Posts Tagged ‘Heineken Cup’

Heineken Cup Draw

Friday, June 10th, 2011

A real mixed bag for the English teams in the Heineken Cup draw.

Northampton Saints will be cursing their luck drawing a Munster who need to bounce back from Heineken disappointment last year and Scarlets who if they find a bit of muscle up front will be able to build on last years impressive early season form, and any away game in France is a tough ask so Castres, who are always underrated, could be tricky for them.

London Irish have  a real intriguing draw with Cardiff, Edinburgh and Racing Metro- If nothing else this pool will be the one with the most entertaining rugby as all sides like to throw the ball around. Racing will look at this with a real chance to progress.

Bath will have to beat the champions Leinster at least once and the Top 14 finalists Montpellier to progress as well as Glasgow. A tough group but not insurmountable.

Tigers have history against two of their opponents. Clermont who Tigers have beaten home and away but most recently lost to in France and Ulster the Magners semi finalists have destroyed the Tigers at a windy Ravenhill in the past. Aironi could prove the key as they look like causing at least 1 upset against the big 3.

Sarries have drawn a stinker with Biarritz and Ospreys, but if they are to improve on last seasons success in the premiership then these are the games they must go and win.

Quins and Gloucester are drawn together although all eyes yet again are on Toulouse, Connacht are there for a very enjoyable ride. Quins will take great heart from their Amlin performance can;’t possibly match Guy Noves’ might can they?

My guess at pool winners- Some real tough calls

Saints, Racing, Leinster, Tigers, Biarritz and Toulouse

Cozza

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A Bridge Too Far!

Friday, May 27th, 2011

One of the infamous  rugby quotes came from Irish lock Moss Keane, after a particularly dour and muddy encounter in Wellington for the British Lions. When asked about the game, he replied, “Well, the first half was pretty even, and the second half was even worse!

That doesn’t apply to the Heineken Cup Final, there was a huge difference between the two halves and this week it’s interesting to examine what happened.

Northampton started with verve and gusto; abundant pace and a willingness to move the ball around, which really tested the Leinster defence. A betting man (and I’m told there are many of those in Ireland) wouldn’t have given any odds on anything other than a Northampton win, yet going into the dressing room at half time, it seemed that something changed.

I don’t believe, that Northampton collapsed under pressure, it was simply a game too far, combined with the size  of experienced quality players in their squad, coupled with a huge physical battle the week before. The Tigers’ premiership semi final encounter was a ferocious physical battle. Let’s be honest, when the two East Midlands rivals lock horns, not much is left in the dressing shed and local pride is very much at stake. It was a game of very few chances and would turn on one pivotal moment. And that’s exactly what happened, when the Tiger’s skillful front row combined to release Tuilagi Snr down the left flank in a short side attack, stepping over Chris Ashton, to score in the corner. Compare that with the range of options and gaps that presented themselves in the Leinster first half where the game was fast flowing, wide and played with a breathtaking momentum!

Leinster’ s experience of big match situations that gave them belief and confidence that they score enough points to come back. They’ve been there on many occasions before and it’s these experience that gave them the foundation of confidence . Contrast that with Northampton, who’d rarely been in the heady position of a 19 point lead in an important game and against that type of opposition.

The two tries straight after half time completely changed the dynamic of the game. This would have mentally changed a seemingly comfortable lead to a real contest – with the momentum with the Irish. With Leinster on the front foot, those seasoned internationals in the backs took advantage of the go forward achieved by the pack.  In the end, the expression of the Saints players said it all; they were devastated- simply- out of steam in a game that was one too far.

Those players will have gained a lot from that experience – but it will probably not be realized for some time.The future is bright at Franklin Gardens.

Speak soon,

Dave.

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Leinsters fantastic win matched only by the atmosphere

Tuesday, May 24th, 2011

Let me just say one thing first, if anyone says to you that the roof should be open in the millennium stadium for a big final match, tell them that I said they are nuts!!

I haven’t been to Cardiff as a spectator too many times but I have to say that the atmosphere as the ERC final last Saturday blew me away. I can tell you as a player that its fantastic to play there as there is just a constant roar all through the game to lift you but it’s as a spectator that it really comes to the fore. There isn’t a bad seat in the house!! Or a bad bar! Hence why I’m so late getting this blog to ya, its takes a long time to get over a weekend like that!!

I would have thought that there was about 50/50 in the fans split, with the usual mix of other European teams that you get at the final fans from Toulouse, Munster, Leicester etc all joined into see what was probably the most extraordinary European cup final anybody has ever seen!

I know it’s only a clique but if there ever was a game that proves the adage that rugby is a game of two half this was it!

Nobody could believe, not even their own fans the way Northampton tore into Leinster. It was with open mouths that the 74,000 people saw them run in score 1 then 2 and unbelievably 3! Almost at will they were breaking the blues line and finding space that no one else had all year long.

They relished the set piece, especially the scrum, destroying them at almost every set down. Leinster just couldn’t get a hold of the game at all, as I’ve said before in this blog that the only way to beat Leinster is to keep the ball away from them and this is way The Saints were doing in spades!

Their front row, their backrow, their centres were all playing the perfect game with Foden the best by a mile, they really threw the kitchen sink at Leinster….and therein lies the problem!

Nobody believed that there wouldn’t be some sort of backlash from the Dublin outfit but equally nobody could have imagined anything quite of this scale, 17 points in 17 minutes and all from one individual!!

Sexton has been getting a good ribbing from the guys about the of press coverage that he is getting re the fact that it was his inspirational words that got the lads back on track! But you have to say that the change was phenomena!

Gone were the missed tackles, knock-on’s, scrums going backwards and in were slick passing, strong running and incredibly a dominate scrum?! If any of you out there have any doubts left whither the scrum can have a huge physiological effect on a game, watch this again!

Leinster just seem to up the pace constantly, with every minute as the 2nd forty clocked on. Suddenly people who you almost didn’t see in the 1sthave were galloping around, Sean O’Brien (The Tullow Tank as he is now being called!), BOD, Heaslip all were incredible.

Northampton just had nothing left…

Sexton just ruled the game like it was tailor made for him, coming just sort of the total individual points record in a final.

The Saints did what they could but were done, a special word should go to Foden, he was brilliant and didn’t deserve to lose this game.

Considering who they had to beat to get here I don’t think that anybody would begrudge Leinster the title of Current Undisputed European No.1’s…Congrats!!

Shane

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Did The Teams Swap Jerseys At Half Time?

Monday, May 23rd, 2011

Last Saturday was one of the most exciting and at the same time strangest cup finals in the history of rugby. The cliché “A game of two halves” is often misused but in this case it pretty much sums up what happened.

At one point in the second half, if you didn’t know the players, it would seem like the teams had swapped jerseys at half time.

In the fist half Northampton blew Leinster off the field in almost every aspect of the game. At half time Leinster looked punch drunk and it was hard to see any way back for them. Northampton must have felt they had played the perfect 40 minutes of rugby and were well on their way to Heineken glory.

But the second half was a complete mirror image of the first half. Leinster reversed the first half trend in every part of the game they had struggled with throughout the first half.

Did Leinster just wake up? Or did Northampton just implode? Well it was s little bit of both.

Leinster came into the game as favourites. That brings it’s own pressure to begin with. But it is possible Leinster assumed they would hit the ground running as they pretty much have on the big occasions all season. Northampton, on the other hand, were the underdogs and knew if they made a bad start to the game against a team like Leinster their Heineken Cup could well be over before half time.

So Northampton came out of the blocks on fire and certainly caught Leinster cold. They overpowered Leinster all over the field, even when down to fourteen men. At half time Northampton must have been pinching themselves on the way into the changing rooms. But then when they got there it must have dawned on them that they were now the favourites and the Heineken Cup was theirs to lose.

So suddenly the pressure was on Northampton. Being in that position with forty minutes still left to play was hardly something they expected and there’s no doubt that realisation suddenly heaped a ton of unexpected pressure on them.

Leinster on the other hand, at half time, must have felt they had just woken up from a nightmare…. except it was real. There is no doubt they knew if they played another 40 minutes like the first 40 they would be embarrassed for the rest of their lives at the result. That fear must have played into their awakening. That coupled with some very experienced players, who were never really going to lose their heads, they came out and threw the kitchen sink at Northampton from the very start of the second half.

There is no doubt that Leinster knew if Northampton scored first in the second half the game could well get away from them. So once Leinster got the first score so early they knew it was “Game On”…. Unfortunately so did Northampton. Once Leinster got their second try there was no doubt they were in control of the game and you could see in Northampton’s body language that they also believed Leinster were in control.

Both teams displayed the ability and skill to dominate their opposition emphatically. Northampton did it in the first half and Leinster did it in the second half. So winning or losing was not down to ability and skill. If ever a game of rugby was won and lost psychologically it was this Heineken Cup Final.

Who said the “Top Four Inches” aren’t important in rugby…

Eddie

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What A Comeback!

Monday, May 23rd, 2011

The Heineken Cup Final on Saturday produced one of the greatest comebacks of all time. The Irish boys seemed dead and buried at the interval. In every single area of the game the Saints seemed to have the upper hand. The scrum was boys against men, O’Driscoll looked unfit and the team in general looked beaten.

So how come the turn around. Well not being in the Leinster dressing room it is hard to say what exactly was said at the interval that made the difference. I can however relate an experience very similar that I had several years ago.

At the time I was on the coaching staff at the mighty Wigan Rugby League Club who were on that unbelievable run of winning the Challenge Cup a record eight times on the run. We stood at six wins when we went to play Hull away in a very tough last eight game.

We had a raft of injuries and had a number of players taking the field not fully fit. In the first half we were blown away 24-4 and it looked like the great run was over. At half time the dressing room was very quiet. The coach other than giving some technical input did little other than speak seperatley to what could be described as the senior players.

The team left the dressing room early and the players gathered together on the pitch. The senior players had their say and the second half started.

The transformation was instant, and it was led by those senior players. Final score 32-24 to Wigan

I could see some similar visible leadership at the weekend from the Leinster senior players. Call it desire or mental toughness, but that game was won by mental superiority. Saints looked a beaten side very early in that second half.

I think it is fair to say that Leinsters champion players proved just that and they were deserved winners.

Haydn

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Saints pack performance gives Leinster food for thought!

Friday, May 6th, 2011

I have to admit that when I looked at the two semis I did feel that the game in Dublin between Leinster and Toulouse was shaping up to be the “real” final and whoever got through this would just need to keep their nerve and they would beat either team from the other semi.

But after watching the Milton-Keynes game I’m not so sure it’s that easy!

Perpignan travelled over the England with the same game plan they’ve always had and that was dominate upfront with their big pack and the rest will come…so much for the best laid plans!

Northampton’s pack tore into them, wither it was in the scrum, ruck or general play they had the upper hand, in fact the lineout was the only place that the French could get any position!

I’ve seen the Saints play a few times this year and they’ve been just kinda ok, good but nothing special but in contrast to that, their ERC form has been very impressive. You could say that the route that Leinster had to take was a lot harder but the fact alone that they haven’t lost a game 8-0 this year means that these English men deserve to be in the final.

They have players hitting form in every game, Foden, Ashton, Downey, Dickson and basically the whole pack!

Leinster has had to meet and beat some big packs on the way to the final Clermont, Leicester, Toulouse but I think this will be a new type of challenge.

In the papers over there, the fallout from Munster collapse is still being debated. The biggest point I see coming from this result was not the fact that this could be a team on the decline and they’re not the team the used to be etc! but it’s the fact that a mid-table team came over to Limerick in an European competition and gave Munster absolutely no respect and showed no intimidation in a ground that has been the graveyard for so many Euro hopefuls over the years.

There’s is no doubt that Conor O’Shea has had a huge influence on this mind set, I battled hard with him for years against Munster when he was playing with Leinster but you can’t take away from the teams achievement, let’s hope this wasn’t their “final” and they keep it going for one more game!

Shane

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Reflections on Europe

Thursday, May 5th, 2011

Siwd Mae everyone!

Well another great season is drawing to a close, and I thought I’d like just to put my whistle down for a moment and reflect on some of the European issues from a Welsh perspective.

These games are truly the pinnacle of club rugby in the Northern hemisphere. The standard is amazing- often it’s as intense or even more intense than an international fixture, especially considering the likes of Ospreys and Toulouse have 20 or so full internationals to choose from, many of those being absolute world class performers. And also, its great to see the attendances- there’s been huge support for all the games this season and that is testimony that we, as a game, have the formula right, something I’ll touch on again later in this blog.

One of the highlights of my career was officiating at the Leinster/Munster semi final in 2009 at Croke Park, when a world record 83500 turned out for one of the biggest local derbies in sport. It was a massive occasion, one I was proud to be chosen to referee, and I’ll never forget the match (and I have to say the usual Dublin post-game hospitality!) I really hope there are more games like this in the future. The prospects of Stade v Racing Metro, Toulouse v Biarritz, Osprey’s v Blues…all are games to relish for the keen rugby watcher.

As someone that regards himself as a man who loves rugby first and a referee second, I always want success for the Welsh regions in the Heineken and Amlin Cups and it’s a bitter disappointment to me to see that there’s no Welsh sides left to contend the final. I really struggle to understand why this is and am very frustrated by it. If I look at the squads at both Ospreys and Cardiff this season, their strength in depth is huge and it’s a truism to say they both regions have totally underachieved. It really is puzzling, and I think both clubs need examine issues both on field and off field, as I am sure there’s something needs to be addressed. Paradoxically, both Dragons and Scarlets, have both shown improvement this season and have possibly outperformed their more illustrious rivals in terms of ongoing progression. Both of those clubs are setting their stall out with youth at the fore and this is starting to pay dividends, something I wholeheartedly support.

One small point on the regions- I do believe, that for the Magners to be more challenging and meaningful, that the top 8, regardless of nationality, should qualify. It’s farcical that a side near the bottom should get an assisted place as this will not breed strength in depth. I want to see a greater meritocracy. Whilst I don’t get much chance to watch much of the S15 rugby, I believe its weakness is the fact is is ring-fenced and there are too many meaningless games. This doesn’t happen in the British structures, and having an open competition and pyramid structure at both European, British and National level is imperative for progression and breeding strength in depth. By saying that, I truly would welcome seeing some of the S15 giants such as Crusaders or the Blue Bulls coming to visit the European hotbeds like Munster or Leicester. I really think there would be little to choose between the sides and the standard would be compelling in every way! Let’s hope one day someone can squeeze this sort of fixture in- the South African visits to Welford Road and Saracens last season were great occasions and underlined my thoughts about how competitive those clubs are, and I think the Springboks themselves would be the first to admit just how tough those games were.

Anyway, enough from me for now; I’ll be back next week to talk about the Laws again and look forward to catching you soon,

Cheers and take care,

Nige.

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Then There Were Four…

Monday, April 11th, 2011

The Heineken Cup and Amlin Cup are finally down to just four teams after the weekend.

Leinster, Northampton, Perpignan, Toulouse are the only clubs remaining that can be crowned European Rugby Champions. Clermont Auvergne, Muster, Harlequins and Stade Francais will fight it out for the second European trophy.

Back in January 24th I wrote in my Blog that the English and Welsh Clubs had underperformed in European competition. Nothing happened last weekend to change my opinion on that issue. Also, clubs that competed in the Heineken Cup and failed to qualify for the quarter-finals, but finished in runner-up positions in their pool were rewarded with a place in the knock-out stages of the Amlin Cup. Munster have remained in European competition on that basis. But that opportunity and last weekend’s results given even more support to my position.

If you look at the eight teams remaining in both competitions France have four teams, Ireland have two, England have two. It all sounds reasonable until you consider the number of teams that started out in the three countries.

France had fourteen teams in both competitions and with four remaining, that gives them a reasonable success rate of 29%. Ireland started with four teams in Europe and still have two, that’s an outstanding success rate of 50%. Especially when you compare it to Wales who also had 4 teams at the outset and none of the Welsh sides even made the final eight in either competition.

But England are in my view the biggest disappointment. They started with 12 teams in both European competitions and with just Northampton and Harlequins remaining it gives them a paltry success rate of 17%.

We hear a lot of hype about the Aviva Premiership and some would refer to it as the top club competition in the northern hemisphere. There are even some supporters that would regard the Magners League as a lower calibre competition to the Aviva Premiership. That is a reasonable contention when you consider there are no teams from Wales and Scotland remaining in either tournament.

But if the results don’t lie, why are there not more Aviva teams remaining in the two European competitions? My contention is the Aviva Premiership is not as far ahead of the Magners League as some people think. In fact when you consider that France had nine teams from the Top 14 reach the quarter-finals of both competitions then it is reasonable to suggest that Top 14 is the top domestic tournament in Europe.

Eddie

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Heineken Cup Rugby Is Back

Saturday, April 9th, 2011

I find that after the highs and lows of the Six Nations it always good to have ¼ finals of the ERC so close to look forward too! Everybody plays a game or two in their respective domestic leagues and then it’s down to work in the business end of, what I recon to be, the premier cub competition in the world.

Some of the games we have to look forward to will only be a step behind international standard, both in skill and intensity.

I wouldn’t be doing the Lotto if I was Leinster any time soon!! Firstly they get drawn in, what got known as the group of death. They had to beat the French champions, the then French league leaders and the English league runners run! But in fairness to them they did so in style, securing the home draw for the quarters and looking forward to seeing who of the lower seeded qualifiers they would get.

And who did they get…none other than European heavyweight Leicester and to add juice to it, the team that they beat in their European Cup final in ’09!!

Just to go through where Leicester are at the moment, they have won 11 of their last 12 league games, narrowly going down to 2nd placed Saracens a few weeks ago being their only loss, and if you add in their ERC games that’s impressive form!

You can’t say that Leinster have been going too badly either, climbing up the Magners League ranking after a quite start but with their luck they now have a different game on their hands!

Their loss to Munster last weekend could serve well as a wee kick in the behind to shake them up a bit for this game and will give them extra motivation (as if any were needed!) to get things back on track but it also did something that could undo them!

As I said Leinsters form in Europe has been very impressive this year and they rightfully 2/1 on favourites as we stand but in beating them last week Munster displayed the only way to do this and you can bet that Leicester were watching!

In the 2ndhalf of that game Munster quite simply kept the ball away from Leinster and just never gave it back…and that was that!! They just played the waiting game and kicked the penalties when they came, winning the game by a point.

It was clear if the blues had got the ball Munster would have suffered, as the 1st half had shown, in fact they did get the ball for 4 minutes in the 2nd have a got 3 points almost immediately! The only points they got in the 2nd.

To me the only deference in this game is going to be home advantage, the game sold out a long time ago and 40,000 screaming fans in blue will hopefully tip the tide!!

Shane

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Super 15s – Invisible So Far!

Friday, March 4th, 2011

Is it me or has this years Super 15s started in a bit of a whimper. Despite the addition of a new Franchise in Melbourne, so far the competition has for me failed to catch fire.

It’s early days but I think the excited of the Six Nations, Heineken Cup and Aviva Premiership is putting the southern hemisphere showpiece competition in the shade. I’ve never been a big fan of the “Super Franchise” to me and this may be a bit controversial, it’s more like Touch Rugby than Rugby Union. Referees tend to let anything go and I’m far from convinced it is as tough as the northern hemisphere competitions.

Now there’s an argument I like to see settled. The Super 15s winners against maybe the Heineken Cup winners. It’s done in Rugby league every year when the Northern and southern Hemisphere champions play off. Always a great spectacle and a very intense game. Maybe finding a suitable time to play such a game in an already jam packed season would be a problem. It would be a massive fixture if it ever happened.

Anyway , can anyone stop Leicester, nine wins on the bounce. Looking forward to a massive game against Saracens this weekend.

Haydn

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