Archive for the ‘Rugby’ Category

Nathan Sharpe: Scored one of the Force’s five tries

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Western Force handed Queensland Reds their third Super Rugby loss in a row with a convincing 45-19 victory in Perth on Saturday.

The Force set up their win with a first-half blitz that stunned the undermanned reigning champions, scoring 21 unanswered points before the Reds hit back with a try in the last play of the half at nib Stadium.

Despite greater effort by Queensland after the break, Richard Graham’s men were too good, crossing the try-line three more times to win by 26 points.

James Stannard, Nathan Sharpe, Ben Seymour, Samu Wara and Matt Hodgson scored tries for the home side, with full-back Dave Harvey slotting four penalty goals and four conversions.

The Force flew out of the blocks and pushed the Reds back early, which led to a penalty goal from Harvey after just two minutes.

Barged

In the eighth minute a great run from Nick Cummins got the WA side close, before Brett Sheehan set up Stannard for a try. The Force’s next two scores were penalties from Harvey before Sharpe barged over in the 33rd minute.

Down 21-0, the visitors hit back late in the half to give themselves some hope.

With the Force camped on their own line and the clock ticking down, Reds skipper James Horwill opted to keep the ball despite being offered shots at goal thanks to a string of penalties.

That positivity paid off when tighthead prop James Slipper scored his first Super Rugby try in the left corner, leaving the score at 21-5 at the break.

But the Force were again the better starters after the interval and just three minutes into the second half Sheehan charged down a kick to set up Seymour.

Brilliant

Queensland were stung and hit back again through Humphries in the 51st minute, but the Force weathered the storm in defence to wrap up the win.

With 10 minutes left, Seymour, who had come on for Stannard in the first half when he injured his ankle, drove a brilliant low kick across the field for a flying Wara to score.

And with the home crowd on their feet enjoying the Force’s first home win of the season, a flowing move in the 75th minute was finished by Hodgson in the corner.

Dom Shipperley grabbed a consolation try for the reigning champions with the final play of the match.

The bonus-point win means the Force have 12 points and move off the bottom of the Australian Conference, with the Reds just a point ahead.

Aderito Esteves of Portugal hands off Paul Perez during Saturday’s action in Tokyo

England claimed impressive victories over Fiji, France and Japan to complete an unbeaten first day at the Tokyo Sevens.

Ben Ryan’s men made light of high winds and heavy rain to finish the day with a 14-7 victory over Hong Kong champions Fiji after seeing off France 19-7 and then hosts Japan 15-5.

The clean sweep sets up a quarter-final against South Africa and a chance of instant revenge against the side that beat England 28-0 in last weekend’s third place play-off.

Head coach Ryan said: “We got stuck in with three very typical English performances and our tackle completion rate was unbelievable – we maybe missed one in 100.

“It is Day One and we’re not getting carried away but we couldn’t have asked for the first day to go any better and momentum is important.

“We’ve now got a very tough quarter final against a side who frankly embarrassed us [in Hong Kong]. We’re a better side than that and we’d like to show them what we can do.”

Mat Turner, Tom Powell and Rob Vickerman scored the tries to see off the hosts before Turner, Tom Mitchell and Chris Brightwell touched down against France.

Stunned

Mitchell’s acceleration through the middle stunned Fiji in the final game of the day as he put England in front mid-way through the first half.

Dan Norton, the HSBC Sevens World Series’s leading try scorer, then added a second by bursting off the back of a midfield ruck to beat three tacklers and go under the posts early in the second.

Metuisela Talebula responded to get Fiji back in the game but England clung on for the closing couple of minutes to complete their first unbeaten first day since their Dubai title victory in December.

“It’s been a hard day today because of the weather – you wouldn’t have thought it was spring in Tokyo, it’s more like winter in Wales,” said Norton, who took his tally to 30 for the season.

“But we played the conditions really well, made our tackles and did the basics right. That tackling was really the key.”

Christian Lealiifano: Kicked 16 points but could not stop Brumbies from losing

Willem Alberts: Congratulated Riaan Viljoen after the full-back scored two tries

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The Brumbies’ unbeaten home record in 2012 was brought to an end as the Sharks claimed a 29-26 victory at Canberra Stadium.

The Durban side had not beaten the Brumbies in Canberra for 14 years but punished mistakes from the hosts by scoring two tries in each half and then holding on for victory.

Riaan Viljoen touched down twice, while Willem Alberts and Lwazi Mvovo also scored tries and Frederic Michalak kicked nine points in the bonus-point success.

Christian Lealiifano kicked 16 points for the Brumbies, whose two tries came from Jesse Mogg and Nic White.

There were mistakes aplenty from both teams in the opening 10 minutes as dropped possession and wayward kicking led to a scrappy start with turnover ball prevalent.

Michalak kicked a penalty from just outside the 22 to put the Sharks in front, but a frenetic response from the Brumbies led them to within inches of the try-line, with Lealiifano knocking over a subsequent penalty.

The Sharks were quickly back in front, however, with scrum-half Charl McLeod taking a quick tap penalty which led to full-back Viljoen crashing over virtually unopposed in the corner.

A second penalty from Lealiifano cut the gap to two points before a fantastic try in the 28th minute had the home support on their feet.

Taking a risk inside his own 22, Lealiifano sensed an overlap and spread the ball wide to full-back Mogg, who raced clear and chipped the ball over the covering defence and re-gathered to canter round behind the posts. The easy conversion made it 13-8 to the Brumbies.

But another counter six minutes from the interval ended with a vastly different result when a lofted pass wide was easily intercepted by Odwa Ndungane and the winger found the supporting Viljoen for his second try.

Michalak’s successful conversion had the Sharks in front again at 15-13, but it was the Brumbies who led at the break as Lealiifano kicked his third penalty to edge the home team into a one-point lead.

The Sharks’started the second half well, moving the ball through several pairs of hands before a thrusting run by centre Tim Whitehead almost resulted in a try.

The ball was patted away by the Brumbies and an unfortunate bounce meant the Lealiifano could not collect, leaving flanker Alberts to snaffle the loose ball to cross by the base of the post. Michalak added the extras.

A fourth penalty from Lealiifano reduced the arrears again, but the Sharks then claimed the bonus point with a fourth try.

Another turnover deep inside Sharks territory saw lock Steven Sykes break down the left touchline and pass infield, where Mvovo outpaced the Brumbies defence to streak away into the corner, with Michalak converting once again.

The Brumbies piled on the pressure as they attempted to find a way back but, despite conceding a stoppage-time try to replacement White, the Sharks held on for the win.

The Waratahs dominated the first half but could not make it count

Robbie Robinson: Scored the first try for the Chiefs

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The Chiefs recorded a fourth straight Super Rugby victory as they saw off the Waratahs 30-13 to maintain first place in the New Zealand conference.

Full-back Robbie Robinson, flanker Liam Messam and prop Sona Taumalolo, the Chiefs’ top try-scorer this season, all crossed the try-line in the win at Waikato Stadium.

The hosts failed to secure a four-try bonus point but the win still puts them five points ahead of the Highlanders.

The majority of the Chiefs’ players sported shaved heads in support of Shave for a Cure, organised by Leukaemia and Blood Cancer New Zealand.

But it was the Waratahs who were quickest out of the gate, dominating territory and possession in the first 40 minutes only to trail 13-10 at the break.

The visitors opened the scoring in the fifth minute through young wing Tom Kingston, who burst through the midfield and managed to dot down despite the best efforts of Sonny Bill Williams.

The Chiefs sprung back into action and replied in kind shortly after through Robinson.

Sweeping move

A sweeping move up the field, with Aaron Cruden heavily involved, moved them close to the line and the fly-half who threw the last pass to put Robinson in at the left-hand corner.

Cruden added a couple of penalties before the interval while Waratahs kicker Brendan McKibbin could only manage one, giving the Chiefs an advantage that they had earned against the run of play.

But the home side improved drastically in the second half, bossing matters up front and making the dominance count out wide through one of the best back lines in the competition.

It did not take long after the restart for Taumalolo to score his fourth try of the season.

Williams, a constant threat in midfield, prodded a kick through which bounced up kindly to Richard Kahui in his 50th Super Rugby appearance and he fed the front row for the score.

Cruden added another penalty and when Messam crossed in the final quarter the contest had been killed off.

Openside flanker Sam Cane made an instant impact off the bench as he broke from a Waratahs scrum and intercepted before feeding half-back Tawera Kerr-Barlow, who found a charging Messam for the third and final try.

Andre Taylor: Scored one of four Hurricanes tries

Coenie Oosthuizen: Scored two tries in Cheetahs victory

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The Cheetahs claimed a rare victory on New Zealand soil by beating the Hurricanes 47-38 in an entertaining Super Rugby clash in Wellington.

Both sides had secured the four-try bonus point by half-time after a back-and-forth opening 40 minutes which saw too many players for both teams miss tackles.

Dane Coles, Beauden Barrett, Andre Taylor and TJ Perenara crossed for the hosts prior to the break, while Andries Strauss, Hennie Daniller, Ryno Benjamin and Coenie Oosthuizen got on the board for the South African side.

The second half was a much more muted affair as the Cheetahs controlled territory and possession, with two further tries from Oosthuizen and WP Nel came from a solid scrum and rolling maul rather than passing moves.

But it was enough to secure victory and consigned the home side, who managed just two penalties from Barrett in the second half, to a second successive home loss.

That was a major disappointment after the Hurricanes had earlier raced out to a 32-11 lead, with Coles getting the ball rolling in just the third minute by stepping away from full-back Daniller to score by the posts.

Johan Goosen and Barrett traded penalties before the Cheetahs’ centre Strauss was awarded the visitors’ opening try by video referee Ben Skeen despite seeming to lose the ball forward over the line.

Frenetic

A frenetic period followed as the home side saw Barrett, Taylor and Perenara all cross the line, with all three coming from turnover ball and were almost length-of-the-field scores.

Coles stripped the ball from a Cheetahs player virtually on his own goal-line to set up Barrett’s score, with Taylor running strongly to halfway before Charlie Ngatai kept the movement going before Daniller took over and raced under the posts.

Taylor was next on the scoreboard in the 28th minute, making a steal in his own 22 before finding James Broadhurst, who linked with Faifili Levave before the full-back finished off in style in the corner.

Perenara’s try three minutes later got the Hurricanes out to a 21-point lead, Karl Lowe this time getting the turnover before Julian Savea made the break and the young half-back finished the move off.

Having got themselves into such a commanding position, the Hurricanes blew their comfortable advantage with costly penalties and poor defending.

Firstly, Brad Shields was penalised for hands in the ruck in his own 22 and Piet van Zyl took a quick tap and Daniller was put over in the corner for the Cheetahs.

Then a Goosen break left the Hurricanes defence scrambling before the ball was spun out wide to the right and winger Benjamin dotted down.

Level

And on the stroke of half-time the Cheetahs were back on level terms when prop Oosthuizen burrowed over from close range.

An arm injury meant Shields did not return after the break and he was replaced by Jack Lam, while Goosen kicked a penalty to give the visitors the lead.

A Barrett penalty got the Hurricanes back on level terms, but coach Mark Hammett again turned to his bench bringing on the more experienced Chris Eaton for Perenara and Motu Matu’u on for Coles.

It made little difference as the Cheetahs took control of the game, with a huge scrum from the visitors allowing prop Nel to force his way over just before the hour mark.

The arrival of Daniel Kirkpatrick for Savea forced a reshuffle in the Hurricanes back line which saw Barrett shifted to full-back and Taylor out on to the wing and the switch seemed to unsettle them.

Cory Jane then wasted a great opportunity when he fended off Oosthuizen and Le Roux only to lose the ball with the line begging after all the hard work had been done.

And the home side were made to pay when the South Africans cut through the Hurricanes defence with a huge rolling maul which eventually gave Oosthuizen his second try of the night to round things off.

Gary Gold: felt scrum-half Peter Stringer was ‘really, really sensational’

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Newcastle director of rugby Gary Gold paid tribute to his side after they defeated Sale to keep alive their hopes of avoiding relegation.

A penalty from Jimmy Gopperth with four minutes to play clinched a crucial 21-19 win to cut the gap between themselves and Wasps to just four points.

The Falcons, who are now unbeaten at home in their last five games, had trailed 19-12 after the Sharks had scored three first-half tries.

“We were poor in the first half,” conceded Gold. “We gave them possession in soft situations and we dropped the ball a lot and they are a great side from broken field ball.

“But given the situation we are in at this stage of the season, we said we had to stick to our guns and hold on to the ball and back ourselves.

“The biggest thing was the character shown tonight. At 19-12 down we were staring down the barrel and it would have been easy for the guys to give up but they didn’t.

“I just want to congratulate every single one of them. They showed great courage.

“It’s been difficult for them. They have been in this position since November and they are tired of it. I’m ecstatic for them, they’ve done a fantastic job and the coaching staff have done a fantastic job. It’s not getting any easier but it could have been a lot more difficult had we capitulated.

“I’m now looking forward to Gloucester and we have to make sure we have to hold on to the ball better and then get the balance right.”

Sensational

Gold picked out No.10 Gopperth and experienced scrum-half Peter Stringer for special praise, describing the latter as “really, really sensational”.

“I didn’t say a lot to Jimmy at half-time,” he added. “He didn’t have a great first half, but I just put my arm around him and told him what a good player he is and told him to crack on.

“He knows better than I what his capabilities are and he is very clear about when he messes up and he’s such a top bloke and takes it so personally and that’s more of a worry if anything.

“He is a class player and when the real pressure was on to kick the winning goal he did.

“We need leaders and we have them in Jimmy and in Peter Stringer who never put a foot wrong. He was sensational – really, really sensational.

“He was never flustered and his service is excellent and he is calming influence when he talks to the players.”

Richard Hill: Did not blame Andy Goode for the defeat

Andy is distraught, he is really disappointed about it and he has apologised to the players.

Richard HillQuotes of the week

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Worcester coach Richard Hill said Andy Goode was distraught at his sending off against Leicester – but did not blame the fly-half for the defeat.

Warriors went down 43-13 at Welford Road after former Tigers player Goode was dismissed for a clumsy high tabkle on Tom Croft five minutes before the break.

But despite having to play with 14 men for 45 minutes Hill said the former England No 10 should not be too hard on himself.

“He has let the players down to an extent but you can’t blame anyone, it was one of those things,” he said.

“Andy wouldn’t have wished to do that at his previous ground. Andy is distraught, he is really disappointed about it and he has apologised to the players.

“It was pretty tough after that. Once down to 14 men we had to reshuffle and at half-time we put a 10 on and we were down to seven forwards.

“It was hard all night. Leicester were exceptionally good in patches and I think we did as well as we could.”

No worries

Hill said he was not worried about being dragged back into a relegation dogfight after Newcastle’s win at home to Sale.

“That’s not a worry to me,” he added. “I don’t think many people would have had us down to win at Welford Road. We just wanted to give a good account of ourselves.

“Most people would have had Newcastle down to win at home to Sale. Although we are not mathematically secure yet but we have got two home games and we are unbeaten at Sixways.

“We will regroup and make sure we are at full throttle against Exeter.”

Opposite number Richard Cockerill was not totally happy with Leicester’s performance despite the one-sdided nature of the match.

“It was disjointed and hard to play against a side that did not come to play,” he said.

“We were inaccurate for large parts of the game which was frustrating but job done, it’s five points.

“We don’t want to use up our best performances in games like these, we want to save them for the big ones.”

Cockerill admitted Goode’s challenge was rash – but not malicious.

“I know Andy very well, he played here for a long time,” he added. “I’m sure it’s not the way he would have liked to come back and have that happen so it’s disappointing for him.

“Hopefully the red card will be sufficient and he can play the rest of the season.”

Ryan Wilson: Ran in two tries for Glasgow before going off injured

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Glasgow thumped Cardiff Blues 31-3 to maintain their charge for the RaboDirect Pro12 play-off places.

Ryan Wilson notched a brace at the Firhill Arena and further tries from Chris Fusaro and Colin Shaw also secured a vital bonus point, with the rest of the hosts’ points coming from the respective right boots of Duncan Weir and Ruaridh Jackson.

In reply, a Cardiff side littered with international stars could only muster one Leigh Halfpenny penalty, as the Warriors continued their impressive home form in emphatic style.

The hosts suffered an early blow when Graeme Morrison was forced to leave the field as early as the third minute, the Scotland international centre crumbling awkwardly under a forceful tackle in midfield.

Morrison’s central partner Alex Dunbar looked lively in the opening exchanges with a succession of half breaks. A miss-pass from Weir appeared to have finally put the young flyer clean through, only for referee George Clancy to call a halt to proceedings for a forward ball.

Moments later, Glasgow carved another golden opportunity, shredding through the visiting rear guard with relative ease, only for Weir’s final pass to once again fail to make the grade.

The writing was on the wall, though, and the Warriors disrupted the resultant scrum to regain possession.

Crash over

The ball was recycled quickly, and it was left to Wilson to crash over from close range to notch his first try for the club, Weir adding the conversion.

Weir edged the home side further in front just before the half-hour mark, slotting a penalty effort after the Cardiff defence were caught offside at the breakdown.

Halfpenny had a late first half opportunity to get his side on the scoreboard, but his penalty attempt drifted wide of the upright.

Weir also missed a further penalty chance, drilling his effort to the left of the posts.

The second instalment began similarly to the first, a deluge of home pressure keeping the Blues penned into their own 22.

A score was inevitable, and having been stopped on the line on two consecutive occasions, it was Wilson who once again provided the killer touch, scything through a desperate tackle to dot down. Weir once again slotted the conversion.

With half an hour remaining, Halfpenny registered his side’s first points, the Glasgow front row penalised in the scrum handing the full-back a straightforward three-point opportunity.

Given chance

Glasgow were given a chance to strike back almost immediately, however Weir failed to land his long-range penalty.

The hosts were not to be deterred, though, and the result was put beyond doubt when Dunbar’s break and neat offload sent Chris Fusaro in under the posts, reward for yet another lengthy spell deep in Cardiff territory.

The game was marred late on by injuries to Wilson and his replacement John Barclay, who appeared to sustain a severe neck injury, leaving the field on a stretcher under close medical supervision.

Despite the distraction of a prolonged injury break, the hosts were able to regroup and urged on by inspirational captain Al Kellock, surged forward in search of a bonus point try.

It looked as though they may have left it too late, but as the clock ticked down, Dunbar made another searing run to slice through the Cardiff defensive line.

His pass found Chris Cusiter, who in turn offloaded to Colin Shaw, who cantered over to grab the vital try, which may prove decisive in the race to the play-offs.

Jackson wrapped up proceedings by slotting the conversion.