A new season and a new name to the old Celtic League, the RaboDirect Pro 12 reflects the evolution of the league with the entry of the Italian sides last season. The new season kicks off this weekend with a full round of fixtures. Off course the new season is kicking off under the considerable shadow of the upcoming World Cup and the early rounds will see teams stretched in terms of their playing resources, with some being better able to equip than others.
The off season has seen the some star names leave the league, which may be no bad thing considering the sub-par performances of some of those "star" players over the past few seasons. The Ospreys have seen a dramatic exodus of high profile players, gone are Lee Byrne, James Hook, Mike Phillips, Jerry Collins and Marty Holah with an emphasis being placed on youth. The ‘Galacticos’ era at the region never really delivered the success which was anticipated and the new strategy of placing faith in the young talent may provide a more stable foundation for the region to build upon. Down the road from Swansea in Cardiff the Blues have also seen considerable change with head coach Dai Young heading to Wasps and no replacement has yet been announced. The strongest challenge from the welsh sides in this year’s competition could conceivably come from the Scarlets who have been steadily building a strong side over the past few seasons. The departure of Regan King and David Lyons can be overcome and the attacking verve which has been the hallmark of the side in recent years is set to continue. Expect the Dragons, as ever to spring a few surprises throughout the year but their lack of finance again withholding them from being serious contenders.
The Scots and the Italians are in the same boat, both lack the finances to put together strong squads with strength in depth to really contend for the title. Edinburgh are broke, and with a new head coach in Michael Bradley, are no longer the force they were a few seasons back. For new coach Bradley this new job represents a gamble but working with limited resources is something which he will be used to following his time in charge of Connacht. Glasgow should bounce back from their abysmal performance last season and once they get their internationals back could challenge for fourth spot. If Treviso can build on their strong opening season in the league they should again be competitive without threatening to challenge for fourth. Expect Aironi to prop up the table again this season despite what look like good signings in Italian internationals Carlo Festuccia, Andrea Masi and Luciano Orquera.
The Irish sides have by far the strongest chance of winning the competition. Both Ulster and Leinster have strengthened considerably from last season, Ulster in particular look set to have one of Europe’s largest packs of forwards following the signing of John Afoa. Leinster, reigning Heineken Cup champions, have strengthened their squad and from the outset look the most likely to challenge for top spot in the league. It will be interesting to follow events in Munster this season, despite winning the league last season there were strong signals that the team was in regression. The signings of BJ Botha and Ian Keatley are expected to be joined by a top international centre after the World Cup. Connacht, for their part showed huge improvement last season, an overhaul of the squad was undertaken with some interesting signings being made. There was very positive news during the week when the province declared an increase in season ticket sales of a whopping 660%. Exciting times indeed out west.
League Prediction
- Leinster
- Ulster
- Llanelli
- Munster
- Ospreys
- Glasgow
- Treviso
- Cardiff Blues
- Connacht
- Dragons
- Edinburgh
- Aironi
Post by Ross McGuinness. You can follow Ross on twitter @rossmcguinness
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