Heineken Cup Final 2012 - London calling!

Well, it’s pretty apt that the Clash theme this match with London Calling as Leinster and Ulster travel to Twickenham to contest the 2012 Heineken Cup. The French have done it three times, the English once and now it’s Ireland’s turn to have an all Irish final.

It’s not normal that I want Ulster to lose – Ulster, Munster and Connacht are my reserve team, there to back when the main show is not around. They have an awesome team, a mix of Irish talent like Ferris, Best  and Trimble that I back to the hilt when they’re in green, and some real stars in the likes of Ruan Piennar.  BUUUUUUT there’s only going to be one winner on Satruday, and hey, I’m sure those runners up medals are really nice too!

Why do I think Leinster are going to win, apart from the fact that I’m terribly biased? Well it’s a combination of factors – they been there before, twice, and in the recent past, and came back from the dead in last year’s final, so going behind in the match won’t scare them. They also have a structure to their game that is hard to break down, and hard to resist. The organisation of their defense is a joy to watch, and the way they attack in waves, and the speed of their play makes them hard to defend against. The BOD is back for the match, and he’s absolutely key, for his play and for his inspiration. Then you add in Kearney, Nacewa, Healy and the rest, and it’s going to take some team to beat them. Even though they are favourites, it’s likely to be a tight, close match, so who’s going to hold their nerve, Sexton or Pienaar? Actually, McFadden is probably better than them both, so that’s another plus for Leinster. And Leinster definitely have a stronger bench, they have real impact players like van der Merwe, Cronin, Madigan and Boss.

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves, because Ulster will have Leinster just like that if they underestimate them, Ferris will beat a trail of size 12 boots over the broken Leinster bodies, with the South African beef there to bayonet the wounded. Ulster are also well organised, have an awesomely physical pack, and a blitzkrieg attack that left the Tigers reeling.

I think the repect for Ulster is there though, and the desire to do something special and get back to back HCups is really strong. So Leinster in a tight match then. Should make for an interesting flight on the way to New Zealand anyway.
Heineken Cup
Saturday , May 19
Leinster vs Ulster 17:00

Heart care tips for Leinster fans

Here are few tips on looking after your heart – don’t smoke, exercise regularly,  watch what you eat, try some of yogurt health drink things, and here’s a little known fact – apples are really good for cholesterol.  But whatever you, don’t support Leinster because they will kill you stone dead. I thought they were going to beat Glasgow, they did beat Glasgow, but for about half an hour, they only had a 6 point lead, and they weren’t going anywhere. Then eventually, when they felt like it, they quit buggering around, scored a try, and put the game to bed – still letting Glasgow score two late trys though. I know it was a bit of a mixed up team, and I know we had our injuries (see section on heart care above) but still I expected more. I’m of course not giving  Glasgow the credit they deserve for taking the game to Leinster, and making it awkward for them as only Glasgow can. Anyway, job done at the end of the day, and into the final.

I hope they Leinster lads caught the Ospreys/Munster match, because they would have seen the form side this weekend smash Munster. I was impressed with the confidence and physicality of the Ospreys, and frankly amazed at the way Munster imploded- they missed Paul O’Connell unbelielably, not just for his play, but for his leadership too. The one player I thought stood out for Munster was Simon Zebo, whose head never dropped, and who worked his backside off all over the park. Rob Penney has big task on his hand, cutting out the deadwood, and re-instilling that winning way. Leinster v Ospreys it is.

Elsewhere, I saw Quins pip the Saints in the first semi – Conor O’Shea must have aged 10 years at the end there, and Tigers, with George Ford in impressive form, saw off the Saracens.

RaboDirect PRO12
Ospreys 45 - 10 Munster
Leinster 19 - 15 Glasgow
Aviva Premiership
Saturday , May 12
Harlequins 25 - 23 Northampton 
Leicester 24 - 15 Saracens

Is it going to be a semi exciting weekend, or an excitling semi weekend?

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It’s semi final time in the Pro 12 and the Premiership, with some season defining moments on the way.

Munster and the Ospreys get things going on Friday night at the Liberty Stadium. The Ospreys are a pretty formidable team – they have a great pack of forwards, and some talented backs to back them up , so to speak. They also have the Welsh grand slam momentum. Justin Tupuric is in doubt which is good news for Munster. Munster arrive without Paul O’Connell – It’s like the army arriving without their heavy artillery. What I’m hoping is that Munster take a few selection chances – leave DOC on the bench, go with younger players like Tommy O’Donnell, play a midfield that can create something ( and not put Earls there) , and that they stand up and fight! I’m going with the Ospreys with home advantage though.

On Saturday, Leinster will welcome Glasgow to the RDS. It’s been a great season for Glasgow, their form players of Grey, Hogg and Weir have given them a cutting egde. It’s been an awesome season for Leinster thus far. But, having said that, we’ve won nothing yet, and shouldn’t be taking anything for granted. The weather looks like it may suit a running game, which is where we want to keep it, and not get dragged down into an arm wrestle. This is Leinster’s to lose, they have all the assets, with Sexton, Kearney, Nacewa, Heaslip and Healy in the form of their lives, and will surely win unless they completely underestimate the Scots.

Across the water, Quins and Northampton are up first, with Quins’ flair coming up against the power game of the Saints. I think Harlequins day is coming and that home advantage will see them through.
Leicester Saracens is a real heavyweight bout. It’s likely to be a cross between rugby and combat. Sarries seem to have fallen off the pace a little, while the Tigers have timed their run to perfection, as usual. To me, the Tigers have more structure to their game, and will use their home advantage to set up a final against Quins.

RaboDirect PRO12
Friday , May 11
Ospreys vs Munster 19:35
Saturday , May 12
Aviva Premiership
Saturday , May 12
Harlequins vs Northampton 14:45
Leicester vs Saracens 17:30

Everthing you ever wanted to know about the end of the Pro 12 but were afraid to ask

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So that’s a wrap on the PRO 12 league, as it heads to the knock out stage. This week I have a cast iron excuse for missing the Leinster game, as it wasn’t being shown. But as normal, I got to watch Munster , taking out Ulster. I watch Munster so much, I might even start supporting them (or I would if they were any good :) ).  So the top four was as predicted, and it’s going to be Leinster taking on Glasgow at home, and Munster travelling to the Ospreys.

It wasn’t a classic by any means at Thomond Park, but Munster did what they needed to do. Lots of retirements, departures to get over. The biggest lost is Mick O’Driscoll – the term legend gets bandied about all over the place, but he’s been in the form of life this last year, absolutely keeping DOC on the bench. David Walace is also an immense loss , he's an absolute legend as well. Both gents of the game.Horrible to see Paulie get injured, for Munster and for Ireland. I thought Scott Deasy did an OK job at fly half, and that Ulster did pretty well with a makeshift team. Iain Henderson looks like he could go a long way. Connacht ended up 8th, that’s good going for a side that lost a host of stars last season.

In the Premiership It’s Quins, Tigers, Saracens and Saints into the play offs.  Exeter just missed out, but what a season for them. At the bottom, Newcastle are in grave danger – doesn’t it sound more dangerous when you say grave – of dropping out of the Premiership.

RaboDirect PRO12
Newport-Gwent D'gons 18 - 22 Leinster 
Edinburgh 44 - 21 Benetton Treviso 
Aironi Rugby 11 - 18 Ospreys 
Munster 36 - 8 Ulster 
Scarlets 29 - 20 Cardiff Blues 
Glasgow 24 - 3 Connacht

The league stage of the Rabid Direct closes up, and my two cents worth on the new Munster coach

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The league stage of the Rabid Direct PRO12 finishes up this Saturday. Leinster have topped it, and the Ospreys will finish second, unless Aironi beat them in the biggest upset in the history of upsets. Munster need to beat Ulster to keep third spot, and keep alive the prospect of an all Irish final. If they lose, it’s unlikely but possible the Scarlets could overtake them if they thrash the Blues, which they surely will. Then if Glasgow beat Connacht, which is pretty likely, they wouldn’t even make the top four.  For Ulster to make the top four, they have to thrash Munster, and hope Glasgow lose, get no losing bonus points, and that the Scarlets lose as well. Then there’d be THREE Irish sides in the top 4!

But most like the top four will be:
Leinster
Ospreys
Munster
Glasgow

Great news that Connacht will be playing Heineken Cup rugby next year – they put in some very creditable HCup performances this year.

Other big News is the appointment of Rob Penney as Munster head coach, formerly head of the Crusaders ITM cup squad. Are they copying Ulster, who appointed Mark Anscombe, former Auckland ITM cup coach? Both coaches have solid credentials, Penneys more so because he has 4 ITM cups under his belt. Canterbury have been the dominant team in New Zealand for nearly 10 years now, and are a magnet for talented players, so that makes a coaches job easier. The fact that neither has Super Rugby head coach experience does put them in the second league of NZ coaches.

Here’s a few things they haven’t done yet, which could cause a few problems - they haven’t moved countries to coach – that’s going to be a big upheaval, especially if families are involved. They also haven’t had international squads – how do you deal with players who don’t have much English, how do you gel different internationals together as a team? So the jury’s out, time for them to prove themselves. Leinster took a punt on Cheika a few years ago and that didn’t go too badly did it?

Munster now have two forwards coaches with Anthony Foley , how about a backline coach?

Finally, not much chance of it, but I'd love to see Exeter make the top for on England.

RaboDirect PRO12
Saturday , May 5
Aironi Rugby vs Ospreys 19:30
Munster vs Ulster 19:30
Scarlets vs Cardiff Blues 19:30
Newport-Gwent D'gons vs Leinster 19:30
Glasgow vs Connacht 19:30
Edinburgh vs Benetton Treviso 19:30

Heineken Cup - Ireland 2 Europe 0

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Ulster, at their temporary home of the Aviva Stadium, kicked off the weekend with their match against Edinburgh. The flags waved, the sun shone, and a good time was had by all. I didn’t give the Scots nearly enough credit for how well they were going to play, producing a running style of rugby that I’m sure the whole of Scotland would like to see more often. If either of the teams looked like they had stage fright, it was Ulster, who got a bit of a shock with the way that Edinburgh ran at them. It was a step down in intensity from the Munster match for them, they like to be underdogs as well! What is it with Irish teams? Ruan Pienaar was ice cold with his place kicking , but Laidlaw was none too shabby either, and the match the whole way through was wide open, staying within one score. Ulster’s senior players lead the way home though , playing smart, finals rugby, keeping it tight and grinding out the win.

Well talk about flags waving , if you had a euro for every flag waving at the Clermont Leinster match, you’d be rich. Those French crowds are ultra passionate, and the racket, the flag waving, and the booing of Wayne Barnes was second to none. Wayne Barnes has now turned another nation off to him, I don’t think he did a bad job at all, but then I wouldn’t, would I. Leinster did get a lot of the tight calls, but that’s swings and round abouts, in the blue of Leinster and the green of Ireland they’ve been at the rough end of a few decisions themselves., and the team that scored the try won.

Leinster started hard, and gave Clermont a fright with their early intensity. But they French turned it around, and it was all Clermont at the end of the first half, going into the break with the lead. Now Leinster were proper underdogs, they were happy. Cometh the hour, cometh the man, and that man was Rob Kearney, splitting open the defense with a run that lead to Healy’s try, and putting in a drop goal as good as you’ll see. After that, Leinster stayed on the front foot, up until the last unwatchable 5 minutes, when Clermont rocked them back with wave after wave of attacks, and Fofana came within inches of stealing a win. That brings to an end Clermont’s run of 42 home games unbeaten, incredible really. Good thing they don’t play Leinster too often! Also, a record 14 Heienken Cup wins a row for Leinster. Not that I’m boasting or anything. They have a few things to sort out, namely an appalling line out, but apart from that , it couldn’t look better.

Job done, the final in Twickenham is 100% Irish!

Best tweet of the weekend @nathinhines to @seanobrien : ‘My team is playing the Hcup tomorrow – please can I get a retweet’

Heineken Cup
Ulster 22 - 19 Edinburgh
Sunday , April 29
Clermont Auvergne 15 - 19 Leinster

Are we going to be enjoying the full Irish at Twickenham on the 19th of May?

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We’ll begin at the beginning, in Dublin on Saturday, as hoards of Ulstermen, Edinburghians, and a good few Dublanites /Irish fans who simply love rugby, descend on the Aviva Stadium.  It’s the start of the swansong for Ulster’s Brian McLaughlin, taking on Michael Bradleys men, the former Connacht coach no stranger to Lansdowne Road himself.  It’s the furthest any Scots team has got in the competition. I think it’s going to stay the furthest a Scots team has got in the competition. I’ll probably enjoy the match a lot more than Sunday’s fixture – sure I’ll be supporting Ulster, but as a neutral, it’s a lot easier than seeing your own team play. Ulster are the favourites, and have the edge in numbers of internationals, experience of the occasion from last year, most things really. Edinburgh are going to bring passion in spades, but Ulster’s big guns, the likes of Ferris and Pienaar, are going to see them home.

Leinster travel to France to take on Clermont, and while they’ve lost home advantage, they gained the upper hand in the battle to be the biggest underdog. Let’s face it, Ireland would never have beaten Australia last year if we’d been the favourites! That’s just the motivation the teams needs. So you think home advantage counts for everything do you? So you have a squad that was built up a cost that would have settled the Irish debt  crisis? Well, we’ll show you a thing or two!  We have some inside gen on the workings of the team from former Clermont assistant Joel Schmidt. They have some insight from Nathan Hines, who went the other way (not that way), but as it’s been said- he could never remember the line out calls when he was at Leinster anyway, so our secrets are safe. What impressed me about Clermont against Saracens in the last round was their awesome physicality against a pretty huge Sarrries teams, and their refusal to surrender their tryline.

Leinster are going to have to face down the crowd, man up to the physicality, and live with the flair of Clermont’s backline. So no pressure then. However, no matter how the French talk up Leinster, I think they still see us a little Irish team, that’s awesome at home, but quite beatable playing away. That’s our chink of opportunity, that O’Driscoll, Nacewa, Heaslip, Sexton, Kearney and co have to prise open and run a tank through. Are we going to sack Bordeaux? Are we going to make two finals in a row, and probably face the team we’ve already beaten home a and away this season. Personally, I don’ think we have a great chance, but we do have a chance. The pressure on the ref will be enormous, it’s going to be ‘Can I get a scrum reset – yes you can!’, and a physical onslaught not often seen off a battlefield. It’s in the brains trust of Sexton, O’Driscoll, Nacewa, and Kearney that this will be decided.

Heineken Cup
Saturday , April 28
Ulster vs Edinburgh 17:45
Sunday , April 29
Clermont Auvergne vs Leinster 15:00