No, we said show him a clean pair of HEELS!
This was a really dull in the first half. Two French teams, big crowd, dry hot day, few penalties – I want a refund! Then in the 39th minute, George Smith ( all over the field, but looking as though there is a pie shop on his road) charged down a kick and scored for Toulon. That put a bit of daylight between the teams. So in the second half Perpignan threw caution to the wind, there was lots of running rugby and I got my money’s worth. I wasn’t that convinced by either side though – certainly Toulon took no advantage of being a man up for 20 minutes, and to me didn’t really look like they thought they could win. And Perpignan, full of fumbles, bumbles and stumbles, are hardly going to strike too much fear into their next round opponents.
Leinster vs Leicester
Speaking of bumbles… In the prematch build up we heard all about how England had been blown away by Ireland at the Aviva – and how Leicester had learnt all those lessons, they were going to bring the intensity, They were going to be patient etc,etc. And of course the matches were completely different- Flood and Youngs, who froze last time they were at the Aviva… froze again. Hand on a minute haven’t we seen this before? Forwards getting outmuscled? English backs standing back and watching with interest while irish backs weave intricate patterns round them? Leicester did of course have something new to bring to the party (see picture above) but unfortunately even this showstopper did them no good. Their attack strategy seemed to be as follows:
Northampton Saints vs Ulster
Saints went into this match as favourites, very threatening in the qualifying rounds, with several players in the England squad, and after a try in the first few minutes it looked like it was going to be a long afternoon for Ulster. Ulster though weren’t going to lie down, bided their time, chipped away with penalties, struck back with a really good try, and went into the break with an improbable lead. Jim Malinder would have been tearing his hair out if there was any left to tear. He obviously found the right words to say at half time, as Ulster didn’t trouble the score in the second half, apart from one achingly close try . The Saints worked one magic try, kicked their penalties, and came away with a comfortable win. For Ulster, Rory Best is in the form of his life – think Roman Poite was a bit confused by his accent though, and in the backs, Humphries, Danelli, Trimble and D’Arcy. For the Saints, Lawes is in fantastic form, Ashton looked dangerous and Fodden is seriously dangerous. Dylan Hartley is in a class of his own, but not for the right reasons.
Biarritz vs Toulouse
It must have been the weather in Spain – which fell mainly on the players – but this match went from the sublime to the ridiculous. The first half was all Toulouse, two absolutely perfect inventive tries, and it looked like there could only be one winner. The second half was all Biarritz’s though, grinding their way back into the game with penalties, then managing to score a try from a charge down in the last few minutes of the match to tie it all up. Then to extra time, penalty apiece, and with the scores tied up, Toulouse were going through because they’d scored two tries. But it was all laid to rest in the last 2 minutes of extra time, as Nyanga charged down Yachvili’s kick and scored under the posts. Nyanga, French international, only managing to make the Toulouse bench.
So the after the quarters, the semis will be: Semi-Final 1: Leinster v Toulouse
Saturday, 30 April - Kick-off 15.30 (14.30 GMT) - Aviva Stadium
Semi-Final 2: Northampton Saints v Perpignan
Sunday, 1 May - Kick-off 15.00 (14.00 GMT) - stadium:mk
Brive 37 - 42 Munster
This sounded like an almighty match – good on Munster for getting a hard fought away win, looking dangerous in this competition.
Shark Bite
Yes please! 4 try bonus point over the Lions, just what the doctor ordered. The rest of the SA teams were pants though.
Heineken Cup
Sunday , April 10
Northampton 23 - 13 Ulster
Biarritz 20 - 27 Toulouse
Saturday , April 9
Perpignan 29 - 25 Toulon
Leinster 17 - 10 Leicester
Amlin Challenge Cup
Saturday , April 9
Brive 37 - 42 Munster
Friday , April 8
Stade Francais 32 - 28 Montpellier
Harlequins 32 - 22 Wasps
Thursday , April 7
La Rochelle 13 - 23 Clermont Auvergne
Super Rugby
Saturday , April 9
Crusaders 27 - 0 Bulls
Brumbies 17 - 16 Hurricanes
Western Force 3 - 31 Waratahs
Sharks 27 - 3 Lions
Stormers 6 - 19 Reds
Friday , April 8
Highlanders 24 - 21 Cheetahs
Totally agree with you about Leicester, they were very disappointing, especially Flood and Youngs again. This throws into question their temperament at the highest level. On two occassions they have been given a lesson by more eeperienced players. I am not saying this is not to be expected but they both need to learn their lessons fast. Leicester as whole need to find another attacking weapon whose surname isn't Tuilagi.
ReplyDeleteFlood and Youngs seem to struggle a bit on the big stage. Part of it I suppose is that they are used to playing behind a dominant pack. Leicester could definitely do with more creativity in the centres or at full back. But it's a good team, and Leinster did well to beat them.
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