PRO12 Preview: Connacht v Zebre

CONNACHT RUGBY v ZEBRE RUGBY
Friday 3 March
At the Sportsground, 7.35pm
Live on TG4

Get your match tickets here.

Referee: Marius Mitrea (FIR, 64^th competition game)
Assistant Referees: Rhys Thomas (WRU), Ken Imbusch (IRFU)
Citing Commissioner: John Cole (IRFU)
TMO: Jon Mason (WRU)

Did you know?

• Connacht Rugby have won their last three matches since their 10-19 reversal in Toulouse in round 6 of the European Champions Cup.


• Connacht’s only loss in their last nine matches at the Sportsground in all tournaments was to Munster in the Guinness PRO12 on 31 December.


• Zebre have not won since beating Edinburgh at BT Murrayfield in the PRO12 at the end of October.


• The Italians’ only previous victory over an Irish province was when they beat Ulster in Parma in September 2014.


• The two sides have met on 14 previous occasions in all tournaments (not including the abandoned the Guinness PRO12 round 3 game), with Connacht winning them all.


• The only Italian side to have beaten Connacht in Galway was Treviso in December 2011.

Overall Guinness PRO12 head to head record:

Played 8, Connacht won 8.

HEAD TO HEAD - RECENT GUINNESS PRO12 MEETINGS
Date	Venue	C	Z	Connacht scorers	Zebre scorers
Sat 7 Sep 13	Sportsground	25	16	Matt Healy(T) Fionn Carr(T) Dan Parks(2C/2P) Nathan White(T)	Andrea Manici(T) Luciano Orquera(C/3P)
Sun 23 Feb 14	Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi	27	19	Eoin Griffin(T) Kieran Marmion(T) Dan Parks(2C/P) Rodney Ah You(T) Penalty Try(T)	Alberto Chillon(C) Giovanbattista Venditti(T) Troy Nathan(C) Samuela Vunisa(T) Dries van Schalkwyk(T)
Fri 21 Nov 14	Sportsground	43	3	Ian Porter(C/4P) Danie Poolman(T) John Cooney(T) Jack Carty(T/C) Mick Kearney(T) Miah Nikora(C) Penalty Try(T)	David Odiete(P)
Sat 9 May 15	Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi	40	10	Matt Healy(T) Tiernan O'Halloran(T) John Cooney(2T) Jack Carty(3C) Eoghan Masterson(T) Shane O'Leary(T) Conor McKeon(2C)	Brendon Leonard(T) Luciano Orquera(C/P)
Fri 16 Oct 15	Sportsground	34	15	Matt Healy(T) Eoin McKeon(T) Denis Buckley(T) Kieran Marmion(T) Craig Ronaldson(T/3C/P)	Edoardo Padovani(C/P) Johan Meyer(T) Dion Berryman(T)
Sat 20 Feb 16	Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi	51	34	Matt Healy(3T) Aj MacGinty(3C/2P) Kieran Marmion(T) Niyi Adeolokun(2T) Craig Ronaldson(3C/P)	Kelly Haimona(T/4C/2P) Johan Meyer(T) Federico Ruzza(T) Dries van Schalkwyk(T)

 

COMPARISON	Connacht	Zebre
Last 3 PRO12 results:	12 Feb - Cardiff Blues (A) W 19-13	10 Feb - Ospreys (H) L 10-40
	18 Feb - Dragons (H) W 14-9	17 Feb - Scarlets (A) L 7-42
	26 Feb - Treviso (A) W 34-19	26 Feb - Ulster (H) L 17-40
PRO12 2016/17	8th - W7 D0 L8 - 34pts	12th - W1 D0 L13 - 9pts
Last 6 PRO12 form	lLlwWw (14pts)	lLlLlL (1pts)
Top try scorer	4 - Niyi Adeolokun	4 - Dries van Schalkwyk, Giovanbattista Venditti
Top points scorer	70 - Jack Carty	66 - Carlo Canna