Onna telly forra next two weeks
Friday 21st April
| Cheetahs v Sharks | 13:30 | Sky Sports Arena |
| Pumas v Western Province | 15:30 | Sky Sports Arena |
| Stormers v Treviso | 17:30 | Viaplay Xtra / TG4 |
| Ulster v Edinburgh | 19:35 | Viaplay Sports 1 |
| Newcastle v Northampton | 19:45 | BT Sport 1 |
Saturday 22nd April
| Lions v Zebre | 13:00 | Viaplay Sports 1 |
| Ireland v England (women) | 14:15 | BBC2 / RTÉ2 |
| Dragons v Scarlets | 15:00 | BBC1 Wales / Viaplay Sports 2 |
| Harlequins v Bath | 15:00 | BT Sport 2 |
| Bulls v Leinster | 15:05 | Viaplay Sports 1 / TG4 |
| Scotland v Italy (women) | 16:45 | BBC iPlayer |
| Ospreys v Cardiff | 17:15 | BBC iPlayer / S4C / Viaplay Sports 1 |
| Sharks v Munster | 17:15 | TG4 / Viaplay Sports 1 |
| Gloucester v Sale | 17:30 | BT Sport 2 |
| Glasgow v Connacht | 19:35 | TG4 / Viaplay Sports 1 |
Sunday 23rd April
| Saracens v London Irish | 15:00 | BT Sport 1 |
| France v Wales (women) | 15:15 | BBC1 Wales / iPlayer |
Saturday 29th April
| England v France (women) | 13:00 | BBC2 |
| Leinster v Toulouse | 15:00 | ITV1 / RTÉ2 / BT Sport 3 |
| Italy v Wales (women) | 15:30 | iPlayer / S4C |
| Scarlets v Glasgow | 17:30 | S4C / BT Sport 3 |
| Scotland v Ireland (women) | 19:30 | iPlayer |
Sunday 30th April
| Toulon v Treviso | 12:30 | BT Sport 1 |
| La Rochelle v Exeter | 15:00 | BT Sport 1 |
Ovally Balls 
27-7. A point a minute for Leinster so far. Honestly can’t see how Toulouse get back into this.
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Toulouse conjure a try despite losing every physical contest and having to scramble every ball away from marauding Irishmen. 27-14 and Leinster have been scoreless – but for from pointless – for 10 minutes now.
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Crikey! That was one helluva 40 minutes of rugby! Still can’t really see a way back for Toulouse unless they get a grip and start handling better. They’ve been pretty sloppy, albeit in the face of some fearsome pressure. On the plus side for them, they haven’t buckled completely and still have a sniff. Can Leinster maintain that intensity and physicality for another 40 minutes? Probably.
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Well, Toulouse were grinding their way back into it until that yellow card, but that stupidity blew it. 17 points difference, with 20 to play. And Leinster suddenly have their tails up again.
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Been watching the snooker all week … when the satellite can connect … and now a bit of the Leinster v Toulouse match. That Ramos card cost Toulouse dearly.
Meanwhile in the snooker, we’ve got deadly boring battles between the two Marks – the good-looking one and the Norn Irish one who we obviously want to win – and the exciting battle between the two youngsters, Belgian Luca Brecel and Chinese Si Jianjui. Both semi-final matches are between players who play a similar style, so the final should be interesting, with one very slow and tactical player, and one balls-to-the-wall maniac.
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And that turns out to be the pivotal point in the match: Leinster just hammered them after the dumb card. So disappointing, it was shaping up to be a classic last 20 or so.
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That post was supposed to be a couple of hours ago, but the log in did for me.
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Would love to have watched the snooker, Thauma, but Mrs Deebee thinks it’s a bit like slow motion chess so not much chance of that!
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The Brecel / Si match was nothing like that! Brecel came back from I think a 4-13 deficit to win 11 frames in a row and eventually the match.
In Scarlets v Glasgow, Raynal being his typical self. 17-28 with about 7 mins to go, but Scarlets with a line-out in the G 22.
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You’ll all be pleased to know that the Scarlets lineout came to nothing, and the Brave Glasgow Warriors went up the other end and scored a deserved try.
Just waiting to see who we get in the final now.
No matter what happens from here on, Franco Smith’s been brilliant for us this season. From what I can remember he was quite an underwhelming appointment to a fair few Glasgow fans. Don’t think any fans want him to go now (not that he will).
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Toulon already a try up vs Benetton in 5 minutes.
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Ollivon now off with a red! Benetton player took a high kick, Ollivon came flying in and hit Benetton player’s head with his shoulder.
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Toulon are gonna have to play 74 mins a man down – Olivon runs straight into Minozzi’s head. Despite the best efforts of TMO Tom Foley to talk him down, Karl Dickson actually gives a red.
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I still can’t believe Dickson’s first thought was (correctly) a red.
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Can’t believe Parisse’s still playing. Isn’t he about 140 years old?
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Another try Toulon. Benetton just have no answer to the power. Even against 14 men.
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Toulon relatively easy winners in the end. Much as I would love Glasgow to win the final, I’d say Toulon are probably favourites.
However, never mind that. The place to be tonight will probably be Naples. They need a win to get their first Serie A title in 33 years. They had a certain Diego Armando Maradona in their side the last time (the stadium’s named after him now). The party will be IMMENSE!
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Ach bugger. Napoli only draw. Still 18 points clear, so only a matter of time. Party in Naples will still be immense.
In other news, La Rochelle powering past Exeter. 4 tries in the first half. Looks like they’ll be going through to lose to the Blue Meanies in Dublin.
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BB, I think La Roch have the pack to give Leinster a game. they are absolutely dominant in this game so far
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Looking ominous for Chiefs, ROG vs Jonny for the final, I suspect. Ritchie Gray looks badly broken too, world cup in doubt I suspect.
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Hope so Ticht. What happened to Jonny? (Watching without the sound on).
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Rhule scores his second, and thats the game done. Kerr-Barlow looking sharp, but so are all of LaR, CHiefs just plain looking outgunned.
33-7
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Wrong Gray SBT. Richie’s back at Glasgow (although he didn’t play yesterday).
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Chiefs scrum being dismantled now.
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BB, it looked like Wee Johnny did his knee in making a tackle, a rather large La Roch player landed heavily on him – totally accidental, but it looked a sore one
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8 tries in the end for LR.
They look very good, and that is without Danty, hopefully he’ll be fit for the final.
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nope, chalked off for Thomas joining the maul in front of the ball, never mind the fact it happens in every game.
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Not really clear what Toulouse thought they would achieve by moving Dupont out to 10 and Ntamack to 12. Graou had a nightmare. I’d have thought the obvious was put Retiere on the wing and move Mallia in (but I coach U14s – so what do I know …)
Yellow cards were devastating. In 2 minds about both – Ramos has a chance to catch – but one hand is usually yellow.
The Neti one – don’t really know what to think – we’d tell U14s to get low – don’t stand upright at rucks. I think if he stays low – nothing to be seen, but raising his head on impact caused the danger.
Haven’t seen the LaR vs Exeter game (yet)
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Bugger. Big Jonny has a dislocated knee apparently. What happens I suppose when a couple of tons of French rugby player lands on it. No idea how long that will take to fix, hope he’s back for the RWC.
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Great win for Luca Brecel against mister very-handsome-but-boring.
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Great win for Luca Brecel
Couple of frames went way from him towards the end as he kept going for his shots but ultimately his ambition won out…..
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He was forcing Mark Selby to actually pot some shots. It’s so tedious when safety after safety is played, with the inevitable two-minute think about each shot.
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So, URC QFs this weekend! Home wins all round? Maybe a surprise in Cape Town, with the Stormers seeming to have gone off the boil in recent weeks and the Bulls playing some very compelling, brutal, rugby.
Can’t see Connacht beating Ulster and the Sharks are only going to Dublin to make up the numbers and buy a couple of souvenirs in the duty free on the way home (can’t afford high street prices on our poxy wages and exchange rates). Maybe Munster to nick one in Glasgow? I hope not – that would make it three Irish sides in the semis, which is not ideal (unless you’re Irish).
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SA Rugby has just released it’s annual report, which may make for some interesting reading and comparisons. Income last year was R1.54bn, or roughly GBP70m (E77m), with the largest costs being tournament commitments for the national teams (men’s, women’s juniors, 7s etc) at 28% of the total, then national team costs (presumably salaries, staff, logistics etc) at 22.5%, then URC/Heinie costs at 21% – a big chunk, but SA Rugby is of the opinion that the small loss they made last year having to ‘buy their way in’ to Europe, will reap rewards in the longer term as the lovely pounds and euros start to flow and sponsorship moneys grow. Do any of the other major unions release detailed financials?
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It’s so tedious when safety after safety is played
I’m old enough to recall the Ray Reardon era (not especially Reardon himself) but shonky cues, rough and ready tables, poor lighting, copious alcohol meant that the sort of long potting we see now wasn’t as common and no-one took a shot unless it was fairly certain – so safety and snookers were more common….
Younger lads have better cues, better eyesight, are – mainly – sober and not playing after a day’s work……
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Maybe Munster to nick one in Glasgow
We were pretty deadly in 1st half at Thomond vs Glasgow in URC a few weeks back. 2nd half was better but any comeback was throttled by an awful pass from Carbery to Coombes straight from the restart after our 2nd try.
Carbery has been cast into the uttermost darkness since – with Crowley starting and Healy as bench option. Two results in SA have given hope – with Beirne due back, Snyman available. Expectation is quite high that the pack will be heavyweight enough to handle Glasgow this time…..
Looking forward to it anyway…..
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Trisk – Hurricane Higgins went for pots! While completely potted.
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Deebs, the SRU publish an annual financial statement, https://scottishrugby.org/scottish-rugby-publishes-financial-statements-for-2021-22/
The link to the actual report is at the bottom of the page there
I think they are obliged to publish because the SRU is “owned” by the clubs in Scotland.
To be honest I don’t understand any of it beyond what is spent on pro rugby and the levels below. After that…. nothing
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I think the Glasgow Munster game should be a cracker, genuine ill-feeling between the sides, rightly or wrongly, and Munster with a bit of a score to settle.
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@thaum – very true but he was – until emergence ofJimmy White -a rare case of a player who was in a hurry….
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genuine ill-feeling between the sides
Supposedly on the Munster side from the alleged targeting of Murray’s standing foot when he was box kicking…..
There may be other grudges out there too. Its a small tight league and teams play each other regularly…. you see it at under age Rugby and football – third or fourth meeting in thr season will be bad tempered… players have seen each other too much and too close….
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“Supposedly on the Munster side from the alleged targeting of Murray’s standing foot when he was box kicking….”
Probably, and from the other side of the coin, the Scottish players allegedly taken out and injured out of the game for a while by Munster players – Hogg and Graham.
It’s more than that though, there was a really bad feeling during the game immediately after Foley died, Glasgow laid flowers etc the day before and the day of the match the atmosphere was electric.
I remember Keith Earls got sent off early for a collision where Fraser Brown landed on his neck/head and Earls accused Brown of deliberately landing badly, screaming at Brown on his way off the pitch – it was an unedifying spectacle.
It’s been this way for a while, certainly since the final in Belfast that Glasgow won, I don’t remember if it predates that.
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until emergence ofJimmy White -a rare case of a player who was in a hurry….
I played decent club level pool as a student (was actually invited to provincial trials, but it clashed with my final Honours exam, so, after much agonising, I had to let it go) and one of the things that I’d do is see what pace the opponent liked to play at. If he was all fury and speed, you’d slow the game down, chalk the cue a few times, maybe crack a joke on your way round the table to look at the shot from the other end and generally get on their nerves. If your opponent was a slow methodical player, you were in his face, giving him the hurry up, maybe the odd chirp about time etc. It worked pretty often, at amateur level and as I write this I realise that I played pool like a typical scrum half!
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Ulster over Connacht by 7 – Both sides have good recent form, losing only once in the last couple of months, but Ulster are on a roll and at home. It’ll be tight and probably a bit feisty, but at home, Ulster have been very strong and should pull it through. A guaranteed Irish side in the semis!
Stormers over Bulls by 6 – The Bulls have turned things around in the last couple of weeks with some smashing wins – 121 point margin over Zebre and Leinster Academy between them, but then they were playing just that: Zebre and a weak Leinster side. Still, they’ve got some momentum and were monstrously physical against Leinster. The Stormers have been patchy recently, more of a gentle sea breeze than a raging storm, but they’ve also been rock solid at home and should have enough class to get over the line. A guaranteed Saffer side in the semis!
Leinster over Sharks by 17 – This one could actually be more of a blow out than 17 points, with key Sharks such as Siya Kolisi and Eben Etzebeth out injured and not much in reserve. Outside of their front row, they’ve also been found wanting in terms of real grunt this season, so Leinster won’t fear a massive assault on that front. Leinster last three matches have seen them draw with the Stormers, squeak past the Lions and get hammered by the Bulls – so are SA sides their kryptonite? Lost to the Bulls at home in the semis last year as well. But the sides Leinster put out in those three matches were a mix of B and C sides, so rather look to the hammering the A side dished out last week in the Heinie semi for guidance. They could put a lot more on the Sharks – a guaranteed Irish side in the semis!
Glasgow Warriors over Munster by 5 – Another tight, feisty (by all accounts above) encounter between these two. Both have class all over the park and Munster have recovered from a very indifferent start to the season and are building nicely, at the right time. They were probably lucky to get away with a narrow win and a draw in SA, coming back from the dead against the Sharks in Durban, and burgling a win in Cape Town when Manie Libbock left his radar in the changeroom, but you take what you can get. Glasgow’s only loss since the inevitable one to Leinster in late November was against – quite naturally, and as it should be – the Lions In Joburg. Spanked them senseless, we did, but I digress: This could be the match of the round, with both sides playing excellent rugby and not giving an inch, as it should be. Glasgow did win at Munster a few weeks ago and should just about sneak this. Or not. A guaranteed fence sitting exercise for the semis!
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as I write this I realise that I played pool like a typical scrum half
That’s exactly what I was thinking as I read it!
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Me too, Thaum.
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Chiefs beating up the Highlanders badly – 52-21 with ten to go. Tuned in just in time to see Brad Weber score a great 9’s try: let the big fella carry it up for 40m and then wave your arms for the ball with the open line in sight. A hero!
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Great leader too – gets the whole side waving them arms and looking at the ref with incredulity at almost every breakdown. Brings a tear to the eye.
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Glasgow Warriors team to face Munster at Scotstoun, Saturday 6 May, kick-off 7.35pm. Tickets are still available at glasgowwarriors.org.
1 Jamie Bhatti (87)
2 Johnny Matthews (48)
3 Zander Fagerson (126)
4 Scott Cummings (104)
5 Richie Gray (99)
6 Matt Fagerson (93)
7 Rory Darge (30)
8 Jack Dempsey (37)
9 George Horne (97)
10 Tom Jordan (23)
11 Kyle Steyn (C) (63)
12 Stafford McDowall (55)
13 Sione Tuipulotu (34)
14 Sebastian Cancelliere (23)
15 Ollie Smith (31)
Replacements
16 Fraser Brown (139)
17 Nathan McBeth (21)
18 Simon Berghan (31)
19 JP du Preez (23)
20 Lewis Bean (38)
21 Sione Vailanu (18)
22 Ali Price (128)
23 Huw Jones (57)
Munster:
Munster: Mike Haley; Calvin Nash, Antoine Frisch, Malakai Fekitoa, Shane Daly; Jack Crowley, Conor Murray; Jeremy Loughman, Diarmuid Barron, Stephen Archer; Jean Kleyn, RG Snyman; Tadhg Beirne, Peter O’Mahony (C), Gavin Coombes.
Replacements: Niall Scannell, Josh Wycherley, Roman Salanoa, Fineen Wycherley, John Hodnett, Craig Casey, Ben Healy, Alex Kendellen.
Huw Jones on the bench is “interesting”, but MacDowall has played extremely well this season. I expect him to get a cap or over the summer.
Beirne and Snyman are big for Munster, quite literally.
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Beadles Glaws to play Refits Bears
Gloucester Rugby |
Starting XV
15. Santi Carreras
14. Jonny May*
13. Chris Harris
12. Seb Atkinson
11. Ollie Thorley
10 Adam Hastings
9. Stephen Varney*
1. Mayco Vivas
2. George McGuigan
3. Kirill Gotovtsev
4. Freddie Clarke*
5. Matias Alemanno
6. Jack Clement*
7. Lewis Ludlow* (c)
8. Ben Morgan
Replacements
16. Seb Blake*
17. Val Rapava-Ruskin
18. Jamal Ford-Robinson
19. Cam Jordan*
20. Freddie Thomas*
21. Ben Meehan
22. Billy Twelvetrees
23. Alex Hearle
*Denotes academy graduate.
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