Heineken Cup (spoilers)

[Spook]

Rocky won MOTM as Leinster beat a pretty poor Edinburgh

Munster were extremely sluggish and probably didn't deserve to win against a lowly ranked French team (Montauban) who were fielding their second XV.

Stade Francais looked very good under Link (they won away at Ravenhill which is not usually their style). They are the favourites IMO to win the lot. Gasnier didn't play as he was injured.

 

[Lee Grant]

Ulster 10 Stade Fran?ais 26

If somebody had told Stade coach, Link McKenzie, that his team had been 4 times to Ravenhill to play European Cup rugby and had a doughnut in the win column, he wouldn't have worried too much. His Paris boys had played 7 times this year in the Top 14 and won all of them, including 4 away games. Opponents had crossed their line only 6 times.

Against Ulster Link didn't pick the best side available. They could select a very competitive team outside of the starting XV, though the squad does have a few injuries. He'll save his best teams for the heavyweights. He has squad list of some of the best paid players in Europe and has many choice options including the priceless one of swapping Lionel Beauxis and Juan Mart?n Hern?ndez from game to game, from 10 to 15, to share the defensive load.

The game when close to the script. The bigger scrapbooks took the game in hand for most of the game though they could score only 2 tries when they would have been hoping for 4 and a bonus point. The cheaper home team, Ulster, struggled valiantly and attacked the Stade line a few times but visitors seemed able to snuff them out routinely. Link would have been fairly happy with his first win "in Europe" though he wouldn't have been over joyed watching Ulster score a try in the last minute of the game.

Argentine JMH, 10, one of the best players in Europe any year, was MOTM but 12 Paddy Wallace of Ulster had a cracking game and should be playing in a beater team than this outfit.

 

[Spook]

Yeah Paddy Wallace is definitely doing ok at 12.

 

[Lee Grant]

Munster 19 Montauban 17

Bloody hell. This was supposed to be a bankable bonus point win for Munster at home, but the French team, who had never played in the HC before and qualified only because the rugby planets were aligned properly for the right 5 minutes, went within a whisker of rolling the 2006 and 2008 Champions.

It would have served them right too. Munster looked dozy and complacent and waiting for the game to start. They didn't have a scoring opportunity until half an hour into the game and meantime the visitors, playing a lot of reserve players in a match they couldn't win, rose to the occasion, from mediocrity to solidity.

Their scrummie Petre Mitu, a Romanian, had a terrific game and was the MOTM. He put the wind up Munster and their fans big time with 5 minutes to go when he slotted a goal to put his team ahead 17-16 after the red players left their feet.

It was then that Munster remembered who they were. With captain POC leading away they went upfield, Montauban tried to be cute by running out time but one of them got isolated and the Minster guys were all over him like a seagull on a chip, and he had to kill the ball. Penalty - ROG - 19-17. Game over. Whew.

Munster fans would have been buying lottery tickets on the way home because it was obviously their lucky day. Had Mitu not missed a couple of other kickable penalties Montauban could have turned European rugby upside down.

 

[Lee Grant]

Leicester 12 Ospreys 6

No tries and 6 goals doesn?t sound like a great game but there was a lot of good physical rugby in this match.

Leicester played their standard game of brutal rugby, ELVs or no ELVs, protocols or no protocols. Their forwards bashed the bigger Sprays pack whichever side had the pill. They put on a few good back moves too, from Murphy - either fullback Murphy or winger Murphy, but painfully, piss poor passing prevailed, promptly putting paid to punishing, precious points. Pitful !!

Ospreys, almost jumping with joy to be behind by just 9 points at oranges countered the physicality better in the second half which they ?won? 3-0.

It could have been more: they could have won the game. They have a great start after the interval. They charge down a kick which is eventually cleaned up, then near the end of the game Toby Browne breaks, chips and hacks through looking every inch a young Joe Roff. Geordan Murphy saves the situation, but it?s a goal line siege. Scrum 5M, but Tiatia muffs the pick up and the ball is cleared.

One more chance though ? a penalty. Kick long for touch, win the lineout; set piece and try for 7 points and the win? No ? the long kick doesn?t find touch. Game over. The Sprays get a losing bonus point; not bad at Welford Road.

Toby Flood looks a better flyhalf than against Wasps recently. He plays and directs, but then limps off with a quarter of the match to go and on runs Derrick Hougaard, who I thought was playing for the Blue Bulls on the weekend.

He lines up against Daniel Biggar, also running on, with James Hook moving to 12. Folks may remember his playing well for Wales in the U/20 tournament this year, but alas, I think it was he who fails to find touch at the end of the game.

 

[Blue]

Leicester 12 Ospreys 6

No tries and 6 goals doesn?t sound like a great game but there was a lot of good physical rugby in this match.

Leicester played their standard game of brutal rugby, ELVs or no ELVs, protocols or no protocols. Their forwards bashed the bigger Sprays pack whichever side had the pill. They put on a few good back moves too, from Murphy - either fullback Murphy or winger Murphy, but painfully, piss poor passing prevailed, promptly putting paid to punishing, precious points. Pitful !!

Ospreys, almost jumping with joy to be behind by just 9 points at oranges countered the physicality better in the second half which they ?won? 3-0.

It could have been more: they could have won the game. They have a great start after the interval. They charge down a kick which is eventually cleaned up, then near the end of the game Toby Browne breaks, chips and hacks through looking every inch a young Joe Roff. Geordan Murphy saves the situation, but it?s a goal line siege. Scrum 5M, but Tiatia muffs the pick up and the ball is cleared.

One more chance though ? a penalty. Kick long for touch, win the lineout; set piece and try for 7 points and the win? No ? the long kick doesn?t find touch. Game over. The Sprays get a losing bonus point; not bad at Welford Road.

Toby Flood looks a better flyhalf than against Wasps recently. He plays and directs, but then limps off with a quarter of the match to go and on runs Derrick Hougaard, who I thought was playing for the Blue Bulls on the weekend.

He lines up against Daniel Biggar, also running on, with James Hook moving to 12. Folks may remember his playing well for Wales in the U/20 tournament this year, but alas, I think it was he who fails to find touch at the end of the game.

This game was proof that you don't need tries for excitement.

Imagine how weird it was a for a Bulls fan to see the Darling of Loftus run out in a Pommie green strip

Hougaard will be very well suited to the Leicester game plan. It will be interesting to see how Heineke Meyer interchanges him and Flood (won't be surprised to see Flood at 12 either). No doubt Meyer brought Liefling to Leicester with a very specific plan in mind.

Flood looked pretty good though so it will be hard to justify him not starting.

These Sunday night games are goign to make my Monday mornings very sleepy indeed...

 

[Lee Grant]

Rocky won MOTM as Leinster beat a pretty poor Edinburgh

Munster were extremely sluggish and probably didn't deserve to win against a lowly ranked French team (Montauban) who were fielding their second XV.

Stade Francais looked very good under Link (they won away at Ravenhill which is not usually their style). They are the favourites IMO to win the lot. Gasnier didn't play as he was injured.

Pretty much agree with all of that Spookie.


Edinburgh v Leinster

Coach Cheika would have hoped that Leinster would bounce back from their losses to Munster, and of all teams, Connacht, in the Magners. They didn't play 100% by any means but 5 points away against anybody in the HC is not to be sneezed at.

Was good to see Rocky continue his good 2008 form into Europe. He gets a bit of stick on this forum but I don't know why. I thought BOD had a good game too except for not getting one pass away. Was good to see Whits again too. I had to laugh when he took a run up the blindside as though he had never done it before according to the surprised commentators - we Tahs fans could have learned them a bit. .

Not a great game, but full of importance.

 

[Thomond78]

The biggest problems on Friday were Quinny, who was just having a 'mare trying to play what is not his game - he's a ball-killer par excellence, he's not someone who should be throwing long passes - and ROG. ROG was the real problem, passing when he should have kicked, kicking (badly) when he should have passed. His head just wasn't on the pitch at all.

We were wondering about this, as we knew Jess is due around now. Turns out we were right; she'd twins on Saturday around noon. No wonder ROG was pre-occupied. Congrats to them both.

In passing, as the entire Munster team are breeding at the same time, as well as the whole of ROG's Pres team (the entire front row having had children within two months of each other), I look forward to the 2026 Pres team, the 2030 UCC team and the 2035 Munster team with anticipation and interest. ;D

Edit; Just re-read that last paragraph. I'm on the path that leads to being Lee Grant, aren't I...?

 

[Lindommer]

Thomo, I'll have a word to matron and see if she can free up a bed near Lee for you. And I'll organise earmuffs for those nearby. ;D ;D ;D

 

[formeropenside]

Thomo, I'll have a word to matron and see if she can free up a bed near Lee for you. I'll organise earmuffs for those nearby. ;D ;D ;D

Just take out the batteries in their hearing aids instead.

 

[PhucNgo]

Leicester 12 Ospreys 6

Leicester played their standard game of brutal rugby, ELVs or no ELVs, protocols or no protocols. Their forwards bashed the bigger Sprays pack whichever side had the pill. They put on a few good back moves too, from Murphy - either fullback Murphy or winger Murphy, but painfully, piss poor passing prevailed, promptly putting paid to punishing, precious points. Pitful !!

The impressive thing about Leicester for mine was their complete dominance of the breakdown which denied Ospreys any real possession. They did this by getting numbers there every time, didn't matter whether backs or forwards, they were there. Body height of their forwards at the breakdown was excellent. Any lower and they'd have had nose scrapes.

The Leicester forwards won enought ball for their backs to have won the game five times over. So any plaudits for flood etc have to be taken in that context IMHO. Murphy (the younger) just simply can't pass a long ball from LtR with anything remotely resembling accuracy and as a consequence blew a number of tries. In contrast, Ospreys backs looked dangerous every time (admittedly there were very few) that they had the ball.

As others have said, this was an entertaining game even without tries. Referee Rolland controlled the breakdown well, but had a few shockers in general play.

 

[RugbyReg]

gonna chuck this here, for no real reason. An interview with the much missed Shaun Berne.

So where are you now and what have you been up to since leaving Australia two and a half years ago?

Just returned back to Bath in England. I spent a couple of years back here at age 19 and fell in love with the weather.

Did you fall in love with anything else?

No, mainly just the weather.

How is Bath going?

We

 

[Ash]

gonna chuck this here, for no real reason. An interview with the much missed Shaun Berne.

So where are you now and what have you been up to since leaving Australia two and a half years ago?

Just returned back to Bath in England. I spent a couple of years back here at age 19 and fell in love with the weather.

Did you fall in love with anything else?

No, mainly just the weather.

How is Bath going?

We

Is it me or are all of Noddy's posts being cut off really short now? This one and the one in the Tahs' tour thread...

<edit> I see I've been beaten to the punch elsewhere. Ah well.