Cheetahs come from behind to beat Hurricanes in Super Rugby thriller
The Cheetahs and Hurricanes played some incredible rugby in what was an action packed Super Rugby game in Wellington on Saturday. The visitors looked blown away early on, then fought back and secured a 47-38 win, their second on tour.
The dynamic Hurricanes played some scintilating rugby in the first half of this fast paced game, racing off to a 32-11 lead. Julian Savea, Andre Taylor, and Beauden Barritt all played their part.
The visiting Cheetahs kept their composure though and fought back admirably, tying things up at 32-32 going into halftime, thanks to three tries in seven minutes.
Prop Coenie Oosthuizen scored twice, and despite flyhalf Barritt scoring 23 points in total for the home side, the Cheetahs dominated territory and possesion to pull off a famous win.
“It was definitely a great victory, and it’s a nice way to end off the tour,” said captain Adriaan Strauss. “They’ve [his players] got their never-say-die attitude. It’s a good place for us to start building on now for when we get home.
“We definitely want to keep that momentum going that we got from beating the Hurricanes. But we aren’t kidding ourselves, there is still a lot of work that needs to be done,” he added.
His side now travel back to South Africa to take on the Lions, having left New Zealand and Australia with a 2-2 record, following courageous losses to both the Brumbies and the Crusaders.
Remember that you can view all archived Super Rugby highlights here
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Australia beat Samoa in classic final to win the Tokyo Sevens
Australia beat Samoa 28-26 in a dramatic Tokyo Sevens final earlier today, coming from behind to score a last minute try then slot a touchline conversion. It’s their first tournament win of the current HSBC Sevens World Series.
Wearing lime green, Australia made their way through the tournament playing some inspired rugby, culminating in their impressive win over Samoa in the Cup Final.
“We’ve really come a long way, it’s not easy to win a cup final. They showed a lot of tenacity, courage and commitment against Samoa. It was an extraordinary final and I’m really proud of them,” said Australia coach Michael O’Connor.
Captain Ed Jenkins scored the decisive try at 26-21 to Samoa, giving Matt Lucas the unenviable task of having to slot the dropkicked conversion to win the game. As you can see in the highlights below, his never didn’t falter and Australia won the game on the final whistle.
“It’s a pretty young squad and we had an idea today that we should never give up until the final whistle, and we never gave up,” said skipper Jenkins.
New Zealand, who were beaten 17-12 by Samoa in the semi final, stretched their lead at the top of the overall standings. They now lead Fiji by six points on 128, Fiji are at 122, and South Africa are third with 105. Australia are up to six place now, with 84 points.
The next round, and penultimate of the series, is in Scotland May 5-6.
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Ireland beat Scotland in eventful Six Nations clash in Dublin
Ireland scored four tries as they put Scotland away with a 32-14 Six Nations victory in Dublin on Saturday. The match will be remembered for a few stand out moments, including a horrific head knock to Scotland back Lee Jones.
Jones, who collided with Andrew Trimble as the Irish winger came in to make the tackle, was knocked out cold instantly. He was stretchered off and spent the night in hospital, but appears to be stable after a ‘severe concussion’, and will travel home on Monday.
Tries were scored for Ireland by captain on the day Rory Best, Eoin Reddan, Andrew Trimble and Fergus McFadden, while Scotland’s only try came from the brilliant second rower Richie Gray.
Gray, at 6ft10, galloped through a tackle before throwing a perfectly timed dummy on the way to the tryline. Scotland winger Max Evans was later yellow carded for a tug on Keith Earls that perhaps prevented a try being scored, and star winger Tommy Bowe was penalised over the tryline for a double movement in the second half.
“You can look at the TMO one, you have to release the player in the tackle, but we will take the four tries and move on,” said coach Declan Kidney.
“I think our decision-making is getting better all the time, when to move it, when to play position. We are asking more questions of the opposition. When we’ve lost matches we didn’t get overly despondent; just because we’ve won one, we’re not going to get overly excited.
“We will enjoy tonight but will not get carried away because we know we have to be in Twickenham on St Patrick’s Day,” he added.
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Best says Ireland can beat France
Rory Best believes Ireland can end the country’s long wait for success on French soil.
BBC Sport – Rugby Union
Rotherham beat Doncaster with dramatic extra time wonder kick
On Saturday afternoon 4000 fans witnessed an incredible finish to a Championship game at Castle Park in South Yorkshire as Rotherham Titans snatched a 15-14 win over Doncaster Knights with an extra-time penalty kick.
What added to the moment was that flyhalf Garry Law had been having a bit of a poor time of it, having failed to slot three previous kicks. With time up and the kick a fair distance out, his strike appeared to have sailed wide before the strong crossfield wind took over.
The ball flew safely through the middle, giving Rotherham the most dramatic of victories over their rivals, their first win away at Castle Park in nine attempts, but their second league win over Doncaster this season.Â
“Iâm full of relief having missed a couple of kicks in the first half and then in the second, the conversion toppled off the tee,” said Law.
“I was standing there and the wind was coming right to left. I could then see the big flag in the corner and the wind was blowing left to right. I did not know what the direction was and when I kicked it, I thought it was too far to the left.
“It was embarrassing but then it just took off and swung out. Actually, I thought it was going to hit the bar, but it went through. I guess, Iâm really relieved.”
Below is the final kick in a rehashed video of poor quality. We’ll hopefully get a better version for you soon, but for now this will do. Credit to those who took the time to capture the moment for us.
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Samoa beat New Zealand in dramatic Vegas Sevens final
Samoa beat New Zealand 26-19 in a dramatic USA Sevens Final in Las Vegas, claiming their first tournament win of the season. Today we’ve got highlights for you from every day of the tournament, with some of the best tries, as well as some great tackles.
New Zealand aimed to pick up their third series win in a row but were undone by the mighty Alafoti Faosiliva with time up as the sides were tied 19-19. The huge man scored twice, with his second proving to be the winner for the Samoans, who had a huge amount of support in Vegas.
“It has been a long time and these boys have been working so hard, and I couldn’t stop a tear or two rolling down my cheeks,” said Samoa’s coach Stephen Betham. “The boys really deserve it and they owe it to the people back home and the fans here in Vegas. It has been a long time since our last Cup victory,” he added, referring to their last series win back in December 2010.
They have moved up to fifth spot on the overall standings, while New Zealand’s final placing puts them five points clear of Fiji at the top, on 92 points.Â
“Samoa deserved it, they came at us. We had a chance to win it, but it’s the team that makes the least errors that wins,” said New Zealand captain DJ Forbes. “But still disappointing, you have to be hurting getting that far and tripping up, but Samoa played well.”
South Africa and Fiji met for the third place playoff and it was the Fijians that won the game 21-15. Kenya won the Plate after beating Argentina 21-7, while Canada beat Australia 19-17 for the Bowl.Â
Below are highlights from throughout the tournament, including the final, in three short videos
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Battling Saxons beat Wolfhounds
England’s second string build on an impressive scrummaging display with tries from Ben Spencer and Thomas Waldrom.
BBC Sport | Rugby Union | UK Edition
Northampton beat Bath to go third
Team news followed by coverage of Northampton’s clash with Bath in Saturday’s Aviva Premiership match at Franklin’s Gardens.
BBC Sport | Rugby Union | UK Edition
Blues beat Dragons on Henson debut
Gavin Henson makes his Cardiff Blues debut as they beat Newport Gwent Dragons 28-9 in the Pro12 League.
BBC Sport | Rugby Union | UK Edition
Will Skinner red carded from the bench as Harlequins beat Toulouse
Will Skinner of Harlequins faces a disciplinary hearing today following the red card he received during Quins’ Heineken Cup victory over Toulouse on Sunday. It was the second similar incident of the game, prompting the swift ‘sending off’.
Tension was rife as early on in this fascinating game as one of the Harlequins sideline staff touched the ball deliberately, preventing the home side from taking a quick throw-in, much to the disgust of the fans, and referee Alain Roland.
He was warned and later in the game when a similar thing happened with Skinner, Roland marched over and brandashed the red card, bizarrely sending Skinner – who had already been substituted – to the changeroom.
To add to the amusement, Skinner appeared just minutes later as Quins celebrated a famous win. The incidents didn’t do their reputation any good though, especially after they had done so well to stay on the straight and narrow since bloodgate a few years back.
Skinner, a former captain of Harlequins, will attend a disciplinary hearing in Dublin after he was charged by the ERC as having committed an act contrary to good sportsmanship, “in that he played the match ball illegally in the technical zone”. The incident earlier in the game is reportedly also being investigated.
Below is a short clip from the game that features both incidents in the host language, French.
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Edinburgh beat Racing Metro in eleven try thriller at Murrayfield
The game everyone has been talking about from the weekend was the Edinburgh vs Racing Metro thriller at Murrayfield, where the home team made a massive comeback to win 48-47. The match wasn’t televised, but we’ve found some highlights for you.
One of the downsides of so many matches on one weekend is that the host broadcaster in the UK, Sky Sports, is not able to cover everything. What they usually do is send along one camera, just for the purposes of highlights shows. In this case, we missed out on a classic.
Flying Dutchman Tim Visser, who qualifies to be selected for Scotland come June 12th next year, scored two tries on a crazy night of rugby. His first came within 35 seconds of kick off, and his last, on 76 minutes, proved to be decisive. It followed a sensational comeback from Edinburgh who were down by twenty points late in the second half.Â
Captain Greig Laidlaw converted Visser’s late try, winning the game for the home side in a match that included an incredible 11 tries. Visiting flyhalf Juan Martin Hernandez had an opportunity to snatch it with a drop goal though, but he struck it badly.
“It was simply an incredible game – I have to keep convincing myself it was for real and not just a daft dream. Everyone was shellshocked in the changing room,” said Laidlaw.
“What a treat to be involved in a game like that. You might say a draw would’ve been a fair result, maybe 50 each. We’ll take 48-47,” said head coach Michael Bradley.
“People talk about Scottish rugby and talk about the pro clubs needing to perform – you won’t get a better game this year than that game of rugby you just saw today. Racing were stunning in attack. It was just so hard to defend them,” he added.
Just 5067 fans were on hand to witness the game, and those who did will be talking about it for years to come. Hopefully the result will bring in more fans for their next home game.
These highlights are from Racing Metro themselves and because the game wasn’t televised, there is no commentary and only the one camera angle. It’s certainly better than nothing though. If we manage to organise anything else, we’ll replace this video with something of better quality. Enjoy.
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Hong Kong beat China to win Goa Sevens
Hong Kong has won the HSBC Asian Sevens Series’ Goa Sevens, beating China 43-0 in the Cup final in Goa on Sunday.
ESPNSTAR.com
The Golden Lions beat the Sharks to win the 2011 Currie Cup
The Golden Lions claimed the 2011 Currie Cup after a brilliant performance in the final in Johannesburg on Saturday as they beat the Natal Sharks 42-16 in an entertaining game. It’s their first piece of major silverware since 1999.Â
Coached by Kiwi John Mitchell, the Lions had a fantastic season as they were fairly unaffected by the World Cup and ended top of the table. The Sharks on the other hand missed a lot of key players in the last two months, but when they all returned for the big game, they didn’t gel.Â
“The Lions were, without doubt, the best team on the park and worthy winners of the Currie Cup – we just have to take it on the chin,” said Sharks captain Keegan Daniel. ”We’re disappointed we didn’t convert opportunities into points in the first half when we had territory and possession, but you can’t win finals with the ill-discipline we showed.
Getting to a final is one thing, but you need to produce a great game, which we couldn’t do. The Lions were phenomenal,” he added.
It is the Lions’ first home victory in a Currie Cup since 1950, so it was a massive moment for the union that lifted the first ever Super Rugby competition, the Super 10, way back in 1993.Â
Young flyhalf Elton Jantjies was outstanding on the day, kicking everything asked of him and marshalling his troops expertly. He’s had the experience and know-how of Carlos Spencer to call on, and it showed. While Sharks fullback Pat Lambie seems to be a long term option for the Springboks number ten slot, Jantjies is tipped by many to be an ideal candidate.Â
On the other side of things veteran Wickus Van Heerden, who captained the side without success a few years back before moving to the Bulls in search of bigger things, said that it was one of the best experiences of his career. “To see a packed Coca-Cola Park is very special. I know where we have come from as a team, and this is unbelievable,” he said. Van Heerden has now won the Vodacom Cup, Currie Cup, Super 14, and the World Cup.Â
CJ Van Der Linde was yellow carded for a dangerous tackle, which is included below, but that didn’t affect the Lions at all as they scored some great tries while Jantjies kept the scoreboard ticking over. Below are highlights of what was a thoroughly enjoyable game of rugby.
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Guts won’t beat All Blacks: Genia
Halfback Will Genia says the Wallabies can’t afford to play defensively against the All Blacks or they’ll be punished.
FOXSPORTS.com.au | Rugby Union
Botha: We must beat Australia
Bakkies Botha insists South Africa’s old guard will throw everything at Australia knowing their days in Test rugby are numbered.
ESPNSTAR.com
New Zealand beat France for Richie McCaw’s 100th Test cap
All Black captain Richie McCaw notched up his well earnt 100th Test Cap earlier today when New Zealand beat France 37-17 in Auckland, to take the top place in Pool A of the Rugby World Cup. Before that, England ran riot against Romania, winning 67-3 in Dunedin.
The game had been picked as somewhat of a revenge contest for the All Blacks, who had famously been knocked out of the tournament by France in both 1999 and 2007, in the Semi Final and Quarter Final respectively. Today they put that well and truly behind them with a strong performance against a more than handy French side, who despite having an experimental halfback pairing, will be tough to beat for others.
Early on it looked as though New Zealand would run away with it as they scored a few quickfire first half tries through their brilliant backs. France managed to compete in the second half, and scored a few tries of their own. They were never really back in it though, and the hosts one this one comfortably.
The win means that they will face the runners-up of Pool B, which will probably be either Scotland or Argentina, while it looks as though France could be facing England in the quarter finals.Â
It was a great occasion for skipper McCaw, who not only avenged the disappointing loss in Cardiff four years ago, but achieved the fantastic milestone of picking up 100 Test Caps. McCaw, the 1017th All Black, received a silver cap in a special presentation after the match. It was handed to him by former captain, and leukemia and non-Hodgkins lymphoma sufferer, Jock Hobbs. McCaw was humbled, and clearly quite emotional when speaking.
You can view the interview below. Highlights of the game can be viewed via the RWC website.
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Rugby World Cup Daily – Tonga beat Japan
Tonga and Japan provided another entertaining World Cup game earlier today as the Tongan fans finally got something to cheer about, as their side came away 31-18 winners in Whangarei.
Flyhalf Kurt Morath kicked sixteen points for the Tongans as Japan suffered their 17th consecutive RWC loss. Coach John Kirwan had aspirations of picking up at least one win, and Tonga would have been a game they targeted for a win.
Vili Ma’afu, Lua Lokotui, and Fetu’u Vainikolo all scored tries for the Tongans while Morath did the rest with the boot. Japan themselves scored three, but failed to land most of their kicks.
In today’s Rugby World Cup daily there is a short recap of the game, but we also get to see what’s happening at the fanzone in Christchurch, where despite their being no matches, they’re still creating a tournament buzz.
There’s also a look at why the smaller nations, often referred to as minnows, are now becoming more of a threat, as they are no longer serious whipping boys when it comes to the World Cup.
You can view official highlights from the match here.
What were your thoughts on the match, and do you see Tonga progressing further?
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Stop McCaw and beat the All Blacks
New Zealand is a flawed diamond when Dan Carter isn’t there to glitter and Richie McCaw to deliver the hard edge at the breakdown.
FOXSPORTS.com.au | Rugby Union
Contepomi: Pumas can beat England
Argentina captain Felipe Contepomi insists the Pumas are capable of causing another World Cup upset.
ESPNSTAR.com
England beat Ireland in Dublin – Manu Tuilagi and Delon Armitage tries
Earlier in the week we took a look at the Manu Tuilagi tackle on David Wallace that resulted in injury, so today we’ll have a quick look at the tries from the match for those who missed it, or just want to watch them again.
As you may have heard by now, Ireland lost their fourth match in succession as England came up trumps 20-9, with tries from Tuilagi and Delon Armitage, as well as some assured kicking from Jonny Wilkinson, proving the difference between the two sides.
Ireland have now slipped from fourth to eighth on the IRB World Rankings in the space of about a month, and while on paper they’ve still got a team who can do well in New Zealand, their form and injury problems will be a major concern.
England on the other hand…
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England beat Ireland in Dublin – Manu Tuilagi and Delon Armitage tries
Earlier in the week we took a look at the Manu Tuilagi tackle on David Wallace that resulted in injury, so today we’ll have a quick look at the tries from the match for those who missed it, or just want to watch them again.
As you may have heard by now, Ireland lost their fourth match in succession as England came up trumps 20-9, with tries from Tuilagi and Delon Armitage, as well as some assured kicking from Jonny Wilkinson, proving the difference between the two sides.
Ireland have now slipped from fourth to eighth on the IRB World Rankings in the space of about a month, and while on paper they’ve still got a team who can do well in New Zealand, their form and injury problems will be a major concern.
England on the other hand…
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Wales bounce back to beat England at the Millennium Stadium
Wales defeated England 19-9 at the Millennium Stadium this past weekend in what was a good Rugby World Cup warm-up for them, and a match that the visitors would rather forget. The home side now have some big injury concerns though, with the world cup just three weeks away.
James Hook scored 13 points in the second half, including a try, as Wales took advantage of their opportunities, while England struggled to convert on all their possession, an area that Martin Johnson was displeased with.
“I’ve never seen a game like it, to dominate like that and not have the points,” said Johnson. “Then we made too many errors in the second half. We lost cohesion in the last 20. We had a real stranglehold on the game in terms of possession and…
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Fiji beat Tonga in RWC warm up
Fiji scored three tries to beat Tonga 27-12 in a World Cup warm up clash at Churchill Park on Saturday.
Planet Rugby | Rugby Union
Canada beat the USA in game one of their Rugby World Cup warm-ups
Canada and the USA played the first of their Rugby World Cup warm-up games at Toronto’s BMO Stadium on Saturday. Canada won the fiercely contested game 28-22 in front of 10 621 fans.
Canada got the better of their rivals with some well taken tries in front of a passionate home crowd. They had trailed 15-10 at halftime, but a strong second half got them the win.
“The performance wasn’t how we would have liked it but any Test match is a challenge and a real battle and I was very pleased with how our guys stuck to it in the second half,” said Canadian head coach Kieran Crowley.
Canada open their World Cup campaign against Tonga on September 14th, so are looking to get as much match form as possible, and of course confidence ahead of…
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Samoa beat Australia in massive upset
The Wallabies’ season starts disastrously, falling to Samoa 32-23 in one of the biggest upsets in Australian rugby history.
FOXSPORTS.com.au | Rugby Union
Queensland Reds beat the Blues to head into Super Rugby final
The Queensland Reds qualified for the first ever Super Rugby final as they beat the Auckland Blues 30-13 at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane yesterday. They will host the Crusaders next weekend, after they beat the Stormers in the other semifinal in Cape Town.
‘Rocket’ Rod Davies scored a hat-trick of tries, the first ever by a Reds player, as the Queensland side showed how much they’ve come on as a unit in the last two years. Marshalled by Will Genia and Quade Cooper, the Reds too their chances when it mattered.
An intercept try and a few moments of brilliance from Cooper were ultimately the difference between the two sides, but that’s not to take away from an excellent forward pack who provided the exciting backs with the ball they needed….
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The Reds beat the Crusaders to win the 2011 Super Rugby title
The Wallabies are hoping that the success of the Queensland Reds will help boost their spirits as they head into a Tri Nations, and then the Rugby World Cup. The Wallaby squad has been announced, and includes 15 of the Super Rugby final winning Reds.
The state of Queensland is still on a high after their impressive 18-13 win over the Crusaders in Brisbane yesterday. The achievement has been two years in the making, and has even had opposition lock Brad Thorn admitting that he’s happy for them.
“I’ve grown up here so I know there have been some hard years,” said Thorn, who played for the Brisbane Broncos 200 times in the NRL.
“My brother played for the GPS club in 1996, that’s when rugby was really strong here. Queensland was a proud…
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Tonga beat Fiji convincingly in Pacific Nations Cup opener
Tonga got their Pacific Nations Cup campaign off to a strong start on Saturday with a 45-21 upset win over hosts Fiji in Lautoka It was their first win in the competition in three years.
Yesterday you saw highlights of Samoa’s win over Japan, but many would have expected this particular game, the tournament opener, to be a fair tighter affair. Instead it was Tonga that impressed with their strong defensive effort, and blistering speed out wide.
They scored five tries to two as the dangerous Fijian backs were prevented from cutting loose, while Tongan flyhalf Kurt Morath took his personal tally to 20 points with some good goal kicking, slotting four conversions and four penalties.
Fiji scored a brilliant try of their own though, a…
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The Crusaders beat the Stormers to set up final vs the Reds
The Crusaders proved too strong for the Stormers in Cape Town on Saturday as they won the second Super Rugby semifinal 29-10, setting up a final meeting with the Reds in Brisbane next weekend.
On paper the Crusaders always looked the stronger side, but the long haul over from New Zealand and playing a knockout match last weekend perhaps lulled the Stormers into a false sense of security.
The visitors, now looking to achieve their eighth title, dominated the game and rarely looked threatened, so much so that the last quarter of the match was fairly dour. The Stormers, with their fantastic defensive record, conceded tries through and intercept, and a piece of Sonny Bill Williams magic. He had a fairly quiet game otherwise.
Dan Carter…
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New Zealand beat England to retain the IRB Junior World Championship title
New Zealand’s Under 20′s won their fourth successive IRB Junior World Championship title on Sunday as they saw off a valiant England effort to win the game 33-22 in Padova, Italy.
The much favoured Baby Blacks continued their dominance in the junior ranks, having now not lost a match since the tournament’s inception in 2008. They’ve now beaten England twice in finals, to add to their win over Australia last year.
England came out firing and at one stage looked as though they might have sprung an upset, but a try in the 74th minute by Beauden Barrett sealed the win for the New Zealand team, their 20th in succession.
England skipper Alex Gray was proud of the effort, but naturally disappointed. “We dug deep and fought back to within one…
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