Bleacher Report - Articles by James Hutchison

The Rugby Blog at Bournemouth Sevens 2009

James Hutchison — Wed, 27 May 2009 07:05:51 -0400

The Rugby Blog 7s extravaganza hit the Bournemouth event again this year with serious ambitions both on and off the pitch.

A squad was assembled featuring the solid, multi-cap presence of such performers as Jon “the gas” Squire and Oli “the rugby-hater” Smith alongside such new additions as Matt Woods, Jim Backshall, and Will Gallagher to name a few.

Kit was sourced from Tsunami in a fetching cow-print we knew would be a crowd favourite and six months of admin got us all down there, raring to go on Friday night.

As knocked-out quarterfinalists from last year’s event we knew we were in with a shout this year if we could remain fit, healthy, and motivated throughout a gruelling weekend of rugby, camping and drinking.

Unfortunately signs weren’t good initially as shortly after the kit unveiling ceremony a few of the lads got a bit excited about the pear cider which was the only drink available and wound up playing drinking games with dubious forfeits until the early hours.

Nevertheless, the group awoke bleary-eyed and sore-tailed to commence the group stages. Signs were promising as we took an early lead against Old Walcountians RFC and never allowed them into the game to cruise to a comfortable victory. The only sour point was the loss of Joe “rag-doll” Hannaford to a rucking incident that resulted in five stitches in his eyelid. Never one to overly-endear himself to strangers Joe managed to develop a reputation with the local A&E department as “the rude cow” in his hour-long visit there.

With yours truly ferrying the rude cow to the hospital I missed the next group match against Hove Barbarians. Having gone 24-7 down we somehow managed to remember how to play sevens in the second half to win it 26-24 with a particularly difficult conversion by Reyno Norval to thank.

Having already lost their two other group fixtures we knew we were favourites to beat our third opponents, Hammersmith and Fulham Forgotten Heroes, but with the distraction of some soon to be downed pints and basking in the sun we could have been forgiven for taking our foot off the gas. Fortunately we didn’t and ran out comfortable winners to top our group and go through to day two unbeaten.

For the H&F Forgotten Heroes the tournament was about more than the rugby as they were also there to raise funds for a fellow player, Stuart Mangan, who suffered a serious spinal injury last year whilst playing for the club. Throughout the weekend the team were selling necklaces and co-ordinating a cross-bar competition on the main pitch. Should you wish to donate to the cause please click this link.

For The Rugby Blog team, having completed the rugby part of the day successfully it was then onto the partying. Fancy dress for the evening was “anything goes” so to continue our animal theme we decided to go as “speedo animals”. You may wonder why the speedos and not just animals but we found last year that any appeal your fancy dress may have to the opposite sex is instantly augmented if you couple it with speedos.

So with dignity and pride left back at the campsite we set off for the VIP section of the party where we put our fancy dress to the test. It succeeded for some but not others—no plan is ever foolproof.

Onto day two and a two-day hangover for some, a one-day hangover for others. With the sun shining and rugby to be played you can’t just sit around eating super-noodle sandwiches and wondering about the fine balance between repelling and attracting females so we went off to receive our free “no-hands” massage which turned out to be not as exciting or pleasant as it might sound.

Next it was onto the quarterfinals, where we met the Rugby Tour Barbarians who were pretending to be slightly worse for wear than us. It took us a while to shake the malaise out of our system and needed a last minute length of the field special from Squire to seal the match and our place in the semis.

By now it is safe to say our boys were starting to feel the effects of the weekend’s over-indulgences but we took the field knowing that one more victory would put us in a final on the main pitch in front of the crowd of thousands. Unfortunately we came up against a Warlingham Warriors team fresh from a quarterfinal bye and with an academy player in Jack Walsh with such a fine step he once had our players tackling each other as he breezed through untouched under the posts. We were beaten by a better team who went onto comfortably win the Cup.

Being knocked out had the benefit of watching all the finals on the main pitch and catching the superb England victory at the London 7s. Of particular relish was being able to smile smugly at the ridiculous Kiwi in the crowd who for some bizarre reason kept shouting at us to “suck it” whenever NZ scored a try. The chorus of “suck it” that echoed back at him when Micky Young scampered over for the winner was truly delightful.

Sunday night’s fancy dress theme was “school disco” so we decided to maintain our unconventional approach by going as naughty netballers. For our Irish heartthrob, Peter Foley, dressing in drag seemed to make him somehow much more attractive to the assembled ladies and as the rest of us looked on jealously he embarked on a three hour dancing spree in the VIP section the likes of which may never be bettered.

All in all a fantastic event and for those interested in the proper sevens, in the Invitational Cup the Samurai Barracudas upset the reigning champions, the Stash All-Stars who boasted Tagicakibau and some Armitages in their number, to win an excellent final by 19-17.

Player Profile: Jamie Roberts

James Hutchison — Tue, 26 May 2009 05:17:24 -0400

As the first Lions game approaches, we continue our series of Player Profiles of key players that we believe will feature in South Africa.

Height: 6′ 4″

Weight: 107kg

Date of Birth: November 8th, 1986

Birthplace: Newport, Wales

Wales under Warren Gatland have been epitomised by their policy of selecting their internationals based on their club form. It was therefore of no surprise that in Wales’ 2008 Grand Slam winning team, a certain 21 year old made his debut on the wing against Scotland. Since then, it’s been a non-stop ride for Jamie Roberts, which has seen him cement his place in the Wales matchday 22 and help Cardiff to the semi-finals of the Heineken Cup.

Roberts was educated at Ysgol Gyfun Glantaf and studied medicine full time at the University of Wales, Cardiff from 2005 to 2007, and he now combines his studies with training at the Cardiff Blues.

In an impressive first season for Cardiff in 2005-06 he scored five tries in 11 games and was a regular for Wales’ under-21s before injury curtailed his campaign. It’s Roberts’ size (at 107kg he wouldn’t be out of place in the back row) and adaptability that have singled him out as one of Wales’ most promising prospects in the last 12 months. In his relatively short international career he has played at win and full-back, as well as at both inside and outside centre.

He scored his first try for Wales in a defeat against South Africa in June 2008 whilst playing on the wing and in the next game in the tour to South Africa he was surprisingly selected at inside centre (despite playing the majority of his rugby for the Blues in the back three).

His size and ability to cross the gain line at 12 led to Gatland continuing the experiment during the course of the Autumn Internationals—plus his first choice 12, Gavin Henson was in the middle of yet another absence due to injury. It was in the match against Australia (which Wales went on to win) that Roberts’ talent (and head) came to the fore.

A collision with the Wallabies skipper Stirling Mortlock in the 2nd minute of the game led to Roberts sustaining a fractured skull. However, unlike Mortlock, who left the field immediately, Roberts initially played on and was crucial in the build-up to Shane Williams’ try, but was later replaced by Andrew Bishop in the 18th minute.

Roberts returned to the Blues set-up 2 months later and played an instrumental role in the 14-man Blues away victory to Gloucester which saw the Blues become the only team to maintain a 100% group stage record in the Heineken Cup.

His Heineken Cup form upon his return from injury, as well as his superb form in the Summer and Autumn internationals led to the resumption of his duties in the 12 channel during the 2009 Six Nations, but the return to fitness of Gavin Henson, and the superb effort of Joe Worsley’s man marking of Roberts meant that Roberts wore the 22 shirt for the final game of the Six Nations.

Roberts’ impressive performance leading Cardiff’s comeback in the Heineken Cup semi-final was timed superbly, and must have played a part in Ian McGeechan’s decision to include him in the Lions squad. Jamie Roberts should look forward to the hard pitches of Bloemfontein and the High Veldt this summer, and the young trainee doctor could well come back a seasoned Lion.

Leinster's Victory Epitomises New Irish Self-Belief

James Hutchison — Mon, 25 May 2009 05:14:26 -0400

Leinster’s win over Leicester at the weekend won them the Heineken Cup for the first time, and epitomised the change of character for Irish teams this season.

With Leinster having been crowned European Champions, fresh on the back of Ireland’s Six Nations Grand Slam victory, this season could be a watershed moment in Irish rugby history, with any internal issues or psychological frailties banished forever.

The manner in which Leinster overturned a 16-9 deficit against Leicester—the pre-match favourites—demonstrated the new belief running through Irish blood.

How many times in the past have we seen an Irish side capitulate when the tide has turned against them? On Saturday, they clawed their way back into the game, defended heroically and then took their chances when they came.

Potentially even more impressive was their emphatic semifinal triumph over Munster, when nobody had given them a prayer, but the Dublin side knew they had a chance and they took it in style.

It could be argued that Munster have always been strong in Europe, and because they are also Irish, Leinster’s victory is not quite as meaningful.

Until that semifinal defeat, Munster had previously led the way as Kings of Europe, but their form in the red jersey was not transposed when they donned the green of the country.

It has been said that when Declan Kidney took over, there was a frank discussion amongst players and staff in which the Leinster players accused the Munster players of not playing with the same passion for Ireland as they do for Munster—and the Munstermen admitted their guilt.

It appears these tensions have been ironed out at both provincial and international level. Leinster and Ireland are no longer the "nearly-men" and it bodes well for the future of Irish rugby in the long term, and the Lions in the short term.

Brian O’Driscoll and Luke Fitzgerald stood out on Saturday, alongside Rocky Elsom, both of whom were part of the Grand Slam-winning team, and both of whom are now in South Africa with the British and Irish Lions. Jamie Heaslip and Rob Kearney have also tasted glory for club and country this season, and will be desperate to add a Lions triumph to their honours.

The Irish self-belief now looks firmly entrenched, contrary to some people’s opinions that it could not last, and this is great news for the Lions—Ireland boasts the largest contribution to the squad, and many will feature in the Test team.

The Lions will be huge underdogs, but they’ll believe they can win, and on this evidence, they might just do it.

Interview with England Sevens Star, Rob Vickerman

James Hutchison — Fri, 22 May 2009 03:45:41 -0400

This weekend sees the penultimate round of the IRB Sevens Series, and England star Rob Vickerman was good enough to talk to The Rugby Blog during his trip to London.

The start of Vickerman’s promising career has been blighted by injury, but having recovered from two serious knee operations that kept him off the pitch for two seasons, he is back and raring to go. And he’s still only 23.

“Two years ago was my breakthrough season when I was regularly starting in the Leeds first team and I loved playing Premiership rugby. Then I had this knee injury, recovered and got injured again so didn’t play for ages.”

As part of Vickerman’s rehabilitation, he used supplements from the Seven Seas JointCare range which includes Glucosamine and Cod Liver Oil, both found to benefit joint health in a number of ways.

“I discussed using these products with my physio and did a lot of research before taking them, but they really helped with my recovery, keeping my knees flexible but also helping to build cartilage as well.”

Now fully fit, Vickerman has just completed a season in National One, playing at centre for Leeds and helping them secure promotion to the Guinness Premiership, whilst also being a key member of England’s Sevens Squad.

“I’ve loved playing on the Sevens tour, it’s so great to be a part of it. We’ve done quite well and are currently second in the standings behind South Africa. If we win both of the remaining tournaments, we might just win the Series, but as you’ll see on Saturday, South Africa are a pretty handy side.”

Once the Sevens season has finished, Vickerman will have two weeks off before registering for duty at Newcastle, where he has just signed a new contract.

“Steve Bates is looking to build a young, English squad and has got me, Tom Biggs and Charlie Amesbury from Quins all joining for next season. Newcastle had a great run after Christmas this year, and next year we will be targeting a European Cup place.”

“For me, I just want to get a decent run of games over the next couple of years. I’m still only 23, but having been injured, you realise how quickly time goes by. If I can play well for Newcastle, hopefully I’ll get noticed and I’m targeting a place in the England Saxons squad at the end of next year.”

“I like the way Newcastle play, and I’m looking forward to playing up there. I’ve had a few battles with Dan Hipkiss and Mathew Tait over the years, so I’m looking forward to playing against those guys again.”

The Rugby Blog thinks that Vickerman is certainly one to watch. An impressive season a couple of years ago will have put him on many people’s radar, and now with experience of the hard graft in National One as well as the colourful Sevens circuit, he’s likely to be a more rounded player, and is likely to be knocking on England’s door before too long.

For more information on the Seven Seas products used by Rob Vickerman, click here to visit their website.

Lions Rugby: Tom Croft called up as Jerry Flannery ruled out

James Hutchison — Thu, 21 May 2009 07:15:56 -0400

As "tom" put it in a recent comment, the British and Irish Lions' "cast list is changing on a daily basis." We knew there would be injuries, but to see so many miss out before boarding the plane is disappointing.

Alan Quinlan’s appeal has failed, and Tom Croft has been given the call-up as expected, but this news has been overshadowed. First we learned that Leigh Halfpenny will miss the first half of the tour, and now that Jerry Flannery will miss the whole lot.

Flannery has damaged ligaments in his elbow and will not travel to South Africa on Sunday. There are only a few days for a replacement to be named and prepared, so that announcement will have to take place today or tomorrow.

So who will it be? Rory Best appears to be the early favourite, although I’d like to see Ross Ford given the nod, and the Scot was actually in one of my early Test XVs. How about world cup-winner Steve Thompson?!

The Rugby Blog Caption Competition V

James Hutchison — Thu, 21 May 2009 03:03:50 -0400

To celebrate the ‘MARS Balls Get Britain Playing’ campaign, Mars have been good enough to sponsor our latest Caption Competition.

The campaign is giving sports fans the opportunity to play on the same team as sports icons John Barnes, Darren Gough, Austin Healey and Pat Cash in the MARS Bounce Off to be held on June 14 in Battersea Park. The sporting heroes will go head-to-head in a series of football, cricket, tennis and rugby games, each with a team hand-picked from members of the public via an online competition at www.marsballsgetbritainplaying.com.

Check out the link for your chance to take part, or just to find out more details about the free-to-attend event next month.

In the meantime, the best FIVE captions that could accompany the image below will receive a summer’s supply of Mars bars as well as a free rugby ball.

Given that it’s a multi-sport event, we’ve taken the opportunity to feature an image from the round-ball game, so let us know what you think is going on in this exchange between Peter Crouch and Cristiano Ronaldo.

As always, one entry per person, and the competition will close on Wednesday 27th May.

Rugby Football: My British and Irish Lions, Text XV

James Hutchison — Wed, 20 May 2009 04:20:35 -0400

It has been a while since we selected a starting XV for the first Lions Test. And since one or two injuries and suspensions, there are some new names in the frame.

1. Gethin Jenkins
2. Jerry Flannery
3. Euan Murray
4. Paul O’Connell
5. Alun Wyn Jones
6. Tom Croft
7. David Wallace
8. Jamie Heaslip
9. Mike Blair
10. Ronan O’Gara
11. Shane Williams
12. Jamie Roberts
13. Brian O’Driscoll
14. Luke Fitzgerald
15. Rob Kearney

Jamie Roberts has played his way in after his performance for Cardiff against Leicester a couple of weeks ago, as has Mike Blair, who will be desperate to seize the opportunity he has been given.

Let me know what you think.

New Grassroots Rugby Microsite: The Rugby Blog

James Hutchison — Tue, 19 May 2009 03:46:54 -0400

We are pleased to announce the launch of a new microsite dedicated to Grassroots rugby: www.therugbyblog.co.uk/GrassRoots.

We felt that we haven’t been able to give adequate coverage to all the great things going on at this level of our game, so now we have a whole new dedicated microsite with its own navigation sections, special features, and coverage.

We are going to rely on our readers to send us their news for us to publish. We do live with wall-to-wall rugby, but even we cannot find out for ourselves everything that’s happening.

So make sure you keep us posted about your team, any notable victories, competitions that you are organising, charity events that you are running, or whatever—we’d love to hear from you!

If you belong to a club, send us your team photo to be included in our gallery, and if you’d be good enough to put a link to us on your club website, we’d be very grateful.

Enjoy the new site and let us know if you have any feedback at grassroots@therugbyblog.co.uk

Leicester Lift Guinness Premiership Trophy

James Hutchison — Mon, 18 May 2009 03:46:28 -0400

Leicester Tigers defeated London Irish at Twickenham on Saturday to clinch another Guinness Premiership title, but the standard of the game left a little to be desired.

Having watched Guinness Club Together winners Hackney RFC play their exhibition match before the main event, the standard of play in the final was not discernibly different.

Blighted by basic errors, the match stopped and started, and never really got going. Peter Hewat’s dropped goal after 30 seconds suggested we could be in for a thriller, but the next 39 and a half minutes only brought three more points.

Jordan Crane scored the only try of the game to give Tigers the edge in the second half, and, although the margin was tight, you felt that the more experienced side were always going to prevail.

Nobody stood out in terms of quality, but I couldn’t help but notice Tom Croft, No. 4, frequently loitering on the wing. He didn’t get much ball because it was kept tighter, which meant he wasn’t often involved in the game—unusual for a second row to feature so rarely in a close-quarters battle.

If I were Ian McGeechan, I just might be having doubts about naming him as Alan Quinlan’s replacement. What do people think? Am I worrying about Croft unnecessarily?

Guinness Premiership Reaches Climax at Twickenham

James Hutchison — Fri, 15 May 2009 05:30:04 -0400

Nine months of sweat and blood, hard graft week-in week-out, comes down to 80 minutes at Twickenham tomorrow in the Guinness Premiership final.

Whatever your views on the knockout format at the end of the regular league season, the prospect of a winner-takes-all showdown between Leicester Tigers and London Irish is sublime.

Undoubtedly, they are two of the best teams this season, and two teams that have certainly been among the most exciting to watch.

After two professional performances in their respective semi-final victories over Bath and Harlequins, both sides will be confident enough that lifting the trophy is within their capabilities, although Leicester start as firm favourites.

Sam Vesty will be pulling the proverbial strings once again, and he is likely to have a strong influence on the outcome of the game.

His ability to read the game at fly-half is being hailed by many knowledgeable rugby sorts, and he does seem to choose the right option more often than not in attack.

If Vesty spots a mismatch in the opposition defence, he’ll not hesitate to exploit it, and seeing people out of position, he and Geordan Murphy will kick behind the Irish back three to keep their side on the front foot.

Julien Dupuy is another key player tomorrow, and the head-to-head with Paul Hodgson will be enthralling. Both players are always on the lookout for half a gap, and both have the quick feet and pace to dance through it.

Hodgson will need to get the better of his opposite number if Irish are to prevail, because the Frenchman has been so influential in recent weeks for the Tigers.

Leicester will be wary of the Irish pack after they demolished Harlequins in the scrum last week. Their lineout strength is also renowned in the Premiership, and the Exiles will pose a significant challenge at the set piece, an area where Leicester usually dominate.

If their pack do get the upper hand, London Irish have their own players capable of controlling the game, not least the ageless warrior Mike Catt.

He and Peter Hewat closed out the game against Quins last week with probing kicking for the corners and flawless distribution to the speed men out wide.

If Irish can establish a lead, then they could keep the Tigers quiet, but if they give penalties away early on like they did last week, Leicester won’t be so kind as to miss every kick at goal as Harlequins did.

If the Tigers start strongly, I expect them to go on and win it, so the first 20 minutes are going to be crucial.

I cannot wait. Enjoy the game and have a great weekend.

Player Profile: Rob Kearney

James Hutchison — Tue, 12 May 2009 04:03:32 -0400

There are a few players in the current Ireland crop that are creating headlines, a few are also capturing imaginations—Rob Kearney is doing both, and at the age of 23, it’s likely that he’ll be doing both for some time to come.

Height: 6'1"

Weight: 90kg

Date of Birth: Mar. 26th, 1986

Birthplace: Dundalk, Ireland

Kearney has showed huge amounts of promise from an early age—he played for Leinster at both schoolboy and U-19 level before going onto represent them as a senior, scoring a hat-trick of tries on his debut for Leinster in the preseason friendly win over Parma.

He then made his Celtic League debut for Leinster in 2005 in a 22-20 defeat away to the Ospreys. He would go on to make 32 appearances in the competition, scoring eight tries, with three penalties during a period in September 2006, when usual place kicker Felipe Contepomi was injured.

Kearney then played in his first Heineken Cup game in a 19-22 defeat against Bath at the RDS later that same season. It was the first of 10 appearances scoring 4 tries in the process.

His early CV at international level also reads well representing Ireland at schoolboy, U-19 and A level before he was called up to the senior squad for the 2008 Six Nations Championship. He was first called into the Irish training squad for 2005’s Autumn Internationals and toured with Ireland A in the summer playing in the Churchill Cup.

In April 2007, he was named in the Irish squad to tour Argentina in the summer – during which he made his debut. During the 2008 Six Nations Championship he scored 2 tries, one against Scotland and one against England, primarily playing on the wing.

Despite drawing rave reviews as Ireland’s established full-back, it’s easy to forget the bizarre early-season scenario which had Rob Kearney consistently out of position on the left wing.

After two superb turns at No 15 against New Zealand and Australia on Ireland’s summer tour—performances which earned lavish praise from a hard-to-impress Australian and New Zealand rugby media—it was widely expected Kearney would be locked in his preferred position for the foreseeable future.

However, Michael Cheika’s attempts to juggle his resources at Leinster meant Kearney was forced into the No 11 jersey as Girvan Dempsey and Isa Nacewa alternated at the back.

The upshot was that, when Declan Kidney was picking his team for the November series, the Louthman had no run of games in the position and was back on the touchline as the Ireland coach selected Keith Earls, Dempsey and Geordan Murphy at full-back on successive Saturdays.

It wasn’t until a run of games at fullback for Leinster in the New Year that Kearney had the chance to win back his preferred shirt. Fast forward a few months, and after assured displays against all teams in Ireland’s Grand Slam-winning Six Nations campaign, and Kearney is being touted as the Lions No 15 for this summer’s tour.

Can he fend off Lee Byrne to don the Test jersey?

Guinness Premiership Finalists Deserve Their Places

James Hutchison — Mon, 11 May 2009 04:00:29 -0400

Nobody can argue that Leicester Tigers and London Irish have not earned their places in this year’s Guinness Premiership final.

The two sides have been the most consistent throughout the nine-month season, and have been the team to beat for every other side.

Their respective Directors of Rugby, Richard Cockerill and Toby Booth, have steered their squads through the long and arduous season, coping without several international players apiece, and maintaining their quality right through to a convincing semi-final victory.

Leicester versus Bath was billed as an epic contest between two old rivals, where no love is lost, where nothing would be left on the pitch and any other cliche you can think of. In reality, the game was relatively one-sided as Leicester took a commanding first-half lead, and despite something of a fightback, Bath could not recover.

To be so dominant at the breakdown throughout the game, stealing possession left, right and centre, and then to be able to bring on flanker Lewis Moody shows an incredible strength in depth, and is a mark of the quality squad that Cockerill has fostered.

Later that afternoon, London Irish upset the odds to defeat local rivals Harlequins. To be so effective as to prevent the Home team from scoring a single point is worthy of admiration - granted, the Quins kickers missed several chances, but credit should must to the Irish defence.

Once their lead had been established, the professional manner in which Mike Catt and Peter Hewat kept their foes pinned in their own territory was remarkable, so much so that you almost felt sorry for Dean Richards’ side when they couldn’t escape from the headlock in which they were held.

And so to Twickenham next Saturday. The Tigers will be favourites, but the Exiles proved that favouritism does not always count. Irish will compete in the final for the first time against the Leicester old-timers, and who will win is anyone’s guess. All we know is that it will be an occasion to savour between the two best sides in the country.

Guinness Premiership: Semifinal Preview

James Hutchison — Fri, 08 May 2009 05:35:29 -0400

There’s a brilliant couple of months in store for rugby fans that began last weekend with the Heineken Cup drama, and will finish in July at the end of the Lions tour.

Over the next two weekends, the Guinness Premiership reaches its climax. as four teams remain to battle it out for the trophy.

Leicester vs. Bath, 3pm Saturday

Heineken Cup finalists Leicester face Bath tomorrow at the Walkers Stadium, with the westcountrymen desperate to add another Premiership title to their last triumph in 1996.

The former giants of English rugby have endured a relatively barren spell in the silverware stakes, and have enjoyed success this season by playing an entertaining brand of rugby.

These two teams used to go head-to-head so often at the top of the table, and this season has seen that rivalry brought to life once more with some thrilling matches—none more so than the Tigers’ last-gasp win in the Heineken Cup quarterfinal.

Leicester appear to have the upper hand at the moment, and with Bath missing Butch James and Michael Lipman, two key players, the Tigers are favourites to reach the final. The home side have their own injury concerns, with Toby Flood recently ruled out for six months.

But that means that Leicester’s Players’ Player of the Year, Sam Vesty, will start at fly-half with Aaron Mauger outside him—and many have argued that this is the optimum lineup for them anyway.

Bath will be relying on fatigue and perhaps a lack of focus given the Tigers’ European exploits, but for me, this is clutching at straws to some extent. Rumour has it that nobody needs to fire up the Tigers in their dressing room when Bath are next door.

They’ll be full of determination, and I believe that will be enough to carry them through.

Harlequins vs. London Irish, 5.30pm Saturday

Later on Saturday, attention will turn to the Stoop—and the London derby between two of this season’s outstanding teams.

Players such as Nick Easter, Nick Kennedy and Delon Armitage may be looking to prove a point about their omission from the Lions squad, and this game should be a cracker.

Quins are marginal favourites going into the game, and after their heroic efforts against Leinster that brought them so close to the semis, the Irish defence will be concerned. With Danny Care and Nick Evans forming a lethal partnership, and the back row in impressive form, they’ll look to take control of the game from the outset.

Irish will be targeting the lineout as one of the key battle areas in an effort to starve Evans of possession. If their pack can gain the upper hand, they can certainly give Quins a run for their money by unleashing Seilala Mapusua and Armitage in the backs.

I’m predicting a Leicester versus Harlequins final next week, but the margins will be tight and the games should be enthralling.

What do you think? Could it be Bath v London Irish?

Player Profile: Paul O'Connell

James Hutchison — Wed, 06 May 2009 04:06:31 -0400

A Heineken Cup winning captain, a Lion, a proud Munsterman, a proud Irishman, a Grand Slam winner, and now captain of the British and Irish Lions—Paul O’Connell is at the top of his game. He has a rugby CV to rival anyone in the game at the moment, but can he add a winning Lions tour to the list?

Height: 6′ 6′

Weight: 111kg

Date of Birth: Oct. 20, 1979

Birthplace: Limerick, Ireland

Right up there as one of the best second rows in the world, O’Connell is an undeniable force, possessing both skill and leadership.

He scored a try on his Ireland debut against Wales in February 2002, in what was Eddie O’Sullivan’s first game as leader.

O’Connell became a permanent fixture in the Irish side the following year, starting all five games at the World Cup. He has been virtually ever-present since then, taking his caps tally to 44 with six tries, including the last ever test try at the old Lansdowne Road, which he dotted down against the Pacific Islanders.

He made his breakthrough at the 2003 World Cup, impressing in all five of Ireland’s games. He played on the same Ireland Schools side as Gordon D’Arcy and played in five consecutive games for the Irish Under-21s with Donncha O’Callaghan as his second row partner. It was a partnership that has blossomed for Munster, Ireland, and the Lions.

O’Connell is not just a European phenomenon. He was the only European player to be nominated for the IRB World Player of the Year award in 2006. He was voted the Guinness Rugby Writers’ Player of the Year in 2006, and, during the 2005-06 campaign, was also named as the IRUPA Player of the Year, the Munster Rugby Supporters Club Player of the Year, and the Irish Rugby Supporters Club Player of the Year.

O’Connell stepped into the Captain’s role in 2007 to lead Ireland out for the historic first game against France in Croke Park when Brian O’Driscoll was injured. He featured in every game in the 2007 Rugby World Cup but injury limited him to only three games in the 2008 RBS Six Nations.

It was in the 2009 Six Nations that O’Connell cemented his legend amongst the rugby fraternity. The appointment of Declan Kidney as Ireland coach led many to believe that the former Munster boss would instantly switch the Ireland captaincy from the beleaguered and off-form O’Driscoll to the talismanic O’Connell. However, despite these clamourings, Kidney stuck firmly with O’Driscoll.

The calibre of O’Connell and the respect that he holds amongst the Ireland team was shown when he lifted the Triple Crown trophy at the Millennium Stadium after the Grand Slam winning game against Wales.

However, despite the stellar CV and the unquestionable leadership abilities, O’Connell has not enjoyed an entirely easy ride during his international career. Panned by critics for his lacklustre performances for the Lions in 2005, and for a series of off games during the 2007 World Cup, O’Connell has answered the critics with his performances. And he was back to his best in the 2009 Six Nations Grand Slam winning campaign, particularly in the decider against Wales.

O’Connell now has the opportunity to put his name among the greatest Lions of all time by leading his men to a series win in South Africa and the whole of Britain and Ireland will be behind him.

Quinlan Has Himself to Blame for Putting Lions Place in Jeopardy

James Hutchison — Tue, 05 May 2009 04:40:52 -0400

Alan Quinlan’s summer tour to South Africa is in danger after being cited for allegedly eye-gouging Leinster captain Leo Cullen at Croke Park during the Heineken cup semi-final on Sunday.

Quinlan has been asked to appear in front of an ERC discipline panel after the independent citing commissioner, John Byett, decided the incident warranted further investigation.

If found guilty, Quinlan could receive a 12-week minimum suspension, which would rule him out of the British and Irish Lions tour which commences on May 30th. Previous eye-gouging cases include Rory best who received a 17-week ban and Dylan Hartley (26 weeks).

Quinlan was a surprise inclusion in the Lions squad over Tom Croft and Welsh skipper Ryan Jones. He was chosen for his style and character on and off the field, but his presence in this year’s tour is now out of his control after a moment of madness.

A ban would force Lions Coach Ian McGeechan to make a second change to his squad after O’Leary was ruled out last week. If Stuart Barnes had anything to do with it, Tom Croft would surely get the call up, and some might argue that Quinlan has let himself down, but has done a favour to the Lions.

What do you think?

By Callum Sheppard

Reflections on an epic European weekend

James Hutchison — Mon, 04 May 2009 05:46:31 -0400

With the Heienken Cup stage set for the final in Edinburgh. we look back at an incredible weekend of rugby that saw Leinster and Leicester progress.

At Croke Park on Saturday, Leinster produced a miracle performance to achieve the impossible and defeat title favourites Munster by 25 - 6.

The game was won at the breakdown, where Leinster’s back row of Rocky Elsom, and Jamie Heaslip forced several turnovers, which is usually a rare feat against the European giants Munster. Their own back row of Alan Quinlan, David Wallace and Denis Leamy usually dominate this area of the game, and have been responsible for much of Munster’s success, but on Saturday it was Leinster that came out on top.

The side showed similar defensive resolve to that which we saw against Harlequins last month, and kept their line intact whilst they scored three tries of their own through Gordon D’Arcy, Luke Fitzgerald and Brian O’Driscoll.

Paul O’Connell was magnificent in the lineout for Munster, so there is little to read into the ‘battle of potential Lions captains’, but there may well be some grim news for Ian McGeechan.

Quinlan was caught on camera apparently gouging Leinster’s captain Leo Cullen - he may be cited, and if so, would probably receive a ban ruling him out of the tour to South Africa. We’ll keep you posted if this situation develops.

Leinster were joined in the final by Leicester after an unbelievable penalty shootout at the end of their game with Cardiff Blues.

Having led 26 - 12 with less than ten minutes remaining, Cardiff scored two quick tries through Jamie Roberts and Tom James with unlikely conversions by Ben Blair, and the scores were levelled at 26 - 26. Extra time could not separate the sides, and the penalty shootout was tantalising and horrific at the same time.

With no goalkeeper as there is in football, it was always going to end in misery for at least one player. The regular kickers stepped up and slotted it from in front of the posts without any trouble, so it was left to the part-time kickers such as Craig Newby, Martin Williams and Jordan Crane to seal the fate of their team.

Unfortunately for Cardiff hero Williams, he shanked his kick to the left and allowed Crane to steal the glory and ensure Leicester’s Heineken Cup survival. Richard Cockerill was sheepish afterwards about the tellings-off at every training session when he sees forwards practising their place kicking.

There is likely to be some debate over whether the penalty shootout in rugby is the fairest way to decide a game after Extra Time, but it’s difficult to think of an alternative. A toss of the coin would probably be more humane by not creating a villain, but it certainly wouldn’t have the drama that we saw yesterday.

Elsewhere, in the European Challenge Cup, Bourgoin beat Worcester and Northampton defeated Saracens to reach the final.

Tickets for both the Heineken Cup and European Challenge Cup finals are available on viagogo at very good prices.

Thrilling climax as Leicester reach the final after penalty shootout

James Hutchison — Sun, 03 May 2009 12:28:51 -0400

The second Heineken Cup semi-final has just seen a penalty shootout to decide the winner and the team that will face Leinster in the final in Edinburgh.

Leicester had been leading by 26 points to 12, but two tries in as many minutes brought the scores level. Twenty minutes of agonising extra time ensued, but still the sides could not be separated.

It was the first time I’d ever seen a game decided by such means, and it was agonising. Hearts were in mouths, bums on the edges of seats and nobody knew quite what to make of it. The only certainty was that the game would end in misery for one side, and one individual in particular.

When Martyn Williams shanked his kick to the left of the uprights, everyone felt for him, but when Jordan Crane slotted the winning goal, the game finally ended and the Tigers went through.

Unbelievable scenes and an incredible occasion. What did you make of the game and the shootout?

Leinster Knock Out Champions Munster

James Hutchison — Sun, 03 May 2009 06:25:23 -0400

Against all the odds, Leinster pulled out a magnificent, comprehensive performance to deny Munster another final appearance and another Heineken Cup title.

Brian O’Driscoll said before the game that he was jealous of Munster, that he wanted to be a European champion, and on this evidence, he may well be come the end of this month.

The Dublin side dominated the breakdown, which is where matches are so often won these days, and beat Munster at their own game.

When O’Driscoll intercepted a pass from Ronan O’Gara and dived over underneath the posts, the game was won and Munster were out. There was no way back.

I could not imagine anyone’s name on the trophy besides Munster’s, and Leinster were so incredible that now I can’t see anyone beating them.

Cardiff take on Leicester this afternoon in the other semi, and fingers are crossed that the game will be half as good as what we saw at Croke Park yesterday.

Heineken Cup semi-final previews

James Hutchison — Fri, 01 May 2009 05:30:56 -0400

This is one of my favourite weekends in the rugby, and the entire sporting, calendar: the Heineken Cup semi-finals, as a long European season boils down to one opportunity to play for the top prize.

All those away trips to far-flung places on cold winter nights, the pain, the injuries, the surprising victories, the desperate defeats - from all of that, just four teams remain, but lose in the semi-final stage and no-one will remember that you had a good season in the Heineken Cup.

Qualify for the final, and you’ll play on the big stage and will last longer in the memory even if you are the runner-up. Many players have said that defeat at the semi-final stage is the worst way to go out, and Munster, Leinster, Cardiff and Leicester will be desperate to make that final.

Munster v Leinster, Saturday, 5.30pm

The Dubliners face the unenvious task of a winner-takes-all showdown with Munster, the in-form team, reigning European Champions and hot favourites to lift the title (Leinster are available at 4.4 on Betfair to win this match).

It’s difficult to see anything but a Munster win following their impressive showing against the Ospreys, and although the game is at the fairly neutral venue of Croke Park, Leinster will need to conjure some magic to proceed to the final in Edinburgh.

The underdogs will be somewhat encouraged by their heroic defensive efforts at the Stoop in the quarter-finals, where they denied Harlequins from crossing their line for so long to emerge one-point victors.

Munster offer a different threat though, and I predict that they’ll continue their unrelenting march to the final in Edinburgh.

Cardiff Blues v Leicester, Sunday, 15:00

Cardiff Blues also go into their semi-final off the back of a big win over a top team, after their thrashing of Gloucester to win the EDF Energy Cup. The Welsh outfit have arguably been the team of the Heineken Cup this season, and they continue to overshadow The Ospreys as the most successful welsh region.

This game has the makings of a classic, with Leicester also performing impressively over the last month or so. They go into the game as slight underdogs, and the Millennium Stadium is by no means a welcoming venue for an English side.

My money is on Cardiff (1.79 on Betfair) to make it an all-Magners League final, and just to ensure that half of the Lions touring party are playing a huge fixture the day before they leave!

Have a great weekend and enjoy the games.

Guinness Premiership Final Table

James Hutchison — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 03:45:39 -0400

The final weekend of the Guinness Premiership season came to a close without any of the shock results we have become accustomed to.

The four teams that ended up in the playoff places were the most deserving, having managed their squads through two international windows and maintained their definitive styles of play throughout.

Leicester ended up at the top of the tree with a performance of great dominance against a Bristol side who had finally given up the ghost. Leicester scored 11 tries, shared out between the backs and the forwards to give the squad the impetus to move onto their crunch matches against Cardiff in the Heineken Cup and Bath, (again!), in the Premiership semifinals. Leicester won the match 73 – 3 which must have been a very upsetting way for the Bristol players to bow out of their season.

Bristol will try to bounce back into the Premiership without the services of Lemi, Perry, Ward-Smith, and Regan but they will hope that the talents of players such as Robinson and the Arscott brothers will help them top the re-branded championship next season.

Harlequins secured a home semifinal with a blistering start to their match at The Stoop against Newcastle. Harlequins secured the bonus point that ensured their second-placed finish within the first half hour of the match.

That they then relaxed and failed to put Newcastle to the sword will not worry Dean Richards as they prepare for their clash against London Irish in a fortnight. Quins won this one 31-12 but if they are to win the title this season they will hope one of their experienced fly-halves, Evans or Malone, will return to fitness in time.

London Irish overcame the potentially tricky banana skin of an away fixture against a buoyant Worcester by securing a bonus point victory and ensuring they avoided Leicester in the semifinals.

Worcester were no pushover and at half-time Irish appeared a bit nervy going in at 10-10. Class told in the end with the London team taking the spoils 32-15. While home advantage will ensure Quins are favourites for the semi, Irish are capable of pulling off an upset and the match should be a high-scoring, exciting affair.

Bath’s home victory against Saracens was by no means a walk in the park, especially after Chris Wyles scored the fastest try in the Premiership this season with only 26 seconds on the clock. Saracens ensured the game was a bruising encounter but in the end their three yellow cards proved to be their undoing as they lost momentum and the match by 33–18.

Bath will go into their semi against Leicester as underdogs but will fancy their chances having missed out so narrowly in the Heineken Cup quarterfinals. Having a weekend off will also help them to recover from their aches and pains in the knowledge that Leicester will have to contend with a Cardiff team boasting bruisers of their own in Jamie Roberts and Xavier Rush.

Sale knew their ability to get into the playoffs wasn’t in their hands but they did all they could on the final day of their season, securing a bonus point victory at home to Northampton, 24–10.

The season will be a disappointment for Sale but they are ensured of their Heineken Cup spot next season and will need to rebuild a squad coming to the end of its lifespan, with the departures of Chabal, Fernandez Lobbe, McAlister, and others.

Northampton will be satisfied with their first season back in the top flight and still have a cup to fight for with the European Challenge Cup semifinals this weekend.

Wasps put the final nail in Gloucester’s coffin with a resounding victory to end their season on a high, 34–3. The bonus point win means Wasps ended up in seventh place and their fans will be rooting for a Bourgoin win in the Challenge Cup, ensuring their participation in the Heineken Cup next season.

Gloucester, for all their early season promise, ended in sixth place and are set to rip apart their squad and start again. Olly Barkley and Iain Balshaw are the first high profile names to jump ship, Barkley scurrying back to the safe haven of Bath after a season of unfulfilled promise at Kingsholm and Balshaw chasing the Euros at Biarritz.

The season has been full of fantastic matches and, whilst most pundits would envisage Leicester taking the title come May 16, I wouldn’t be surprised if there are a couple more twists yet to come in this campaign.

Injuries on Lions Tours

James Hutchison — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 04:52:04 -0400

Tomas O’Leary’s misfortune started us thinking here at The Rugby Blog about the importance of injuries in the fortunes of the British and Irish Lions.

Every man and his dog has selected their ideal Test XV, and it has been alluded to by some that the likelihood of anyone predicting the exact lineup is so slim, simply because it is almost inevitable that some players will miss out through injury.

The 2009 squad has already been affected by O’Leary’s leg problem, and arguably by the injuries to Gavin Henson and Jonny Wilkinson, both of whom could well have featured. So which players could we not live without?

In 2005, Lawrence Dallaglio saw just 20 minutes of action before hobbling home with a knee injury, and Brian O’Driscoll was bundled out of the first Test within minutes and played no further part—two collossal figures in any team, and a severe blow to any slim hopes Woodward’s Lions had of winning the series. It also didn’t help that Richard Hill and Tom Shanklin also played no further part after that first Test.

In 2001, Rob Howley, Dan Luger, Mike Catt, Simon Taylor and Lawrence Dallaglio featured on the injury list, and whilst the result was closer, there was another series defeat for the Lions.

In 1997, injuries were less of an issue, although tears were in the eyes of everyone watching as Doddy Weir was sent home after an horrific kick in the knee. We shouldn’t forget that Will Greenwood nearly died, but generally, injuries played a smaller part and the Lions were victorious.

Stu Peel can probably fill us on in every other injury from 1888 onwards, but it’s clear to me that injuries could make or break the tour.

Paul O’Connell and Brian O’Driscoll stand out for me as the two we’d least like to wave off on the plane midway through the tour, but who else can we not win without?

Let us know what you think.

Guinness Premiership: The Final Round

James Hutchison — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 08:25:20 -0400

Tomorrow afternoon sees the climax of the regular Guinness Premiership season, and there is still plenty to play for in most corners of the country.

Ten teams remain in reach of one goal or another, with six still able to qualify for the semi-finals, and four other teams eyeing a spot in next year’s Heineken Cup.

Bath take on Saracens at The Rec and need two points to guarantee their place in the top four, but they’ll be looking for maximum return to clinch a home tie.

Sarries sit in ninth place, and although they still have an outside chance of claiming the seventh Heineken Cup place, I’m backing Bath to win this one.

Harlequins host Newcastle whilst also chasing a bonus-point win and a home semi-final. Dean Richards’ side will be looking for a strong finish after an impressive season, and whilst Newcastle could also qualify for the Heineken Cup, I’m picking a Home win for this one as well.

Leicester have already qualified for the playoffs and are assured of a home tie. They welcome Bristol to Welford Road and are the only two teams which have nothing at stake. The Tigers are likely to rest key personnel ahead of their Heineken Cup semifinal, and although Bristol will put up a fight, I can’t see anything but a Leicester victory as they look to build momentum going into the knockout stages.

Gloucester travel to Wasps after their miserable performance during the week, and the mood in the camp does not sound positive. Dean Ryan has told everyone how rubbish all of his players are, and everyone has told Ryan that he has been responsible for recruiting the squad. Changes are afoot at Kingsholm, and I would think this performance will be the last damp squib of the Ryan era. Wasps to win.

Sale take on Northampton at Edgeley Park with a chance of sneaking into the top four if other results go their way. They are likely to pull out all the stops in chasing a bonus-point win, and were so impressive against Quins last week that I’m backing them to win again. Even though it’s not a Friday night, Sale are very difficult to beat at home.

Finally, London Irish face a tough trip to Sixways where Worcester await. Their hosts will be unable to alter their place in the Premiership table, and so are likely to focus on the European Challenge Cup next weekend as a route into next year’s Heineken Cup. Irish will be desperate to make the semis after leading the way for most of the season, and I think they’ll do it.

Here are my SuperBru predictions for the final round:

Game 127: Bath v Saracens: Bath by 14
Game 128: Harlequins v Newcastle Falcons: Harlequins by 16
Game 129: Leicester Tigers v Bristol: Leicester Tigers by 8
Game 130: London Wasps v Gloucester Rugby: London Wasps by 12
Game 131: Sale Sharks v Northampton Saints: Sale Sharks by 13
Game 132: Worcester Warriors v London Irish: London Irish by 14

Super 14 Rugby Picks: Round 11

James Hutchison — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 11:22:09 -0400

Round 11 already?

We’re into the final few rounds of this year’s Super14 content, and with four weeks to go, ten teams could still make the four playoff spots.

The game of the round is the last fixture, where first plays third, but given the home advantage that seems to be exaggerated in the Super 14 as the teams make long-haul trips, I’ve picked a Bulls victory.

Apart from the Cheetahs-Crusaders game, I’ve gone for a clean sweep of Home wins.

Here are my predictions for this week:

Game 65: Highlanders v Stormers: Highlanders by 23
Game 66: Force v Lions: Force by 14
Game 67: Blues v Reds: Blues by 16
Game 68: Hurricanes v Brumbies: Hurricanes by 11
Game 69: Cheetahs v Crusaders: Crusaders by 12
Game 70: Bulls v Chiefs: Bulls by 6

Guinness Premiership Report: April 22, 2009

James Hutchison — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 10:31:10 -0400

The topsy-turvy nature of the Premiership was again in evidence last weekend, as teams jostled for European places and playoffs—knowing that matches are running out.

The head-of-steam Harlequins looked to be building turned into a fog on Friday night as they were out-played and out-muscled by a Sale team already in last-chance saloon.

Harlequins sorely missed Nick Evans and Chris Malone, as they attempted to play most of the second half with two scrum halves, Gomarsall and Care, at nine and ten.

Sale were able to take control of the game and ease away from Quins, scoring their bonus point fourth try late in the day through Richard Wigglesworth to take it 28-6.

Harlequins retain a good shout for a home semi-final as a result of London Irish’s loss, away to Northampton, by 21–17. Northampton started the better side, but it was Irish who struck first, with Tagicakibau scooping up a loose pass and racing all the way to the line from within his own 22.

Northampton regrouped and produced some excellent rugby to score two tries and go into the break 21–8 ahead. Irish came back strongly in the second half, but ultimately were unable to breach the gap.

The win keeps Saints in prime position to secure seventh in the league and a Heineken Cup spot next season, while Irish need one more win to guarantee a playoff. Both Saints and Irish face tricky away fixtures against Sale and Worcester, respectively, to finish their seasons where they want to be.

After their epic Heineken Cup match last weekend, it was perhaps no surprise that both Leicester and Bath struggled to uninspiring away victories against Saracens and Newcastle, respectively.

Vesty again proved his worth to Leicester with a late penalty to take the win, Glen Jackson having hit the post moments earlier for Saracens—the match ending 16–13. The win sees Leicester as the only club to secure their playoff place going into the final round of matches. A losing bonus point will be enough next week to guarantee a home semi-final.

Newcastle raced into an early lead against Bath, playing rugby that confounded their league position, with tries from Danny Williams and Micky Young. The Newcastle scrum-half was at the centre of everything good about their play—and it’s no coincidence that his substitution coincided with Bath gaining ascendancy in the second half.

Butch James had another disastrous day with the boot, missing numerous kicks at goal. This meant Bath had to revert to tap penalties and kicks for the corner. James was replaced by Bradley Davis and although he was for the most part equally abject with the boot, Bath’s pressure told and they managed to come back to take it 15–14.

On Sunday, London Wasps finally managed a decent performance—no mean feat against a Bristol team with pride on the line in their final Premiership home fixture.

The halfback pairing of Joe Simpson and Danny Cipriani gave Wasps fans two reasons to be hopeful for next season with excellent performances—in particular the lightning-quick scrum half who scored another wonder solo-try. Bristol ended the match with two consolation tries, but Wasps took it 36–18.

Following on from Gloucester’s abject performance in the EDF Cup Final on Saturday, the Shed faithful must have thought things couldn’t get much worse.

Well, they could. Worcester strolled into Kingsholm on Tuesday night, battled it out round the fringes, exposed Gloucester’s soft underbelly yet again and took the spoils 13–6.

If Dean Ryan thought his stinging criticism following the Cup defeat would galvanise his troops he was mistaken. It looks likely now that Gloucester will miss the play-offs and end the season trophy-less. It will be very interesting to see how the club reacts and who will make the grade for next season from both the playing and coaching staff.

The beauty of the Premiership is again evident in the final week of the season, with every team bar the bottom two left with something to play for. Leicester can afford to rest their first team against Bristol at the weekend in preparation for the Heineken Cup and playoffs.

But all the other hopefuls will be going at it hammer and tongs in what should be a cracking end to the regular season.

British and Irish Lions Fixtures 2009

James Hutchison — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 04:00:10 -0400

Here is the fixture list for the British and Irish Lions Tour to South Africa in 2009.

You can also add the fixtures to your Microsoft Outlook calendar by right clicking here, and saving the file to your desktop. Open the file from your desktop, check the box and the fixtures will appear in your calendar.

Feel free to send the file to your friends and family, so that they know when you will be unavailable.

May 30:
Highveld XV—Lions (1400 BST, 1500 local time)
Royal Bafokeng, Rustenburg

June 3:
Golden Lions—Lions (1810 BST, 1910 local time)
Ellis Park, Johannesburg

June 6:
Free State Cheetahs—Lions (1400 BST, 1500 local time)
Vodacom Park, Bloemfontein

June 10:
Sharks—Lions (1810 BST, 1910 local time)
ABSA Park, Durban

13 June:
Western Province—Lions (1400 BST, 1500 local time)
Newlands, Cape Town

June 16:
Coastal XV—Lions (1400 BST, 1500 local time)
Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Port Elizabeth

June 20:
South Africa—Lions (first test) (1400 BST, 1500 local time)
ABSA Park, Durban

June 23:
Emerging Springboks—Lions (1810 BST, 1910 local time)
Newlands, Cape Town

June 27:
South Africa—Lions (second test) (1400 BST, 1500 local time)
Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria

July 4:
South Africa—Lions (third test) (1400 BST, 1500 local time)
Ellis Park, Johannesburg

Lions Squad Announcement: The Excitement Builds

James Hutchison — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 04:23:09 -0400

I could barely sleep last night with excitement about the announcement of the British and Irish Lions squad, which takes place today at 1.30pm.

We’ll report the full squad here as soon as it’s announced, and although it will end months of speculation, a new debate will surely begin.

Paul O’Connell looks set to be named as tour captain, which isn’t a huge surprise, but there are bound to be some raised eyebrows at who is and isn’t selected today.

Amongst the high-profile names that could miss out are Jonny Wilkinson (obviously), Danny Cipriani, Ryan Jones, Steve Borthwick and James Haskell—although two of these players play for Wasps and may well travel.

There have also been a few suggestions for the ‘left-field’ choices such as Tom May, who has been in outstanding form at Newcastle.

Who else do you think might be an unexpected choice? Will Cipriani don the Lions jersey?

McGeechan Faces up to the Brutal Task of Choosing His Lions

James Hutchison — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 11:24:13 -0400

D-day is approaching and tomorrow we will know the identities of the 36 men charged with repeating the trick of 12 years ago and turning over the world champion Springboks.

Players will be disappointed and some may be a little angry. Some supporters will be miffed that their particular favourite has not made the cut or that a borderline call has gone against the man from their country.

But once selection is done with, all rugby people in Great Britain and Ireland will join together to get behind their men. A team who will only be together for five weeks but could complete a historic achievement to echo down the ages.

Ian McGeechan is the man with the final say, so what will be going through his mind as he puts the finishing touches to his party. It is far from simply picking the best players. He also needs to judge that greatest but most important of unpredictables, who will be a ‘good tourist’ however that is defined.

Most important though is the balance of the squad, and it is for this purpose that I would suggest that McGeechan already has in mind the key components of his test side. It surely makes sense for the squad to be based around those central players and the rest of the players picked accordingly depending on whether they will blend, will be a like-for-like equivalent, or can add something different.

This point is most clearly demonstrated in the selection of the fly halves. It is likely that McGeechan will have in mind the identity of the man to whom he wants to hand the shirt on 20 June in Pretoria. This could well be Stephen Jones, a similar player to Ronan O’Gara in that he is organized and un-fancy, but without the Irishman’s limitations when it comes to launching a backline.

When selecting his other 10s, he needs to decide whether he wants someone the introduction of whom would have no impact on the way the team plays; whether he wants the option to play a different, quicker game; or does he gamble with someone who may be suited to the South African conditions and can produce some magic without possessing the solidity and reliability of a classical 10?

O’Gara would be the man to step in seamlessly should some misfortune befall Jones, be it injury or loss of form. James Hook is more of a threat and has more tools in his box but is less of an organizer, Danny Cipriani the young bolter who can conjure up some magic.

McGeechan must decide whether he would want O’Gara on the bench as a straight back up or a game-changer such as Hook or Cipriani. If the latter is the case, is there really any point in taking O’Gara who could always be flown out were Jones to get injured?

Perhaps O’Gara’s role would be in the midweek team who McGeechan would ideally want playing the same brand of rugby as the main side. A team run by Hook would be very different to one run by Jones and O’Gara and a player moving between the two would have to adapt quickly. Better to have two similar teams with similar 10s and a game-changer who can come off the bench as and when necessary.

Debates such as these apply to all sorts of positions. The selection of the back five of the pack will be a particular area of interest as there are so many decent options but the absolute key is selecting the right balance to take on a South African unit which is pretty much as good as any we have seen.

Here too I would imagine that McGeechan has in mind who would be his ideal back row for the tests. He correctly says that each player will have a chance if he is in good form but he will certainly already have preferences.

All in all it is an unenviable task confronting McGeechan and his coaching team but he has shown before that he is a man who can achieve the right blend. Many will criticise and pick over the decisions that could have gone the other way. But McGeechan is the only man who matters and we must wish him all the best, now and over the course of the next three titanic months.

By Stuart Peel

Cardiff Rules England and Wales After EDF Energy Cup Victory

James Hutchison — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 04:18:16 -0400

Cardiff Blues produced a comprehensive display at Twickenham on Saturday to outplay Gloucester and confirm their status at the top of the Anglo-Welsh tree, and the ramifications could be wider than you think.

The 50-12 victory over Gloucester was so convincing that the result was never in doubt, dominating in every area of the game, from the set-piece to the more creative attack.

The title of Anglo-Welsh champions is not necessarily as grand as it sounds, given the disdain with which some teams treat this competition. This title is not the most coveted piece of silverware, but in my opinion, that does not mask the fact that Cardiff is currently the outstanding team in all of England and Wales.

Gloucester, on the other hand, will be licking their wounds and considering their demise from the top of the rugby tree. Dean Ryan has said that they’ll be making some changes at the club, and you have to wonder whether one of those changes will be a new coach.

In another part of the UK, Leicester will be watching the video with some concern ahead of their Heineken Cup semifinal, and on this evidence, I don’t fancy their chances. There was discussion last week that Cardiff had outshone the Ospreys as Wales’ best performing team, and the nature of their EDF Energy Cup triumph and the likelihood of reaching the European final must confirm their position.

The carrot of this week’s Lions squad selection may also have played on the minds of players such as Martyn Williams, Leigh Halfpenny, and Tom Shanklin, all of whom made a convincing case to Ian McGeechan for their selection.

There is also a chance that the EDF Energy Cup administrators may have changed their mind about an overhaul of the competition for next season. There have been suggestions that the cup will not exist next year, but although there should be significant changes to the format, it seems likely that a version of the Cup will be played in one way or another.

So congratulations to Cardiff as we look forward to the effect that that match will have on events over the next few weeks, starting with the Lions selection tomorrow which I am ridiculously excited about.

The Rugby Blog Caption Competition IV

James Hutchison — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 03:30:32 -0400

Another week, another Caption Competition and prizes to be won here on The Rugby Blog.

Up for grabs this time is a trendy top from rugby fashion brand Front Up, and they are even being generous enough to offer a t-shirt for the second- and third-placed entries.

To enter, leave us your hysterical caption that might go alongside the image above. Then head over to Front Up to check out the sort of thing you might be lucky enough to win.

One entry is allowed per person, and the winners will be chosen by our sponsors when the competition closes on Friday 24, April. Winners will then be notified by email and you will be contacted by Front Up.

British Lions Selection for April

James Hutchison — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 05:20:54 -0400

With less than one week to go until Ian McGeechan names the squad that he’ll be taking to South Africa, here is my latest view on the Test team.

Following the 69 comments on the March selection, I have pored over your suggestions and updated the team accordingly. Have a look at the video and let me know what you think.

There was vocal support for Adam Jones over both Euan Murray and Phil Vickery, owing to his mobility and contribution in the loose. I’ll need to bow to others’ knowledge of his scrummaging ability, since this will be key against the Lions.

Stephen Ferris has usurped James Haskell at blindside flanker to complete an all-Irish back row, and McGeechan has a history of maintaining key units that play together regularly, so this may well be the Test back row.

Dwayne Peel comes in at No. 9, which still appears to be a problem position with no outstanding candidates. Tomas O’Leary had a strong game for Munster, and the choice of scrum-half could depend on McGeechan’s preference at fly-half.

The other change sees Riki Flutey selected at 12 and is the solitary Englishman in the side (even though he’s a New Zealander soon to be playing in France). He finished strongly in the Six Nations, but I have a feeling that this could be another position where the Test berth goes to a player that impresses on the tour.

Let me know what you think of this selection. Who do you think will be missing out on the squad altogether?