Christmas may be over, but the Guinness PRO14 kept delivering gifts in Round 12 of action. With this weekend being a derby weekend for games, they all had an extra edge to them with local bragging rights also at stake. Connacht bested Ulster on Friday night, Cardiff Blues saw off Scarlets in the South Wales battle, while defending champions Leinster came unstuck away at Munster. In Scotland, Edinburgh got the better of Glasgow, while Benetton beat Zebre in Italy and Dragons registered their first win over Ospreys for four years. Scarlets 5-34 Cardiff Blues Scarlets head coach Wayne Pivac may be forced to re-assess his backline after persisting with Hadleigh Parkes at fly-half. Parkes, an outstanding centre, has been deputising in the unfamiliar position since Rhys Patchell went down injured. But with Patchell out for a further six weeks and Scarlets’ backline struggling to gain momentum against the Blues, Pivac may choose to seek other alternatives. This might just be the most impressive win of the season for the Cardiff Blues, who played calmly in the final quarter of the match to pull clear. Scarlets might not be at their best currently but the Parc y Scarlets is always a fortress – especially considering Scarlets had not lose their in 27 months in the Guinness PRO14. Cardiff are now level on points with Ospreys in Conference A ahead of their trip to the Liberty Stadium next week. A repeat performance would really capture everyone’s attention. In a league full of superb centre partnerships, Willis Halaholo and Rey Lee-Lo continue to shine – and the pair played a major part in the Blues’ win. Lee-Lo might have grabbed the limelight with his two tries but Halaholo beat five defenders with ball in hand and made all 19 of his tackles. With the Six Nations set to stretch squads across the Guinness Pro14, the Blues will be delighted they will have their first-choice midfield.
