JACKSON COLUMN: Ulster's record day shows PRO12 in fine health

Not even Toulon with their troupe of global superstars managed to draw quite that many when Champions' Cup business took them to Belfast in late October. The numbers against Connacht topped Ulster's PRO12 highest - 16,950 for Leinster's visit north at the end of the regular season in May last year.

In two seasons, Ulster's home GUINNESS PRO12 gates have shot up by some 50 per cent, from marginally more than 10,000 to a current figure not far short of 15,500. That they have been somewhat inconsistent on the field during that period makes their rising popularity off it all the more commendable.

They were not alone in that respect over Christmas. In the course of extending their rule of the GUINNESS PRO12 roost by squeezing home against the Scarlets, the Ospreys drew almost 16,000 to the Liberty Stadium, eclipsing their previous highest of 10,821 when the Blues went to Swansea in early October.

As a reassuring reminder that there is nothing to beat ancient rivalry, last Saturday's derby attracted more than twice as many to the Liberty as the Ospreys' Champions' Cup tie against Racing Metro three weeks earlier.

The Warriors proved the same point against Edinburgh at Scotstoun where a sell-out crowd of virtually 7,000 saw Gregor Townsend's Glaswegians regain temporary leadership of the table thanks to Josh Strauss' third try of the campaign and four more goals from Duncan Weir.

Like Ulster and the Ospreys, the Warriors beat their Champions' Cup best, against Toulouse a fortnight earlier. They may have done so by the comparatively small matter of 51 but everyone counts as part of the Warriors' plan to go one better than last season and bring the title to Scotland for the first time.

Munster reported their highest GUINNESS PRO12 crowd of the season last weekend (25,600 against Leinster). The Blues did likewise (10,900 against the Newport Gwent Dragons) and Zebre followed suit (4,530 against Benetton Treviso).

Round Twelve starting on Thursday will feature more box-office hits. Connacht, back home after a largely unrewarding time on the road to Dublin and Belfast, will provide Munster with the raucous background of a sell-out crowd in Galway. Temporary seating will raise capacity towards 10,000.

The Dragons expect a crowd of similar proportion at a jam-packed Rodney Parade for Thursday's return against the Blues. If they follow their first win at the BT Sport Arms Park in eleven seasons with another, the largely unsung Dragons will overtake their neighbours in the table.

BT Murrayfield will greet the New Year in the expectation of hosting Edinburgh's first five-figure crowd since the Warriors were last there twelve months ago. It gives Alan Solomons' team the chance of avenging last week's ten-point defeat in Glasgow with the oldest inter-city trophy in the game - the 1872 Cup - thrown in for good measure.

The Warriors, resigned to being without injured flanker Rob Harley, have won six in a row against Edinburgh but a closer inspection of their results in the capital points to another close encounter. The last three at Murrayfield have been too close for the Warriors' comfort.

They won by four points last season and four points the season before that. Three years ago they had to settle for a draw - 23-all at the end of a six-try thriller witnessed by a crowd of more than 13,000.

Tim Visser, two, and Ross Rennie dotted down for Edinburgh; Al Kellock and Colin Shaw for the Warriors before Ruaridh Jackson's late intervention levelled the scores.

The sell-out theme continues on Saturday with the RDS at its full, 18,500 capacity for Leinster's duel with Ulster. The last time they met, at the same venue in last season's Play-Off semi-final in mid-May, Leinster won 13-9 by virtue of Ian Madigan producing the only try of a tense affair.

With one win in four, the defending champions can hardly afford to concede more ground if they are to secure the comfort of a home semi-final in their pursuit of an unprecedented hat-trick of titles.

The two other Saturday games, in west Wales and northern Italy, will also generate outsized attendances. After taking the Ospreys the full distance in Swansea last week, the Scarlets now have a second chance to knock their local rivals off their pedestal at the top of the table.

The leaders make the short trip to Llanelli aware that the Scarlets have not lost a GUINNESS PRO12 match in 'Heart and Soul Rugby Country' for twelve months, since Boxing Day last year which just happened to be the last time the Ospreys were there. Ian Evans, their former Wales lock now with Bristol, scored the only try.

Benetton Treviso, fresh from their first win of the season at Zebre's expense last weekend, will climb off the bottom should they beat their compatriots again, this time at the 6,800-capacity Stadio Comunale di Monigo. The promise of a revival ought to ensure their largest crowd of the year.

Highest GUINNESS PRO12 attendances:

This season:

43,867 Leinster v Munster (Aviva Stadium)
25,600 Munster v Leinster (Thomond Park)
17,107 Ulster v Connacht (Kingspan Stadium)
17,101 Munster v Ulster (Thomond Park)
16,923 Ulster v Ospreys (Kingspan Stadium)
16,108 Leinster v Scarlets (RDS)
16,007 Leinster v Connacht (RDS)
15,928 Leinster v Ospreys (RDS)
15,632 Ospreys v Scarlets (Liberty Stadium)
15,479 Ulster v Edinburgh (Ravenhill-Kingspan Stadium)

Last season:

51,700 Leinster v Munster (Aviva Stadium)
20,646 Munster v Leinster (Thomond Park)
18,870 Munster v Connacht (Thomond Park)
18,500 Leinster v Ulster (RDS)
17,900 Leinster v Edinburgh (RDS)
17,200 Leinster v Treviso (RDS)
16,950 Ulster v Leinster (Ravenhill)
16,780 Leinster v Connacht (RDS)
16,436 Munster v Ulster (Thomond Park)
15,206 Blues v Scarlets (Arms Park)

Since a home defeat:

Scarlets 11 (Ospreys on December 26, 2013)
Edinburgh 4 (Connacht on September 12)
Leinster 3 (Munster on October 3)

Since an away win:

Zebre 14 (Cardiff Blues on September 20, 2013)
Cardiff Blues 4 (Zebre on September 7).
Ulster 3 (Zebre on September 27, 2014)
Ospreys 2 (Zebre on October 3)