Rugby and all that

2010-06-27T00:23:00.000-07:00

Its been a while since my last blog. Laziness mainly. But with the arrival of my iPhone a couple of months ago I have taken to posting more comments on Twitter - http://twitter.com/parsley76

So I think the days of a match report for every game I watch are long gone. I'll definitely do reports for every game I go to watch live. Looking ahead to November I've got tickets for the Wales v New Zealand game. Always a great day out. And I've already booked my away trip with Edwards Coaches for the France v Wales game in next years 6 Nations. Just need to secure some tickets.

On the 9th October there were three live Heineken Cup games featuring Welsh sides. I took a break from watching rugby all day and gave the Scarlets v Perpignan game a miss. Sods law, it turned out to be the best game of the three, and probably the 1st round. And Rhys Preistland scored an early contender for try of the season.

Rhys Priestland Incredible Try - Scarlets v Perpignan - HEC Rugby - 09-10 10

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-eYPkVjs9oU

Blues 18-17 Edinburgh. 9 October 2010

Toulon 19-14 Ospreys. 9 October 2010

Northampton 18-14 Castres. 8 October 2010

Scarlets 18-21 Ospreys 2 October 2010

Bath 3-18 Gloucester. 1 October 2010

Blues 22-6 Connacht. 30 Sept. 2010

Dragons 23-11 Glasgow. 12 Sept. 2010

Ospreys 32-16 Treviso. 10 Sept. 2010

Northampton 27-19 Leicester. 5 Sept. 2010

Ulster 27-26 Ospreys. 3 Sept. 2010

South Africa 22-29 New Zealand. 21 August 2010
Attendance: 94,713

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2010_Tri_Nations_Series

New Zealand 20-10 Australia. 7 August 2010

New Zealand 29-10 Wales. 26 June 2010

Jame Roberts scores Wales first try against New Zealand since 2006.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_union/welsh/8760225.stm

New Zealand 42-9 Wales. 19 June 2010

New Zealand 66-28 Ireland. 12 June 2010

Wales 31-34 South Africa. 5 June 2010

England 35-26 Barbarians. 30 May 2010

http://www.skysports.com/rugbyunion/match_report/0,20244,11069_40424_1,00.html

Leinster 12-17 Ospreys. 29 May 2010

The Magners League Final. This game clashed with me going to see Reginald D Hunter at the St. Davids Hall in Cardiff. I did manage to catch the first 60 minutes of the game at a nearby pub and saw most of the important action. Great win for Ospreys.

Blues 28-21 Toulon. 23 May 2010

Cardiff Blues win the Amlin Challenge Cup. Awesome

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_union/welsh/8685409.stm

Biarritz 19-21 Toulouse. 22 May 2010

Leinster 16-6 Munster. 15 May 2010

Ospreys 20-5 Glasgow. 14 May 2010

Blues 13-12 Munster. 9 May 2010

Ospreys 42-10 Dragons. 7 May 2010

Biarritz 18-7 Munster. 2 May 2010

Wasps 15-18 Blues. 1 May 2010

Toulouse 26-16 Leinster. 1 May 2010

Munster 11-15 Ospreys. 24 April 2010

Dragons 14-20 Blues. 23 April 2010

Dragons 49-28 Edinburgh. 18 April 2010

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_union/welsh/8615005.stm

Scarlets 16-39 Blues. 17 April 2010

Leinster 20-16 Ospreys. 16 April 2010

Biarritz 29-28 Ospreys. 10 April 2010

Leinster 29-28 Clermont Auvergne. 9 April 2010.

More games I've seen...

2010-04-02T04:42:00.000-07:00

Gloucester 29-28 Saracens. 3 April 2010

Ospreys 27-19 Scarlets. 2 April 2010

Dragons 28-20 Ospreys. 27 March 2010

France 12-10 England. 20 March 2010

Wales 33-10 Itlay. 20 March 2010

Scotland 15-15 England. 13 March 2010

Ireland 27-12 Wales. 13 March 2010

Blues 20-29 Leinster. 7 March 2010

Dragons 31-22 Munster. 6 March 2010

England 16-20 Ireland. 27 Feb. 2010

Italy 16-12 Scotland. 27 Feb. 2010

Wales 20-26 France. 26 Feb. 2010.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_union/8536807.stm

Ospreys 19-17 Connacht. 21 Feb. 2010

Italy 12-17 England. 14 Feb. 2010

Wales 31-24 Scotland. 13 February 2010.

2010-03-21T01:32:00.000-07:00

This game will go down as one of the great Welsh comebacks of all time. And luckily as I was there, sitting at the end all five tries were scored - amazing.

The day started off well. We've ditched going to Servinis to breakfast and found a better place in Canton called Saffron Cafe. Servinis was always a bit pricey and the place too cramped. Saffron is just brilliant, £4.40 for a big breakfast with tea, and the food is perfectly cooked. The cafe is spacious and clean and the staff are friendly, well worth a trek to Canton for this excellent breakfast. But don't just take my word for it, check out this review:

http://www.qype.co.uk/place/342472-Saffron-Cardiff

As for the game, I'll leave it to the BBC match report to do it justice.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_union/8508259.stm

My man of the match: Shane. A second half performance that was World Class.

England 30-17 Wales. 6 Feb. 2010

2010-02-25T01:14:00.000-08:00

Went down to London for the weekend. Didn't have tickets for the big game. The plan was to watch the game in Richmond, probably in the beer tent at London Welsh again.

Arrived in Richmond at about 11:00, a good six hours before kick of. Walked to Harlequins ground at The Stoop, was a good walk of about two miles. We wanted to have a drink in the club house, unfortunately the steward on the gate informed us that the whole venue was ticket-only for hospitality. By this time it was about 12:30 and we had a look round Twickenham stadium, very quiet, the Green King beer tent was not even open yet, didn't start serving till 1 pm. On our walk back to Richmond we spotted Richard Hill and Phil Bennett talking outside the rugby museum and got their autographs - so it wasn't a wasted walk after all.

Eventually found our way back to Richmond, checked in at London Welsh ground to discover it was twelve pound just to enter the beer tent. Decided to save our money and watch the game in Richmond town centre. Settled in at The Bull pub to watch the Ireland v Italy game. The pub was mainly full of Welsh fans who had travelled down for the day.

The first half of the game was full of errors and forgettable play by England and Wales. Considering Wales were playing away I was fairly satisfied at the score of 3 all with 10 minutes before half time. Then with six minutes to go the moment of the match occurred - Alun Wyn Jones was yellow carded for a trip on Dylan Hartley. England slotted a penalty and score a try each side of the half when Wales were down to 14 men. A very costly sin bin. At 20-3 down the game looked all but over. Fear not, Wales decided to play and found some fluency as they stretched England with Adam Jones eventually diving over the line. All the play was now coming from Wales and with ten minutes till the final whistle James Hook produced a sublime piece of centre play to ghost in under the posts. The pub went wild and everyone started to believe Wales might actually come back to win the game just like 2008. It was all set up for a grandstand finish but England were reading from the same script. Delon Armitage intercepted a pass from a Welsh attack on the flank and this resulted in a try for Haskell. One minute their was hope, next the game was over. Still, it was a good second half by Wales. Exciting in patches, and the Hook try was true class.

One that got away perhaps. Nevermind.

My man of the match: Danny Care.

Friday night games. Are you a fan?

2010-02-23T00:01:00.000-08:00

I think Friday night 6 Nations game are generally a bad idea. They're perfectly fine for club matches when attendances are usually below 10000 but when you have seven times that number at a game more consideration is needed.
I chose not to go to the Wales v France game this year because of the transport issues. Watching a 6 Nations game should be one of the highlights of a rugby fans' year. Nobody wants their day ruined straight after the match by having to endure the chaos of getting home from a packed city. Saturday is the ideal day for a match; 2 to 3 pm kick off. Game finishes at 5. No mad rush to go home at the same time. Fans can stagger the time they leave.

The other Nations should all host a Friday night 6 Nations game, then the IRB should assess whether to continue with this experiment.If the fans had their say I think the majority would prefer not to have a Friday night game, but in the future I think a compromise will be reached when each Nation plays one Friday night game every other year.

I have been lucky enough to go to the last 3 France v Wales games. Last year's game was the first Friday night 6 Nations game. I found the atmosphere was down on 2005 & 2007. Most of the home crowd had been working. The French fans seemed quite quiet, even during their winning performance. Although the paper plane throwing in the 2nd half was annoying. I don't recall many Mexican waves.
I suppose the result of the match helps as well.

Originally posted at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/606/A63661836

LV= Cup

2010-02-11T11:47:00.000-08:00

Blues 45-24 Newcastle. 31 Jan. 2010

I joined the Blues Supporter's Club at the start of the season and was sent a complimentary ticket to this match. I got to go upto the hospitality area on the top level of the main grandstand. Quite nice it was too. Before the game Craig Quinnell did a short interview with Ben Blair and Rhys Thomas for the benefit of those in the hospitality lounge.
The game was a comfortable run out for the Blues and allowed alot of fringe players to get a first team game. As the 6 nations was only 1 week away no Wales squad players were involved. A good day out.

Wasps 13-18 Scarlets. 30 Jan. 2010

Dragons 40-19 Ospreys. 29 Jan. 2010

Heineken Cup. Rounds 5 & 6

2010-02-03T04:22:00.000-08:00

Harlequins 20-45 Blues. 24 Jan. 2010

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_union/8466424.stm

Ospreys 17-12 Leicester. 23 Jan. 2010

The Welsh team produced an all around solid game to beat the Tigers. James Hook, playing at inside centre was especially creative, and his centre partner Andrew Bishop had a fine game in defence. The match will be remembered not for the great win but for the fiasco surrounding the Lee Byrne substitution. He left the field as a blood replacement and on his arrival back it appeared the correct protocol was not observed. This resulted in the Ospreys playing with 16 men for about 1 minute, before referree Alan Lewis was notified. A few days after the game an independent tribunal handed the Ospreys 22,000 Euros fine and suspended Byrne for 2 weeks, meaning he would miss the England v Wales game. Byrne and the WRU appealed, and rather amazingly, had the ban lifted, and the fine dropped to 5000 Euros. This is the first major appeal I can remember being succesful. It's a huge boost to the Welsh team and a big surprise.

Munster 12-9 Northamton. 22 Jan. 2010

Northampton 34-0 Perpignan. 17 Jan. 2010

The Saints secured a bonus point win with the last move of the game in dramatic fashion. Perpignan were already out of the cup so the result is not as impressive as it may seem.

Clermont Auvergne 27-7 Ospreys. 16 Jan. 2010

Ulster 21-13 Edinburgh. 15 Jan. 2010

Some games

2010-02-02T09:51:00.000-08:00

Leicester 34-8 Wasps. 9 Jan. 2010

Ospreys 26-0 Blues. 1 Jan. 2010

Worcester 6-26 Northampton. 26 Dec. 2009

The game sparked to life with 15 minutes to go as Ben Foden made a break from his own half. He fed Chris Ashton to score a a well worked try. Foden was in good form and managed a try for himself as well.

Scarlets 14-21 Ospreys. 26 Dec. 2009

Heineken Cup rounds 3 & 4

2010-01-13T23:38:00.000-08:00

Perpginan 14-37 Munster. 20 Dec. 2009

Toulouse 23-7 Blues. 19 Dec. 2009

Biarritz 49-13 Dragons. 13 Dec. 2009

Clermont Auvergne 40-30 Leicester. 13 Dec. 2009

Blues 15-9 Toulouse. 12 Dec. 2009

Went to watch game. It was a nice dry day and I was bit surprised at the poor turn out of 10,500. This was the second time the Blues have beaten Toulouse in Cardiff this year. Both games have featured no tries. The quality of rugby on display was poor from both sides. Sam Norton-Knight at ten kicked alot of ball away and the Blues never really got any cohesion into their game. Luckily Toulouse were in no mood to play an expansive game and the match turned into a defensive tussle. The Blues won because they were the least worst team - it was that bad.

Munster 24-23 Perpignan. 11 Dec. 2009

Solo try of the year?

2009-12-18T04:40:00.000-08:00

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...

2009-12-07T07:23:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-25T23:53:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-22T05:27:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-09T10:47:00.000-08:00

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

2009-10-25T13:06:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-16T00:54:00.000-07:00

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

2009-09-28T11:19:00.000-07:00

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

2009-06-21T12:17:00.000-07:00

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

2009-06-01T23:50:00.000-07:00

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

2009-05-29T00:32:00.000-07:00

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

2009-05-26T10:11:00.000-07:00

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

2009-05-19T13:27:00.000-07:00

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

2009-04-21T12:09:00.000-07:00

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

2009-04-13T06:42:00.000-07:00

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

2009-04-09T11:32:00.000-07:00

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

2009-04-02T11:18:00.000-07:00

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

2009-03-29T00:34:00.000-07:00

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

2009-03-15T02:02:00.000-07:00

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

2009-03-13T13:08:00.000-07:00

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

2009-03-08T06:47:00.000-07:00

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.

2009-03-05T04:21:00.000-08:00

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

2009-03-03T02:10:00.000-08:00

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

2009-02-24T13:51:00.000-08:00

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

2009-02-22T08:34:00.000-08:00

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

2009-02-15T04:57:00.000-08:00

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

2009-02-09T01:28:00.000-08:00

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

2009-02-07T00:43:00.000-08:00

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

2009-02-07T00:41:00.000-08:00

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

2009-02-05T11:42:00.000-08:00

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

2009-02-05T11:39:00.000-08:00

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

2009-02-03T11:43:00.000-08:00

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

2009-02-01T01:08:00.000-08:00

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

2009-01-24T03:07:00.000-08:00

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

2009-01-23T00:36:00.000-08:00

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

2009-01-23T00:34:00.000-08:00

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

2009-01-19T02:05:00.000-08:00

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

2009-01-11T01:48:00.000-08:00

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

2009-01-10T05:44:00.000-08:00

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

2009-01-07T11:24:00.000-08:00

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

2009-01-03T05:33:00.000-08:00

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?

2009-01-01T02:26:00.000-08:00

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.

---

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

Scarlets 27-13 Blues. 20 Dec. 2008

2008-12-28T06:05:00.000-08:00

The Blues selected a below full strength team to face the out of form Scarlets. The result was a poor game with nothing much to write about. In fact the best thing about the game was how well the home pitch held up in the rainy conditions. The pitch is a mix of grass and artificial fibre that provides a good playing surface in all conditions. I think it is the only rugby pitch of its type in the UK. In between admiring the pitch the Scarlets scored two tries and controlled the second half to record their first win at Parc y Scarlets.

My man of the match: Martin Roberts

Bath 24-20 Sale. 20 Dec. 2008

2008-12-26T04:03:00.000-08:00

A chance to see how Dwayne Peel was settling in at Sale. He had a pretty good game and in typical Peel fashion took a quick tap penality to set-up the first Sale try. It was a fiesty game with Sale's Chabal and Bath's Justin Harrison stoking up both packs. Seabass was sin binned for foul play off the ball.
The home side are one of the form side's in the English Premiership at the moment but Sale more than matched them. It was also interesting to watch Bath's jumbo sized winger Matt Banahan. He's a converted forward and at about 6ft 7 ins and 17 stone he's one big lump in the Bath backline. Banahan played a crucial role in the outcome of the game. He was involved in both home tries. He lent his weight to a forward drive to the line and helped number 8 Browne score under the posts. Sale responded through Mark Cueto with two tries and it looked like they would run out deserved winners.
With very little time left Bath turned over ball in Sale's 22 and a neat kick-pass landed in Banahan's hands for a late winning try. If Banahan keeps on improving and gets a run in the England team he may even get selected for the Lions tour.

My man of the match: Matt Banahan

---

Matt Banahan for England ? - http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/606/A45309297

Awards of the Year

2008-12-23T12:19:00.000-08:00

Player of the Year - Shane Williams
Most improved player - Lee Byrne
Best game - Wales v Australia
Biggest disappointment - Not being at the Wales v Australia game
Worst moment of 2008 - Marc Stcherbina injury
Biggest hope for 2009 - Top players to hit peak form for Lions Tour
Six Nations champions in 2009 will be - Wales
Heineken Cup champions - Munster
Premiership champions - London Irish
Broadcasting highlight - Shane's tries in South Africa
Who should the 2009 Lions captain be - Ryan Jones
Your left-field Lions pick - Richard Hibbard
Who will win the Lions series - Lions

---
Originally posted at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/606/F12173056?thread=6178701&show=50

Dragons 30-24 Ospreys. 19 Dec. 2008

2008-12-23T11:49:00.000-08:00

Welsh derby matches are usually scrappy games. The weather was poor with constant rain and a strong breeze. I wasn't expecting much of a spectacle but I was proved wrong. It was to be a night of surprises. The biggest of which was seeing Luke Charteris as Dragon's captain. Regular captain Willis was starting on the bench. I've never been a big fan of Charteris but obviously Paul Turner sees something in him. On the Ospreys side Henson and Mike Phillips were returning from injury.

The game saw six tries, Dragons got four for a bonus point. The Ospreys created a fine back line move with Bowe coming off his wing to create the extra man, then feeding to full back Henson to score a decent try. Gavin scored again in the second half after a powerful run from Sonny Parker. At that stage I thought the Ospreys would run out victors. The real story of the match was the Dragons defence and dominant pack performance. Captain Luke was excellent in the line-out and managed to nick a few Ospreys' throws. The crucial try came from a Colin Charvis cross kick that fullback Tovey caught. It was a smart bit of skill and rounded off a fine display by the home side.

In horrible conditions both sides played some excellent open rugby. One of the best Magners League games of the season so far.
My man of the match: Luke Charteris. Who would have thought it?

Scarlets 16-16 Ulster. 12 Dec. 2008

2008-12-21T04:07:00.000-08:00

This Heineken Cup group match was effectively a dead rubber with both teams having very little chance of progressing beyond the group. The weather was filthy, heavy rain and swirly wind. It made for a forgettable match. There was alot of aerial ping pong with neither side able to exert any dominance. Ian Humphries for Ulster scored a good solo try. The Scarlets had enough possession but their attack lacked a cutting edge. Even the people that went to watch the game live won't have much more to say.
My man of the match: Ian Humphries.

Perpignan 26-20 Leicester. 14 Dec. 2008

2008-12-15T01:49:00.000-08:00

All eyes were focused on Dan Carter as he made his debut for Perpignan. The home side were very good in the first twenty minutes. Backs and forwards combined beautifully for a superb team try as blind-side Britz scored the opening try. The boot of Carter helped Perpignan to a 16-3 lead and Leicester needed to respond to stay in the game. Just before half time the Tigers scored a try to narrow the gap.
The second half saw less free flowing rugby. Britz scored his second try and Leicester were again chasing the game. Carter seemed to have settled easily at his new club. Enter Harry Ellis from the bench. Leicester were attacking and Carter tackled and held up the player in a grapple. Ellis comes crashing in to clear out Carter and picks up both of his legs and drops him. It was an awful bit of play by Ellis. Wholly intentional and extremely dangerous. Thankfully Carter landed safely. Alan Lewis the referee stopped the game. It was a yellow card offence at least, and could easily have been a red card. But no, Mr Lewis didn't show any card, he just give his pathetic "Be very careful" speech. I've always considered Alan Lewis to be a good referee but this fiasco has tarnished his reputation. Also what were the assistant referees doing? If there's any justice Ellis will be cited by a disciplinary commission.
The home side held on to win a tight game.

My man of the match: Nathan Hines. Strong in the set pieces and showed up well in open play.

Blues 21-17 Biarritz. 5th Dec. 2008

2008-12-11T11:36:00.000-08:00

It's not often a team concedes 2 tries, scores none and ends up winning but that's what happened to Cardiff in this game. It was a strange game. The Blues seemed to have alot of possession though they couldn't quite break the excellent Biarritz defence. The French team are currently struggling in their domestic competition but they showed admirable resistance on a cold night at the Arms Park. The first try came from turnover ball and the French backs finished off a neat move down the wing. In the second half Biarritz once again breached the home defence with a slightly soft try. The Biarritz outside half ran through some weak midfield defence to score under the posts. The Blues were definitely missing the injured centre Jamie Roberts.
Cardiff despite not scoring a try were never out of the game and picked up penalties and Nicky Robinson slotted two drop kicks. The French will probably wonder how they lost. The Blues were just pleased to scrape a win.

My man of the match: Ben Blair.

Barbarians 11-18 Australia. 3 Dec. 2008

2008-12-08T01:07:00.000-08:00

Played at Wembley the Barbarians fielded a very strong team inlcuding players such as McCaw, Smit, Burger, Habana and Jerry Collins. As is the way in the professional era and at this time of the season the BaBas were entirely made up of Southern hemisphere players. Although Mark Regan and Ollie Smith were on the bench. These two players always get selected for some reason.
In the first half the BaBas threw everything at Australia. Burger and Collins were rampaging in attack though Australia was equal to the test. In fact the Oz defence was awesome. Captain George Smith was leading from the front and everyone was having a big game in defence. Gold two stood out with some mighty hits and one superb behind the back pass. Australia scored a fine break away try after turn over ball and the Babas were left wondering how they were going to score a try themselves.
The second half heralded the arrrival of newly crowned IRB World Player of the Year Shane Williams. Go Shane! He didn't manage to change the result of the game but he did contribute to a fine try for Jerry Collins. Come final whistle Australia emerged as more than worthy winners. Not quite the game most people were expecting though still enjoyable to watch.

My man of the match: George Smith

Wales 21-18 Australia. 29 Nov. 2008

2008-12-01T09:33:00.000-08:00

Wales record a thrilling win in a great test match. The best game I've seen all season. Wales were on fire in the first ten minutes playing a high tempo off loading game to dramatic effect. Shane Williams crossed in the corner on five minutes after an excellent team try and some fine build up through the backs and forwards.

The game took an unexpected turn when Wales lost an attacking line out and Chisholm the Australian lock sprinted half the length of the field for a try. Totally against the run of play. Australia then had a decent fifteen minutes and Gitteau added a drop kick. Wales bounced back though and showed some classy play. Shane Williams was at the heart of the second try and found Lee Byrne on a superb angle for him to run in and score.

The first half was entertainment of the highest order and predictably the second was a more edgy affair. Stephen Jones missed two kickable penalties and we all began to wonder if things were going south again. Andy Powell was having another excellent game. He really has added some go forward to the Wales team. Gatland made a big call on 60 minutes to take Powell off. He had just given away a couple of soft penalties and in hindsight it was a good call by the coach to bring Daffyd Jones on. Wales showed real grit in the second half and Stephen Jones landed a difficult drop kick to push Wales into a five point lead. Australia fought back hard and looked to be on the brink of scoring five metres out from the Welsh line but they gave away a penalty. This spurred the home team on and shortly afterwards great chasing from Shanks and Mark Jones forced a penalty from Australia. With only three minutes to go Stephen Jones slotted the penalty and Wales had the game in the bag. Australia scored a late try but Wales ran out deserved winners.

My man of the match: Lee Byrne. Outstanding performance. A rock in defence. One of his clearance kicks from his own 22 was a highlight of the game. Superb in attack. Very pleasing to see him score a try.

Wales 9-29 New Zealand. 22 Nov. 2008

2008-11-23T01:39:00.000-08:00

I went down to watch the game. Cardiff was buzzing with excitment and we went round the usual drinking spots. Made a first visit to the Nos Da pub opposite the Stadium across the river. A tidy pub. Saw Xavier Rush at Cardiff Rugby club.

Just before kick-off the All Blacks did their famous Haka. The Welsh team lined up to face them but when the Haka finished Wales did not get ready for the kick off. They remained in line and a dramatic stand-out ensued. The crowd went wild. I was cheering like mad "Wales!, Wales!". Nobody expected this, least of all New Zealand. They didn't know what to do. The referee tried to get the teams to start the game. Eventually after a very long minute or two, the All Blacks walked away. A moral victory for Wales and a classic moment in Welsh rugby. Truly special.

Wales played very well in the first half and forced a number of penalties. Stephen Jones kicked three to give Wales a 9 - 6 lead at half time. The second half was all New Zealand though. They played error free rugby and controlled the game. The crucial first try saw them take the lead. Wales had a man down injured and the crowd were willing the referee to stop the game. The All Blacks move actually went dangerously close to the injured player and from then they went through the phases to create the overlap for the try. Wales fought hard throughout the game but couldn't create enough to trouble the New Zealand try line. I can't really remember Wales spending much time in the All Blacks 22. As for exciting, breaking away moments from Wales, these were few and far between.

Overall, Wales put in a great effort in the first half, but were totally outclassed in the second. The scary thing was that New Zealand didn't really get into top gear.
My man of the match: Dan Carter. Mr reliable.

Ireland 3-22 New Zealand. 15 Nov, 2008

2008-11-16T07:55:00.000-08:00

The first half was surprisingly full of errors by both teams. Carter missed some regulation penalties at goal, O'Gara was wayward kicking out of hand and the Irish line-out was poor. Worryingly for next week against Wales, the All Blacks set piece was strong. Ali Williams was bossing the game at line-out. Ireland were still very much in the game come the stroke of half time. New Zealand went through a few phases and found themselves in Ireland's 22. They had stretched the Irish defence and Nonu chipped to the corner for McCaw to score a try. Tommy Bowe raced across and stuck out a hand to knock the ball in touch. After a TMO decision the referee awarded a penalty try for deliberately knocking the ball out and handed Bowe a yellow card. Very disappointing, I was looking forward to see Bowe in attack. I guess he's not quite the complete player yet.
Tony Woodcock picked up a yellow card in the first two minutes of the second half and this seemed to spur New Zealand on. They scored two tries with 14 men in the next ten minutes. The game was more or less over and Ireland were playing for pride. The men in green never really got going and when talismanic forward O'Connell left the field there was no way back.
My man of the match: Ali Williams

Wales 34-13 Canada. 14 Nov. 2008.

2008-11-16T01:12:00.000-08:00

A second string Wales took to the field in a bright yellow strip. Sadly this was about the only bright thing they did during the match. Wales were abysmal in the first half. Hook got injured early and Dan Biggar came on for his first cap. A good crowd of 59,000 were expecting some open free flowing rugby. Instead they got a turgid, stuttering display. Canada defended well and it took Wales 30 minutes to score the opening try through Stoddart. On the stroke of half time the ball found it's way to Halfpenny and he dazzled and danced to beat his opposite number and score his first international try.
The second half saw a slight improvement as the forwards finally upped their game. Andy Powell came on to replace Ryan Jones. The Wales captain has been in poor form this season. It looks like Powell could be playing no.8 for Wales for the 6 Nations. If Jones' form carries on he'll struggle to get selected for the Lions tour.
The pack earned two penalty tries from 5 metre scrums but still the back line was not firing. It took till the last move of the game to see some decent Welsh play. Jamie Roberts made a telling break, passed to Peel who flicked onto Halfpenny for an excellent team try. Why couldn't Wales play like that much earlier? Some credit must be paid to Canada. Thier no.7 Kleeburger was impressive throughout.

There was a good banner held up by some fans in the crowd: "Even in a credit crunch Halfpenny goes a long way"
Man of the match: Dafydd Jones.

Wales 15-20 South Africa. 8th Nov. 2008

2008-11-13T11:39:00.001-08:00

I went down with my Dad to Cardiff to watch the game. It is customary for a home International to begin our day with a breakfast in Servini's cafe. The build up to the kick-off is spent drinking our way round Cardiff. This always includes a a few drinks at Cardiff Rugby Club. At 2pm we headed to the stadium. I was pleased to see a full capacity crowd. Last year's same fixture was well done on crowd numbers.

South Africa started the game much better than Wales and scored an early try. The opening signs did not look good when the Boks went 10 nil up within ten minutes. Andy Powell, on debut had a fine break in the first half. I was pleased with the set piece in the first half. By half time it was 3-13. With 30 minutes to go Gatland brought on Peel and Hook. The key moment of the game occured soon after. Hook's first pass was intercepted by De Villiers who sprinted in for a try. It was a crushing moment and I shouted in despair. I knew the game was all over then. Suprisingly Wales upped their tempo from that moment on and proceeded to dominate the possession for the rest of the game. The Boks almost went to sleep in attack though they did maintain a solid defence. Hook chipped away with some penalities and Wales, through Powell and Bryne had some good breaks. On another day, against lesser opposition Wales would have scored some tries but it just wasn't happening for them that day.

When the final whistle went it was quite disapointing. Wales were on the verge of beating South Africa. They were certainly the better team in the second half. Andy Powell was awarded the official man of the match.

My man of the match: Lee Byrne. From my position up high in the stands it gave a good view of the ground the full back was covering. Lee had a mixed day in attack, some fine runs, but it was his defense that impressed me most. He was a rock under the high ball and his game awareness was excellent.

London Irish 23-19 Ospreys. 2 Nov. 2008

2008-11-13T11:32:00.000-08:00

The Ospreys managed to get a losing bonus point which was enough to qualify from their EDF group as winners. Nikki Walker played a big part in both halves. He managed to cause a mix-up in a backs move off a line-out that caused a turnover. He then failed to tackle the winger who proceeded to score a runaway try. Nikki went some way to redeeming himself by scoring a try in the second half. A big plus was the goal kicking of James Hook. He certainly had the right boots on in that game. He landed a huge kick inside his own half. The longest Hook kick I've ever seen.
My man of the match: Tommy Bowe.

Northampton Saints 33-20 Scarlets. 1 Nov. 2008

2008-11-12T11:54:00.000-08:00

The Scarlets scored two tries in the first ten minutes through King and Stoddart. It wasn't particularly great just that Saints were still in the changing rooms, mentally at least. They soon recovered though and by half time the score was 13-13. This was a fairly typical Scarlets away performance for this season. Good in the first half. Awful in the second half. The Saints totally controlled the second half and outside half Stephen Mylor dominated the game. It was a bad day at the office for the Welsh team.
My man of the match: Stephen Mylor.

Blues 24-18 Bath. 31 Oct. 2008

2008-11-09T05:15:00.000-08:00

An open and incident packed game. Molitika scored the first try after some nice interplay between the Robinson brothers. This was Tom James' first game back after a few months out with injury. He showed up well and looked hungry for action throughout the game. Bath were dangerous in attack during the whole game and it was only the Blues solid defence that kept them at bay. The turning point of the game came when the Blues already down to 14 men thanks to Shanklin being sin binned gave away a penalty try. The Bath wing was running in for a try and stepped inside the covering defender, Jason Spice, who flung out an arm and caught him high. It should have been a yellow card but the referee thought it was accidental. Spice survived and then even more dramatically Richard Mustoe charged down the conversion in front of the posts. I can't recall the last time I saw a charged down coversion. A real rarity.
In the last ten the homeside showed good compsure to close out the win. In their EDF group they beat Sale, Leicester and Bath. Not bad going.
My man of the match: Molitika

Autumn Internationals

2008-11-07T11:42:00.000-08:00

On the eve of the first game there is great excitment and hope. Nobody knows what will happen. Wales have a daunting schedule. First up they play current World Champions South Africa, then it's Canada, followed by New Zealand and Australia. There was disappointing news today as Henson withdrew from the game tommorrow. He's not fully fit and Jamie Roberts will play at 12 with Shanklin coming into 13. I'm looking forward to the game tommorrow. I'm not too sure about playing Halfpenny and Shane Williams in the same team though. Having two small wings against South Africa could spell trouble. I suppose Mark Jones would have played if fit as he was in good form for the Scarlets. Elsewhere Andy Powell gets a deserved start at no.8. Hopefully he can provide parity with the strong back row of the Boks. He's been great this season and should certainly have a few good moments in the game. I predict a South Africa win but hopefully Wales can find some cohesion for the tougher test of the All Blacks in two weeks time.

The Canada game should be a comfortable win. The last twenty should see Wales put them to bed and score tries for fun. Though you never know.
England look to rebuild with Care and Cipriani showing the way. Ironic to see England with a pair of dynamic and skillful half backs.
I'm also interested to see how many current favourite player Tommy Bowe fares on the wing for Ireland. He's playing well for the Ospreys and needs to shine for Ireland to put his hand up for Lions selection.
At the end of New Zealand's Autmun tour of Europe they play Munster. This looks a very tasty clash. I've got a sneaky feeling that the Men of Munster can beat the All Blacks. I'm really looking forward to that game.

Ospreys 37-22 Worcester. 26 Oct. 2008

2008-11-06T08:21:00.000-08:00

The Ospreys dominated the game and had alot of control. Jamie Nutbrown was back from injury to provide more experience at scrum half. Despite the majority of possession the Ospreys still look sluggish with the ball in hand. Shane Williams treated us to one truly fizzing run that nearly led to a try. Gavin Henson had a good game and showed his true class with a wonderful sidestep that left the full back Chris Latham on his arse and proceeded to dash over the line for a great individual try. Worcester hung on and contributed to the scoring and never looked like winning. It was all about getting four tries and the bonus point. The Ospreys left it to the last play of the game and Ulster legend Tommy Bowe finished off well after some constant pressure. What a signing Bowe is turning out to be.
My man of the match: Bowe.

Scarlets 27-10 Bristol. 24 Oct. 2008

2008-11-05T11:24:00.000-08:00

The last ever game at Stradey Park was an EDF group match. The Scarlets enjoyed a comfortable victory on an emotional evening. Regan King created the first try for Morgan Stoddart. The Scarlets full back was looking sharp. He should have scored another try but started celebrating too early on a run in and the cover tackler got to him.
The last ever try at Stradey was ironically scored by Scarlets' wing Rob Higgit, an ex-Bristol player. A sad night for Welsh rugby. And to think I've never been to Stradey Park. I must go to the new stadium some time.
My man of the match: Mark Jones. A busy performance and some fine runs.

Tommy Bowe to the rescue ...

2008-11-02T11:47:00.000-08:00

What would have the Ospreys done without Bowe this season? Initially bought from Ulster to strengthen the wing department he's had to provide cover and play at 13 for most of the season. In today's game at London Irish he played the second half at full back when Vaughton went off. He slotted easily into the position and his defensive work helped the Ospreys through. Bowe is fast becoming an essential player to the Osprey's squad. His place in the Ireland team on the wing looks pretty safe, and with a tidy 6 Nations he should secure a place in the initial Lions draft of 50 - 60 players. His play so far this season for the Osprey's has shown his versatility and superb skill set. This for me gives him the clear edge over other players such as Sean Lamont.

One man does not make a team but if the Osprey's lost Bowe their back line would be a poorer unit. I'm already predicting that he will walk off with the Osprey's Fans' player of the season award.

---

Originally posted at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/606/A43051015

Blues 37-24 Gloucester. 19 Oct. 2008

2008-11-02T04:24:00.000-08:00

27,000 people turned up at the Millenium Stadium and were treated to an entertaining game. The first half saw 5 tries. The Blues were in impressive attacking form. Andy Powell was in fine form and doing everything a coach could ask of a no.8. He was winning ball at the line-up, getting go forward off the base of the scrum, running supporting lines and putting in hard tackles. At half time Jerry Guscott singled him out for praise. The try of the game started from a high kick from Gloucster. This was snapped up by Ben Blair and he executed a trade mark side step and went on a searing run through the centre of the field. He linked up well with Jamie Robinson who fed Alfie for an excellent try under the posts. One of the best Blues tries of the year. Half time 27-17.
Gloucester tried hard in the second half and the result was in doubt for quite a while but the Blues ran out deserved winners. A fine game of rugby.
My man of the match. Andy Powell. His first half performance was immense.

Ospreys 15-9 Perpignan. 18 Oct. 2008

2008-10-31T08:25:00.000-07:00

The Ospreys were involved in other tryless match, this time scrapping a win. James Hook was injured and Dan Biggar played. Biggar was quite impressive at 10 and controlled the game well for a young man. I acutally prefer him at 10 at the moment. James is having mixed season so far especially with his goal kicking. Lee Byrne and Tiatia played well. The Ospreys managed to control the game throughout but failed to score a try. The French time never really troubled the excellent homeside defence.
My man of the match: Byrne

Glasgow 16-22 Toulouse. 17 Oct. 2008

2008-10-31T08:24:00.000-07:00

The homeside put in a sterling effort in the first half and had a lot of possession. The Glasgow winger Tom Evans caught the eye. He was sharp and looks one to keep an eye on for the future. It was only after the break that the French side starting playing. Kelleher scored a good try and then super centre Jauzion went over after a neat kick through from the full back. Toulouse are always exciting to watch. They can run riot at any moment and score some magical team and indiviual tries. Glasgow can be pleased with a losing bonus point.
My man of the match: Jauzion.

Yet another Lions XV

2008-10-26T02:09:00.000-07:00

Now that the Gats and Stan have been confirmed on the Lions' coaching team it got me thinking about my starting XV for the first test. (again)

1. Gethin Jenkins
2. Jerry Flannery
3. Andrew Sheridan
4. Paul O'Connell
5. Alun Wyn-Jones
6. Ryan Jones
7. Martyn Williams
8. Denis Leamy
9. Mike Blair
10. Ronan O'Gara
11. Shane Williams
12. Gavin Henson
13. Brian O'Driscoll
14. Tommy Bowe
15. Lee Byrne

subs: Matt Stevens, Richard Hibbard, Donncha O'Callaghan , James Haskell, Mike Phillips, Danny Cipriani, Shane Horgan

I've gone for a quite a mobile pack. Most of the games will be played on dry fast pitches. Blair and O'Gara offer the best control at nine and ten. We await Phillips' return from injury but hopefully he can find a way into the starting 22. Henson is always a concern but if his form fades during the game BOD could move in to 12 with Bowe coming into 13, or Cipriani could come on with Ronan moving to 12.

I'm really undecided about captian. Can't split O'Connell and Ryan Jones at the moment.

---
Originally posted at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/606/A42646485

Leicester 12-6 Ospreys. 12 Oct. 2008

2008-10-24T09:49:00.000-07:00

A rare game without a try. Wellford Road has always been a tough place to get a result and in hindsight a bonus point for the Ospreys was very lucky indeed. Leicester were by far the better team and in the first half they created enough chances to score half a dozen tries. The final pass seemed to let the Tigers down. It was relentless one traffic in the first half and although no tries were scored Toby Flood managed to land four excellent penalities. Shane Williams responded with a cheeky drop kick on half time and the teams went in 12 - 3. The Ospreys improved in the second half but Hook was having an off day with his place kicking. Leicester were still held at bay by a determined Ospreys defence and they didn't score a point in the second half.
The moment of the match was when Tommy Bowe chipped over the advancing defensive line and hacked on towards the posts. It was a mad dash to ground the ball and would have been a rousing finish to the game but Geordan Murphy managed to scramble back to put pressure on Bowe, and he knocked on. At the final whistle Leicester seemed very pleased to have won. In reality they should have been 20 points clear.

My man of the match: Toby Flood. Solid first half performance.

Scarlets 22-29 Harlequins. 11 Oct. 2008

2008-10-21T04:49:00.000-07:00

The Scarlets opened the game with some free flowing rugby and scored two early tries. Morgan Stoddart was in very good attacking form. The home side played a fast game and created alot of opportunities and it was only Quins' last ditch defence that prevented more tries. The turning point of the game came late in the first half. Darren Daniel was speeding away on the wing and look set to score a good try but Mike Brown the Quins fullback produced an excellent cover tackle. This was just before half time and going in to the break the score was 19 - 3.
The second half saw a remarkable improvement from the visiting team. Led by the pack and the always busy scrum half Danny Care, Quins bounced back to score tries and take the lead. As the game wore on they never looked like losing. It was a great Quins' comeback but a worrying drop off in form for the Scarlets.

My man of the match: Danny Care.

Calvisano 20-56 Cardiff Blues. 11 Oct. 2008

2008-10-17T11:22:00.000-07:00

The Italians can be quite tricky teams to play. Especially the club sides as they wear rugby kits crammed with sponsors logo. It's quite ridiculous the number of logos on the kit. Even the shorts aren't spared. Calvisano's kit certainly played havoc with the Blues in the first half. They recieved to yellow cards. Come the second half the Blues had settled and they were scoring much too easily. It was always going to be a win for Cardiff and the game was quite boring to watch.

My man of the match: Andy Powell. His performances so far this season should see him into Wales' Autumn tests' squad.

Munster 19-17 Montauban. 10 Oct. 2008

2008-10-15T04:50:00.000-07:00

Defending champions played host to a French side making their first appearance in the Heineken Cup. On paper it looked like an easy win for the Irish team. The reality was a whole lot different. Munster tried to play a fast off-loading game but their execution was lacking. They missed a few opportunites for tries in the first half. The French team's dogged defence was admirable and they hung on till the last part of the first half when Munster eventually scored a try.
After the half time break things got better for Montauban when they crossed the white wash. Strong defence from the French saw the ball come off a defending player's head and the winger chased on to put the visitors ahead. The game looked to be going Montauban's way when they were awarded a penality with five minutes to go. The kicked was slotted and they led 16 - 17. This was short lived as after the kick off Munster forced a penalty and O'Gara kicked the winning points. A bit hard on Montauban. It would have been a great victory for the underdog.

My man of the match: Scrum half Mitu. Ran the show for Montauban in the second half.

Ospreys 24-23 Harlequins. 5 Oct. 2008

2008-10-14T04:22:00.000-07:00

A second string Quins team turned up to face a strong Ospreys team. It was another classic game of two halves. In the first half the home side were totally dominant although they failed to capitalise on their possession. They managed to score an exellent try after Alun Wyn-Jones hit a brilliant angle for a run. He passed on to Henson who fed Shane Williams to dot the try down.
The game was set-up for the Ospreys to run away with it in the second half but Quins scrum half Gomarsall had other ideas. He played a stormer in the second half urging his forwards on and gaining terrority with some probing kicks. Quins pulled back two tries from De Wet Barry and Fuga and made the Ospreys look a shadow of the team from the first half.
The game looked over but the last play of the game saw Bowe score a try in the corner and Hook kicked a difficult conversion. A real escape for the Welsh side.

My man of the match: Gomarsall.

Dragons 25-14 Newcastle. 3 Oct 2008

2008-10-08T04:42:00.000-07:00

First round EDF Cup group game. Both teams put up weakened sides. They were essentially b sides. The Dragons opened the scoring from a Marc Stcherbina try after a chase from a kick up field. Newcastle came back into the game and Ringer recieved a yellow card for aggressive rucking. Jamie Ringer does tend to play right on the edge and he's usually a good bet to get a yellow card. The Falcons managed to get a penalty try for a collapsed scrum from the Dragons.
In the second half player coach Colin Charvis came on to provide fresh legs. He was dynamic in the loose and created the turning point of the match. Going into a ruck he secured turnover ball and proceeded to dash out and flick on a pass to the the supporting winger Tom Isaacs. He showed a quick turn of acceleration and darted over the line.
The Dragons added one more try through Tovey and the win was settled.

My man of the match: Colin Charvis. Great flanker play.

Worcester 23-30 Harlequins. 2 Oct 2008

2008-10-03T04:28:00.000-07:00

A Thursday night Guinness Premiership game at Sixways. The commentators informed us that the new £8 million pound stand was being used for the first time this season. That's a lot of money for one side of a stadium. Worcester must have some big investors. The game started at a frenetic pace and Worcester opened the scoring with a neat drop kick from Matthew Jones after some exciting counter attacking. This seemed to spark Harlequins into life and in a breathless five minutes they scored 3 tries. Worcester couldn't cope with the quick ruck ball Quins were generating. The visitors ran amok with Danny Care feeding the sharp back line and strong support on hand to finish off the moves. The game was only 12 minutes gone and Quins were up 17 - 3. The homeside eventually managed to steady the ship and scored a well worked try from the base of the scrum. Quins then hit back with a classic turnover try from their own half. The ball was passed out to the centre and a long kick was put in for the winger Monye to chase. Latham made a valiant effort to cut the try off but Monye had too much pace and control and managed to touch down for an excellent try. Half time score 13 - 27.

The homeside made a good effort to come back into the game the second half with an early try. There was plenty of endeavour from both sides but no more tries were scored. Chris Malone missed a few kicks and in the last ten minutes Worcester earned a penalty that secured a losing bonus point. This was nothing more than the home side deserved. An enjoyable game throughout.

My man of the match: Ugo Monye

Ospreys 43-0 Ulster. 27 Sept 2008

2008-10-03T04:26:00.000-07:00

The Ospreys shuffled their backline for this home tie against the league's bottom team. Dan Biggar came into the ten shirt and Hook and Tommy Bowe played in the centre. An interesting move. Personally I would always play Bowe on the wing. He's an out-and-out winger and has an excellent skill set. Shane Williams played and Marty Hollah started for the first time this season. The home side were competent and wore down the girtty Ulster defenece. Lee Byrne was solid as usual at fullback and if he has a good 6 Nations tournament must surely be worthy of place in the Lions squad. In the second half the game went off the boil a bit. Gavin Henson returned from a few months out with injury though the ball never seem to find him and it was difficult to assess his form. A comfortable win for the Ospreys.

My man of the match: Lee Byrne

Blues 58-0 Connacht. 26 Sept 2008

2008-09-29T04:20:00.000-07:00

The Blues went into this game on the back of an excellent away performance at Munster. I expected the home side to win, it was just a question of whether they could score four tries to get the bonus point. The first half turned out to be one of the most one-sided games I've seen for a long time. From the moment Jamie Roberts crossed for the first try the Blues never looked like losing. Connacht were awful and the homeside played well to create a number of good tries through the backs and forwards. It got even worse for Connacht with ten minutes to go before half time when they were reduced to 14 men thanks to a sin-binning. The Blues ran roit before half time and managed to score seven tries in total in the the first half. It was actually a bit boring when the Blues ran in their seventh try.
In the second half things changed abit. The domination of possession was still with the home side but they only managed to score two tries. Connacht found the resolve to defend though failed to score themselves. A comprehensive victory. Enjoyable in parts but too one-sided for me.

My man of the match: Jamie Roberts.

Help for Heroes 29-10 International Select XV. 20 Sept 2008

2008-09-23T04:33:00.001-07:00

Twickenham played host to the Help for Heroes charity rugby match hoping to raise £1 million for our injured Forces servicemen and women. The teams were a mixture of past legends, rising stars and current forces players. The game was quite enjoyable to watch though the second half was spoilt a bit by the constant changes of the players from the bench. Will Greenwood had a good game and was the stand-out player scoring a try and marshalling the Help for Heroes backline.
My man of the match: All the players.

Leinster 19-13 Ospreys. 19 Sept. 2008

2008-09-22T10:36:00.000-07:00

At contest between the current Magners League champions and the Anglo-Welsh Cup champions. Two very good team line-ups and good playing conditions. The Leinster blackline looked very impressive on paper but sadly the Ospreys were missing Phillips, Henson and Shane (rested). I was expecting Leinster to win. The Ospreys were dominant in the first half and their scrum went really well. Sadly they were lacking the finishing power and failed to score a try. It was the home side that showed the way with brilliant interplay between Contepomi and Fitzgerald that enabled the winger to score the first try of the game.
The second half saw Leinster up their game and produce some well executed moves. They cashed in on some penalities and two drop kicks. The Ospreys huffed and puffed but their play lacked the precision of Leinster's and deep in injury time it looked like they were going home empty handed. All was not lost though and Nikki Walker set off on a run from his own half and proceeded to out sprint the defence. It was a quality peice of wing play and an excellent try. James Hook converted the difficult conversion and the Welsh side had a bonus point to show for their sprited peformance.
My man of the match: Contepomi. Doc Con as I like to call him.

Australia 24-28 New Zealand. 13 Sept 2008.

2008-09-18T10:04:00.000-07:00

The Tri-Nations this year came down to a winner takes all game. Technically New Zealand could draw the game and still will the Tri-Nations though I doubt they thought much about that. Australia's last game was a massive defeat to South Africa away from home. I was not expecting a close game. I was glad to be proved wrong. It was an excellent game that first saw New Zealand take the lead. The game was really open despite the high stakes involved. The All Blacks were dominant in the first thirty with their defence proving especially strong. Australia picked it up at the end of the first half and managed to score a try to lead at half time. In the second half the home team scored early to take a surprise 17 -7 lead with the last quarter of the game to go. The key score looked like it might be the next one. Within ten minutes New Zealand scored a break away try from the half way line. Conrad Smith lost his man and passed out to Tony Woodcock (the prop) on the wing. He show a fine turn of pace to beat the covering defenders. This was a crucial score and Carter made light work of a difficult conversion. A contrast to the All Blacks ten, Gitteau missed a few kicks at goal. This would prove to be the difference between the two teams at the end.
Dan Carter put the icing on a great personal display when he score a try himself after good pressure from New Zealand. A late comeback from Australia proved to be in vain and New Zealand deserved their win and triumph in claiming the Tri-Nations again. It was an excellent match. A great advert for rugby union as they say.

Man of the match: Dan Carter. Well taken try. Exceptional place kicking.

Blues 16-15 Ulster. 12 Sept 2008

2008-09-17T04:20:00.000-07:00

The Blues were made to work hard for their first victory of the season. Ulster put up a dogged fight, lacking in creativity but full of pride. There was a worrying moment when Martyn Williams went off with an injury. Wales cannot afford to lose him yet, there doesn't seem to be an obvious replacement for him at open-side.
Blues wing Halfpenny finished off a neat move in the Ulster 22 and the game looked to be heading Cardiff's way. Ulster then fought back through a Boss try. The Blues had to settle for a one point victory through a late Blair penalty. On this form the Blues won't make any dent in the Magners League this year.
My man of the match: Maama Molitiki

Dragons 25-27 Scarlets. 10 Sept 2008

2008-09-12T04:38:00.000-07:00

This was your classic game of two halves. The home side were totally dominant in the first half scoring three tries. The Dragons were impressive in defense and created alot of pressure when the Scarlets had the ball. By half time it was 25-6 and I thought the game was pretty much over. How wrong I was. If any team can lose a good lead it's the Dragons and in the second half they went totally to sleep. All of the dynamism of the first half performance disappeared and the Scarlets were the team with all the possession.
The moment of the match came from Scarlets right wing Darren Daniel. He received the ball out wide and skinned his opposite number and proceeded to turn inside the covering fullback. This was all done with a tidy turn of pace and he looked to be in for a great try under the posts when Marc Strchbina brilliantly tap tackled him to end the run.
In the post-match interview Dragons coach Paul Turner summed it up very well - "It's difficult to do this interview. I'm quite numb at the moment". With that he walked off to ponder how his team had thrown the game away.

Man of the match: Marc Strchbina

Ospreys 32-10 Blues. 9 Sept 2008

2008-09-11T11:59:00.001-07:00

The Ospreys lost Justin Marshall and their coach Lyn Jones during the off-season. New arrival Tommy Bowe from Ulster looks to be a shrewd signing giving the stellar back-line even more strength in depth. It didn't take long for the home side to find their form. After three minutes the ball found its way to Lee Byrne on the right wing inside the Blues' 22. Byrne deftly handed off to Shane Williams who coasted in for a simple run-in by his standards. Who else could score the first home try of the season. Shane has had an incredible year and I never tire of watching the mercurial little winger. Though after his try he had a quiet game even managed a few dropped catches under the high ball. Despite the Ospreys dominance in the first half it was only 5 - 3 at half time. The real fireworks did eventually come in the second half. Lee Byrne had a good run from inside his own half to set-up James Hook on a sublime support line to score under the post. Tommy Bowe opened his Ospreys try account with a clever bit of wing play, running onto a kick from Hook he deftly kick ahead himself and got a kind bounce for an easy run in. Nikki Walker came on in the second half for Andrew Bishop. This meant the Ospreys were playing with three international wingers from three different countries. Not bad. The home side were not even at full strength, players such as Henson, Phillips and Jonathan Thomas were absent, but still they made the Blues look very ordinary. A quality second half performace from the Ospreys and a good game to boot.

My man of the match: Lee Byrne

Northampton 21-13 Worcester. 7 Sept 2008

2008-09-11T01:29:00.000-07:00

Northampton Saints returned to the Premiership after a season in Division One. They have made a number of good forward signings, lock Fernando Lobbe and three Ulster men, Paul Shields, Neil Best and Roger Wilson. Neil Best is a great signing for me. He's a real dog of a blindside. A hard working, no nonsense player. Destructive going forward and a beast in defense. On top form Best is a real animal, someone who you'd rather play with than against.

The first half was fairly scrappy though Carlos Spencer did his best to liven up the game with some crafty play. In the second half Northampton found more control and put together some good passages of play. The move of the game came from a clean line-out take from Best on the half way line. The ball was driven up the the backs and forwards for half a dozen phases to finally create an overlap for the centre Clarke to score on the right. An excellent team try. Worcester scored a consolation try late on to round off a fairly entertaining game.
My man of the match: Neil Best.

Blues 16-16 Leinster. 6 Sept 2008

2008-09-11T01:26:00.000-07:00

The first thing noticeable about the Blues is the lack of new players. They’ve signed Ceri Sweeney from the Dragons and that's it. Hardly the most exciting player to bring in, though it does at least offer cover in the no.10 shirt for which they were lacking last season.
The Blues will look back on this game as one they should have won. They controlled most of the game and managed to play more free flowing rugby than Leinster. Jamie Roberts played at 12 for the Blues and he was effective on the crash ball. The experiment of playing him at inside centre should run for a few months at least.
Leinster never really looked like creating a try. They scored a lucky try in the second half when a high kick rebounded off a Blues wing to enable Leinster's full back an easy run in.

My man of the match: Andy Powell. Had an excellent game for the Blues at number 8. Covering for the injured Rush, he was energetic and helped the Blues establish a forward dominance.

Dragons 6-12 Glasgow. 5 Sept. 2008

2008-09-08T11:11:00.000-07:00

The first televised game of the Magners league season is played in monsoon conditions. The rain did not relent. Most unseasonal for early September. The Dragons were led by their new captain Tom Willis, a hooker from New Zealand. Their other main new signing was no.10 James Arlidge, another New Zealand player from the Japan leagues.
It was a very forgettable game. No tries were scored and it turned into a battle for territory through the fly-halves. The Glasgow ten Dan Parks began to dominate the tactical kicking in the second half. The game was effectively over when the Dragons full back Shaun Connor was sin-binned for a professional foul with twenty minutes to go. Fussell and Bearman had solid games for the home side.
My man of the match: Dan Parks

Domestic rugby ahoy!

2008-09-04T04:54:00.000-07:00

The domestic rugby season starts this weekend. Hasn't the summer gone quickly? When I say summer, in Britain it was just a few weeks in May. The kids had a very poor summer for their school holidays.

It's a Lions season this year and players will be busting a gut to try and get noticed for the squad selection. I expect to a see a great season of domestic rugby. It will be an interesting season for Wales' two big exports to the Guinness Premiership, Dwayne Peel and Michael Owen. Sale have snapped up the services of Dwayne and his increased exposure to an English audience will enhance his claims for Lions selection. If he has a good season I think he will be in with the mix for selection along with Mike Phillips, Mike Blair, Danny Care and Harry Elllis.

Michael Owen's move to Saracens was a surprise when it was announced last year. As a former Newport Dragons player Michael has been one of my favourite Welsh players for many years. For a forward he has great handling abilities and is a prominent player when the game is open and loose. His biggest failing, and it's a very big failing for a forward, is that he is too soft. He's one of the least aggressive forwards I've ever seen. For a man of size, approx 6ft 4ins, he's way too soft. He doesn't hit rucks and mauls with enough power and when carrying the ball he's not dynamic enough. Compare him with someone like James Haskell of Wasps and you can see the difference.

The Guinness Premeirship is more brutal than the Magners league and it will be interesting to see how Michael copes with the increased intensity. I've noticed Saracens have given him his debut this Saturday at number 8. I would have used him as a lock.
Good luck Dwayne and Michael.

New Zealand v Australia. 2nd August 2008

2008-08-07T13:34:00.000-07:00

Richie McCaw comes back to Captain the team to a winning return to form. The All Blacks were dominant in all areas of the game. They were particularly impressive in the line-out. My man Kaino had a good defensive game, managing to nick a few on the opposition throw. He was playing at 6 as Rodney had reverted back to 8. Kaino had a solid game and even stayed on till the 75th minute. Has defensive work was very good but I'm sure Henry would like to see more runs and attacking play from him.
Tony Woodcock grabbed a brace for New Zealand and Ma Nonu also scored two. His last try was a controversial last minute score to ensure a bonus point for the fourth try.
Australia couldn't match the All Blacks at all. They struggled with New Zealand's well executed kicking game. Carter was excellent as ever. What a player!
Final Score. New Zealand 39 Australia 10

My man of the match: Ali Williams. A commanding line out performance and prominent in the loose.

Australia v South Africa. 19 July 2008

2008-07-24T11:03:00.000-07:00

The Wallabies fought hard to earn a good win against a slightly tired looking Boks side. After two tough games in New Zealand, the Boks travelled to Perth to face a youthful Australia side.
The men in gold matched the Boks up front and George Smith and Rocky Elsom were doing a good job in the back row. I was impressed with the defensive work rate of Burger. Surely he has to be the best defensive back-rower in World rugby. A class act and a big loss when he went off in the second half.
The first try of the game came from excellent set play from the Wallabies. Loti Tuqiri rounding off the move on the wing.
South Africa huffed and puffed but failed to create any try scoring chances. Australia were excellent in defence and early in the second half Sterling Mortlock crossed over to extend their lead.
There was great cameo late on from replacement Boks prop Tendai Mtawarira, AKA 'The Beast'. What a cool nickname.
Berwick Barnes added a drop goal in the last 10 minutes to seal the win.
Final score: 16 - 9

My man of the match: Wyclef Palu. Gave the Wallabies go forward ball all game.

New Zealand v South Africa. 12 July 2008

2008-07-18T05:41:00.000-07:00

The Boks bounced back to claim a thrilling win in the last 5 minutes. It was a close fought encountered play at the highest level. In this form both of these teams would have blown away any other team in the world.

Things started well for the All Blacks. They picked up where they left off last week and seemed to be in control. The turning point of the match came when Ali Williams, the New Zealand went off the field with an injury. This was crucial, as Brad Thorn was serving a ban from last weeks game. It left New Zealand with two rookie locks (2 caps between) against the Boks Matfield and Botha (over 100 caps). South Africa soon started to dominate the tight phases and their forwards were giving the All Blacks a hard time. It was only thanks to the brilliance of Carter and his fellow backs that the game was so tight.

Going into the last ten minutes either side could have won. Carter produced a drop-kick that looked to have won it for his side. Then the moment of the match, the Boks scrum-half Ricky Januarie burst through from the base of a ruck, started off on a searing run and chiiped over the last line of defence, and gathered to score for a great solo try. Steyn kicked the conversion and South Africa won. Test Match rugby at its Best. Final Score: New Zealand 28-30 South Africa
My Man of the Match: Ricky Januarie

New Zealand v South Africa. 5th July 2008

2008-07-05T08:31:00.000-07:00

Tri-Nations 1st match. Live on Sky Sports 8.30am

I crawled out of bed to watch an eagerly anitcipated clash. Could the current World Champions win in New Zealand for the first time in 10 years?
The All Blacks hit the game running and dominated the first twenty minutes. On a wet night Carter controlled things as usual. The Boks found some form eventually and the ball found it's way out to Habana who sprinted in for a try on the wide-out. 9-8 to the Blacks at half time.

After the break the All Blacks found a new gear. Carter was forcing the Boks back with some searing kicks. Constant pressure in the Springbok 22 resulted in a try for number 8 Jerome Kaino. His first International try. I was pleased for him. He's been a favourite player of mine since I first saw him in 2005 on the Lions Tour. Hopefully he'll get a good run in the team. He was unlucky ten minutes later not to score a second try. He ran onto a Carter kick and touched down over the line. A ridiculous decision by the linesman adjudged Kaino to be offside from the kick.

The Boks failed to score in the second half and New Zealand ran out worthy winners. Final score 19-8. This was all without the supreme talents of Riche McCaw who was sidelined with injury. Rodney So'oialo did a solid job as his stand-in at 7 and captain.
My man-of-the-match: Dan Carter

---

Jerome Kaino - Greatness awaits? http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/606/A37353846

Thoughts before the Ireland v Wales 6 Nations match

2008-06-15T12:08:00.000-07:00

Can Wales win the Grand Slam?
This question was asked on Lycos IQ on 28.02.08.

My reply:

Yes then can. They are the only team this year that can still win the Grand Slam. Whether they achieve this is less certain.
Firstly they miss go to Croke Park in Dublin to play a resurgent Ireland team. Their last game against Scotland was impressive although Scotland have been very disapointing this year. Wales have a poor recent history in Dublin although this is the first game away from the home of Irish rugby Lansdown Road. Pundits point towards the Irish prop John Hayes as being the weak link. If Wales can keep him busy and disrupt his scrum and line-out work they will go a long way to winning the battle up front.
The prospect of the Irish backs against the in-form back division of Wales is mouth watering. The key man for Ireland in the backs is Ronan O'Gara. If he plays well Ireland play well. Expect Martin Williams and Gavin Henson to run into him all day.
Wales have had two comfortable home wins against Scotland and Italy. The real test is for them to take their home confidence to Dublin and perform the same. I'm expecting a very close game. The deciding factor may turn out to be the weather. If its raining I expect O'Gara to run the show and close the game down with the Irish pack keeping it tight. There is no better fly-half in the World than Ronan at playing in wet weather.

If Wales can come away from Ireland with a Win, and the Triple Crown, then the momentum should hopefully see them beat France. Though the trouble with our French cousins is that they always have the potential to produce incredible rugby. Just think back to the World Cup when they beat the All Blacks.

Even if they win the Grand Slam it doesn't necessarily mean a return to long-term Glory. The Grand Slam of 2005 was followed by 2 very lean years. We shall have to wait and see how Gatland develops Wales over the next few years. The next World Cup must be Wales aim. Picking up some more Grand Slams and Championships on the way would be very nice though.

---

http://iq.lycos.co.uk/qa/show/60722/Can+Wales+win+the+Grand+Slam%3F/?#a187929

Cymru Am Beth

2008-06-15T06:16:00.000-07:00