Magners and Aviva Finals - it's short and sour this week. Grumble grumble grumble!

David Wallace Picture from http://bit.ly/kY94xZ

Well, it’s going to short and sour this week, with results and scheduling not going my way. First of all, I sit down in front of the TV on Saturday at quarter to three, crack my knuckles, and put the Aviva Premiership final, not in expectation of any running rugby, but some entertainment anyway. Except it doesn’t seem to be on Sky sports 1,2,3 or 4. That’s odd. That’s because it was on bloody ESPN! Which I haven’t bothered to shell out for, because one sports channel is indulgence enough, and Sky always make out like they own the thing, that thing being Premiership rugby. Saracens managed to edge that one by the sounds of things, and fair play to them, their first Premier League title ever, about time some new blood was injected into the system.


Then it was the Magners League final, where Leinster came, they saw, they survived the gangs, but they feckin’ missed out on the double after being pretty comprehensively outplayed by fierce rivals Munster. It was a very Munster win by the men in red, born in the forwards, just hard physical simple rugby, keeping it tight, playing for territory, and grinding Leinster down. Leinster had one bright spell at the start of the second half when they looked like they might do something, but even then several periods of sustained pressure couldn’t get them over the line. Heaslip, O’Brien, O’Driscoll all seemd to lack the fire that saw them home last week. I was impressed by McFadden, but everyone else had a pretty quiet day at the office for the men in blue. Wallace was exceptional on his 200th appearance, and good to see Paul O’Connell back in form, and young players like Jones and Murray are only going to get better. Here are the gory details for the Leinster masochists among us:

Actually moment of the match was BOD, jumping up, shrugging off a medic, and putting in a tackle.
That’s domestic rugby over for the season then, and what a result for Ireland – Heineken Cup Champions, top three in the Magners and Magners Champions, Ulster in the last eight of the H Cup, and Connacht in the H Cup next year.

Shark Bite

Yes please! The Sharks squeaked past the ‘Tahs to win – thank heavens for jet lag! Amazing weekend, for SA teams, first win by the Lions in NZ in living memory, and the Stormers and the Bulls won too.

Magners League

Munster 19 - 9 Leinster

Aviva Premiership


Saturday , May 28

Leicester 18 - 22 Saracens

International Match


Sunday , May 29

England 32 - 38 Barbarians

Super Rugby

Reds 17 - 16 Crusaders

Highlanders 22 - 26 Lions

Sharks 26 - 21 Waratahs

Bulls 32 - 21 Cheetahs

Brumbies 3 - 16 Stormers

Friday , May 27

Hurricanes 34 - 28 Western Force

Magners and Aviva Rugby - Leinster and Munster progress, and the fighting Tigers will meet Saracens

Honest he ducked in to it! (Picture http://bit.ly/mPRjYD )

The RDS was bathed in sunshine when the Ulstermen came to town. Well it was in the second half when I tuned in anyway. What I saw was hugely competitive and physical Ulster pounding away at a committed Leinster defense. Not very successfully it has to be said. They could really do with a few game breakers in mid field, and then they are going to be a complete team. Leinster just have more tricks in their bag – the can defend at ease for long period, but when they get into the zone they make it count. Luke Fitzgerald sprinted in for a blistering try, looking as good as he’s ever looked again, while Mr Relatable, Fergus McFadden delivered in the first half. Leinster’s scrum creaked a bit, but they made quite a few substitutions through the match so that didn’t help. That was a comprehensive victory over one of the form teams in the league, so job well done. The only concern will the sight of BOD and Richardt Strauss hobbling off, SOB got roughed up a bit, and Reddan seemed to come on pretty early.


I caught the first half of Munster v the Ospreys and it always looked to me like Munster were going to win it. They’re not as patient as they used to be, they were camped down on the Ospreys line for ages, but little errors seemed to stop them from dominating the match like they should have. Two tries from young centre Danny Barnes sealed it for them. The Ospreys looked disjointed and rarely threatened to do anything except brain themselves against the Munster defence. So it’s going to be an all Irish final at Thomond Park in two weeks time.

Aviva Premiership

Saturdays' Tigers/Saints match was the only whole match I watched all weekend. The stand out moment of the match was Manu Tuilagi heavyweight blow to Chris Ashton’s head. Now Ashton isn’t one of favourite players, but hat’s off to him for getting up at all in the first place, and more than that carrying on playing. There’s no place for that in rugby, and if the officials had seen the punch would have been a straight red for Manu. The Saints are an abrasive team, with players like James Downey, and Dylan Hartley always pushing the line. Tigers gave back as good as they got, and that just about shut the Saints down – i didn’t really notice Ashton (apart from his one sided bought with Manu) and Fodden was pretty quiet too. The intensity of the match was fantastic, but it wasn’t the greatest spectacle in the world. The Tigers march on.

I didn’t see Saracens/Gloucester, but four penalties and a two point win isn’t really going to scare the Tigers is it? The Aviva seems to be about being the biggest and the toughest team, and the Tigers the biggest, baddest meanest muthas in the whole damn championship.

Super Rugby

A few shock results here – Cheetahs and Lions not crap after all! The Lions got an overseas win against the Brumbies, and believe me, overseas wins (or any kind of win for them) are as rare as rocking horse poo. Mark their fly half Elton Jantjies as a player to watch. His sublime handling skills set up two fantastic trys. And the Cheetahs kicked the Crusaders arses! i’d have been less surprised to see Dan Carter and Ritchie McCaw announce their engagement.

Sunday , May 15

Saracens 12 - 10 Gloucester

Saturday , May 14

Leicester 11 - 3 Northampton

Super Rugby

Chiefs 30 - 23 Stormers

Brumbies 20 - 29 Lions

Bulls 47 - 10 Melbourne Rebels

Cheetahs 33 - 20 Crusaders

Friday , May 13

Highlanders 13 - 6 Hurricanes

Reds 37 - 31 Blues

Magners League

Munster 18 - 11 Ospreys

Leinster 18 - 3 Ulster

Magners and Aviva semis - make or break time in Ireland, Wales and England

Fergus McFadden- this is what we want on Friday (picture from: http://bit.ly/kFRDwd )

The Magners Semis kick off at the RDS as Leinster play Ulster, hoping to make their second final in a row. On paper this is a done deal, with Leinster soaring high in the Heineken Cup, and comfortably above Ulster in the final Magners table. However, Ulster are going to be totally focused on this match, a loss here and their season is over. Leinster have more on their plates with both the Magners League and the Heineken Cup in their sights, which present a chink of opportunity for Ulster. Of course Leinster want to win both, they’d want the Amlin Challenge Cup as well if that was open to them. But if they win the Magners and lose the Heineken, in old money they are going to feel like they lost a sixpence and found a penny. I really rate Ulster as a side on the up, they have their SA contingent who are delivering in spades, they have their home grown talent shining too, and if Leinster are thinking about the Saints in this match, they are going to swoop. I’m hoping Leinster can keep their focus, think about things one match at a time, play like they did in the second half last Friday, and not stop winning until the end of the season. Leinster by 5.


On Saturday, it’s Munster’s turn to welcome the Ospreys to Thomond Park. The Ospreys have been pretty enigmatic in the last few weeks ( sounds much nicer than sh*t doesn’t it?). They’ve had their arses kicked by (takes deep breath) Edinburgh, Munster, the Dragons, and came within a whisker of seeing mighty Aironi do the same last Friday. Ospreys problem, as I delve into areas I know nothing about, is that a host of their stars are leaving – there’s a core issue there apart from filthy lucre to leave, and the players that are staying are doing to have to deal with that issue as well as the fact they are losing three big stars.

But all, in all, they are fourth in the League for their performances over the season and their current squad oozes talent. I’m sure the players leaving want to end on a high, so they are perfectly capable of winning this fixture.
Munster meanwhile, are really hard to call. I said they’d lose to Leinster at Thomond, and they beat them. Then I said the Ospreys would beat them and they won. Then I said they’d cream Quins, and they didn’t. Soooo, that wasn’t too bad, 0/3 , small room for improvement. Really the last person you want to be asking whether Munster are going to win or not is me. But I’ve never let rank ignorance get in the way of a good opinion before, so as long as they can keep focused on the game in hand and not fret too much about the next match (if they get one), they should win this easily enough.

Aviva Premiership

The big one here for me is Leicester and Northampton. And for selfish Leinster reasons. I want Leicester to win it. Firstly I want to see how they do it so we can get a few hints. My suspicion is – bully them up front. Don’t kick the ball to Ashton or Fodden. Simple really. Also a loss for them is going to dent their confidence, and make them more vulnerable for the taking in the Heineken. Northampton don’t quite seem to have the confidence in their own league that they have in Europe, and they’re playing away as well. These are two big confident teams, I hope the best one wins, and in this instance I think it’s going to the Tigers.

Saracens and Gloucester is a clash of teams that are both showing real form in the Aviva Premiership. They’ve ended up being placed where they are both for results of the season, and in particular for their form in the last 4-6 weeks. Saracens are at home and that gives them a big advantage. Their pack is pretty well faultless and allied with a mean defence, makes them a hard nut to crack. Gloucester scored 10 tries against Sale last weekend, if they score a few of those it’s going to make for a really entertaining match. I think home advantage is going to see Gloucester home though.

Magners League


Friday , May 13

Leinster vs Ulster 19:05

Saturday , May 14

Munster vs Ospreys 18:30

Aviva Premiership


Saturday , May 14

Leicester vs Northampton 15:15

Sunday , May 15

Saracens vs Gloucester 14:30

Super Rugby


Friday , May 13

Highlanders vs Hurricanes 19:35

Reds vs Blues 19:40

Saturday , May 14

Chiefs vs Stormers 08:35

Brumbies vs Lions 10:40

Bulls vs Melbourne Rebels 17:05

Cheetahs vs Crusaders 19:10

Ireland rocks! in the Magners League, (and most other places) Tigers are tops, and the Sharks take a bite out of the Brumbies

What happens next? Picture from: http://bit.ly/lzie4e

This is it, the fantastic four, or the fab three from Ireland and the fortunate one from Wales as it should really be known.

1. Munster 83

2. Leinster 70

3. Ulster 67

4. Ospreys 63

5. Scarlets 62

Munster monstered this year’s Magners, only losing three times , and Connacht slowed them down hardly at all on Friday. It was farewell for Sean Cronin, Jamie Hagan and Fionn Carr leaving for Leinster and Ian Keatley’s going to Munster. It must be really galling for Connacht to have finally built up a decent squad and then see the big boys cherry pick your stars. Alan Quinlan got a try, and could well have played his last match for Munster. Good to see this canny servant to Munster and Ireland end on a high note.

Leinster blew Glasgow away at the RDS. That’s a big victory, even if there wasn’t too much on offer for the Scots. That was a Leinster lite team as well, but the ‘lite’ players put in some heavy duty performances. How Luke Fitzgerald is first choice when Fergus McFadden is playing like that is a mystery. And he was kicking like a pro as well. I though Madigan played well with some great tactical kicking, and Kevin Mc McLaughlin was in excellent form.

Ulster broke the Dragons recent good run of results at home, scoring three tries in the first, then having a kip in the second half, but they’d already done enough to win the match. Two tries from the exciting Nevin Spence, and one from Pedrie Wannenburg sealed a semi final place for the Ulster men. The Dragons have really delivered for Ulster, beating the Ospreys and Blues in their last two matches, and then losing their spark at exactly the right moment. So it’s going to be Leinster v Ulster at the RDS next Friday for a place in the final.

The Ospreys staggered into the semis in a bewildering last day for the Welsh provinces. Aironi, bottom of the league, one win to their name went into the last few minutes in the match in the lead until Hook spared the Ospreys blushes. Both the Blues and the Ospreys have been falling over themselves to throw that lost spot away, if anyone deserved to get it was the Scarlets, who pretty well looked like they’d made it at one stage. Is it just me, or does it seem like the bigger your wage bill is in Wales, the worse you play? Munster must be bricking themselves for the semi final.

Aviva Premiership

1. Leicester Tigers 78

2. Saracens 76

3. Gloucester 67

4. Northampton 65

5. Bath 62

It was all topsy turvy in the Premiership at half time, Leeds beating the Saints and London Irish beating the Tigers. It was like some master director yelled ‘CUT’ at half time, every one read their lines again, went ‘OK, right’ and normal service was resumed. Saints threw on their A team (not THE A team) and beat Leeds pretty convincingly in the end, also consigning them to the drop (unless the Cornish Pirates do them a favour). The Tigers roused themselves and savaged the Exiles to claim top spot and a home semi. Saracens beat Quins pretty easily, with the commentators claiming that they are the ‘form’ team in the Premiership right now. Um, not if we watching the same match they aren’t. Lot’s of thud and puff but no hardly any penetration. Gloucester did a right number on Sale, and are looking good at the exactly the right time. Are you watching Cardiff Blues and the Ospreys? That’s how you do it. So it’ll be Tigers/Saints, Saracens/Gloucester, both intriguing excting matches, and Exiles – yes please!

Shark Bite

The Sharks have finally mastered the art of which half to play ( it’s the second one, boys) as they overhauled a 10 point deficit accumulated in the first half to claim a 5 point win over the Brumbies. Study the tape, and repeat until the end of the season.

Magners League

Leinster 38 - 3 Glasgow

Munster 22 - 6 Connacht

Scarlets 38 - 23 Cardiff Blues

Newport-Gwent D'gons 13 - 20 Ulster

Aironi Rugby 10 - 12 Ospreys

Benetton Treviso 31 - 6 Edinburgh

Aviva Premiership


Saturday , May 7

Northampton 31 - 24 Leeds Carnegie

Exeter 21 - 8 Wasps

Gloucester 68 - 17 Sale

Leicester 32 - 23 London Irish

Harlequins 13 - 16 Saracens

Bath 42 - 12 Newcastle

Super Rugby


Saturday , May 7

Chiefs 20 - 7 Highlanders

Waratahs 20 - 15 Western Force

Stormers 14 - 20 Crusaders

Sharks 34 - 16 Brumbies

Friday , May 6

Hurricanes 11 - 17 Blues

Melbourne Rebels 18 - 33 Reds

Lions 19 - 53 Cheetahs

Magners League and Aviva Premiership Rugby - here's the fab four in each

Who's it going to be?

After 8 long months of the Magners , the teams round the corner, the finishing line is in site, Munster are already over the line, but the last three positions are still to be decided. Lads, what have you been doing? Talk about leaving it until the last minute! This is the league as it sits:

1. Munster 79

2. Leinster 65

3. Ulster 63

4. Cardiff Blues 60

5. Ospreys 59

6. Scarlets 57

Munster play Connacht at home and will still win even if they don’t put much of team out, they are going to be mighty sore after losing to Quins last weekend.

Mighty Leinster, Heienken Cup finalists, giants among men, (no bias here!) have Glasgow at home to clinch a home semi. The Scots are nestling comfortably at the bottom of the table, but don’t let that fool you, they definitely have the capability to beat us, so I want to see that smart blue slick Leinster machine that beat Toulouse, not the old banger that lost to Glasgow and Treviso in the first few rounds please.

Ulster need to beat the Dragons at Rodney Parade to clinch one of the remaining places in the semis, and the Blues losing there last week has done them a big favour. And lit up a massive warning sign ‘Be careful of those fiery Welshmen’. C’mon Ulster, make it a 1,2,3 for Ireland!

The Blues play the Scarlets – a 5 point win and they’re in. A 4 point win – things would really complicated as the Ospreys are sure to get 5 points against Aironi, that would leave them tied on points the Ospreys, then who would through? Anybody? Can both the Ospreys and the Blues please apply themselves to the fixture to get a clear winner and avoid a mathematical meltdown?

Aviva Premiership

The Exiles have already said slán abhaile to this years competiton, but there is still some jostling for places at the end, like a bunch of naughty schoolboys who’ve left studying until the last minute and are hoping to bluff it through now.

1. Leicester Tigers 73

2. Saracens 72

3. Gloucester 62

4. Northampton 61

5. Bath 57

Tigers are going to have to beat the Exiles to make sure they finish top, so maybe London Irish still have a say in how things turn out. However, on Exiles recent form, there won’t be too much f&t at Welford Road. Bad Boy Delon ‘Rocky’ Armitage is suspended, so we’ll leave their last words as slán abhaile after all. Tigers need to get a bonus point to secure top spot, or hope Saracens don’t overhaul their point difference.

Saracens play away to a resurgent Quins, who hopefully for Saracens will wrap their stars in cotton wool in what for them is a dead rubber. They won’t want to pick up any injuries before the Amlin Challenge Cup Final. So it should be Sarries with a 5 pointer.

Gloucester need to beat Sale to avoid the chance of getting pipped by Bath, and they shouldn’t struggle at all. Sale have been woeful this season.

The Saints need to pump Leeds, which is a pretty simple proposition. If Leeds could somehow scrape a win or get anything out of the game (apart from a ‘Welcome to Franklin Gardens’ mug) they could stay up. All I can see in my crystal ball though is pain for Leeds though, deep 5 point pain, so Saints should make up the last of the 4 places. On track for the double? Not while Leinster are around anyway.

Bath need to similarly get biblical on Newcastle’s ass and hope for a miracle at Franklin Gardens. I don’t think He’d think this warranted His attention, so Saints it is.

Shark Bite

After the Sharks were apparently outmuscled by the powder puff Stormers, I don’t know what to make of them anymore. Shark fin soup? The Brumbies are going to be thrown to the Sharks this weekend, so at least that should present an opportunity for the Durbanites to bounce back and hopefully pick up a bonus point. I just hope the Brumbies aren’t rough or rude as that seems to put the Sharks off.

The Magners League


Friday , May 6

Aironi Rugby vs Ospreys 19:05

Munster vs Connacht 19:05

Benetton Treviso vs Edinburgh 19:05

Scarlets vs Cardiff Blues 19:05

Newport-Gwent D'gons vs Ulster 19:05

Leinster vs Glasgow 19:05

Aviva Premiership


Saturday , May 7

Northampton vs Leeds Carnegie 15:00

Harlequins vs Saracens 15:00

Gloucester vs Sale 15:00

Bath vs Newcastle 15:00

Exeter vs Wasps 15:00

Leicester vs London Irish 15:00

Super Rugby


Friday , May 6

Hurricanes vs Blues 19:35

Melbourne Rebels vs Reds 19:40

Lions vs Cheetahs 18:10

Saturday , May 7

Chiefs vs Highlanders 08:35

Waratahs vs Western Force 10:30

Stormers vs Crusaders 17:05

Sharks vs Brumbies 19:10

Rugby - Easter rising by the Irish provinces, the Ospreys suck, and the Sharks are the only suck proof SA side

Impressive Conor Murray (picture from http://bit.ly/hr20dk )

Magners

Munster     21 79
Leinster     21 65
Ulster        21 63
Blues        20 60
Ospreys   21 59
Scarlets    21 57

It all went fairly according to plan , Ulster, the Blues, Scarlets and Leinster all won, it was the Ospreys, the new bad boys (as in not good) of Welsh rugby, who have to hang their heads in shame. Losing to Munster is no disgrace, but at home, with what was as at stake in the match, was a tiny bit of a disgrace. Jerry Collins was the villain, who gave away the penalty, that lead to the line out, that lead to the maul, that lead to the offside, that lead to the penalty, that lead to the loss.

Pretty gut wrenching for the Ospreys, but can I go wading in again will ill informed judgment, but if Hook wouldn’t stay there for a million pounds, they are not happy campers at the moment. They need players who wouldn’t move for a million pounds. The Osprey pack had a few stand out performances, Alwyn Jones looked good, but not too much was happening behind them. For Munster, Connor Murray is growing with each game and shows the home grown production line is still functioning and Felix Jones shows the Leinster academy works well too!

I saw the Ulster Connacht match too, and it was a fair result in the end. Ulster had to work for it though, they have an irritating habit of switching off at key moments in a match – just after they’ve scored for instance. Their own Cave man made the game safe in the last few minutes, and with the Ospreys losing, their future in making the playoffs is in their own hands.

Leinster’s match at Airoldi was a bit of a squad work out, but they have pretty awesome strength in depth now. A bonus point would have been nice, but a win is a win.

Aviva

Leicester Tigers     21 73
Saracens               21 72
Gloucester            21 62
Northampton        21 61
London Irish         21 54
Bath                     20 53

Exiles are knackered at this stage, they fell off the pace earlier in the season and have never really come back from that. The Saints were more than they could handle, even at home. Elsewhere, Saracens got a bonus point win out of Gloucester, and Bath thumped Wasps. If my maths is right, Bath are still in contention, although they’re looking for Leeds to do them a massive favour.

Shark Bite

Sweet! Four try bonus point over the Canes! Even though I flippantly predicted it, I never really saw it coming. The Bulls sucked again, the Lions always suck, and the Cheetahs and Storemers weren’t playing so they couldn’t suck this week. And nice one by the Highlanders, beating the Crusaders! The Crusaders and the AB’s are not the same team without their DC10.

The Magners League


Saturday , April 23

Aironi Rugby 8 - 20 Leinster

Ospreys 20 - 22 Munster

Friday , April 22

Ulster 27 - 16 Connacht

Edinburgh 27 - 15 Newport-Gwent D'gons

Glasgow 29 - 37 Scarlets

Thursday , April 21

Cardiff Blues 29 - 9 Benetton Treviso

Aviva Premiership


Sunday , April 24

Saracens 35 - 12 Gloucester

Leeds Carnegie 3 - 38 Harlequins

Saturday , April 23

London Irish 20 - 26 Northampton

Wasps 10 - 43 Bath

Friday , April 22

Sale 24 - 30 Exeter

Newcastle 13 - 24 Leicester

Super Rugby


Saturday , April 23

Crusaders 18 - 26 Highlanders

Reds 19 - 15 Waratahs

Western Force 26 - 21 Bulls

Lions 30 - 34 Chiefs

Sharks 40 - 24 Hurricanes

Friday , April 22

Blues 40 - 23 Melbourne Rebels

Rugby Easter Weekend - rough as a bear's arse Magners and Aviva final position predictions, and Henson in shock return for the Osprons!

Not hard enough to go to Rodney Parade? Picture from http://bit.ly/f5T2Zk

Magners Predictions

75 Munster Ospreys (A) Connacht (H) Should beat Connacht 5 points, Ospreys will probably win at home, final total 80 points

61 Leinster Aironi (A) Glasgow (H) Should win both, 5 against Aironi, 4 against Glasgow, final total 70

59 Ulster Connacht (H) Dragons (A) Should beat Connacht no probs 4 points, could easily lose to Dragons, final total 63

58 Ospreys Munster (H) Aironi (A) 2 from 2, 4 against Munster, 5 against Aironi, final total 67

56 Cardiff Blues Treviso (H) Dragons (A) Scarlets (A) Blues should beat Treviso at home 4 points and win one of the other two with 4 points Final total 64 points

52 Scarlets Glasgow (A) Blues (H) Beat Glasgow 4 points, lose to the Blues final total 56.

The long and the short of it that the Dragons could well be the kingmakers here as they play both Ulster and the Blues. And if Rodney Parade was too scary a place for Mike Phillips to go to, imagine the fear and trembling in Ulster and Cardiff?

Munster are definitely through, Leinster most likely second, then two out of Ulster, the Ospreys and Cardiff Blues will make it through.

Can I just throw another scenario in? Mourad Boudjellal is the owner of Toulon, and a man who likes to get what he wants. Except he’s not getting what he wants with Toulon at the moment, 7th in the T14, and out of the Heienken Cup. With Mike Phillips rumoured to joining Toulon, it is also rumoured, mainly or possibly entirely by me that as the Ospreys cupboard is pretty now bare anyway, the Ospreys offered him a one off, ultra discounted, buy one get one free deal, where for a few extra euro they threw in the rest of the team too. This gives Boudjellal the opportunity to win a cup this year, and a handy rotational output for players.

Naming the new team is proving tricky, although the Osprons and the Toulspreys are rumoured to be the front runners. And the absolute gem in this is that Boudjellal, in a completely karmic move, is planning to shift Gavin ‘Rocky’ Henson back to the Osprons! You read it here first! Imagine Munster, Leinster & co faces’ when Jonnnyyyy and Joe van Nierkerk run out in Osprons colours! His only concern is that his players (apart from Henson of course) don’t quite have the bar brawling skills to survive in Wales.

Aviva Predictions
69 Leicester Falcons away (5), Irish at home (4) =78

67 Saracens Gloucester home (4), Harlequins away (4) = 75

62 Gloucester Saracens away (1), Sale at home (5) = 68

57 Saints Irish away (1), Leeds home (5) = 63

53 Irish Saints at home (4), Tigers away (0) 57

48 Bath play Wasps away (4), Newcastle away (5) and home (5) = 62

That’s my prediction anyway, not very cheery for the Exiles, but can’t really see them winning at Welford Road, and Saints at home is going to be hard enough in the first place

Shark Bite

The Sharks are bracing themselves for a Hurricane blowing into Durban this weekend. Note hackneyed, obvious opening sentence. The Durban men should be as fresh as the daisy after a bye last weekend, while the Hurricanes, who were nicely softened up by the burly men of Bloemfontein, should be as fresh that 4 week old kipper you sewed into the back of the couch before you left your last digs. So knock yourself out boys, and help yourselves to 5 points.

The Magners League


Thursday , April 21

Cardiff Blues vs Benetton Treviso

Friday , April 22

Ulster vs Connacht 19:05

Edinburgh vs Newport-Gwent D'gons 19:30

Glasgow vs Scarlets 20:05

Saturday , April 23

Aironi Rugby vs Leinster 13:30

Ospreys vs Munster 18:30

Aviva Premiership

Friday , April 22

Sale vs Exeter 15:00

Newcastle vs Leicester 18:00

Saturday , April 23

London Irish vs Northampton 15:00

Wasps vs Bath 17:30

Sunday , April 24

Saracens vs Gloucester 13:30

Leeds Carnegie vs Harlequins 15:00

Super Rugby


Friday , April 22

Blues vs Melbourne Rebels 19:35

Saturday , April 23

Crusaders vs Highlanders 19:35

Reds vs Waratahs 19:40

Western Force vs Bulls 20:05

Sharks vs Hurricanes 17:05

Lions vs Chiefs 19:10

Weekend rugby - A one, a one, a one two three! In the Magners! Munster, Leinster, Ulster.

Shaggy! Picture from http://bit.ly/h4FUIm

Magners


On Friday I caught the second half of the Connacht/Pinks match. And I don’t want to sound preachy or anything but I did warn Connacht not to make Bradley Davis cross. And did they listen? No, and of course, he got angry, hulked out and scored the try that sealed the match for the Pinks. The Blues came in to the second half behind, but they soon had Connacht on the back foot, indiscipline told and two yellow cards later the match was gone. The second was a bit unlucky though. One thing you have to say about Connacht is that they aren’t going to die wondering, they give it full tilt all the time, and their physicality is top notch. The Dragons/Ospreys match sounded pretty good – not a night to remember for the Ospreys. And Mike Phillips not playing because Rodney Parade was a ‘hostile place to go to’. Now I don’t know all the background, but when did ignorance ever stop you having a good opinion? My two cents worth is maybe that’s why the Ospreys don’t reach the heights they want to, they should stop feckin’ around and just play rugby. Hostile place? Please!

Saturday I watched a bit of the Munster match and I wasn’t blown away. Munster fielded pretty well an academy side, bolstered by a bit of crucial experience, and Scarlets, with 8 internationals on the pitch, at home, should have taken them. I could understand why Munster weren’t firing on all cylinders with such a young side, and for them it was a good win. What was Scarlet’s excuse though?

Then the big match of the weekend for me, the Leinster Ulster Derby. Ulster brought as strong a team as they could muster, while Leinster rested a few of their top stars, and introduced other from the bench. O’Malley and McFadden looked sharp in the centres, Shane Horgan is in amazing form, and Sexton, Strauss and Nacewa just get better and better. For Ulster, Craig Gilroy is a star in the making, and Rory Best is playing out of his skin at the moment. There was a fair dose of derby argy bargy, but what else would you expect? Good win for Leinster, and good to see Ulster never lying down, playing to the end, desperate to try and get even one point out of the match.

Can I be smug for the Irish teams, in one two and three?

Exiles

Sale had a record 15000 crowd to watch this match, who got to see a 5 point win by London Irish. Things are looking up for the Exiles, sitting in 5th place and looking to get in to the play offs. Steffon Armitage scored in the last minute to get the bonus point. Elsewhere Gloucester got a good draw against Leicester.

Super Rugby

The Sharks didn’t play this weekend, but the smell from the South African teams is not good. The Bulls look shagged – they all look shagged. Just in time for the World Cup.

The Magners League


Saturday , April 16

Benetton Treviso 19 - 16 Glasgow

Scarlets 6 - 13 Munster

Leinster 34 - 26 Ulster

Friday , April 15

Newport-Gwent D'gons 32 - 28 Ospreys

Connacht 12 - 26 Cardiff Blues

Edinburgh 32 - 15 Aironi Rugby

Super Rugby


Sunday , April 17

Brumbies 19 - 27 Western Force

Saturday , April 16

Blues 31 - 17 Waratahs

Reds 39 - 30 Bulls

Lions 19 - 33 Stormers

Cheetahs 47 - 50 Hurricanes

Friday , April 15

Chiefs 16 - 34 Crusaders

Melbourne Rebels 18 - 40 Highlanders

Aviva Premiership


Sunday , April 17

Wasps 51 Leeds Carnegie 18

Saturday , April 16

Bath 19 - 15 Harlequins

Leicester 41 - 41 Gloucester

Exeter 12 - 33 Saracens

Sale 20 - 34 London Irish

Friday , April 15

Newcastle 15 - 22 Northampton

Weekend rugby - Stand up for the Leinster men, and watch out for Bradley Davies!

 

Don't make him angry... picture from http://es.pn/gdroWX

Without any Heineken Cup on, I get my life back to a certain extent – the trials and tribulations of being a rugby supporter and making yourself watch four quarter finals! The things I put myself through! Anyway, there is still a full list of activities to look forward to.


Magners

Connacht take on the Blues at the Showgrounds. I think I count 8 internationals in the Blues starting 15 so they should win, although Connacht should give them a good game. Just a tip for the Connacht lads though – if you’re going to pick a fight with anyone, I’d stay clear of Bradley Davies, it sounds like he’s been putting in some out of hours practice on this aspect of his game.

The Parc y Scarlets welcomes Munster on Saturday, and the Scarlets are going to be in feisty form as they look to make the semis. They lodged a complaint against the ref for their loss against Ulster, so they are looking for one to go their way this time. Hard one to call, I actually fancy Munster, even though Wales is a hard to place to go and win, as they seem to have rediscovered their rhythm that was AWOL earlier in the season.

Ulster travel to Leinster in the evening with a tough task ahead of them as Leinster are unbeaten at home in the last 24 regular league matches. Plus they have the low of exiting the Heineken Cup versus the high Leinster are on for their good win over Leicester. Leinster really need this one as well so they can cement their place in the semi race. Lyrical gangsta or what! They’ve already sold 15000 tickets for the match, and Leinster, on a roll, and at home, should win no problem. I hope to see some of the flair that Ulster revealed last weekend, and all things being equal we could be in for some entertaining running rugby. It’s ladies night as well which’ll add to the festive atmosphere.(And on, Munster fans, it isn’t ladies night every time Leinster play at home) C’mon Leinster!

Exiles

London Irish are going to be taking on Sale at the Reebok. Sale are looking to attract a big crowd to this 40000+ stadium, and I wonder how Irish are going to react to all those fans. Sale pipped Gloucester at home last outing, while the Exiles swatted the Wasps- but then anyone can beat Wasps at the moment. I’m going with London Irish.

The Magners League


Friday , April 15

Newport-Gwent D'gons vs Ospreys

Connacht vs Cardiff Blues

Edinburgh vs Aironi Rugby

Saturday , April 16

Benetton Treviso vs Glasgow 15:00

Scarlets vs Munster 18:15

Leinster vs Ulster 20:00

Aviva Premiership


Friday , April 15

Newcastle vs Northampton

Saturday , April 16

Bath vs Harlequins 14:15

Exeter vs Saracens 15:00

Leicester vs Gloucester 15:00

Sale vs London Irish 17:30

Sunday , April 17

Wasps vs Leeds Carnegie 15:00

Super Rugby


Friday , April 15

Chiefs vs Crusaders 19:35

Melbourne Rebels vs Highlanders 19:40

Saturday , April 16

Blues vs Waratahs 19:35

Reds vs Bulls 19:40

Lions vs Stormers 17:05

Cheetahs vs Hurricanes 19:10

Sunday , April 17

Brumbies vs Western Force 16:10

Weekend Rugby and a bit of humble pie as Munster triumph

Get well soon Pauley http://bbc.in/hU0l0s

Mmmm, nothing like cold humble pie, eaten the day after! Leinster travelled across to Limerick, looking to extend their 5 match unbeaten run against their old nemesis, Munster. It goes without saying that the atmosphere was electric, a sell out crowd, flags, banners, a sea of red broken by three thousand brave blue patches who made the trip to support Leinster. And it was a classic of it’s kind, hard and uncompromising with the intensity of an international. The only blight on the match was Paul O’Connells injury.The teams matched each other penalty for penalty at the start of the first half, and Leinster were in the ascendancy by the end of the first half, with a good set move try and a Munster man in the bin.

I don’t know what was said in the changing room at half time, but safe to say the only blue thing in the Munster changing room was the air, and several passing sailors were seen blushing. The Munstermen girded their loins, dug deep, and came roaring back in the second half, blowing Leinster away in a stunning come back. Does this mean that after 5 attempts the Munstermen can finally claim the ladyboy title from Leinster?

For Leinster, Nacewa was in irrepressible form, Strauss was never found wanting, Ross was solid as a rock, Sexton coolly kicked his kicks, and Hines was everywhere. For Munster, their loose trio looked livelier than Leinster’s, it was a victory born and made up front, sealed by the boot of Ronan O’Gara.

What does this mean for the provinces? Leinster need to remember they have to do the hard work first before they can play their razzmatazz rugby, and there’s a time and a place for that as well. There’s also a time to pin the other team back in the corner when you’re trying to defend a slender lead. For Munster, their heart is never in doubt, they need to deliver their second half intensity for the whole match, and somewhere along the way they need to sign some centres who can create the gaps to score some tries.


At Ravenhill, Ian Humphries scored two good tries for Ulster, as the Ulstermen further extended their winning streak. They are still playing loose and fancy free though, and I don’t think that Northampton will be losing any sleep over anything they’ve seen in the last few weeks. Connacht scored a four point bonus win over Edinburgh in their fetching grey strip (not), bringing them up to a very respectable 7th in the table.Exiles


Exiles

Oh yeah! Exiles continue their winning streak with a 25 – 12 win over Wasps. It was the Tom Homer show as he kicked 5 penalties to see Irish home. That takes them up to 5th and keeps them in with a shout of the play offs.

Shark Bite

The force has deserted the Sharks for the moment as they were battered by the Stormers at home this week. That’s three losses on the trot now, and a lot of the early season optimism is beginning to fade. They really need to get Lambie back, he seems to be their talisman. In Springbok terms, at least the Bulls have woken up, and the Stormers are the top team.

Magners League
 Sunday April 3

Dragons 33 – Treviso 10

Saturday , April 2

Aironi Rugby 16 - 17 Glasgow

Ospreys 21 - 21 Cardiff Blues

Munster 24 - 23 Leinster

Friday , April 1

Ulster 20 - 18 Scarlets

Connacht 27 - 23 Edinburgh

Aviva Premiership

Sunday , April 3

London Wasps 12 - London Irish 25

Leeds Carnegie 27 - 22 Exeter

Saracens 20 - 9 Bath

Saturday , April 2

Northampton 53 - 24 Sale

Gloucester 34 - 9 Newcastle

Harlequins 13 - 17 Leicester Super Rugby

Saturday , April 2

Blues 29 - 22 Cheetahs

Hurricanes 14 - 26 Bulls

Western Force 25 - 26 Melbourne Rebels

Sharks 6 - 16 Stormers

Lions 25 - 30 Reds

Friday , April 1

Highlanders 26 - 20 Brumbies

Waratahs 23 - 16 Chiefs

Weekend Rugby -Can Leinster make it 20 in a row?

Munster supporters look forward to the visit of Leinster

The big match of this weekend will be Leinster heading off to play one of the minor teams in the South/West – is it Connacht or Munster? I’m not sure, I’ll have to check it up, but I believe the match is a sell out, you know how these small regions get excited when one of the big teams comes to visit. As you would imagine, Leinster has an impressive record against this tiddler, having won the umpteen last matches home and away. Oh aren’t I funny! Yes, all the bonhomie between the provinces around Ireland’s win over England has been buried, along with England’s Grand slam dreams, just as surely as the daggers are being sharpened to bury into each others’ backs. Munster now seem to view Leinster with the mythical reverence that Ireland reserve for the Al Blacks, they think might get close, but beat them? We’re not worthy!


Leinster welcome back more of the troops from the 6 Nations campaign, as Gordon D’Arcy, Cian Healy, Sean O’Brien, Brian O’Driscoll and Mike Ross get back in the frame for selection.

Munster look to have a pretty full squad to select from with only Tomas O’Leary and Alan Quinlan missing amongst likely starters.

Both teams will be using the match as a warm up for European challenges next week, but obviously there’s more to it than that, there’s Magners points up for grabs, and there’s the potential indignity of being beaten by your biggest domestic rival. I’ve been waiting for Leinster to slip up away from home against Munster, but the slip hasn’t been coming. There’s not much logic to be applied to this fixture, with all the passion of a local derby, but going back to Heineken Cup form, Leinster are stronger and should take this. ‘mon Leinster! And big shout for Shane Horgan who wins his 200th cap this weekend.

Connacht host Edinburgh, and after their giant killing form last week against Ospreys, you’d suspect the Scots will shade this. That’s what I thought until I saw Edinburgh are still resting some of their internationals. Resting them for what? I’m going with Connacht now. Ulster (or the Greatest One Man Show on Earth©, as they will heretofore be referred to) welcome the Scarlets, who came fairly close to overturning Munster last week. Never fear, Ruan is here, scaling large buildings with a single leap, catching bullets in his teeth, and if the rest of the players display a tenth of his skill (each, not all put together), Ulster will win.

Exiles

London Irish will have the fly spray out as Wasps travel to the Madjeski Stadium. After last week’s feeble effort against the Saints, a few good swats should account for Wasps this time. Wasps aren’t happy campers at the moment, neither are Wales, don’t want to start any rumours but is there a connection here, Shaun Edwards? Irish will be buoyed by last week’s good win against Exeter, they haven’t lost this year at home, and won’t lose this weekend either, however frightened they may by the return of pensioner Josh Lewsey to the Wasps ranks. I had high hopes for Wasps this season, they have the talent, but can’t seem to get their act together.

Shark Bite

So after being comprehensively dismantled by the Crusaders last week in the first half, and travelling all the way round the world in the last few weeks, the Sharks now get to take on the Stormers, currently top of the heap. Look we all know the reasons for the Sharks losing, Kiwi ref masquerading as an Aussie – yeah right, of course he was neutral, awful pitch – I mean, what do the Northern Hemisphere really know about rugby?, and no Lambie. They’ve actually got a few real issues to sort out – no depth at fly half, not enough inspiration in the centres, front row woes. All of this is possible to overcome, fly half aside. I don’t know what to make of the Stormers, good team , good players, but you suspect they lack that cutting edge to go all the way, and this is going to be another big test of their resolve, no better way for the Sharks to cast off their losing blues than by stonking a local rival. I’ll be bullish and go with the Sharks, as the Stormers catch the backlash from last weeks loss.

Aviva Premiership


Saturday , April 2

Northampton vs Sale 14:30

Gloucester vs Newcastle 15:00

Harlequins vs Leicester 17:30

Sunday , April 3

Saracens vs Bath 14:15

Leeds Carnegie vs Exeter 15:00

London Irish vs Wasps 15:00

Super Rugby


Friday , April 1

Highlanders vs Brumbies 19:35

Waratahs vs Chiefs 19:40

Saturday , April 2

Blues vs Cheetahs 17:30

Hurricanes vs Bulls 19:35

Western Force vs Melbourne Rebels 19:05

Lions vs Reds 15:00

Sharks vs Stormers 17:05

The Magners League


Friday , April 1

Ulster vs Scarlets 19:05

Connacht vs Edinburgh 19:45

Saturday , April 2

Aironi Rugby vs Glasgow 14:30

Ospreys vs Cardiff Blues 18:30

Munster vs Leinster 19:30

Sunday , April 3

Newport-Gwent D'gons vs Benetton Treviso 14:45

Weekend Rugby - Irish teams at 1,2 and 3 in the Magners, Ruan Pienaar needs to lose weight, and the Sharks get blown away

Ruan Pienaar - Picture from http://bit.ly/eQT0SM

Cardiff Blues 15 - 16 Munster

Munster started this match like a runaway try, and after James Coughlan scored a try following Keith Earls searing break, it looked like the flood gates were going to open. See what happens when you play like Leinster. But the floodgates stayed shut, a couple of good opportunities went begging, Cardiff stuck in there, and suddenly it was a one point game and Munster were hanging on for dear life. But Wales is a hard place to to go to and win, Cardiff even without a few players were a good team, and a win is a win. There was a bit of dust up resulting in two yellow cards, nothing in it really, I’ve seen better punch ups in the queue for the ladies at a nightclub. Come on lads, put a bit of effort into it!

Glasgow 19 - 22 Ruan Pienaar

Ruan Pienaar is really going to have to lose some weight. He’s making a habit of carrying 14 frankly ugly lumps every week. There’s 15 man rugby, 10’s, 7’s and now 1’s, the power of One. On a pitch better suited to beach volleyball than rugby, there was plenty of thud and blunder from both sides. It was a fairly workmanlike Glasgow team, and Ulster found it all to easy to match their standard. If Ruaridh Jackson had bought his kicking boots, it could all have different, as he blew several kickable penalties. Ulster started the second half with a 6 point lead, which they frittered away, and then finally woke up in the last 10 minutes – or a certain Mr Pienaar did anyway, scoring a try, converting it, and nailing the obligatory last minute long range penalty to sneak a win. He’s pulling the team up by it’s bootstraps, the rest of the team needs to stand up and convince him they’re worth hanging around for.

Aironi finally broke their duck in the Magners with a win against Connacht, who let a real opportunity to progress up the league slip their fingers. It was left to Leinster to restore Irish pride against the Dragons at Rodney Parade. What a stadium! That must be the finest building site Leinster have ever played on. I didn’t see the whole match, but it didn’t seem to be a high quality encounter – Messrs Thud and Blunder had a busy weekend by the looks of it. When Leinster threw on their reserves, the quality told and they pulled away from the Dragons. Leinster’s penalty try was in due recognition of their vastly improved srummaging, with hooker Richardt Strauss going from strength to strength. That’s Irish teams in 1,2 and 3 in the Magners now.

Exiles

It was the Armitage show at the Madejski Stadium as they easily overcame Exeter 39-17. That takes them up to 5th in the table, and hopefully marks a turning point in their season.

Shark Bite

It was the Sharks who got bitten on Sunday as the Crusaders silky handling skills blew them away with four tries and a bonus point in the first half. Dan Carter and Sonny Bill Williams were the ringmasters as the Crusaders backline ran riot. The Sharks were always going to be suspect in defense with first choice outhalf Lambie injured. The Sharks, to their credit never gave up, and scored four tries of their own. What impressed me about the match, apart from the obvious entertainment value, was the lack of aimless kicking. Possession was something to be guarded preciously and used wisely. I’m just glad that the match was a good representation of what the Super 15 is all about.

Aviva Premisrship

Sunday , March 27

Northampton 39 - 3 Wasps

Saracens 24 - 9 Newcastle

Saturday , March 26

Harlequins 53 - 15 Gloucester

London Irish 39 - 17 Exeter

Bath 6 - 37 Leicester

Friday , March 25

Sale 15 - 12 Leeds Carnegie

The Magners League


Sunday , March 27

Newport-Gwent D'gons 16 - 26 Leinster

Scarlets 22 - 16 Benetton Treviso

Saturday , March 26

Aironi Rugby 25 - 13 Connacht

Edinburgh 23 - 16 Ospreys

Friday , March 25

Cardiff Blues 15 - 16 Munster

Glasgow 19 - 22 Ulster

Super Rugby


Sunday , March 27

Crusaders 44 - 28 Sharks

Saturday , March 26

Reds 41 - 8 Cheetahs

Chiefs 13 - 16 Blues

Brumbies 22 - 29 Waratahs

Bulls 30 - 23 Lions

Stormers 51 - 16 Western Force

Friday , March 25

Melbourne Rebels 42 - 25 Hurricanes

Weekend Rugby - Magners League, London Irish, and some Super rugby at Twickenham for a change!

Shane Horgan - Picture from http://bit.ly/hxkPPU

Right, so after all the fuss of the 6 Nations is over, normal service is resumed. All the fixtures are at the bottom.


Magners League

Munster get to travel to Cardiff on Friday to take on the Blues on their ladies day. Don’t forget to pack the hair gel lads! Munster have most of their internationals back, and I guess the news here is that Conor Murray gets to start at 9, with Stringer on the bench, which is a big call for an inexperienced player. Stringer could come in to spare their blushes if need be. They’re obviously taking this match seriously, and with players like POC, Earls in the side, they should have too much for the Blues, who have a huge injury list – Blair, Warburton, James, Jenkins. Ulster go to Glasgow, and after squeaking past the Dragons last week, they may feel their luck is in. They’re taking a strong team with them, and although Edinburgh at home are always a tricky proposition the don’t have a strong team, the force seems to be with Ulster, and they should pip this one.

Connacht visit Aironi, who are still waiting for their first win in 17 games, are they going to have wait another game? Yes they will, Connacht should be way too strong for them.

Leinster wrap things up for the Irish provinces on Sunday as they take on the Dragons at Rodney Parade. Leinster are fielding a strong team for the match, which they need to do, the Dragons are a good team. Sexton and Cullen go stright back in and their strength in depth is reflected with three internationals on the bench. Shane Horgan even gets to play again, good to see the big man back in action! The Dragons were either unlucky not to win last week, or lucky to get so close, depending on whether you’re a Dragons or Ulster supporter. I think Leinster are going to win anyway.

Leinster:15 Isa Nacewa, 14 Shane Horgan, 13 Eoin O'Malley, 12 Fergus McFadden, 11 Luke Fitzgerald, 10 Jonathan Sexton, 9 Isaac Boss, 8 Rhys Ruddock, 7 Dominic Ryan, 6 Kevin McLaughlin, 5 Devin Toner, 4 Leo Cullen (c), 3 Stan Wright, 2 Richardt Strauss, 1 Heinke van der Merwe


Replacements:16 Aaron Dundon, 17 Jack McGrath, 18 Simon Shawe, 19 Nathan Hines, 20 Jamie Heaslip, 21 Eoin Reddan, 22 Ian Madigan, 23 Dave Kearney.

Exiles

The “not not’s” get to take on the most Irish team in the Premiership (including themselves) this weekend when they entertain the Exeter Chiefs. It’s the St Patrick’s party day for the Exiles, and the fixture list has duly delivered a sacrificial lamb for the festivities in the form of Exeter. Well at the start of the season that would have been the conventional wisdom, but Exeter lie in a respectable 9th position – and could have more points than Irish if they get a good win this weekend, on top of which they’ve won three out of the last 4 games, so it’s within the bounds of possibility. Irish have won two out of the last four, and won’t want a repeat of their last outing, when they embarrassingly lost to Leeds. But at home, with a big crowd in for the St Pat’s party, they should have too much for Exeter.

Shark Bite

Sonny Bill Williams

This is your big chance to see some Super rugby at Twickenham, and for once there won’t be any chariots swinging by. No this is Super super rugby, for the match between the Crusaders and the Sharks, rescheduled and re-homed due to earthquake damage in Christchurch, and in aid of relief efforts. 30000 tickets have been sold, and a crowd of 55 000 is expected. It’s a match which will no doubt have all the French clubs salivating, as these are two very strong southern Hemisphere sides.

I think I count 13 All Blacks, and 14 Sprinboks in each match day 22 - it's like an international! The Sharks have been hit by the loss of Patrick Lambie, their wunderkind fly half, which is a pretty serious dent in their ambitions for this match. Players to watch for the Sharks are Willem Alberts, the latest in a long line of supermen south African loose forwards, assembled by robots at a secret location in the Republic. The veteran Springbok Stefan Terblanche is another player to watch, he’s in the form of his life, and fullfils a role for the Sharks not unlike Paul Warwick at Munster.

Where do I start with the Crusaders? There’s Dan Carter, still the best 10 in the world, Kieran Read, one of the best 8’s in the business, and Sonny Bill Williams, with his Inspector Gadget skills. Some players not too well known on these shores are Israel Dagg, an All Black and awesome full back, and Robbie Fruean, the form center in New Zealand, no mean feat when you have players like Nonu and Smith in the frame. Zac Guildford is a very talented winger, probably 4th or 5th in the All Black pecking order.On balance, that Crusader side is pretty frightening looking, think they will beat the Lambie-less Sharks, but hopefully more than anything we’ll get a match which will show what the fuss about Super Rugby is all about.

Crusaders: 15 Israel Dagg, 14 Sean Maitland, 13 Robbie Fruean, 12 Sonny Bill Williams, 11 Zac Guildford, 10 Daniel Carter, 9 Andy Ellis, 8 Kieran Read (c), 7 Matt Todd, 6 George Whitelock, 5 Sam Whitelock, 4 Brad Thorn, 3 Owen Franks, 2 Corey Flynn, 1 Wyatt Crockett .


Replacements: 16 Quentin MacDonald, 17 Ben Franks, 18 Chris Jack, 19 Jonathan Poff, 20 Kahn Fotuali'i, 21 Matt Berquist, 22 Adam Whitelock.

The Sharks:15 Louis Ludik, 14 Odwa Ndungane, 13 Stefan Terblanche, 12 Meyer Bosman, 11 Lwazi Mvovo, 10 Jacques-Louis Potgieter, 9 Charl McLeod, 8 Ryan Kankowski, 7 Willem Alberts, 6 Keegan Daniel, 5 Alistair Hargreaves, 4 Steven Sykes, 3 Jannie du Plessis, 2 Bismarck du Plessis, 1 John Smit (C).

Replacements: 16 Eugene van Staden, 17 Tendai Mtawarira, 18 Gerhard Mostert, 19 Jacques Botes, 20 Conrad Hoffmann, 21 Adrian Jacobs, 22 JP Pietersen.

The Magners League


Friday , March 25

Cardiff Blues vs Munster 19:05

Glasgow vs Ulster 20:05

Saturday , March 26

Aironi Rugby vs Connacht 17:30

Edinburgh vs Ospreys 18:30

Sunday , March 27

Newport-Gwent D'gons vs Leinster 14:30

Scarlets vs Benetton Treviso 17:35

Aviva Premiership


Friday , March 25

Sale vs Leeds Carnegie 19:45

Saturday , March 26

Harlequins vs Gloucester 14:15

London Irish vs Exeter 15:00

Bath vs Leicester 16:30

Sunday , March 27

Northampton vs Wasps 15:00

Saracens vs Newcastle 15:00

Super Rugby


Friday , March 25

Melbourne Rebels vs Hurricanes

Saturday , March 26

Reds vs Cheetahs 14:40

Chiefs vs Blues 19:35

Brumbies vs Waratahs 19:40

Stormers vs Western Force 15:00

Bulls vs Lions 17:05

Sunday , March 27

Crusaders vs Sharks 16:00

Rugby -The Irish provinces ride out like the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, Apocalypse Now for London Irish, and take a bow the Sharks

The Irish provinces rode out this weekend like the Four Horsemen of the Apocolypse - Conquest, War, Pixie Dancer and Death. (Famine was on holiday so his brother stood in) Leinster preserved their unbeaten home record this season with a tidy win over the Scarlets. A big crowd at the RDS watched Johnny Sexton kick 16 points, with the win taking Leinster up to 2nd, until the Ospreys hammered Glasgow the next time. It’s impressive to see how the young guns in the backline step up when they need to. It was Ireland 2 Italy nil as Ulster accounted for Aironi without any problems, although they’ll feel like they let the bonus point get away, and Connacht overcame Treviso at the Sportsground. Munster then put the cherry on top the next day with a 5 point win over the Dragons. Try machine Doug Howlett ran in another couple, and Johne Murhpy had a good game, with Paul Warwick adding his customary cultured boot to proceedings. That cemented their position on the top of the Magners League.


Exiles

I might have very slightly overestimated London Irish’s potential this weekend (cough). I was wondering – would they get the bonus point win? Yes,no? Never mind the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, this was Apocalypse Now – the horror, the horror! Leeds, marooned at the bottom of the league, rose up to smite the Exiles. Tough times for Irish. Weekend of upsets in the Premiership, as Saracens, Newcastle and Exeter beat more fancied opposition.

 

Willem Alberts Picture from: http://bit.ly/dXwwl8

Shark Bite

The Sharks made it three from three in Super Rugby with a 5 point win over the Force. The Force had 14 men on the pitch most of the match after a red card, and 13 at the end. Patrick Lambie is growing with each game, Willem Alberts is rumbling along nicely, Stefan Terblanche gets better with age, their scrum is sensational and their backline looks potent. Is this the Sharks season?

Magners League

Edinburgh 11 - 16 Cardiff Blues

Leinster 26 - 15 Scarlets

Ulster 23 - 10 Aironi Rugby

Ospreys 37 - 6 Glasgow

Munster 38 - 17 Newport-Gwent D'gons

Super Rugby

Lions 32 - 41 Blues

Crusaders 33 - 18 Waratahs

Chiefs 38 - 10 Melbourne Rebels

Stormers 21 - 15 Cheetahs

Brumbies 25 - 31 Reds

Bulls 28 - 35 Highlanders

Western Force 12 - 39 Sharks

Aviva Premiership

Newcastle 33 - 18 Harlequins

Gloucester 34 - 22 Bath

Leicester 14 - 15 Saracens

Leeds Carnegie 27 - 19 London Irish

Wasps 33 - 26 Sale

Exeter 30 - 9 Northampton

Magners League, Aviva Premiership, Super Rugby, and hey! Post number 100!

This is a bit of a land mark post for me – post number 100! Being feted as expert, having my opinion eagerly sought, seeing my posts widely circulated – well, none of this has happened yet. Maybe by the time I get to 200! Fixtures are at the bottom by the way.

Leo Cullen Image from http://bit.ly/ek6mYH

Leinster vs Scarlets

Leinster get a boost for this match with the return of the likes of McFadden, Cullen, and Sexton, and with Hines on the bench. 14000 tickets have been sold for this match, which is more than decent for a Magners match in the middle of the Six Nations. Leinster are going to be relishing getting their first choice locks back into the fold, as they’ve definitely lacked a bit of grunt up front. Having Stan Wright back from injury is another boost – at the time he was injured, the question was, will Mike Ross be able to step up to the plate? He’s done more than that, pretty well cementing a place for himself in the Ireland team. I really rate the Scarlets, but with the stars they have out on international duty, and playing away from home, I’d say they are going to succumb to the Blue Magic.

Connaught and Ulster take on Italian opposition at home – Ulster are in pretty irresistible form and should make short work of Aironi. Connaught need to watch out against Treviso, as the Italians have done some sterling work at home, including overcoming Munster at home. Treviso don’t have any of their internationals though, only a few fringe internationals on the bench. Connacht at home and at full strength should roll the Italians over.

Munster vs Newport-Gwent Dragons

Munster get Stringer back from international for this match, probably the form scrum half in Ireland, and Leamy, not the form loosie in the country, as they welcome the Dragons to Limerick. They miss their locks when Ireland calls, there is not the back-up steel to compensate for the loss of O’Callaghan and O’Connell. But the Dragons are not that fiery, and not that toothy either, sitting at 7th in the league. 25 points below Munster, especially at Thomond Park, Munster are going to be way too strong.

Exiles


Leeds Carnegie vs London Irish

After their recent troubles, the Exiles could be on a mini road to recovery. They saw off Gloucester last weekend in reasonable style, and will eyeing up this match like a parched man in a desert spotting a waterhole. If we read their thought bubbles, it would say bonus point win in flashing neon letters. I don’t know if they’ll achieve the bonus point,but win they will.

Shark Bite

The Sharks are two from two so far, and get to take on the Western Force in Aus. Flying half way round the world won’t have helped their chances in this match, although they at least have their first choice squad available. The Force had a bye last week, and lost their opening match to the Reds, although only just. The Reds then got pretty well smashed by the Waratahs. To me, that means neither the Reds nor the Force are that great this year, so the Force are going to bitten, with the Sharks to open their tour with a win.

Aviva Premiership



Friday , March 4

Newcastle vs Harlequins 20:00

Saturday , March 5

Gloucester vs Bath 13:00

Leicester vs Saracens 15:15

Sunday , March 6

Exeter vs Northampton 15:00

Wasps vs Sale 15:00

Leeds Carnegie vs London Irish 15:00

Super Rugby


Friday , March 4

Lions vs Blues 19:10

Crusaders vs Waratahs 19:35

Saturday , March 5

Chiefs vs Melbourne Rebels 19:35

Stormers vs Cheetahs 17:05

Western Force vs Sharks 19:05

Bulls vs Highlanders 19:10

Brumbies vs Reds 19:40

The Magners League


Friday , March 4

Connacht vs Benetton Treviso 19:00

Ulster vs Aironi Rugby 19:05

Edinburgh vs Cardiff Blues 19:30

Leinster vs Scarlets 19:35

Saturday , March 5

Ospreys vs Glasgow 17:30

Munster vs Newport-Gwent D'gons 19:30

Super Rugby is served in regular strength,and bits and bobs of rugby results from around the world

Doug howlett (picture from http://bit.ly/i80gdf )

Magners League Round Up


This was nearly Ireland ‘s weekend in the Magners, apart from Leinster, who get to sit on the bold step. First of all Connacht pulled off a stunning victory at the Showgrounds against Glasgow in a 5 try rout. That was four tries from the wings and full back, and a penalty try for Connacht, also proving comprehensively that Glasgow have no depth in their squad. The Scarlets must feel like they have sinned in a previous life to have come away with a loss at the Parc y Scarlets after an injury time penalty from Ruan Pienaar sealed the deal for Ulster. In fact it was the Priestland and Piennar show on a drenched evening in LLanelli, with all the points, apart from a penalty try, coming from the boot. Ulster will take their win, however they got it, and I’m not surprised to see Ruan coming up with the goods as I’ve seen him deliver an identical result for the Sharks against the Crusaders in the Super 14.

Then it was Munster’s turn to put Edinburgh to the sword (Ireland 2, Scotland 0). It was a pretty scratchy game in bits, but fortunately master Doug.E.Howlett was on hand to slide in with two characteristic tries. He wasn’t the only man in red to shine though, as Stringer was also at the top of his game, with typical crisp passing, and O’Gara showing a deft touch. It’s pretty classic though that Tony Buckley, after hiding his light under what must have been a pretty substantial bushel, has suddenly decided to shine after announcing his departure to Sale. Mafi was also in sparkling form – don’t want to start a rumour but I heard he was leaving too, is that true? Edinburgh’s back line looked dangerous with ball in hand – imagine getting Lamont and Southwell, and Ansbro in there.

So all that was needed was for Leinster to come to the party and make it a clean sweep for Ireland. Having just snuck into the 21st century with the acquisition of Sky plus, I even have the game recorded for posterity. However, knowing the result, I can’t be bothered to watch it. I caught the beginning live, and didn’t think Leinster looked all that sharp. I suppose losing your first choice scrumhalf/fly half combination is going to hurt you though, and they were playing away from home.

Fri - 18th Feb 11

19:00 Magners Lge Connacht 37 - 8 Glasgow

19:05 Magners Lge Scarlets 16 - 18 Ulster

19:50 Magners Lge Munster 23 - 13 Edinburgh

Sat - 19th Feb 11

17:30 Magners Lge Benetton Treviso 18 - 34 Ospreys

18:30 Magners Lge Cardiff Blues 11 - 3 Leinster


Sun - 20th

17:30 Magners Lge Aironi Rugby vs Newport-Gwent D'gons

Exiles

London Irish slipped to 7th place in the Aviva Premisership, and Exeter could overtake them if they win their game in hand, after they fell to another wretched loss, this time at the hands of Gloucester. Toby Booth’s collar must be starting to get uncomfortably tight. Time for a change? Elsewhere Exeter had a good win against the Falcons, and Banahan’s three tries sealed Baths victory over Saints.

Fri - 18th

19:45 Gloucester 23 - 9 London Irish

20:00 Newcastle 13 - 23 Exeter

Sat - 19th

15:00 Aviva Prem Bath 38 - 8 Northampton

15:00 Aviva Prem Harlequins 21 - 9 Sale

17:30 Aviva Prem Leicester 21 - 12 Wasps

Sun - 20th Feb

15:00 Aviva Prem Saracens 37 -0 Leeds Carnegie (at the time of going to press)

Shark Bite

Having avoided the Super 15 and plumped for Super Rugby, it looks like the Southern Hemisphere have erred in their name selection – Regular Rugby was more fitting for this weekends matches, with a few exceptions. I saw a bit of the Sharks/Cheetahs match with Beast Mtawarira Willem Alberts both looking very sharp, while thhe Cheetahs were pretty clueless it has to be said. It must be difficult for them to keep improving when you lose players with such depressing regularity. What I saw wasn’t fantastic, but the Sharks always seem to start off looking pretty dodgy and only start to fire round about the half way mark.

This is Ma'a Nonu getting up close and personal with All Black team mate Jimmy Cowan:

Fri - 18th

19:35 Overall Group Hurricanes 9 - 14 Highlanders

19:40 Overall Group Melbourne Rebels 0 - 43 Waratahs

Sat - 19th

06:35 Overall Group Blues 24 - 22 Crusaders

08:40 Overall Group Brumbies 28 - 20 Chiefs

15:05 Overall Group Sharks 24 - 9 Cheetahs

19:10 Overall Group Lions 20 - 24 Bulls

Sun - 20th

06:40 Overall Group Reds 21 Western Force 20

And on the 9th day they rested - the 6 Nations takes a break, Magners and Aviva Premiership continue and - Super Rugby is here!

Picture from http://bit.ly/geoy2N

After 9 days of the 6 Nations, the 6 Nations gods rested – you might argue that they had already worked 2 days longer than the Almighty – you might also argue that the 6 Nations, though wondrous in its splendour, is perhaps not a great a feat as creating the earth, the moon, the stars, and man from a bit of clay. We apologise for this break in transmission – normal service will resume in a week. Anyone know why they have a break in the middle of the thing? Two actually, with another one due in March. Get on with it lads! Do you think they did it as a mark of respect for the start of Super Rugby? Thanks to the 6 Nations, Aviva Premiership lite this weekend, and every week until the tournament is over.Allt he weekend fixtures are at the bottom


Magners League

Connacht take on Glasgow at home and I fancy them at home even if Glasgow have some of their internationals back. Scarlets host Ulster, and with their recent form you would imagine that at pretty well full strength Scarlets will be too much for Ulster. Munster welcome Edinburgh and are unlikely to be generous hosts against the Scots – though having said that they did treat Treviso last weekend. Should win this week though, as much as a reaction to last week as anything else. Finally for the Irish Provinces, LEINSTER travel to Cardiff. Having watched them struggle against Aironi – Aironi! last week, my expectations are not massive for them this week. Think they could be overcome by the Blues in their weakened state. Finally, one mister Tommy Bowe may possibly be running out for the Ospreys against Treviso, let’s hope he doesn’t get injured and is back in the 6 Nations soon.

Aviva Premiership

The Exiles take on Gloucester this week at Kingsholme. The team certainly has a junior look about it, with a few promising England U 20 stars getting to strut their stuff. It looks the cherry and whites have an almost full strength squad – which means bad news, and a loss I think for Exiles

Super Rugby

Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, another little tournament is about to kick off, something called Super Rugby – must have bust a gut struggling to come up with that name. Yes, the Super 10,which became the Super 12 (the best model IMO), which became the Super 14, has become Super Rugby. At last some innovation in naming anyway as there are 15 sides now, five each from Aus, NZ and SA. A young man called Danny Cipriani will warm the bench for their inaugural match, against the waratahs, who should comprehensively wipe the floor with the new boys.

Shark Bite

That’s the team – John Smit is Captain from prop this week. Looking forward to seeing Lambie Alberts and the rest of the boys do their thing. That’s a strong team, with a couple of Springboks on the bench, and at home they will sort the Cheetahs to my satisfaction I’m sure.

Sharks team: Louis Ludik, Odwa Ndungane, Stefan Terblanche, Meyer Bosman, Lwazi Mvovo, Patrick Lambie, Charl McLeod, Ryan Kankowski, Wille, Alberts, Jacques Botes, Alistair Hargreaves, Steven Sykes, Jannie du Plessis, Bismarck du Plessis, John Smit (captain).

Replacements: Tendai Mtawarira, Eugene van Staden, Anton Bresler, Keegan Daniel, Conrad Hoffmann, Jacques-Louis Potgieter, Adrian Jacobs.



Magners League

Fri - 18th Feb 11

19:00 Connacht vs Glasgow

19:05 Scarlets vs Ulster

19:50 Munster vs Edinburgh

Sat - 19th Feb 11

17:30 Benetton Treviso vs Ospreys

18:30 Cardiff Blues vs Leinster

Sun - 20th Feb 11

17:30 Aironi Rugby vs Newport-Gwent D'gons

Aviva Premiership


Friday , February 18

Gloucester vs London Irish

Newcastle vs Exeter

Saturday , February 19

Harlequins vs Sale 15:00

Bath vs Northampton 15:00

Leicester vs Wasps 17:30

Sunday , February 20

Saracens vs Leeds Carnegie 15:00

Super Rugby


Friday , February 18

Hurricanes vs Highlanders 19:35

Melbourne Rebels vs Waratahs 19:40

Saturday , February 19

Blues vs Crusaders 19:35

Brumbies vs Chiefs 19:40

Sharks vs Cheetahs 17:05

Lions vs Bulls 19:10

Sunday , February 20


Reds vs Western Force 16:40