GRAND SLAMMERS TARGET JUDGEMENT DAY SUCCESS

Posted on Mar 25, 2013

When Scarlets centre Jonathan Davies and veteran Dragons lock Rob Sidoli clash at the Millennium Stadium next Saturday they will complete a circle of success which has brought FOUR Six Nations Championship titles to Wales in the last nine years.

The pair, who are set to feature in opposition in the opening match of the inaugural Rabo Direct Pro12 double-header at the Millennium Stadium, are at different stages of their rugby careers, but are inextricably linked by a unique piece of silverware.

The first title of the new Millennium, in 2005, saw then Blues second row Sidoli play every minute of the campaign which brought the international holy grail of a Grand Slam to Wales for the first time in 27 years.

Three Slams later, the latter of which gave Davies his first Six Nations winners medal in 2012, and the Scarlets centre is an integral part of the squad which, last weekend, ensured Wales retained their European title in back to back seasons for the first time in 34 yrs.

If it all started with Sidoli and company eight seasons ago, the class of 2013 have more than taken on the mantle and arguably eclipsed the much heralded achievements of Wales’ sides of the 70s.

But both players remain hungry for even more silverware and they agree that success at international level only enhances their Regional ambitions.

Davies is set to make his 100th appearance for the Scarlets at the home of Welsh international rugby this weekend and feels he has unfinished business with the side he supported as a child.

“I’ve grown up supporting the Scarlets and the players there are the ones you train with week in week out, so to get a taste of success with them would be particularly sweet,” said the 36-times capped Whitland product.

“I’ve spoken to the Ospreys players when we’ve been in camp with Wales, they’ve won this league more times than anyone and they say that winning silverware with your Region is pretty special.

“Success with the Scarlets is definitely something that is important for me, we have a great squad and winning with Wales just makes you all the more determined to reproduce that with your Region.

“We are all determined to put that right with a good run at the business end of the season to get us into the those play-offs and that means putting a performance together against the Dragons on Saturday.

“It will be strange to come back to the Millennium Stadium so soon after the incredible highs of winning the Championship here, but this is a special place.

“The atmosphere is always amazing and if the fans are anything like they were for the England game we should all be in for a real treat.”

Sidoli has himself made 96 appearances for the Dragons, he played 42-times for Wales and, after the career highlight in 05 which a 17-year-old Davies watched from the Millennium Stadium stands, last featured at international level in the 62-5 loss to England at Twickenham in 2007.

At 33 he has the edge in experience on the 26-year-old Davies, he knows all about how success at international level can inspire a region and he is looking forward to taking to the Millennium Stadium pitch again for the double-header this weekend.

“The Millennium Stadium is a special place for both the players and the fans and it’s a great concept to have these two derby matches here on the same day, the atmosphere will be amazing,” said Sidoli.

“We’ve seen how well this Welsh side has done and enjoyed watching them.  It lifts everyone mentally to see Wales do well and the players who have returned to train with the Region have really boosted us and I think we have a role to play in energising them as well.

“It can be draining to achieve success like they have done, certainly in 2005 it was the first time anyone had experienced that kind of success for a long time so we were on the ceiling for a good while afterwards.

“This squad has managed to sustain their success now so the next step is to reflect that in the regional game.

“This will be a big weekend for all four sides, just as we have been a bit of a thorn in the side for the Ospreys in recent times the Scarlets have probably been that for us.

“We know we can be a dangerous side but we have been inconsistent.  The challenge for us is to be consistently dangerous and put some performances together to be proud of during the season run in.

“The Millennium Stadium is a great stage to play on and it should inspire some great rugby this weekend, with us all hopefully picking up where the national team has left off.”

McBryde Looking Forward to Summer Tour

Posted on Mar 21, 2013

Fresh from witnessing Wales retain the RBS 6 Nations title, forwards coach Robin McBryde believes the success will breed new confidence in his side.

Wales lifted the RBS 6 Nations trophy for the fourth time in nine years on Saturday as they beat England 30-3 in a thrilling encounter at the Millennium Stadium. The victory meant Wales retained the title, winning it in back-to-back years, for the first time since 1979.

As he did back in 2009, McBryde will step up to lead Wales on their summer tour later this year and he will be in the stands at the Millennium Stadium on March 30 to run the rule over contenders for tour places as the Judgement Day encounters pit all four Welsh regions against each other. He believes the squad that heads to Japan will be brimming with confidence.

“The squad we take to Japan will head over there full of confidence and belief,” he said. “Players who played in the Championship will have the belief behind them but also players who maybe didn’t feature will be boosted as success breeds success. It was a very accomplished performance on Saturday.

“We spoke during the week that it was just another test match that we had to go out and win and that’s exactly what we did. We didn’t focus on the points difference or the advantage they went into the match with, we were focused on the 80 minutes in front of us.

“The side went out and started well, controlled the early exchanges and took us into the break with a small cushion. In the second half we stepped it up and showed the sort of performance we all knew we were capable of and it was a fantastic way to win the Championship.

“In was a huge day. The city and the stadium were packed and the crowd were at their best and it was great to put that sort of performance together to reward them. It was a very physical and I thought our defence and physically was fantastic. We were always on the front foot and the pack did really well at set piece and around the park and really gave us a really good platform.

“The squad worked extremely hard to retain the title. After the disappointment of the Ireland game to put themselves back in contention and to then go out and win the Championship was impressive and they deserved that reward.”

Wales head to Osaka and Tokyo on their two-test tour of Japan this summer and McBryde will announce his squad following the British and Irish Lions squad selection later this spring. The former Wales hooker is looking to blend experience and youth in his squad and believes it will be a valuable trip for less experienced Test players.

“For North America in 2009 we took a good mix of experience and youth and I’m sure that will be the case again this summer,” he added. “It’s a good chance to reward players with more international game time and give players the opportunity to play at this level.

“Back in ’09 we took boys like Sam Warburton, Jonathan Davies, Dan Biggar and Craig Mitchell with us and look at where they are now. It’s great to see how far they have come and what they have achieved since that tour.

“The Lions will obviously impact on selection but it will be taking experience out to Japan with us. We will also be looking to reward players who have performed for their regions week in and week out and who put their hand up towards the end of the season.

“There are some big games coming up and some very big head-to-heads on Judgement Day and it’s a chance for players to show us what they can do and to fight for their chance to play for Wales this summer.”

Ireland team to play Wales

Posted on Jan 29, 2013

The Ireland team to play Wales in the opening game of the RBS 6 Nations Championship next Saturday in the Millennium Stadium has been named.

In the backline, Gordon D’Arcy and Brian O’Driscoll will partner each other in the centre for a world record 48th time at international level.

Rob Kearney returns to international rugby and starts at full back to win his 42nd cap with Simon Zebo and Craig Gilroy named on the wings.

Second rows Mike McCarthy and Donnacha Ryan will start a championship game together for the first time, with McCarthy making his first start in the tournament having featured as a replacement last season.

Sean O’Brien returns to the starting team after missing the November internationals in a back row that includes Peter O’Mahony and Jamie Heaslip, who will captain Ireland in the RBS 6 Nations Championship for the first time.

The Ireland Team to play Wales on Saturday, 2nd February 2013 in Millennium Stadium, Cardiff in the RBS 6 Nations Championship, Kick off 1.30pm is:

(Player/club/province/international caps):

15 – Rob Kearney (UCD/Leinster/41)
14 – Craig Gilroy (Dungannon/Ulster/1)
13 – Brian O’Driscoll (UCD/Leinster/120)
12 – Gordon D’Arcy (Lansdowne/Leinster/71)
11 – Simon Zebo (Cork Constitution/Munster/3)
10 – Jonathan Sexton (St.Mary’s College/Leinster/34)
9 – Conor Murray (Garryowen/Munster/14)
1 – Cian Healy (Clontarf/Leinster/35)
2 – Rory Best (Banbridge/Ulster/62)
3 – Mike Ross (Clontarf/Leinster/24)
4 – Mike McCarthy (Buccaneers/Connacht/6)
5 – Donnacha Ryan (Shannon/Munster/23)
6 – Peter O’Mahony (Cork Constitution/Munster/9)
7 – Sean O’Brien (UCD/Leinster/22)
8 – Jamie Heaslip (Dublin University/Leinster/52) Captain

Replacements:
16 – Sean Cronin (St. Mary’s College/Leinster/23)
17 – David Kilcoyne (UL Bohemians/Munster/2)
18 – Declan Fitzpatrick (Dungannon/Ulster/2)
19 – Donncha O’Callaghan (Cork Constitution/Munster/91)
20 – Chris Henry (Malone/Ulster/4)
21 – Eoin Reddan (Lansdowne/Leinster/47)
22 – Ronan O’Gara (Cork Constitution/Munster/126)
23 – Keith Earls (Young Munster/Munster/34)

British & Irish Cup Round 6 preview

Posted on Jan 15, 2013

RFU Championship sides Bedford Blues, Cornish Pirates and Newcastle Falcons have all secured their place in the quarter-finals of the British & Irish Cup with one round of pool games to go.

A fifth straight bonus-point victory against Stirling means the Blues are certain of being one of the top four seeded teams in the last eight draw, guaranteeing them a home tie. The Pirates and Falcons only have to avoid defeat away to Carmarthen and Cross Keys respectively to enjoy the same advantage.

Like Bedford, who scraped home 24-21, Newcastle made heavy weather of beating Connacht at Kingston Park. The Falcons won 16-6 to maintain their winning run going into next weekend’s clash at Pandy Park. Meanwhile, a man-of-the-match display from Wes Davies helped the Pirates see off Dundee, 34-14.

One point from their match against Cardiff on Sunday will be enough to see Bristol join their Championship rivals as a seeded team in the quarter-final draw. Liam Middleton’s men are four points clear of Ulster, who they beat 12-8 in Belfast in Round 5, and they have a far better points tally (22) than the likely pool winners of Pools 5-8 inclusive.

Leinster A went a long way to securing top spot in Pool 5 with a 21-9 win over Pontypridd, their nearest rivals in the table. Leinster need to take a point from their final pool game against Leeds, which has been switched to the John Charles Sports Stadium, to maintain their interest in the competition.

Moseley’s stranglehold on Pool 6 continued after a win by the narrowest of margins at home to London Scottish. Again, one point will be enough for the Midlands side to go through at the expense of Llanelli, who they play in West Wales in their final pool game.

Pool 7 is Munster A’s to lose as they are currently four points clear of second-placed Rotherham Titans. Munster entertain Plymouth in the final fixture, while the Titans are at home to Aberavon.

Dave Jackson’s 100th try for Nottingham in Saturday’s 16-14 win away to Doncaster kept the Green & Whites’ slim hopes of a last eight place alive. Llandovery are the firm favourites to top the pool, though, after they beat Melrose 34-12 to stay five points clear. The two sides face each other at Meadow Lane on Saturday evening.

Friday January 18

Pool 7
Munster A v Plymouth Albion

Saturday January 19

Pool 1
Bridgend v Ulster Ravens, KO 14:00

Pool 2
Neath v Stirling, KO 14:00
Bedford Blues v Bedwas, KO 15:00

Pool 3
Carmarthen v Cornish Pirates, KO 14:00
Dundee v Swansea

Pool 4
Connacht Eagles v Newport
Cross Keys v Newcastle Falcons

Pool 5
Leeds Carnegie v Leinster A, KO 14:00
Pontypridd v Jersey, KO 14:00

Pool 6
Llanelli v Moseley, KO 14:30
London Scottish v Gala, KO 15:00

Pool 7
Rotherham Titans v Aberavon, KO 14:00

Pool 8
Melrose v Doncaster, KO 14:00
Nottingham v Llandovery, KO 20:00

Sunday January 20

Pool 1
Bristol v Cardiff, KO 15:00

Shaun Edwards ends association with London Irish

Posted on Jan 3, 2013

London Irish have confirmed that Shaun Edwards consultancy role with the club has ended.

Edwards will now concentrate on his commitments with the Welsh Rugby Union as it prepares for the fourth coming Six Nations Championship and the 2015 Rugby World Cup.

London Irish Director of Rugby, Brian Smith said: “I have always been a supporter of Shaun Edwards and that will not change. He is a world class defence coach and has put in place structures, strategies and techniques that we will take forward. I will step up on the defensive side for the remainder of this season. We would like to thank him for his efforts over the last six months and wish him well for the future.”