Solo try of the year?

Burger's supreme effort for Perpignan against Munster on 11 December was pretty cool. Watching the game live on TV he showed an amazing turn of speed and then found an extra gear to burn past the covering defenders. That's probably my favourite solo try of the year, although Spies has scored some great ones too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rAHIFkeQt0E

Originally posted at:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/606/A60770991

Some games...

Dragons 30-14 Leinster. 6 Dec. 2009
A really good Dragons team performance, albeit against a Leinster 2nd string.


Ospreys 19-14 Munster. 5 Dec. 2009


Barbarians 25-18 New Zealand. 5 Dec. 2009
The Baa Baas first win over the All Blacks since That Game in 1973. Bryan Habana showed his class with a hatrick of tries.

Scarlets 16-17 Edinburgh. 4 Dec. 2009


Wales 12-33 Australia. 28 Nov. 2009
A poor game for Wales. The game kicked off and it was down hill all the way for the home side. Wales lost three players in the first half to injury, both wingers and Matthew Rees. Australia were dominant throughout and played some quality rugby.

Blues 3-31 Australia. 24. Nov. 2009

Wales 33-16 Argentina. 21 Nov. 2009

Went down to watch game, this time with tickets already bought for the upper tier. After the usual breakfast at Servinis we headed to The Vulcan. It was five to eleven and there were about ten people already outside waiting for the pub to open. On the way back to the centre we found another decent pub called the Tavern. Met up with Neil, Andy and his Dad and had a few drinks. It was an early kick off so we headed into the stadium 45 minutes before kick off. The roof was on and a new pitch had been laid for the game, apparently the 25th time in ten years. I was disappointed with the turn out, about 53,000, but on the upside there were no queues at the bars.

The first half was a fairly scrappy affair. Argentina showed little attacking intent and the first try was a quick bit of thinking from Stephen Jones. Wales were awarded a penalty and the Pumas assumed Wales would kick for goal. As the Argentinian players walked back to their line, Jones took a quick tap and sprinted over in the corner.

The second half got off to the best possible start. Shane Williams latched onto a charged down kick in the Pumas half and side-stepped his way over the line. From that moment on Wales were in full control of the game., although they didn't really find any real cohesion. They needed to go through the phases more. A surpise try from the Pumas after a failed clearance from Jonathan Davies briefly changed the momentum of the match.

The stage was then set for Shane to produce the moment of the match and score his 50th international try (48 for Wales, 2 for the Lions). He scooped up a loose kick from Argentina on the half way line and looked up to see a lot of space on his left hand side. After easily beating the first up tacklers he coasted in past the covering full back. From my upper tier vantage point Shane made it look like a simple try, that is the class of the man.

Not the best of games but a win, and some quality individual play.

My man of the match: Shane

More rugby

Worcester 12-12 Bath. 19 Nov. 2009

Just when you thought you'd see any open running game in the Premiership then this game comes along. Both teams initial thought was to kick the ball at every opportunity. One of the dullest games I've seen all year.

Ireland 20-20 Australia. 15 Nov. 2009

Ireland were slow in patches and their forwards took a long time to get going. Australia played an all round good game with Rocky Elsom in solid form as usual. The home side didn't really look like winning but they scrambled a draw at the end with a typical BOD burst in midfield.

England 16-9 Argentina. 14 Nov. 2009

How poor were England? Unbelievable! Every area of thier game was shockingly poor. It was a like watching a bunch of robots. No flair, terrible individual errors and little passion. Only Lewis Moody, the human dynamo, can take any credit from the match. Argentina brought a limited game play and England brought their worst performance for many a year. Winning the match was England's only saving grace.


Wales 17-13 Samoa. 13 Nov. 2009

A frustrating game for Wales as they created a number of chances but failed to score more than one try. James Hook was in good counter-attacking form and Halfpenny scored a neat try from a Biggar cross field kick. Samoa certainly tackled well and there were some crunching hits. The win was put in doubt when the visitors scored an interception try. Wales were hanging on in the last ten minutes. A disappointing game.

Harlequins 15-15 Scarlets. 8 Nov. 2009

Dragons 20-9 Sale. 6 Nov. 2009


Well done Dragons. A good old fashioned team performance from a team with no big names. Their commitment to the cause was on display for all to see and they ran out deserved winners against an experienced Sale outfit.

Leinster 23-6 Blues31 Oct. 2009

Wales 12-19 New Zealand. 7 Nov. 2009

The day started off well. We went to check out the Vulcan pub to see if it was still there. Thankfully one of Cardiff's oldest pubs will not be demolished to make way for a car park . We went down without tickets and the touts we trying to offload their tickets for one hundred quid. Much too much. On the way to the Cayo Arms this guy asked for directions to the Mocyhn Du pub. We showed him the way and he mentioned his sister had one spare. No good to us, we needed two. The Cayo Arms was jam packed and after a quick pint headed upto Canton for a drink in the Canton Hotel. On the way back into the city centre we popped into the Mocyhn Du and the guy we meet before spotted me and told me he had two spare tickets now, sitting together. What great luck. We purchased the tickets for the cost price of fifty five quid. They were lower tier tickets behind the posts. Not the best seat in the house but better than nothing.

The National Anthem was particularly powerful before the match. During the Haka the crowd chanted "Wales, Wales" and drowned out the All Black noises. And so to the match. The first half was a good old fashion arm wrestle and neither side really dominated. Dan Carter certainly tested Wales' back three but James Hook was equal to the test at full back. Both defences cancelled each other out and the Wales set piece seemed to be doing okay. Going into the second half it was 6-6. The third quarter of the game the All Blacks upped their intensity and from what looked like a fairly conservative move they scored in the corner through their hooker after some decent phase play. With 15 minutes to go the score was 9-19 and Wales managed to finally get some fruitful possession. Shane Williams made a telling break and off loaded to Martin Roberts who was entering the All Black 22 at pace, only for Carter to come out of nowhere with a move stopping tackle. The replay show a high tackle but the ref didn't spot it, and to be fair to the ref I don't think it was too apparent when it happened. Wales clawed back three points and with time running out a draw was the best possible result. Then out of nowhere Alun Wyn-Jones intercepted a pass deep in Wales' half and galloped towards the New Zealand try line. He was actually running directly towards the posts that we were behind. For him it must have seemed like a really long sprint but for us it was all over in a few seconds. And the briefest hopes of Wales' fans were dashed when the move broke down. It was almost a very exciting finish to a fairly average game.

New Zealand deserved to win, but I don't think either side played anywhere near their potential and in that respect it was a disappointing game.

7 matches in October

Blues 20-12 Ospreys. 24 Oct. 2009
After the two previous games with no tries this was a welcome fairly open game. The home side pack were too good for a below strength Ospreys team.

London Irish 18-12 Leicester. 24 Oct. 2009
No tries. Little excitement. Lewis Moody confortably won his battle against Stefan Armitage.

Scarlets 18-3 Dragons. 23 Oct. 2009
Rainy conditions. Lots of errors. No tries. Little to remember.

Ospreys 25-24 Clermont Auvergne. 18 Oct. 2009
Ospreys were classy in the first half then nearly let it slip in the second. Thankfully they held on for a vital win.

Harlequins 19-23 Toulouse. 17 Oct. 2009
A second half comeback from a spirited Toulouse side bodes well for their chances in this year's Heineken Cup.

Toulon 31-23 Saracens. 15 Oct. 2009
Jonny Wilkinson was in a good form.

Leicester 32-32 Ospreys. 11 Oct. 2009
In which the Ospreys built up a big 18 point lead only for the Tigers to stage a remarkable comeback. Leicester centre Billy Twelvetrees announced himself on the National stage with a man of the match performance and instantly became a cult hero. With a name like that what else do you expect? Top notch entertainment. For Ospreys fans it was painful viewing in the second half and you could argue they were lucky to come away with a draw.

Blues 20-6 Harlequins. 10th Oct. 2009

Went down to watch this game. As usual the day started with a hearty breakfast at Servinis. This was my first visit to the new Cardiff City Stadium in Leckwith. It was an early kick off so we headed straight for the pubs in Canton before heading to the stadium. It's only a ten minute walk from Cardiff Castle to Canton and then another ten minutes from Canton to the stadium, which is not as long as I thought it would be.

It was a bright sunny day and at kick off I was disappointed with the attendence; only 11,000. The first half was not full of high quality rugby. From a Blues perspective it wil be remembered for one thing, the injuries. Four Cardiff players went off injured, Bradley Davies, Gareth Thomas, John Yapp and most worryingly captain Paul Tito. After the break the Blues scored the first try with some tidy counter attack play that saw Leigh Halfpenny cross the line. Harlequins then started to dominate large parts of the second half. They were without their England stars Easter, Monye and Care but still caused the home side alot of problems. The balance of the game looked to have switched to Quins in the last ten minutes as they put heavy pressure on the Blues line. A certain try was on, only for Quins full back Mike Brown to knock-on yards from the line. This turned out to be the truning point of the game and the Blues pushed on to grab another try after Deniol Jones' kick forward was chased and converted by a sharp Halfpenny.
It was an average game that could have gone either way.

My man of the match. Halfpenny

Leinster 9-12 London Irish. 9th Oct. 2009

Ospreys 31-10 Edinburgh. 4th Oct. 2009

Super round-up

The end of last season the games came thick and fast and as a result I lost interest in keeping up with this blog.

I watched all the Lions tour to South Africa except the Cheetahs match on 6 June as I was in France and couldn't find anywhere showing it. There is alot to remember about the tour but if I had to pick out one memory it would be this: the turning point of the 3 match series. Early in the second half of the 2nd test, both props, Gethin Jenkins and Adam Jones were injured in the same passage of play and had to leave the field. This meant uncontested scrums for the rest of the match, and the Lions dominance from the first half was gone, and they never recovered.

A welcome consolation win in the third test restored alot of pride.

30 May:
Royal XV 25-37 Lions

3 June:
Golden Lions 10-74 Lions

6 June:
Cheetahs 24-26 Lions

10 June:
Sharks 3-39 Lions

13 June:
Western Province 23-26 Lions

16 June:
Southern Kings 8-20 Lions

20 June:
South Africa 26-21 Lions(first Test)

23 June:
Emerging Springboks 13-13 Lions

27 June:
South Africa 28-25 Lions (second Test)

4 July:
South Africa 9-28 Lions(third Test)

After the Lions I watched a couple of the Tri Nations games; South Africa wins again. And watched my first domestic game of the season the other night, the Blues grinding out thier first home win at thier new stadium against the Scarlets.

Blues 19-15 Scarlets. 26 Sep. 2009

Didn't think much of the new fly half Norton-Knight. Rush and Tito, powerful games.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_union/welsh/8266267.stm

More round up

Northampton 15-3 Bourgoin. 22 May 2009

Challenge Cup Final. A game full of good rugby that will be remembered for a couple of incidents that resulted in yellow cards. As the Saints asserted their dominance the French team resorted to bully boy tactics and frankly got dirty play. I was impressed with Saints hooker Dylan Hartley during this game. One of the best hooker displays I've seen for a long time.



Bulls 36-23 Crusaders. 23 May 2009

Super 14 Semi Final. A pulsating contest with the Bulls playing some superb rugby. Outside half Morne Steyn kicked 21 points, including 4 impressive drop kicks. The highlight of the match and one of the moments of the season was Spies' try. He found himself with the ball in his own half and the number showed incredible athleticism and pace to out-sprint the Crusaders backs to score under the posts. One of the best tries you'll ever see from a forward.

Leicester 16-19 Leinster. 23 May 2009. Heineken Cup Final

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2009_Heineken_Cup_Final

Canada 23-32 Wales. 30 May 2009

http://www.setanta.com/UK/Articles/other-sports/2009/05/30/Rugby-Canda-v-Wales-report/gnid-55111/

Cardiff Blues 26-26 Leicester (aet). 3 May 2009

Went down to watch the Heineken Cup semi final at the Millenium stadium. It was a Sunday and Cardiff was not as busy. There is definitely a better atmosphere on a Saturday in the city. Cardiff Rugby club was virtually empty three hours before kick-off.

The first half was fairly evenly contested until Leicester wing Hamilton touched down after a telling break from Flood. This first try increased Leicester's confidence and they continued to dominate the possession well into the second half. A second try early in the after the break saw the Leciester take their lead to 26-12. With only twenty minutes it was getting pretty grim for the Blues. They weren't played bad but they couldn't quite get the better of Leicester's excellent defence. At fourteen points down and in the 74th minute the Blues had a line out in Leicester's half. This was to be the start of an incredible 6 minutes of rugby from the home side. Clean line out ball was secure and I watched the Blues backline go through a planned move. My eye was drawn to the arcing run that Jamie Roberts was making. Shanklin, the outside centre came in as decoy runner and Roberts drifted outside to latch on to a great pass from Nicky Robinson. Roberts then burst through the midfield defence and sprinted towards Leicester's twenty two. The Leicester fullback wasn't near him and Roberts had enough pace to cross the line for an excellent team try. It was great watching it from my position in the stand. Ben Blair converted a difficult kicked.

Leicester restarted and the Blues received the ball in their own twenty two. What followed turned out to be one of the tries of the season. The ball found it's way to Jamie Roberts and he made the telling break through the midfield defence again. He got his way to the half line and passed to Tom James on the wing who put the burners on and sprinted towards the line. In a classic bit of wing play he went round the covering defender and had enough gas to score in the corner. The stadium erupted, was this to be an amazing comeback? Ben Blair kicked another superb conversion to level the scores and the final whistle came too soon for Cardiff.

Twenty minutes of extra time, ten minutes each way, turned out to be a tense affair. No side really managed to create any clear chances. There was one heart stopping moment in the first period when a long range drop kick from Leicester nearly went over. Extra time yielded no further points and the game went into an historic penalty shoot out. Five kicks at goal from the 22 metre line in front of the posts. After 5 kicks it was 4 all and it went into a sudden death scenario. Martyn Williams missed a kick and it was left to Jordan Crane to slot one over to claim the win for Leicester. Incredible drama. Anyone who went to the game will never forgot those last 8 minutes in the game when Cardiff scored two tries.

On balance of play Leicester probably deserved the win but what a cruel way to lose.

My man of the match: Jamie Roberts.

Round-up

Munster 43-9 Ospreys. 12 April 2009. Munster coasted to an easy win in this Heineken Cup quarter final. There were at their best and the Ospreys were very disappointing. One to forget.

Blues 50-12 Gloucester. 18 April 2009. EDF Cup Final. The Blues were in superb form as they put Gloucester to the sword. The Cardiff back row were immense and the first try by Halfpenny was an absolute peach. One of the tries of the season. (see link for match highlights)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_union/7996656.stm

Ospreys 27-18 Dragons. 30 April 2009.

Army 50-7 Navy. 2 May 2009. An entertaining open game albeit a one sided affair. 50,000 crowd at Twickenham.

Leinster 25-6 Munster. 2 May 2009. Heineken Cup semi final. 82,00o people at Croke Park watched a pulsating game as Leinster turned the tables on tournament favourites Munster. The Leinster pack fronted up to the Munster eight and Rocky Elsom had a great game. BOD also played a blinder and his interception and sprint resulted in the try that ended the game for Munster.

Harlequins 0-17 London Irish. 9 May 2009. Premiership semi-final.

Munster 36-10 Ospreys. 15 May 2009. Magners League. Munster ran out comfortable winners to be crowned Magners League champions.

Blues 9 - 6 Toulouse. 11 April 2009

I went down to Cardiff to watch the Heineken Cup quarter final at the Millenium stadium. As usual we had a breakfast at Servinis to set us up for the day. We stumbled upon an old pub called The Vulcan not far from the city centre. Apparently it is the oldest pub in Cardiff and dates back to 1853. It's a bit on the basic side and makes the Rovers Return from Coronation Street look big. Sadly it is due to be demolished soon to make way for a multi storey car park. That's progress for you.

At Cardiff Rugby club visitors bar we met this crazy couple from Italy. They were Calvisano fans and also big Toulouse supporters. Long way to come to support the French team.

Next stop on the pub crawl was the Nos Da pub on the river. At the bar I noticed a lady with a Jamie Robinson testimonial rugby shirt on. I remarked to her that Jamie wasn't even the squad for today's match. It turned out that she was Jamie's mother, Jan Robinson. Spooky. We chatted about Jamie's move to Toulon next season and Nicky's move to Gloucester. Nice lady.

The game turned out to be a tense affair with no tries. Toulouse came the closest to scoring when Dustautoir crashed over the try line, though the replay showed he had knocked it on. The defence of both teams was immense and Blues prop Gethin Jenkins led the way as usual. Xavier Rush and Molitika were superb as well. All the Blues points came from Ben Blair and come the final whistle I think the home side deserved their victory. Not the greatest of games but a fine win.

After the game we had a few pints at Cardiff rugby and watched 4th Street Traffic as they played their usual set of Stereophonics covers. A real good day out.

My man of the match: Gethin.

Worcester 22-8 Saracens. 4 April 2009

Went to Worcester for the first time to watch this Guinness Premiership match. Sixways, the home of Worcester is easy to find; just turn off junction 6 on the M5 and you can't miss it. The ground is in a large industrial area and there are no pubs nearby. On the upside parking is plentiful on the many sideroads surrounding the ground. Don't bother paying the fee to park in the ground, park just outside, and its only a ten minute walk away. Sixways is a decent modern stadium and the new stand built at the start of this season cost about seven million pounds.
The game was pretty boring for the first half, not much sticks in the memory. Second half Worcester began to create more rugby and the try they scored was worthy of winning the game.

My man of the match: Sanderson

Ulster 13-16 Ospreys. 3 April 2009

An away win for the Welsh region in a largely forgettable contest. The Ospreys fielded a second string team and showed enough grit and skill to overcome a disapointing home side performance. There's not really much to say about the match apart from the fact it was a solid away win. More experience for the youngsters.

My man of the match: Tiatia

Cardiff Blues 11-5 Northampton. 28 March 2009

The second semi final of the EDF cup was in stark contrast to the first. Both teams set their stall out early to play expansive and exciting rugby. The first half saw the Blues control the play and they were rewarded with a try through Spice after some fine attacking play. The game was being played at a fair pace and the Saints did well to hold Cardiff at bay. It was disappointing to see the Blues only 8-0 up at half time.
The second half got off to a great start for the Saints as they hit back with a fine try of their own through centre Ansbro. The balance of power was shifting towards the English team and the Blues knew they were really in for a tight game. The moment of the match started from deep inside Cardiff's 22. They secured ball at a scrum and the ball went to the blind side winger Halfpenny. He proceeded to ghost past his opposite number and set off on a mazey, enthralling sprint into Saint's half before off loading to the support. It was a class bit of back play, which failed to turn into points. What it did do though was inspire the Blues to up their game. Leigh's sublime break had the desired effect on opposite wing Tom James. Shortly after he had a powerful run that reminded everyone of his nascent talent. The half was turning into festival of open rugby. Not to be outdone Saint's backs produced some quality play too. Foden was nearly away once, but Gareth Williams the hooker put in a smart tackle. And Halfpenny had one more party piece up his sleeve as chipped over the on rushing defence to regather and sprint deep into the Saint's half. It was a surprise to everyone that more tries were not scored, the game deserved many more. As it was, Ben Blair got a crucial penalty that sealed a good win.
In the second half both teams played some great rugby and it was one of the best club matches I've seen all season.

My man of the match: Halfpenny. Inspirational break.

Gloucester 17-0 Ospreys. 28 March 2009

EDF Semi Final. Just when you think the Ospreys can't get any worse, look out. How they failed to score is beyond a joke. The Welsh side had enough possession throughout the game to win easily. Their problem was that they played as a team of individuals and there was no collective pattern to the play.
Gloucester were able to defend the numerous breaks the Ospreys made and in return took the penalties that came their way. There was a point in the second half when the Ospreys were 6-0 down and had a chance for a kickable penalty. They turned that down for a line out near the Gloucester line hoping to get a try. That was a big decision that went against them.
The game was a poor spectacle, painful at times for Ospreys fans. Gloucester showed nothing in attack but they did finally manage a breakaway try for Balshaw.
Also Henson and Tindall limped off with injuries to dent their Lions hopes.
Hopefully this will be the Ospreys worst performance of the season. On this form they won't improve quick enough to beat Munster in the Heineken Cup.

My man of the match: Olly Morgan

Wales 15-17 Ireland. 21 March 2009

Going into this game I felt destiny was on Ireland's side. It turned out to be a classic 6 nations game full of nail biting tension. Wales matched Ireland in the first half and to my general surprise coped well with Ireland's attacking threats. The Welsh ball carriers targeted O'Gara alot and kept him busy tackling. Wales edged the first half 6 - 0 but Ireland were very much still in the game. This was proved all too early in the second half as Ireland ran in two tries in the first ten minutes to blow the whole game wide open and set them on course for their Grand Slam. The key figure as usual was BOD, and he was involved heavily in the first try, setting up Bowe to race up field and then scrambling over the line after intense pressure on the Welsh line. Wales barely had to absorb that body blow before O'Gara put in a neat cross field kick that found Tommy Bowe out wide. He brushed off Shane Williams and stepped inside Henson to coast in under the posts. A class finish from a class player. A nightmare start for Wales to the second half and the game looked over. Wales somehow dug deep and fought back through penalties from Jones. As the game wore on everyone began to realise it could turn into a tense and exciting finish. The last five minutes produced probably the most memorable of this 6 Nations. Mike Phillips produced a barn storming run that left a trail of Ireland players in his wake. His run took Wales into Ireland's 22 and with some composed play they set-up Stephen Jones for a drop kick that he duly slotted to send the Welsh support into ecstasy. Wales 15, Ireland 14. For a brief moment I actually thought Wales might win this game. From the resulting kick off Wales secured ball but an error from Stephen Jones, a direct kick into touch after the ball was taken into the 22, meant Ireland had a line out. Now it was their turn to show composure and they managed it quite superbly to set-up O'Gara for a drop kick. It sailed over and Welsh spirits sank. Destiny. With only three minutes there was still time for one more piece of high drama. Ireland managed to give away a penalty near the half line and Stephen Jones kick dropped just short. It was a great end to a tense match and those last five minutes were as exciting as anything I've seen sport for a long time.
On balance of play Ireland deserved their victory, they scored the only tries, and in Brian O'Driscoll they had an inspirational leader that put in another World class performance. Worthy Grand Slam winners. Well done Ireland.
As for Wales, I was pleased they ran Ireland close, even though they did not perform to their best.

My man of the match: BOD

Scotland 15-22 Ireland. 14 March 2009

The first half was a good contest with both teams defence dominating. O'Gara and Paterson traded penalties throughout the half. The moment of the match came at the end of the half when Scottish winger Thom Evans chipped over his opposite number, collected the ball and sprinted towards the line. It looked to be one of the tries of the tournament but Tommy Bowe covered across from the opposite wing to bring Evans down, and BOD was on hand tracking back to tackle Evans into touch 1 yard short of the try line. A great passage of play and coming just before half-time it denied the home side the lead. 12-9 Half time.
Second half Ireland stepped up a gear and Scotland never really coped. Peter Stringer made a telling break from a line out setting up Heaslip for the try. Ireland closed out the game for a good away win.

My man of the match: Stringer

Italy 15-20 Wales. 14 March 2009

Gatland made nine changes to the team that played France, seven in the pack and two in the backline. The tactic almost backfired as Wales produced arguably their worst performance since the 2007 World Cup. It was a big day for Alun Wyn-Jones as he captained the side. Italy in contrast had their best game of the tournament so far. Their pack totally dominated Wales in the first half and their backline kicked alot to turn Wales' rush defence. The game plan in the first half went well for the homeside and they went into half time with a 9-7 lead. The one highlight of the first fourty minutes for Wales, and it really was the only highlight, was the try by Shane Williams. This came from Wales' only passage of continued possession and phase play. They eventually created the over lap for Shane to dart over the line.
Italy extended Wales' misery by going 12-7 ahead early in the second half. Wales were not firing as a team and key players were making poor decisions and unforced errors. The main culprit was Andy Powell. He had a shocking game, knock-ons, missed tackles, running sideways and losing ground. Gatland will have to seriously consider the no.8 position for the Ireland game. Despite Italy's improved performance and game management they never really troubled the Welsh line and it was left for Tom Shanklin to score to the crucial try.
For Wales to play this badly and win is something but for most Welsh fans it was a very disappointing result. With the Championship still to play for Wales needed a big win to help their points difference. This result puts Ireland in the box seat now.

My man of the match: Parisse

Ireland 14-13 England. 28 Feb. 2009

I watched this game in the Big Ben Pub (207 Av Charles de Gaulle), supping expensive Kilkenny beer at 6.80 Euros, equivalent to about six pound a pint. Since my last visit to the pub in 2007 nothing much had changed, though they weren't selling crisps anymore. An English themed pub without crisps, not quite right.
The game was a tense, close affair and only had a fraction of the excitement of the France v Wales game the day before. Ireland played quite safely and when BOD scored a drop kick in the second half Croke Park come alive. Shortly afterward BOD sealed a good performance by scoring a try, crashing over near the line after some intense phases of play. The game got a bit more exciting in the final ten minutes as England tried to come back. They managed to score a try that made the final result look closer than it really was.
The highlight of the game for me though was when the tv cameras showed Martin Johnson going mad in the stands. He was punching his chair in frustration, very amusing. Poor England.

My man of the match: BOD.

Ospreys 22-10 Connacht. 22 Feb. 2009

The Ospreys minus their International players made heavy weather of beating Ireland's weakest region. Fair play to Connacht they produced probably the best rugby of the game, playing a fast tempo style that troubled the home side on many occasions. Richard Hibbard left the field injured but it was the return of Jonathan Thomas that was the real talking point. After a few months out with injury he had a solid game with one notable break that nearly led to a try.
While Connacht looked to play attractive rugby, the Ospreys were lack lustre and quite boring to watch and missed out on the bonus point with only three tries.

My man of the match: Muldoon. Connacht back rower.

France 21-16 Wales. 27th Feb. 2009.

The first ever Friday night 6 nations game. I travelled out to watch the match, my third visit to Paris since 2005. The pre-match pilgrimage involved a visit to the Maryland pub in St Denis near the stadium. This was a pub we found in 2005 that served cheap beer and wine. For the 2007 game we arrived just before match kick-off and did not have enough time to visit this good pub. Alot of people come to the stadium via the Metro and then head towards the stadium complex. There are a few beer tents around the stadium but the prices are expensive and the beer quality is poor. To find the Maryland pub and a street with a few others, head towards the Centre Ville exit as you come out of the Metro. This will take you onto a few streets with pubs, takeaways etc.
After some drinks at the Maryland we headed to the match. It was another 9 pm kick-off. The French TV broadcasters do like these late starts. Getting into the stadium was a bit of shambles. The entry to our gate didn't open until 20 minutes before kick-off, we were in a queue for about 15 minutes. Once inside we found our way to the top tier. Excellent seats and a good view. The Stade de France is a superb stadium once inside.

The game started and after the first ten minutes it was clear to see the home side were really up for the fight. Their forwards were putting in some big hits at the rucks. Wales were living off scraps and their big ball carriers weren't gaining enough ground. Against the general run of play Wales did craft a good opening try for Lee Bryne as the fullback found a way through. This marked the high point of the game for Wales and at one stage they were 13-3 up. Mid-way through the first half Mike Phillips kick a high ball and managed to hit the over head camera. In the last ten minutes France found even more fluency and some heavy pressure saw Dusautoir score to bring the points to 13-13 at half. In fairness France were much the better team in the first half but it was a shame Wales couldn't have taken a lead going into the break.

The second half was miserable viewing for Welsh fans. At the part of the stadium I was in people above us started throwing paper aeroplanes. It also took until the second half for the first mexican wave of the night to occur. It lasted about 2 and half full circuits of the stadium.
France were in total control of the game and denied Wales any ball to play with for large parts of the second half. Their pack was especially fearsome on the night and debut centre Bastareaud was having a fine game. Heymans scored France's second try and because of some missed French kicks Wales found themselves 21-16 down with 10 minutes to go. They rallied well in the last minutes of the game and came very close to scoring the crucial try. It would have been a dramatic finish, albeit an undeserved victory if the the conversion was kicked. The final whistle went and France won. The home side were excellent throughout.

It was a good game to watch live, though the second half was very one-sided. The atmosphere on the night was not as good as the 2005 and 2007 games. Perhaps that was because it was a Friday game, there were less Welsh supporters, and for alot of the French fans it had been a workday. Grand Slam dreams dashed. Time for Wales to bounce back in the next game.

My man of the match: Bastareaud. An accomplished debut.

Italy 9-38 Ireland. 15 Feb. 2009

Italy battled away in the first half to deny Ireland any pattern to the game. The tone was set with a dangerous high tackle on Kearny early in the game. Tommy Bowe got Ireland's first try as he latched onto loose passing by the Italian backs. He showed enough pace to sprint in under the posts. At the end of the first half Ireland put together a long passage of play that saw Luke Fitzgerald score under the posts. At that stage it looked like Ireland would run away with the game in the second half. The game got a bit boring in the second half with the result never in doubt. Credit to Italy for holding out for long periods and it was only in the last ten minutes when Ireland scored two more tries.

My man of the match: Luke Fitzgerald

Wales 23-15 England. 14 Feb. 2009

Apart from the result this match will be remembered for one thing; Joe Worsley's man marking of Jamie Roberts. The England head coach had watched Jamie's awesome performance against Scotland and decided that drastic measures were needed. Joe Worsley spent the whole match shadowing and tackling Jame Roberts. There were times in the second half when Wales had an attacking scrum and the England fly half packed down at blind side with Joe playing at ten. It was a negative ploy but it worked very well and Jamie Roberts had a tough day. It was disappointing that Wales did not vary their game enough. They kept trying to barge through the middle with Roberts and Powell but Worsley and the back row were equal to the task.
England's performance was a huge step up from the previous game and they actually managed to out score Wales by two tries to one. Leigh Halfpenny scored Wales' try in the second half after indiscipline saw England reduced to 14 men. The tight five of Wales had a massive game and secured good ball throughout the game and were all over the play in defence. Wales' composure saw them control large parts of the game and with about 10 minutes to go the home side stretched their lead to 8 points to ensure the win.
A hard fought victory.

My man of the match: Joe Worlsey. Did everything the coach asked of him.

Scotland 13-26 Wales. 8 Feb 2009

Three things to remember about this game. One, Scotland players making big hits on Welsh players and coming off worse. Two, Leigh Halfpenny's first 6 Nations try. Three, solid Welsh defence in the last 15 minutes.
I was impressed with how sharply Wales started. They played some slick rugby in the first ten minutes. The first big moment of the game came when Scotland winger Simon Webster put a big tackle on Martyn Williams. The Welsh open side was stopped in his tracks and his head was whipped back nastily. Thankfully Martyn was okay and it was Webster who was feeling more groggy from the tackle. Not long after Scotland prop Geoff Cross chased an up and under and took out Lee Byrne in the air as he was catching the ball. The replay showed that Cross caught a knee in the face accidentally. He was stretchered off and given a yellow for the dangerous tackle. Wales piled on the pressure and managed to score two tries when Scotland were down to 14 men. Shanklin and Wyn-Jones crossed after good team play.
The best try of the game came early in the second half. Jamie Roberts made a good break up the middle and the ball went through the backline to Shane Williams who off loaded brilliantly to set up Halfpenny for a fall over the line. More good play saw Shane add to his Wales try count before Gatland brought on new players for the last twenty minutes. Scotland came back into the game with a try but the final result was never in doubt.
A solid start for Wales. A decent away win.

My man of the match: Jamie Roberts

Ireland 30-21 France. 7 Feb. 2009

One of the best 6 Nations games in recent years. This was an excellent game and a thrilling contest throughout. It's not often that two equally matched teams play to their potential and produce a real International Test match. At least not in Northern Hemisphere rugby. I went into this game having given up watching the England v Italy game after 60 minutes. That game in Twickenham was real bad. No structure at all to England's play and they kicked away much to much ball.
The two teams at Croke Park were playing rugby of a different standard. Their intent was to ran the ball and play an expansive game. France scored the first of the game's five tries after some cohesive play between the forwards and backs led to Harinordoquy touching down in the corner. Not to be outdone Ireland soon hit back with a great team try of their own. Line-out ball was secured in their own half and Kearny and Bowe were involved in some good back play that tore through the France defence. The ball found it's way to Jamie Heaslip and he headed towards the line and managed a sidestep to glide past the covering player for a classy try.
Early in the second half BOD announced his return to top form with a classic centre break that saw him score under the posts. France came back in determined fashioned and Medard latched onto a cross field kick to score a good wingers try. The game was in the balance at 20-18 with twenty minutes to go. The home side played a blinder in the last quarter as they controlled the game superbly. The turning point of the game was D'Arcy's third try that gave Ireland a clear lead. I was hoping for a dramatic late come back from France but Ireland held firm.
High quality rugby throughout and a very enjoybale game to watch.

My man of the match: Heaslip.

Scotland U20 18-17 Wales U20. 6 Feb. 2009

At this age group Scotland had by far the better players. Two giant and dynamic second rows, a tidy full back and in Chris Fusaro an open side flanker of real potential. It was rather surprising that Scotland didn't score any tries. They played some cohesive attacking rugby but couldn't quite get the try. It was left to Wales to show them how to finish. Kristian Phillips, the Wales winger had an excellent game scoring two solo tries that he'll long remember. His first try was a classic wingers try, taking advantage of turnover ball, he ghosted past the outside centre, checked inside the covering defender and had enough gas to finish off the move. His second try was nothing more than a consolation as Scotland already had the game in the bag. Tovey chipped a neat cross field kick that landed in Phillips' hands and he ran in to give the away side more to cheer.

My man of the match: Fusaro

Scarlets 40-24 Barbarians. 31 Jan. 2009

The Scarlets became the first Welsh region to play the Barbarians and both teams entertained the full ground to some open rugby. The home side took an early 21 points lead. Morgan Stoddart was once again showcasing his silky running skills scoring a smart solo effort from his own half. In my opinion Halfpenny is a better overall fullback. Stoddart dropped off a tackle in the second half to allow fullback Ben Blair to score a try. As the Six Nations was just round the corner the Barbarians fielded one of their weakest sides in recent years. Their stand out player was Ben Blair.


My man of the match: Jonathan Davies. The Scarlets centre was all over the place and had a fine game in attack and defence.

Ospreys 15-9 Leicester. 24 Jan. 2009

The Ospreys needed to win by 8 or more to finish top of their group. Leicester managed to get a losing bonus point and in the end both teams went through to the quarter finals.
It was a forgettable game of rugby. I was disappointed the Ospreys couldn't find much cutting edge though credit must go to Leicester to their defence and resolve. No tries were scored and on this form neither of these teams will win the Cup.

My man of the match: Geordan Murphy

Sale 26-17 Clermont. 24 January 2009

The French team played some fine counter attack rugby in the first half. Their full back Floch was running some good lines and gaining alot of yards. Clermont scored a fine try through their jumbo winger Nalaga. He's not quite as big as Matt Banahan but still a very large winger. Sale had selected McAllister at ten and this gave the team more momentum in attack. The New Zealander is a dynamic runner and has a great skill set. His control at ten inspired Sale to come back into the game in the second half. Dwyane Peel scored a good solo in typical scrum half fashion as he sniped around the blind side and had enough pace to beat the covering defence.

My man of the match: McAllister

Blues 62-22 Calvisano. 23 January 2009

The Blues needed a bonus point win to finish as top seed going into the Heineken Cup quarter finals. This was managed with ease as they put the Italian to the sword, especially in the second half. Halfpenny was sharp as usual. The stand out try for me was an individual effort from Molitika. He latched on to the ball from a Calvisano lineout on the half way line and proceeded to outsprint the covering defence. On the tv replay you could see one of the Italian wingers give up the chase much too early. Still a good solo effort though.

My man of the match: Molitika

Gloucester 12-16 Blues. 18 Jan 2009

The Blues secured qualification for the Heineken Cup quarter finals in dramatic fashion with a memorable away win. The tie turned on its' head when Tom James was red carded on 28 mins for lashing out against a Gloucester prop. For the reminder of the game the Blues played with 14 men. Strangely this did not diminish their attacking play and they tested Gloucester throughout the second half , even having a try disallowed. The heavy conditions underfoot did not suit the home side as they failed to unlock the magnificent Blues defence. Jamie Roberts and Leigh Halfpenny were excellent in the back line. In fact the whole 14 men of the Blues put in a fantastic amount of hard work to keep Gloucester at bay. With 15 minutes to go Xavier Rush come on to give the Blues a fresh forward thrust, and with five minutes to go Bradley Davies scored a try after some superb team play. It was welcome reward for a great overall second half performance.
Gloucester were nowhere near their best but all the plaudits will go to the 14 men of the Blues. Great stuff.

My man of the match: Jamie Roberts. Closely followed by the rest of the Blues team.

Perpignan 17-15 Ospreys. 17 Jan. 2009

One of the most frustrating games of rugby I've seen for a long time. The Ospreys went out with the intention of trying to force the game from the very first minute and play perfect attacking rugby. It worked for about five minutes and then the home side woke up. The Ospreys are their own worst enemy, they often try to run before they can walk. They were hoping to break down the Perpignan defence off first phase attack and score tries. This was never going to happen and errors soon crept into their game. Lee Byrne took a fall and went off with an ankle injury. The home side racked up the penalties and early in the second half scored a try to extend the lead to 17-0. At that stage of the game a losing bonus looked well out of the Ospreys grasp. Somehow a fightback was forged and Mike Phillips got the side going forward enabling tries for Shane Williams and Vaughton. It was a spirited comeback but only served to highlight the way the Ospreys should have been playing in the first half.

My man of the match: Holah

Wasps 19-12 Leinster. 17 Jan. 2009

A scrappy game with plenty of competitive edge. There were three yellow cards in the first half. Josh Lewsey had one of his best games for Wasps for a long time. He made a searing break that set-up a good try for Sackey. I've never been a fan of Paul Sackey but he can produce some strong attacking play on occasion and he was quite impressive in this match. In contrast the talented Leinster back line didn't really gel. The Wasps defence was too strong for the men from Dublin all game. I don't foresee either of these sides winning the Heineken Cup.

My man of the match: Lewsey.

Munster 37-14 Sale. 16 Jan. 2009

The defending champions became the first team through to the quarter finals of the Heineken Cup with a great display against a poor Sale. Munster were close to their best as forwards and backs combined to superb effect to showcase their all-round game as they scored six tries. At the heart of the performance was captain O'Connell and David Wallace. Sale could not cope with the forward play of Munster and Chabal was a shadow of his former self. Another weak link for Sale was Charlie Hodgson at ten. He always seems to suffer in the big matches and one of his errors led directly to a Munster try.
In the second half Dwayne Peel came off the bench to spark a mini revival for Sale that led to a try. Munster soon hit back though and showed their class and cruised to a comfortable win. It was never a contest really and on this form Munster are clear favourites to retain their crown of Europe.

My man of the match: O'Connell.

Leinster 21-20 Blues. 10 Jan. 2009

The Blues produced a decent away performance in a game they could easily have won. Both fullbacks, Halfpenny and Kearney were the stand out players. It came down to the last minutes of the game with Leinster leading 18-17. It looked to be all over but the Blues hit back with some great rugby, Jamie Roberts made a telling break to eventually set-up a drop kick chance for Nicky Robinson. The number 10 slotted it well and the Blues looked to have grabbed a late win but the ref said there were three minutes of injury time to play. From the resultant kick off a harsh penalty was given away by the Blues and Leinster kicked the winning goal.
In the two Magners League games between these sides only 1 point has separated them.

My man of the match: Halfpenny.

Ospreys 21-25 Munster. 9 Jan. 2009

Munster outclassed the Ospreys in every department. They were very efficient at the collision and clear-out, creating quick ball for the backs. David Wallace, playing at seven had a good game. He's a strong candidate for the Lions' first 22. The Osprey's played well in patches, their line-out was solid first half but went to bits in the second half. Vaughton was denied a try after some slick back play by a fine covering tackle from O'Leary. Shane Williams had a nice run in the second half that nearly led to a try. All the home side's points came from Hook's boot. Munster never really looked like losing, and tries from Mafi in the first half and O'Leary in the second secured a fine away win to take them back to the top of the Magners League.


My man of the match: Tomas O'Leary

Wasps 24-18 Harlequins. 4 Jan. 2009

All eyes were on Danny Cipriani as he started the game at ten. He had a mixed performance showcasing his attacking flair and weaknesses in defence. Cipriani had two kicks charged down. The Wasps defence were in superb form. James Haskell is coming back to his best. The first half was one way traffic as the home side racked up 21 points with some clinical attacking rugby. Harlequins were 21 -3 down at the start of the second half and it looked like the game was out of their reach. To Quin's credit they dug deep, won some ball and produced some fine rugby of their own. The highlight of the game was Danny Care's excellent solo try from the back of a half-way line thrown-in. He picked up a ball on a back peel, burst past his opposite number, chipped over the covering fullback and gathered the ball to score a fine try. Care's brilliance almost inspired a remarkable comeback but Wasps were good enough to hold on.

My man of the match: Care

Scarlets 29-24 Dragons. 1 Jan. 2009

A fairly entertaining game to start off the year saw five tries ran in. Regan King produced a typical solo effort to score the opening try. The Men of Gwent hit back with two tries from the reliable wing Fussell. The second half saw Stephen Jones control the game more and the Scarlets pack played well. Phil John crashed over on the end of a good team try. A late comeback back the Dragons saw them secure a losing bonus point but the home team held on.

My man of the match: Phil John

Ospreys 20-6 Scarlets. 27 Dec. 2008

A full house of 20,000 watched the home side record a victory over their local rivals. The Ospreys were in control for most of the game, especially the second half and I expected more points from them. Mike Phillips recovery process is going well and he scored a try. Ryan Jones also managed to score a try late in the game after some dominant play. One player that had a solid game was Richard Hibbard. He should get some more game time during the Six Nations. He's an outside bet for a place on the Lions tour. Talking of the Lions tour, the Ospreys have a quite a large number that could get selected for the squad. In the backs Hook, Phillips, Henson, Byrne, Williams and Bowe all look good bets for the squad. Alun Wyn Jones and Ryan Jones look shoe-ins for the squad from the forwards.

My man of the match: Hibbard

Dragons 19-21 Blues. 26 Dec. 2008

A Boxing Day local derby that failed to catch fire. Ceri Sweeney scored a try to put the Blues into the lead in the last quarter of the match. The Rodney Parade faithful loved that; not. The best rugby was reserved for the last 7 minutes of the game. The home side had the ball in their own half and proceeded to keep possession for the last five minutes of the game and another 2 minutes. It was probably the longest passage of unbroken play I'd see all year, and very exciting as well. The Dragons only needed three points to win and managed to get within the Blues 22 to set-up a drop kick chance. Sadly it was charged down and rebounded into a Dragons player. Cue another minute of rugby, then another drop kick chance. Amazingly this was charged down as well and fell into the hands of a Dragons' player again. Guess what? Yes, another drop kick chance was engineered but this third attempt was not to be lucky, it drifted well wide of the left hand post. The game ended in anti-climax for the Dragons, but what a last seven minutes. Fantastic.

My man of the match: Ben Blair. Solid as usual.

François Steyn - The Boks big weakness?

For me Mr Steyn will be the key player in the Lions series. I'm a big fan of his off-the-cuff style of rugby. On his day he's one of the most exciting backs in World rugby and you've got to love those 40m drop kicks. It's the consistency of his performance that really lets him down. If Steyn has a below par game he can often cause errors or miss kicks that will affect the result. And what is his best position? I think the Boks will use him at outside centre. He's too much of a liability at 10 or 15.

The key to the series is how the Boks use Steyn, and how well he plays. They could play it real safe and drop Steyn from the squad. This would probably be the best option. Although I think the management like to have him the in the squad because he offers something to their backline. He is a gamebreaker and a potential match winner. He can produce something out of nothing. In a tight test series a bit of Steyn magic could make a difference.
As a fan of open rugby I want to see Steyn play.

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Originally posted at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/606/A45431110