Archive for the ‘Rugby’ Category

Jimmy Gopperth sends the winning penalty kick skywards

Newcastle’s Jonny Golding celebrates at the final whistle

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Jimmy Gopperth grabbed a relegation lifeline for Newcastle with a nerve-tingling penalty as the Falcons beat Sale 22-19.

Gopperth’s 76th-minute strike saw Newcastle battle back from 19-12 down and cut the gap at the bottom of the Aviva Premiership between themselves and Wasps to just four points.

With Dean Richards, who takes over from Gary Gold as Falcons director of rugby next season, in the stands, the Falcons stretched their unbeaten home run to five games with a huge second half performance.

Sale scored three terrific first-half tries, but led only 19-12 at half-time after giving away a hatful of penalties which led to a warning from referee David Rose.

Perfect

Gopperth gave Newcastle the lead in the opening minute with a penalty but Sale then scored twice in the space of eight minutes, both tries sparked by searing breaks from scrum half Dwayne Peel.

The first ended with a beautifully-worked score in the corner from Johnny Leota after Sam Tuitupou’s wide run and perfectly-delivered pass, and the second try came after Peel stepped outside and then in to have Newcastle on the back foot and Nick Macleod’s clever crossfield kick opened the Falcons defence for James Gaskell to score in the other corner. Macleod converted for a 12-3 lead.

But Sale then conceded four penalties in six minutes and Gopperth kicked two, missed one and hit the post with the other for 12-9, before the Falcons fly-half missed Tuitupou who linked with Tom Brady for Rob Miller to run in Sale’s third and Macleod again converted.

Try denied

Newcastle thought they had scored with a big drive over the Sale line but it was ruled out by the fourth official, but Gopperth kicked his fourth penalty when Sale were penalised at the scrum.

Two minutes into the second half Macleod missed a penalty after failing with one just before the break, and it looked like proving costly, with Tim Swinson being driven over for Newcastle’s first try in the 53rd minute and Gopperth levelling the scores at 19-19 with the conversion.

Newcastle battered away and Gopperth missed a 68th-minute penalty and a had a drop goal attempt charged down before stepping up with four minutes left on the clock to strike his fifth penalty and clinch victory.

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Graham Rowntree (left), Stuart Lancaster (centre) and Andy Farrell (right)

The Rugby Football Union have opened discussions with Saracens over support staff for new England coach Stuart Lancaster, the Aviva Premiership club have announced.

Sarries first-team coach Andy Farrell was loaned to England to work under interim coach Stuart Lancaster during the RBS Six Nations.

The combination of Lancaster, Farrell and Graham Rowntree was a huge success, England unexpectedly finishing second in the tournament with four wins out of five.

Lancaster, appointed as England coach on a full-time basis on Thursday, is known to want Rowntree and Farrell as his permanent coaching assistants.

Rowntree is understood to be close to landing a long-term deal but Sarries are not keen to lose Farrell.

“Saracens and the RFU today started cordial and constructive discussions on the subject of support staff for newly appointed England coach Stuart Lancaster,” read a Saracens statement on March 30.

“The club will not provide a running commentary on this process and will make no further comment until the deliberations reach a conclusion. “

Gordon D’Arcy: Will make his 200th appearance for Leinster

Ronan O’Gara: Will captain Munster against Leinster

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Munster and Leinster have both made a host of changes as they welcome back their Ireland internationals for the top-of-the-table RaboDirect PRO12 clash at Thomond Park.

The hosts welcome back Keith Earls, Donncha O’Callaghan, Peter O’Mahony and Ronan O’Gara, who captains the side in the absence of Paul O’Connell.

One further change is made, with Marcus Horan preferred to Wian du Preez at loosehead prop, while Johne Murphy moves from outside centre to the right wing to make room for Earls.

O’Callaghan will be playing his 198th game for Munster cap and says that anticipation in the Munster camp is building ahead of the showdown.

“Absolutely. These are the games that everyone wants to be involved in. They’re what make the dark and dirty nights of winter training so worthwhile,” he said.

“And they’re great occasions. There’s always that bit of a bigger buzz ahead of the Leinster game.”

Massive

He added: “It’ll be a massive game for us. They’re the form side, a real good side and they’ll have all their big boys back so we’ll really have to produce something special if we’re to get anything out of this.”

O’Connell, Donnacha Ryan and Conor Murray are still sidelined through injury but all three could return for the next fixture against Ulster.

Gordon D’Arcy will become only the second player in Leinster history to reach the 200 cap landmark on Saturday, joining Shane Horgan in the prestigious club.

He will join Brian O’Driscoll in the centres, with the Ireland captain successfully coming through his first appearance of the season against the Ospreys last weekend.

Table-topping Leinster are able to bring back Rob Kearney at full-back, with Eoin Reddan and Jonathan Sexton teaming up at half-back.

Jamie Heaslip comes back in at No. 8 to captain the team with Shane Jennings and Kevin McLaughlin in an all-changed back row.

Devin Toner comes in for Leo Cullen at lock with Sean Cronin and Mike Ross being inserted into the front row. Cullen, Cian Healy and Sean O’Brien are named among the replacements.

Munster: 15 Felix Jones, 14 Johne Murphy, 13 Keith Earls, 12 Lifeimi Mafi, 11 Simon Zebo, 10 Ronan O’Gara (c), 9 Tomas O’Leary, 8 James Coughlan, 7 Peter O’Mahony, 6 Dave O’Callaghan, 5 Mick O’Driscoll, 4 Donncha O’Callaghan, 3 BJ Botha, 2 Damien Varley, 1 Marcus Horan.Replacements: 16 Mike Sherry, 17 Wian du Preez, 18 Stephen Archer, 19 Billy Holland, 20 Tom O’Donnell, 21 Duncan Williams, 22 Ian Keatley, 23 Danny Barnes.

Leinster: 15 Rob Kearney, 14 Isa Nacewa, 13 Brian O’Driscoll, 12 Gordon D’Arcy, 11 Luke Fitzgerald, 10 Jonathan Sexton, 9 Eoin Reddan, 8 Jamie Heaslip (c), 7 Shane Jennings, 6 Kevin McLaughlin, 5 Devin Toner, 4 Brad Thorn, 3 Mike Ross, 2 Sean Cronin, 1 Heinke van der Merwe.Replacements: 16 Richardt Strauss, 17 Cian Healy, 18 Jamie Hagan, 19 Leo Cullen, 20 Sean O’Brien, 21 Isaac Boss, 22 Ian Madigan, 23 Fergus McFadden.

Calum Clark: Northampton forward banned for 32 weeks

English rugby’s disciplinary chief insisted Northampton forward Calum Clark is “not a thug” after suspending him until November.

His Honour Judge Jeff Blackett, though, took a dim view of Clark’s actions during the LV= Cup final defeat against Leicester when he hyperextended Tigers hooker Rob Hawkins’ arm.

It left Hawkins with a broken elbow and requiring surgery, sidelining him for the rest of this season.

“He is not a thug and presented as a genuine young man who was prepared to, and accepted, responsibility for his actions and their consequences.”His Honour Judge Jeff Blackett Quotes of the week

Clark’s suspension of 32 weeks is among the longest handed out to a senior English player during rugby union’s 16-and-a-half-year professional era.

Remorse

And it has emerged in the hearing’s written judgement, which was released on Friday by the Rugby Football Union, that Clark said he played the rest of the final “in a fog” after realising what he had done.

“I realised what I had done – I put my hand to my mouth,” said Clark.

“I knew I was responsible, and played rest of game in a fog. After the game I was approached by their (Leicester’s) coach who made it clear what he thought. For me, the result of the game was insignificant.

“I am physical and aggressive, but always play within the laws of the game. It has been hard to deal with how others now think of me as a player.”

Clark sought out Hawkins after the final to apologise, but that was not well-received, and he now intends writing a letter of apology.

In his judgement, RFU disciplinary officer Blackett said: “The offending was intentional.

“The player clearly intended to pull Hawkins’ arm backwards after the whistle had been blown so that the ball became available and his side could play the ball quickly.

“I accept that he did not intend to harm Hawkins or cause him injury. I come to that conclusion because the player is not known as one who commits foul play, and by the way he presented and expressed himself at the hearing.

“He is not a thug and presented as a genuine young man who was prepared to, and accepted, responsibility for his actions and their consequences.

“I assessed that this offence was high on the scale of seriousness, not least because the player intentionally bent a vulnerable opponent’s arm backwards causing a very severe injury, and he did so after the referee had blown his whistle to stop play.

“In assessing it as serious, I would like to stress that I accept that the player is not malicious and did not intend to cause serious injury.

“Although he did intend to pull Hawkins’ arm backwards, he did so in an attempt to move Hawkins away from the ball in his eagerness to maintain his side’s momentum.”

No precedents

In deciding the length of suspension, Blackett said there were no precedents to assist him.

“Had there been any evidence that the player intended to hurt an opponent (even if he did not mean to injure him) the appropriate entry point would have been in the order of five years’ suspension,” Blackett added.

“That is not the case here, so the entry point can be considerably lower. The player must be suspended for a good deal longer than Hawkins is absent from the game to reflect the seriousness of the offending.

“To a certain extent, the entry point depends on my view of the offending, and its effect on the game, based on my rugby experience.

“It is certainly worse than the worst sort of punch, which might attract a maximum suspension of 52 weeks, so it must be longer than that period.

“In calculating the entry point I have therefore taken that figure and added to it the length of time Hawkins is likely to be absent through injury – that is 12 weeks.

“In those circumstances I have determined that the entry point should be 64 weeks.

“There are no aggravating features and all of the standard mitigating factors are present.

“The player is genuinely contrite, he realises the damage done to an individual and to the wider image of the Game, he admitted culpability at the earliest opportunity and he undoubtedly wishes to make reparation for his offending.

“He is, therefore, entitled to 50 per cent discount from that entry point, which leads me to conclude that the appropriate sanction is a suspension of 32 weeks.”

Northampton, who suspended Clark indefinitely following his citing, say they are “bound to consider the merits of an appeal”.

Saints have until midday on Tuesday, April 3 to lodge any protest.

Ben Youngs: Will face an RFU hearing on Monday

England international Ben Youngs will face a Rugby Football Union disciplinary hearing next Monday.

The Leicester scrum-half was cited for striking London Irish forward Jamie Gibson during an Aviva Premiership game between the clubs last weekend.

Youngs’ hearing follows a report submitted by citing officer, the former England lock Wade Dooley.

Two of Youngs’ fellow England elite squad members – Northampton forwards Dylan Hartley and Calum Clark – are currently serving eight and 32-week bans, respectively.

Hartley was cited and suspended by Six Nations disciplinary chiefs for biting Ireland flanker Stephen Ferris’ finger when England concluded their RBS Six Nations campaign at Twickenham two weeks ago.

Clark, meanwhile, cannot play again until November 2 after being banned by an RFU panel for hyperextending Leicester hooker Rob Hawkins’ arm during the LV= Cup final on March 18.

The panel appointed for Youngs’ hearing will be chaired by RFU disciplinary officer Judge Jeff Blackett, assisted by Peter Budge and Robert Horner.

The same panel will also deal with Harlequins flanker Maurie Fa’asavalu, who was cited for a dangerous tackle/dangerous charge on Bath fly-half Tom Heathcote during a Premiership match six days ago.

Adrian Jarvis: Named at fly-half for London Irish

Richard Baxter: Will make his 400th appearance for Exeter

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Exeter have insisted they are fully focused on their domestic encounter with London Irish despite the forthcoming Amlin Challenge Cup trip to Paris.

The Chiefs will take on Stade Francais in the quarter-finals of the competition on Thursday.

However, assistant coach Ali Hepher claims talk of the game has been banned – especially as the squad are still in the mix for the play-offs.

“We’re not really looking back at what has happened, we are looking at what is in the future and that’s really exciting at the minute,” said Hepher.

“The guys have put in some cracking performances over the last few weeks and they are getting just rewards for their hard work.

“They have put a lot of effort into their self-improvement and you can see that coming through in a lot of their play. As far as we are concerned it’s another game; it’s an important game; and we just have to attack it.

Unchanged

“All we are really worried about is not performing and that’s how we are going to approach the game.”

The Chiefs have named an unchanged line-up for the match – meaning No.8 Richard Baxter will make his 400th appearance for the club during a 15-year career.

London Irish have made one change to their line-up as they look to bounce back from their loss to Leicester last time out, with Adrian Jarvis replacing Dan Bowden at fly-half.

“We were pleased with the effort and intent last week and will need to produce the same performance this weekend against an Exeter side that is currently playing well,” said London Irish head coach Toby Booth.

“There is still much to play for this season, so we will go down there to be competitive and look to come away with a result.”

Exeter: 15 Phil Dollman, 14 Gonzalo Camacho, 13 Bryan Rennie, 12 Jason Shoemark, 11 Matt Jess, 10 Ignacio Mieres, 9 Haydn Thomas, 8 Richard Baxter, 7 James Scaysbrook, 6 Tom Johnson, 5 James Hanks, 4 Tom Hayes (capt), 3 Craig Mitchell, 2 Chris Whitehead, 1 Hoani Tui.Replacements: 16 Neil Clark, 17 Ben Moon, 18 Chris Budgen, 19 Aly Muldowney, 20 Ben White, 21 Kevin Barrett, 22 Gareth Steenson, 23 Sireli Naqelevuki.

London Irish: 15 Tom Homer, 14 Marland Yarde, 13 Joe Ansbro, 12 Steven Shingler, 11 Sailosi Tagicakibau, 10 Adrian Jarvis, 9 Darren Allinson, 8 Jamie Gibson, 7 Matt Garvey, 6 Declan Danaher, 5 Bryn Evans, 4 Nick Kennedy (capt), 3 Faan Rautenbach, 2 David Paice, 1 Alex Corbisiero.Replacements: 16 James Buckland, 17 Max Lahiff, 18 Paulica Ion, 19 Bob Casey, 20 Alex Gray, 21 Ofisa Treviranus, 22 Delon Armitage, 23 Paul Hodgson.

Adrian Jarvis: Named at fly-half for London Irish

Richard Baxter: Will make his 400th appearance for Exeter

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Exeter have insisted they are fully focused on their domestic encounter with London Irish despite the forthcoming Amlin Challenge Cup trip to Paris.

The Chiefs will take on Stade Francais in the quarter-finals of the competition on Thursday.

However, assistant coach Ali Hepher claims talk of the game has been banned – especially as the squad are still in the mix for the play-offs.

“We’re not really looking back at what has happened, we are looking at what is in the future and that’s really exciting at the minute,” said Hepher.

“The guys have put in some cracking performances over the last few weeks and they are getting just rewards for their hard work.

“They have put a lot of effort into their self-improvement and you can see that coming through in a lot of their play. As far as we are concerned it’s another game; it’s an important game; and we just have to attack it.

Unchanged

“All we are really worried about is not performing and that’s how we are going to approach the game.”

The Chiefs have named an unchanged line-up for the match – meaning No.8 Richard Baxter will make his 400th appearance for the club during a 15-year career.

London Irish have made one change to their line-up as they look to bounce back from their loss to Leicester last time out, with Adrian Jarvis replacing Dan Bowden at fly-half.

“We were pleased with the effort and intent last week and will need to produce the same performance this weekend against an Exeter side that is currently playing well,” said London Irish head coach Toby Booth.

“There is still much to play for this season, so we will go down there to be competitive and look to come away with a result.”

Exeter: 15 Phil Dollman, 14 Gonzalo Camacho, 13 Bryan Rennie, 12 Jason Shoemark, 11 Matt Jess, 10 Ignacio Mieres, 9 Haydn Thomas, 8 Richard Baxter, 7 James Scaysbrook, 6 Tom Johnson, 5 James Hanks, 4 Tom Hayes (capt), 3 Craig Mitchell, 2 Chris Whitehead, 1 Hoani Tui.Replacements: 16 Neil Clark, 17 Ben Moon, 18 Chris Budgen, 19 Aly Muldowney, 20 Ben White, 21 Kevin Barrett, 22 Gareth Steenson, 23 Sireli Naqelevuki.

London Irish: 15 Tom Homer, 14 Marland Yarde, 13 Joe Ansbro, 12 Steven Shingler, 11 Sailosi Tagicakibau, 10 Adrian Jarvis, 9 Darren Allinson, 8 Jamie Gibson, 7 Matt Garvey, 6 Declan Danaher, 5 Bryn Evans, 4 Nick Kennedy (capt), 3 Faan Rautenbach, 2 David Paice, 1 Alex Corbisiero.Replacements: 16 James Buckland, 17 Max Lahiff, 18 Paulica Ion, 19 Bob Casey, 20 Alex Gray, 21 Ofisa Treviranus, 22 Delon Armitage, 23 Paul Hodgson.

Henry Tuilagi: Back in action for Perpignan

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A weekend of massive fixtures awaits fans of French rugby – and with just five rounds of the regular season left, no less than six clubs are still haunted by the spectre of relegation.

The most important game of Round 22 sees Perpignan and Bayonne – separated by a single point – do battle on the edge of the relegation zone.

The stakes couldn’t be higher at Stade Aime Giral as defeat for the visitors will leave them in serious trouble ahead of next week’s Basque derby with Biarritz.

Perpignan, the 2009 champions, have had a shocking season but have showed signs of revival of late and will be encouraged by their losing bonus point against Clermont.

Bayonne have not won at Stade Aime Giral in 40 years but they too have found some form, winning four games since January.

Perpignan welcome no less than eight players from injury and rest, including influential figures like Nicolas Mas, Henry Tuilagi and Damien Chouly. Jean-Pierre Perez has, however, been suspended.

Bayonne are without Sam Gerber, Dwayne Haare and Mark Chisholm but welcome back Troy Flavell and Clement Baiocco.

Biarritz have managed to pull four points clear of the drop zone but are still far from safety as they clash with Clermont, who are gunning for the championship lead.

The return of French internationals Dimitri Yachvili and Imanol Harinordoquy has transformed Biarritz but Clermont are unbeaten since November 26 and looking to build some momentum ahead of the Heineken Cup quarter-final against Saracens.

Biarritz have a lengthy injury list including Damien Traille and Fabien Barcella but welcome back Erik Lund.

Clermont will travel to the Atlantic coast without injured former All Black Sitiveni Sivivatu.

Lyon will be at the ‘last-chance saloon’ when they face Bordeaux-Begles.

Survival

Lyon still have a mathematical chance of avoiding the drop, assuming they can win big against their former ProD2 rivals and then keep winning.

At the start of the season, most pundits would have predicted that the roles would be reversed but Bordeaux’s win over Toulouse last week confirmed that they deserve their place in the top division. Victory on Saturday should be enough to secure their survival.

Brive also remain in trouble after coming off second best in an almighty battle with Bayonne – and things will not get any easier against Toloun.

To make matters worse, Brive still have games against Racing, Toulouse and Clermont left on the menu, meaning points at home this weekend are vital.

By contrast, Toulon – undefeated since mid-January – hit the road aiming to secure a home play-off.

The hosts have one of the worst home records in the championship but boast a very solid defence having conceded the least amount of tries this season.

Jocelino Suta and Leonardo Senatore are back for Toulon but the visitors have confirmed that French international Alexis Palisson will not start against his former club.

Away from the relegation dogfight, France’s two most famous clubs clash in what is always a spectacular occasion.

Having held the championship lead for most of the season, Toulouse have had a bit of a wobble with two losses in their last three games.

Last week’s loss in Bordeaux would have come as a shock to Guy Noves’s side, who are already assured of a semi-final spot but will be looking to build momentum ahead of next weekend’s Heineken Cup quarter-finals.

Currently in the last play-off berth, Stade Francais have plenty to play for with Racing Metro breathing down their necks.

With one eye on next week’s Euro showdown with Edinburgh, Toulouse are resting William Servat, Clement Poitrenaud, Gurthr� Steenkamp, Luke McAlister, Luke Burgess and Census Johnston but welcome back Yoann Maestri, Thierry Dusautoir and Jean-Baptiste Poux.

Thumped

Stade have lost David Attoub to a hand injury while Byron Kelleher will not face his former team-mates due to a troublesome hamstring.

With a play-off on home soil still very much within reach, Montpellier will expect to bounce back against an Agen side with little left to play for.

After being thumped by Stade Fran�ais last week, Agen have fallen off the pace in the play-offs race but have a 10-point cushion on the relegation zone.

Agen fly-half Conrad Barnard is the league’s top marksman with 225 points this season and with no pressure on their shoulders, the visitors will be out to became the fifth team to win at Stade Yves Du Manoir this term.

The action, though, kicks off on Friday when Racing Metro face a must-win game against fellow play-off hopefuls Castres.

Racing have blown hot and cold this season, as illustrated but their strong start last week before being swept aside in the second half by Toulon.

Castres have been solid on the road this year, winning four games and claiming a draw. Last week’s excellent win over Montpellier left them leading the race for a home play-off.

Racing will start with Frans Steyn at full-back, while Castres will be boosted by Luc Ducalcon’s presence in the front row.