European Rugby
Two former international forwards will join interim head coach Scott Johnson’s Scotland management team for this year’s RBS 6 Nations Championship. Meanwhile, two ex-Scotland locks will join forces with a former Scotland stand-off to coach the Scotland A team.
Erstwhile England No 8 Dean Ryan and Scotland hooker Stevie Scott will work alongside Johnson, defence coach Matt Taylor and specialist coaches Duncan Hodge and Massimo Cuttitta with the national team.
Freddie Burns will look to lead Gloucester to victory over London Irish in a key Premiership clash at Kingsholm on Saturday.
Freddie Burns insists he’s relishing the added responsibility placed on his shoulders this season and believes Gloucester have every chance of celebrating a Premiership top-four finish this campaign.
Despite their loss to Munster at Thomond Park last Saturday, Ulster remain clear at the top of the Pro12 table as we start the New Year.
Ulster have a nine-point lead over second placed Scarlets, who they welcome to Ravenhill on Friday.
Struggling Sale Sharks have been boosted by the arrival of All Black Dan Braid, who have signed to play for the Premiership club until the end of the current season.
Former Scotland and Lions forward Nathan Hines believes that Scottish players could force themselves into contention for the 2013 British and Irish Lions tour even if Scotland fail to uncover significant improvement in the RBS Six Nations.
Glasgow Warriors and Edinburgh Rugby did battle yesterday in the Rabo Direct Pro12 at Murrayfield. The match also doubled up as the second leg of the 1872 Cup. Glasgow won the first leg of the cup game last weekend at their home ground, Scotstoun Stadium, by nine points. Glasgow were comfortably in front in yesterday’s game, leading by 18 points on the 55 minute mark. However, a late rally by Edinburgh made for an exiting finish, FINAL SCORE : Edinburgh 17 – 21 Glasgow.
Rather than bring one match report I thought for a change would post two match reports, one from either camp. There is some repetition but it is interesting to see the reports as written from ‘both sides of the fence’.
Former All Black coach John Mitchell quit as Sale Sharks head coach on Saturday after just a month in charge of the English Premiership club.
At the half-way point of the regular season Ulster sit atop of the Pro12 table with a perfect won 11 out of 11 record.
The leaders face Munster in one of four games on Saturday, safe in the knowledge that regardless of other results, they will enter 2013 as table toppers.
Leicester Tigers will play host to Gloucester at Welford Road on Saturday in the key clash of the last round of the Premiership in 2012.
This weekend sees further action in the RaboDirect Pro12 as this season’s competition enters the twelfth round of matches in the league stage. Most of the games will be completed during the weekend but one of the matches, Scarlets versus Ospreys, is scheduled for the afternoon of Monday afternoon.
The attention in Scotland in particular will, for the second week in a row, be centred on the derby match between Edinburgh and Glasgow Warriors. This match will take place at Murrayfield on Saturday, kick off due 18.05 South African Time.
Today we had 2 Aviva Premiership games on TV, and we had this Live Game Article… but with a difference.
We were more casual, giving updates whilst talking nonsense inbetween.
How’s that for a nice mix?
The world’s best player, All Black flyhalf Dan Carter, is the latest target of the cash-flush French clubs.
After their forays into Europe, this weekend sees the start of the festive derby fixtures for the Pro12 teams.
Ulster still lead the way with a perfect 10 out of 10 in this competition, a full nine points clear of their nearest rivals, Scarlets, and are one of three Irish Provinces currently in the play-off zone. They welcome Leinster to Ravenhill on Friday, a victory for the visitors would close the gap between themselves and the leaders to single figures, a loss could, put their own top four place into jeopardy.
The battle between the four frontrunners for pole position on the Premiership standings will heat up in this weekend’s Round 11 action.
So close is the title hunt that any of the Harlequins (33), Saracens (32), Northampton Saints (31) or Leicester Tigers (30) could top the standings at the conclusion of the weekend’s play.
After a few weeks of Heineken Cup rugby this weekend seems the return to action in the major leagues in the form of the Aviva Premiership and the Rabbo Direct Pro12 as well as the French Top 14. Of particular interest in Scotland is the big derby match between Glasgow Warriors and Edinburgh on Friday night in Glasgow.
Scott Johnson, Scotland’s senior assistant coach, will take on the role of interim head coach for the 2013 RBS 6 Nations Championship and the summer tour of South Africa.
Vodacom Bulls lock Juandrè Kruger did not extend his contract with the Blue Bulls Company (Pty) Ltd beyond the the 2013 Vodacom Super Rugby season and will leave the Vodacom Bulls to join up with French club Racing Metro 92.
Toulon lock Bakkies Botha will be sidelined for up to two months as the Springbok international undergoes surgery on a fractured eye socket.
Ireland captain Brian O’Driscoll is on course to feature in the Six Nations tournament after returning to training with Leinster following ankle surgery.
Wales and Clermont fullback Lee Byrne looks set for a long lay-off after breaking a bone in his back during Saturday’s European Cup clash with Leinster.
A bit late sorry but we take a look at an interesting weekend’s action in the Heineken Cup. This weekend saw some very close games as well as a few run away wins and perhaps most significantly saw Ulster lose their first competitive match of the season in one of the weekend’s close affairs.
Wales are set to play on a plastic pitch at the Millennium Stadium in a ground-breaking move being proposed by the Welsh Rugby Union.
Roger Lewis, the WRU’s go-ahead chief executive, has revealed behind closed doors talks have taken place about implementing the artificial surface at the home of Welsh sport.
British and Irish Lions coach Warren Gatland says Jonny Wilkinson is in the frame for the Australia tour, but Toulon’s success may hamper his hopes.
Connacht and Leinster have become embroiled in angry exchanges following Ireland lock Mike McCarthy’s decision to move to the Heineken Cup champions.
Two-time defending European Cup champions Leinster host Clermont in the fourth round of the competition this weekend in the knowledge that they will have to dig deep for a “vital” bonus-point victory.
South Africa’s Player of the Year, record-breaking Springbok wing Bryan Habana, is yet again in the sights of Toulon’s eccentric boss Mourad Boudjellal.
British and Irish Lions coach Warren Gatland fired the first verbal salvo ahead of his team’s tour to Australia next year, claiming the Wallabies are the easiest to knock over of their Southern Hemisphere rivals.
Representatives and stakeholders from the European Rugby Cup met in London on Wednesday in order to agree on the way forward for the Heineken Cup and Amlin Challenge Cup but again failed to find a solution.
English and French clubs are not happy with the current format as their opposition teams do not have to qualify for the Heineken Cup in the same way and have automatic qualification regardless of their level of skill.
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button told the story of a man who lived his life backwards, being born an old man before dying many years later as a newborn baby. Johnnie Beattie is doing something similar with his rugby career.
This weekend was a busy one for the Heineken Cup as twelve matches were played in the third round of the competion. The weekend started on Friday night with a comprehensive win for Ulster over Northampton and a win by Connacht against Biarritz. Following Munster’s win over Saracens on Saturday it looked as if there may be a clean sweep of wins for the teams from Ireland and Northern Ireland.
However, Leinster stumbled to a narrow loss in their game against Clermont Auvergne on Sunday. This ended Leinster’s amazing 17 game unbeaten run in the Heineken Cup.
Head coach Gregor Townsend has made three changes to the Glasgow Warriors side which was beaten by Munster last week as they prepare to face French Top 14 team Castres Olympique in the Heineken Cup.
Struggling French outfit Racing Métro is chasing the signature of the Bulls’ Springbok lock Juandré Kruger.
South Africa’s star flank, Bath-based openside Francois Louw, has been cleared on a punching charge by a Rugby Football Union disciplinary hearing.
Ireland captain Brian O’Driscoll has revealed that he will not take part in the 2015 World Cup in England as it is “18 months too far.”
Springbok and Bath flank Francois Louw will attend an RFU disciplinary hearing following his red card for punching against Leicester on Saturday.
Louw was not the only Bath player in hot water and will be joined by teammates Matt Banahan and Lee Mears at the hearing.