused panic in Dragons 22 and the referee had no other choice but to give Leinster the points, Byrne converting. Henson's third penalty kept Dragons interested but Leinster were the better side and it showed with a third.
Byrne was at the heart with some silky footwork, and play went to the wing to allow debutant Larmour to go through, with the TMO giving it the all clear. The win was pretty much wrapped up from there, but Leavy ensured Leinster would grab the bonus point with a fourth try. He went in under the posts, although Dragons were able to grab five points for themselves. A penalty try was the verdict as Dragons pushed, with a yellow being given to Byrne in the process.
But the final moments saw a fifth Leinster try to round off the afternoon, Marsh getting in underneath a pile of bodies to find the line.
The scorers:
For Dragons:
Tries: Penalty Try
Con: Henson
Pens: Henson 3
For Leinster:
Tries: Gibson-Park, Penalty Try, Larmour, Leavy, Marsh
Cons: R Byrne 2, R Kearney, Marsh
Pens: R Byrne 2
Yellow Card: A Byrne
Dragons: 15 Zane Kirchner, 14 Ashton Hewitt, 13 Tyler Morgan, 12 Jack Dixon, 11 Hallam Amos, 10 Gavin Henson, 9 Charlie Davies, 8 Harri Keddie, 7 James Benjamin, 6 James Thomas, 5 Cory Hill (c), 4 Matthew Screech, 3 Leon Brown, 2 Elliot Dee, 1 Brok Harris
Replacements: 16 Rhys Buckley, 17 Luke Garrett, 18 Lloyd Fairbrother, 19 Rynard Landman, 20 Max Williams, 21 Tavis Knoyle, 22 Angus O'Brien, 23 Jared Rosser
Leinster: 15 Rob Kearney, 14 Adam Byrne, 13 Rory O'Loughlin, 12 Isa Nacewa (c), 11 Jordan Larmour, 10 Ross Byrne, 9 Jamison Gibson-Park, 8 Max Deegan, 7 Josh van der Flier, 6 Dan Leavy, 5 Scott Fardy, 4 Devin Toner, 3 Michael Bent, 2 Seán Cronin, 1 Cian Healy
Replacements: 16 James Tracy, 17 Ed Byrne, 18 Andrew Porter, 19 James Ryan, 20 Jack Conan, 21 Nick McCarthy, 22 Cathal Marsh, 23 Barry Daly
Referee: Mike Adamson (Scotland)
Assistant referees: Lloyd Linton (Scotland), Stuart Kibble (Wales)
TMO: Neil Paterson (Scotland)
Scarlets 57–10 Southern Kings
Parc y Scarlets
Scarlets struck 42 unanswered points in the second half, with eight tries in total destroying Southern Kings 57-10 at Parc y Scarlets.
Johnny McNicholl made the perfect start for Scarlets with a ninth minute try, but the Kings hit back two minutes later through Yaw Penxe.
Leigh Halfpenny got a debut try to give the hosts a 15-10 lead at half-time. Rhys Patchell added a third after half-time, with Jake Ball getting the bonus point try.
Emyr Phillips added a fifth, and three more followed courtesy of Hadleigh Parkes, another for McNicholl and one for Steff Evans.
Making their PRO14 bow, the Kings were looking to put in a better showing than their fellow newcomers the Cheetahs, who fell to opening night defeat at Ulster. But against last season's champions Scarlets, it was never going to be an easy introduction.
The long distance visitors did almost make the dream start, but for a Evans hand denying Penxe a run at the line. And Evans' vital input proved even more important three minutes later when the hosts took the lead. Gareth Davies made the initial burst, Halfpenny had possession and fed it to McNicholl who found the line just inside the corner.
Penxe wasn't to be denied two minutes after though, beating Halfpenny to the bounce of the ball and grounding, with Kurt Coleman kicking his side two points ahead. The first 15 minutes was thrilling, and a third try came as Scarlets took back their lead. It was new boy Halfpenny who got it, collecting Patchell's pass and grounding.
Coleman cut the lead back down with a penalty, but Halfpenny immediately fired back with one of his own as Scarlets took a 15-10 lead into the second 40. And they immediately built upon that after the break. McNicholl showed good hands following a line-out, with Patchell taking the lead up to 12. And the bonus point was secured inside a frantic 50 minutes.
The ball was spread right through Wayne Pivac's men and Ball had the final say as he went over, Halfpenny converting again. Scarlets were showing exactly why they are tipped by many to do even better this campaign and got try five from a lineout drive. Phillips was at the heart of it to go over and Kings were having a nightmare introduction to the PRO14.
The demolition showed no signs of letting up and Parkes added a sixth after build up work by David Bulbring against his former employers. Jonathan Evans was released for the seventh, feeding it into the hands of McNicholl who got his second of the season.
And the 2016/17 top scorer Evans rounded off proceedings with three minutes left on the clock. It could be a long season for Kings, whilst Scarlets put in undeniably the performance of the weekend.
The scorers:
For Scarlets:
Tries: McNicholl 2, Halfpenny, Patchell, Ball, Phillips, Parkes, S Evans
Cons: Halpenny 3, Patchell 4
Pen: Halfpenny
For Southern Kings:
Try: Penxe
Con: Coleman
Pen: Coleman
Scarlets: 15 Leigh Halfpenny, 14 Johnny McNicholl, 13 Hadleigh Parkes, 12 Scott Williams, 11 Steff Evans, 10 Rhys Patchell, 9 Gareth Davies, 8 John Barclay (c), 7 James Davies, 6 Aaron Shingler, 5 Tadhg Beirne, 4 Jake Ball, 3 Samson Lee, 2 Ryan Elias, 1 Rob Evans
Replacements: 16 Emyr Phillips, 17 Dylan Evans, 18 Werner Kruger, 19 David Bulbring, 20 Will Boyde, 21 Jonathan Evans, 22 Rhys Jones, 23 Paul Asquith
Southern Kings: 15 Masixole Banda, 14 Yaw Penxe, 13 Berton Klaasen, 12 Luzuko Vulindlu, 11 Sibusiso Sithole, 10 Kurt Coleman, 9 Rudi van Rooyen, 8 Andisa Ntsila, 7 Victor Sekekete, 6 Khaya Majola, 5 Dries van Schalkwyk, 4 Jurie van Vuuren, 3 Rossouw de Klerk, 2 Michael Willemse (c), 1 Schalk Ferreira
Replacements: 16 Stephan Coetzee, 17 Luvuyo Pupuma, 18 Entienne Swanepoel, 19 Bobby de Wee, 20 Siyabulela Mdaka, 21 Godlen Masimla, 22 Ntabeni Dukisa, 23 Jacques Nel
Referee: Frank Murphy (Ireland)
Assistant referees: Seán Gallagher (Ireland), Wayne Davies (Wales)
TMO: Olly Hodges (Ireland)
Connacht 12–18 Glasgow
The Sportsground
Connacht took a 9-3 lead into the half-time break, but Glasgow grabbed hold of the second half through tries from Ali Price and Lee Jones to take the 18-12 win.
Kieran Keane was given an ideal start to his life as Connacht coach with an opening game at The Sportsground, but Glasgow were never going to make it easy.
Jack Carty kicked Keane's men three points ahead within the opening minute. Peter Horne levelled soon after though, having missed one minutes before. The hosts were the better side and had more forays towards the line, but despite the TMO taking a look at one, they couldn't find the opening try.
The weather was playing havoc, more of a drizzly December kind of outing rather than opening day. And it seemed to affect the play a little too, although Connacht did deal a little better. They retook the lead with Carty's second penalty, and a third penalty before the break sent the hosts into a 9-3 lead after a largely forgettable first 40.
Glasgow came out of the break the better side though and when Horne fired through three more points, they really sparked into life with the first try. Coming off the back of a scrum, Horne managed to find Price who made no mistake to put Warriors into the lead for the first time.
Connacht continued to struggle the longer the half went on, but managed to cut the gap to a single point with a fourth penalty from the ever reliable Carty. Glasgow looked the more likely to get the crucial second try of the night the longer it went on, and that was exactly what happened.
Jones made his way over after a cross field kick caused havoc in the Connacht defence. That spelt the end for Connacht, who couldn't drag themselves back into it as Glasgow left with an 18-12 win.
The scorers:
For Connacht:
Pens: Carty 4
For Glasgow:
Tries: Price, Jones
Con: Horne
Pens: Horne 2
Connacht: 15 Darragh Leader, 14 Cian Kelleher, 13 Eoin Griffin, 12 Bundee Aki, 11 Matt Healy, 10 Jack Carty, 9 Kieran Marmion, 8 John Muldoon, 7 Jarrad Butler, 6 Eoghan Masterson, 5 James Cannon, 4 Ultan Dillane, 3 Finlay Bealham, 2 Tom McCartney, 1 Denis Buckley
Replacements: 16 Shane Delahunt, 17 Peter McCabe, 18 Conor Carey, 19 Sean O'Brien, 20 Eoin McKeon, 21 Conor McKeon, 22 Craig Ronaldson, 23 Tom Farrell
Glasgow Warriors: 15 Ruaridh Jackson, 14 Lelia Masaga, 13 Alex Dunbar, 12 Sam Johnson, 11 Lee Jones, 10 Peter Horne, 9 Ali Price, 8 Adam Ashe, 7 Matt Smith, 6 Ryan Wilson (c), 5 Scott Cummings, 4 Tim Swinson, 3 Zander Fagerson, 2 George Turner, 1 Jamie Bhatti
Replacements: 16 James Malcolm, 17 Oli Kebble, 18 Adam Nicol, 19 Greg Peterson, 20 Matt Fagerson, 21 Henry Pyrgos, 22 Adam Hastings, 23 Leonardo Sarto
Referee: Ben Whitehouse (Wales)
Assistant referees: Dan Jones (Wales), Stuart Gaffikin (Ireland)
TMO: Peter Fitzgibbon (Ireland)