Sunday Press Clippings

[Fly_caster]

<h1> Irish champions with fairer system </h1>
@@@@SPAN>By Paul Ackford, Sunday Telegraph

@@@@/SPAN><div style="float: left;">@@@@SPAN>Last Updated: @@@@SPAN style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">12:11am GMT@@@@/SPAN>25/03/2007@@@@/SPAN></div>

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And so to, absolutely, the final thoughts on this season's Six Nations.

Proper champions?


Ireland.
If the championship had used the system of four points for a win, two
for a draw, one for losing by a margin of seven points or fewer and one
for scoring four tries, which is in place in every other major rugby
competition around the world, then Ireland would have sneaked it and
Wales would have grabbed the wooden spoon.

The
final table would have looked like this: Ireland 19 points, France 18,
England 13, Italy 9, Scotland 5 and Wales 5, with Scotland finishing
above Wales by virtue of their victory at Murrayfield in the match
between the two countries.<div><div>advertisement</div>&lt; src="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/core/NetGravity/mpu.js" =""&gt;</div>

That
would then have got rid of all the controversy over the staggered
kick-off times on the final day with Ireland coach Eddie O'Sullivan
complaining that his players were disadvantaged by participating in the
earlier match. Once Ireland had won the game and scored four tries
there would be nothing more they could have done.

Most missed player?

Gareth Thomas who was ruled out of Wales's first three matches because
of a ban following his involvement in the Trevor Brennan affair. Mad as
a March hare is 'Alfie' Thomas, but he is a man with real stature
across the European scene and he does bring substance to the Welsh
side. It was also heartening to see Thomas go up to Mike Catt and offer
a consoling pat as the England captain limped off with a recurrence of
his hamstring injury.

Most infuriating double act?

The BBC's Brian Moore and Eddie Butler. The bulk of what they offer is
outstanding - lively, opinionated and informative - but am I the only
one who cringes when they start to bicker over interpretations and come
over all jingoistic? Disagree by all means, gentlemen, but don't let it
become the distinguishing feature of your commentary.

Unfinished business?
Are
the England coaching team adept at managing games as they unfold? Easy
to be smug after the event but, in the Wales match, why was Shane
Geraghty brought on to replace the injured Mike Catt when the more
experienced Jamie Noon, an out-and-out centre and club partner to
Mathew Tait, was on the bench? And why, when Joe Worsley went off
crocked, did Martin Corry not move back to No 8 to shepherd Tom Rees
and James Haskell, two young flankers who were struggling?

Most worrying trend?

The indifferent standard of officiating in the championship. It started
on the first weekend when television match official Donal Courtney
awarded Jonny Wilkinson a try against Scotland that simply wasn't,
continued when Chris White got in an awful muddle about ending the
Italy/Wales fixture and finished on the final Saturday when Courtney
stood by and allowed Sean Lamont to be sin-binned against France when
it was brother Rory who committed the foul. There were also too many
instances of referees "going upstairs" for a verdict over the simplest
of touch downs.

Least likely reason for an improvement in form?
"Steaks
for breakfast. That's the difference." England scrum-half Harry Ellis
on the secret behind his scintillating champions

[Fly_caster]

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Screen tests look set for extended run










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<h3>
By Hugh Godwin
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<h4>
Published:25 March 2007
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The International Rugby Board are considering an extension to the power
of the television match official, despite several controversial
incidents during this year's Six Nations' Championship. The next IRB
Council meeting in May is set to receive a recommendation from its
rugby committee, proposed by the referee manager, Paddy O'Brien, that
the TMO's "areas of adjudication" include the lead-up to a try, further
back in the move than is currently allowed.







The role of the TMO was a major talking point during the Six Nations.
Spectators from Rome to Paris to Twickenham were baffled by rulings
from a faceless individual they had probably never heard of, parked in
a television production truck outside the stadium, yet liable to have
as much of an influence as any Jonny Wilkinson drop-goal or Gordon
D'Arcy sidestep.


The most notorious incidents were Wilkinson's foot in touch while
scoring a try for England against Scotland - missed by the Irish TMO,
Donal Courtney - and the confusion between referee Chris White and TMO
Geoff Warren in the last seconds of Wales's defeat by Italy.


The latter brought an apology to Wales from White, while Courtney
has also acknowledged his mistake, though neither is in danger of being
dropped from the IRB's panel of top referees, from which the officials
for this year's World Cup will be selected next month.


O'Brien described both cases as isolated "human error", and also
said "the teamwork was lacking" between White and Warren in Rome, when
Wales thought they could have a line-out only for White to blow the
final whistle. "The timekeeper should have left it for Chris rather
than yell in his ear that time was up," said O'Brien. "The referee is
still the sole judge of fact and time."


But there is confusion over what the TMO can and cannot do. Seasoned
reporters of the game misinterpreted the situation last weekend when
France's Elvis Vermeulen scored the championship-winning try against
Scotland. "It was a great piece of refereeing as far as the protocol
goes," said O'Brien. "One of the questions the referee can ask, if he
believes a try has been scored, is whether the TMO can see any reason
why it should not be awarded." The fact that the TMO was Irish, with
Ireland vying for the title, was just a St Patrick's Day coincidence.


Put simply, the TMO is there to use video replays to answer a
question put to him by the referee. Apart from goal-kicks, or when a
player may have gone into touch in the act of try-scoring or touching
down, all the rulings currently are confined to the in-goal area.
O'Brien wants to look additionally at "the lead-up" to a try - for a
foot in t

[Fly_caster]

PERSON OF THE MONTH</font>



Sunday March 25th 2007</font>




Eddie O'Sullivan
IT says a lot about the character of
Eddie O Sullivan that despite the 43-13 demolition of England on that
great and historic day in Croke Park, he still wasn't satisfied.


O'Sullivan is a perfectionist and his quest for five perfect games
in a row in the Six Nations championship of 2007 wasn't attained -
despite last weekend's heroics in Rome that ended in such bitter
disappointment.


Still, it was a great championship for Ireland and it is a measure
of how far we have come as a rugby playing nation that our Triple
Crown, won after a hard-fought single point victory over Scotland, did
not spark wild celebrations and fires on the hillsides.


The fact that there is frustration and disappointment that this
team didn't complete the Grand Slam this season is a tribute to
O'Sullivan's mercurial talents as a manager.


In his low key way, the Galway-based Corkman has moulded one of the
most talented bunch of players Ireland has ever produced into a
formidable team.


We go to the World Cup later this year with a great chance of being
involved in the latter stages of the competition and O'Sullivan
deserves great credit for that.


Last month's performance against England at Croke Park was perhaps his finest moment as a coach.


In the emotion charged atmosphere there was always a danger that
the Irish XV would lose focus, especially after all the pre-match hype
over national anthems. But the Irish team, marshalled by O'Sullivan,
put on a champagne performance.


O'Sullivan commented afterwards: "We played a game of real quality
in difficult conditions. The result shows we can mix and match with the
top teams in the world and I put England in that category."


That summary, typically, understated the achievement. O'Sullivan's
preparations were spot on and a wonderful day at Croke Park was capped
with a record breaking victory over the current world champions that
will live long in the memory.


It is for that marvellous day in Croke Park that Eddie O'Sullivan
is the Irish Nationwide, Sunday Independent Person of the Month for
February.
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© http://www.unison.ie/</font>

[Fly_caster]

Irish vital to health of European Cup</font>



Sunday March 25th 2007</font>




BY this time next weekend, we might once again be entering very
unfamiliar territory in the Heineken Cup: only once since the turn of
the century have the final four got together without an Irish presence
- in 2005 - and with that sort of record, we have come to take for
granted that Europe will occupy us to the end of each season. Factor
out the captains Paul O'Connell and Brian O'Driscoll and all bets are
off.


In Munster's case, there are other injuries compounding the loss of
their leader. Remarkably, Marcus Horan's calf injury was sorted in time
for last week in Rome, and there has been no reaction, but in his place
in the physio's room with a more serious version of the same injury is
John Kelly. His chances of being fit to face the Scarlets are slim,
though Mick O'Driscoll's ribs may yet be up to the stress of taking on
the side who have played perhaps the best rugby of the competition so
far.


There is good news, though, regarding alternatives. It was the late
withdrawal of Barry Murphy, selected on the wing against Ulster on
Friday night, that allowed Brian Carney get an early taste of the
action - his first since playing a season with Lansdowne on leaving
school, eh, a long time ago.


If you look at the big successes in the changeover from league to
union, they have come out wide: Jason Robinson, Lote Tuquiri, Mat
Rogers - when selected there by Australia - and even Wendell Sailor.
Carney is a rugby league winger being asked to play wing in rugby
union. The further away from the set piece the greater the space, and
the more chance there is to make the transition. He is strong and quick
and skilful, and after a ropey start in Ravenhill he got better and
better, finishing with the winning try. It isn't Declan Kidney's style
to pick someone so new and with no track record in the sport, but
circumstances might force his hand for the better.


Certainly Munster will need something to give them some impact out
wide. And they will have enough on their plate hoping to find their
rhythm with their international contingent coming back into the mix
without a warm-up.


Llanelli in Stradey will be a tougher prospect than the French were in Lansdowne Road at the same stage last year


Whereas Leinster opted to get their mob back into blue as soon as
possible, Munster's Ireland contingent went for the extra week off
after the Six Nations. At this time last year it left them rusty
against Perpignan. Llanelli in Stradey, with an off-loading game ahead
of anyone else, will be a tougher prospect than the French were in
Lansdowne Road at the same stage last year.


It's Leinster, however, who will have the harder time up front when
they go to Adams Park to take on Wasps. Ignore the Wasps' defeat by
London Irish in the Premiership last week, where they were shunted
around the Madjeski by the home side. It was their second string.
Virtually their entire pack will be recast for Saturday, with Lawrence
Dallaglio likely to be the only survivor. And he sounds keen.


"The latter stages of the Heineken Cup are as big as any game of
rugby you will ever play in terms of atmosphere, intensity and
passion," he says. "The semi-final against Munster in 2004 was one of
those games we were fortunate to win in the end. That game had
everything - the lead changed hands seven or eight times, there were
players sent to the sin-bin and some great tries.


"There were big moments, big tackles and it was an amazing
atmosphere at a packed Lansdowne Road. I thought nothing could be
better than that, but a few weeks later we w

[Munster06]

O’Gara key as Munster aim to march on
The fly-half must banish his Six Nations flaws if his side are to
overcome the Scarlets
Stuart Barnes
SERIOUS contenders for next autumn’s World Cup or a side who
remain seriously flawed? The verdict is out on Ireland in the wake of
an RBS Six Nations campaign that was sometimes wonderful but will
have to be wistfully remembered as a waste — a wake for the Grand
Slam that should have been claimed.

Ireland produced the best rugby by some distance. France had their
moments, but the startling Irish effort against England towered over
any other 80 minutes of the championship.

And last weekend in Rome, when Ireland were intent on raining tries
down on Italy, the backs conjured an inventiveness and efficiency
that only the All Blacks, on a good day, could match. In the second
half the Irish backs were deadly, cold-blooded. Every time they
sniffed the Italian 22 they left with another try.

New Zealand apart, no other international team is in their class as an
attacking side, brilliant indeed but also brittle in a way the All Blacks
are not. Or maybe that is yet to be seen. Those in World Cup denial,
who think we are in for a competition rather than a coronation, point
out the threat of injury to Richie McCaw and Daniel Carter. How good
are the All Blacks without their two controlling forces? There is no
doubt that they would be a lesser team for the loss, but the strength
in depth is formidable. With or without them, they have a mighty look
to them. Ask the same question about Ireland, stripped of the
captains of Leinster and Munster, Brian O’Driscoll and Paul O’Connell,
and the evidence of the Six Nations throws up questions Ireland are
yet to answer.

Ireland’s front five is being held together by the considerable plaster
that is the Munster second-row combination of Donncha O’Callaghan
and O’Connell. The colossal O’Connell delivered a thunderous
performance against England that blasted the men in white from the
field. When he stirs, Ireland’s pack bristles, but when he is off form,
as he was against Wales and France, the head of steam generated is
little more than a puff as O’Callaghan works his hide off on the back
foot.

When the talismanic lock is absent, as he was in Rome, the pack
appears even further from world championship material. The half-
century of points masked the fact that Italy caused Ireland too many
problems at the set-piece for a team who are intent on challenging
the world’s best. Mick O’Driscoll is an able deputy but the fire is
extinguished too easily without the red-haired Munster giant. Unless
O’Connell can produce a series of performances to eclipse anything
that Martin Johnson achieved, then Ireland’s pack is going to be
underpowered against the likes of France, South Africa and New
Zealand.

His broken thumb rules him out of the Munster team for the Heineken
Cup quarter-final away to Llanelli Scarlets, the flamboyant side of the
pool stages. The European champions’ pack contains seven of the
Ireland pack, whereas the Welsh team major in the loose. If Munster
are to retain this tournament title, they must do what Ireland failed to
do without O’Connell and thrive in the tight.

Ronan O’Gara, the golden boy of Munster, must dictate the shape of
the game and he will be the man around whom the team will plant
that fearsome red flag it carries defiantly around Europe. The fly-half
as an individual is a lot like Ireland as a team. He is the best in
Europe in his position (James Hook gave the individual performance
of the Six Nations, but O’Ga

[Clon]

Their is a piece in the Sunday Times Irish edition today that Ollie Le Roux is close to signing for Leinster ( but it hasn't been confirmed yet), I can't find the piece online. They look to be building a decent pack for next year.

[dropkick]

Their is a piece in the Sunday Times Irish edition today that Ollie Le Roux is close to signing for Leinster ( but it hasn't been confirmed yet), I can't find the piece online. They look to be building a decent pack for next year.

As a hooker!

[sewa]

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He is so lazy and unfit its isnt even funny. Seems to be getting only a few minutes in each game.


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[Clon]

The last time I can remember him play was a few years ago when he made a come back, and was playing very well. He is supposed to be doing a marketing campaign for hamburgers now though [img]smileys/lol.gif[/img], and is about 34.

[Fly_caster]

Theres a really good article / interview with Chris Wyatt in the Sunday Times but I can't find it online.....anyone else ?

Also, an additional article on the history / tradition, including similarities between Munster and LLanelli by Stuart Barnes - can't find online either - anyone ???????