Heineken Cup Final 2012 preview with Donal Lenihan
Donal Lenihan and Michael Corcoran discuss the all Irish Heineken Cup Final between Ulster and Leinster, to be played at Twickenham. Your predictions?
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Aviva to host 2013 Heineken final
Next season’s Heineken Cup final will be staged at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin, the ERC announces.
BBC Sport – Rugby Union
Ospreys into the RaboDirect Pro12 final with big win over Munster
The Ospreys produced a clinical five-try demolition of Munster in the first RaboDirect Pro12 semi-final at the Liberty Stadium on Friday night. The 45-10 victory was one of their best of the season, setting them up nicely for a final in a fortnight’s time.
Dan Biggar scored a try and kicked four penalties and four conversion for a personal haul of 25 points for the Ospreys, surpassing 300 points for the season, and over 1000 for the region.
Things hadn’t gone entirely the home side’s way initially, as Munster scored first through Ian Keatley after a fantastic break by Keith Earls. It was all Ospreys after that, with tries scored by Biggar, Kahn Fotuali’i, Hanno Dirksen, Andrew Bishop and Rhys Webb.
Shane Williams came close to another farewell try, but unfortunately stepped on the touchline.
The home side played some dazzling rugby at times, counter-attacking from deep and splitting the Munster defence on regular occasion. Their defensive effort on the other hand was watertight, thanks in large part to the hard work from the forwards.
It was a sad farewell for Munster players Mick O’Driscoll, Tomas O’Leary, and Lifeimi Mafi, as well as coach Tony McGahan, but with Ospreys in the mood to play, they lacked firepower.
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Leinster hold out against Clermont to reach another Heineken Cup final
Leinster booked themselves another Heineken Cup final as they beat Clermont 19-15 in a dramatic game that went right down to the final minutes. Today we’ve got highlights for those of you that missed the game, or just want to relive the best bits.
Leinster held off Clermont in a frantic last few minutes as they set up an all-Irish European Cup final, where they will face Ulster, who beat Edinburgh on Saturday.
French centre Wesley Fofana could have won it for his side, but failed to ground the ball over the line with two minutes left on the clock. Leinster’s Cian Healy made no mistake earlier in the game as he crossed following a lovely break from Rob Kearney.
“The guys didn’t hold back in putting their bodies on the line when Clermont attacked in the final few minutes. We can be very proud of winning a game such as this,” said Leinster coach Joe Schmidt.
The win sets up an intriguing clash with Ulster, who are looking to emulate the success Leinster have had in the competition. “Leinster and Munster have probably been the forerunners with regard to European rugby and Irish rugby,” Doak told the Belfast Telegraph.
“For (want of) a better word, weâre jealous of that. Obviously they have been in three finals in four years, which is absolutely tremendous from their point of view. Itâs a credit to their management and the players â theyâve worked hard and got themselves to three finals out of four.
“We want to do that; we want to emulate and better that. Weâve got a chance in the cup final in a few weeks time, though, obviously, Leinster are going for back-to-backs so weâve just to try and make sure that we do ourselves justice, pitch up, hopefully upset them and get ourselves a second European win,” he said.
Leinster will face Ulster at Twickenham in the final on May 19th. What’s your prediction?
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Darren Cave & Johan Muller hits plus highlights of first Heineken Cup semi final
Springbok Ruan Pienaar put in a flawless kicking display as Ulster beat Edinburgh 22-19 in the first of the Heineken Cup semi finals on Saturday. Today we’ve got quick highlights from the game, as well as two of the biggest hits.
A controversial first half try from South African Pedrie Wannenburg gave the Ulstermen an early lead before the game turned into a kicking dual between Pienaar and Edinburgh’s Greig Laidlaw.
Both were outstanding, but it was Pienaar who took all his opportunities, stretching Ulster’s lead in the second half. He was humble in victory, choosing to pay tribute to his forwards and make the point that despite the celebrations after the game, there is still a lot that can be worked on.
“The scrum went brilliantly, and the line-outs, but it was disappointing that we didn’t get a lot of opportunities in the first half as we were defending most of the time,” Pienaar said.
“It wasn’t our best performance, we’ll have to improve, but we’ll take the victory and know that we’ll need to work hard over the next couple of weeks,” he added.
Two of the biggest hits from this game are included here in one video. First it’s Darren Cave’s massive tackle on Jim Thompson, and then Johan Muller’s midfield hit on Matt Scott.
We’ve also got quick highlights from the match, including both tries, some of Pienaar’s impressive kicks, and the Stefan Terblanche yellow card for smacking Ross Ford around the ears.
The videos are presented as a playlist below, hits first, then the highlights. Use the video controls to navigate, or just push play once and watch both enjoyable videos.
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Toulon through to Challenge Cup final after nail-biting win over Stade Francais
Jonny Wilkinson kicked a last minute drop goal to secure an Amlin Challenge Cup final spot for Toulon as they beat Stade Francais 32-29 in an enjoyable semi final on Friday night. They will face Biarritz in the final after they beat Brive 19-0 in the other semi.
Toulon got off to an incredible start as Steffon Armitage scored down the left wing, but Stade Francais came back into the match through their young number ten Jules Plisson.
The Parisian side then led the game for most of the half, and scored a try in the second period through former Wallaby Morgan Turinui, who had George Smith as his centre partner on the night.
Wilkinson steered Toulon home though, picking up a personal tally of 27 points and kicking the decisive drop goal with time almost up and the scores tied at 29-29. The former England hero missed a few kicks on the night, attributing that to the conditions.
“It was very tricky out there with the wind. It was disappointing as well because had I put a couple of the other kicks over then maybe we might found ourselves with a lead,” he said.
“As it was they just kept getting back into the game, playing brilliantly and forced us to go right to the end. It could have gone either way. I missed a couple off the tee and I thought with the drop goal at the end that if I miss this I might not go back into the changing room afterwards.
“I thought the guys deserved better than this after working so hard to get the penalties – I should have put a few more over. All you can do is keep fighting towards the end and keep trying to do the right thing. I was trying to think clearly about the process, of where I was on the field.
“I was thinking about what I was trying to go and getting the right contact and visualising in my mind what needed to be done to try to make it more said and done deal. You try to line the physical thing with what you put in your head before hand and thankfully that went well.”
Highlights and clips of all the European action, and Super Rugby, will be featured throughout the week. Please get in touch if you’d like to contribute or request specific incidents.
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Edinburgh Rugby upset Toulouse in Heinenken Cup Quarter Final
Edinburgh knocked four times champions Toulouse out of the Heineken Cup in their Quarter Final meeting at a vocal Murrayfield on Saturday. The 19-14 win sets them up to play Ulster next, a first ever semi final for a Scottish side in European Rugby.
The home side couldn’t have started better as they scored through scrumhalf Mike Blair within ninety seconds of kickoff. Flyhalf Greig Laidlaw kept things ticking over with the boot but they were later reduced to thirteen men when both Alan Jacobson and Ross Rennie were yellow carded.
Fijian flyer Timoci Matanavou scored an incredible try during that period, but Toulouse Hooker William Servat later received a card of his own, and Edinburgh hung on for a historic win over the giants fo French rugby. “We are absolutely over the moon,” said Man of the Match, Laidlaw.
“The players put in a great shift out there. We struggled in the first half with 13 men but we managed to stay in the game and I think that won us the game.”
Despite being sin-binned for a synical offence, prop Jacobson was ecstatic come the final whistle, citing the great atmosphere and strong attendance as a huge motivating factor for his team.Â
“It doesnât get any better than this! It is impossible to accurately measure the effect the fans had on the contest â but it sure was massive. I told the guys in the dressing room beforehand that it was our big opportunity to make history and the supporters helped us do just that.
“The crowd were unreal, both in terms of numbers and the noise they made. We had some great crowds and great games in the past but this was another level altogether. It was like an international. In fact the noise was even louder â amazing,” he added.
Toulouse attempted a late fightback, but with time almost up the home side were awarded another penalty, which sealed the victory. “I asked the ref if I could stand for a minute and kick it into touch, but he said ânoâ so I decided to go for the post,” explained Laidlaw.
“I still thought about blasting it left and dead, but they are huge dead-ball areas at Murrayfield, and I might not have made it, so I said âIâm going for itâ and fortunately for me it sailed through.”
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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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Brumbies win final trial match
The Brumbies will start the Super Rugby season on a positive note after winning their final trial in emphatic fashion over an ACT XV.
FOXSPORTS.com.au | Rugby Union
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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Toulouse win like final – O’Shea
Harlequins director of rugby Conor O’Shea says Sunday’s Heineken Cup victory in Toulouse felt like winning a final.
BBC Sport | Rugby Union | UK Edition
Rugby World Cup Daily – On the eve of the Final
The penultimate Rugby World Cup Daily show features the incredible Fan Cam, we get to see some former stars catching sheep, and hear from the All Blacks ahead of their game with France. Â
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Deflated France lick final wounds
France hooker Dimitri Szarzewski claimed his side were “playing 15 against 16″ in their Rugby World Cup final defeat against New Zealand due to the home support.
ESPNSTAR.com
Rugby World Cup Final Statistics
Ahead of Sunday’s Rugby World Cup final between host nation New Zeland and France, we take a look at the statistics that matter.
ESPNSTAR.com
Kevin The Tipster – New Zealand vs France – The Final
Kevin the Tipster, the results predicting sheep, has had a pretty good run so far in the RWC. A 90% success rate includes correct predictions for both Semi Finals, so today he’s had a go at the final.Â
You can watch the video to see who the Tipster goes for, as he aims to add to his very impressive 35 from 39 correct predictions. We can tell you though that Paddy Power have already paid out over £600,000 in winnings for those who bet on New Zealand to beat France in the final.Â
That’s right, according to them, the tournament is as good as over, so they’re not wasting any time. ”New Zealand has left all of their opposition so far feeling All Black and blue and itâs inevitable us bookies will be taking a hammering from them on Sunday too so punters may as well collect now,” said their head honcho.Â
Last weekend Paddy Power refunded Welsh punters to the value of over £200,000 following the sending off of Sam Warburton. All losing bets were scratched as they felt the call was wrong.Â
The All Blacks were pre-tournament favourites at 4/6 while France were available at 16/1. A final between the two sides was at set at 11/2 and France, heavy underdogs at this stage, are now at 6/1 to pull off another famous upset.Â
You can follow Kevin’s tips and place some bets with our friends at Paddy Power now
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World Cup Final – Head-to-heads!
Both teams are finally locked in ahead of the RWC Final so it is time to size up who will come out on top in those individual battles.
Planet Rugby | Rugby Union News
France name same team for final
France coach Marc Lievremont insists his team can pull off an upset after he names an unchanged side for Sunday’s World Cup final.
BBC Sport | Rugby Union | UK Edition
Rugby World Cup Daily – France to wear white as Craig Joubert gets final
After another weekend of controversy, the referee for the World Cup final between New Zealand and France has been named as South African Craig Joubert. In other news, France will wear white in the final, so New Zealand can wear their traditional black.
In 2007 France famously beat New Zealand in Cardiff with the All Blacks forced to wear their alternate grey strip that clearly didn’t work out too well for them. This year France won the coin toss to determine the home side, but allowed New Zealand to have the choice of wearing their famous black kit.
“We decided to allow the All Blacks the choice to play in black. For us it is a sign of respect and a way for our team to thank New Zealanders for a remarkable World Cup,” said French team manager Jo Maso.
“It is an honour to play the All Blacks when they play in their black jerseys and it is logical with the World Cup final being held at Eden Park,” he added.
The gesture seemed a little lost of Graham Henry though. “We’re the All Blacks, we’re playing at home and we wear black, so it’s an obvious one. But I do thank him,” he said.
The other big news of the day is that France are now ranked third in the world, having moved into that position following their win over Wales on the weekend. Wales drop to sixth but can make up ground with a third place play off win. Australia remain second despite their loss to New Zealand, while South Africa move out of the top three for the first time in a while.
Craig Joubert will take charge of the final after having had a solid tournament with the whistle. In today’s RWC Daily there’s a bit of a chat with him, some random cooking classes, and New Zealand coach Henry talks about preparing for the World Cup Final.Â
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Joubert to referee World Cup final
South African Craig Joubert will referee the World Cup final between New Zealand and France at Eden Park next Sunday.
ESPNSTAR.com
Radike Samo’s big hit on Bryan Habana in RWC Quarter Final
Sunday’s epic quarter final between the Springboks and the Wallabies won’t be forgotten in a hurry, as there was plenty to talk about. The performances of Bryan Lawrence and David Pocock are two such things. There was also the Boks’ inability to take their opportunities, and then of course the massive defence from the Australians.
One of the biggest hits of the game, and the weekend, came from veteran Radike Samo. As the tournament said farewell to legendary 38 year olds Simon Shaw and Mario Ledesma, Samo has continued to keep the old boys club going, and now finds himself in a Rugby World Cup semi final.Â
Now 35, Samoa has played all over the place, both position-wise, and globally. His career has been fascinating to follow and he’s now reaching the cult hero status he first enjoyed at the Brumbies about seven years back. Against Russia he played on the wing, and last month against the All Blacks he scored a fantastic try from about sixty meters out.
This past weekend he played a fairly significant role too, as it was he who was taken down in the lineout, leading to the penalty against the Springboks that James O’Connor coolly slotted for the 11-9 lead.
His tackle on Bryan Habana earlier in the match also typified the defensive effort of the Wallabies, so many of you mentioned that you’d like to see it again. It was deemed legal, but another day he may have been in a bit of trouble for it, as Habana basically tasted shoulder-pie.
The impact was massive whichever way you see it. This coming weekend against the All Blacks he’ll be a key man for the Wallabies, off the back of the scrum, in the loose, and of course, on defence.
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Meads predicts Wales-NZ World Cup final
All Blacks legend Colin Meads expects Wales and hosts New Zealand to win their respective World Cup semi-finals.
BBC Sport | Rugby Union | UK Edition
Kevin the Tipster – England vs France Quarter Final
This weekend we’ll find out what the semi final lineup will be and might get a better idea of what is to be expected in the final, and perhaps even make a wise bet on the winner. Today though we’re looking at England vs France.
Kevin the Tipster, the predicting sheep, has a 88% accuracy record so far in the tournament. Today he has a crack at the England vs France game, a match that by all means is difficult to call.
On one hand England look to be favourites based on France’s inconsistency and questionable selections. On the other hand, it is France after all. They could be brilliant on the day, and certainly have the players to beat England.
Losses to New Zealand and then Tonga might say otherwise though, and we’re yet to see a trademark magical performance from them. They’ve not been a stand out side by any means, but if they click on Saturday, will be difficult for England to cope with.
For the neutral, it’s possibly the least apetising game of the weekend but we may be in for a surprise if France come to play. Imanol Harinordoquy has already said that the players have only played to half of their potential, so they’ll be looking to improve on that and impress come kick off.
You can follow Kevin’s tips and place some bets with our friends at Paddy Power now
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Springbok duo ready for final hurdle
John Smit and Victor Matfield have spent ten years as Springbok team-mates and are determined to end their Test careers on a high.
Planet Rugby | Rugby Union News
Scotland see off Italy in final warm-up match at Murrayfield
Scotland are in good spirits following their 23-12 win over a strong Italy team at Murrayfield on Saturday. Scotland scored two tries, but it was Italy that scored the try of the match. You can see all the tries in the video below.
Scotland fielded a side that wasn’t at full strength, so will be encouraged by the win, and particularly the form of flyhalf Dan Parks. They still have some way to go though to reach their best before their first match of the Rugby World Cup on September 10th, again Romania.
Coach Andy Robinson still felt they could have played better however, saying that he was frustrated that they didn’t score more points with the possession and chances they had.
“That’s the mentality, the skill level, the…
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http://www.rugbydump.com
Deans issues final warning
Robbie Deans warns Wallabies that anything less than a complete performance against South Africa will end in disaster.
FOXSPORTS.com.au | Rugby Union
The History of Rugby – Parts 14 & 15 – Final
It’s dragged on a bit, but today we’ve got the 14th and final parts of the thoroughly enjoyable History of Rugby documentary. It started with the games inception, and two and a half hours later, ends just before the 2003 Rugby World Cup.
Looking back, the first episode was posted on here exactly a year ago, so hopefully those of you that have been following along have enjoyed it. The opportunity to catch up on how the game was formed and what’s happened over the years is not something to be scoffed at, so no matter where you come from or which team you support, we’d like to think you’ve found value in it.
Two weeks ago part 13 covered the Five Nations and went right up till the 1999 World Cup. That’s where we pick up in part 14, but as…
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http://www.rugbydump.com
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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Behind the scenes with the Crusaders ahead of the Super Rugby final
The Crusaders underwent a serious amount of travel of late, and now find themselves in Brisbane, as they’ve been preparing for the biggest match of the season, the final against the Reds tomorrow. This great video takes us behind the scenes leading up to it.
The region of Canterbury has been through a lot in recent times, and the scars live on as their beloved Crusaders side have had to play away from their home ground for most of the season. On top of that, the natural disaster has robbed the city of Christchurch of their Rugby World Cup matches later this year.
Through it all, the Crusaders have continued to play their stock-standard high quality brand of attacking, intelligent rugby. The fact that they’ve done it away, and…
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Adjudicator verdict: Super Rugby final
The Adjudicator delivers his final verdict on the Super Rugby final, a match certain to deliver a fairytale finish whatever the outcome.
FOXSPORTS.com.au | Rugby Union
Carter determined to clear final hurdle
Crusaders fly-half Dan Carter insists his sixth Super Rugby Final appearance will mean little unless his side cap an epic season with victory over the Reds in Brisbane
Dan Carter rugby news from Scrum.com
