Heineken Cup 2010/11

[Lee Grant]

Been confirmed that ContraryPony is travelling, and will be starting instead of Wilko.

And guess who's back in the Munster 23, apart from Fla? And, one presumes, at this very moment being prodded by Axel through the bars of the cage and being told that baldy Argentinian said he rode your sister...?

At the very least, it's going to be fun watching it. Because if ContraryPony hasn't played in that channel for a while when we let the lads loose howling down his throat, I suspect he may not quite be as able to tune it out as once he might have been...

Translation for anybody who doesn't know Munsterspeak

1. Felipe Contepomi, the experienced Argentine international, will play flyhalf for Toulon against Munster at Thomond Park in Round 2 of the Heineken Cup on the weekend instead of England international Jonny Wilkinson, who is being rested.

2. Apart from hooker Jerry Flannery, (who returned to have a half a game of amateur rugby last week after being out for 4 months), 36 y.o. Alan Quinlan returns to the team. To encourage Quinlan to play vigorously when encountering Contepomi, Munster Assistant Coach Anthony Foley, whose record for Munster caps Quinlan is about to break, has indicated to Quinny that the Argentine rodgered his sister.

3. Munster players used to attack Contepomi's channel when he played flyhalf for hated rivals Leinster and he may not be as nimble as when he was then. Being a rugby lover T78 will enjoy watching that contest.

*****

I see that Slamming Sam has been cited for a spear tackle - not an unknown action for Sam. If he's out will they slip Warwick in there or will he go to fullback and have Murphy join Earls in the midfield?

Is Hayman playing for Toulon? If so, we may find out how good LHP WdP is.

 

[JJJ]

I'm really miffed at this pay tv farce going on with the rugby. Basically you have to buy 3 packages to see a bare smattering of matches, which is especially irritating given that I only got Austar in the first place for the rugby. Am I right btw in thinking that King George doesn't seem to be considered a member of the Toulon starting XV at this stage?

 

[Lee Grant]

Am I right btw in thinking that King George doesn't seem to be considered a member of the Toulon starting XV at this stage?

Why would you think that? Because he has been on the bench?

George Smith, Carl Hayman and Jonny Wilkinson have all been on the bench this year.

If they make finals Toulon will play almost 3 times as many games this season as a Super14 team would have last season; so players are rotated a lot more. They hardly ever have their best team on the park at one time. The only time you are sure who they think their best players are is in the play-offs for the Top 14 or the Heineken Cup.

French teams tend to stack their best players into their side at home games in the Top14 if a visiting team is a potential playoff rival, but even then you can see a player or two on the bench who are clearly first pick players. They also tend to play all their best players in home Heineken Cup Games.

George Smith started at home against the Ospreys in Rd.1 of the Heineken Cup last weekend but don't be surprised to see him on the bench or missing the away game against Munster next weekend. Apparently Wilkinson is not even travelling to Thomond Park.

But wait there's more: Toulon have indicated that the Top14 will be their major priority this season; so don't be surprised if Toulon put some of their best players in cotton wool even even for future home HC games.

 

[Lee Grant]

Ospreys 27 London Irish 16

Irish beat Munster last week, and I thought they were a chance to win the game even though the Sprays had a 13-1-1 HC record at Liberty Stadium. It was not to be: the home team weren't about to drop a home game in the Pool of Death after losing at Toulon after the bell last week.

There may be a U-Tube already of a Shane Williams run that would be worth watching. He ran sideways in front of a line of Exiles then turned 90 degrees through them and then nearly hurdled the fullback. He dropped the ball but in the 2nd half he chipped, tapped the ball on from the bounce, dodged a defender whilst it was in the air, took the ball and scored.

As prescribed by the law crackdown referee Peter Fitzgibbon was ultra strict on players advancing in front of the kicker and penalised players relentlessly. This part of our game was becoming a bit like the downtown rule in league, but just required the referees to be tough enough to follow the laws. Funny thing was: after a rash of penalties players conformed. What a concept.

 

[RugbyReg]

here's the try, can't find the run yet.

[video=youtube;Ljr_t6l4Sx8]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ljr_t6l4Sx8[/video]

 

[Lee Grant]

That was a cracker wasn't it?


There are 5 other HC games on TV this weekend

Edinburgh v Northampton
Edinburgh went down by just 1 point last week in Cardiff and have a pretty good record at home in the HC. The visiting Saints were lucky to beat Castres in a horrible game in Rd. 1 when most of the goal kickers seemed to have chewy on their boots. Both teams usually like to use the ball and let's hope that comes through at the Murrayfield mausoleum.

Munster v Toulon
Munster have lost a lot of big games in the last 12 months, even at home, but should win this one. Toulon didn't play much rugby last week and were pretty ordinary though beating Sarries. Their rainmaker, Jonny Wilkinson, isn't playing and it will be worthwhile watching the Munster backrow trying to get at new Toulon flyhalf Contepomi.

The normal Munster midfield of Tuitupou and Mafi (if you can call Mafi normal) will be absent and it will be interesting to see the new pairing of Earls and Murphy. Maybe they will come up with a bit of mystery for a change and who knows – maybe flyhalf ROG will play closer to the gain line to make it possible. Munster gave away over 20 penalties last week; so they'll have to improve their discipline because Contepomi knows how to kick goals too.

Saracens v Leinster
Sarries are playing this home fixture at Wembley and it will be a big game in more ways than one. They were ordinary last week in Clermont whereas it was sweetness and light for visitors Leinster in thrashing Racing at home.

For Leinster Fitzgerald replaces hamstrung Drico, and iconic skipper Cullen will make his return from the bench. Saracens have a bit of physicality with their SAffers in the side, but they are are a one dimensional team. I'd favour Leinster to be one of the away winners this week.

Leicester v Scarlets
Scarlets scored a few nice tries in Rd.1 but they leaked 5 of them and that's not something you can't do against Leicester at Welford Road. The Tigers were not that brilliant themselves against BT in Italy, but they have flyhalf Flood back and his combination with whiz scrummie Youngs should help Leicester win 2 out of 2.

Wasps v Glasgow
Wasps have won only 2 games in the premiership this season but nearly got an HC away win in the wet last week, in Toulouse of all places. Too bad a 48 metre penalty kick missed on the final bell. Glasgow have got a bit of pace behind the pack but not a lot else and you'd have to favour the home team.

 

[lily]

I find it quite amusing that Matt Williams is the compare of the Week in review on Setanta.
Lee and the rest of the public who thinks NH rugby doesn't suck I look forward to further discussion. Onse again I'll suggest that if you can, check out last years Guinness Premiership Final. The game was a cracker. Alot better than some of the garbage that is Super14.

 

[Lee Grant]

Prompted by your remarks I watched that game again as I had it archived and hadn't seen it since May. It was a cracking game indeed and had a cracking finish.

I think the general level of Super rugby is higher than the that of the Premiership but that's not to say that there isn't some bloody fine rugby played over there. The game here is a lot faster but by the same token not many Super teams would know how to play winning rugby in Europe in December and January - and I suppose the response would be that not many would want to.

It suffices to say that those who watch just SH rugby and are content to do so are missing a lot.

 

[Thomond78]

Munster 45, Toulon 18.

 

[qwerty51]

There was an obstruction and that should've been a penalty for putting himself in a dangerous position.

 

[DPK]

There was an obstruction and that should've been a penalty for putting himself in a dangerous position.

Advantage was played by the referee. Same as Rocky Elsom's "Jumpin' Jack" attempt against Fiji it was for dangerous play.

 

[cyclopath]

There was an obstruction and that should've been a penalty for putting himself in a dangerous position.

2 obstructions, I reckon.
Very athletic though.

 

[DPK]

2 obstructions, I reckon.
Very athletic though.

Not bad for a 33 year old.

 

[qwerty51]

Advantage was played by the referee. Same as Rocky Elsom's "Jumpin' Jack" attempt against Fiji it was for dangerous play.

Advantage was for the knock-on wasn't it?

 

[Thomond78]

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

Follow the other parts of it; it seems like this lovely French man has put the entire game - en Frogçais, naturellement - on Youtube. Chapeau!

 

[Lee Grant]

Edinburgh 27 – Northampton 31
Edinburgh's HC season virtually ended when the Saints beat them at home in an attractive game, because they have lost 2 out of 2 and there's only 4 more pool games remaining.

It didn't look like that at first when they started out with a hiss an a roar and scored some brilliant tries built up by team offloading and getting the ball away from contact. It was tasty stuff but it was ice cream, and when Northampton played some meat and potatoes rugby - bashing things up the middle in the 2nd half - and getting in their faces with attacking defence to stop all that off loading nonsense, the game changed.

The Saints scored some nice tries themselves and in the end won it by squeezing Edinburgh in the 2nd half and getting key turnovers through physicality.

Refereeing note: Once a player got a ball from a ruck and a team mate bound on to him. The pair ran forward and were brought to ground by defenders and the player who had bound on went to ground on top of the ball carrier. Decision from referee Garces: PK to the defending team for an attacker going off his feet and killing the ball. I like it.

Munster 45 – Toulon 18
Talk about a good start to the game. Before the 1st minute was up Toulon got the ball from the lineout. The ball was dished out wide and ended up with Contepomi slipping the pill to van Niekerk who took off before offloading to the hooker to score. How he got there from throwing the ball to the lineout so quickly I don't know because the try was on the other side of the field.

Don't ruin a good story by saying the original pass from scrummie Mignoni was a metre forward because it was a great try – and the pass was actually 2 metres forward anyway.

That was the high point for Toulon but you wouldn't have known it at the time. Munster was denied a few tries and their were more replays than for MASH but they scored enough of them in the end.

Munster hadn't been at their best this year especially in the last couple of weeks when they lost, but when they had to be, at home, they were back with their old rhythm of confidence. All their problems seemed to disappear: can't score tries?; look at the scoreboard; POC still crocked?; MOD was MOTM; both midfielders suspended?; Murphy and Earls stepped up; backrowers Quinlan and Wallace over the hill?; give me a break etc, etc.

Hardly anybody had a bad game and Howlett and Warwick were superb as was THP Buckley who had the best game I've ever saw him play.

For Toulon van Niekerk was a commanding figure and 3 Hayman and 12 Auelua played with power all day.

Saracens 23 – Leinster 25
With about half an hour to go the visitors were ahead 22-11 and looking good to get the lollies away from home. Then Sarries started getting some reward for possession rugby and ended up in Leinster territory to force infringements and slot 4 penalties, to 1 for Leinster.

It was nerve wracking stuff and the last play of the game lasted 30 phases as Sarries bashed it up starting from 60 metres out. But Leinster knocked them back back so hard that they couldn't get close enough for a droppie and DeKock finally threw a too-low pass that was knocked on.

There wasn't much in it but in the end Sarries' side to side switches could not overcome attacking defence and they had no Plan B. Again.

8. Joubert was outstanding for Saracens and 15. Goode had a top game and nearly brought his team home when he switched to flyhalf after Hougaard damaged his AT.

For Leinster 8. Heaslip and 10. Sexton were magnificent and 15. Kearney looked back to his best.

 

[Lee Grant]

On Monday/Tuesday in Oz there were two Sunday games broadcast on TV; better late than never.

Leicester 46 – Scarlets 10
Farque – early on Scarlets were dudded by referee Clancy because they weren't given a penalty try, but then they scored one of the tries from deep that their verve makes possible. It was just 13-10 at oranges, but that was as good as it got for the visitors.

In the 2nd half Leicester applied their accustomed power and closed them out of the game with several excellent tries, often from counter-attack. Looks like Leicester have put their marker on the whole competition, but where had this team been in the Premiership where they had won just 2 games out of 5?

Tiger Ben Youngs, nearly 2 years younger than Genia, showed why people say he will be the Pom scrummie for the next 10 years. He scuttled for a Tiger try and set up others before he went off with a bum ankle. Look for Youngs to partner Leicester 10. Flood for England this autumn.

U-Tube watch. Look for the Scarlets try by Stoddard. Not quite the Priestland try they scored last week, but very good.

Wasps 38 - Glasgow 26
Wasps won their 15th consecutive HC game at home after they took a winning 18-3 lead at the 25 minute mark. Glasgow came back in the 2nd half and hammered away trying for a losing bonus point – but in vain.

They gave away too many penalties and their young pack seemed not quite ready for Europe. If that wasn't enough Wasps' 9. Simpson and 10. Walder knew how to run things better. Simpson had a top game and was MOTM and it is no wonder that he is keeping Aussie Berry on the bench. Incidentally, another Aussie 13. Jacobs had a wonderful game including scoring a good individual try.

 

[DPK]

U-Tube watch. Look for the Scarlets try by Stoddard. Not quite the Priestland try they scored last week, but very good.

[video=youtube;t1rDxuYe3H4]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1rDxuYe3H4&feature=player_embedded[/video]

 

[Lee Grant]

Good try wasn't it? They attempted to score more of them but Leicester just ground them down. MOTM - Thomas the Tank Waldrom was just one of the many Tigers forwards to bash and barge through them and dear old Castro was causing trouble as usual. Pom flanker Croft had a top game also.

It's hard to reconcile a Tigers performance like that with a record of 3 losses out of 5 in the Premiership.

 

[Thomond78]

Well, LG, it is, once you know the Turks are like cheetahs; lovely to watch in full flight, fast and graceful - but made out of matchsticks, especially their front five. Grind it up, take them on up front, they'll break.