London Welsh appeal hearing details

Posted on Mar 19, 2013

London Welsh’s appeal against this month’s Panel of Inquiry’s decision in respect of a breach of Premiership Regulations will be heard in London on Thursday, March 21.

The club appealed against the decision to deduct five league points and fine them £15,000, with a further five point deduction suspended until the end of the 2013-14 season, for fielding an ineligible player in 10 Aviva Premiership matches this season.

The appeal will be heard at 4pm on Thursday by an independent panel of Gareth Rees QC, Jim Sturman QC and Philip Evans at the offices of Sport Resolutions, 1 Salisbury Square, London EC4Y 8AE.

Ross poised to bring up century for London Welsh

Posted on Jan 29, 2013

A cricketer of some repute in his day, Gordon Ross will bring up a century of a different kind when he runs out for London Welsh against Harlequins at the Twickenham Stoop on Saturday in the LV= Cup.

The fly half, 34, has been enjoying an Indian summer of a season in the Aviva Premiership, racking up 124 points in 12 appearances and using all his experience and cunning to help the Exiles carve out four wins and occupy tenth in the table.

Saturday will be appearance number 100 for Ross in a London Welsh jersey in all competitions, with his previous 99 yielding 525 points.

“I knew I was coming up to 100 but I didn’t actually realise I was on 99 until this week,” said Ross. “I’m looking forward to Saturday now; I’ve really enjoyed my three and a half seasons here.

“I’ve seen a lot of changes at the club, both on and off the field, and the reward of getting promoted last season was outstanding.

“I’ve no plans to retire yet – the body’s feeling good. I’ve been lucky enough this season to be given the odd weekend off by Lyn [Jones – head coach] and the conditioning staff realise my age and they look after me a little bit.

“I’ve managed to keep relatively fit and healthy during my time at London Welsh and if that can continue, and I feel I can contribute on the pitch, then hopefully I can carry on for as long as both parties are happy.

“I’m not going to target 150 games – I’ll get to 100 first and then we’ll just take each game as it comes after that!”

Ross won 25 caps for Scotland, the last in 2006, and his playing career spanned Heriots FP, Edinburgh Reivers, Leeds Tykes, Castres and Saracens before arriving at Old Deer Park in 2009.

Ross has witnessed some remarkable changes in his time at the club, including the introduction of professionalism, administration and two losing Championship semi-final campaigns, before culminating in last season’s success and subsequent promotion.

“There have been massive changes over the last three and a half years that I’ve been here,” he said.

“There’s never a dull moment but in a way it brings the lads closer together, and it’s certainly worked in our favour in difficult circumstances both on and off the pitch. We’ve worked very hard as a group and we got our just rewards last season.”

Ross sat out London Welsh’s remaining two Amlin Challenge Cup games after picking up a knock on his calf against Harlequins in their Premiership meeting at the Kassam.

With the English champions having qualified for the Heineken Cup quarter-finals as top seeds and still on course for a possible treble, Ross is aware of the size of the challenge that awaits the Exiles at the Stoop on Saturday, especially as Welsh’s last visit to Quins saw them on the receiving end of a 40-3 defeat.

“It’s going to be a tough day for us but when we played them a couple of weeks ago at the Kassam we played some very good rugby in the second half. Our challenge this weekend is to do it from the word go and not after they’ve already scored 20-odd points,” he said.

“We’ve got to start well otherwise it’s going to be a long day at the office, as we’ve found out twice this season.

“We’ve not really competed in the first 20 minutes against them. The start is going to be massive for us and if we can compete it will hopefully make the afternoon a little bit easier than it was been the last two times.

“I’ve seen Harlequins play twice in the LV= Cup this season and they’ve got the same mentality no matter who they play. If it’s a dry ball and a nice firm pitch, which I imagine it will be at the Stoop, then they’ll try and keep the ball moving.”

Defeats to Exeter Chiefs and Gloucester in the LV= Cup have left the Exiles bottom of Pool 4, but the next two weekends of action are vital says Ross if the club are to hit the ground running for their trip to Welford Road on February 3, as the Premiership run in begins.

“The Amlin Cup gave an opportunity to guys coming back from injury and who’d joined the club recently. Hopefully over the next two weekends we’ll be nice and competitive and we’ll play some good rugby that will lead us back into the Premiership at Leicester.

“Every day in training we’re working on things to try and make sure we’re getting better. We’ve a huge month ahead of us in February and we’ve got to make sure we’re as competitive as possible, get a few wins together and try and pick off one or two of the teams above us.”

Blues select side for Saracens clash

Posted on Jan 25, 2013

Cardiff Blues return to LV=Cup action this weekend taking on Saracens in their new ground, Allianz Park.

Cardiff Blues are currently third in Pool 2 behind Worcester Warriors and Sale Sharks but ahead of Leicester Tigers. With teams in pool 1 playing those in pool 4 and teams in pool 2 take on teams in pool 3, round three sees the rest of the matches played on Saturday afternoon.

Sale Sharks play the Scarlets, Leicester Tigers play London Wasps and London Irish take on Worcester Warriors.

With Cardiff Blues having nine players in the Wales Six Nations squad Phil Davies has made a number of changes to the side that beat Sale Sharks in the Heineken Cup last Saturday.

Jason Tovey comes in at fullback, Owen Williams moves to the wing meaning there is a new centre partnership of Gavin Evans and Dafydd Hewitt. Harry Robinson remains on the other wing but there is a new halfback partnership with Ceri Sweeney linking up with Lewis Jones.

There is almost a totally new pack with Sam Hobbs the only player from the starting line up from last Saturday’s match.

Cardiff Blues Director of Rugby, Phil Davies, said,

“The match against the Sale Sharks was a game we were able to field a full Welsh qualified team.”

“It shows that our Academy system is working well as it has done for a number of years.”

“It has produced some of the best players in Europe with the likes of Jamie Roberts, Alex Cuthbert and Leigh Halfpenny.”

“There is a new crop of youngsters who have come through which is fantastic and it’s exciting to see these young players develop, and they will have an opportunity to show what they can do on Sunday.”

Sunday 27 January, 3pm kick off, Allianz Park, London.

Saracens v Cardiff Blues (KO 3pm)

Cardiff Blues 15. Jason Tovey  14. Owen Williams  13. Gavin Evans (c)12. Dafydd Hewitt  11. Harry Robinson 10. Ceri Sweeney 9. Lewis Jones

8. Robin Copeland 7. Rory Watts-Jones  6. Luke Hamilton 5. Macauley Cook  4. Michael Paterson  3. Beniot Bourrust  2. Kristian Dacey 1. Sam Hobbs

16. Rhys Williams  17. Nathan Trevett  18. Taufa’ao Filise 19. Cory Hill 20. Thomas Young  21 Alex Walker  22. Gareth Davies  23. Tom Williams

Not available for selection:

Andi Kyriacou- Neck operation return in April

Dan Fish- Suffered shoulder nerve palsy in match against Zebre. Return late January

Tom James- Fractured sesamoid (big toe). Surgery to remove pin on Wednesday 5th December, return in late February.

LONG TERM

Jake Copper- Woolley- right knee ACL injury 4 months

Tom Davies- ACL knee reconstruction this week, 4 months

Shingler brothers unite as duo commit to new contracts at Parc y Scarlets

Posted on Jan 25, 2013

The Scarlets will welcome back talented 21-year-old fly-half Steven Shingler to West Wales rugby next season with older brother Welsh international Aaron Shingler also committing to a new three-year contract at Parc y Scarlets.

Uniting the two Shinglers at the Scarlets will be seen as a boost for the region, with both players in the prime of their rugby careers, with the younger of the two brothers having gained some valuable experience during his recent spell at London Irish.

Steven Shingler says he’s delighted to have the opportunity to return back to the Scarlets and play his rugby in Wales alongside brother Aaron at the home of West Wales rugby.

Steven has signed a three-year contract with the Scarlets starting next season, with his older brother Wales international lock Aaron, 26, committing to another three years of rugby at Parc y Scarlets.

Steven Shingler, who has appeared 39 times for London Irish to date said:  “Although I left the region, I’ve always remained a supporter and the Scarlets will always be a huge part of my life. You never lose that if you’ve grown up supporting Llanelli as a youngster – it’s a strong rugby family and one of most passionate rugby communities around.

“I’ve had some great experience from my time at London Irish and it’s been good for me to play in the intensity and physicality of the Premiership.

“During my time at London Irish, I’ve been lucky to work with and learn from some great people like Mike Catt who have pushed me forward and improved my game. My aim before leaving Llanelli was to get experience and plenty of rugby and I hope to achieve 50 appearances for London Irish and that can only be great experience for me going forward.”

“I am very grateful to have this opportunity to come back to Wales and back to what I consider my rugby home; playing for a region I feel so strongly about and that has such devoted supporters.

“I’ve been following the Scarlets performances throughout and there’s a very talented squad of players that I’m excited to be a part of. I look forward to working with the coaching set-up and I know from my brother how committed, close-knit and hard working the group at Parc y Scarlets is.”

A versatile back, Steven’s favoured position is fly-half but has also performed well at centre or full-back.  With an impressive kicking percentage of 83%, the ambitious fly-half has scored 122 points for the Exiles.

Shingler will receive a warm welcome home to West Wales after starting his rugby at Hendy, then moving to Llanelli RFC in 2009 – 2011 then to the senior Scarlets squad in 2010.  He caught the eye of London Irish after a getting his first taste of playing at Madejski Stadium in 2010 for the Scarlets in their LV=Cup win over London Irish when he scored 20 points.

The young back says the eligibility tug of war between Wales and Scotland for international senior selection was well behind him and he just wanted “to move on” and get into playing rugby in West Wales again.

With 14 appearances for the Wales U20, Shingler was a product of the Scarlets development pathway having played for Scarlets U18.

Aaron Shingler who has four Wales caps to date and 57 appearances for the Scarlets says he was looking forward to being reunited on the rugby field with his brother at Parc y Scarlets.

He said: “I am committed to the Scarlets and delighted to have secured an extension to my contract here at Parc y Scarlets for the next three seasons.  There’s a lot to come from our group and we know and believe as players we have the potential to achieve much more going forward.

“I’ve always enjoyed my rugby here and the chance it gives me to develop at international level as well. I’m grateful for the opportunities and support I have been given by the region in pushing forward my rugby career and want to give as much I can in the future.

“There’s a lot of hard work going into our rugby environment behind the scenes and all of our rugby group are committed professionals that want to achieve the very best for our region and our supporters.

Scarlets Head Coach Simon Easterby said:  “It’s important for our progression to have secured these two talented players from our region who will add real value to our squad going forward. Steven will fit into our Scarlets system very well as he’s grown up in our region – he’s a versatile and ambitious player who has broadened his horizons and benefited from the two seasons with London Irish.

“Aaron is a committed professional, his career is on the rise and it’s been good to see his quick progress at international level as well as with us at Parc Y Scarlets. He’s a strong, athletic and intelligent player and will be an important to us as a senior figure in our pack as he gains more experience at the top level of the game.

“There are more players that we’re looking to secure in contract next season and beyond and those decisions are based on building as much depth as possible and strengthening in the right areas of our squad as our resources allow.

“These discussions continue and when we’re in a position to announce any additional contract extensions or signings we of course will; but as always our responsibility is to ensure everything is in place for our players and internal rugby environment first before we confirm our contract arrangements publicly.”

Franck Montanella Re-Signs for London Welsh

Posted on Jan 8, 2013

Franck has been in outstanding form so far this season and has been a mainstay of the Club’s formidable scrum having played in 11 Premiership games since signing from Bourgoin in the summer, scoring two tries – against Gloucester and Wasps.

Recently named in the Aviva Premiership team of the season at the half way stage by Premiership Rugby, Frank was described as epitomising the club’s "warrior spirit", and has quickly established himself as a firm favourite with the London Welsh supporters.

Franck began his professional career at Narbonne and had two seasons with Stade Francais before joining Bourgoin for the 2011-12 season. He gained his only cap as a replacement when France played New Zealand at Eden Park on the summer tour of 2007.

‘I am very happy to sign for the next two seasons with London Welsh,’ said Franck. ‘I had other opportunities but I decided to stay as I share the same vision as head coach, Lyn Jones, – to secure the long term future for London Welsh in the Premiership – and I am 100% focused on that goal. I love the club, the spirit and the supporters; there is a real family feel. Right now I am happy and proud to be a Dragon!’

Commenting of Frank’s contract extension, Head Coach Lyn Jones said, "It could have proved a testing time for Franck adapting to English rugby, but he’s taken to the challenge and showed himself as a genuine Aviva standard player. We are delighted to extend his stay here as he will prove a good signing both on and off the field."