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