Thursday 28 February 2013
The Future of Irish Rugby by Ciaran Burke
In a first for this blog, there is a new writer, Introducing Ciaran Burke who looks into the crystal ball for Irish rugby's future. Follow Ciaran on twitter
As the pain of defeat to Scotland wavers and our thoughts turn to Saturday week against France, we as rugby fans still have the lingering thoughts of the elephant in the room that is the Future.
As the pain of defeat to Scotland wavers and our thoughts turn to Saturday week against France, we as rugby fans still have the lingering thoughts of the elephant in the room that is the Future.
Two points in particular; A, The Kidney debate; and B, The future of this Irish team that in my opinion, has for a long time not realised its true potential.
Over the last few days, the kidney debate has brought up on various sites, blogs and twitter and I see it a knee jerk reaction, It’s rightly an issue that needs to be discussed in depth but the wisdom that by getting rid of Kidney will suddenly turn our fortunes around and everything will be rosey in the garden is foolhardy.
If the IRFU get rid of Kidney; who will replace him? The list of potential names mentioned where Conor O’Shea, Mike Ruddock and Joe Schmidt. All fantastic and respected rugby men, but as I put it they are either unavailable at this time or probably not interested for various reasons.
This team and extended squad, including injured guys, are a talented bunch individually but why can’t we get it together consistently? That is a question for the management and players. Injuries have played their part in our present slump and Ireland as a rugby country has a very small pool of players to pick from, and to have the spine of that team ripped out is bound to affect us and to think otherwise is silly. The Argentina and Wales games glossed over this, but gave us a chance to infuse some good young players into the cut and thrust of test rugby. Regardless of whether Deccie planned to do this or not; it is a positive to the development of a squad working to a World Cup.
Whether its Deccie or someone else who takes us forward I know there is a lot of thing to work with and work on heading into the future.
Over the last few days, the kidney debate has brought up on various sites, blogs and twitter and I see it a knee jerk reaction, It’s rightly an issue that needs to be discussed in depth but the wisdom that by getting rid of Kidney will suddenly turn our fortunes around and everything will be rosey in the garden is foolhardy.
If the IRFU get rid of Kidney; who will replace him? The list of potential names mentioned where Conor O’Shea, Mike Ruddock and Joe Schmidt. All fantastic and respected rugby men, but as I put it they are either unavailable at this time or probably not interested for various reasons.
My preference would be for Conor O’Shea take the job, but he is contractually tied to Harlequins until at least 2014. It must also be said that, realistically, would these guys want to take the job with such a short window of games and time to stamp their style and systems on the team with the World Cup fast approaching.
This is why I wouldn’t be surprised it the big-wigs at the IRFU decide its better the devil you know and offer a new contract to kidney until after the next World Cup, and have O’Shea lined up to take the reins if things go pear shaped .
Now back to the team; I was reading the independent supplement on Ireland’s best XV of last 50 years, and one thing that struck me was the fact that a lot of the guys picked won shag all in their playing time with Ireland, save for sporadic big moral boosting victories here and there.
Now I know it was different times for these guys, but the fact that most of us have lived through triple crowns, a Grand slam and multiple Heineken cups just shows how far we have come and to an extent how greedy we have become.
This is why I wouldn’t be surprised it the big-wigs at the IRFU decide its better the devil you know and offer a new contract to kidney until after the next World Cup, and have O’Shea lined up to take the reins if things go pear shaped .
Now back to the team; I was reading the independent supplement on Ireland’s best XV of last 50 years, and one thing that struck me was the fact that a lot of the guys picked won shag all in their playing time with Ireland, save for sporadic big moral boosting victories here and there.
Now I know it was different times for these guys, but the fact that most of us have lived through triple crowns, a Grand slam and multiple Heineken cups just shows how far we have come and to an extent how greedy we have become.
This team and extended squad, including injured guys, are a talented bunch individually but why can’t we get it together consistently? That is a question for the management and players. Injuries have played their part in our present slump and Ireland as a rugby country has a very small pool of players to pick from, and to have the spine of that team ripped out is bound to affect us and to think otherwise is silly. The Argentina and Wales games glossed over this, but gave us a chance to infuse some good young players into the cut and thrust of test rugby. Regardless of whether Deccie planned to do this or not; it is a positive to the development of a squad working to a World Cup. Whether its Deccie or someone else who takes us forward I know there is a lot of thing to work with and work on heading into the future.
Wednesday 27 February 2013
A Lack of Experience
As seen here
After that performance, the bandwagon for Deccie to leave has
gotten bigger and bigger. This isn't a post about whether he should stay or go,
but rather, what needs to be done between now and the World Cup. Whenever the
World Cup comes around, it's emphasised that the World Cup is the be all and
end all, and that teams should be focusing on it. I, for one, would love to see
Ireland finally do well at the World Cup. That Welsh game was the most
depressed I've been about sport in my life, and I'd rather not go through it
again.
Thus far under Kidney's reign, rightly or wrongly, there has
always been an emphasis on the next game. Best players out for winning as many
games as possible. This means that players who won't make the world cup are
collecting caps, while promising youngsters sit on the bench. This means that
when the pressure situation comes, the young players don't have enough
experience to know what to do.
Take a look at England. Stuart Lancaster decided last 6 Nations to
build a squad for 2015 World Cup. They have been blooding young talented
players that will play a huge part in their fortunes over the next few years.
Some have even begun to be mentioned as Lions candidates. People like Tom
Youngs, Joe Marler, Mako Vunipola, Joe Launchbury, Geoff Parling, Tom Johnson,
Chris Robshaw, Ben Morgan, Freddie Burns, Owen Farrell, Jonathan Joseph, Billy
Twelvetrees, Alex Goode and Brad Barritt have all either made their debut or
been brought into the squad and started featuring as a regular since Lancaster
took over.
Lancaster has managed to bring in these talents while making huge
strides and winning matches. That must be the goal for Kidney. Bringing in too
much too soon will be bad, but not bringing in enough is detrimental in the
long run. I firmly believe that most of Kidney's youthful introductions to the
side are forced on him through injury like Marshall and Jackson last weekend or
Zebo to fullback last November. If Kearney had been fit, or Sexton and D'Arcy
fit now, it wouldn't be unreasonable to suggest that all three talented
youngsters might still be waiting for their first caps.
This 6 Nations should be the perfect time to blood inexperience.
It's the first chance after the World Cup seeding is settled so there isn't as
much pressure. Especially now that the championship has gone for another year,
the time to give experience is now. The only way that Kidney can attempt to win
another contract is by doing some forward thinking and preparing this side for
the challenge in 2 years’ time.
There are a number of talented players on the cusp of the national
side that need exposure and will be needed in the next two years. Players like
Kilcoyne, Strauss, Sherry, Tuohy, Henderson, Ruddock, O'Donnell, Ryan, Marmion,
Paul Marshall, Madigan, Jackson, Luke Marshall, McSharry, Cave, O'Malley,
O'Hallorhan, Felix Jones and Henshaw are going to be in the top two or three in
their positions in two years and are ready to make the step up to
internationals now. Others like Paddy Butler, Jordi Murphy, Jared Payne and Ian
Keatley will be ready soon and need their chance too. While the tight head prop
situation needs someone to get some time, whether it's Fitzpatrick, Bent,
Archer, John Ryan or someone completely left field like Nathan White.
The overall focus has to be developing a squad of 30-40 quality
alternatives for the World Cup cycles. This means that quality youngsters have
to be given the chance to show what they can do. We've already seen the
uplifting impact they can have on the squad, so why not give those chances.
Kidney only blooded Marshall and Jackson because of injuries. And there are
many others that are worth having a look at.
Players aren't
trusted because they've no experience. Now is the time to give them some of
this experience. Whether Cian Healy or Jonathan Sexton are available for France
or not, neither should play. Kilcoyne and Jackson need another go. As does
Marshall, but I think he's earned it. Kidney needs to help Jackson out by
selecting McFadden on the wing in place of Earls, while letting Gilroy continue
his acclimatization to this level. Henderson needs to be thrown in at
the deep end, while Dan Tuohy and maybe Tommy O'Donnell should be on the bench
at least. I would also like to see Reddan replaced on the bench. Not because
he's not good enough, but when the world cup comes around he'll be 34, and
Marmion or Marshall will be in a better position to challenge Murray.
Speaking of
experience, last Autumn Chris Robshaw was lambasted for some poor decision
making in defeat to South Africa. Fast forward a few months and its Jamie Heaslip's
turn. The decision has been made Heaslip is captain. It wouldn't have been my
choice, but nonetheless, Heaslip will make a great captain. He will learn on
the job. It's said leaders are born, but leaders can be made too. And not all
born leaders take to it straight away. Heaslip is the man, and keeping him in
the captaincy is the right call. Sure there were doubts when O'Driscoll was
made captain the first time. And there were concerns about Keith
Wood.
Team for France:
1. Kilcoyne
2. Best
3. Ross
4. Ryan
5. Tuohy
6. O'Mahony
7. O'Brien
8. Heaslip
9. Murray
10. Jackson
11. McFadden
12. Marshall
13. O'Driscoll
14. Gilroy
15. Kearney
16. Cronin /Sherry - just as long as they get on this time
17. Tom Court
18. Fitzpatrick
19. Henderson
20. O'Donnell
21. Marmion
22. Madigan
23. Fitzgerald / Darren Cave
Team for Italy (injury permitting)
1. Kilcoyne
2. Cronin
3. Fitzpatrick
4. Tuohy
5. Ryan
6. Henderson
7. O’Donnell
8. Heaslip
9. Murray
10. Jackson
11. McFadden
12. Marshall
13. Cave
14. Gilroy
15. Kearney
16. Best.
17. Court
18. Bent
19. Stevenson
20. O’Mahony
21. Marmion
22. Madigan
23. Fitzgerald
Tuesday 26 February 2013
Fantasy Super Rugby Round 2 Review
Super Rugby is back for 14 of 15 teams, with just the Canterbury Crusaders to play their first game.
And wow is it back. The first match of Round 2 set the tone for some quality rugby over the weekend. The Highlanders and the Chiefs played out a classic with some end to end rugby that was a joy to watch.
Tim Nanai-Williams stole the show with two tries, first a great line and step to torch Ben Smith on the outside, the second coming after 3 minutes of non stop end to end rugby which knackered the players. However, he showed how much of a 13 he is NOT in defense by letting in Kade Poki in for an "easy" try.
The try of the game for me was Ben Smith's outstanding pickup an inch from the ground and somehow grounding it with the attentions of several Chief's defenders.
The Chief's surprised me and will be worth a watch as the competition progresses, with Gareth Anscombe looking a key signing.
The Brumbies could be underlining their title credentials with a great display, and Jesse Mogg is fast becoming a bolter for the Lions tour. He seems quality, with serious pace and took his try well, his 2nd in 2 weeks. Having said that, it's clear that the Rebels have improved.
I noticed a lot more use of the TMO this weekend, with a lot of refes using the TMO for seemingly obvious tries, and it also showcased the new rulings of being able to go back 2 phases to spot any reasons for disallowing tries. Chiliboy Ralepelle's try was a perfect example of this, and an example of how technology still won't provide clearcut results. Sidenote: How Joe Pieterson isn't starting for the Stormers is beyond me.
Julian Savea shows that he is still scoring tries in the Hurricanes loss to the Blues, which introduced a lot of potentially future household names in the Blues ranks. Halai, and Saili and Luakua are all worth keeping an eye on this season.
Israel Folau made his debut for the Tahs, and showed he has a lot to work on in defense, with some half-hearted attempted tackling. Quade Cooper's defense looks a lot better than what it was (nothing), maybe the boxing is helping him.
And the Kings. What a game. Sergeal Peterson looks a star in the making. But the Kings play was very entertaining, and won over lots of fans. And proved me wrong. Go Kings.
As far as fantasy goes, with the highest score of 505 points and an average of 302, plenty of points were on show. 9 Players on the dream team had over 40 points with the entire back three of Piatau (Blues), Ben Smith and Nanai-Williams getting over 50 points each.
In the fantasy leagues, Cillian Hogan maintained his leads, but Garbhan Hogan scored the highest in round 2 to cut the gap. Connacht Man slips down to third following Garbhan's haul, with Simon Farrell and Peter Corley showing impressively. Garbhan only had one dream team member on his side this week, but had several high scorers. It's interesting to note that had Frank Halai or Johann Sadie found his way into Garbhan's XV it could have been even higher.
On to next week, and with the Brumbies, the Kings and the Highlanders on a bye, transfers will be important. The competition begins now
And wow is it back. The first match of Round 2 set the tone for some quality rugby over the weekend. The Highlanders and the Chiefs played out a classic with some end to end rugby that was a joy to watch.
Tim Nanai-Williams stole the show with two tries, first a great line and step to torch Ben Smith on the outside, the second coming after 3 minutes of non stop end to end rugby which knackered the players. However, he showed how much of a 13 he is NOT in defense by letting in Kade Poki in for an "easy" try.
The try of the game for me was Ben Smith's outstanding pickup an inch from the ground and somehow grounding it with the attentions of several Chief's defenders.
The Chief's surprised me and will be worth a watch as the competition progresses, with Gareth Anscombe looking a key signing.
The Brumbies could be underlining their title credentials with a great display, and Jesse Mogg is fast becoming a bolter for the Lions tour. He seems quality, with serious pace and took his try well, his 2nd in 2 weeks. Having said that, it's clear that the Rebels have improved.
I noticed a lot more use of the TMO this weekend, with a lot of refes using the TMO for seemingly obvious tries, and it also showcased the new rulings of being able to go back 2 phases to spot any reasons for disallowing tries. Chiliboy Ralepelle's try was a perfect example of this, and an example of how technology still won't provide clearcut results. Sidenote: How Joe Pieterson isn't starting for the Stormers is beyond me.
Julian Savea shows that he is still scoring tries in the Hurricanes loss to the Blues, which introduced a lot of potentially future household names in the Blues ranks. Halai, and Saili and Luakua are all worth keeping an eye on this season.
Israel Folau made his debut for the Tahs, and showed he has a lot to work on in defense, with some half-hearted attempted tackling. Quade Cooper's defense looks a lot better than what it was (nothing), maybe the boxing is helping him.
And the Kings. What a game. Sergeal Peterson looks a star in the making. But the Kings play was very entertaining, and won over lots of fans. And proved me wrong. Go Kings.
As far as fantasy goes, with the highest score of 505 points and an average of 302, plenty of points were on show. 9 Players on the dream team had over 40 points with the entire back three of Piatau (Blues), Ben Smith and Nanai-Williams getting over 50 points each.
In the fantasy leagues, Cillian Hogan maintained his leads, but Garbhan Hogan scored the highest in round 2 to cut the gap. Connacht Man slips down to third following Garbhan's haul, with Simon Farrell and Peter Corley showing impressively. Garbhan only had one dream team member on his side this week, but had several high scorers. It's interesting to note that had Frank Halai or Johann Sadie found his way into Garbhan's XV it could have been even higher.
On to next week, and with the Brumbies, the Kings and the Highlanders on a bye, transfers will be important. The competition begins now
Super Rugby Teams: Round 3
BYES: BRUMBIES, HIGHLANDERS, KINGS
Friday 1st March
Auckland Blues vs Canterbury Crusaders 6:30 am
Blues: 15. Charles Piutau, 14. Frank Halai, 13. Rene Ranger, 12. Francis Saili, 11. George Moala, 10. Chris Noakes, 9 Piri Weepu, 8. Peter Saili, 7. Luke Braid, 6. Steven Luatua, 5. Ali Williams, 4. Sulum Retallick, 3. Charlie Faumuina, 2. James Parsons, 1. Tom McCartney
Replacements: 16. Quentin MacDonald, 17. Angus Ta'avao, 18. Liaki Moli, 19. Brendon O'Connor, 20. Bryn Hall, 21. Baden Kerr, 22. Jackson Willison
Crusaders: 15. Tom Taylor, 14. Adam Whitelock, 13. Robbie Fruean, 12. Ryan Crotty, 11. Israel Dagg, 10. Dan Carter, 9. Andy Ellis; 8. Kieran Read (c), 7. Matt Todd, 6. George Whitelock, 5. Sam Whitelock, 4. Luke Romano, 3. Owen Franks, 2. Corey Flynn, 1. Wyatt Crockett.
Replacements: 16. Ben Funnell, 17. Joe Moody, 18. Dominic Bird, 19. Luke Whitelock, 20.Willi Heinz, 21. Tyler Bleyendaal, 22. Tom Marshall
NSW Waratahs vs Melbourne Rebels 8:20 am
Waratahs: 15. Israel Folau, 14. Toim Kingston, 13. Adam Ashley-Cooper, 12. Tom Carter, 11. Drew Mitchell, 10. Bernard Foley, 9. Brendan McKibbin, 8. Wycliff Palu, 7. Michael Hooper, 6. Dave Dennis, 5. Kane Douglas, 4. Mitchell Chapman, 3. Sekope Kepu, 2. Tatafu Polota-Nau, 1. Benn Robinson; Replacements: 16. John Ulugia, 17. Jeremy Tilse, 18. Paddy Ryan, 19. Sitaleki Timani, 20. Lopeti Timani, 21. Matt Lucas, 22. Ben Volavola
Rebels: 15 James O'Connor (c), 14 Lachlan Mitchell, 13 Mitch Inman, 12 Rory Sidey, 11 Richard Kingi, 10 Kurtley Beale, 9 Nick Phipps, 8 Scott Higginbotham, 7 Scott Fuglistaller, 6 Luke Jones, 5 Cadeyrn Neville, 4 Hugh Pyle, 3 Laurie Weeks, 2 Ged Robinson, 1 Nic Henderson.
Replacements: 16 Shota Horie, 17 Paul Alo-Emile, 18 Jordy Reid, 19 Jarrod Saffy, 20 Nic Stirzaker, 21 Angus Roberts, 22 Tom English.
Queensland Reds vs Wellington Hurricanes 10:20 am
Reds: 15 Aidan Toua, 14 Dom Shipperley, 13 Chris Feauai-Sautia, 12 Ben Tapuai, 11 Digby Ioane, 10 Quade Cooper, 9 Ben Lucas, 8 Jake Schatz, 7 Liam Gill, 6 Eddie Quirk, 5 Ed O'Donoghue, 4 Rob Simmons, 3 James Slipper (c), 2 Saia Faingaa, 1 Greg Holmes.
Replacements: 16 James Hanson, 17 Albert Anae, 18 Adam Wallace-Harrison, 19 Radike Samo, 20 Nick Frisby, 21 Mike Harris, 22 Luke Morahan.
Hurricanes: 15 Andre Taylor, 14 Alapati Leiua, 13 Conrad Smith (c), 12 Tim Bateman, 11 Julian Savea, 10 Beauden Barrett, 9 TJ Perenara, 8 Brad Shields, 7 Karl Lowe, 6 Victor Vito, 5 Jason Eaton, 4 Jeremy Thrush, 3 Jeffery Toomaga-Allen, 2 Dane Coles, 1 Ben Franks.
Replacements: 16 Motu Matu'u, 17 Reggie Goodes, 18 James Broadhurst, 19 Faifili Levave, 20 Chris Smylie, 21 James Marshall, 22 Reynold Lee-Lo.
Saturday 2nd March
Waikato Chiefs vs Free State Cheetahs 6: 35 am
Chiefs: 15. Gareth Anscombe, 14. Lelia Masaga, 13. Tim Nanai-Williams, 12. Bundee Aki, 11. Asaeli Tikoirotuma, 10. Aaron Cruden, 9. Augustine Pulu, 8. Fritz Lee, 7. Sam Cane, 6. Liam Messam (c), 5. Brodie Retallick, 4. MichaelFitzgerald, 3. Ben Afeaki, 2. Hika Elliot, 1. Pauliasi Manu.
Replacements: 16. Rhys Marshall, 17. Ben Tameifuna, 18. Craig Clarke, 19. Tanerau Latimer, 20. Tawera Kerr-Barlow, 21. Charlie Ngatai, 22. Patrick Osborne
Cheetahs: 15 Hennie Daniller, 14 Willie le Roux, 13 Johann Sadie, 12 Robert Ebersohn, 11 Raymond Rhule, 10 Johan Goosen, 9 Sarel Pretorius, 8 Philip van der Walt, 7 Lappies Labuschagne, 6 Frans Viljoen, 5 Francois Uys, 4 Lood de Jager, 3 Lourens Adriaanse, 2 Adriaan Strauss (capt), 1 Trevor Nyakane.Replacements: 16 Ryno Barnes, 17 Coenie Oosthuizen, 18 Landman Ligtoring, 19 Boom Prinsloo, 20 Piet van Zyl, 21 Riaan Smit, 22 Ryno Benjamin.
Blue Bulls vs Western Force 3: 05 pm
Bulls: 15 Zane Kirchner, 14. Sampie Mastriet, 13. Lionel Mapoe, 12. Wynand Olivier, 11. Bjorn Basson, 10. Morne Steyn, 9. Francois Hougaard, 8. Pierre Spies (c), 7. Arno Botha, 6. Jacques Potgieter, 5. Juande Kruger, 4. Flip van der Merwe, 3. Werner Kruger, 2. Chiliboy Ralepelle, 1. Morne Mellett.
Replacements: 16. Willie Wepener, 17. Frik Kirsten, 18. Grant Hattingh, 19. Jean Cook, 20. Jano Vermaak, 21. Louis Fouche, 22. Jan Serfontein
Force: 15. Will Tupou, 14. Nick Cummins, 13. Winston Stanley, 12. Kyle Goodwin, 11. Alfie Mafi, 10. Sam Christie, 9. Alby Mathewson, 8. Ben McCalman, 7. Matt Hodgson (c), 6. Angus Cottrell, 5. Hugh McMeniman, 4. Sam Wykes, 3. Tetera Faulkner, 2. Nathan Charles, 1. Pek Cowan.
Replacements: 16. Heath Tessman, 17. Kieran Longbottom, 18. Toby Lynn, 19. Richard Brown, 20. Chris Alcock, 21. Mick Snowden, 22. Junior Rasolea
Natal Sharks vs DHL Stormers 5:10 pm
Sharks: 15 Louis Ludik, 14 JP Pietersen, 13 Paul Jordaan, 12 Francois Steyn (c), 11 Lwazi Mvovo, 10 Patrick Lambie, 9 Cobus Reinach, 8 Ryan Kankowski, 7 Jean Deysel, 6 Marcell Coetzee, 5 Franco van der Merwe, 4 Anton Bresler, 3 Jannie du Plessis, 2 Craig Burden, 1 Tendai Mtawarira.Replacements: 16 Kyle Cooper, 17 Wiehahn Herbst, 18 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 19 Jacques Botes, 20 Charl McLeod, 21 Meyer Bosman, 22 Odwa Ndungane.
Stormers: 15. Joe Pietersen, 14. Gio Aplon, 13. Jean de Villiers (captain), 12. Damian de Allende, 11. Bryan Habana, 10. Elton Jantjies, 9. Nic Groom, 8. Duane Vermeulen (vice-captain), 7. Rynhardt Elstadt, 6. Siya Kolisi, 5. Andries Bekker, 4. De Kock Steenkamp, 3. Frans Malherbe, 2. Deon Fourie, 1. Steven Kitshoff Replacements: 16. Martin Bezuidenhout, 17. Pat Cilliers, 18. Don Armand, 19. Nizaam Carr, 20. Louis Schreuder, 21. Peter Grant, 22. Gerhard van den Heever
Friday 1st March
Auckland Blues vs Canterbury Crusaders 6:30 am
Blues: 15. Charles Piutau, 14. Frank Halai, 13. Rene Ranger, 12. Francis Saili, 11. George Moala, 10. Chris Noakes, 9 Piri Weepu, 8. Peter Saili, 7. Luke Braid, 6. Steven Luatua, 5. Ali Williams, 4. Sulum Retallick, 3. Charlie Faumuina, 2. James Parsons, 1. Tom McCartney
Replacements: 16. Quentin MacDonald, 17. Angus Ta'avao, 18. Liaki Moli, 19. Brendon O'Connor, 20. Bryn Hall, 21. Baden Kerr, 22. Jackson Willison
Crusaders: 15. Tom Taylor, 14. Adam Whitelock, 13. Robbie Fruean, 12. Ryan Crotty, 11. Israel Dagg, 10. Dan Carter, 9. Andy Ellis; 8. Kieran Read (c), 7. Matt Todd, 6. George Whitelock, 5. Sam Whitelock, 4. Luke Romano, 3. Owen Franks, 2. Corey Flynn, 1. Wyatt Crockett.
Replacements: 16. Ben Funnell, 17. Joe Moody, 18. Dominic Bird, 19. Luke Whitelock, 20.Willi Heinz, 21. Tyler Bleyendaal, 22. Tom Marshall
NSW Waratahs vs Melbourne Rebels 8:20 am
Waratahs: 15. Israel Folau, 14. Toim Kingston, 13. Adam Ashley-Cooper, 12. Tom Carter, 11. Drew Mitchell, 10. Bernard Foley, 9. Brendan McKibbin, 8. Wycliff Palu, 7. Michael Hooper, 6. Dave Dennis, 5. Kane Douglas, 4. Mitchell Chapman, 3. Sekope Kepu, 2. Tatafu Polota-Nau, 1. Benn Robinson; Replacements: 16. John Ulugia, 17. Jeremy Tilse, 18. Paddy Ryan, 19. Sitaleki Timani, 20. Lopeti Timani, 21. Matt Lucas, 22. Ben Volavola
Rebels: 15 James O'Connor (c), 14 Lachlan Mitchell, 13 Mitch Inman, 12 Rory Sidey, 11 Richard Kingi, 10 Kurtley Beale, 9 Nick Phipps, 8 Scott Higginbotham, 7 Scott Fuglistaller, 6 Luke Jones, 5 Cadeyrn Neville, 4 Hugh Pyle, 3 Laurie Weeks, 2 Ged Robinson, 1 Nic Henderson.
Replacements: 16 Shota Horie, 17 Paul Alo-Emile, 18 Jordy Reid, 19 Jarrod Saffy, 20 Nic Stirzaker, 21 Angus Roberts, 22 Tom English.
Queensland Reds vs Wellington Hurricanes 10:20 am
Reds: 15 Aidan Toua, 14 Dom Shipperley, 13 Chris Feauai-Sautia, 12 Ben Tapuai, 11 Digby Ioane, 10 Quade Cooper, 9 Ben Lucas, 8 Jake Schatz, 7 Liam Gill, 6 Eddie Quirk, 5 Ed O'Donoghue, 4 Rob Simmons, 3 James Slipper (c), 2 Saia Faingaa, 1 Greg Holmes.
Replacements: 16 James Hanson, 17 Albert Anae, 18 Adam Wallace-Harrison, 19 Radike Samo, 20 Nick Frisby, 21 Mike Harris, 22 Luke Morahan.
Hurricanes: 15 Andre Taylor, 14 Alapati Leiua, 13 Conrad Smith (c), 12 Tim Bateman, 11 Julian Savea, 10 Beauden Barrett, 9 TJ Perenara, 8 Brad Shields, 7 Karl Lowe, 6 Victor Vito, 5 Jason Eaton, 4 Jeremy Thrush, 3 Jeffery Toomaga-Allen, 2 Dane Coles, 1 Ben Franks.
Replacements: 16 Motu Matu'u, 17 Reggie Goodes, 18 James Broadhurst, 19 Faifili Levave, 20 Chris Smylie, 21 James Marshall, 22 Reynold Lee-Lo.
Saturday 2nd March
Waikato Chiefs vs Free State Cheetahs 6: 35 am
Chiefs: 15. Gareth Anscombe, 14. Lelia Masaga, 13. Tim Nanai-Williams, 12. Bundee Aki, 11. Asaeli Tikoirotuma, 10. Aaron Cruden, 9. Augustine Pulu, 8. Fritz Lee, 7. Sam Cane, 6. Liam Messam (c), 5. Brodie Retallick, 4. MichaelFitzgerald, 3. Ben Afeaki, 2. Hika Elliot, 1. Pauliasi Manu.
Replacements: 16. Rhys Marshall, 17. Ben Tameifuna, 18. Craig Clarke, 19. Tanerau Latimer, 20. Tawera Kerr-Barlow, 21. Charlie Ngatai, 22. Patrick Osborne
Cheetahs: 15 Hennie Daniller, 14 Willie le Roux, 13 Johann Sadie, 12 Robert Ebersohn, 11 Raymond Rhule, 10 Johan Goosen, 9 Sarel Pretorius, 8 Philip van der Walt, 7 Lappies Labuschagne, 6 Frans Viljoen, 5 Francois Uys, 4 Lood de Jager, 3 Lourens Adriaanse, 2 Adriaan Strauss (capt), 1 Trevor Nyakane.Replacements: 16 Ryno Barnes, 17 Coenie Oosthuizen, 18 Landman Ligtoring, 19 Boom Prinsloo, 20 Piet van Zyl, 21 Riaan Smit, 22 Ryno Benjamin.
Blue Bulls vs Western Force 3: 05 pm
Bulls: 15 Zane Kirchner, 14. Sampie Mastriet, 13. Lionel Mapoe, 12. Wynand Olivier, 11. Bjorn Basson, 10. Morne Steyn, 9. Francois Hougaard, 8. Pierre Spies (c), 7. Arno Botha, 6. Jacques Potgieter, 5. Juande Kruger, 4. Flip van der Merwe, 3. Werner Kruger, 2. Chiliboy Ralepelle, 1. Morne Mellett.
Replacements: 16. Willie Wepener, 17. Frik Kirsten, 18. Grant Hattingh, 19. Jean Cook, 20. Jano Vermaak, 21. Louis Fouche, 22. Jan Serfontein
Force: 15. Will Tupou, 14. Nick Cummins, 13. Winston Stanley, 12. Kyle Goodwin, 11. Alfie Mafi, 10. Sam Christie, 9. Alby Mathewson, 8. Ben McCalman, 7. Matt Hodgson (c), 6. Angus Cottrell, 5. Hugh McMeniman, 4. Sam Wykes, 3. Tetera Faulkner, 2. Nathan Charles, 1. Pek Cowan.
Replacements: 16. Heath Tessman, 17. Kieran Longbottom, 18. Toby Lynn, 19. Richard Brown, 20. Chris Alcock, 21. Mick Snowden, 22. Junior Rasolea
Natal Sharks vs DHL Stormers 5:10 pm
Sharks: 15 Louis Ludik, 14 JP Pietersen, 13 Paul Jordaan, 12 Francois Steyn (c), 11 Lwazi Mvovo, 10 Patrick Lambie, 9 Cobus Reinach, 8 Ryan Kankowski, 7 Jean Deysel, 6 Marcell Coetzee, 5 Franco van der Merwe, 4 Anton Bresler, 3 Jannie du Plessis, 2 Craig Burden, 1 Tendai Mtawarira.Replacements: 16 Kyle Cooper, 17 Wiehahn Herbst, 18 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 19 Jacques Botes, 20 Charl McLeod, 21 Meyer Bosman, 22 Odwa Ndungane.
Stormers: 15. Joe Pietersen, 14. Gio Aplon, 13. Jean de Villiers (captain), 12. Damian de Allende, 11. Bryan Habana, 10. Elton Jantjies, 9. Nic Groom, 8. Duane Vermeulen (vice-captain), 7. Rynhardt Elstadt, 6. Siya Kolisi, 5. Andries Bekker, 4. De Kock Steenkamp, 3. Frans Malherbe, 2. Deon Fourie, 1. Steven Kitshoff Replacements: 16. Martin Bezuidenhout, 17. Pat Cilliers, 18. Don Armand, 19. Nizaam Carr, 20. Louis Schreuder, 21. Peter Grant, 22. Gerhard van den Heever
Wednesday 20 February 2013
Introducing... Luke Marshall
I've been waxing lyrical about Luke Marshall for a while now, and this is why.
When you see a young player for the first few times, it's a relatively safe assumption to say that their preferred playing style won't change too much for the rest of their career. And it doesn't take too long to see the main attributes of this player that has brought him this far.
As an example, Ronan O'Gara knew how to control a game with his kicking, was a very good placekicker, but had some other areas of his game that were very poor. It just happened that the good parts of his game were so good that he ended up being one of the best out-halves in the world at his peak. While ROG was world class at controlling games, you wouldn't put money on him chasing a game and producing attacking magic to break lines from himself or others.
Having said that, while players like Madigan often producing some magic, he are doubts that in big games he couldn't control the match the way that O'Gara so wonderfully did for so long.
Which brings me to Luke Marshall.
In the games I've seen of him; Marshall has shown that he plays a physical game.In defence, he tackles ferociously and effectively, frequently stopping attackers dead in their tracks, and in attack, showing that he is willing to run straight and hard to provide go forward ball for his team.
But Marshall grew up as an out-half and is more than just a physical specimen.
He has the play making ability with ball in hand to either find a gap himself or put others into space. He provides an extra boot outside of the fly half, and has a long and accurate kick, if needed to kick to the corners.
He has a wonderful low fast pass that releases the faster players outside him. He runs good lines, both direct and into space and possesses a good step. He possesses a very good offload too.
And he has shown fantastic ability in the breakdown area much like D'Arcy and O'Driscoll in either turning ball over, or winning penalties. Not many centres in world rugby are as good at the breakdown as D'Arcy or O'Driscoll. Marshall is on his way.
He may not be amazing at every attribute I've mentioned, but he has shown the ability and willingness to try all of them, and it all seems to come to him naturally. He can improve all of these qualities to be world class in anything he wants, whereas others where it doesn't come as naturally will have to work harder. He still has a long way to go, but experience will improve what seems to be one of the more natural talents in the youth system in Ireland.
In short, Luke has it all, and the potential to go very very far. A bit of work on any of these areas and he can be world class. He will be the incumbent inside centre in Irish rugby for years to come. One to hang our hopes on?
Tuesday 19 February 2013
Not a Rugby post
This will be my one and only non-Rugby post.
I'm raising money for Charity a la James O'Connor.
I will be shaving my hair, and dying it all for raising money for Cancer research.
Please donate, or share with as many people as people,
And all photos will be uploaded their, and on my twitter and facebook.
Cheers.
Super Rugby teams: Round 2
Friday 22th February
6:35 am Irish Time Highlanders vs Chiefs
Otago Highlanders: 15 Ben Smith, 14 Kade Poki, 13 Phil Burleigh, 12 Ma'a Nonu, 11 Hosea Gear (captain), 10 Lima Sopoaga, 9 Aaron Smith, 8 Nasi Manu, 7 John Hardie, 6 Joe Wheeler, 5 Josh Bekhuis, 4 Jarrad Hoeata, 3 Ma'afu Fia, 2 Brayden Mitchell, 1 Tony Woodcock.Replacements: 16 Liam Coltman, 17 Bronson Murray, 18 Elliot Dixon, 19 Tim Boys, 20 Fumiaki Tanaka, 21 Hayden Parker, 22 Buxton Popoali'i.
Waikato Chiefs: 15 Gareth Anscombe, 14 Patrick Osborne, 13 Tim Nanai-Williams, 12 Bundee Aki, 11 Asaeli Tikoirotuma, 10 Aaron Cruden, 9 Tawera Kerr-Barlow, 8 Fritz Lee, 7 Sam Cane, 6 Liam Messam, 5 Brodie Retallick, 4 Craig Clarke, 3 Ben Afeaki, 2 Hika Elliot, 1 Pauliasi Manu.Replacements: 16 Rhys Marshall, 17 Ben Tameifuna, 18 Michael Fitzgerald, 19 Tanerau Latimer, 20 Augustine Pulu, 21 Charlie Ngatai, 22 Lelia Masaga.
8:40 am Rebels vs Brumbies
Melbourne Rebels: 15 James O'Connor, 14 Lachlan Mitchell, 13 Mitch Inman, 12 Rory Sidey, 11 Richard Kingi, 10 Kurtley Beale, 9 Nic Phipps, 8 Gareth Delve, 7 Scott Fuglistaller, 6 Scott Higginbotham, 5 Luke Jones, 4 Hugh Pyle, 3 Laurie Weeks, 2 Ged Robinson, 1 Nic Henderson.
Replacements: 16 Shota Horie, 17 Paul Alo Emile, 18 Cadeyrn Neville, 19 Jarrod Saffy, 20 Nick Stirzaker, 21 Alex Rokobaro, 22 Tom English.
ACT Brumbies: 15. Jesse Mogg, 14. Joseph Tomane, 13. Andrew Smith, 12. Christian Lealiliano, 11. Clyde Rathbone, 10. Matt Toomua, 9. Nic White, 8, Ben Mowen (c), 7. David Pocock, 6. Peter Kimlin, 5. Sam Carter, 4. Scott Fardy, 3. Dan Palmer, 2. Stephen Moore, 1. Ben Alexander. Replacements: 16. Siliva Siliva, 17. Scott Sio, 18. Fotu Auelua, 19. Colby Fainga'a, 20. Ian Prior, 21. Robbie Coleman, 22. Tevita Kuridrani
17:10 Bulls vs Stormers
Blue Bulls: 15 Zane Kirchner, 14 Lionel Mapoe, 13 JJ Engelbrecht, 12 Wynand Olivier, 11 Bjorn Basson, 10 Mornè Steyn, 9 Francois Hougaard, 8 Pierre Spies (c), 7 Dewald Potgieter, 6 Deon Stegmann, 5 Juandrè Kruger, 4 Flip van der Merwe, 3 Werner Kruger, 2 Chiliboy Ralepelle, 1 Mornè Mellett.
Replacements: 16 Willie Wepener, 17 Frik Kirsten, 18 Grant Hattingh, 19 Arno Botha, 20 Jano Vermaak, 21 Louis Fouchè, 22 Francois Venter.
DHL Stormers: 15 Jaco Taute, 14 Gio Aplon, 13 Jean de Villiers (c), 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Bryan Habana, 10 Elton Jantjies, 9 Nic Groom, 8 Duane Vermeulen, 7 Rynhardt Elstadt, 6 Siya Kolisi, 5 Andries Bekker, 4 De Kock Steenkamp, 3 Pat Cilliers, 2 Deon Fourie, 1 Steven Kitshoff.Replacements: 16 Martin Bezuidenhout, 17 Frans Malherbe, 18 Don Armand, 19 Nizaam Carr, 20 Dewaldt Duvenage, 21 Gerhard van den Heever, 22 Joe Pietersen.
Saturday 23rd February
6:35 am Hurricanes vs Blues
Wellington Hurricanes: 15 Andre Taylor, 14 Alapati Leiua, 13 Conrad Smith (c), 12 Tim Bateman, 11 Julian Savea, 10 Beauden Barrett, 9 TJ Perenara, 8 Brad Shields, 7 Karl Lowe, 6 Victor Vito, 5 Jason Eaton, 4 Jeremy Thrush, 3 Ben May, 2 Dane Coles, 1 Ben Franks.Replacements: 16 Ash Dixon, 17 Reggie Goodes, 18 Mark Reddish, 19 Faifili Levave, 20 Chris Smylie, 21 James Marshall, 22 Reynold Lee-Lo.
Auckland Blues: 15 Charles Piutau, 14 Frank Halai, 13 Rene Ranger, 12 Francis Saili, 11 George Moala, 10 Chris Noakes, 9 Piri Weepu, 8 Peter Saili, 7 Luke Braid, 6 Steven Luatua, 5 Ali Williams (c), 4 Culum Retallick, 3 Charlie Faumuina, 2 James Parsons, 1 Tom McCartney. Replacements: 16 Jackson Willison, 17 Baden Kerr, 18 Bryn Hall, 19 Brendon O'Connor, 20 Liaki Moli, 21 Angus Ta'avao, 22 Quentin MacDonald.
8:40 am Reds vs Waratahs
Queensland Reds: 15. Mike Harris, 14. Dom Shipperley, 13. Chris Feauai-Sautia, 12. Ben Tapuai, 11. Digby Ioane, 10. Quade Cooper, 9. Ben Lucas, 8. Jake Schatz, 7. Liam Gill, 6. Ed Quirk, 5. Rob Simmons, 4. Ed O'Donoghue, 3. James Slipper (c), 2. Saia Fainga'a, 1. Greg Holmes. Replacements: 16. James Hanson, 17. Albert Anae, 18. Adam Wallace-Harrison, 19. Jarrad Butler, 20. Nick Frisby, 21. Jono Lance, 22. Luke Morahan
NSW Waratahs: 15 Israel Folau, 14 Drew Mitchell, 13 Adam Ashley-Cooper, 12 Tom Carter, 11 Tom Kingston, 10 Bernard Foley, 9 Brendan McKibbon, 8 Wycliff Palu, 7 Dave Dennis (c), 6 Michael Hooper, 5 Kane Douglas, 4 Sitaleki Timani, 3 Sekope Kepu, 2 Tatafu Polota-Nau, 1 Jeremy Tilse.Replacements: 16 John Ulugia, 17 Benn Robinson, 18 Paddy Ryan, 19 Mitchell Chapman, 20 Lopeti Timani, 21 Matt Lucas, 22 Ben Volavola.
15:05 Cheetahs vs Sharks
Free State Cheetahs: 15. Hennie Daniller, 14. Willie le Roux, 13. Johann Sadie, 12. Robert Ebersohn, 11. Raymond Rhule, 10. Johan Goosen, 9. Piet van Zyl, 8, Philip van der Walt, 7. Lappies Labuschagne, 6. Frans Viljoen, 5. Francois Uys, 4. Lodewyk de Jager, 3. Lourens Adriaanse, 2. Adriaan Strauss (c), 1. Trevor Nyakane, Replacements: 16. Ryno Barnes, 17. Coenie Oosthuizen, 18, Waltie Vermeulen, 19. Boom Prinsloo, 20. Sarel Pretorius, 21. Elgar Watts, 22. Ryno Benjamin
Natal Sharks: 15 Louis Ludik, 14 JP Pietersen, 13 Paul Jordaan, 12 Frans Steyn (c), 11 Lwazi Mvovo, 10 Pat Lambie, 9 Cobus Reinach, 8 Ryan Kankowski, 7 Marcell Coetzee, 6 Jacques Botes, 5 Franco van der Merwe, 4 Anton Bresler, 3 Jannie du Plessis, 2 Craig Burden, 1 Beast Mtawarira. Subs: 16 Kyle Cooper, 17 Wiehahn Herbst, 18 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 19 Jean Deysel, 20 Charl McLeod, 21 Meyer Bosman, 22 Odwa Ndungane.
17:10 Kings vs Force:
Southern Kings: 15 SP Marais, 14 Sergeal Petersen, 13 Ronnie Cooke, 12 Andries Strauss, 11 Marcello Sampson, 10 Demetri Catrakilis, 9 Shaun Venter, 8 Luke Watson (captain), 7 Wimpie van der Walt, 5 Steven Sykes, 4 David Bulbring, 6 Cornell du Preez, 3 Kevin Buys, 2 Bandise Maku, 1 Schalk Ferreira.
Replacements: 16 Edgar Marutlulle, 17 Jaco Engels, 18 Daniel Adongo, 19 Jacques Engelbrecht , 20 Johan Herbst, 21 George Whitehead, 22 Hadleigh Parkes.
Western Force: tba
6:35 am Irish Time Highlanders vs Chiefs
Otago Highlanders: 15 Ben Smith, 14 Kade Poki, 13 Phil Burleigh, 12 Ma'a Nonu, 11 Hosea Gear (captain), 10 Lima Sopoaga, 9 Aaron Smith, 8 Nasi Manu, 7 John Hardie, 6 Joe Wheeler, 5 Josh Bekhuis, 4 Jarrad Hoeata, 3 Ma'afu Fia, 2 Brayden Mitchell, 1 Tony Woodcock.Replacements: 16 Liam Coltman, 17 Bronson Murray, 18 Elliot Dixon, 19 Tim Boys, 20 Fumiaki Tanaka, 21 Hayden Parker, 22 Buxton Popoali'i.
Waikato Chiefs: 15 Gareth Anscombe, 14 Patrick Osborne, 13 Tim Nanai-Williams, 12 Bundee Aki, 11 Asaeli Tikoirotuma, 10 Aaron Cruden, 9 Tawera Kerr-Barlow, 8 Fritz Lee, 7 Sam Cane, 6 Liam Messam, 5 Brodie Retallick, 4 Craig Clarke, 3 Ben Afeaki, 2 Hika Elliot, 1 Pauliasi Manu.Replacements: 16 Rhys Marshall, 17 Ben Tameifuna, 18 Michael Fitzgerald, 19 Tanerau Latimer, 20 Augustine Pulu, 21 Charlie Ngatai, 22 Lelia Masaga.
8:40 am Rebels vs Brumbies
Melbourne Rebels: 15 James O'Connor, 14 Lachlan Mitchell, 13 Mitch Inman, 12 Rory Sidey, 11 Richard Kingi, 10 Kurtley Beale, 9 Nic Phipps, 8 Gareth Delve, 7 Scott Fuglistaller, 6 Scott Higginbotham, 5 Luke Jones, 4 Hugh Pyle, 3 Laurie Weeks, 2 Ged Robinson, 1 Nic Henderson.
Replacements: 16 Shota Horie, 17 Paul Alo Emile, 18 Cadeyrn Neville, 19 Jarrod Saffy, 20 Nick Stirzaker, 21 Alex Rokobaro, 22 Tom English.
ACT Brumbies: 15. Jesse Mogg, 14. Joseph Tomane, 13. Andrew Smith, 12. Christian Lealiliano, 11. Clyde Rathbone, 10. Matt Toomua, 9. Nic White, 8, Ben Mowen (c), 7. David Pocock, 6. Peter Kimlin, 5. Sam Carter, 4. Scott Fardy, 3. Dan Palmer, 2. Stephen Moore, 1. Ben Alexander. Replacements: 16. Siliva Siliva, 17. Scott Sio, 18. Fotu Auelua, 19. Colby Fainga'a, 20. Ian Prior, 21. Robbie Coleman, 22. Tevita Kuridrani
17:10 Bulls vs Stormers
Blue Bulls: 15 Zane Kirchner, 14 Lionel Mapoe, 13 JJ Engelbrecht, 12 Wynand Olivier, 11 Bjorn Basson, 10 Mornè Steyn, 9 Francois Hougaard, 8 Pierre Spies (c), 7 Dewald Potgieter, 6 Deon Stegmann, 5 Juandrè Kruger, 4 Flip van der Merwe, 3 Werner Kruger, 2 Chiliboy Ralepelle, 1 Mornè Mellett.
Replacements: 16 Willie Wepener, 17 Frik Kirsten, 18 Grant Hattingh, 19 Arno Botha, 20 Jano Vermaak, 21 Louis Fouchè, 22 Francois Venter.
DHL Stormers: 15 Jaco Taute, 14 Gio Aplon, 13 Jean de Villiers (c), 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Bryan Habana, 10 Elton Jantjies, 9 Nic Groom, 8 Duane Vermeulen, 7 Rynhardt Elstadt, 6 Siya Kolisi, 5 Andries Bekker, 4 De Kock Steenkamp, 3 Pat Cilliers, 2 Deon Fourie, 1 Steven Kitshoff.Replacements: 16 Martin Bezuidenhout, 17 Frans Malherbe, 18 Don Armand, 19 Nizaam Carr, 20 Dewaldt Duvenage, 21 Gerhard van den Heever, 22 Joe Pietersen.
Saturday 23rd February
6:35 am Hurricanes vs Blues
Wellington Hurricanes: 15 Andre Taylor, 14 Alapati Leiua, 13 Conrad Smith (c), 12 Tim Bateman, 11 Julian Savea, 10 Beauden Barrett, 9 TJ Perenara, 8 Brad Shields, 7 Karl Lowe, 6 Victor Vito, 5 Jason Eaton, 4 Jeremy Thrush, 3 Ben May, 2 Dane Coles, 1 Ben Franks.Replacements: 16 Ash Dixon, 17 Reggie Goodes, 18 Mark Reddish, 19 Faifili Levave, 20 Chris Smylie, 21 James Marshall, 22 Reynold Lee-Lo.
Auckland Blues: 15 Charles Piutau, 14 Frank Halai, 13 Rene Ranger, 12 Francis Saili, 11 George Moala, 10 Chris Noakes, 9 Piri Weepu, 8 Peter Saili, 7 Luke Braid, 6 Steven Luatua, 5 Ali Williams (c), 4 Culum Retallick, 3 Charlie Faumuina, 2 James Parsons, 1 Tom McCartney. Replacements: 16 Jackson Willison, 17 Baden Kerr, 18 Bryn Hall, 19 Brendon O'Connor, 20 Liaki Moli, 21 Angus Ta'avao, 22 Quentin MacDonald.
8:40 am Reds vs Waratahs
Queensland Reds: 15. Mike Harris, 14. Dom Shipperley, 13. Chris Feauai-Sautia, 12. Ben Tapuai, 11. Digby Ioane, 10. Quade Cooper, 9. Ben Lucas, 8. Jake Schatz, 7. Liam Gill, 6. Ed Quirk, 5. Rob Simmons, 4. Ed O'Donoghue, 3. James Slipper (c), 2. Saia Fainga'a, 1. Greg Holmes. Replacements: 16. James Hanson, 17. Albert Anae, 18. Adam Wallace-Harrison, 19. Jarrad Butler, 20. Nick Frisby, 21. Jono Lance, 22. Luke Morahan
NSW Waratahs: 15 Israel Folau, 14 Drew Mitchell, 13 Adam Ashley-Cooper, 12 Tom Carter, 11 Tom Kingston, 10 Bernard Foley, 9 Brendan McKibbon, 8 Wycliff Palu, 7 Dave Dennis (c), 6 Michael Hooper, 5 Kane Douglas, 4 Sitaleki Timani, 3 Sekope Kepu, 2 Tatafu Polota-Nau, 1 Jeremy Tilse.Replacements: 16 John Ulugia, 17 Benn Robinson, 18 Paddy Ryan, 19 Mitchell Chapman, 20 Lopeti Timani, 21 Matt Lucas, 22 Ben Volavola.
15:05 Cheetahs vs Sharks
Free State Cheetahs: 15. Hennie Daniller, 14. Willie le Roux, 13. Johann Sadie, 12. Robert Ebersohn, 11. Raymond Rhule, 10. Johan Goosen, 9. Piet van Zyl, 8, Philip van der Walt, 7. Lappies Labuschagne, 6. Frans Viljoen, 5. Francois Uys, 4. Lodewyk de Jager, 3. Lourens Adriaanse, 2. Adriaan Strauss (c), 1. Trevor Nyakane, Replacements: 16. Ryno Barnes, 17. Coenie Oosthuizen, 18, Waltie Vermeulen, 19. Boom Prinsloo, 20. Sarel Pretorius, 21. Elgar Watts, 22. Ryno Benjamin
Natal Sharks: 15 Louis Ludik, 14 JP Pietersen, 13 Paul Jordaan, 12 Frans Steyn (c), 11 Lwazi Mvovo, 10 Pat Lambie, 9 Cobus Reinach, 8 Ryan Kankowski, 7 Marcell Coetzee, 6 Jacques Botes, 5 Franco van der Merwe, 4 Anton Bresler, 3 Jannie du Plessis, 2 Craig Burden, 1 Beast Mtawarira. Subs: 16 Kyle Cooper, 17 Wiehahn Herbst, 18 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 19 Jean Deysel, 20 Charl McLeod, 21 Meyer Bosman, 22 Odwa Ndungane.
17:10 Kings vs Force:
Southern Kings: 15 SP Marais, 14 Sergeal Petersen, 13 Ronnie Cooke, 12 Andries Strauss, 11 Marcello Sampson, 10 Demetri Catrakilis, 9 Shaun Venter, 8 Luke Watson (captain), 7 Wimpie van der Walt, 5 Steven Sykes, 4 David Bulbring, 6 Cornell du Preez, 3 Kevin Buys, 2 Bandise Maku, 1 Schalk Ferreira.
Replacements: 16 Edgar Marutlulle, 17 Jaco Engels, 18 Daniel Adongo, 19 Jacques Engelbrecht , 20 Johan Herbst, 21 George Whitehead, 22 Hadleigh Parkes.
Western Force: tba
Monday 18 February 2013
Fantasy Super Rugby Round 1
After an interesting weekend of Super Rugby where only 4 Australian teams played, FOX Sports in Australia have finalised their points for Round 1.
The highest points in the round was a whopping 514 points, with the average being 227 points . Ged Robinson, the Melbourne Rebels hooker, was the highest points scorer with 62 points, largely down to a try, a large 13 tackles and 7 runs.
Kyle Goodwin (44) and Alfie Mafi (50) showed up well for the Force, showing that you don't have to be on the winning side to score a lot of fantasy points.The rest of the dream team can be found here
On to the Ball-Handling Hooker leagues, with @Cillian_Hogan and Poseidon's Belvedere taking charge of all three leagues. An experienced campaigner, Poseidon's Belvedere is the early favourite to take all three leagues took in an impressive 372 points, with captain Stephen Moore earning 74 points, and dream team members James O'Connor, Richard Kingi, Mike Harris and James Slipper contributing handsomely. One negative point was Scott Higginbotham's -7, which came from conceding penalties, missing tackles and being sent to the bin, not a debut to remember.
The Super Irish League had 5 of 9 beat the average score, with others more focused on being prepared for next week and having a strong team for the season.
Northern Pretenders had 4 of 7, and Twittersphere also having 4 of 7 with different teams. It's interesting to note that the top 4 in each league is the same, will it remain the same the whole way through.
An intriguing sub-plot is the battle of Garbhan and Cillian Hogan, locked in the top 4 of each. It's advantage Cillian, but can the Garbh catch his brother? Find out next week...
The highest points in the round was a whopping 514 points, with the average being 227 points . Ged Robinson, the Melbourne Rebels hooker, was the highest points scorer with 62 points, largely down to a try, a large 13 tackles and 7 runs.
Kyle Goodwin (44) and Alfie Mafi (50) showed up well for the Force, showing that you don't have to be on the winning side to score a lot of fantasy points.The rest of the dream team can be found here
On to the Ball-Handling Hooker leagues, with @Cillian_Hogan and Poseidon's Belvedere taking charge of all three leagues. An experienced campaigner, Poseidon's Belvedere is the early favourite to take all three leagues took in an impressive 372 points, with captain Stephen Moore earning 74 points, and dream team members James O'Connor, Richard Kingi, Mike Harris and James Slipper contributing handsomely. One negative point was Scott Higginbotham's -7, which came from conceding penalties, missing tackles and being sent to the bin, not a debut to remember.
The Super Irish League had 5 of 9 beat the average score, with others more focused on being prepared for next week and having a strong team for the season.
Northern Pretenders had 4 of 7, and Twittersphere also having 4 of 7 with different teams. It's interesting to note that the top 4 in each league is the same, will it remain the same the whole way through.
An intriguing sub-plot is the battle of Garbhan and Cillian Hogan, locked in the top 4 of each. It's advantage Cillian, but can the Garbh catch his brother? Find out next week...
Sunday 17 February 2013
Updated: New Winners and Losers
Winners:
Iain Henderson
What a performance. It has taken me a long time to realise why he was hyped up so much, but everything Henderson did was awe-inspiring. In a great performance from Ulster as a collective, Henderson shone with some huge carries where it frequently took several defenders to take him down. He'll be my shout to partner Donnacha Ryan in the second row given the locks that Kidney has named.
Darren Cave
Darren Cave put in his usual solid defensive performance with an added dangerous looking performance too. Two great unselfish offloads for Diacks tries underline a good performance from the man everyone in Ireland, except Deccie thinks should be next in line at outside centre.
Connacht:
Some great performances in there to beat a strong Ospreys side that included Fotauli'i, that beat Ulster on their own patch last week. Great stuff from the Westerners.
Ronan O'Gara & Donnacha O'Callaghan
Apparently having shocking performances at the end of your career doesn't matter when it comes to representing your national side as both have had their chances increase with the naming of the squad. Only two out-halves? And no Dan Tuohy? We all know that Kidney doesn't seem to rate Toner.
Losers
Dan Tuohy
An injury to one of the locks should mean that Tuohy is next in line. An argument would be made that he should be ahead of Donnacha O'Callaghan, but behind Toner and Stevenson, and Toner who is barely Heineken Cup level. Tuohy should feel hard done by, with some strange decisions.
Andrew Trimble.
Showed a great piece of hands and generally a tidy performance for Ulster. Seems to have been permanently cast away to the scrap heap. There is more in the old dog yet. A bad Wolfhounds performance seems to have gone against him in a major way.
Iain Henderson
What a performance. It has taken me a long time to realise why he was hyped up so much, but everything Henderson did was awe-inspiring. In a great performance from Ulster as a collective, Henderson shone with some huge carries where it frequently took several defenders to take him down. He'll be my shout to partner Donnacha Ryan in the second row given the locks that Kidney has named.
Darren Cave
Darren Cave put in his usual solid defensive performance with an added dangerous looking performance too. Two great unselfish offloads for Diacks tries underline a good performance from the man everyone in Ireland, except Deccie thinks should be next in line at outside centre.
Connacht:
Some great performances in there to beat a strong Ospreys side that included Fotauli'i, that beat Ulster on their own patch last week. Great stuff from the Westerners.
James Coughlan
A Munster player who came through this weekend with his reputation enhanced. He didn't play in that horrendous game, and gets called up to the national squad. That has got to count as a good weekend.
Apparently having shocking performances at the end of your career doesn't matter when it comes to representing your national side as both have had their chances increase with the naming of the squad. Only two out-halves? And no Dan Tuohy? We all know that Kidney doesn't seem to rate Toner.
Losers
Dan Tuohy
An injury to one of the locks should mean that Tuohy is next in line. An argument would be made that he should be ahead of Donnacha O'Callaghan, but behind Toner and Stevenson, and Toner who is barely Heineken Cup level. Tuohy should feel hard done by, with some strange decisions.
Andrew Trimble.
Showed a great piece of hands and generally a tidy performance for Ulster. Seems to have been permanently cast away to the scrap heap. There is more in the old dog yet. A bad Wolfhounds performance seems to have gone against him in a major way.
Winners and Losers from the weekend
Winners:
Dave McSharry
Who knew that not playing this weekend would increase his chances of playing against Scotland. Being retained with the Irish squad means that he has a fairly good chance of being involved, and with a strong contender, Luke Marshall, picking up another injury, it seems the odds on McSharry being involved would have shortened. Not guaranteed, but feasible nonetheless.
Ian Madigan
Another stellar performance from young Madigan. 4/5 from the kicks beats the other competitors in the race to Sexton's 10 jersey with Jackson and Keatley not kicking, and a tidy performance with width and the usual creativity has done his Ireland credentials no harm at all. Jackson seemed to be on autopilot with Pienaar at 9, and Madigan continually shows his willingness to step up and take responsibility.
Luke Fitzgerald
Another energetic and industrious performance, albeit from fullback, shows that not only is Luke back, but he is in form. His eyes are on that left wing slot, and his break for Cronin's first try will have impressed the management.
Iain Henderson
What a performance. It has taken me a long time to realise why he was hyped up so much, but everything Henderson did was awe-inspiring. In a great performance from Ulster as a collective, Henderson shone with some huge carries where it frequently took several defenders to take him down.
Darren Cave
Darren Cave put in his usual solid defensive performance with an added dangerous looking performance too. Two great unselfish offloads for Diacks tries underline a good performance from the man everyone in Ireland, except Deccie thinks should be next in line at outside centre.
Connacht:
Some great performances in there to beat a strong Ospreys side that included Fotauli'i, that beat Ulster on their own patch last week. Great stuff from the Westerners.
Dominic Ryan
Hard to pick the hat trick try scorer out as a winner. Especially on a day where his future contender for a 7 jersey, Tommy O'Donnell struggled to impose himself on the Scarlet's. Win win for Ryan.
Losers:
Ronan O'Gara
Not one of his best. 2/5 kicks, and a host of mistakes. In a game where Munster were crying out for leaders and someone to give them shape, the elder statesman buckled. If Kidney was any other coach you'd be certain O'Gara wouldn't be near the team based on that performance. The less said about it the better. He knows himself that he is better than that.
Donnacha O'Callaghan
Speaking of elder statesmen; Munster's pack were being beaten up all over the park. Surely someone with a bit of experience such as Donnacha should have learned how to shut his mouth. Alas, seemingly back to the penalty machine days as opposed to his unseen dirty work.
Munster supporters
The Munster supporters on twitter last night were distraught. And rightly so. It's hard to watch that and feel enthuastic about the future. It will get better though. Mostly because it can't get any worse. Bit of effort from all involved, and injuries coming back. It might just be the kick in the arse some of them need.
RTE
Not showing the Leinster game for a second week in a row was a questionable decision. Especially when the turd that Munster offered was shown in it's place. Both games should have been shown, and there's definitely an audience for it. Sort it out RTE
Ian Madigan & Luke Fitzgerald
They may have put in great performances, but due to RTE and TG4 not showing it, no one really knows how good. There would be bigger calls for them to be involved, and every now and again Deccie shows that he listens to our calls for players to be involved.
Dave McSharry
Who knew that not playing this weekend would increase his chances of playing against Scotland. Being retained with the Irish squad means that he has a fairly good chance of being involved, and with a strong contender, Luke Marshall, picking up another injury, it seems the odds on McSharry being involved would have shortened. Not guaranteed, but feasible nonetheless.
Ian Madigan
Another stellar performance from young Madigan. 4/5 from the kicks beats the other competitors in the race to Sexton's 10 jersey with Jackson and Keatley not kicking, and a tidy performance with width and the usual creativity has done his Ireland credentials no harm at all. Jackson seemed to be on autopilot with Pienaar at 9, and Madigan continually shows his willingness to step up and take responsibility.
Luke Fitzgerald
Another energetic and industrious performance, albeit from fullback, shows that not only is Luke back, but he is in form. His eyes are on that left wing slot, and his break for Cronin's first try will have impressed the management.
Iain Henderson
What a performance. It has taken me a long time to realise why he was hyped up so much, but everything Henderson did was awe-inspiring. In a great performance from Ulster as a collective, Henderson shone with some huge carries where it frequently took several defenders to take him down.
Darren Cave
Darren Cave put in his usual solid defensive performance with an added dangerous looking performance too. Two great unselfish offloads for Diacks tries underline a good performance from the man everyone in Ireland, except Deccie thinks should be next in line at outside centre.
Connacht:
Some great performances in there to beat a strong Ospreys side that included Fotauli'i, that beat Ulster on their own patch last week. Great stuff from the Westerners.
Dominic Ryan
Hard to pick the hat trick try scorer out as a winner. Especially on a day where his future contender for a 7 jersey, Tommy O'Donnell struggled to impose himself on the Scarlet's. Win win for Ryan.
Losers:
Ronan O'Gara
Not one of his best. 2/5 kicks, and a host of mistakes. In a game where Munster were crying out for leaders and someone to give them shape, the elder statesman buckled. If Kidney was any other coach you'd be certain O'Gara wouldn't be near the team based on that performance. The less said about it the better. He knows himself that he is better than that.
Donnacha O'Callaghan
Speaking of elder statesmen; Munster's pack were being beaten up all over the park. Surely someone with a bit of experience such as Donnacha should have learned how to shut his mouth. Alas, seemingly back to the penalty machine days as opposed to his unseen dirty work.
Munster supporters
The Munster supporters on twitter last night were distraught. And rightly so. It's hard to watch that and feel enthuastic about the future. It will get better though. Mostly because it can't get any worse. Bit of effort from all involved, and injuries coming back. It might just be the kick in the arse some of them need.
RTE
Not showing the Leinster game for a second week in a row was a questionable decision. Especially when the turd that Munster offered was shown in it's place. Both games should have been shown, and there's definitely an audience for it. Sort it out RTE
Ian Madigan & Luke Fitzgerald
They may have put in great performances, but due to RTE and TG4 not showing it, no one really knows how good. There would be bigger calls for them to be involved, and every now and again Deccie shows that he listens to our calls for players to be involved.
Thursday 14 February 2013
Team for Scotland
Front Row:
I'll start with the tighthead side, as I think my loosehead pick will be easier to explain given the rest of the front row.
Mike Ross has played a lot of rugby, and seems to get a number of knocks in every game. Declan Fitzpatrick is drastically short of match time. Logic dictates that Fitzpatrick should play. It'll give him match fitness and experience that could be vital, and help everyone be less worried about Mike Ross's backup, which will take pressure off Ross.
Rory Best is in great form, I would keep him in the team and allow him to continue, but with the intention to bring on Cronin early than Kidney has been doing.
Given that Healy could and should be cited, this makes things a little easier actually. I always wanted both Kilcoyne and Court to feature in this 6 Nations, and this could be the game where that happens. There isn't much between them, and with there being an Ulster hooker and tighthead, and with "doubts" about Fitzpatricks scrummaging ability, Court would slot in seamlessly, and provide a better scrummaging capability with Kilcoyne to come on at 50 or 60 minutes for a bit more impact in the loose.
Second Row
With McCarthy being ruled out, O'Callaghan will be brought into the XV with either Tuohy or Henderson on the bench. I'd almost consider bringing Tuohy in to the XV given that he's youngish and needs experience. He will be a future regular and has always impressed. Dropping O'Callaghan is harsh, especially as he has been good this season for Munster.
Back Row:
I would rest either Heaslip or O'Brien, and probably O'Brien, Heaslip needs as much exposure as captain to learn the job. Although is form on Sunday was shocking and could do with a week off. Henry to come in for O'Brien as a straight swap. Although I would like Tommy O'Donnell to be involved, but that is far too left field for Kidney.
Henry wouldn't bring as much ball carrying abilities as O'Brien, which means Heaslip needs to step up, and O'Brien to provide a big impact off the bench.
Scrumhalf:
No change. Murray was one of the few to slightly impress at the weekend and seems to be returning to something approaching acceptable form. He needs a chance to continue this. That and the fact that Reddan hasn't been good this season. Left field suggestion would be for Marmion to appear off the bench, but lets keep it (relatively) realistic.
Outhalf:
ROG will start. No question. One of my biggest preferences is for the bench player to offer something different than the player in the team that he is covering. Much like Boss/Reddan or Cronin and Strauss at Leinster. In that regard, I think that Jackson is too similar to O'Gara to be his cover. He most likely will be, but in my mind Jackson is a younger, less experienced and therefore less practised version of ROG. My preference would be for either Madigan who could be a gamechanger, although Keatley had a man of the match performance on Saturday.
One alternate option is, now that Luke Marshall is back to fitness, to have him cover both 10 and 12 on the bench. His injury was ill timed, and he should be involved at some stage in the championship. I also love the idea of having a bench player covering both 10 and 12 proficiently.
Inside Centre:
Having said all that about Marshall, I would still keep D'Arcy at 12. PROVIDED his is 100% fit. Otherwise I'd put McFadden straight into 12. D'Arcy is in great form, but there is no need to risk him after what appeared to be a few niggles against Scotland, and he will be needed elsewhere.
Outside Centre:
I really don't know what to say here. BOD will be having some fortnight. It's really up to the man himself whether he can play. A rest might benefit him, but Ireland still need his spark.
Wingers:
With Zebo out, and Gilroy not getting involved enough for my liking, albeit in unfavourable conditions. Both wings could be up for grabs.
Earls did enough on Sunday for Kidney to put him straight in, and it's unlikely Gilroy will lose his place. I would like to see Fitzgerald involved, and it's between McFadden and himself for a bench position.
Fullback
Rob Kearney needs a run of games to get his confidence up, and get match fit. He is on the road to best form, but is nearly there.
My 23:
1. Court, 2. Best, 3. Fitzpatrick, 4. Tuohy, 5. Ryan, 6. O'Mahony, 7. Henry, 8. Heaslip (C). 9. Murray, 10. O'Gara, 11. Earls, 12. D'Arcy, 13. O'Driscoll, 14. Gilroy, 15. Kearney.
16. Cronin, 17. Kilcoyne, 18. Ross, 19. Henderson, 20. O'Brien, 21. Marmion, 22. Marshall, 23. Fitzgerald
I'll start with the tighthead side, as I think my loosehead pick will be easier to explain given the rest of the front row.
Mike Ross has played a lot of rugby, and seems to get a number of knocks in every game. Declan Fitzpatrick is drastically short of match time. Logic dictates that Fitzpatrick should play. It'll give him match fitness and experience that could be vital, and help everyone be less worried about Mike Ross's backup, which will take pressure off Ross.
Rory Best is in great form, I would keep him in the team and allow him to continue, but with the intention to bring on Cronin early than Kidney has been doing.
Given that Healy could and should be cited, this makes things a little easier actually. I always wanted both Kilcoyne and Court to feature in this 6 Nations, and this could be the game where that happens. There isn't much between them, and with there being an Ulster hooker and tighthead, and with "doubts" about Fitzpatricks scrummaging ability, Court would slot in seamlessly, and provide a better scrummaging capability with Kilcoyne to come on at 50 or 60 minutes for a bit more impact in the loose.
Second Row
With McCarthy being ruled out, O'Callaghan will be brought into the XV with either Tuohy or Henderson on the bench. I'd almost consider bringing Tuohy in to the XV given that he's youngish and needs experience. He will be a future regular and has always impressed. Dropping O'Callaghan is harsh, especially as he has been good this season for Munster.
Back Row:
I would rest either Heaslip or O'Brien, and probably O'Brien, Heaslip needs as much exposure as captain to learn the job. Although is form on Sunday was shocking and could do with a week off. Henry to come in for O'Brien as a straight swap. Although I would like Tommy O'Donnell to be involved, but that is far too left field for Kidney.
Henry wouldn't bring as much ball carrying abilities as O'Brien, which means Heaslip needs to step up, and O'Brien to provide a big impact off the bench.
Scrumhalf:
No change. Murray was one of the few to slightly impress at the weekend and seems to be returning to something approaching acceptable form. He needs a chance to continue this. That and the fact that Reddan hasn't been good this season. Left field suggestion would be for Marmion to appear off the bench, but lets keep it (relatively) realistic.
Outhalf:
ROG will start. No question. One of my biggest preferences is for the bench player to offer something different than the player in the team that he is covering. Much like Boss/Reddan or Cronin and Strauss at Leinster. In that regard, I think that Jackson is too similar to O'Gara to be his cover. He most likely will be, but in my mind Jackson is a younger, less experienced and therefore less practised version of ROG. My preference would be for either Madigan who could be a gamechanger, although Keatley had a man of the match performance on Saturday.
One alternate option is, now that Luke Marshall is back to fitness, to have him cover both 10 and 12 on the bench. His injury was ill timed, and he should be involved at some stage in the championship. I also love the idea of having a bench player covering both 10 and 12 proficiently.
Inside Centre:
Having said all that about Marshall, I would still keep D'Arcy at 12. PROVIDED his is 100% fit. Otherwise I'd put McFadden straight into 12. D'Arcy is in great form, but there is no need to risk him after what appeared to be a few niggles against Scotland, and he will be needed elsewhere.
Outside Centre:
I really don't know what to say here. BOD will be having some fortnight. It's really up to the man himself whether he can play. A rest might benefit him, but Ireland still need his spark.
Wingers:
With Zebo out, and Gilroy not getting involved enough for my liking, albeit in unfavourable conditions. Both wings could be up for grabs.
Earls did enough on Sunday for Kidney to put him straight in, and it's unlikely Gilroy will lose his place. I would like to see Fitzgerald involved, and it's between McFadden and himself for a bench position.
Fullback
Rob Kearney needs a run of games to get his confidence up, and get match fit. He is on the road to best form, but is nearly there.
My 23:
1. Court, 2. Best, 3. Fitzpatrick, 4. Tuohy, 5. Ryan, 6. O'Mahony, 7. Henry, 8. Heaslip (C). 9. Murray, 10. O'Gara, 11. Earls, 12. D'Arcy, 13. O'Driscoll, 14. Gilroy, 15. Kearney.
16. Cronin, 17. Kilcoyne, 18. Ross, 19. Henderson, 20. O'Brien, 21. Marmion, 22. Marshall, 23. Fitzgerald
Ooh Ah Luke McGrath
Luke McGrath seems to me to be the main contender from this season's 20's that could make the step up to the professional ranks.
Sometimes I think I can be a bit biased about things, and I probably am, maybe even about this as McGrath went to my old school St. Michael's in Dublin.
Now, to me, It doesn't seem like a huge jump to suggest that Mike Ruddock, who would have the best chance at looking at the upcoming talent in the ranks, seemed to only slightly think that Marmion was better than McGrath.
Given what Marmion has gone on to achieve, it wouldn't be a huge step to conclude that McGrath might go on a do something similar. He's had two full Leinster caps already in the Rabo, as well as captained Ireland and Leinster at U18 and U20 level, suggesting huge leadership ability.
However, watching him and the rest of the 20's this season you can clearly see that he is the heartbeat of the side, and without him they would be on the end of some hidings.
Watching him during the game, he controls is forwards the way Stringer did at his best, he has a good pass off both hands, and can pass without taking steps (even if that has started to creep into his game a bit recently). As he showed several times against Wales though, he isn't afraid to have a snipe around the fringes, and usually makes yards and retains the ball.
It's in defence that he really stands out. He covers the play extremely well, and isn't afraid at 5'9'' and 84kg to take on people a lot bigger than him, and stop them with great tackling technique. It's almost scary the amount of key covering tackles he makes which suggests that the rest of the team's defence isn't brilliant. At the breakdown as well, he is like D'Arcy or O'Driscoll and he small size makes it easy for him to get over the ball and generate a few turnovers.
Comments from dementedmole:
"Luke McGrath stood in for the injured John Cooney for Leinster ‘A’ in the cracking British & Irish cup semi-final against Munster ‘A’ that went into extra time in the RDS on Good Friday. The youngster stepped up to the mark well and bagged a try, outplaying his 26-year old opposite number Duncan Williams for most of the game. With another season at this level in front of him, and another very capable scrum-half in Kieron Marmion in the squad for the tournament, The Mole thinks it likely that we’ll see both No9s used in the way that Leinster have used Eoin Reddan and Isaac Boss over the last two seasons.
EDIT: McGrath also made his senior Leinster debut this year, coming off the bench to replace Eoin Reddan for eleven minutes against Newport Gwent Dragons in early May."
Ross Moriarty gets 7 Weeks for tip tackle
Ross Moriarty, the English under 20s flanker who was sent off for the tip tackle on Luke McGrath, has got a 7 week ban.
There has been outrage among the few twitter people that cared, but hang on.
This is 7 week ban, meaning he is out of the rest of the 6 nations. The only other 20's games this year are the JWC, which would mean the ban would either have to be split like Andrew Hore's or extremely long.
As mentioned in a previous post, not all under 20's make it in professional rugby. If this ban had covered both the rest of the 6 Nations and JWC, theoretically, that could be the end of someone's career. Is that still cause for outrage?
Admittedly, having looked Ross Moriarty up for this piece, I've found out he's 18 years old, meaning he has at least 1 more year of 20's, and he's played 5 times for Gloucester full team this season, meaning he probably will make some career in the professional ranks. This is a Gloucester side that is performing this season.
It also looks like Moriarty has previous in this line of offending:
Tuesday 12 February 2013
Super Rugby Preview for the Northern Hemisphere supporter
Now that the Super Rugby season is upon us, we will be treated to a festival of fantastic rugby over the coming weeks. Super Rugby is historically the most entertaining Rugby competition in the world, despite what crowd attendances might suggest.
This is the second season with a full campaign, where not every team plays every other team. For all the skill that the Southern Hemisphere sides show, maybe this extended Super Rugby season contributed to fatigue in the November internationals?
And with more plans to expand, hopefully the skill level remains. One thing is for sure, while Rugby in general has shown a desire to improve, the powers that be usually realise mistakes eventually and fix any issues. Not playing every team seems ludicrous to me, as does the extending of the season, so hopefully things will be sorted sooner rather than later.
Anyway, I've compiled a preview of the Super Rugby teams, broken down into mini leagues based on their chances and what to expect from each team.
The top contenders in my view are:
- Crusaders
- Reds
- Stormers
In all likelihood, the winner will come from on of these three, and at the very least, these three teams will be in the playoffs. The way the competition is set up, it favours the top team from each country, and in my view this is the top teams in each country, with New Zealand being the hardest to judge.
Reds
Certainly the strongest of the Australian teams. Will Genia, the world's best scrumhalf, is out until at least round 5. That will be a huge blow to them, and they can't afford another bad start like last season where they got hammered by the Blues and the Force in consectutive gameweeks to fall behind. Only a late revival snuck them into the play-offs where they lost to defeated finalists the Sharks. The loss of Higginbotham will hurt, but given that all the returning injuries will act as new signings, they will no doubt improve on last year.
Easily recognisable names include Quade Cooper, Will Genia, Digby Ioane and James Horwill, who are backed up by Rod Davies, Luke Morahan, Liam Gill and Jake Schatz. This is a young settled side.
An exciting youngster to watch out for would be Chris Feauai-Sautia. He had a small number of cameos under huge excitement from Aussie crowds, and could be another star in the future.
Best XV:
15. Davies / Morahan, 14. Shipperley, 13. Fainga'a 12. Tapuai, 11. Ioane, 10. Cooper, 9. Genia, 1. Daley, 2. Fainga'a, 3. Slipper, 4. Simmons, 5. Horwill, 6. Schatz, 7. Gill, 8. Samo.
Best XV:
15. Davies / Morahan, 14. Shipperley, 13. Fainga'a 12. Tapuai, 11. Ioane, 10. Cooper, 9. Genia, 1. Daley, 2. Fainga'a, 3. Slipper, 4. Simmons, 5. Horwill, 6. Schatz, 7. Gill, 8. Samo.
Stormers
Another team that lost in the playoffs to the Sharks, unlike the Reds, the Stormers had an awesome start to last year winning their first 6 matchs and finishing on top of a difficult South African conference, and finishing on top of the regular season log. They have strengthened well with the arrival of Elton Jantjies, Jaco Taute and Pat Cilliers all on loan from the Lions, all three of which made their Springbok debuts in the last year. With only Quinn Roux of note leaving, this is a strong squad. Etzebeths injury for the first 2 months will be a blow considering his huge impact in the last 12 months, but they have enough quality across the squad to challenge.
Household names include Habana, Burger, de Villiers to name but three. Jantjies, Joe Pietersen, Elstadt, Siya Kolisi and Steven Kitchoff are quality youngsters the Stormers need to perform to have a chance. These players would grace any NH team.
Best XV:
15. Pietersen, 14. Aplon, 13. de Jongh, 12. de Villiers, 11. Habana, 10. Jantjies, 9. Duvenage, 1. Cilliers, 2. Fourie, 3. Kitchoff, 4. Etzebeth, 5. Bekker, 6. Kolisi, 7. Burger, 8. Vermeulen
Crusaders
The most recognisable team of the Super Rugby competition from a NH point of view. They are always in the mix, and lost in the semi finals to the winner the Chiefs last year. They've lost Sean Maitland, Ben Franks and Zach Guildford, and probably Richie McCaw as well.
Interestingly, the fixture list has them not playing the Reds, which will suit both teams immeasurably.
There is a new influx of youngsters, which I admit I know nothing about, and outside of their starting XV they look thin, but knowing the Crusaders the youngsters will be the next McCaws and Carters. Matt Todd, Tyler Bleyendaal and Robbie Fruean are future household names.
Best XV:
15. Dagg, 14. Guildford / A Whitelock13. Fruean. 12. Crotty, 11. McNicholl, 10. Carter. 9. Ellis. 1. Crockett, 2. Flynn, 3. Franks, 4. Romano, 5. S Whitelock, 6. G Whitelock, 7. McCaw / Todd, 8. Read
Playoff Hopefuls/ Dark Horses:
4. ChiefsBest XV:
15. Dagg, 14. Guildford / A Whitelock13. Fruean. 12. Crotty, 11. McNicholl, 10. Carter. 9. Ellis. 1. Crockett, 2. Flynn, 3. Franks, 4. Romano, 5. S Whitelock, 6. G Whitelock, 7. McCaw / Todd, 8. Read
Playoff Hopefuls/ Dark Horses:
5. Sharks
6. Bulls
7. Hurricanes
8. Highlanders
9. Waratahs
10. Brumbies
Chiefs
The defending champions nearly came out of nowhere last season to win. A big part of that was Sonny Bill Williams, who has returned to Rugby League via Japan and boxing. That is the main reason why I dont think they will have the same impact. That and the loss of Sona Taumalolo, one of their top try scorers from loosehead prop who was a relevation last year. They still have a string squad, and are in the playoff mix. Gareth Anscombe and Ross Filipo will improve them, and Tim Nanai-Williams and Sam Cane will be ones to watch out for. Aaron Cruden produces magic at this level and is well worth getting up early in the morning to watch.
Something else to watch out for is sub hooker Mahonri Schwalger who frequently knocks people out with ferocious hits as can be seen here
Best XV
15. Robinson, 14. Masaga, 13. Kahui, 12. Ngatai, 11. Nani-Williams, 10. Cruden. 9. Kerr-Barlow, 1. Afeauki, 2. Elliott, 3. Tameifuna, 4. Clarke, 5. Retallick, 6. Latimer, 7. Cane, 8. Messam.
Something else to watch out for is sub hooker Mahonri Schwalger who frequently knocks people out with ferocious hits as can be seen here
Best XV
15. Robinson, 14. Masaga, 13. Kahui, 12. Ngatai, 11. Nani-Williams, 10. Cruden. 9. Kerr-Barlow, 1. Afeauki, 2. Elliott, 3. Tameifuna, 4. Clarke, 5. Retallick, 6. Latimer, 7. Cane, 8. Messam.
Sharks
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| Another reason to watch Super Rugby this year |
The Natal Sharks showed last year how you don't have to finish top of your conference to make the final. The defeated finalists will feel they have something to prove, and haven't brought too many players in. Butch James will provide some experience and help a still young Pat Lambie. While Franco van der Merwe will be there for the season bringing steel to the engine room of the second row. This is a quality team with some outstanding backrowers like Marcel Coetzee, Keegan Daniel and Ryan Kankowski keeping Willem Alberts out of the side.
This will be the biggest threat to the Stormers in the South African conference. All eyes will be on Marcell Coetzee to see if the 22 year old can back up an impressive 2012.
Best XV:
15. Viljoen, 14. JP Pieterson, 13. Joubert, 12. Steyn, 11. Mvovo, 10. Lambie, 9. McLeod, 1. "Beast" Mtwarira, 2. B. du Plessis, 3. J du Plessis, 4. van der Merwe, 5. Bresler, 6. Coetzee, 7. Daniel, 8. Kankowski
Best XV:
15. Viljoen, 14. JP Pieterson, 13. Joubert, 12. Steyn, 11. Mvovo, 10. Lambie, 9. McLeod, 1. "Beast" Mtwarira, 2. B. du Plessis, 3. J du Plessis, 4. van der Merwe, 5. Bresler, 6. Coetzee, 7. Daniel, 8. Kankowski
Bulls
The Bulls have lost outstanding flanker CJ Stander to Munster, and with Morne Steyn and Juandre Kruger announcing their intention to leave after this season, it seems that this is an important season for them. They will want a strong season to attract quality replacements. They still have a good side, and in Francois Hougaard, Bjorn Basson and Pierre Spies have world class players.
One to watch out for is 18 or 19 year old Handre Pollard. I've never heard so much about one player since Sonny Bill Williams. This kid is meant to be the real deal and a reason why the Bulls don't seem to unhappy with Morne Steyn leaving.
Best XV:
15. Kirchner, 14. Engelbrecht, 13. Olivier, 12. Pollard, 11. Basson, 10. Steyn, 9. Hougaard, 1. Greyling, 2. Ralepelle, 3. Kruger, 4. van der Merwe, 5. Kruger, 6. Stegmann, 7. Potgieter, 8. Spies
Best XV:
15. Kirchner, 14. Engelbrecht, 13. Olivier, 12. Pollard, 11. Basson, 10. Steyn, 9. Hougaard, 1. Greyling, 2. Ralepelle, 3. Kruger, 4. van der Merwe, 5. Kruger, 6. Stegmann, 7. Potgieter, 8. Spies
Hurricanes
The 'Canes are an exciting young team. As well as star young performers last year like Andre Taylor, Julian Savea, Beauden Barritt and TJ Peranara in the backs they have experience in Victor Vito and Conrad Smith. The loss of Cory Jane through injury will hurt them, but they've signed some exciting young talent in (from PlanetRugby) "Lock/loose forward Blade Thomson, who was part of New Zealand's 2010 IRB Junior World Championship-winning team and versatile James Marshall, who was Taranaki "Back of the Year" for 2012" They will be hoping for Ardie Savea to make as much of an impact in 2013 as his older brother Julian did in 2012.
Their fixture list is favourable with only two away games in South Africa, but being in the New Zealand conference with 4 strong teams, anything is possible.
Best XV:
15. Taylor, 14. Jane, 13. Smith, 12. Bateman, 11. Savea, 10. Barritt, 9 Peranara, 1. Franks, 2. Coles, 3. Toomaga-Allen, 4. Eaton, 5. Thrush, 6. Thomson, 7. Savea, 8. Vito
Best XV:
15. Taylor, 14. Jane, 13. Smith, 12. Bateman, 11. Savea, 10. Barritt, 9 Peranara, 1. Franks, 2. Coles, 3. Toomaga-Allen, 4. Eaton, 5. Thrush, 6. Thomson, 7. Savea, 8. Vito
Highlanders
The Highlanders appeared very impressive last year before fizzling out towards the end, unknown starts like Kade Poki shown in 2011, before being injured last year and will hopefully return to dazzling form. Backing up the talents of Colin Slade, Aaron Smith and Hosea Gear will be new recruits Ma'a Nonu, Brad Thorn and Tony Woodcock. This should probably add some steel to the Highlanders and make sure there is no slip up in form.
Watch out for AB fringe players like Ben Smith and Tameti Ellison, and the outstanding Lima Sopoaga at sub outhalf.
Best XV:
15. Smith, 14. Poki, 13. Ellison, 12. Nonu, 11. Gear, 10. Slade, 9. Smith, 1. Woodcock, 2. Hore, 3. Fia, 4. Thorn, 5. Hoeata, 6. Dixon, 7. Hardie, 8. Manu
Best XV:
15. Smith, 14. Poki, 13. Ellison, 12. Nonu, 11. Gear, 10. Slade, 9. Smith, 1. Woodcock, 2. Hore, 3. Fia, 4. Thorn, 5. Hoeata, 6. Dixon, 7. Hardie, 8. Manu
Waratahs
For the apparent strength that that 'Tahs have in their squad, they seem to underachieve most years. It's an exciting team down in Sydney with ex-Leinster coach Michael Cheika taking up the reins, and some exciting signings in Israel Folau and Michael Hooper, who had an outstanding 2012 for the Brumbies and the Wallabies. They have lost big names in Elsom, Dean Mumm and Chris Alcock, but appear stronger overall.
They will start the season with a number of injuries to Drew Mitchell and Berrick Barnes among others, but appear to have the depth to cope with it. They will be challenging the Brumbies for a crack at the Queensland Reds at the top of the Australian conference, with it being likely that only one of the Australian teams reaches the playoffs.
Tom Kingston is an exciting young winger/ outside centre worth keeping an eye on, and Israel Folau is a 22 year old code hopper, with a lot of hype surrounding them. A strong season for either mean that they could be "bolters" for the visit of the British and Irish Lions.
Best XV:
15. Foley, 14. Kingston, 13. Ashley-Cooper, 12. Carter, 11. Mitchell, 10. Barnes, 9. McKibbin; 1. Robinson, 2. Polata-Nau, 3. Kepu, 4. Douglas, 5. Timani, 6. Dennis, 7. Hooper. 8. Palu.
Best XV:
15. Foley, 14. Kingston, 13. Ashley-Cooper, 12. Carter, 11. Mitchell, 10. Barnes, 9. McKibbin; 1. Robinson, 2. Polata-Nau, 3. Kepu, 4. Douglas, 5. Timani, 6. Dennis, 7. Hooper. 8. Palu.
Brumbies
The ACT Brumbies nearly shocked everyone by taking last season by storm and narrowly missing out on the playoffs with a defeat on the last day of the regular season. This squad of "nobodies" certainly made a name for themselves with Christian Lealilifano and Jesse Mogg in particular firing. Add to that the world class talent of David Pocock, the Brumbies will be hoping for more of the same. Stephen Moore is one of the best hookers in the world, and watch out for a return to rugby after 3 years for Clyde Rathbone.
Best XV:
15. Coleman, 14. Tomane, 13. Mogg, 12. McCabe, 11. Speight, 10. Lealilifano, 9. White, 1. Alexander, 2. Moore, 3. Murphy, 4. Fardy, 5. Oostheizen, 6. Vaea, 7. Pocock, 8. Mowen.
Improving / Outside Playoffs
12. Rebels
13. Cheetahs
Blues
It's fair to say that 2012 was a disaster for the Blues. After recruiting heavily they only won once in the first ten games and finished 12th. They have lost a number of All Blacks in Kaino, Nonu, Daniel Braid, Alby Mathewson, Munro, Rudi Wulf, Benson Stanley, Tony Woodcock and Isia Toeava.
Not many are expecting much from the Blues, who are the weakest of the NZ teams. However, Piri Weepu seems to be returning to form, and John Kirwan will take over, it can't be as bad as last year.
They still have some quality players, and will be looking to do better, and maybe be in the playoff mix. Perhaps a little soon for them though.
Best XV: Not going to lie this wasn't easy with so many departures, it would be something like:
15. Piutau, 14. Halai ,13. Ranger, 12. F. Saili 11. Moala10. Noakes 9. Weepu. 1. McCartney 2. Mealamu, 3. Faumina, 4. Boric 5. Williams, 6. Luatua 7. Braid, 8. P. Saili
It's fair to say that 2012 was a disaster for the Blues. After recruiting heavily they only won once in the first ten games and finished 12th. They have lost a number of All Blacks in Kaino, Nonu, Daniel Braid, Alby Mathewson, Munro, Rudi Wulf, Benson Stanley, Tony Woodcock and Isia Toeava.
Not many are expecting much from the Blues, who are the weakest of the NZ teams. However, Piri Weepu seems to be returning to form, and John Kirwan will take over, it can't be as bad as last year.
They still have some quality players, and will be looking to do better, and maybe be in the playoff mix. Perhaps a little soon for them though.
Best XV: Not going to lie this wasn't easy with so many departures, it would be something like:
15. Piutau, 14. Halai ,13. Ranger, 12. F. Saili 11. Moala10. Noakes 9. Weepu. 1. McCartney 2. Mealamu, 3. Faumina, 4. Boric 5. Williams, 6. Luatua 7. Braid, 8. P. Saili
Rebels
The Rebels are a team that are improving. 2012 didn't see much of Beale and O'Connor in tandem, and with both fit for the start of the season and new Wallaby recruit Scott Higginbotham joining, they are a much better side. The rest of the team now have a few years Super Rugby experience under their belts and will be better for it. Unfortunately there are still so many teams that are better than them, but I think we can expect a few more wins and more competitiveness than before from the Melbourne side.
Best XV:
15. Beale, 14. Vuna, 13. Inman, 12. Sidey, 11. Mitchell, 10. O'Connor, 9. Phipps; 1. Henderson, 2. Robinson, 3. Weeks, 4. Pyle, 5. Neville, 6. Higginbotham, 7. Saffy, 8. Delve,
The Rebels are a team that are improving. 2012 didn't see much of Beale and O'Connor in tandem, and with both fit for the start of the season and new Wallaby recruit Scott Higginbotham joining, they are a much better side. The rest of the team now have a few years Super Rugby experience under their belts and will be better for it. Unfortunately there are still so many teams that are better than them, but I think we can expect a few more wins and more competitiveness than before from the Melbourne side.
Best XV:
15. Beale, 14. Vuna, 13. Inman, 12. Sidey, 11. Mitchell, 10. O'Connor, 9. Phipps; 1. Henderson, 2. Robinson, 3. Weeks, 4. Pyle, 5. Neville, 6. Higginbotham, 7. Saffy, 8. Delve,
Cheetahs
The Cheetahs are one of the most exciting sides in Super Rugby to watch. They will never fail to entertain. The news that Juan Smith retired this week will be a blow, but considering he only played a handful of games for them in the last year, won't make too much difference
Heinrich Brussouw is the most known player, who has his own injury worries, but on his day some consider the best fetcher in the world. Ashley Johnson will be a big loss, but hopes are high for Johan Goosen(20), who was so impressive last year before an injury derailed the Cheetahs season. Willie Le Roux was electric last season as well.
Sarel Pretorious is back from a year with the Waratahs which promises to be very exciting. Expect them to claim scalps, and be very entertaining while doing it.
Best XV:
15. Smit, 14. Benjamin, 13. Ebersohn, 12. Sadie, 11. Le Roux, 10. Goosen, 9. Pretorious; 1. Oosthuizen, 2. Strauss, 3. Adriaanse, 4. Uys, 5. Landman, 6. Brussouw, 7. Viljoen, 8. van der Walt
Basement Dwellers:
15. Kings
The newest team in the competition. First off, I think it's wrong the way the SARU have treated the Golden Lions. They clearly had improved in the last number of years, and the way they destroyed the Kings in a recent warm up game shows that they are significantly the better team. The Lions were just about competitive in this competition, I don't think the Kings will be at all.
They have two ex fringe players from Toulouse at scrumhalf (Vergallo) and hooker (Lacombe) as well as the only recognisable names Luke Watson (ex Bath) ans Steven Sykes (ex Leinster), which seem to be their go to men. This is going to be one year in the big time before they lose the playoff to the Lions. Lucky to get two wins.
Best XV: Not even going to try.
Now you know everything, give this amazing fantasy league a try. It'll mean that you pay more attention and are more informed come Lions time.
Heinrich Brussouw is the most known player, who has his own injury worries, but on his day some consider the best fetcher in the world. Ashley Johnson will be a big loss, but hopes are high for Johan Goosen(20), who was so impressive last year before an injury derailed the Cheetahs season. Willie Le Roux was electric last season as well.
Sarel Pretorious is back from a year with the Waratahs which promises to be very exciting. Expect them to claim scalps, and be very entertaining while doing it.
Best XV:
15. Smit, 14. Benjamin, 13. Ebersohn, 12. Sadie, 11. Le Roux, 10. Goosen, 9. Pretorious; 1. Oosthuizen, 2. Strauss, 3. Adriaanse, 4. Uys, 5. Landman, 6. Brussouw, 7. Viljoen, 8. van der Walt
Struggling:
14. Force
The Force have lost a world class player in David Pocock, which would be bad enough. Except that they lost one the year before as well in James O'Connor, and they haven't adequatedly replaced either. Not to mention the retirement of one Nathan Sharpe and this is a team who have lost most of their key men. This team reminds me of Italy a number of years ago, in that they have a strong pack capable of maintaining parity with the best teams, but have a backline of schoolboys.
Ben McCalman will feel like a new signing after being injured, and will need to step up to fill Pococks shoes in the backrow. Alby Mathewson, Hugh McMenamin, Chris Alcock and Sias Ebersohn are intelligent signings that will ensure that the Force will be competitive, and will be a distance away from the Kings at the bottom, but with too much quality lost, its 14th place for them it looks like.
Best XV:
15. Norton-Knight, 14. Cummins, 13. Stanley, 12. Hayward, 11. Stubbs, 10. Ebersohn, 9. Mathewson; 1. Cowan, 2. Charles, 3. Ma'afu, 4. McMenamin, 5. Wykes, 6. Hodgson, 7. Alcock, 8. McCalman.
Best XV:
15. Norton-Knight, 14. Cummins, 13. Stanley, 12. Hayward, 11. Stubbs, 10. Ebersohn, 9. Mathewson; 1. Cowan, 2. Charles, 3. Ma'afu, 4. McMenamin, 5. Wykes, 6. Hodgson, 7. Alcock, 8. McCalman.
Basement Dwellers:
The newest team in the competition. First off, I think it's wrong the way the SARU have treated the Golden Lions. They clearly had improved in the last number of years, and the way they destroyed the Kings in a recent warm up game shows that they are significantly the better team. The Lions were just about competitive in this competition, I don't think the Kings will be at all.
They have two ex fringe players from Toulouse at scrumhalf (Vergallo) and hooker (Lacombe) as well as the only recognisable names Luke Watson (ex Bath) ans Steven Sykes (ex Leinster), which seem to be their go to men. This is going to be one year in the big time before they lose the playoff to the Lions. Lucky to get two wins.
Best XV: Not even going to try.
Now you know everything, give this amazing fantasy league a try. It'll mean that you pay more attention and are more informed come Lions time.
Super Rugby teams Round 1
Every week I'll post the Super Rugby teams as they come in for Fantasy Rugby.
Don't forget to join http://ballhandlinghooker.blogspot.ie/2013/02/fantasy-super-rugby.html
Rebels vs Force, Friday 8.40 am GMT
Melbourne Rebels: 15 James O'Connor, 14 Lachlan Mitchell, 13 Mitch Inman, 12 Rory Sidey, 11 Richard Kingi, 10 Kurtley Beale, 9 Nick Phipps, 8 Gareth Delve (c) 7 Scott Fuglistaller, 6 Scott Higginbotham, 5 Luke Jones, 4 Hugh Pyle, 3 Laurie Weeks, 2 Ged Robinson, 1 Nic Henderson.
Replacements: 16 Shota Horie, 17 Paul Alo-Emile, 18 Cadeyrn Neville, 19 Jarrod Saffy, 20 Nic Stirzaker, 21 Alex Rokobaro, 22 Tom English.
Western Force: 15 Will Tupou, 14 Patrick Dellit, 13 Winston Stanley, 12 Kyle Godwin, 11 Alfie Mafi, 10 Sam Christie, 9 Alby Mathewson, 8 Ben McCalman, 7 Chris Alcock, 6 Angus Cottrell, 5 Toby Lynn, 4 Sam Wykes, 3 Tetera Faulkner, 2 Nathan Charles, 1 Pek Cowan (c).
Replacements: 16 Heath Tessmann, 17 Kieran Longbottom, 18 Phoenix Battye, 19 Richard Brown, 20 Mick Snowden, 21 Sias Ebersohn, 22 Junior Rasolea.
Brumbies vs Reds, Saturday 8.40am GMT
ACT Brumbies: 15 Jesse Mogg, 14 Henry Speight, 13 Andrew Smith, 12 Christian Lealiifano, 11 Clyde Rathbone, 10 Matt Toomua, 9 Nic White, 8 Ben Mowen, 7 David Pocock, 6 Peter Kimlin, 5 Sam Carter, 4 Scott Fardy, 3 Dan Palmer, 2 Stephen Moore, 1 Ben Alexander.
Replacements: 16 Siliva Siliva, 17 Ruaidhri Murphy, 18 Colby Faingaa, 19 Fotu Auelua, 20 Ian Prior, 21 Joseph Tomane, 22 Robbie Coleman.
Queensland Reds: 15 Mike Harris, 14 Dom Shipperley, 13 Aidan Toua, 12 Ben Tapuai, 11 Digby Ioane, 10 Quade Cooper, 9 Ben Lucas, 8 Jake Schatz, 7 Liam Gill, 6 Eddie Quirk, 5 Rob Simmons, 4 Adam Wallace-Harrison, 3 James Slipper (c), 2 Saia Faingaa, 1 Greg Holmes.
Replacements: 16 Albert Anae, 17 James Hanson, 18 Ed O'Donoghue, 19 Jarrad Butler, 20 Nick Frisby, 21 Jono Lance, 22 Chris F'Sautia.
Don't forget to join http://ballhandlinghooker.blogspot.ie/2013/02/fantasy-super-rugby.html
Rebels vs Force, Friday 8.40 am GMT
Melbourne Rebels: 15 James O'Connor, 14 Lachlan Mitchell, 13 Mitch Inman, 12 Rory Sidey, 11 Richard Kingi, 10 Kurtley Beale, 9 Nick Phipps, 8 Gareth Delve (c) 7 Scott Fuglistaller, 6 Scott Higginbotham, 5 Luke Jones, 4 Hugh Pyle, 3 Laurie Weeks, 2 Ged Robinson, 1 Nic Henderson.
Replacements: 16 Shota Horie, 17 Paul Alo-Emile, 18 Cadeyrn Neville, 19 Jarrod Saffy, 20 Nic Stirzaker, 21 Alex Rokobaro, 22 Tom English.
Western Force: 15 Will Tupou, 14 Patrick Dellit, 13 Winston Stanley, 12 Kyle Godwin, 11 Alfie Mafi, 10 Sam Christie, 9 Alby Mathewson, 8 Ben McCalman, 7 Chris Alcock, 6 Angus Cottrell, 5 Toby Lynn, 4 Sam Wykes, 3 Tetera Faulkner, 2 Nathan Charles, 1 Pek Cowan (c).
Replacements: 16 Heath Tessmann, 17 Kieran Longbottom, 18 Phoenix Battye, 19 Richard Brown, 20 Mick Snowden, 21 Sias Ebersohn, 22 Junior Rasolea.
Brumbies vs Reds, Saturday 8.40am GMT
ACT Brumbies: 15 Jesse Mogg, 14 Henry Speight, 13 Andrew Smith, 12 Christian Lealiifano, 11 Clyde Rathbone, 10 Matt Toomua, 9 Nic White, 8 Ben Mowen, 7 David Pocock, 6 Peter Kimlin, 5 Sam Carter, 4 Scott Fardy, 3 Dan Palmer, 2 Stephen Moore, 1 Ben Alexander.
Replacements: 16 Siliva Siliva, 17 Ruaidhri Murphy, 18 Colby Faingaa, 19 Fotu Auelua, 20 Ian Prior, 21 Joseph Tomane, 22 Robbie Coleman.
Queensland Reds: 15 Mike Harris, 14 Dom Shipperley, 13 Aidan Toua, 12 Ben Tapuai, 11 Digby Ioane, 10 Quade Cooper, 9 Ben Lucas, 8 Jake Schatz, 7 Liam Gill, 6 Eddie Quirk, 5 Rob Simmons, 4 Adam Wallace-Harrison, 3 James Slipper (c), 2 Saia Faingaa, 1 Greg Holmes.
Replacements: 16 Albert Anae, 17 James Hanson, 18 Ed O'Donoghue, 19 Jarrad Butler, 20 Nick Frisby, 21 Jono Lance, 22 Chris F'Sautia.
Monday 11 February 2013
Fantasy Super Rugby
This is the way fantasy rugby should be.
Check out my preview here
Check out my preview here
You get more than just points for tries and wins, it's about actual measures of good performances.
And I'm setting up 3 leagues, one for the Irish rugby folk, one for the Northern Hemisphere pretenders and one for everyone, Join as many or as little as you like and invite others;
Irish: 9274-5409
Northern Hemisphere:9274-5410
All:9274-5411
Northern Hemisphere:9274-5410
All:9274-5411
Scoring Rules
During the 2013 Super Rugby season, the players will be allocated a Fantasy point score after each match, based on their performances in the 2013 Super Rugby matches and the scoring system below. Only player performances in official 2013 Super Rugby matches are included in the scoring for Fantasy Super Rugby. The Fantasy points will be calculated using statistics supplied by the Promoter's data provider. The Promoter will not enter into any correspondence relating to the allocation of Fantasy points to players. The Promoter accepts no responsibility for the accuracy of this data and the Promoter's decision is final and binding.
Actions occurring in extra time count towards points scored. Points are awarded as set out in the table below:
Actions occurring in extra time count towards points scored. Points are awarded as set out in the table below:
| Action | Points |
|---|---|
| Playing 1 - 60 minutes | 1 |
| Props that play more than 60 minutes | 4 |
| Hookers, locks and backrowers that play more than 61 minutes | 3 |
| All other positions playing more than 61 minutes | 2 |
| For each try scored by a prop or hooker | 15 |
| For each try scored by a lock or backrower | 12 |
| For each try scored by a scrum-half, fly-half, centre or outside back | 10 |
| For each try assist | 5 |
| For each try save | 5 |
| For each conversion | 2 |
| For each conversion miss | -1 |
| For each penalty goal | 3 |
| For each penalty miss | -1 |
| For each drop goal | 3 |
| For each drop goal miss | -1 |
| Yellow card | -5 |
| Red card | -15 |
| For each run | 1 |
| For each tackle bust | 2 |
| For each offload | 1 |
| For each linebreak | 5 |
| For each linebreak creates | 3 |
| For each error | -3 |
| For each tackle made by a prop or hooker | 2 |
| For each tackle made by all other positions | 1 |
| For each tackle miss | -2 |
| For each lineout take on own throw | 1 |
| For each lineout steal on opposition throw | 4 |
| For each lineout error, includes not straight, throw error or jump error | -3 |
| For each tight head won, awarded to entire front row | 7 |
| For each tight head lost, awarded to entire front row | -3 |
| For each pilfer | 4 |
| For each turn over forced | 3 |
| For each penalty - long arm | -4 |
Assists
A try assist may be awarded to a player assisting in scoring the try, but not every try scored may be awarded a try assist.
A try assist may be awarded to a player assisting in scoring the try, but not every try scored may be awarded a try assist.
Pilfers
When a defensive player steals the ball from a fully formed ruck.
When a defensive player steals the ball from a fully formed ruck.
Forced Turnovers
When an attacking player is forced to concede a ruck or maul penalty resulting in a turnover in possession.
When an attacking player is forced to concede a ruck or maul penalty resulting in a turnover in possession.
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