Last chance for Premiership playoff places
In a way it’s a shame that Gloucester and Bath are already guaranteed a semi-final berth - their showdown this weekend would have taken on much more importance.
As it is, Wasps and Sale have it all to play for, the former taking on lowly Leeds and almost assured of a place, the latter taking on London Irish at Edgeley Park.
Harlequins and Leicester are the only other teams with an outside chance of climbing into the last four - they play each other on Saturday and will need other results to go their way.
Leicester’s defeat to Newcastle, and then Wasps bonus point victory over the same team has slightly taken the sting out of the tail of the playoff race. Gloucester, Bath, Wasps and Sale should make it, and set up a fascinating knockout finale.
The final is on 31st May at Twickenham - end of season specialists Wasps, and consistently strong Gloucester are currently joint favourites (9/4 with Paddy Power).
Guinness Premiership review
Last weekend in the Guinness Premiership saw the top two, Gloucester and Bath, open up some breathing space as two other big guns, Leicester and Wasps, faltered.
On Saturday, a Bath team in fantastic form met a Saracens team deflated and depleted from the previous week’s Heineken cup exploits and the result was never in doubt. Bath ran in nine tries with Barkley scoring 31 points, Bath running out winners by 66 – 21. The manner in which Bath played, rather than the big result will be of great concern to their title rivals but it is yet to be seen whether this crop of players have the “big game mentality” required to win a Premiership final.
In the only match with nothing in particular riding on it Worcester beat Bristol 22 – 21 at what will be the last match for Bristol at the Memorial Stadium for two years as they move to Rodney Gardens in Newport while their stadium is redeveloped.
One of the big benefits of a play-off structure with relegation is that almost every match has significance all the way until the end of the season. However it is strange that one of the clubs with seemingly little left to play for - Newcastle - managed to beat a team needing to fight for every point to qualify for the play-offs – Leicester.
Newcastle resisted a tough late fight back from the tigers to win 28-25 and severely impact on Leicester’s hopes of a playoff place. This will also be further ammunition for any anti-Loffreda elements within and outside the Leicester camp with rumours that a certain Mr White might be keen on a job in the midlands.
Also on Saturday Sale took a big stride towards a playoff berth by defeating Harlequins 23 – 16 at the Stoop. Sale are now third and you would back them to beat London Irish at home to secure a play off place whereas Harlequins must now defeat Leicester at Welford Road to stand a chance of making the Twickenham final.
Gloucester defeated an uncharacteristically sloppy Wasps at Adams Park 25 – 17 to put themselves in a great position for a home semi final in the playoffs. They now just need a bonus point from their match against Bath on Saturday to guarantee a home tie. Wasps on the other hand need to refocus and find the necessary determination to win their remaining two matches, against Newcastle tomorrow and Leeds on Saturday to get themselves back on track.
Just in case anyone should forget about the rugby London Irish are capable of, they scored seven tries to defeat Leeds 43 – 20. There was no Heineken hangover for the Exiles as they walked over the already-relegated northerners.
After Wednesday’s match between Wasps and Newcastle it will be clear what each of Sale, Harlequins, Wasps and Leicester need to do to earn the final two playoff places. I am very excited, I hope you all are too.
By Jon Hobbs
ELVs to be trialled next season
The IRB has inflicted these ‘essential’ changes on Northern Hemisphere rugby, from club level through to international. The changes below have been copied from the BBC, since I thought people might have a few things to say about them.
Changes to be trialled worldwide include:
- Players can defend a maul by pulling it down.
- Introduction of an offside line five metres behind the hindmost feet of the scrum.
- No restriction on the number of players who can participate in the lineout from either side (minimum of two).
- The receiver in a lineout must stand two metres back from the lineout.
- Flags are no longer considered to be in touch in-goal except when a ball is grounded against the post.
Further ELVs to be trialled in an elite northern hemisphere competition, expected to be the European Challenge Cup, include:
- For all offences other than offside, not entering through the gate, and Law 10 - Foul Play, the sanction is a free kick.
- If the ball is unplayable at the breakdown, the side that did not take the ball into contact will receive a free kick.
- If a maul becomes unplayable, the team not in possession at the start of the maul receives a free kick.
Introducing Our Rugby Club
Our Rugby Club is giving rugby fans the chance to help a small or medium-sized rugby club climb through the leagues by offering collective financial assistance.
By bringing together a community of like-minded rugby supporters and by pooling our financial resources, Our Rugby Club will make a significant investment to a club which can then purchase state of the art training equipment, attract new players and coaches and provide everything required to transform the club and move up through the leagues.
Our Rugby Club members will pay an annual subscription of £30, every penny of which will be invested in the partner club. With a target number of 10,000 members, Our Rugby Club will be able to offer £300,000 per year.
The venture will not only bring this direct investment, but significant media coverage will result in increased match attendance and opportunities to increase ticket revenue, sponsorship and merchandising.
In return, members will be offered a number of benefits which will be agreed with the partner club. These could include discounted match tickets, opportunities to meet players and coaches, competitions to win International tickets and maybe even the opportunity to participate in a trial match for the club. These will be supplemented by online forums where club members can share views on performance, selection, tactics and other club matters.
The exact nature of our potential relationship will need to be fully discussed and agreed in consultation with the chosen club. The aim is to invest in a club and make it successful both on and off the pitch. Our Rugby Club is run by genuine rugby fans and will not be buying a stake in the partner club - the aim is to make a real success out of an existing club by investing our members’ money and generating additional opportunities for the club to develop.
A number of clubs have already expressed interested in developing a relationship, and members are starting to register their interest in becoming a member. Please visit www.ourrugbyclub.com for more information.
Have your say on the ELVs
There have been several threads about the ELVs on here recently, with some strong feelings among rugby supporters.
The RFU have obviously been reading the comments from Spike, Rob Watson et al and are inviting the rugby public to share their opinions on the proposed law changes.
The web address is below, and without wanting to sway you in your opinion, make sure you follow the link and tell the powers that be not to meddle with our brilliant game!
Feel free to post your arguments here as well, so that people can make an informed decision.
Munster and Toulouse book their place in Heineken Cup final
Munster edged past Saracens to join Toulouse in the Heineken Cup final, who had beaten London Irish on Saturday.
Both games were gripping to watch, and could have gone either way, but the prospect of Munster against Toulouse is what all the neutrals were hoping for.
We’ll have full reaction later in the week, but for now, let us know where you think the games were won and lost? Did the English sides deserve to go out?
Heineken Cup Semi-final preview
It’s one of the biggest weekends in domestic rugby with just four teams remaining in the Heineken Cup, battling it out for a coveted place in the final.
Few would have bet against Munster and Toulouse being there or thereabouts at this stage, but very few would have backed Saracens and London Irish to be making up the quartet.
These two teams have been the ’story’ of the competition, with consistent but fairly indifferent form in the Guinness Premiership, yet stepping up their performance on Cup weekends. Saracens’ win over the Ospreys was the highlight of the competition for me, and seeing Richard Hill at the top of his game was priceless.
Hill will need another heroic performance to overcome Munster on Sunday. The Irish side come into their own in the European competition, and although the national team has been misfiring of late, Munster’s victory over Leicester was anything but unconvincing.
Munster are experts at controlling a game from start to finish, imposing their style of play on the match and not letting the other side get a sniff of dominance. It should be a fine fixture, and although Sarries can’t be written off, I’m backing Munster to reach the final.
London Irish also face a fearsome task as they entertain Toulouse at Twickenham. The French will play at a lightning fast pace, looking to set free their exciting back line. The Exiles will want to exert their control on the game, and are likely to opt for a tighter game.
The set-piece should be crucial, and if Paice and Kennedy are on song in the lineout, Geraghty and Hewat can look to play a territorial game, picking up points when they can. Unfortunately for them, Ellisalde’s side have the ability to strike from wherever they are on the pitch, and I expect them to be too much for London Irish.
How do you see the games unfolding this weekend? Will there be an English side in the final?
Super 14 Round 11
There were a couple of unexpected results last week, with the Crusaders and the Sharks both losing their first games of the season, and the race for the semi-final places is definitely on.
There are still eight teams in with a chance of reaching the knockout stages, and the Stormers and the Chiefs seem to be the fastest movers up the ‘log’. The Waratahs are still in the top four thanks to consistently strong performances, whilst the Hurricanes have slipped after their defeat to the Stormers last week.
The match of the round looks to be the Waratahs v the Sharks, with the South Africans hoping to get back to winning ways sooner rather than later.
Here are my predictions for this week’s matches:
Crusaders v Blues: Crusaders by 14
Brumbies v Lions: Brumbies by 24
Chiefs v Reds: Chiefs by 15
Waratahs v Sharks: Waratahs by 7
Cheetahs v Hurricanes: Hurricanes by 14
Stormers v Highlanders: Stormers by 12
Who do you think will make the semis? And while we’re on the subject of S14 rugby, what do people think of the ELVs now?
Premiership playoff race hots up - Guinness Premiership report
After a jam-packed fixture schedule last week, the top 6 clubs are still all in contention for the precious four play-off places with (in most cases) two matches to go. The relegation of Leeds, which has seemed inevitable for a while, was also confirmed.
Last Tuesday, four of the “big six” were in action with Bath and Wasps stealing a march on Leicester and Sale respectively. Leicester did however take a depleted team to The Rec to lose 26 – 12 whereas Sale gave it all they had against Wasps at Adams Park and were better value than the 29 – 19 score line suggested.
On Saturday, Harlequins lost ground on the other contenders by going down 13 – 6 away to London Irish. Irish dominated possession and territory and thoroughly deserved their win but Harlequins defended heroically for large periods of the game and were great value for their losing bonus point. Ugo Monye, fulfilling a role at outside centre was particularly forceful with his tackling.
Comfortable wins for Leicester and Gloucester, against Bristol and Leeds respectively helped their playoff aspirations whilst Bath sneaked through against Worcester to remain in with a chance of a home semi final.
On Sunday Wasps and Sale kept up their charge with victories over Saracens and Newcastle. Sale racked up 53 points against a woeful Newcastle side who managed just one try and 10 points in total. Wasps managed a first half bonus point and resisted a late Sarries fight back to take that match 40 – 29, away from home.
All eyes are on European competition this weekend but now there is a clear path to glory at the end of the domestic season, which team is your money on?
The remaining fixtures for the top six are as follows:
Gloucester: Wasps (a); Bath (h)
Bath: Saracens (h); Gloucester (a)
Wasps: Gloucester (h); Newcastle (a); Leeds (h)
Harlequins: Sale (h); Leicester (a)
Sale: Harlequins (a); London Irish (h)
Leicester: Newcastle (a); Harlequins (h)
From Zero to Hero - Mrs Jonny’s Diary
A couple of weeks after my slightly overwhelming, and let’s face it, pretty ineffective debut, I moved onto match number two - another friendly against a ‘beatable’ team. Whereas I spent my previous match like a rabbit in headlights, I had a lot more fun at this one and spent the whole time charging up and down the pitch and shouting at anyone who would listen. And as I found out afterwards, this is apparently what’s required of a back…
I was feeling pretty psyched up on arrival, and felt a pang of disappointment when I was told I would be on the bench - I’ve been training every week, learning the rules (as many of them that are fathomable, anyway) and know I’m fitter and faster than some of the other backs who were in the starting line-up. It was my first lesson, I guess, in having to prove myself, however small the stakes, against girls who have been members for longer and feel they deserve a place on the team. Infuriating, but such are the foibles of amateur sport, I suppose.
Anyway, as it turns out, I was on the pitch from the start after all, after one of our team (a nurse!) pulled a calf-muscle two minutes before kick-off from not warming up properly. Our coach was furious, stomping around telling us all off for chatting and gossiping (well, duh - we are girls) when we should be concentrating on stretching, but I was too delighted to take much notice.
I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of the 80. I was playing at No. 11 and reckon it could really suit me - sprinting up and down the wing, creating space and only having to mark one tiny girl opposite me. Easy! I’m still really bad at tackling - too much of a scaredy-cat - but I reckon I can now handle being tackled. You just have to remember to let go of the ball when you hit the ground so that a beefcake doesn’t stamp on your face. And as I shimmied past one defender and dashed for the try line with a person hanging off each leg, I felt I’d really made some progress.
I didn’t actually score a try, of course - serendipity may have prevented me, thus far, from injury, but there’s only so much luck a girl can expect - but I did get stuck in at various critical moments and didn’t wuss out when it started raining (really heavily, dammit) at the start of the second half.
We ploughed on through the mud, like the gallant little soldiers that we are, but sadly a win proved elusive and a couple of late tries from the opposition sealed our sorry fate. The most frustrating thing about this was that it dawned on me what was going wrong but I didn’t feel I could do or say anything about it. Basically, for whatever reason, and despite a blinding first half for the forwards, we lost every single line out in the second half. Honestly, it was a total mess. And as our kicker kept booting it into touch, because neither she nor our No. 9 had cottoned onto this fatal error, we edged ever closer to defeat. So there I was, poised, ready to run and full of beans with nothing to do but stand there like a drowned rat and watch the opposition take possession over and over again.
With hindsight, of course - and this is where my inexperience betrays me - I should have spoken up. So perhaps, wise sage that I am, I shouldn’t get too big for my boots and expect too much too soon. Some of the backs may be slackers at training, but they would have had the guts to step in!
Still, it was a good team effort overall and for a novice like me, there were some rather splendid moments. And despite their inability to throw in a straight line when tired, our forwards are a pretty impressive bunch. Frankly, I’m glad I’m on the same team as them!
We retired to the clubhouse for food and drink - I can’t believe how tiring this match malarky is - and prizes were awarded to back- and forward-of-the-match on each team. And you’re not going to believe this, but I won back-of-the-match! No sh*t! Mrs Jonny won a prize for rugby! Being a total cynic, I reckon it says more about the standard of my team than my prowess on the pitch, but still… I was very chuffed.
My pride at this accolade turned to horror, however, as I was instructed to down yet another hideous pint of snakebite & black. Whilst standing on a chair. In front of both teams. I’m not a complete wall-flower or anything, but this was pretty scary stuff for me and not really the kind of thing one does anymore, being a respectable grown up and all. I managed about a third of it by the time the other winners had drunk theirs, before one of my team-mates, a flanker, stepped in to rescue me and quickly saw it away. As I was saying, you’ve gotta love those forwards!
So there we go… I am a fully fledged, decorated rugby gal. One more match of the season to go and I can’t wait…
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