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The Guinness Pro12 takes on a different hue as the jostling for places on the run-in to the playoffs begins in earnest this weekend.
Clubs played four matches during the Six Nations window, an examination of the depth and quality in squads, but the tournament takes on a more full-blooded appearance as international players are repatriated and the teams at the top of the table go full bore to secure a semi-final place, home or otherwise.
The league picture is distorted slightly by ancillary commitments. Leinster and Munster are still involved in the Champions Cup while the Ospreys have reached the quarter-finals of the European Challenge Cup. If those clubs progress to finals it may have a knock-on effect for their league aspirations.
Leinster were superb in taking a maximum 20 points during the Six Nations window to clamber back to the top of the league but they face a tricky final five matches, starting with the Cardiff Blues at the RDS this weekend.
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Leo Cullen's charges have only two home games left, play two of their top four rivals in the Ospreys and Ulster both away from the RDS, and must also take to the road in two provincial derbies, against Connacht and the aforementioned Ulster.
Their other home game is against the 2015 champions, the Glasgow Warriors. Their main injury concerns at the moment relate to fullback Rob Kearney and Jamie Heaslip, both of whom missed Ireland's victory over England, but in the absence of a sizeable international cadre, Leinster have excelled.
The Ospreys, in second place, will be without Wales captain Alun Wyn Jones for six weeks. Their playoff rivals Leinster and Ulster must travel to the Liberty stadium while they also have what should have access to five-points against Treviso in Italy. They travel to the Scarlets on the final day of the league proper in a game that is likely to matter significantly to both teams.
Munster sit just three points off the top in third place and have arguably an easier set of fixtures than their rivals, predicated appreciably on the fact that their last two away games are in Italy, where they’d be justifiably confident of collecting maximum points.
The other three matches are at home, two provincial derbies, against Ulster and 2016 champions Connacht, while also hosting the Glasgow Warriors, whom they have beaten home and away in Europe this season.
On paper Ulster have the trickiest run-in, taking on three of their top four rivals, travelling to Munster and the Ospreys while hosting Leinster at home on the final Saturday of the league proper. They also play three or their five matches on the road.
The Scarlets are only four points behind Ulster going into the weekend and they have appreciably the most benign run of matches, three at home, and taking on three of the four bottom teams in the table. The last two games offer more of a test, travelling to face Connacht in the Sportsground and hosting the Ospreys at Parc y Scarlets.
Connacht have six matches remaining – they travel to play Zebre in the postponed game on Saturday week – two at home, four away and a brace of provincial derbies against Munster in Limerick and Leinster in Galway.
Even though they are currently in seventh place, the final automatic qualification slot for next season’s Champions Cup, they won’t be eligible as things stand because there must be at least one club from each of Ireland, Scotland Wales and Italy in the seven qualifiers and at the moment Treviso would be bumped up.
However in the likely event that Connacht fail to overtake one of their Irish provincial rivals in the Pro12 they can still qualify for next season’s Champions Cup via a playoff involving the seventh ranked club in the English Aviva Premiership, the eighth and ninth ranked Pro12 teams and the seventh placed French Top 14 club in their final standings.
Following a draw last month, the seventh-ranked club from the Aviva Premiership will have home advantage against the ninth-ranked club from the Pro12 in playoff one, and the seventh-ranked club from the French Top 14 will have home advantage against the eighth-ranked club from the Pro12 in playoff two. The matches are scheduled for the weekend of May 19th/20th/21st. The draw also determined that the winner of playoff one will have home advantage in the final which will be staged on the weekend of May 27th, 28th, 29th. The outright winner will win the last Champions Cup place. Plenty to play for still.
THE RUN-IN
Leinster
Saturday, March 25th: v Cardiff Blues, RDS
Saturday, April 8th: v Ospreys, Liberty stadium
Saturday, April 15th: v Connacht, Sportsground
April 28th/29th/30th: v Glasgow Warriors, RDS
Saturday, May 6th: v Ulster, Kingspan stadium
Ospreys
Saturday, March 25th: v Benetton Treviso, Stadio Monigo
Saturday, April 8th: v Leinster, Liberty stadium
Saturday, April 15th: v Cardiff Blues, Arms Park
April 28th/29th/30th: v Ulster, Liberty stadium
Saturday, May 6th: v Scarlets, Parc y Scarlets
Munster
Saturday, March 25th: v Zebre, Stadio Lanfranchi
Saturday, April 8th: v Glasgow Warriors, Musgrave Park
Saturday, April 15th: v Ulster, Thomond Park
April 28th/29th/30th: v Benetton Treviso, Stadio Monigo
Saturday, May 6th: v Connacht, Thomond Park
Ulster
Friday, March 24th: v Newport Gwent Dragons, Rodney Parade
Friday, April 7th: v Cardiff Blues, Kingspan stadium
Saturday, April 15th: v Munster, Thomond Park
April 28th/29th/30th: v Ospreys, Liberty stadium
Saturday, May 6th: v Leinster, Kingspan stadium
Scarlets
Friday, March 24th: v Edinburgh, Parc y Scarlets
Saturday, April 8th: v Benetton Treviso, Parc y Scarlets
Saturday, April 15th: v Newport Gwent Dragons, Rodney Parade
April 28th/29th/30th: v Connacht, Sportsground
Saturday, May 6th: v Ospreys, Parc y Scarlets.
Connacht
Saturday, March 25th: v Glasgow Warriors, Scotstoun
Saturday, April 1st: v Zebre, Stadio Lanfranchi
Friday, April 7th: v Edinburgh, Murrayfield
Saturday, April 15th: v Leinster, Sportsground
April 28th/29th/30th: v Scarlets, Sportsground
Saturday, May 6th: v Munster, Thomond Park
Pro12 Playoffs
May 19th/20th/21st: Semi-finals.
Saturday, May 27th: Final, Aviva stadium.
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