FINAL
LEICESTER 26 - 14 NORTHAMPTON
SIXWAYS - Saturday 18th March 2012
KO: 15:00 HT: 16-9 Att: tbc
THE final was supposed to be a tight contest but Leicester Tigers showed early on they were the superior side against Northampton Saints. With tenacious play and some excellent kicking, the Tigers raised the trophy high.
Although Saints made the brighter start with Stephen Myler kicking early penalties to steal a premature lead, the Tigers were stronger. Leicester initially struggled with the scrum, but soon found their footing. However, the scrum was a prominent part of the game for all the wrong reasons as constant resets slowed the proceedings horribly. Some stunning penalties from George Ford saw the scores tied after 25 minutes of play and the Saints were starting to crumble in defence.
Logovi'i Mulipola caused havoc, throwing his huge form through the Saints’ lines as if tacklers did not exist, whilst Billy Twelvetrees danced about the pitch just as frequently causing problems. The Tigers eventually got the try which had been coming to them for most of the half, Steve Mafi dotting down after some lovely open play. Ford converted but then missed another 3-pointer just moments later, but his team was comfortably in front none-the-less though. The Saints, trailing 9-16 knew that the final 40 minutes needed to be full-on if they were to be in with a chance.
Unfortunately for Northampton, their opponents had no ideas of relaxing or letting the Saints build up some steam. The restart brought another onslaught from Leicester and more brilliant kicking from Ford as he extended the margin.
But the Saints suddenly sprang into action, George Pisi showing he could bulldoze with the best of them and making a fabulous break, only to knock on metres from the tryline, which was heart-breaking to watch for Northampton fans. Further pressure from the Saints led to them keeping possession and territory for a long period but this was to lead to nothing.
Tigers’ Scott Hamilton intercepted a telegraphed pass and raced over half the pitch to score under the posts. Ford took the simple conversion happily and it was over for the Saints.
The Tigers lost Geordan Murphy to the sin bin after continual offences which gave Northampton a consolatory try; after numerous phases the Tigers’ defence fell away for Christian Day to scuttle over. Ryan Lamb could not manage the conversion but it mattered not, the game had been won by Leicester far earlier.
By claiming the LV= Cup title, Leicester Tigers are the first of all the European teams to automatically qualify for the Heineken Cup 2012-13.
15 Geordan Murphy (C) 14 Horacio Agulla 13 Matt Smith 12 Billy Twelvetrees 11 Scott Hamilton 10 George Ford 9 James Grindal 1 Boris Stankovich 2 Rob Hawkins 3 Logovi'i Mulipola 4 George Skivington 5 Graham Kitchener 6 Steve Mafi 7 Craig Newby 8 Thomas Waldrom BENCH: 16 Tom Youngs 17 Marcos Ayerza 18 Julian White 19 Calum Green 20 Julian Salvi 21 Scott Steele 22 Toby Flood 23 Andy Forsyth
SCORERS T: Mafi, Hamilton C: Ford (2) P: Ford (4) Geordan Murphy
15 Paul Diggin 14 Vasily Artemyev 13 George Pisi 12 James Downey 11 Scott Armstrong 10 Stephen Myler 9 Martin Roberts 1 Soane Tonga’uiha 2 Andy Long 3 Paul Doran Jones 4 James Craig 5 Christian Day 6 Calum Clark (C) 7 Tom Wood 8 Roger Wilson BENCH: 16 Ross McMillan 17 Alex Waller 18 Brian Mujati 19 Mark Sorenson 20 Ben Nutley 21 Ryan Glynn 22 Ryan Lamb 23 Tom May
SCORERS T: Day P: Myler (3)
REFEREE: JP Doyle
SEMI FINALS
BATH RUGBY 16 - 17 LEICESTER TIGERS
RECREATION GROUND - Friday 9th March 2012
KO: 19:30 HT: 10-8 Att: 10,205
A fight to the death was seen at The Rec as Bath Rugby fell foul of Leicester Tigers, losing by a single point due to some stunning kicking by George Ford. The homeside were on full attack mode for the initial quarter, but were kept at bay by some excellent defending and unfortunate fumbles.
Leicester were first to bag some points with Ford knocking over a penalty after 17 minutes of play. The fly-half had a brilliant game from the off, kicking some lovely balls out of hand and making thoughtful decisions. His next boot sailed a full 60 metres before to set up a lineout for the Tigers that would bear points. Bath let the ball fly loose and Graham Kitchener sprung on it for the try. Ford missed his target for the conversion but Leicester were showing hope of pulling away from their opponents before the second half.
However, Bath suddenly awoke, Heathcote smacking over a long-range penalty to lessen the gap. After 30 minutes the homeside proved that they had the ability to cause the Tigers trouble. Matt Carraro tore through the defensive line before sending the ball through the ranks to reach Lee Mears, who crashed over. Heathcote’s conversion bounced off the woodwork twice before finally falling through, hauling the homeside in front.
Bath came close to adding to their tally as Matt Banahan produced a kick-and-chase that had perfect length, but Ford was there to save his side, clearing under huge pressure from the winger. The interval came and Leicester had gone from promising to worried with score at 10-8.
The restart saw Bath continue where they had left off, hammering the Leicester defence. After Tom Biggs made ground, weaving through several defenders, to allow the Ben Skirving to almost force his way through to the whitewash, Tigers decided that more brute strength was needed. The visitors changed their props and reaped the rewards in the next scrum, pushing Bath into conceding a penalty. Ford slotted the 3-pointer but his effort was nullified swiftly by Heathcote adding one of his own. Nothing could stop Ford’s boot from putting the Tigers into the lead, as a quick third penalty saw his side leap into a point advantage.
Skirving was still looking for the try he had been denied earlier in the half and made another dash into Tigers’ territory. But the attack came to no more than a penalty, which Heathcote successfully kicked to restore the homeside to the front foot.
The visitors were also on the prowl for a try and Steve Mafi’s break left Bath on the retreat to halt his progress, a penalty allowed them to clear their lines. However, the next penalty was somewhat contentious, with referee Dave Pearson awarding it to Bath before discussing with his assistant and reversing it. The home crowd were livid as they watched Ford chip through with only 9 minutes to go.
Heathcote had a chance to pull his side back from failure but his kick flew wide and instead the game ended with Leicester applying pressure and Jack Cuthbert having to make a try-saving tackle.
15 Sam Vesty 14 Matt Banahan 13 Matt Carraro 12 Olly Barkley 11 Tom Biggs 10 Tom Heathcote 9 Michael Claassens 1 Charlie Beech 2 Lee Mears 3 Duncan Bell 4 Dave Attwood 5 Ryan Caldwell 6 Carl Fearns 7 Francois Louw (C) 8 Ben Skirving BENCH: 16 Pieter Dixon 17 David Flatman 18 Anthony Perenise 19 Guy Mercer 20 Josh Ovens 21 Chris Cook 22 Ollie Woodburn 23 Jack Cuthbert
SCORERS T: Mears C: Heathcote P: Heathcote (3)
15 Scott Hamilton 14 Horacio Agulla 13 Andy Forsyth 12 Billy Twelvetrees 11 Alex Lewington 10 George Ford 9 James Grindal 1 Boris Stankovich 2 Rob Hawkins 3 Julian White 4 Calum Green 5 Graham Kitchener 6 Steve Mafi 7 Craig Newby (C) 8 Ben Pienaar BENCH: 16 Tom Youngs 17 Marcos Ayerza 18 Logovi’i Mulipola 19 Julian Salvi 20 Thomas Waldrom 21 Scott Steele 22 Jeremy Staunton 23 Matt Smith
SCORERS T: Kitchener P: Ford (4)
REFEREE: Dave Pearson
NORTHAMPTON SAINTS 27 - 12 SCARLETS
FRANKLIN’S GARDENS - Sunday 11th March 2012
KO: 13:00 HT: 13-6 Att: 10,377†
NORTHAMPTON progressed to the final of the LV= Cup with a deserved win over the Scarlets in a hard-fought but error-ridden game at Franklin's Gardens.
The Saints had the stronger pack, with lively performances from Alex Waller and Scott Armstrong and they scored the only two tries of the game, but they showed little attacking flair behind the scrum and had to rely on 14 points from the impressive Stephen Myler to emphasise their superiority.
In contrast, Scarlets were the more creative but they threw away two early chances which may have changed the course of the game and after that were their own worst enemies, making too many unforced errors at crucial times and could only manage four penalties from Stephen Jones.
Scarlets nearly took the lead after only 8 minutes. The visitors won a lineout in the Northampton 22, a strong burst from Gareth Maule took them over the gain line before Dominic Day surged over the try line only for the TMO to rule no try as the second row had been held up by some desperate home defence.
Scarlets declined to take a kickable penalty in favour of more attacking options and they almost earned their reward when Andy Fenby stormed clear only to be hauled down 10 metres short by an excellent cover tackle.
Scarlets were made to pay for those missed opportunities when Northampton took a 15th minute lead. The Saints won a lineout 10m out from the visitors' line and had little problem in driving over for a Waller try, which was converted by Myler with the outside half then adding a penalty.
Scarlets collected their first points when Jones kicked a 45m penalty after the Saints infringed at the lineout but this was nullified with a second successful penalty from Myler.
Straight from the restart, Northampton foolishly gave away a penalty and Jones made no mistake with his kick to leave his side 13-6 behind at the interval.
Within 3 minutes of the restart Jones had further reduced the arrears with his third penalty, this time a kick from 40m, but Northampton soon responded with an excellent try.
The Saints produced their best passage of play, pressurising the Scarlets' defence in their own 22. There were key drives from James Craig and Waller before a missed tackle on George Pisi allowed the centre to send Armstrong in at the corner for the try which Myler was unable to convert.
Back came Scarlets and a further Jones penalty made it 18-12 to the hosts with half an hour remaining, but two well-struck penalties from Myler gave the Saints a healthy 12-point advantage.
Scarlets continued to give away too many needless penalties which prevented them building up any real momentum. Replacement Ryan Lamb hit a post with a long-distance penalty but then succeeded with another, after Day was sin-binned for offside, to give the Saints an ultimately comfortable victory.
15 Paul Diggin 14 Vasily Artemyev 13 George Pisi 12 James Downey 11 Scott Armstrong 10 Stephen Myler 9 Martin Roberts 1 Soane Tonga’uiha 2 Andy Long 3 Paul Doran Jones 4 James Craig 5 Christian Day 6 Calum Clark (C) 7 Tom Wood 8 Roger Wilson BENCH: 16 Ross McMillan 17 Alex Waller 18 Brian Mujati 19 Mark Sorenson 20 Ben Nutley 21 Ryan Glynn 22 Ryan Lamb
23 Tom May
SCORERS T: Waller, Armstrong C: Myler P: Myler (4), Lamb Downey
15 Dan Newton 14 Liam Williams 13 Gareth Maule (C) 12 Adam Warren 11 Andy Fenby 10 Stephen Jones 9 Liam Davies 1 Rhodri Jones 2 Emyr Phillips 3 Deacon Manu 4 Lou Reed 5 Dominic Day 6 Aaron Shingler 7 Josh Turnbull 8 Kieran Murphy BENCH: 16 Kirby Myhill 17 Phil John 18 Peter Edwards 19 Sione Timani 20 Matt Gilbert 21 Gareth Davies 22 Nick Reynolds 23 Iongi Viliame
SCORERS P: S Jones (4) Day
REFEREE: Dean Richards
†Report courtesy of Premier Rugby
WEEK 4
DRAGONS P - P SARACENS
RODNEY PARADE - Friday 3rd February 2012
KO: 19:30
LEICESTER TIGERS 24 - 13 NEWCASTLE
WELFORD ROAD - Saturday 4th February 2012
KO: 15:00 HT: 19-6 Att: 19,767
LEICESTER TIGERS are through to the semi-finals after taking down Newcastle Falcons with ease. The Tigers began on the front foot and showed they were not willing to take prisoners spurning a kick at goal for a lineout. Their confidence was not unjustified as Thomas Waldrom bundled himself over the tryline to snatch Leicester’s first try after 17 minutes of play. Jeremy Staunton’s conversion was not pretty but did the job, taking a rebound off the posts before finding its way over. The Tigers kept up the pressure and forced the Falcons to give away two soft penalties, which Staunton happily knocked through. However, the visitors also managed to claim two penalties of their own, thanks to the trusty boot of Jimmy Gopperth. But the homeside kept coming and Staunton grabbed another 6 points to give them a comfortable half-time lead of 19-6. The Falcons found the first 40 minutes flustering but dealt with the on-going Tigers’ attack reasonably well.
After the break the situation worsened for the Falcons, losing Corne Uys to injury as the Tigers prowled around, eyeing the tryline. However, the visitors did have an unexpected break as James Fitzpatrick raced upfield; unfortunately, his efforts came to nothing as Ryan Shortland fumbled the try-scoring pass. The Tigers then rubbed salt into the wound as George Skivington found a gap to dive through for a touchdown. But it was not all over for the Falcons, who still had some fight left in them. Taiasina Tu’ifua created an excellent opportunity from which Gopperth found the tryline. He then chipped over the conversion himself to give the Newcastle scoreline a much needed boost. However, after his brilliant work, Tu’ifua soon headed off-pitch again for killing a ruck and saw a yellow from the referee. This left Newcastle with a panicked final 10 minutes as they threw themselves into try-saving tackles to defend their line from one last Tigers penetration.
15 Niall Morris 14 Horacio Agulla 13 Matt Smith 12 Anthony Allen 11 Scott Hamilton 10 Jeremy Staunton 9 Sam Harrison 1 Marcos Ayerza 2 George Chuter 3 Julian White 4 George Skivington 5 Graham Kitchener 6 Steve Mafi 7 Ben Woods (C) 8 Thomas Waldrom BENCH: 16 Rob Hawkins 17 Logovi'i Mulipola 18 Ryan Bower 19 Craig Newby 20 Julian Salvi 21 James Grindal 22 Toby Flood 23 Andy Forsyth
SCORERS T: Waldrom, Skivington C: Staunton P: Staunton (4)
15 Greg Goosen 14 Ryan Shortland 13 Corne Uys 12 James Fitzpatrick 11 Suka Hufanga 10 Jimmy Gopperth 9 Chris Pilgrim 1 Jonny Golding 2 Rob Vickers 3 James Hall 4 Adriaan Fondse 5 Tim Swinson 6 Ally Hogg 7 Richard Mayhew 8 Mark Wilson BENCH: 16 Joe Graham 17 Darren Fearn 18 Ashley Wells 19 Richard Boyle 20 Taiasina Tu’ifua 21 Will Chudley 22 Jamie Helleur 23 Joel Hodgson
SCORERS T: Gopperth C: Gopperth P: Gopperth (2) YC Tu’ifua
LONDON IRISH 23 - 15 GLOUCESTER
MADEJSKI STADIUM - Saturday 4th February 2012
KO: 15:00 HT: 14-0 Att: 9,221
LONDON IRISH kicked themselves to victory as Gloucester tried to make a second half comeback. The visitors failed to wake up for the initial 40 minutes, as they made continuous errors and added no points on the board. Meanwhile Irish took advantage of Gloucester’s lack-lustre defence, getting off to an early start thanks to a penalty from Tom Homer. Homer’s kicking was the Exiles best asset and won them the match. However, soon after his first of six, Brian Blaney also added some points by bounding through for a try. Strangely, Homer missed the conversion, a rare mistake in his impeccable kicking. But he soon redeemed himself with two further penalties to give the homeside a 14-0 advantage at the interval. However, the situation turned nasty just before the whistle as both sides threw punches, leaving the referee to give each captain an ear-full and a warning.
Gloucester came back out onto the pitch with some new-found energy and it soon made an impact. Mike Tindall claimed their first points of the match with a penalty and this was swiftly followed by a brilliant try from Ian Clark. Clark was making his debut for the visitors after coming up through their academy and certainly showed the rest of his side a thing or two. His try was impressive, a 60 metre dash and a skip round the defence to swoop in for points. Tindall converted and the Cherry and Whites were back in the game. It was not long though until Homer was stretching the points margin once again, clattering over two more penalties. Gloucester were not discouraged though, pushing up into the home territory before finding a sweeping move that gave Clark his second try. It was all too late for the visitors though, who could not find any further points and, with Homer booting one final penalty, the match belonged to the Irish.
15 Tom Homer 14 Adam Thompstone 13 Jonathan Spratt 12 Shontayne Hape 11 Sailosi Tagicakibau 10 Daniel Bowden 9 Darren Allinson 1 Clarke Dermody (C) 2 Brian Blaney 3 Paulica Ion 4 Nick Kennedy 5 Bryn Evans 6 Matt Garvey 7 David Sisi 8 Richard Thorpe BENCH: 16 David Paice 17 Max Lahiff 18 Mark George 19 Kieran Roche 20 Alex Gray 21 Guy Armitage 22 Adrian Jarvis 23 Ross Samson
SCORERS T: Blaney P: Homer (6)
15 Tom Voyce 14 Ian Clark 13 Tim Molenaar 12 Eliota Fuimaono-Sapolu 11 James Simpson-Daniel 10 Mike Tindall 9 Dave Lewis 1 Dan Murphy 2 Darren Dawidiuk 3 Shaun Knight 4 Will James 5 Alex Brown 6 Peter Buxton (C) 7 Andy Hazell 8 Matt Cox BENCH: 16 Matias Cortese 17 Yann Thomas 18 Dario Chistolini 19 Tom Savage 20 Gareth Evans 21 Nick Runciman 22 Billy Burns 23 Akapusi Qera
SCORERS T: Clark (2) C: Tindall P: Tindall
NORTHAMPTON 57 - 10 LONDON WASPS
FRANKLIN’S GARDENS - Saturday 4th February 2012
KO: 15:00 HT: 22-3 Att: 12,128
IT was a scene of annihilation at Franklin’s Gardens as Northampton Saints destroyed London Wasps. The Saints produced a staggering eight tries against an extremely poor Wasps side to bag their place in the semis. Stephen Myler got scoring underway after the visitors gave away a penalty at the scrum in the 7th minute of play. Will Robinson, who was making his Wasps debut, had a chance to equalise but did not find his target. It did not take long for the homeside to begin hoarding the points from here on out. Andy Long was the first to go over in the 18th minute and was followed 7 minutes later by James Craig. Robinson finally got the Wasps on the scoreboard as his second penalty attempt soared through but it was already clear that the Wasps were outmatched. A minute later and Jamie Elliott caught a nice bounce off of a grubber kick and stormed over the tryline. Myler made his second successful conversion of the half and the whistle blew for the break.
The second half was much the same as the first. The Saints applied ample pressure and reaped the rewards, forcing a penalty try from a marching maul. Wasps were also down to 14 men as Simon McIntyre was sent to the sin bin, worsening the Wasps already dire situation. There were further tries from Noah Cato and Elliott before Wasps finally grabbed a consolatory one thanks to the quick-thinking and incredible pace of Joe Simpson. However, the Saints then battered the visiting defence and found weaknesses aplenty. Alex Waller was hauled over by one of the Saints unstoppable mauls and Cato claimed his second try to finish the match. At this point the Wasps simply gave up and were just relieved when the onslaught ended.
15 Paul Diggin 14 Jamie Elliott 13 George Pisi 12 James Downey 11 Noah Cato 10 Stephen Myler 9 Martin Roberts 1 Soane Tonga’uiha 2 Andy Long 3 Brian Mujati 4 James Craig 5 Christian Day 6 Calum Clark (C) 7 Ben Nutley 8 Roger Wilson BENCH: 16 Mike Haywood 17 Alex Waller 18 Tom Mercer 19 Mark Sorenson 20 Samu Manoa 21 Ryan Glynn 22 Tom May 23 Vasily Artemyev
SCORERS T: Long, Craig, Elliott (2), Penalty Try, Cato (2), Waller C: Myler (7) P: Myler
15 Hugo Southwell 14 Lee Robinson 13 Alex Cheesman 12 Chris Mayor 11 Richard Haughton 10 Will Robinson 9 Charlie Davies (C) 1 Tom Payne 2 Nathan Morris 3 Ben Broster 4 Heinz Koll 5 Ed O’Donoghue 6 Tinus Du Plessis 7 Matt Everard 8 Victor Gresev BENCH: 16 Vladislav Korshunov 17 Bob Baker 18 Simon McIntyre 19 Joe Burton 20 Sam Jones 21 Joe Simpson 22 Nick Robinson 23 Charlie Ingall
SCORERS T: Simpson C: NJ Robinson P: W Robinson Simon McIntyre
WORCESTER WARRIORS 19 - 14 OSPREYS
SIXWAYS - Saturday 4th February 2012
KO: 15:00 HT: 7-7 Att: 5,856
ALTHOUGH both sides knew they would not be going through to the next round, Worcester Warriors and Ospreys were playing for pride and put on a brilliant display. The Ospreys took an early lead with Matthew Morgan producing a perfect kick-and-chase to take himself over the tryline. Morgan then converted successfully to give the Ospreys a hopeful beginning. It took the Warriors a further 14 minutes to even the score, spurning opportunities to kick for goal by set up attacks from lineouts. This tactic paid off as Jake Abbott heaved himself over and Andy Goode added the extras. Both teams saw players hobble off due to injury but, in the freezing conditions, the battle continued. The Ospreys gave away numerous penalties, none of which yielded any points for Worcester. The visitors were dealt a big blow as Sam Lewis managed to get himself a stint in the sin bin five minutes before the interval.
When play resumed, and Lewis was still sitting at the sidelines, Worcester used their extra man and Josh Drauninui plant the ball in the corner after some smooth passing by the homeside. Goode made the tricky touchline conversion look simple and Worcester were clearly the dominant force. But Drauninui was not content and a couple of minutes later claimed another try after some more brilliant open play by the Warriors. However, the Osprey pack did not take kindly to this and retaliated with one of their own; Hanno Dirksen strolling through a gap left by the previously amazing Drauninui. Morgan converted but it was never going to be enough and, as Goode added a final 3 points, it was Worcester with their stylish handling who walked away with a well-deserved win.
15 Tom Arscott 14 Marcel Garvey 13 Ravai Fatiaki 12 Dale Rasmussen 11 Josh Drauniniu 10 Andy Goode 9 Shaun Perry (C) 1 George Porter 2 Ed Shervington 3 Tevita Taumoepeau 4 James Percival 5 Chris Jones 6 Sam Betty 7 Jake Abbott 8 Blair Cowan BENCH: 16 Aleki Lutui 17 James Currie 18 Oliver Tomaszczyk 19 Craig Gillies 20 Richard Muagututia 21 Jonny Arr 22 Danny Gray 23 Chris Pennell
SCORERS T: Abbott, Drauninui (2) C: Goode (3) P: Goode
15 Richard Fussell 14 Hanno Dirksen 13 Tom Isaacs 12 Sonny Parker (C) 11 Eli Walker 10 Matthew Morgan 9 Rhys Webb 1 Cai Griffiths 2 Scott Baldwin 3 Joe Rees 4 Lloyd Peers 5 James Goode 6 James King 7 Sam Lewis 8 Morgan Allen BENCH: 16 Mefin Davies 17 Duncan Jones 18 Will Taylor 19 Tom Smith 20 Chauncey O’Toole 21 Tom Habberfield 22 Dan Biggar 23 Kahn Fotuali’i
T: Morgan, Dirksen C: Morgan (2) Sam Lewis
SALE SHARKS 24 - 14 SCARLETS
EDGELEY PARK - Saturday 4th February 2012
KO: 19:30 HT: 7-11 Att: 3,012
IT was a close call for the Sale Sharks who emerged victorious against Scarlets at Edgeley Park. The Sharks got off to a perfect start with Hendre Fourie making the most of a lineout to snatch an early try. Nick Macleod converted and the Sharks were on the front foot. The visitors soon began to claw back the deficit though, Daniel Newton hitting his target twice to leave the Scarlets just a point behind. The homeside were taken by surprise as the Scarlets used the tap-and-go to full effect, allowing the ball to be shifted wide and Peter Edwards to thunder over. This gave the Scarlets an unexpected 11-7 lead at half-time.
But the second half was to be the Sharks as Macleod hauled his side back in front with three accurate penalties. Stephen Jones, who had come on as a replacement, missed his first shot at goal but did nail the second to reduce the margin. It was not enough and his efforts were nullified by a final 3-pointer from Macleod to seal the game for Sale. It had been a tough game but Sale should be thrilled with their achievement whilst their opponents rueing their ill-discipline, especially at the scrum.
15 Rob Miller 14 Tom Brady 13 Johnny Leota 12 Sam Tuitupou (C) 11 Joaquin Tuculet 10 Nick Macleod 9 Dwayne Peel 1 Vadim Cobilas 2 Marc Jones 3 Tony Buckley 4 Wame Lewaravu 5 Andrei Ostrikov 6 Onasa’i Auva’a 7 Hendre Fourie 8 Mark Easter BENCH: 16 Joe Ward 17 Lee Imiolek 18 Ross Harrison 19 Kearnan Myall 20 Tommy Taylor 21 Cillian Willis 22 Luther Burrell 23 Charlie Amesbury
SCORERS T: Fourie C: Macleod P: Macleod (4)
15 Dan Newton 14 Viliami Iongi 13 Gareth Maule (C) 12 Adam Warren 11 Andy Fenby 10 Aled Thomas 9 Gareth Davies 1 Phil John 2 Emyr Phillips 3 Peter Edwards 4 Sione Timani 5 Damian Welch 6 Matt Gilbert 7 Johnathan Edwards 8 Kieran Murphy BENCH: 16 Craig Hawkins 17 Rhodri Jones 18 Deacon Manu 19 Lou Reed 20 Aaron Shingler 21 Liam Davies 22 Stephen Jones 23 Liam Williams
SCORERS T: P Edwards P: Newton (2), SM Jones
CARDIFF BLUES 45 - 40 HARLEQUINS
CARDIFF CITY STADIUM - Sunday 5th February 2012
KO: 13:00 HT: 24-14 Att: 2,093
AN enthralling match was seen as Cardiff Blues and Harlequins battled with tries aplenty for both sides. Each side grabbed a massive six tries and, in the end, it all came down a conversion and a penalty to separate the teams. It was Harlequins who made the brightest start, Chris York finding the tryline after just 6 minutes. Rory Clegg converted and Ben Blair replied with the only successful penalty of the match. But Quins kept the pressure on and soon Seb Stegmann stormed over to put the visitors firmly out in front. Once again Clegg hit the mark and the game looked splendid for the Quins. Then it all started to go wrong; Cardiff released their secret weapon, Tom James, who had a stunning game. In the 22nd minute James planted the ball for his first of four tries and this began a flurry of Blues scoring. Luke Hamilton was swift to follow suit before James flew in for his second. Suddenly the homeside had leapt in to the lead and had clearly found the weaknesses in their opposition’s ranks.
After the interval there was no respite for the Quins, who once again became victims of the unstoppable James. But the visitors were not going to be ground down any further and went on the offensive in what became a thrilling comeback attempt. Sam Smith was first to get the Quins back on track as he sped in for a 50th minute score. Then, just a minute later, Chisholm found the Cardiff defence wanting and reduced the deficit further. Clegg, who was on excellent form, converted both tries without hassle. However, their efforts were to be nullified by Cook and of course, James who found the tryline with ease for yet more points. Blair did not disappoint and converted both to leave the Quins 17 points behind again. However, with 2 minutes to go, Stegmann notched up further points and, as the clocked clicked into overtime, Chisholm joined him. But it was all too late for the visitors and the homeside’s mid-match flourish had caused too much damage. An exhilarating game was over and the score reflected the passion and determination.
15 Ben Blair 14 Richard Mustoe 13 Gavin Evans 12 Gavin Henson 11 Tom James 10 Ceri Sweeney 9 Lewis Jones 1 John Yapp 2 T. Rhys Thomas (C) 3 Scott Andrews 4 Cory Hill 5 Macauley Cook 6 Ma’ama Molitika 7 Josh Navidi 8 Luke Hamilton BENCH: 16 Ryan Tyrrell 17 Nathan Trevett 18 Sam Hobbs 19 Pau Tito 20 Xavier Rush 21 Sion Hopkins 22 Gareth Davies 23 Casey Laulala
SCORERS T: James (4), Hamilton, Cook C: Blair (6) P: Blair
15 Ross Chisholm 14 Seb Stegmann 13 George Lowe 12 Tom Casson 11 Sam Smith 10 Rory Clegg 9 Karl Dickson 1 Nic Mayhew 2 Rob Buchanan 3 Tim Fairbrother 4 Tomas Vallejos 5 Pete Browne 6 Chris York 7 Will Skinner (C) 8 Tom Guest BENCH: 16 Daryl Marfo 17 Mark Lambert 18 Will Collier 19 Charlie Matthews 20 Joe Trayfoot 21 Richard Bolt 22 Benjamin Urdapilleta 23 Ollie Lindsay-Hague
SCORERS T: York, Stegmann (2), Smith, Chisholm (2) C: Clegg (4), Urdapilleta
EXETER CHIEFS 3 - 31 BATH RUGBY
SANDY PARK - Sunday 5th February 2012
KO: 17:00 HT: 3-19 Att: 5,557
EXETER CHIEFS more than struggled against a strong Bath Rugby side that found it all too easy to force errors. It took the visitors all but 6 minutes to seek out the tryline when Tom Biggs, whose personal effect on the game was staggering, soared in for his first of three. Olly Barkley slotted the conversion and Bath were off to a flying start. Although the Chiefs put up a sterling defence after this, it was all too much for them and once again they cracked to let Biggs bag more points. However, Myles Dorrian was given the chance to collect some for Exeter and was successful in putting Exeter on the scoreboard. Unfortunately, this was to be the last time the Chiefs’ score would move as Bath went in for the kill. On the stroke of half-an-hour, Biggs claimed his hat-trick and put an end to the scoring for the half; it had been a magical 40 minutes for the winger.
At the restart Bath were having trouble keeping the ball in hand but their handling was not nearly as bad as the Chief’s problems. The Chiefs were suddenly a man down as Chris Whitehead was sent marching for a stint in the sin bin. This left the homeside’s defence severely weakened and the visitors took full advantage, with Olly Woodburn bursting through for the touchdown. The match was physical and by the final quarter punches were being thrown. The referee had to have serious words, especially at the scrum where the front rows were getting heated. When, eventually, the match settled down again, both sides were too flustered to make any headway. Bath squandered scoring opportunities with sloppy mistakes but it made little difference. Chiefs had not long been back to full strength when Bryan Rennie’s dangerous tackle saw him off for 10 minutes too. Once again, this left the field wide open for Bath and Josh Ovens was the man to plant the ball and seal the score. The home crowd were disappointed but it was clear that their team were not at full-strength and had fought valiantly to stop the attacks. Bath, on the other hand, cannot be so proud of their victor; generally their play was scrappy in the second half and would have been punished heavily if they were up against a better side.
15 Phil Dollman 14 Mark Foster 13 Bryan Rennie 12 Sam Hill 11 Jack Arnott 10 Myles Dorrian 9 Junior Poluleuligaga 1 Ben Moon 2 Chris Whitehead 3 Chris Budgen 4 Peter Short 5 James Hanks (C) 6 Dave Ewers 7 Ben White 8 Chad Slade BENCH 16 Tom Cowan-Dickie 17 Ben Rogers 18 Lloyd Fairbrother 19 Chris Bentley 20 Sam Blanchet 21 Pat Phibbs 22 Sam Jones 23 James Lightfoot-Brown
SCORERS P: Dorrian Chris Whitehead, Bryan Rennie
15 Sam Vesty 14 Olly Woodburn 13 Matt Banahan 12 Olly Barkley 11 Tom Biggs 10 Stephen Donald 9 Chris Cook 1 David Flatman 2 Lee Mears 3 Anthony Perenise 4 Dave Attwood 5 Ben Skirving 6 Francois Lowe (C) 7 Guy Mercer 8 Simon Taylor BENCH: 16 Pieter Dixon 17 Nathan Catt 18 David Wilson 19 Ryan Caldwell 20 Josh Ovens 21 Warren Fury 22 Nick Scott 23 Richard Lane
SCORERS T: Biggs (3), Woodburn, Josh Ovens C: Barkley (3)
WEEK 3
OSPREYS 26 - 21 DRAGONS
BREWERY FIELD - Friday 27th January 2012
KO: 19:30 14-14 Att: 4,896
FUMBLES and inaccuracies saw the Newport Gwent Dragons go down to Ospreys by a narrow margin. The Ospreys could not have asked for more when, after just 4 minutes, the Dragons spilt the ball straight into opposition hands. This gave Ross Jones all the opportunity he needed to grab the first try of the match. Matt Morgan saw the conversion through with ease and the Ospreys were flying. This disappointing start for Dragons was the beginning of numerous problems with ball control. However, Dragon’s fly-half, Steffan Jones, got the visitors’ scoring underway soon after with two penalties, leaving a single point deficit. But this did not last long as the Ospreys took full advantage of a wayward Dragons’ lineout, putting together some beautiful ball-handling to send Hanno Dirksen racing over the tryline. Again Morgan added the extras and it was time for Dragons to play catch-up once more. It was not long until the visitors levelled the score, with Pat Leach diving over whilst avoiding the clasp of Dirksen. Although Steffan Jones missed the conversion, he redeemed himself swiftly with an impressive penalty on the stroke of half-time, making it 14-all at the break.
The second half began much the same as the first; the Dragons conceded penalties with some regularity but Morgan failed to make much of them. But just like the opening minutes, it did not take long for the Ospreys to find the tryline. In the 48th minute of play Eli Walker managed to free himself from a tackle and swoop in for the score. The unpredictable boot of Morgan made no mistake with the conversion. The homeside were now on the prowl for the bonus point and fans did not have to wait long before it was claimed. Stefan Watermeyer finished a well-worked piece of play and planted the ball for the fourth Osprey’s try of the match. Ospreys then found themselves under pressure as the Dragons fought with all their might to close the gap. This led to Chauncey O’Toole heading to the sin bin for a spell after infringements at the ruck. But even with the extra man advantage, the Dragons were still struggling to find a break. It was not until the final minute that the visitors would gain a consolatory try, thanks to Luke Williams which left the score close but not close enough.
15 Ross Jones 14 Hanno Dirksen 13 Sonny Parker (C) 12 Stefan Watermeyer 11 Eli Walker 10 Matthew Morgan 9 Tom Habberfield 1 Cai Griffiths 2 Scott Baldwin 3 Aaron Jarvis 4 Lloyd Peers 5 James Goode 6 Chauncey O’Toole 7 Sam Lewis 8 Morgan Allen BENCH: 16 Mefin Davies 17 Joe Rees 18 Jonathan Thomas 19 Sam Williams 20 Rory Pitman 21 Tom Grabham 22 Sam Davies 23 Luke Morgan
SCORERS T: Jones, Dirksen, Walker, Watermeyer C: M Morgan Chauncey O’Toole
15 Jamie Smith 14 Will Harries 13 Andy Tuilagi 12 Lewis Robling 11 Pat Leach 10 Steffan Jones 9 Joe Bedford (C) 1 Phil Price 2 Sam Parry 3 Dan Way 4 Royce Cadman 5 Jevon Groves 6 Hugo Ellis 7 Darren Waters 8 Ieuan Jones BENCH: 16 Rhys Buckley 17 Aaron Coundly 18 Keiron Jenkins 19 Dan Hodge 20 Josh Tyler 21 Jonathan Evans 22 Luke Williams 23 Geraint O’Driscoll
SCORERS T: Leach, Williams C: Robling P: S Jones (3)
BATH RUGBY 46 - 14 NORTHAMPTON
RECREATION GROUND - Saturday 28th January 2012
KO: 14:15 19-9 Att: 11,994
NORTHAMPTON SAINTS found losing 10 players to international teams too much to bear as they were blasted by Bath Rugby. The homeside were early on the attack, almost seeking out the tryline in the first minutes. But it was the boot of Olly Barkley, who had a superb game, which began the scoring with a long-range penalty. Barkley added another soon after following a high tackle from Stephen Myler, and this began a round of penalty ping-pong between the two players. Once the kicking frenzy finished, the score was 12-6 and Barkley had shown prowess. However, it was not all good news for Bath who saw their captain, Stuart Hooper, being whisked off for an injury and replaced by Will Spencer. Saints found Bath’s weakness in the scrum and the visitors did their best to push Bath around; however, Francois Lowe managed to steal the ball and shift it out for a well-worked try from Ross Batty. Barkley made a swift conversion and, although Myler claimed another penalty, the homeside went into the interval with a comfortable 19-9 lead.
The Saints were not focused when they returned to the pitch and were taken by surprise when Anthony Perenise darted upfield and over the tryline within a minute of the restart. Northampton did not take this lightly though, and soon responded with one of their own thanks to Alex Waller being driven over. This began a long stint of Northampton pressure but the visitors just could not find the break they needed. Meanwhile, Barkley added another 3 points to keep Bath’s score ticking over. Then it all fell apart for Northampton; fans could only watch in despair as their defence was breached three times in quick succession. Olly Woodburn, Stephen Donald and Charlie Beech all found the tryline to make the scoreline rocket upwards. Barkley only managed the final conversion but it did not matter - the Saints had been ripped apart and the bonus point was Bath’s.
15 Nick Abendanon 14 Olly Woodburn 13 Sam Vesty 12 Olly Barkley 11 Tom Biggs 10 Stephen Donald 9 Michael Claassens 1 David Flatman 2 Ross Batty 3 Anthony Perenise 4 Stuart Hooper (C) 5 Ryan Caldwell 6 Ben Skirving 7 Francois Lowe 8 Simon Taylor BENCH: 16 Lee Mears 17 Charlie Beech 18 Duncan Bell 19 Will Spencer 20 Guy Mercer 21 Chris Cook 22 Tom Heathcote 23 Nick Scott
SCORERS T: Batty, Perenise, Woodburn, Donald, Beech C: Barkley (3) P: Barkley (5)
15 Paul Diggin 14 Jamie Elliott 13 Scott Armstrong 12 Greig Tonks 11 Vasily Artemyev 10 Stephen Myler 9 Martin Roberts 1 Alex Waller 2 Brett Sharman 3 Tom Mercey 4 Mark Sorenson 5 Christian Day 6 James Craig 7 Ben Nutley 8 Samu Manoa BENCH: 16 Andy Long 17 Soane Tonga’uiha 18 Brian Mujati 19 James Ingle 20 Roger Wilson 21 Ryan Glynn 22 Tom May 23 Noah Cato
SCORERS T: Waller P: Myler (3)
GLOUCESTER 40 - 3 CARDIFF BLUES
KINGSHOLM - Saturday 28th January 2012
KO: 15:00 21-3 Att: 13,099
GLOUCESTER RUGBY demolished a lack-lustre Cardiff Blues side with clinical accuracy. Cardiff grabbed their only points of the game just 3 minutes in as Ben Blair knocked over a straight-forward penalty. After this it was purely Gloucester’s game. The homeside produced a stunning piece of play to send their captain, Peter Buxton, over the tryline. Ryan Mills converted his first of three and Cardiff already looked out of their depth. Mills tagged on another 3 points shortly after but this was somewhat soured by Brett Deacon being stretchered off for medical attention. Mills continued to knock over penalties but it was Tom Voyce who almost produced a try. He went down over the line but, much to the chagrin of Gloucester supporters, the score was disallowed for an earlier forward pass. Despite that disappointment, Tim Molenaar did not disappoint as he plucked the recycled ball out and stormed over to give Gloucester a solid 21-3 led at the break.
There was a change around soon after the interval as Henry Trinder was replaced due to injury, which was a worry for both Gloucester an England fans. However, they had no need to fear as the side still dominated the play and were soon back to racking up points. James Simpson-Daniel somehow became completely untouchable for a space of 2 minutes as he scored twice on the 64th and 66th minutes of the game. Mills converted the second of these scores and Gloucester had claimed the bonus point. Cardiff could not hold back the homeside and it was left to Andy Hazell to put the nail in the coffin with a 5th and final try.
15 Tom Voyce 14 Ollie Phillips 13 Tim Molenaar 12 Eliota Fuimaono-Sapolu 11 James Simpson-Daniel 10 Ryan Mills 9 Dave Lewis 1 Dan Murphy 2 Matias Cortese 3 Shaun Knight 4 Will James 5 Alex Brown 6 Peter Buxton (C) 7 Andy Hazell 8 Brett Deacon BENCH: 16 Darren Dawidiuk 17 Yann Thomas 18 Dario Chistolini 19 Matt Cox 20 Gareth Evans 21 Nick Runciman 22 Mike Tindall 23 Henry Trinder
SCORERS T: Buxton, Molenaar, Simpson-Daniel (2), Hazell C: Mills (3) P: Mills (3)
15 Ben Blair 14 Richard Mustoe 13 Tom James 12 Cory Allen 11 Chris Czekaj 10 Gareth Davies 9 Lewis Jones 1 John Yapp 2 Marc Breeze 3 Sam Hobbs 4 Cory Hill 5 Macauley Cook (C) 6 Josh Navidi 7 Thomas Young 8 Luke Hamilton BENCH: 16 Rhys Williams 17 Nathan Trevett 18 Ryan Harford 19 Matthew Screech 20 Ruben Tucker 21 Tom Rowlands 22 Rhys Patchell 23 Dan Fish
SCORERS P: Blair
HARLEQUINS 9 - 19 LEICESTER TIGERS
TWICKENHAM STOOP - Saturday 28th January 2012
KO: 15:00 3-7 Att: 13,780
HARLEQUINS just could not find their feet against Leicester Tigers and the visitors made them pay. It took the Tigers just 4 minutes to find the tryline as some brilliant running from Andy Forsyth saw the back screech over for the first score of the match. George Ford added the extras and it was clear that the Quins had not yet woken up. The homeside found an easy 3-pointer for Rory Clegg to chip through after 12 minutes but any attempts to touchdown were shut down swiftly by the Tigers’ defence. The visitors remained on top and came close to another try, thanks Alex Lewington, who made light work of the Quins’ defensive line but offloaded to Niall Morris who was brought down short. The break came and, although the Tigers were clearly the stronger side, there was little between the sides in terms of score at 3-7.
When the teams returned, the homeside looked far more confident and began the restart with authority. Earning a penalty from the scrum, the Quins found themselves just a point behind after Clegg booted it successfully. But Leicester were in no mood to be trifled with and responded with another try, this time Lewington made no mistake in grounding the ball himself. Ford missed the conversion and Clegg reduced the deficit once more with another penalty. However, the Tigers remained prowling and soon pounced on another try as Ben Woods grappled his way through the weak Quins’ defence to deliver the final blow.
15 Ross Chisholm 14 Seb Stegmann 13 Ben Urdapilleta 12 Tom Casson 11 Tom Williams 10 Rory Clegg 9 Richard Bolt 1 Mark Lambert 2 Rob Buchanan 3 Tim Fairbrother 4 Pete Browne 5 Charlie Matthews 6 Luke Wallace 7 Will Skinner (C) 8 Tom Guest BENCH: 16 Nic Mayhew 17 Daryl Marfo 18 Will Collier 19 Tomas Vallejos 20 Chris York 21 Sam Stuart 22 Charlie Walker 23 Ollie Lindsay-Hague
SCORERS P: Clegg (3)
15 Niall Morris 14 Scott Hamilton 13 Dante Mama 12 Andy Forsyth 11 Alex Lewington 10 George Ford 9 Sam Harrison 1 Boris Stankovich 2 Jimmy Stevens 3 Logovii Mulipola 4 Calum Green 5 Graham Kitchener 6 Ben Woods (C) 7 Tom Armes 8 Ben Pienaar BENCH: 16 George Chuter 17 Jonny Harris 18 Ryan Bower 19 Joe Cain 20 James Doyle 21 James Grindal 22 Jeremy Staunton 23 Matt Smith
SCORERS T: Forsyth, Lewington, Woods C: Ford (2)
LONDON WASPS 16 - 30 EXETER CHIEFS
ADAMS PARK - Saturday 28th January 2012
KO: 15:00 9-23 Att: 4,877
A poor London Wasps side provided few problems for Exeter Chiefs at Adams Park. Exeter opened their account early on with a long-distance penalty from Gareth Steenson. But they handed back a similar opportunity by infringing at the ruck and so Ryan Davis levelled the score. Both Steenson and Davis grabbed a further 3 points apiece and the sides were looking evenly matched. However, the Chiefs broke the Wasps’ line eventually and Dave Ewers was sent tearing over. Steenson made a swift conversion and the Chiefs grew in confidence. Although Davis’ boot claimed another penalty, it was Exeter who were hauling in the points as Pat Phibbs set up a second try, leaving Myles Dorrian to finish. With a conversion and a penalty from Steenson, the Chiefs were sitting pretty at 9-23 at half time.
The final 40 minutes was much the same as the first. Exeter continued to squeeze Wasps and, although they missed out on their first attempt, they soon found themselves with another try; Aly Muldowney did the honours and Steenson added the extras. Exeter tried their best to deliver the ball once more and gain the bonus point but it was the homeside who claimed the final try. After hammering the Exeter line and getting nowhere, Mike Powell finally saw a gap and shot through to bag a consolatory score. Will Robinson added the conversion but it did little to brighten the mood at Adams Park.
15 Jack Wallace 14 Lee Robinson 13 Alex Cheesman 12 Chris Mayor 11 Charlie Ingall 10 Ryan Davis 9 Charlie Davies (C) 1 Zak Taulafo 2 Tom Lindsay 3 Jeremy Castex 4 Heinz Koll 5 Ed O’Donoghue 6 Tinus Du Plessis 7 James Harris 8 Billy Vunipola BENCH: 16 Nathan Morris 17 Bob Baker 18 Simon McIntyre 19 Mike Powell 20 Joe Burton 21 Jonah Holmes 22 Will Robinson 23 Ashley Smith
SCORERS T: Powell C: W Robinson P: Davis (3)
15 Myles Dorrian 14 Bryan Rennie 13 Phil Dollman 12 Sam Hill 11 Mark Foster 10 Gareth Steenson (C) 9 Pat Phibbs 1 Hoani Tui 2 Chris Whitehead 3 Craig Mitchell 4 Peter Short 5 James Hanks 6 Dave Ewers 7 Ben White 8 James Phillips BENCH 16 Scott Alcott 17 Luke Cowan-Dickie 18 Chris Budgen 19 Chris Bentley 20 Aly Muldowney 21 Junior Poluleuligaga 22 Jack Arnott 23 Sam Jones
SCORERS T: Ewers, Dorrian, Muldowney C: Steenson (3) P: Steenson (3)
SCARLETS 27 - 19 LONDON IRISH
PARC Y SCARLETS - Saturday 28th January 2012
KO: 15:00 10-3 Att: 8,117
AN exciting match resulted between the Scarlets and London Irish with the visitors attempting a late comeback but falling short. The Exiles began brightly with some dynamic open play that gave rise to a penalty, which Tom Homer made quick work of. However, the homeside had soon nullified the score with one of their own by Dan Newton. Both sides were denied tries in the early stages, Scarlets for not grounding the ball –as confirmed by the TMO– and Irish for a knock-on. Each decision saw fans leaping from their chairs only to slowly sink with disappointment. But for Scarlets’ fans this feeling did not last long as they were soon elated by Viliame Iongi planting the ball in the corner. Newton added the extras from the touchline and suddenly Scarlets were looking far stronger than their rivals. Irish were having a tough time as Steve Shingler was replaced due to injury by Shontayne Hape, who was soon sitting out again after being shown a yellow. Meanwhile, the pressure was mounting and the visitors were finding it hard to absorb. However, the Exiles managed to keep their defence tight and held off the homeside until the half-time whistle.
Once again Irish began well at the restart and Homer chipped through two penalties to reduce the deficit to a point. The visitors very nearly claimed their first try but Liam Davies swooped in for a stunning tackle to save the Scarlets. Tensions rose and briefly the situation turned ugly as Darren Allinson threw a punch, which the referee let off rather lightly with just a talking to. However, the game soon settled down again and a determined Scarlets side capitalised on a handling mistake to send Deacon Manu over for their second try. Topsy Ojo, who had made the error, soon redeemed himself though, cruising through an undefended line to bring the Exiles back into the match. Homer’s conversion put the visitors in front with 18 minutes left of play. But this comeback was not to last long as Newton added a further 3 points and then Iongi sealed the match with his second try just 2 minutes before time. It had been a heart-stopping final quarter but the Scarlets came out on top.
15 Dan Newton 14 Viliame Iongi North 13 Gareth Maule (C) 12 Adam Warren 11 Adam Fenby 10 Aled Thomas 9 Rhodri Williams 1 Iestyn Thomas 2 Eymr Phillips 3 Peter Edwards 4 Adam Powell 5 Dominic Day 6 Matt Gilbert 7 Johnathan Edwards 8 Kieran Murphy BENCH: 16 Kirby Myhill 17 Phil John 18 Deacon Manu 19 Craig Price 20 Dan Thomas 21 Liam Davies 22 Daniel Evans 23 Nick Reynolds
SCORERS T: Iongi (2), Manu C: Newton (3) P: Newton (2)
15 Tom Homer 14 Topsy Ojo 13 Jonathan Joseph 12 Steven Shingler 11 Marland Yarde 10 Daniel Bowden 9 Darren Allinson 1 Clarke Dermody (C) 2 Brian Blaney 3 Paulica Ion 4 Nick Kennedy (C) 5 Bryn Evans 6 Kieran Low 7 David Sisi 8 Richard Thorpe BENCH: 16 Pete Austin 17 Max Lahiff 18 Faan Rautenbach 19 Bob Casey 20 Kieran Roche 21 Guy Armitage 22 Shontayne Hape 23 Ross Samson
SCORERS T: Ojo C: Homer P: Homer (4) Shontayne Hape
SARACENS 41 - 14 WORCESTER
VICARAGE ROAD - Sunday 29th January 2012
KO: 15:00 HT: 13-14 Att: 4,970
A catastrophic second half left Worcester Warriors destroyed by Saracens at Vicarage Road. The Warriors began on the front foot, with a converted try under their belts after just 4 minutes thanks to Sam Betty. Their play was strong and the visitors were confident as they put together some great attacks. Saracens replied with two penalties in quick succession by Nils Mordt, narrowing the gap to a point. But, 3 minutes later, Worcester claimed their second try, Tom Arscott swooping in for the points and Joe Carlisle pulling off a second successful conversion. Saracens kept their focus though, and eventually bagged their first try as Peter Stringer flew over the tryline. Mordt slotted the conversion and the Sarries were back in the race, finding themselves once more a point behind. Although both sides fought right up to the whistle the score remained for half time and it looked as if this match would come down to the wire with the score at 13-14.
Little did anyone watching know that the final 40 minutes would be so dramatically appalling for Worcester. After the interval, the zeal and guts seemed to have dissipated to nothing for the visitors, whilst the homeside strode into the limelight. The Warriors held a good defence until the 58th minute when Justin Melck crashed through and from here on in the holes were easy to find. Joel Tomkins sped through their ranks twice in 5 minutes without much bother and Jamie George added the final touchdown. Meanwhile, the precise boot of Mordt chipped all of the conversions with style. Worcester fans were devastated; they could not comprehend how there team had fallen so hard from such a promising beginning.
15 Duncan Taylor 14 Kameli Ratuvou 13 Joel Tomkins 12 Adam Powell 11 Michael Tagicakibau 10 Nils Mordt 9 Peter Stringer 1 John Smit 2 Jamie George (C) 3 Petrus du Plessis 4 George Kruis 5 Eoin Sherriff 6 Justin Melck 7 Will Fraser 8 Jackson Wray BENCH: 16 Scott Spurling 17 Nick Auterac 18 James Cleverly 19 Hugh Vyvyan 20 Tom Jubb 21 Luke Baldwin 22 Nathan Earle 23 Ben Ransom
SCORERS T: Stringer, Melck, Tomkins (2), George C: Mordt (5) P: Mordt (2)
15 Chris Pennell (C) 14 Tom Arscott 13 Ravai Fatiaki 12 Joe Carlisle 11 Josh Drauniniu 10 Danny Gray 9 Jonny Arr 1 Bruce Douglas 2 Chris Fortey 3 Oliver Thomaszczyk 4 Ben Gulliver 5 Craig Gillies 6 Sam Betty 7 Richard Muagututia 8 Blair Cowan BENCH: 16 Aleki Lutui 17 George Porter 18 James Currie 19 Nile Dacres 20 Matt Kvesic 21 Ollie Frost 22 Benjamin Miles 23 Errie Claassens
SCORERS T: Betty, Arscott C: Carlisle (2)
NEWCASTLE FALCONS 37 - 7 SALE
KINGSTON PARK - Sunday 29th January 2012
KO: 15:30 13-7 Att:4,095
IT was a shock result at Kingston Park as Newcastle Falcons came away with a bonus point victory against Sale Sharks. The Falcons got off to a quick start with Jimmy Gopperth slotting a penalty after 4 minutes. However, the Sharks were swift to respond with Nick Macleod doing the double, scoring and converting in the 11th minute. This impressive display was one of the few moments in which Sale made an impact, though Gopperth had soon reduced the margin to a point with another penalty and the Falcons were looking strong. 8 minutes before the interval Falcons claimed their first try of four as Mark Wilson crashed over. Gopperth added the extras and the Falcons finished the half 13-7 up on their opponents, much to the elation of the home crowd.
This was only the beginning for the homeside though, as with the second half came a flood of points. Spurred on by their initial successes, the Falcons came into their own and showed brilliant ability against the lack-lustre Sharks. Sale found themselves not only down in points but numbers too as they lost Johnny Leota to the sin bin for a high tackle early after the break. Meanwhile, Gopperth kept the score moving with another 3-pointer but this was simply a prelude to a wave of tries. It began with Rob Vickers in the 62nd minute, the prop powering over the tryline and Gopperth adding the extras. The next was to be Tim Swinson’s, whilst the Sharks defence scurried and panicked he coolly moved in for the kill. Once again Gopperth showed pinpoint precision but he was not satisfied with merely converting. Gopperth saw his opportunity and bagged the bonus point try for his side and converted for good measure. It had been an excellent performance by the usually struggling Newcastle side and fans were hugely proud of the achievement. Sharks failed to ever get going and found themselves undone by their plucky opponents.
15 Jimmy Gopperth 14 Ryan Shortland 13 Corne Uys 12 James Fitzpatrick 11 Suka Hufanga 10 Joel Hodgson 9 Chris Pilgrim 1 Grant Shiells 2 Rob Vickers 3 James Hall 4 Tim Swinson 5 Adriaan Fondse 6 Ally Hogg 7 Will Welch 8 Mark Wilson BENCH: 16 Michael Mayhew 17 Jonny Golding 18 Ashley Wells 19 Richard Boyle 20 Taiasina Tu’ifua 21 Richard Mayhew 22 Will Chudley 23 Tom Bedford
SCORERS T: Wilson, Vickers, Swinson, Gopperth C: Gopperth (4) P: Gopperth (3)
15Joaquin Tuculet 14 Tom Brady 13 Johnny Leota 12 Nick Macleod 11 Charlie Amesbury 10 Rob Miller 9 Dwayne Peel (C) 1 Lee Imiolek 2 Joe Ward 3 Vadim Cobilas 4 Andrei Ostrikov 5 Wame Lewaravu 6 Onasa’I Auva’a 7 Hendre Fourie 8 Mark Easter BENCH: 16 Tommy Taylor 17 Ross Harrison 18 Tony Buckley 19 Richie Vernon 20 David Seymour 21 Scott Mathie 22 Mark Jennings 23 Luther Burrell
SCORERS T: Macleod C: Macleod Johnny Leota
WEEK 2
LEICESTER TIGERS vs GLOUCESTER
WELFORD ROAD - Friday 21st October 2011
HT: 26-7 Att: 16,408
LEICESTER TIGERS finally hit their mark in performance for the season after thrashing Gloucester Rugby with the desperately needed return of the Rugby World Cup players. Leicester leapt straight in as Flood knocked over the first penalty of the match in the 3rd minute. Freddie Burns had a chance to reply soon after but failed to level the score narrowly missing with his attempt. A belting kick from Flood then pushed the Tigers well in to the visitors territory and the Tigers picked up another penalty. Flood effortlessly continued with his flawless kicking and the Tigers started pulling away from Gloucester. But even though the Cherry and Whites were clearly the lesser force, they took the lead after 20 minutes thanks to Dan Murphy cleaning up a charged down clearance. Burns converted and Gloucester were surprisingly a point ahead. Luckily, Flood –the target of that charge-down move– was able to redeem himself swiftly with yet another penalty as, once again, Gloucester struggled at the scrum. In the 30th minute Gloucester made an horrific fumble, Flood gathered in time to send the ball flying to Dan Cole who headed through a gap and ran the 20 metres to the tryline. Another try was seen from Manu Tuilagi to finish the half and Flood converted both. Gloucester were left trailing 26-7 at the break, showing their typical problems with away games. Poor discipline and a lack of confidence left the visitors punished and fans feeling completely underwhelmed by their efforts.
The whistle blew and another disappointing half began for the Cherry and Whites as the Tigers got into their stride. It took Leicester just 3 minutes to restart their scoring spree with Tom Youngs finishing off a strong break by Flood and Manu Tuilagi. This was quickly followed by Tuilagi having to leave the field, along with Scott Lawson, after the two struck each other with a clash of heads causing blood to flow forth. The homeside eased off the gas for a while and Gloucester could finally make some proper ventures into the enemy’s half. Lesley Vainikolo eventually emerged victorious with a contentious try to make Gloucester’s score appear slightly more acceptable. But as Tuilagi returned from the blood bin after being mopped up, the game reverted to its natural state with Leicester dominating. Horacio Agulla sealed the deal as he roared over to claim the bonus point for Leicester and hammer home how mediocre the visitors’ efforts were. Gloucester desperately need to work on their away form if they intend to do well in this, or any other, tournament this season.
15 Geordan Murphy (C) 14 Horacio Agulla 13 Matt Smith 12 Manusamoa Tuilagi 11 Alesana Tuilagi 10 Toby Flood 9 Sam Harrison 1 Marcos Ayerza 2 Tom Youngs 3 Dan Cole 4 George Skivington 5 Geoff Parling 6 Tom Croft 7 Julian Salvi 8 Thomas Waldrom BENCH: 16 George Chuter 17 Jonny Harris 18 Ryan Bower 19 Louis Deacon 20 Ben Woods 21 James Grindal 22 Scott Hamilton 23 George Ford
Scorers: T: Cole, EMS Tuilagi, Youngs, Agulla C: Flood (3), Ford P: Flood (4)
15 Olly Morgan 14 James Simpson-Daniel 13 Henry Trinder 12 Lesley Vainikolo 11 Tom Voyce 10 Freddie Burns 9 Rory Lawson 1 Dan Murphy 2 Scott Lawson 3 Rupert Harden 4 Will James 5 Jim Hamilton 6 Alasdair Strokosch 7 Akapusi Qera 8 Luke Narraway (C) BENCH: 16 Darren Dawidiuk 17 Nick Wood 18 Shaun Knight 19 Tom Savage 20 Peter Buxton 21 Dave Lewis 22 Tim Taylor 23 Jonny May
Scorers: T: Murphy, Vainikolo C: Burns (2)
SALE SHARKS vs HARLEQUINS
EDGELEY PARK - Friday 21st October 2011
HT: 15-14 Att: 4,629
A well-contested match was seen as Sale Sharks met Harlequins at Edgeley Park. Quins took an early lead after just 7 minutes when Seb Stegmann burst through a hole and left the Sale defence for dust. Stegmann’s brilliant efforts gave Quins the confident start they had been looking for and Sale knew they needed to hit back quickly. The Sharks should have found their response in the form of Mark Cueto but, unfortunately, a bit of clumsy handling left them wanting as Cueto spilt the ball before the line. Harlequins took a blow when Tom Casson was stretchered off 25th minute, however, 2 minutes later, Tom Williams produced an outstanding performance from a loose ball storming across the tryline from halfway, and Rory Clegg converted. Eventually, MacLeod got the Sale score running with a penalty and this was further topped-up by Addison turning up the pace and racing to a try. MacLeod converted and soon it was Sale who were on a point hoarding streak, scoring another try on the cusp of half time thanks to Alasdair Dickinson squeezing into the left corner.
It was Harlequins who were first out of the blocks again at the restart though with Stegmann diving in to claim his second try, which Clegg happily slotted over. All that Sale could muster in response was another penalty from Macleod. This was soon wiped aside with Clegg landing one of his own but Sale did find another gap in the Quins defence after looking for quite some time. In the 56th minute, Johnny Leota finished a neat stream of passing and reaped the rewards with Macleod converting for the full 7 points. This suddenly pulled Sale into the lead by a single point but Macleod was unable to lengthen the deficit missing a crucial penalty. Clegg did not make the same mistake and his trusty boot placed Quins in front again. With another well-struck penalty Clegg extended their lead and left Stegmann to nail in the final try –his hat-trick– to complete the game with style. Harlequins are a class act and showed they know how to captivate and entertain with their play.
15 Rob Miller 14 Will Addison 13 Johnny Leota 12 Luther Burrell 11 Mark Cueto 10 Nick Macleod 9 Will Cliff 1 Alasdair Dickinson 2 Tommy Taylor 3 Vadim Cobilas 4 Tom Holmes 5 James Gaskell 6 Richie Vernon 7 David Seymour (C) 8 Mark Easter BENCH: 16 Marc Jones 17 Aston Croall 18 Henry Thomas 19 Fraser McKenzie 20 Wame Lewaravu 21 Dwayne Peel 22 Jordan Davies 23 Tom Brady
Scorers: T: Addison, Dickinson, Leota C: Macleod (2) P: Macleod (2)
15 Tom Williams 14 Seb Stegmann 13 Ben Urdapilleta 12 Tom Casson 11 Ross Chisholm 10 Rory Clegg 9 Richard Bolt 1 Joe Marler 2 Joe Gray 3 James Johnston 4 Sam Twomey 5 Charlie Matthews 6 Maurie Fa’asavalu 7 Will Skinner (C) 8 Joe Trayfoot BENCH: 16 Rob Buchanan 17 Nic Mayhew 18 Kyle Sinckler 19 Tomas Vallejos 20 Luke Wallace 21 Ollie Lindsay-Hague 22 Matt Hopper 23 Sam Smith
Scorers: T: Stegmann (3), Williams C: Clegg (4) P: Clegg (3)
BATH RUGBY vs WORCESTER WARRIORS
RECREATION GROUND - Saturday 22nd October 2011
HT: 22-6 Att: 11,576
WHAT began as a decent battle between Bath Rugby and Worcester Warriors soon went downhill for the visitors at the Rec. Tom Heathcote started Bath’s points rolling early on with a perfect penalty, but this was soon to be undermined by Joe Carlisle who answered with a more impressive and difficult one of his own. Worcester then produced some good, flowing rugby which caused some initial problems for the Bath defence. Soon the Warriors were awarded another penalty and Carlisle kicked with precision to give them the lead. But Bath struck with an astounding offensive move between Ollie Woodburn and Heathcote, who planted the ball after a long break-through run. Heathcote converted his own try to snatch the full set of points and Bath regained the score advantage. They pulled away further at the 25 minute mark as Francois Louw was heaved over after some strong driving play by the Bath forwards. Nathan Catt then showed surprising pace in terms of a prop and managed to set up the attack that would provide the next Bath try. The offensive charge was finished with ease by Matt Banahan, but without Catt’s intervention the possession would never have happened. Heathcote converted and Bath headed to the changing rooms with a comfortable score. Worcester were in need of a regrouping and some strategising if they were to stop this haemorrhaging of points.
The homeside were in hunt of that elusive bonus point during the second half. This should easily have been given to them when Woodburn was pushed aside as he bent to collect a bouncing ball just metres from the tryline, a clear penalty try. However, it was not to be and Bath continued their prowl. The search did not last more than a few minutes though, as the subsequent scrum allowed Jack Cuthbert to fly under the posts. Worcester made an attempt to fight back and Josh Drauniniu gave a superb performance as he dodged the defence to touchdown. Carlisle converted and the situation was looking brighter, until Sam Betty landed himself in the sin bin in the 69th minute for a dangerous tackle. This gave Bath exactly the opportunity they needed to keep their rampage going, with Woodburn going over again thanks to help from Ben Skirving and Nick Abendanon, bringing the scoring to a close with the seventh Bath try of the match. Heathcote chipped over another conversion and a dishevelled, trampled Worcester side were left broken in defeat.
15 Jack Cuthbert 14 Olly Woodburn 13 Dan Hipkiss 12 Matt Banahan 11 Nick Abendanon 10 Tom Heathcote 9 Chris Cook 1 Nathan Catt 2 Ross Batty 3 Anthony Perenise 4 Will Spencer 5 Ryan Caldwell 6 Andy Beattie (C) 7 Francois Lowe 8 Ben Skirving BENCH: 16 Lee Mears 17 Charlie Beech 18 David Wilson 19 Stuart Hooper 20 Lewis Moody 21 Matt Keyte 22 Sam Vesty 23 Tom Biggs
Scorers: T: Heathcote, Louw, Banahan, Cuthbert, Skirving, Woodburn, Abendanon C: Heathcote (4) P: Heathcote
15 Tom Arscott 14 Andy Short 13 Chris Pennell (C) 12 Alex Crockett 11 Josh Drauniniu 10 Joe Carlisle 9 Ollie Frost 1 George Porter 2 Ollie Hayes 3 Oliver Thomaszczyk 4 Chris Jones 5 Ben Gulliver 6 Sam Betty 7 Matt Kvesic 8 Adam Balding BENCH: 16 Bruce Douglas 17 Will Radburn 18 James Currie 19 Nile Dacres 20 Richard Muagututia 21 Danny Gray 22 Sione Tu’ipulotu 23 Mike Penn
Scorers: T: Drauniniu C: Carlisle P: Carlisle (2) YC Sam Betty
OSPREYS vs NORTHAMPTON SAINTS
BREWERY FIELD - Saturday 22nd October 2011
HT: 19-10 Att: 4,463
THERE were thrills and spills when the Ospreys took on Northampton Saints and tensions ran high, but the visitors eventually came out on top. The Ospreys looked promising to begin with racking up 6 points in quick succession thanks to Matthew Morgan. Saints were not far behind though and started their scoreboard with a penalty by Ryan Lamb. The opposition gaining 3 points was not the only blow for Ospreys though, with captain Tom Smith off to the sin bin when his temper frayed and he threw a punch. Things went from bad to worse as Northampton took advantage of their extra man and an excellent driving maul sent Russian winger, Vasily Artemyev over the tryline. Saints took the lead for the first time but did not hold on to it for long as Morgan’s precision kicking put away two more penalties to pull the Ospreys back in front. Although the Ospreys saw another player feel the wrath of the referee, this time Tom Habberfield for obstruction 35 minutes into play, they finished the half with panache as Sonny Parker ran over from 60 metres.
Restarting a man down left the Ospreys open to attack, and the Saints made easy work of dispatching them with Dylan Hartley taking little time to get over the tryline. The Ospreys started to run out of steam; the strength of the Saints wore on them and eventually their defence started to crack. This led to two tries in 2 minutes with Hartley scoring his second and Calum Clark jumping aboard the points rally as he picked up a perfect kick from Lamb. It was all over for the exhausted Ospreys pack who were well and truly vanquished. Morgan managed a final penalty in the 62nd minute but they could not stay within reach for the losing bonus point, which was snatched away in the dying minute of the match thanks to a penalty by Stephen Myler. From such a hopeful start, everything seemed to fall apart for Ospreys as their discipline and strength failed.
15 Ross Jones 14 Tom Prydie 13 Ben John 12 Sonny Parker 11 Eli Walker 10 Matthew Morgan 9 Tom Habberfield 1 Cai Griffiths 2 Scott Baldwin 3 Aaron Jarvis 4 Tom Smith (C) 5 Ian Evans 6 James King 7 Sam Lewis 8 Morgan Allen BENCH: 16 Mefin Davies 17 Joe Rees 18 Duncan Jones 19 Richard Kelly 20 Chauncey O’Toole 21 Tom Grabham 22 Will Price 23 Barry Davies
Scorers: T: Parker C: Morgan P: Morgan (5) YC Tom Habberfield, Tom Smith
15 Ben Foden 14 Chris Ashton 13 Scott Armstrong 12 James Downey 11 Vasily Artemyev 10 Ryan Lamb 9 Lee Dickson 1 Soane Tonga’uiha 2 Dylan Hartley (C) 3 Paul Doran Jones 4 Courtney Lawes 5 Mark Sorenson 6 Calum Clark 7 Tom Wood 8 Roger Wilson BENCH: 16 Mike Haywood 17 Alex Waller 18 Tom Mercey 19 Samu Manoa 20 Phil Dowson 21 Martin Roberts 22 Stephen Myler 23 Jon Clarke
Scorers: T: Artemyev, Hartley (2), Clark C: Lamb (3) P: Lamb, Myler
LONDON WASPS vs DRAGONS
ADAMS PARK - Saturday 22nd October 2011
HT: 10-14 Att: 4,492
THE age record was broken twice in quick succession by the Dragons when 17-year-old Hallam Amos and 16-year-old Jack Dixon took the field within 2 minutes of each other against London Wasps. Phil Price got the match off to a flying start after just 3 minutes, following up a confident driving maul by hauling himself over the tryline. Ryan Davis replied for Wasps 4 minutes later with his one and only penalty of the match. But Wasps found themselves lagging further behind when Steffan Jones smacked over an astoundingly precise drop goal and followed this by successfully kicking a penalty. However, Wasps were not about to let the visitors slip away into the night and Hart finished off a well-executed move by Elliot Daly and Ross Filipo. Davis converted with ease and the points gap closed. Jones slotted another penalty in response which was swiftly backed by Tom Varndell finishing some flashy play by Wasps push the homeside out in front again. However, it was not long before Dragons swept back into the lead as Amos added on a converted try to make it 21-17. Wasps should have been ahead at the break when Christian Wade went over but unfortunately, Varndell’s pass was deemed forward and the score could not stand.
The final 40 minutes got off to a better start with Filipo grabbing an early try 3 minutes after the restart. But this premature lead was interrupted when Jones’ boot helped the Dragons to go 2 points clear. The homeside was now desperate to stop this yo-yoing and gain a decent points division but Nicky Robinson could not find the posts with a penalty or a drop goal. The match was drawing to its conclusion but there was no way to tell which direction it would go and the home fans were on tenterhooks. On the other side, Jones was having no kicking problems, pulling off a second drop goal 6 minutes from the end. It was looking worrying for Wasps until Joe Simpson raced over with just 3 minutes left and Robinson converted leave Wasps confidently in front. But the home crowd’s celebrations were silenced when Hugo Southwell made a cynical tackle on the attacking Dragons winger earning himself a yellow card and the visitors a penalty in the 80th minute; Jones’ fateful kicking left Wasps 1 point adrift and completely devastated.
15 Hugo Southwell 14 Tom Varndell 13 Elliot Daly 12 Chris Bell 11 Chris Mayor 10 Ryan Davis 9 Nic Berry 1 Jeremy Castex 2 Tom Lindsay 3 Simon McIntyre 4 Ross Filipo 5 Marco Wentzel 6 James Harris 7 Matt Everard 8 John Hart (C) BENCH: 16 Rob Webber 17 Zac Taulafo 18 Ben Broster 19 Mike Powell 20 Joe Burton 21 Joe Simpson 22 Nick Robinson 23 Dom Waldouck
Scorers: T: Hart, Varndell, Filipo, Simpson C: Davis (2), Robinson P: Davis YC Hugo Southwell
15 Hallam Amos 14 Ifan Evans 13 Adam Hughes 12 Lewis Robling 11 Mike Poole 10 Steffan Jones 9 Wayne Evans 1 Phil Price 2 Rhys Buckley 3 Nathan Buck 4 Adam Jones 5 Scott Morgan 6 Jevon Groves 7 Darren Waters 8 Tom Brown BENCH: 16 Sam Parry 17 Hugh Gustafson 18 Nathan Williams 19 Ieuan Jones 20 Hugo Ellis 21 Joe Bedford 22 Jack Dixon 23 Matthew Jones
Scorers: T: Price, Amos C: S Jones P: S Jones (4) DG: S Jones (2)
CARDIFF BLUES vs SCARLETS
CARDIFF CITY STADIUM - Sunday 23rd October 2011
HT: 3-15 Att: 6,913
IT was a comfortable game for the Scarlets as they took down homeside Cardiff Blues. The Scarlets did not have to wait long before they were storming over the tryline thanks to a break from Adam Warren. Aled Thomas converted and this early lead was a sign of the match to come. The Scarlets continued to pressure the Blues and forced a penalty which Thomas neatly struck. The Blues were feeling the heat and were lucky that Josh Navidi could step in to save them from another try, allowing Dan Fish to clear their lines. But the Scarlets were confident and carried on with their domination of the match, jumping straight back in for more when Cardiff tried to steady themselves. It was the turn of Kirby Myhill to add points to the tally as he made a magnificent dummy and trooped over. Unfortunately, Thomas could not manage the conversion but it was already clear that this game would be a walk in the park for the Scarlets. The Blues made some valiant attempts into the visitors’ territory towards the end of the half but were unable to produce any moments of magic. The only points for the Blues were knocked over by Rhys Patchell in the 31st minute, and very little else could be seen to give even a glimmer of hope for more. The half ended and an already defeated Cardiff team stumbled down the tunnel.
The second half started as the first 40 minutes had, with the Blues forced back deep into their own half. However, their defence was a lot more rigid and they were able to clear before any more damage was inflicted. The Cardiff pack then came tantalisingly close to scoring a try as Cory Hill was held up short after some well-strung play. The Scarlets trundled on with Aled Thomas adding another 3 points before Richie Pugh heaved himself over for yet another try. The Scarlets were then left looking for the bonus point and rewarded when Kieran Murphy steamed over the tryline and Dan Newton converted. Once again, the Blues were to be denied the points they so bravely sought after Dan Fish made a stunning run only to step into touch with only metres to go. The Blues gave the game everything but they were out-stripped and out-classed by a mighty Scarlets pack.
15 Dan Fish 14 Richard Mustoe 13 Adam Thomas 12 Cory Allen 11 Harry Robinson 10 Rhys Patchell 9 Rhys Downes 1 Nathan Trevett 2 Ryan Tyrrell 3 Ryan Harford 4 Cory Hill 5 James Down (C) 6 Josh Navidi 7 Rhys Shellard 8 Luke Hamilton BENCH: 16 Marc Breeze 17 Jamie Corsi 18 Thomas Davies 19 Matthew Screech 20 Ellis Jenkins 21 Lewis Jones 22 Lewis Williams 23 Owen Williams
Scorers: P: Patchell
15 Daniel Evans 14 Dale Ford 13 Adam Warren 12 Sean Lamont 11 Liam Williams 10 Aled Thomas 9 Gareth Davies 1 Phil John (C) 2 Kirby Myhill 3 Simon Gardiner 4 Sione Timani 5 Damian Welch 6 Matt Gilbert 7 Johnathan Edwards 8 Kieran Murphy BENCH: 16 Rhodri Jones 17 Emyr Phillips 18 Rhys Thomas 19 Dominic Day 20 Richie Pugh 21 Rhodri Williams 22 Dan Newton 23 Lee Rees
Scorers: T: Warren, Mayhill, Pugh, Murphy C: A Thomas (2) P: A Thomas (2)
LONDON IRISH vs NEWCASTLE FALCONS
MADEJSKI STADIUM - Sunday 23rd October 2011
HT: 16-8 Att: 5,469
THE match at the Madejski Stadium turned one-sided as London Irish pulled away from the Newcastle Falcons. Both teams began strongly, each gaining good possession and territory. Newcastle narrowly missed a scoring opportunity 10 minutes in as Greg Goosen headed with menace towards the tryline but was denied thanks to a fantastic tackle from Adam Thompstone. The Falcons only had to wait 5 more minutes until they struck points though, as Jamie Helleur had an easy run in from an unmarked position. The Exiles immediately answered with a try from Adam Thompstone; Steve Shingler converted successfully and Irish found themselves in front. This lead did not last long however, once Jeremy Manning was given the chance to kick for the sticks. Irish had soon forced two more penalties through and Shingler kicked to put Irish back in front. Yet another was belted over before half time and the Irish were happily sitting at double the points of the Falcons.
Newcastle had a more decisive start to the final 40 minutes; within 10 minutes Goosen had leapt over the tryline and Manning converted to bring the Falcons score to a single point behind. The Falcons were finally looking sharper and back to their earlier form, going into the lead thanks to a penalty from Manning. But it was not to last long, as the Irish stepped up a gear with Dan Bowden knocking over a penalty and Delon Armitage planting another try after a rocketing restart left Irish applying pressure inside Newcastle’s 22. It was all downhill for the Falcons from here with the Irish convincingly starting to pull away in performance. Bowden casually kicked a drop goal and followed up with a try with help from Shontayne Hape. Bowden was having a truly superb half and ended it with a brilliant piece of play that left Thompstone available to score his second try and bag the bonus point for the Exiles. Newcastle were able to grab a last minute consolation try thanks to Joe Graham but it was clear that the Falcons had been left far behind during the second half.
15 Delon Armitage 14 Anthony Watson 13 Jonathan Joseph 12 Shontayne Hape 11 Adam Thompstone 10 Steve Shingler 9 Ross Samson 1 Max Lahiff 2 James Buckland 3 Paulica Ion 4 Nick Kennedy (C) 5 Bryn Evans 6 Declan Danaher 7 Jamie Gibson 8 Richard Thorpe BENCH: 16 Bryan Blaney 17 Alex Corbisiero 18 Faan Rautenbach 19 James Sandford 20 David Sisi 21 Sailosi Tagicakibau 22 Daniel Bowden 23 Darren Allinson
Scorers: T: Thompstone (2), DA Armitage, Bowden C: Shingler, Bowden P: Shingler (3), Bowden DG Bowden
15 Greg Goosen 14 Rikki Sheriffe 13 Luke Eves 12 Jamie Helleur 11 Alex Tait 10 Jeremy Manning 9 Chris Pilgrim 1 Daz Fearn 2 Mike Mayhew 3 James Hall 4 Glen Townson 5 Andrew van der Heijden 6 Mark Wilson 7 Redford Pennycook 8 Ally Hogg (C) BENCH: 16 Joe Graham 17 Ashley Wells 18 Dan Frazier 19 Tim Swinson 20 Will Welch 21 Jordi Pasqualin 22 Corne Uys 23 Joel Hudgson
Scorers: T: Helleur, Goosen, Graham C: Manning P: Manning (2)
SARACENS vs EXETER CHIEFS
VICARAGE ROAD - Sunday 23rd October 2011
HT: 17-10 Att: 4,507
SARACENS were lucky that Exeter Chiefs were unable to finish their moves at Vicarage Road. The homeside began with gusto and, although Owen Farrell could not reap points from an early penalty, they made good progress from the off. Gareth Steenson also struggled to find the posts with his kicking against a punishing wind. Sarries soon showed their true colours though when Farrell produced a beautiful grubber, which Powell picked up and stuck down under the posts. But the early stages of the match were pretty even and Exeter soon hit back when Chris Bentley caught the home defence off-guard and powered over; Steenson converted. Both teams picked up penalties but Sarries came out on top before the break with another try thanks to some slick passing and Rodd Penney.
Both teams had shown determination and skill in the first half and the level play continued into the early minutes of the second. Again both sides added 3 points within minutes of each other, but Farrell slotted one more than Steenson giving Saracens an advancing gap at 23-13. Farrell continued his stunning kicking adding yet another penalty on the hour mark. Exeter made some courageous breaks but none yielded the points they needed and deserved, and Saracens extended their lead further thanks to formidable Farrell’s foot. The fly half then piled on the pain as he added a try of his own, quickly shadowed by Hugh Vyvyan, who bagged the bonus point. The Chiefs battled furiously and finally got the try they had earned with Myles Dorrian racing in with just 2 minutes to go. It was a frustrating match for Exeter who were unlucky to not come away with more.
15 Joe Maddock 14 Rodd Penney 13 Kameli Ratuvou 12 Adam Powell 11 Duncan Taylor 10 Owen Farrell 9 Richard Wigglesworth 1 Deon Carstens 2 Jamie George (C) 3 Petrus du Plessis 4 George Kruis 5 Hayden Smith 6 Kelly Brown 7 Andy Saull 8 Jackson Wray BENCH: 16 Harry Allen 17 Mako Vunipola 18 Matt Stevens 19 Hugh Vyvyan 20 Matt Hankin 21 Ben Spencer 22 Charlie Hodgson 23 Alex Goode
Scorers: T: Powell, Penney, Farrell, Vyvyan C: Farrell (4) P: Farrell (5)
15 Myles Dorrian 14 Mark Foster 13 Josh Tatupu 12 Phil Dollman 11 Nic Sestaret 10 Gareth Steenson (C) 9 Pat Phibbs 1 Ben Moon 2 Simon Alcott 3 John Andress 4 Chris Bentley 5 James Phillips 6 Dave Ewers 7 Ben White 8 Chad Slade BENCH 16 Neil Clark 17 Ben Rogers 18 Lloyd Fairbrother 19 Aly Muldowney 20 Michael Stupple 21 Junior Poluleuligaga 22 Bryan Rennie 23 James Lightfoot-Brown
Scorers: T: Bentley, Dorrian C: Steenson (2) P: Steenson (2)
WEEK 1
DRAGONS 16 - 46 BATH RUGBY
RODNEY PARADE - Saturday 15th October 2011
HT: 16-20 Att: 4,646
BATH RUGBY stormed to a win against Dragons with tries in abundance. Ollie Woodburn stole the first points of the match as he flew through the empty space on the wing and dodged what defence was left. Dragons fought back with a penalty from Matthew Jones from a massive 48 metres, but Bath made them pay for their spirit when minutes, later Matt Banahan made clattered in a try. Tom Heathcote successfully kicked the conversion, after missing the first and Bath were comfortably ahead with 12 points in 12 minutes. Jones’ boot produced another enormous penalty for the Dragons, and this was swiftly followed by a magnificent running try by Tonderai Chavhanga. Jones converted and the home side bounded in front by a point. But the lead was to be ripped away from Dragons just 4 minutes later when Tom Biggs surged over the tryline. Heathcote could not add the extras and the match was halted when Mark McMillan injured his neck and had to be removed from play on a stretcher. Both sides added another 3 points to their scores before the break and Dragons were within a try’s reach of Bath.
However, the beginning of the second half saw Bath grab a bonus thanks to Matt Carraro pulling off a touchdown, Heathcote kicked well and brought Bath up to 27-16. Will Spencer added insult to injury with a fifth try, and things got worse for Dragons when Robert Sidoli was sin-binned for a ruck infringement. It was all over for the homeside by this point and fans slumped unhappily in their seats. Bath just kept on coming though, adding two more tries by Jack Cuthbert and Anthony Perenise. Heathcote booted over one of the conversions and the clock ran down for what have seemed like a very long game for Dragons.
15 Martyn Thomas 14 Tonderai Chavhanga 13 Tom Riley 12 Lewis Robling 11 Matthew Pewtner 10 Matthew Jones 9 Joe Bedford (C) 1 Nathan Williams 2 Rhys Buckley 3 Nathan Buck 4 Royce Cadmand 5 Scott Morgan 6 Jevon Groves 7 Darren Waters 8 Hugo Ellis BENCH: 16 Sam Parry 17 Hugh Gustafson 18 Kieron Jenkins 19 Robert Sidoli 20 Tom Brown 21 Wayne Evans 22 Luke Williams 23 Steffan Jones
SCORERS T: Chavhanga C: M Jones P: M Jones (3) YC Robert Sidoli
15 Jack Cuthbert 14 Ollie Woodburn 13 Matt Carraro 12 Matt Banahan 11 Tom Biggs 10 Tom Heathcote 9 Mark McMillan 1 Charlie Beech 2 Ross Batty 3 Mark Lilley 4 Will Spencer 5 Dave Attwood 6 Andy Beattie (C) 7 Guy Mercer 8 Simon Taylor BENCH: 16 Will Tanner 17 Nathan Catt 18 Anthony Perenise 19 Ryan Caldwell 20 Will Skuse 21 Chris Cook 22 Paul Roberts 23 Nick Abendanon
SCORERS T: Woodburn, Banahan, Biggs, Carraro, Spencer, Cuthbert, Perenise C: Heathcote (4) P: Heathcote
GLOUCESTER 58 - 27 SALE SHARKS
KINGSHOLM - Saturday 15th October 2011
HT: 20-17 Att: 9,934
GLOUCESTER RUGBY had a chance to right their previous wrongs against Sale Sharks. Out to prove a point, Gloucester started with conviction with Lesley Vainikolo finishing some stunning play produced from the kick-off. Freddie Burns converted and Gloucester had a very premature lead. Sale tried to hit back instantly only to be blocked off by the Gloucester defence and the Cherry and Whites headed back on the rampage. However, the Sharks did not take long to wake up and soon fought back by equalising after some brilliant runs that left the Gloucester defence weakened. Richie Vernon streaked through the Gloucester defence to plant the ball under the posts, giving Nick Macleod the simplest of conversions. Gloucester missed their next chance to pull ahead as a penalty went sailing off wide and Sale cleared their lines. Macleod did not make the same mistake though and punted the ball over for 3 points and a Sale lead. James Simpson-Daniel took a tumble as he was caught in the air but the Gloucester crowd were left baying for blood when no card was shown. However, the opportunity reaped rewards for Freddie Burns who redeemed himself with the penalty kick. The referee, Neil Hennessy, was reaching for his pocket soon after though as James Gaskell tackled a player off the ball and was sent packing to the bin. Sale did not bat an eyelash to this loss though as they continued to produce excellent play and added to their points with another converted try, this time thanks to Andrew Higgins. A nasty fumble would turn into a blessing as Gloucester dealt with it quickly and Jonny May sprinted through the pack, bringing Gloucester back in front with 20-17 after Burns slotted the conversion at the half-hour mark. The scored stayed put until the break was called with Macleod missing the possible equalising penalty.
Play resumed and this time it was Sale to make the first impact with Rob Miller evading the grasp of the Gloucester defence and slipping in for a try. Macleod converted and the second half was looking promising for the Sharks. But the situation soon soured as Alasdair Dickinson incurred the referee’s wrath, gaining himself a spell in the bin. This was swiftly followed by Gloucester driving over the tryline with a superb scrum and Luke Narraway finished the surge. Sale were lucky not to give away a penalty try, but the trickier angle did not bother Tim Taylor who still chipped over the conversion coolly. Macleod soon squared the scores again though and it was clear that this match would be a battle to the end. Both teams lost players due to injury and emptied their benches but neither could cause much damage in terms of score margin. However, Burns walloped another penalty through in the 58th minute and Scott Lawson made the difference when giving Gloucester the try bonus point and pushing them into a 10 point lead a few minutes later. Things went from bad to worse for Sale as yet another from their pack went to visit the bin with Richie Vernon taking a 10 minute rest for ruck infringements. It was over for the Sharks from this point on, Rory Lawson rubbing in the salt with a messy but successful try attempt. A much more aesthetically pleasing try was provided by Charlie Sharples with just 5 minutes to go and Gloucester were out of reach for the Sharks who had lost all momentum and passion. With a swan dive and a smile Burns took his chance to do the double, scoring and converting to end the match. Home and visitors alike were surely left thinking about how much difference a week can make.
15 Jonny May 14 Charlie Sharples 13 Henry Trinder 12 Lesley Vainikolo 11 James Simpson-Daniel 10 Freddie Burns 9 Dave Lewis 1 Dan Murphy 2 Matias Cortese 3 Dario Chistolini 4 Tom Savage 5 Will James 6 Brett Deacon 7 Matt Cox 8 Luke Narraway (C) BENCH: 16 Scott Lawson 17 Yann Thomas 18 Shaun Knight 19 Jim Hamilton 20 Alasdair Strokosch 21 Rory Lawson 22 Tim Taylor 23 Tom Voyce
SCORERS T: Vainikolo, May, Narraway, S Lawson, RGM Lawson, Sharples, Burns C: Burns (6), Taylor P: Burns (3)
15 Rob Miller 14 Tom Brady 13 Andrew Higgins 12 Luther Burrell 11 Charlie Amesbury 10 Nick Macleod 9 Scott Mathie 1 Alasdair Dickinson 2 Joe Ward 3 Vadim Cobilas 4 Fraser McKenzie 5 James Gaskell 6 Richie Vernon 7 David Seymour (C) 8 Mark Easter BENCH: 16 Tommy Taylor 17 Lee Imiolek 18 Tony Buckley 19 Tom Holmes 20 Kearnan Myall 21 Will Cliff 22 Johnny Leota 23 Will Addison
SCORERS T: Vernon, Higgins, Miller C: Macleod (3) P: Macleod (2) YC James Gaskell, Alasdair Dickinson, Richie Vernon
HARLEQUINS 26 - 19 LONDON IRISH
THE TWICKENHAM STOOP - Saturday 15th October 2011
HT: 10-6 Att: 10,500
HARLEQUINS stole a win from the clutches of London Irish at the Twickenham Stoop with some spectacular last minute try scoring. Quins were first to break ranks with Rory Clegg bursting through and offloading to Ben Urdapilleta, who out-foxed the defence with a cheeky dummy before finishing over the line. Clegg converted and Quins were off to a perfect start. Irish could not find a try to reply with but Tom Homer kept the Exiles in touching distance with two accurate penalty kicks. However, Homer also missed one, which would have given Irish the lead, and the visitors still could not pierce the Quins defence. Quins were not having an easy game either though; their attempts at the tryline were falling short and Chris York was lost after 25 minutes of play due to an ankle injury. But the homeside did manage to pull ahead to a more comfortable position 6 minutes before half time as Clegg knocked over his first penalty of the game. It had been a good first 40 minutes for Quins with great defence and a solid performance but Irish were keeping them within their reach and holding their own.
The second half began as the first had finished, with Clegg successfully gaining 3 points with his trusty boot. Urdapilleta made another dash towards the tryline but was thwarted by a haphazard but eventually fruitful Irish defence attempt. Once again it was left to Homer to keep the Exiles from slipping to an unrecoverable position; again he aimed two more penalties between the posts to leave the deficit at just 1 point. Clegg replied with one of his own and as he match drew towards the final 10 minutes, the situation was looking desperate for Irish. But the plucky visitors were to stage a dramatic comeback forcing back Quins and being awarded a 5 metre scrum after they were initially held up. This lead to David Sisi peeling off and sliding through the defence to score a much-needed try which hauled the trailing side in front. Homer converted and Irish fans felt a glimmer of hope alight as the clock ticked down. Clegg dampened their spirits once more though as he equalised in the 77th minute. The time ran out but the ball stayed in play as both teams stubbornly refused to settle as equals. Then a moment of magic as Tom Casson broke free setting up Seb Stegmann for a brilliant run and a well-timed offload to Ollie Lindsay-Hague who scored the winning try. The home crowd were elated and Clegg finished off his excellent game with the conversion. The Harlequins had come close to faltering on their winning streak but pulled it back from the jaws of defeat, much to the disappointment of London Irish.
15 Tom Williams 14 Seb Stegmann 13 Ben Urdapilleta 12 Tom Casson 11 Sam Smith 10 Rory Clegg 9 Richard Bolt 1 Joe Marler 2 Chris Brooker 3 James Johnston 4 Sam Twomey 5 Charlie Matthews 6 Luke Wallace 7 Will Skinner (C) 8 Chris York BENCH: 16 Rob Buchanan 17 Mark Lambert 18 Kyle Sinckler 19 George Merrick 20 Joe Trayfoot 21 Ollie Lindsay-Hague 22 Matt Hopper 23 Charlie Walker
SCORERS T: Urdapilleta, Lindsay-Hague C: Clegg (2) P: Clegg (4)
15 Tom Homer 14 Topsy Ojo 13 Jonathan Spratt 12 Guy Armitage 11 Adam Thompstone 10 Adrian Jarvis 9 Paul Hodgson 1 Max Lahiff 2 James Buckland 3 Faan Rautenbach 4 Nick Kennedy (C) 5 Bryn Evans 6 Declan Danaher 7 Jamie Gibson 8 Alex Gray BENCH: 16 Bryan Blaney 17 Mark George 18 Paulica Ion 19 David Sisi 20 Richard Thorpe 21 Joe Ansbro 22 Steven Shingler 23 Ross Samson
SCORERS T: Sisi C: Homer P: Homer (4)
NORTHAMPTON 36 - 6 SARACENS
FRAKLIN’S GARDENS - Saturday 15th October 2011
HT: 14-6 Att: 11,513
NORTHAMPTON SAINTS breezed through a very one-sided match against Saracens at Franklin’s Gardens. The scoring landslide began with Vasily Artemyev slipping over the tryline after just 3 minutes thanks to an early break by James Craig. Ryan Lamb stepped up to add the extras and Saints were away to a flying start. Saracens managed to grab some points some after with a penalty kick from Ben Spencer but their play soon deteriorated. Spencer missed a second penalty leaving the Sarries trailing, and their situation was exacerbated when Kameli Ratuvou sin-binned for deliberately knocking-on. Artemyev took the opportunity to punish the Sarries with a speedy try and Lamb slotted the conversion. Spencer chipped over an easy penalty before half time to keep the score look acceptable to the Saracens supporters although their play was nothing to write home about. Northampton almost lost their cool just before the whistle but managed to scrabble back into defence and clear their lines.
Saints continued to dominate as Lamb calmly kicked a drop goal 3 minutes after the restart. Artemyev made it a hat-trick after a fumble from Ben Ransom left the ball open to take advantage of. To hammer home the message, Saints added another converted try thanks to Jamie Elliott and stole a bonus point. Saints were in full flight and Elliott swooped in for his second try with 5 minutes left of play. Stephen Myler converted from a wide angle and Northampton had coasted to a huge win. Saracens never really got going and Northampton took every chance they got to pound the opposition’s confidence. Sarries supporters were left unimpressed whilst Northampton proved that, with their internationals back in the fold, they were back to top form.
15 Greig Tonks 14 Jamie Elliott 13 Scott Armstrong 12 Tom May (C) 11 Vasily Artemyev 10 Ryan Lamb 9 Martin Roberts 1 Alex Waller 2 Mike Haywood 3 Tom Mercey 4 James Craig 5 Mark Sorenson 6 Tom Wood 7 Ben Nutley 8 Roger Wilson BENCH: 16 Dylan Hartley 17 Soane Tonga’uiha 18 Paul Doran Jones 19 Courtney Lawes 20 Adam Eustace 21 Lee Dickson 22 Stephen Myler 23 Cesar Sempere
SCORERS T: Artemyev (3), Elliott (2) C: Lamb (3), Myler DG: Lamb
15 Ben Ransom 14 Joe Maddock 13 Kameli Ratuvou 12 Adam Powell 11 Duncan Taylor 10 Nils Mordt 9 Ben Spencer 1 Deon Carstens 2 Jamie George (C) 3 Petrus du Plessis 4 George Kruis 5 Hugh Vyvyan 6 Justin Melck 7 Andy Saull 8 Jackson Wray BENCH: 16 Harry Allen 17 Nick Auterac 18 Mako Vunipola 19 Hayden Smith 20 Will Fraser 21 Luke Baldwin 22 Rodd Penney 23 James Short
SCORERS P: Spencer (2) YC Kameli Ratuvou
WORCESTER 20 - 19 LONDON WASPS
SIXWAYS - Saturday 15th October 2011
HT: 10-6 Att: 6,250
IT was a close call for Worcester Warriors when they took on London Wasps at Sixways. Worcester ran the show for the first 10 minutes, choosing to not attempt two penalties and instead opting for offensive lines instead. However, Wasps were mustering a valiant defensive effort, one which Worcester could not penetrate. Eventually the Warriors gave in and kicked a penalty, not an easy one for Joe Carlisle though who walloped it over from 40 metres. Worcester finally got what they were searching for after 17 minutes of play - a cleverly worked try finished by Tom Arscott which Carlisle converted. Worcester had another chance just moments later but again the Wasps’ defence closed in on them with Elliot Daly saving the day with a huge tackle. Ryan Davis put Wasps on the scoreboard with his own 40-metre penalty, and Daly impressed further with a gigantic one from 50-metres out. These feats left Wasps trailing by only 4 points after just over half-an-hour’s worth of play. But these moments were then tarnished as Wasps lost Jeremy Castex to the sin bin for punching a Warriors player. Although a man down, the Wasps kept the Warriors at bay until the whistle blew and they trooped off down the tunnel with plenty to think about during the interval.
Wasps had a much brighter start to the second half scoring their first try in the 47th minute. Daly stepped up the pace and shot over the tryline but Davis could not find the conversion. But the Wasps did not hold on to their lead for long as Arscott pulled off some stunning rugby and hard-work to gain a much deserved try. Carlisle had no problem adding the extras and the homeside were spectacularly back in front, much to the crowds delight. Both Davis and Carlisle knocked over penalties and there was everything to play for as the end of the match drew near. The tension could not have reached higher levels than when Alex Cheesman sidestepped the defence and planted the ball over the tryline leaving Wasps just a point behind with 7 minutes to go. The conversion was crucial but Will Robinson buckled under the pressure and it was not to be. Robinson had a desperate attempt at a winning drop goal to redeem himself but the fates were not smiling on him and Wasps were left heart-broken.
15 Tom Arscott 14 Andy Short 13 Chris Pennell (C) 12 Alex Crockett 11 Josh Drauniniu 10 Joe Carlisle 9 Ollie Frost 1 George Porter 2 Chris Fortey 3 Oliver Thomaszczyk 4 Chris Jones 5 Craig Gillies 6 Sam Betty 7 Matt Kvesic 8 Adam Balding BENCH: 16 Ollie Hayes 17 Bruce Douglas 18 James Currie 19 Ben Gullier 20 Richard Muagututia 21 Danny Gray 22 Andy Goode 23 Mike Penn
SCORERS T: Arscott (2) C: Carlisle (2) P: Carlisle (2)
15 Jack Wallace 14 Alex Cheesman 13 Elliot Daly 12 Chris Mayor (C) 11 Charlie Ingalls 10 Ryan Davis 9 Jonah Holmes 1 Jeremy Castex 2 Tom Lindsay 3 Simon McIntyre 4 Ross Filipo 5 Mike Powell 6 James Harris 7 Matt Everard 8 Joe Burton BENCH: 16 Nathan Morris 17 Lewis Theide 18 Guillermo Roan 19 Karl Rudzki 20 Ben Russell 21 Charlie Davies 22 Will Robinson 23 Joe Ajuwa
SCORERS T: Daly, Cheesman P: Davis (2), Daly YC Jeremy Castex
SCARLETS 31 - 3 LEICESTER TIGERS
PARC Y SCARLETS - Saturday 15th October 2011
HT: 17-3 Att: 6,314
IT was all one-sided for the Scarlets as they cruised to victory over Leicester Tigers at home. Scarlets completely dominated in the initial minutes but, strangely, it was Leicester who first claimed points after George Ford slotted over a penalty just 10 minutes in. However, the Scarlets were straight back on top of the visitors and applying huge pressure. The Leicester defence snapped and Kieran Murphy found the tryline thanks to some great breaking runs by his fellow Scarlets teammates. Aled Thomas missed the conversion but the Scarlets now had the taste for tries and he would have plenty of opportunity to kick for extras. Tigers were awarded a very straight forward penalty but instead chose to attack, unfortunately only managing to knock-on and lose possession. Leicester then took their chance to kick for the posts when a more distant opportunity arose but Ford did not get the 3 points they were hoping for. Then a magical moment for the Scarlets when two minutes yielded as many tries thanks to the efforts of Murphy and Matt Gilbert. This left the homeside in the happy position of being 17-3 up at the break and in complete control of a lack-lustre Leicester side.
The second half went as badly as the first for Leicester, if not worse, as they scored no points at all and watched the Scarlets run in more tries. There was a glimmer of a comeback when Leicester seemed to score a try but to their great disappointment the referee ruled there was a forward pass. Although the Tigers were seeing more possession this half, they were flustered and had very little idea about what to do with the ball. The Scarlets waited, ready to strike when the moment was right and that moment belonged to Liam Williams; he dashed over the tryline to hand Scarlets the bonus point after 69 minutes. Jordan Williams sealed the deal with a superb try, born purely from his own efforts, to crown the final minute of the game, which he converted himself. Leicester were left slain by the mighty Scarlets.
15 Daniel Evans 14 Liam Williams 13 Rhoderi Gomer Davies 12 Adam Warren 11 Dale Ford 10 Aled Thomas 9 Ruki Tipuna 1 Phil John (C) 2 Kirby Myhill 3 Rhodri Jones 4 Dominic Day 5 Damian Welch 6 Matt Gilbert 7 Johnathan Edwards 8 Kieran Murphy BENCH: 16 Simon Gardner 17 Craig Hawkins 18 Peter Edwards 19 Sione Timani 20 Richie Pugh 21 Aled Davies 22 Jordan Williams 23 Lee Rees
SCORERS T: Murphy (2), Gilbert, L Williams, J Williams C: Thomas, J Williams (2)
15 Niall Morris 14 Ed Rolston 13 Andy Forsyth 12 Andy Symons 11 Alex Lewington 10 George Ford 9 Sam Harrison 1 Jonny Harris 2 Rob Hawkins 3 Ryan Bower 4 Graham Kitchener 5 Geoff Parling (C) 6 Ben Pienaar 7 Tom Armes 8 Ed Slater BENCH: 16 Tom Youngs 17 Peter Bucknall 18 Fraser Balmain 19 George Skivington 20 Richard de Carpentier 21 James Grindal 22 Jeremy Staunton 23 Dante Mama
SCORERS P: Ford
NEWCASTLE FALCONS 33 - 3 CARDIFF
KINGSTON PARK - Saturday 15th October 2011
HT: 19-0 Att: 3,176
AN ecstatic win was seen for Newcastle Falcons against Cardiff Blues at Kingston Park to revive belief in the struggling side’s season. Newcastle showed their true colours from the outset by opting to kick for the corner instead of at the posts. This brave decision bore points as Mark Wilson was driven over by a powerful maul for a try converted by Jimmy Gopperth. Rhys Patchell missed Cardiff’s first chance to get on the scoreboard, and to make matters worse the visitors were soon behind by 12 points thanks to a stunning combination from Gopperth, Ally Hogg and Greg Goosen. Unfortunately Gopperth missed the conversion, but Falcons fans were still elated by this early show of intent. Goosen produced another 5 points in the 24th minute, and was having a truly extraordinary game, giving Gopperth another shot at adding the extras and this time he made no errors. Cardiff were not completely crushed however, and tried with all their might to fight the spectacular Falcons.
The second half was to be another deluge of points for the Falcons. Goosen continued to cause havoc and pulled off his hat-trick in the 51st minute. Gopperth again added conversion and the battering of Cardiff was clear at 26-0. Finally, Cardiff got a token 3 points a well-stuck penalty by Patchell but the Falcons were relentless and would not be happy without their bonus point. Michael Mayhew provided it when he hurled himself over; the conversion was on target and the score hit 33-3 with just over 20 minutes left of play. The pace slowed and Newcastle just toyed with the visiting side. Meanwhile, Cardiff made a late surge into Newcastle territory but all was already lost and they still could not find a consolatory try. Falcons had done all that their supporters could have asked for whilst the Blues were left crumpled and dejected.
15 Greg Goosen 14 Rikki Sheriffe 13 Corne Uys 12 Jeremy Manning 11 Luke Eves 10 Jimmy Gopperth (C) 9 Jordi Pasqualin 1 Daz Fearn 2 Mike Mayhew 3 Euan Murray 4 Glen Townson 5 Andrew van der Heijden 6 Mark Wilson 7 Redford Pennycook 8 Ally Hogg BENCH: 16 Joe Graham 17 Ashley Wells 18 James Hall 19 Tim Swinson 20 Will Welch 21 Will Chudley 22 Jamie Helleur 23 Joel Hodgson
SCORERS T: Wilson, Goosen (3), Mayhew C: Gopperth (4)
15 Dan Fish 14 Richard Mustoe 13 Owen Williams 12 Cory Allen 11 Adam Thomas 10 Rhys Patchell 9 Rhys Downes 1 Nathan Trevett 2 Ryan Tyrrell 3 Ryan Harford 4 Cory Hill 5 James Downes (C) 6 Ellis Jenkins 7 Thomas Young 8 Luke Hamilton BENCH: 16 Rhys Williams 17 Jamie Corsi 18 Thomas Davies 19 Matthew Screech 20 Rhys Shellard 21 Lewis Jones 22 Lewis Williams 23 Richard Smith
SCORERS P: Patchell
EXETER CHIEFS 35 - 9 OSPREYS
SANDY PARK - Saturday 15th October 2011
HT: 17-6 Att: 6,368
THE Ospreys went down with surprising ease against Exeter Chiefs when visiting Sandy Park. The Welsh side started with gusto, applying plenty of pressure, but they could not muster any points. The Chiefs took their chance to get in front first when Gareth Steenson smashed over a 40-metre penalty just 8 minutes in. Matthew Morgan then equalised, splitting the posts neatly with a calmness which belied his youth. But soon Exeter bore down upon the Ospreys and were confident in their attacking choices, opting for a scrum from a penalty. The Ospreys cracked under pressure, the scrum collapsed and the referee was heading straight to the post to award the penalty try. This made things nice and easy for Steenson, who converted swiftly. The Ospreys were by no means down-and-out though, with several highly promising breaks which were eventually shut down by the homeside. The Chiefs increased the points margin just before 30 minutes as James Phillips was driven over and the TMO confirmed. Ospreys closed the gap by a fraction thanks to 3 more points from the boot of Morgan but it was clear they had a lot of work to do to catch up from a 17-6 deficit at the break.
The Ospreys made life harder for themselves early into the final 40 minutes when they were caught boring in at the scrum and Steenson extended the Chiefs lead. However, Exeter start to relax a little too much and their play became sloppy. This left Morgan the advantage of kicking is third successful penalty of the night, but Steenson soon answered with another of his own. Exeter were now content with allowing the Ospreys to come at them, only to find the homeside could defend with skill and ease any of their offensives. But it was not long until the Exeter players tired of this and set off back towards the visitors’ tryline. Phil Dollman was the man to cross the whitewash after some excellent build up from the Chiefs to claim their third try. Josh Tatupu brought the game to an exciting close as he swooped in for the fourth and final try of the night in the dying minute of the game. Ospreys fans were left reeling from the shock as they watched their usually strong and confident team fall in disarray to the reborn Falcon ranks.
15 Jack Nowell 14 Mark Foster 13 Phil Dollman 12 Bryan Rennie 11 Nic Sestaret 10 Gareth Steenson (C) 9 Kevin Barrett 1 Ben Moon 2 Simon Alcott 3 John Andress 4 Chris Bentley 5 James Philips 6 Dave Ewers 7 Ben White 8 Chad Slade BENCH: 16 Neil Clark 17 Lloyd Fairbrother 18 Ben Rogers 19 Aly Muldowney 20 Charlie Walker-Blair 21 Pat Phibbs 22 Myles Dorrian 23 Josh Tatupu
SCORERS T: Penalty Try, Phillips, Dollman, Tatupu C: Steenson (3) P: Steenson (3)
15 Barry Davies 14 Kristian Phillips 13 Ben John 12 Sonny Parker 11 Eli Walker 10 Matthew Morgan 9 Tom Habberfield 1 Cai Griffiths 2 Scott Baldwin 3 Joe Rees 4 Tom Smith (C) 5 Richard Kelly 6 James King 7 Sam Lewis 8 Morgan Allen BENCH: 16 Mefin Davies 17 Aaron Jarvis 18 Craig Cross 19 Lloyd Peers 20 Ben Thomas 21 Tom Grabham 22 Will Price 23 Ross Jones
SCORERS P: Morgan (3)
INTRODUCTION 2011-12
by Emily Ruscoe
THE LV= Cup launch was held at Kingsholm Stadium, home of the current title holders Gloucester Rugby. Although the launch itself was not much of a spectacle, boasting representation from only Gloucester and no other side, the tournament shows hopes of being slightly more of an occasion. The Cup is under contest by all twelve Aviva Premiership clubs and four Welsh teams. The initial stage is setup as four pools with each pool holding three English and one Welsh side. After the pools the competition heats up as the pool winners face each other in the knock-out semi-finals. However, just to make the pool system slightly confusing teams in the same pool do not play each other, instead teams in Pool 1 play Pool 4 and teams in Pool 2 play Pool 3.
POOL 1 |
POOL 2 |
POOL 3 |
POOL 4 |
Saracens |
Leicester Tigers |
Gloucester Rugby |
Northampton Saints |
In terms of teams to watch out for from the Premiership, current LV= champions Gloucester are certainly worth keeping an eye on. Although their away performance is still a problem that needs ironing out the Cherry and Whites have shown they are a strong team this season and have put some convincing wins under their belts. This is somewhat surprising considering that they lost numerous first-class players to the Rugby World Cup, but head coach Bryan Redpath believes a lot of their success is down to the excellent academy players that have come through the ranks with many of the younger players “stepping up and developing” after being given the opportunity to prove themselves.
The LV= Cup has often been used as a chance to introduce up-and-coming players into the squad and help them gain experience, but this year bodes a change to this tendency thanks to the world cup. Charlie Sharples explained that the international players return this week but he thinks “they won’t be able to walk straight back into the team” as the play by the newer additions through the season so far has provided competition for positions and all will have to prove their worth. However, Redpath stated that he hopes “to see all 5 internationals that are available to feature either from starting or on the bench” in order to integrate the returners back into the side. Their opening match will be a chance to settle some scores and right a few wrongs as they play Sale Sharks, the team who just last week beat them in an away clash for the Premiership. This time, Gloucester will be playing at home and will be focusing on maintaining their home winning streak.
Other sides will also be expected to use the Cup this year to bring back their internationals into club rugby. This will be key for some of the Premiership sides which have been struggling so far this season such as Leicester Tigers and Northampton Saints. The importance of building confidence within a side cannot be overrated, and some LV= Cup wins may be just what is needed for teams to regroup and push forward with their campaigns with a renewed belief and determination. However, if the plan does not work, many fans will be left feeling hopeless as they have all assumed that once the returning players become involved again, their club’s situation will look brighter.
Two other Premiership sides to keep an eye on are Harlequins and Saracens who are currently first and second in the table respectively. Both teams have had very promising starts to the season and have proved their worth with some devastating win margins. Harlequins are on a defiant 6 week winning streak in which they have worked hard to produce flowing cross-pitch play and astounding runs by their impressive backs. Their main area of dominance is in kicking however, thanks to the overpowering brilliance of Nick Evans, who has been raking in the points for this confident side. Meanwhile, Saracens had a false start with a loss against London Irish at the start of the Premiership season but have gone from strength to strength over the last 6 weeks. Again, the Sarries have a remarkable back row, but it is their defensive skills that are really striking. In terms of rucking, there are no other teams who are so adept, and coupling this with their well-worked set pieces the Saracens are certainly a force to be reckoned with.
Out of the Welsh teams only two really stand out as true contenders for the Cup: Ospreys and Cardiff Blues. The Ospreys have had an outstanding start to the season in the RaboDirect Pro 12 with 6 wins in 6 weeks. Ospreys have solid scrummaging and other set pieces that allow them to levy some serious pressure on their opponents, which they use to spectacular effect punishing any errors and usually cleaning up on points. Cardiff, on the other hand, have had a rocky initial 3 weeks in the RaboDirect arena starting strongly, but dipping in performance for 3 successive weeks before regaining their stride. However, when they are on form, the Blues are good at creating interesting and challenging play along with being very committed in defence. The LV= Cup may be a chance for Cardiff to put their shaky start behind them and really knuckle down to some focused rugby.
Neither the Dragons nor the Scarlets have shown any dominance in the RaboDirect tournament and it seems unlikely that their form will improve dramatically enough to cause any real fuss in this one. The Dragons have struggled more so than the Llanelli side, unable to keep discipline and defence up to scratch especially in the second half, whereas the Scarlets have often been unlucky to fall behind in the final stages of play after leading for most of the game. However, they also suffer from an inability to keep their cool and finish the job at hand which has left them frustrated on numerous occasions.
All in all, a new side may be seen to the LV= Cup this year with more heavyweights of the rugby featuring, especially in the first few weeks, and with the competition being used as a confidence boost instead of a development process. There are threats on the title from both Premiership and Welsh sides which will see Gloucester under serious pressure in their attempts to hold on to the LV= Cup. Get ready for a new twist in this season’s rugby tale.
FIXTURES
|
|
Northampton Saints v Saracens |
Worcester Warriors v London Wasps |
Round 2: 21/22/23 October |
|
Saracens v Exeter Chiefs |
London Wasps v Dragons |
Round 3:27/28/29 January |
|
Ospreys v Dragons |
London Wasps v Exeter Chiefs |
Round 4: 3/4/5 February |
|
Exeter Chiefs v Bath Rugby |
Worcester Warriors v Ospreys |