End Of Season Review

Connacht

Connacht look like they are finally coming of age. After a second successive season in the Heineken Cup, they performed admirably with 3 wins, including a fantastic win over Biarritz. Domestically, they finished in 8th position, their best position ever, which is about where they should be finishing. With a ever improving squad, with plenty of young talent that keep getting better, the likes of Robbie Henshaw, Tiernan O'Halloran and Kieran Marmion will want to improve on 8th and start challenging for qualification from the pool stages.

Leinster

Possibly not the best season by their elevated standards over the last few years, but any season that ends with two trophies has to be considered as positive. Being put in Clermont's pool in the Heineken Cup meant that qualifying was always going to be a challenge, and a midseason dip didn't help matters. But as all good teams do, they carved out wins, and ended up at the business end of the season with two finals, winning both and using a large number of their squad. Joe may have left for higher honours, and other key players like Johnny Sexton, Isa Nacewa and Heinke van der Merwe may be leaving, but with the likes of Brian O'Driscoll and Leo Cullen signed on, and Mike McCarthy and Matt O'Connor incoming, Leinster will look to continue their trophy winning form and building on some exciting talent in Jordi Murphy, Jack McGrath and Luke McGrath.

Munster

A team in transition will sum up their year. Fans seems disenchanted with new coach Rob Penney's plan for the team in the initial part of the year. However, fortunes turned with a historic win over Harlequins in the Stoop, and despite being out of contention in the Rabo Pro 12 for the first time in years, there are plenty of optimism going forward. Conor Murray finally stepped up to the challenge, and with players now buying into the plan, and Paul O'Connell maintaining fitness, Munster won't be too far away the top 4 next season. The departures of Ronan O'Gara and Doug Howlett will hurt them, but with Simon Zebo, Peter O'Mahony and Murray growing in stature, players like Ian Keatley and CJ Stander have big seasons ahead of them.

Ulster

What seemed like a great season in the making suffered a devastating dip after Christmas. A remarkable  run of victories in difficult circumstances at the start of the year was something to behold, but the rails came off with their first loss of the season vs Northampton in Round 4 of the Heineken Cup. That's their first loss in December! A large number of talented youngsters appeared this season, with Niall Annett, Peter Nelson, Stuart Olding, Chris Cochrane, Ricky Andrew and Michael Allen impressing. The likes of Luke Marshall and Paddy Jackson have had good seasons, and will look to kick on and firmly establish themselves in the Irish setup. The final loss last weekend will strengthen them, and will be in a strong position for larger honours next year. Watch out, we could be set for a period of Northern dominance.

Irish based Team of the Season

1. Dave Kilcoyne
2nd choice: Tom Court

There were some strong contenders, with Cian Healy and Jack McGrath impressing in bits this year. Callum Black was an able replacement for Ulster, and Denis Buckley showed he has promise, but a huge breakout year for Dave Kilcoyne, where he cemented himself as Ireland's 2nd choice no.1, and looks set to drive Cian Healy to improve year on year to keep his position. Tom Court had a great year after being written off after the fiasco against England in the previous year's 6 Nations.


2. Rory Best
2nd choice: Mike Sherry

Now that he's rightly in the Lions set up, we can look back at how good Rory Best was this year. One of Ireland's best performers in the 6 Nations, Best was awesome around the park, making turnovers, driving the strong Ulster scrum and being a leader in any team he played in. The Lions will be stronger for his inclusion. Mike Sherry has now established himself as Munster no.1, and seems to have usurped Sean Cronin as third in line to Best's Ireland jersey. Harris Wright had a strong season, and Strauss was decent but was injured for too much of the season.

3. John Afoa
2nd choice: Nathan White

John Afoa was a rock for Ulster this year. An extremely fierce scrummager, who offers plenty around the park too, Afoa is one of Europe's premier tightheads. Mike Ross looked tired all season, and BJ Botha has had better seasons.

4. Mike McCarthy
2nd choice: Michael Swift

McCarthy more than proved that he wasn't a token Connacht selection in the Irish setup with an impressive performance in the 6 Nations. His partnership with his second row partner Michael Swift was one of the reasons for Connacht's good season.

5. Donnacha Ryan
2nd choice: Dan Tuohy

Donnacha Ryan has come of age. He grew in stature this season in the absence of Paul O'Connell even though he seemed to fade a little bit when the great man returned. Such was Ryan's great season that he was being spoken as being unlucky to have missed out on Lions selection in some areas.

6. Iain Henderson
2nd choice: Robbie Diack

Much has been made of the talent of Iain Henderson. However it took him until midway through this season to show me his devastating ball-carrying abilities that lift teams. A future beckons on the international stage, perhaps at second row, but for now he had a great season at blindside. Needs to continue to improve next season and work even harder.

7. Tommy O'Donnell
2nd choice: Chris Henry

How Tommy O'Donnell is still uncapped for Ireland I'll never know. Probably my player of the season, O'Donnell stood up and fronted up like no other Munster player this season. Now Ireland's best openside, Schmidt could do worse than build his backrow around him next season.

8. Nick Williams
2nd choice: Peter O'Mahony

The IRUPA player of the year was devastating this year, showing a bigger workrate and ball carrying devastation than was seen during his time at Munster. Jamie Heaslip only contended in the last few weeks, while O'Mahony got better as the campaign went on.

9. Kieran Marmion
2nd choice: Conor Murray

The only player to start every game of the Rabo Pro12, Marmion has had a hugely successful breakout year, directly after graduating from the under 20s. His selection on the US tour is just reward for a fine season where he displayed maturity beyond his 21 years.

10. Ian Madigan
2nd choice: Jonathan Sexton

Whatever about Marmion's breakout year, Madigan rose to crazy heights this year. Firmly establishing himself as backup outhalf on the national stage after starring in Leinster's run in, and cementing his position as first choice once Sexton leaves. Sexton himself didn't have a bad season, and the national team missed him more than anyone once he was ruled out of the 6 Nations.

11. Simon Zebo
2nd choice: Isa Nacewa

Zebo is another to have a "breakout" year of sorts. Although he was established in the Munster set up, he's gone on to national prominence and his bit of skill against Wales was revered throughout the world

12. Luke Marshall
2nd choice: Dave McSharry

What a player Luke Marshall is. For more on my thoughts about him, check out my article that came out the day he was named in the side to play Scotland. If it wasn't for all of the concussions, young Luke might have been the bolter everyone wanted for the Lions. He is someone who has it all, and needs to be managed carefully next season.

13. Darren Cave
2nd choice: Brian O'Driscoll

Cave enjoyed a wonderful season in Ulster, and seems to enjoy playing outside Olding or Marshall and with running off the magicians that are Pienaar and Payne. Contenders in outside centre were hard to come by, and O'Driscoll gets in on his limited gametime.


14. Andrew Trimble
2nd choice: Craig Gilroy

For someone who scored as many tries, and important tries, for their province as Andrew Trimble did this season, it's baffling that he ends the season as low down on the international pecking order as he did. Trimble was one of Ulster's best performers, and with Gilroy and Bowe performing well when injured, Trimble has stepped up to the challenge to keep his spot in the Ulster XV.

15. Jared Payne
2nd choice: Robbie Henshaw

What can you say about Jared Payne? He is just a magician. He is one of the reasons why Ulster were so much better than last year. He's one of the reasons why the difference between Leinster and Ulster was reduced by 24 points in a year. He will be a huge asset to Ireland when he qualifies. Robbie Henshaw had a great breakthrough year too directly out of school. He has a bright future ahead of him.

Breakdown:
Connacht 2+4;
Leinster 1+3;
Munster 4+3;
Ulster 8+5;

Super Rugby Round 15 Review

Another great weekend of Super Rugby, with shocks, attention about to switch to the internationals, and of course; plenty of entertainment and tries.

TEAM OF THE WEEK:

Chiefs 28 -19 Crusaders

The Chiefs underlined their defense of their title without Sonny Bill Williams with a 9 point victory in a cracker of a game. Chiefs move to the top of the table with 52 points, and Crusaders hanging onto 6th place and a wild card spot with 42.

Rebels 24-22 Waratahs

The Rebels push on from just peforming well, and actually take down an in form Waratahs. The hit that this would have had on the Tahs playoff hopes wasn't as big, as most of their rivals also managed to lose. But with only 5 rounds left they are 3 points off 6th and can't afford another loss. The Rebels are now closer to the likes of the Stormers and the Sharks than the teams they were expected to battle it out with at the bottom of the league.

Blues 13- 20 Brumbies

Another loss for a playoff contender, the Blues are in 7th place on the basis of less games won compared to the Crusaders. The Brumbies are hanging onto 1st place in the Australian conference, having been caught at the top of the overall league.

Western Force 19-18 Highlanders

A massive win for the Force, who like Sean Fitzpatrick said over the weekend, are earning the respect of the other Super Rugby teams. In Kyle Godwin, the Force have a future superstar on their hands, and in Nic "sweating like a gypsy with a mortgage" Cummins, they have a rival to Mark Robson's outrageous simile's throne.

Southern Kings 22 - 34 Cheetahs

The Cheetahs are one of the most entertaining teams to watch in the world. Willie le Roux and co are running riot this season, and this win lifts them to 4th place in the table and into the playoffs. A deserved place in the table based on watching them this season, and they have a bye on the way.

Stormers 20 -15 Reds

The Stormers have been having a terrible season, and this win arrests some poor form, but with 34 points and in 11th place, they have no hope of dangering the playoff spots and will just look to avoid the relegation match with the Kings.

Sharks 16-18 Bulls

The Bulls have been the only one of the SA giants to have performed this year with the Sharks and Stormers struggling for unknown reasons. Bulls are top of the SA conference, with just the Cheetahs to challenge them for that spot. Next weeks game in Bloemfontein will be crucial.

Fantasy

After reducing the gap to 40 points last week, Cillian Hogan had a terrible week, dropping to fourth and is now 150 points off 1st. Not out of it, yet but with time running out. The gap between 1st and 2nd has increased to 90 points. The battle for 5th swung again, with Murray Kinsella regaining and opening up a lead.

Australian celebrities didn't do brilliantly, with all of us gaining on them, and Tim Horan had his lead cut considerably.

Head to Head

Cillian Hogan maintained his win streak, and has a 4 point lead to 2nd, with a gap of 8 points to 3rd. Multiple Scoregasms is fighting it out with average to avoid the wooden spoon.

Ulster v Leinster Head to Head

See my preview here

Before the teams were announced, I was finding it hard to separate the finalists of the Pro12.

Both teams have announced very strong teams, with strong benches. Both provinces are developing depth, especially when you consider the likes of Sean O'Brien, Luke Marshall and Craig Gilroy are all not involved through injury.

So who has the better team?

15. Fullback- Jared Payne vs Rob Kearney

Both are fantastic players. On form, both are among the best in the world. Kearney has the edge in defense, while Payne has a little bit more magic about him in attack. On his day, Kearney is devastating on the counter attack, while Payne gets involved more in play, playing a playmaking role out wide that Ulster have used to great effect this season. Kearney has been a shadow of his former self since returning from injury, so Payne just edges it.

Choice: Jared Payne - but not by much.

14. Right Winger - Andrew Trimble vs Fergus McFadden

Two players who started out their careers in the centre, with Trimble having resigned himself to a career on the wing, while McFadden is probably more suited to inside centre. Most recent Irish selections suggest that McFadden is ahead of Trimble, but I think that must be due to his increased versatility, and Trimble's form this year cannot be ignored.

Choice: Andrew Trimble - again, not by much.

13. Outside Centre - Darren Cave vs Brian O'Driscoll 

Not as close as the previous two selections, but Cave has done well this year, and is currently 2nd in line to O'Driscoll's green jersey

Choice: Brian O'Driscoll

12. Inside Centre - Stuart Olding vs Ian Madigan

In a few years this may be closer. Both players are filling in for an injury. Both started out as outhalves, while Olding may have found his best position, the 10 jersey suits Madigan more. His pass works well as a 12, but his playmaking ability and small stature marks him out as a ten. Madigan has come on a lot this year, as an outhalf and a player, and is my pick here.

Choice Ian Madigan

11. Left Wing - Tommy Bowe vs Isa Nacewa

Maybe I should have put the wingers up against their direct opposition, because both of these players should make it. It's almost impossible to split them, and both have hugely positive impacts on their teams.

Choice: Isa Nacewa - It's his last game and everything

10. Outhalf - Paddy Jackson vs Johnny Sexton

Johnny Sexton is the Lions 10, and the best outhalf in the Northern Hemisphere. This one is conclusive.

Choice: Johnny Sexton

9. Scrumhalf - Ruan Pienaar vs Isaac Boss

This one is almost as conclusive as the outhalf choice. Ruan Pienaar is the single most important player for Ulster.

Choice: Ruan Pienaar

1. Loosehead - Tom Court vs Cian Healy

Tom Court isn't the liability he once was, but at the same time, Healy is one of the best looseheads in the world, and at 25, is nowhere near his peak.

Choice: Cian Healy

2. Hooker - Rory Best vs Richardt Strauss

Rory Best was stupidly overlooked for the Lions. He has been immense this season, with the exception of a few wayward throws. He'll be looking to prove Gatland wrong. Injury meant that Strauss wasn't able to challenge Best for the Irish jersey. His upbringing as a backrower is evident in his play, and he plays differently to most other hookers.

Choice - Rory Best - just.

3. Tighthead - John Afoa vs Mike Ross

Mike Ross has saved Ireland on countless times. His scrummaging ability is the reason why Ireland are competitve sometimes. He doesn't offer much else around the park, but remains vital to Irish hopes. Not only is Afoa a fearsome scrummager, he offers a lot around the pitch, with great carries, vital steals and defending the fringes of rucks with aplomb.

Choice - John Afoa

4. Loosehead Lock - Johann Muller vs Leo Cullen

Leo Cullen is one of those players that you don't realise his important unless you play with him, and you see all the work and "tricks" that he comes up with in a game. However, Muller is a better lineout operator, a better leader, and offers more bulk in scrums.

Choice - Johann Muller

5. Tightead Lock - Dan Tuohy vs Devin Toner

I rate Dan Tuohy very highly and can't understand why he isn't higher in the pecking order with Ireland. Toner has finally improved and shown some talent in recent weeks, but not enough for me to pick him over Tuohy here.

Choice - Dan Tuohy

6. Blindside Flanker Robbie Diack vs Kevin McLaughlin

Kevin McLaughlin gets through a huge amount of work, but so does Diack, and Diack is significantly better in the loose, and able to play anywhere in the back 5.

Choice - Robbie Diack

7. Openside Flanker Chris Henry vs Shane Jennings

Choice: Chris Henry

8. No. 8 - Nick Williams vs Jamie Heaslip

Choice: Jamie Heaslip

Subs:

16. Sub Hooker - Rob Herring vs Sean Cronin

Sean Cronin is a great rugby player, fantastic in the loose, with speed and ball handling skills. Unfortunately he can't do a hooker's primary job which is throwing. I'd still prefer him in my team than Herring though.

Choice- Sean Cronin

17. Sub Loosehead - Callum Black vs Jack McGrath

Both have had good seasons, with Jack McGrath showing a bit more potential. Excited to see him develop as Leinster's number 2 no. 1 next season.

Choice: Jack McGrath

18. Sub Tighthead - Declan Fitzpatrick vs Jamie Hagan

Typical that Hagan only now begins to show why people were waxing lyrical about him after he's decided to leave. On this form he is the back up to Ross for Ireland ahead of Fitzpatrick.

Choice: Jamie Hagan

19. Sub 2nd row - Iain Henderson vs Quinn Roux

Injuries have disrupted Roux's season, and next season big things are expected of him. But for now, Henderson has finally shown me what the fuss is about with some barnstorming runs, and uplifting carries for his team. His work rate needs to improve, but there is a lot of talent to work with.

Choice: Iain Henderson

20. Sub Back Row - Mike McComish vs Rhys Ruddock

Rhys Ruddock is another I rate very highly. He is a leader, that gets through a huge amount of work, and a good lineout option. McComish is not the same standard as Ruddock

Choice Rhys Ruddock

21. Sub Scrumhalf - Paul Marshall vs John Cooney

Paul Marshall hasn't had a lot of opportunities, yet finds himself in the Irish set up by the virtue of some exciting cameos. Whenever he comes on, Ulster play at a higher tempo and frequently score tries. Cooney is a similar player, with a solid quick pass, but is inexperienced, and has yet to display his full potential

Choice - Paul Marshall

22. Sub Inside back - Mike Allen vs Andrew Goodman

Mike Allen is another that impressed me during the 6 Nations when the Ulster frontliners were away. Comfortable on the wing and centre, he has a bright future ahead of him, starting with Emerging Ireland this summer. Goodman has been solid since arriving, but I can't help but think he is over-rated. Maybe he'll prove me wrong next season.

Choice Mike Allen

23. Sub Outside Back - Peter Nelson vs Andrew Conway

Conway has been earmarked for stardom since starring for Blackrock in the Leinster Junior Cup of 2007. Since then he has made quite a rise, but has stalled a bit, meaning that his move to Munster could suit all parties. Nelson is still part of the Ulster academy, and has featured quite a bit for the first team this season, showing how highly he is rated. 

Choice Andrew Conway

Conclusion:
Starting Lineup:
Ulster 9
Leinster 6

Replacements:
Ulster 3
Leinster 5

While Ulster have more head to head victories, I think Leinster have the more comprehensive victories. This game is very tight, and could be decided by a mistake.

Super Rugby Round 14 Review

Hurricanes 12 - 17 Chiefs

An unusually boring game by New Zealand standards, with the defending champions winning out. This leaves the Chiefs top of the New Zealand conference, with the Canes struggling in 9th place. Time is running out for the Canes to rescue their season.

DTOTY: Gareth Anscombe (315)

Rebels 30 - 21 Stormers

The first game this season that the Rebels had to play without both James O'Connor and Kurtley Beale and they continued their performances and managed to beat a poor Stormers side. Jason Woodward has been one of the better players for the Rebels this season.

DTOTW: Scott Higginbotham (48), Hugh Pyle (40), Andries Bekker (37)
DTOTY: Ged Robinson (470), Hugh Pyle (351), Scott Higginbotham (337), James O'Connor (305), Nick Phipps (144)

Force 13 - 23 Sharks

The Force held up well here, and despite some big performances from Kyle Godwin and Pat Delitt, the Sharks just snuck it.

DTOTW: Kyle Godwin (48), Pat Delitt (30)
DTOTY: Pek Cowan (296)

Crusaders 23 - 3 Blues

This is one result which shocked me to be honest. The Crusaders hadn't been in the best form coming into this, and to keep the Blues tryless is some feat. Lets see if this is a one off performance that has been all too regular for the Crusaders this season.

DTOTW: Ben Funnell (53), Owen Franks (42)
DTOTY: Steven Luatua (348), Rene Ranger (324), Charles Piatau (320)

Waratahs 28 - 22 Brumbies

Another big win for the Waratahs who are right in contention for a playoff spot. Both the Australian teams above them lost last weekend. They still need to win almost all of their remaining matches to stay in contention. It looks to me as if the season is over for anyone under the Tahs on the table.

DTOTW: Michael Hooper (53),
DTOTY: Israel Folau (401)

Bulls 35 - 18 Highlanders

Another efficient performance from the Bulls, and another shocker from the Highlanders, that win two weeks ago looks like a flash in the pan, as opposed to the turning point that many thought it would be.

DTOTW: Ben Smith (32)

Cheetahs 27 - 13 Reds

A Massive result for both these teams, the Cheetahs appear to be genuine playoff contenders, and they haven't let the loss of Johan Goosen upset them at all. Their players were rewarded with Springbok call ups during the week, with Labuschagne and le Roux making overdue appearances in the training squad.

DTOTW: Piet van Zyl (43), Pieter Labuschagne (43), Luke Morahan (32)
DTOTY: James Slipper (364), Pieter Labuschagne (338), Robert Ebersohn (258)

FANTASY:

A Great week for Cillian Hogan, who moves to within 42 points of the lead. Garbhan Hogan got the highest of the round with 434 which brings him within 100 points of 1st. It's beginning to get tight at the top again.

Head to Head results:

Multiple Scoregasms 268 - 340 Ball Handling Hooker
The Weshties 301- 249 GlasUlstermanNSW
Ireland's Answer 351 - 367 Les Mecs
Average 302 - 400 Poseidon's Belvedere

This leaves Cillian Hogan with a 4 point lead at the top.

Ulster vs Leinster Rabo Pro 12 Final Preview

As seen here

Ulster and Leinster have had very contrasting seasons up to this point, but that counts for nothing when the two best teams from this season's Pro 12 clash in the RDS in Dublin on Saturday 25th May. It should prove to be an enthralling match, as all local derbies are, and I for one, am hoping that this success for the Irish provinces will translate onto the national scene once Joe Schmidt moves from Leinster head coach to the Irish national job.

As mentioned already, the teams have had very different seasons, with Ulster starting this season in superb form before fading and stuttering into this final, while Leinster didn't start as well, before picking up momentum after Christmas and storming into two finals.

Ulster's early season form was the envy of Europe, with game unbeaten run finally halted by Northampton in Round 4 of the Heineken Cup in December. In the middle of this, the tragic passing of promising centre Nevin Spence seemed to spur them, and this will help get the neutrals on their side come Saturday.

Leinster started badly, and were left requiring a maximum haul of 10 points from 10 in the final two rounds of the Heineken Cup and a miracle from other games to avoid missing out on the quarter finals for the first time in . Unfortunately, while they did what was required of them, it didn't come to pass, and they were left to rue poor early season form that left them out of the Heineken Cup and with points to make up on leaders Ulster at the halfway stage of the Rabo Pro 12.

Leinster will be hoping to win for departing players Jonathan Sexton and Isa Nacewa, as well as incoming Irish coach Joe Schmidt. Nacewa is a Leinster legend, who is retiring at the young age of 30 to move back to new Zealand. Leinster have lost at this stage for the last three years in a row and will want to put that right.

Both teams will want to win more than just for the final.

Ulster have a strong scrum, bolstered by John Afoa, the mighty All Black, Rory Best, who was desparately unlucky not to receive a call up for the Lions, and Tom Court who seems to grow in their presence. Johann Muller, the captain, is ably assisted by Dan Tuohy in the engine room, and they provide Ulster with great options out of touch. A back row made up of 3 from Iain Henderson, the young marauder, Robbie Diack who has been in great form, Chris Henry and someone who should be familiar to Italian followers, Nick Williams. Williams has been in outstanding form this season, winning the Rabo Pro 12 player of the year. Before Christmas he was swatting opposing players away at will.

Ruan Pienaar runs the game from scrumhalf, and eases young Paddy Jackson into games. Stuart Olding, who will feature for the Ireland in the Junior World Cup in the summer is the last man standing at inside centre, with Darren Cave enjoying a wonderful campaign. Tommy Bowe, Ulster's only 2013 Lion, is back from injury and scoring tries, with Andrew Trimble having his best season for Ulster, and Jared Payne weaving his magic from fullback. This Ulster team has threats throughout the side.

Leinster rested a large cohort of their first team in last week's victorious final vs Stade Francais. Cian Healy is likely to come in, assisted by Richardt Strauss and Mike Ross providing a solid platform from the scrum. Devin Toner is in good form in the back end of the season, and is likely to partner Leo Cullen in the second row. Kevin McLaughlin, Shane Jennings and Jamie Heaslip in the back row, after Sean O'Brien limped out of the Amlin final.

Isaac Boss will continue to partner Jonny Sexton, in his last game for at least two years for Leinster. Ian Madigan and Brian O'Driscoll will form the midfield partnership, with Rob Kearney coming back into form (finally), and Isa Nacewa and Andrew Conway making their last appearances for the province.

As for predictions, I keep going back a forth. Ulster have beaten Leinster twice this season, recording their first win in Dublin for 13 seasons. While Leinster are now in form, have rested a number of key players and will not want to lose this final for the third year in a row. It's going to be a tense game, with no more than a score in the difference.

Prediction: Leinster to win.

New York City Rugby: A Novel Idea

As Ireland prepares to play the U.S. in June, there’s an interesting peek at rugby in New York City in Michael J. Malone’s new novel No Never No More. The book is centered around Declan Coulter, a first-generation Irishman raised in Alphabet City, and a flanker on the Village Vipers RFC--a ragtag club frequently on the losing end of matches with a hard band of Irish immigrants in the Bronx called the Bainbridge Barbarians.

The novel is also a peek at New York in 1999—post-grunge, pre-Sept. 11, full of dot-com buzz and increasingly anxious about a phantom menace called Y2K.

A member of the Village Lions RFC (villagelions.org) in New York for the past 20 years, Malone plays occasional old boys rugby now. His writing has appeared in the NY Times, Rugby Magazine (US), Rugby World (UK) and Playboy, and his favorite assignments include covering the ’99 World Cup in Dublin and a Guinness pub giveaway in Listowel.

No Never No More is available on Amazon.com (http://www.amazon.com/No-Never-More-novel/dp/0985632828/) and the e-book is scheduled for a May 21 release.

Heineken Cup Qualification 2013/2014

After crunching some numbers, depending on results on Friday, this will be the seedings for next year's Heineken Cup.

On Friday, Leinster play Stade Francais in the Amlin Challenge Cup final. Leinster have already qualified for next year's Heineken Cup, but Stade haven't, and a victory for them earns their qualification. If Leinster win, a spot in next year's qualification goes to Connacht by virtue of them being the only team in their country not to have qualified so far.

On Saturday, Toulon play Clermont in an all French final. Both teams have already qualified, so there's one spot up for grabs.

Here's where things get slightly complicated. French and English clubs are capped at 7 for the Heineken Cup, i.e. both countries can only have 6 or 7. So, if Stade Francais win on Friday night, they will enter next season's Heineken Cup as the 7th French team. This means that the spot that would usually go to the first French team that haven't qualified because of their domestic position (Perpignan), would actually go to the highest ERC ranked team that hasn't qualified but is eligible. (Wasps)

Which means:
On Friday night:
A Leinster win - Connacht and Perpignan are through to the Heineken Cup
A Stade win - Stade and Wasps are through to the Heineken Cup.

i.e. Nothing depends on Saturday

Got it?

Therefore the seedings for next year's competition will be:

1st Seeds (1-6)

1. Leinster
2. Clermont /Toulon (The winners on Saturday will move to 2nd, but it has no realistic effect)
3. Toulouse
4. Toulon / Clermont
5. Munster
6. Ulster / Stade (If Stade win on Friday, they'll move to 6th, relegating Ulster to 2nd seeds)

2nd Seeds (7-12)

7. Ulster / Northampton
8. Northampton / Harlequins
9. Harlequins / Cardiff
10. Cardiff / Saracens
11. Saracens / Leicester
12. Leicester / Perpignan (If Leinster win, Perpignan sneak in here, which lifts Ulster up to 1st seeds, as Stade won't qualify)

3rd Seeds (13-18)

13. Edinburgh
14. Wasps / Ospreys (If Wasps get in)
15. Ospreys / Scarlets
16. Scarlets / Glasgow
17. Glasgow/ Montpeiller
18. Montpeiller / Connacht (It's between Wasps / Connacht)

4th Seeds (19-24)

19. Gloucester
20. Castres
21. Racing
22. Exeter
23. Treviso
24. Zebre

Meaning there could be a group of:

Leinster
Harlequins
Glasgow
Racing

or a group of:
Stade
Perpignan
Edinburgh
Zebre

South Africa Future Rugby Stars 4/4

Long time coming.

See parts 1,2 and 3.

Bulls

Jan Serfontein (age 20) Inside Centre

From the famed Grey's College, Serfontein has been one of the better debutantes to Super Rugby this year, Jan Serfontein has followed on from winning last year's IRB Young Player of the Year to starting 4 games in a row for the Bulls, winning Man Of The Match against the Southern Kings in Round 10.

He's been called up to the Springbok squad, and is a live contender for the 12 jersey. He is a hard strong runner, and solid defensive player with 11 tackle busts and making 48 of 50 tackles over his first 3 starts for the Bulls.

Sydney Morning Herald rugby columnist Paul Cully wrote in a piece headlined “Bullocking Serfontein shows the way for Australian rookies”, that the “outstanding young midfielder - big, strong, fast but with skills and vision - has the ability to change the way the Bulls attack and be a Springbok for years to come”.

Even more impressive is that Serfontein has chance to retain his Young Player of the Year title when he helps the baby Boks defend their JWC title in France in a few weeks.

Handre Pollard (age 19) Fly-Half

Another off the Bulls production line, a lot has been mentioned of Handre Pollard in South Africa. He is a stereotypical South African out-half, standing at 6'2'' and weighing a hefty 95 kg, Pollard is big for a 19 year old.

Strong in defense, as would be expected of someone of his size, he is in the Morne Steyn ilk of out-halves, with a strong kicking game, good placekicking, and an emphasis on game management and work ethic.

Just the type of fly-half Heineke Meyer loves. Another to be seen in the JWC this summer.

Planet Rugby did a report on him during last year's JWC:

"Who is he?
When South Africa's U20 coach Dawie Theron was asked to name a few players in his squad who would be worth keeping an eye on, it was Pollard who he spoke most animatedly about.

A large part of that was down to the fly-half's age - Pollard only recently turned 18 and is the only member of the Baby Boks squad who is still at school.

He attends the well-known Paarl Gym, which has produced Springboks such as Schalk Burger and Jean de Villiers, and will captain Western Province at the 2012 Craven Week in July.

According to his SARU player profile, he likes steak and Afrikaans music.

Attributes:

Physique:
One of Theron's big points about Pollard was his size, and he's certainly tall for an 18 year old. At 6ft 2in he doesn't look out of place among players two years older than him, although he's not the beefiest guy in the backline.



Well-built and athletic, tall and upright, there's more pedigree than mongrel about him. He's not about to drive an opposing player back in the tackle, but he won't grant him any ground either.

Handling:
South Africa's game against England was a good one to judge Pollard's passing, because the hosts needed four tries to make the semi-finals and were going to play running rugby.

As a result Pollard passed three times more than he kicked or ran, and the good snappy ball that he gave in the second half helped those outside him work their magic. It was more functional than spectacular though; fluid but not that inventive.

Kicking:
On Tuesday night his goal-kicking was flawless, although three of his four conversions were straightforward affairs and his distance was never tested because South Africa were not interested in notching up penalties from range.

His kicking out of hand was mixed - while he made some serious yardage with a couple of booming clearances, he failed to find touch on a couple of occasions, and criminally one of those was with a penalty.

England were well organised when it came to covering the long kicks, and so twice Pollard kicked aimlessly down someone's throat.

But his up and unders were excellent, allowing his wings plenty of time to get underneath them and trouble the English defence.

Defence:
Such was Pollard's solidity that it was a surprise when he committed his only defensive error of the evening. England had a scrum ten yards from their own line and ran what was meant to be a crash ball to set up the clearance kick. Instead the English runner found himself sliding unchallenged through Pollard's channel - seemingly because the fly-half thought one of his back-rowers was covering - and running 40 yards upfield.

Pollard did his best to atone for the error though, throwing himself onto England's huge number 14 to prevent any further damage. Six other tackles on the night showed he's not one to shirk a challenge, and that such blemishes are rare.

They said
"We're waiting in excitement to see this guy at this level because we believe that he's got what it takes. He's definitely the guy that in three or four years' time from now, I believe he could be on everyone's lips," said Baby Boks coach Dawie Theron.

"If we look at him, at the moment he's 97kg and 190m tall, so that is serious size. There are some Super Rugby fly-halves who don't get close to that. He can kick the ball, he has a good feeling for the game and his distribution is very good, but then another one of his strong points is his defence."

Conclusion:
It was a serious vote of confidence when Theron turned to Pollard for South Africa's clash with Italy. The hosts had suffered a surprise defeat to Ireland, and although the coach had always planned to give the youngest member of his squad some game time, Pollard showed enough to earn two starts ahead of Tony Jantjies, who is expected to match or better the abilities of his older brother Elton.

Pollard looked calm and composed on Tuesday night in front of a crowd that grew to around 12,000 at Cape Town Stadium. He wasn't the star of the show (if anyone, that was outside centre William Small-Smith, who has a great step and tremendous pace), but he looked far from overawed about making such a big step up.

In the first half South Africa were often on the back foot as they fluffed their line-outs, got turned over and struggled to match England at the scrum. It was difficult to judge any fly-half behind that sort of problem in the forwards, but there was no evidence of panic in Pollard's play.

Some of South Africa's more respected columnists have lamented a reliance on route one rugby. One of them cited Theron's gushing description of Pollard's size as evidence that this trend shows no sign of abating.

Having watched the 18-year-old in action there is some merit to these concerns, because if we were to compare him to a current fly-half it would probably be Morne Steyn. Pollard seems to have been set in the South African mould - he looks solid but lacking in flair.

Temperament is often the most important part of a player's make-up though, and so it would be no surprise to see Pollard develop into a first-choice Springbok fly-half in years to come. South Africans might just hope that he can add a few more strings to his bow. "

Arno Botha (age 21) Back row

Arno Botha has broken onto the scene this year at no.8 for the Bulls. So impressive his form has been that he has earned a call up to the recent South African training camp.

Arno Botha impressed in the Currie Cup last year and has excelled at the higher standard of Super Rugby.


Lionel Mapoe (age 24) Outside Centre / Winger (On Loan from Lions)
Morne Mellett (age 23) Prop
Louis Fouche (age 24) Fly-Half
Francois Venter (age 21) Inside Centre

Cheetahs

Willie Le Roux (age 23) Winger / Full-back / Fly-Half

Willie Le Roux has been in awesome form this season.If their was a ready made replacement for Isa Nacewa in the world of rugby, Willie le Roux is that man. A playmaking winger, who runs great support lines, has great pace and a brilliant rugby mind, le Roux rarely stays on his wing. He is one of the reasons why the Cheetahs are doing so well, and why they are so entertaining to watch.

Raymond Rhule (age 20) Winger

With 5 tries, Rhule just shades his follow Cheetahs wing le Roux by one for the current campaign. The 20 year old with some serious gas has been part of this Cheetahs side that has lit up Super Rugby, and has been rewarded with a call up to the South African national side.

Lappies(Pieter) Labuschagne (age 24) Flanker

One of the best compliments I can give Labuschagne is that the Cheetahs have barely missed their go to man from last season, Ashley Johnson. Labuschagne is 3rd highest tackles made in Super Rugby this year, making 172 missing just 10, also contributing a not to shabby 5 turnovers/pilfers, 3 offloads, 5 linbreaks, 11 tackle busts.

Labuschagne has burst onto this scene this year, in his second year at this level.

And that's without mentioning future Bok superstar Johan Goosen.

Trevor Nyakane (age 23) Loosehead Prop
Coenie Oosthuizen (age 23) Loosehead Prop
Lood de Jager (age 20) Second Row
Philip van der Walt (age 23) No. 8 / Flanker
Johann Sadie (age 24) Outside Centre


Kings

Sergeal Peterson (age 18) Winger

Scoring the first try in the history of the Southern Kings Super Rugby campaign was a good was to introduce Sergeal Peterson. That he went on to score both tries in that game to win is something else.

Another graduate of Grey's College, Peterson was still a schoolboy there last year.

Wimpie van der Walt (age 24) Flanker

Wimpie van der Walt is the competition's leading tackler, missing only 9 of 185. Wimpie is one of the reason's why the Kings haven't been demolished more than twice, as would have been expected. He has been one of the most impressive performers of the Kings, and seems to be at the heart of all their work in attack, and to the fore in defense.

Demetri Catrakilis (age 23) Fly-half
George Whitehead (age 24) Full-back / Fly-half


Sharks

Marcell Coetzee (age 21) Flanker

After a sensational breakout season last year, Marcel Coetzee was called up the Bok squad and won 12 caps. He's now a fixture in the Bok lineup, and at 22, will be a cornerstone to the Bok backrow for years to come.

From: Independent on Saturday


"When Marcell Coetzee was four-years-old and watching his older brother playing rugby, he quickly offered to take the place of an injured player so he could make a few tackles.

And not much has changed for the big Sharks flanker, who has racked up an impressive 232 tackles this season, putting him at the top of this stats list, while also holding more than his own at third on the list for making the most runs (158).

Coetzee, who has been outstanding in this year’s Super Rugby, and will no doubt make some big hits in today’s game against the Reds in Brisbane, grew up making many a tackle on his older brother, Armand, in the garden, often in the mud and rain at the family’s South Coast farm.

His mother, Delia, said her son had been passionate about rugby since he was a toddler.

“He couldn’t wait to get into Grade 3 so he could play rugby at school.

“When he was four, we were watching Armand play a match and someone was injured – the next minute Marcell jumped up, saying: ‘I’ll play, I’ll play.’

“Living on the farm, all the other farm kids would come over and they would play rugby. Marcell always loved tackling,” she said, adding that Sunlight soap played a large part in her life with all the mud-soaked clothes.

And, according to Delia, when Coetzee was not outside playing rugby, he could happily play on his own for hours.

“When he was growing up, he was quite introverted. But he also has a huge sense of humour and is such an affectionate person.

“He is also a committed Christian and is very principled. If he makes a stand, no one will make him change,” she said.

When he was in primary school, his principal remarked to his parents that if Coetzee continued to play as he was, their son could one day be a Springbok. His role model was Pierre Spies, whom he now plays alongside.

Fast forward a couple of years and Coetzee entered Grade 8 at Port Natal School behind his brother, who was already playing for the school, and coach Jan van Straaten immediately realised he had another Coetzee star in the making.

Now director of sport for the school, Van Straaten described Marcell Coetzee, who became the school’s first team captain, as “very charismatic and a natural leader”.

“In Grade 11, he was made a prefect for the boarding establishment which was very unusual as the boarding prefects are normally only chosen from the matric year. He just stood out and, as captain of the first XV in matric, he was very good at leading the whole team,” said Van Straaten.

Under Coetzee’s captaincy, the Port Natal rugby team enjoyed a sensational season, winning 23 consecutive matches.

“He also did well academically. It was a pleasure working with him,” he said.

Coetzee did not make Craven Week or Academy Week, and never played for KZN, but his coaches urged him to not let selectors decide his fate.

Deciding not to let his dream slip through his fingers, Marcell trained for six months under ex-Blue Bulls player Jannie Brooks in his gym garage in Pretoria and then entered the Sharks Academy.

It was during the Currie Cup last year that people sat up and took notice of this thundering player; and this year he joined Heyneke Meyer’s Springbok team for the Test series against the English.

“Singing the anthem and playing my first cap as a Springbok was the proudest moment in my life,” he said from Brisbane this week.

And Delia was right behind him: “When he came out in that Springbok jersey, we were all in tears, it was just so huge.”

And Marcell is very much a Durban ‘boykie’, saying his favourite places in the city are the beach and uShaka. He enjoys relaxing at the farm or going to Pretoria to visit his girlfriend, Chanelle – sorry, girls, he’s taken.

But it’s not only his mom who’s his biggest fan, as rugby in the Coetzee household is definitely a family affair. Both his grandfather, Dirk, and father, Dries, are former rugby players. His younger sister, Andrea, excelled at hockey and Delia loved netball.

As a family friend said, “when the Coetzees are not watching a live rugby game, they are watching a previous game and going through it. The television only ever has rugby on in that house”.

Although Armand and Andrea are away from home, the family will travel to wherever Marcell may be playing.

“Then we go home, have a braai and watch the match all over again,” Delia laughed.

And this week’s match in Australia is the first time the family won’t be cheering from the sidelines. But they will be there in spirit and Delia will make her son’s favourite steak and chips when he gets home.

No doubt it will be a big one."
Paul Jordaan (age 21) Outside Centre
Cobus Reinach (age 23) Scrum-half
Sean Robinson (age 19) Winger / Fullback

Stormers

Siya Kolisi (age 21) Flanker

It's a crime that Siya Kolisi doesn't have a Springbok cap already. In a debut season where he along with Coetzee were the two standout backrowers in the competition, Kolisi was strangely overlooked. 

He is a typical Bok backrower, fearless in the tackle, and carries a lot. His second season hasn't been as good, but he's been one of the better performing players in a difficult season for the Stormers. Definitely one to watch. If he doesn't get a Bok cap soon, he'll be heading to Europe.

Jaco Taute (age 21) Full-back / Outside Centre (On loan from the Lions)
Steven Kitchoff (age 21) Loosehead Prop
Frans Malherbe (age 22) Tighthead Prop
Rynhardt Elstadt (age 23) Flanker/ Second Row
Elton Jantjies (age 22) Fly-half
Gary van Aswegen (age 23) Out-half
Gerhard van den Heever (age 23) Winger / Full back

Super Rugby Review Round 13

Chiefs 22-21 Force

The Chiefs are making a habit of just getting over the line. And the Force are improving despite the sacking of their top try scorer. It was a much changed Chiefs team, with Anscombe due to start at outhalf, but pulled out for Aaron Cruden, disrupting many player's teams.

DTOTW: Lelia Masaga (44)

DTOTY: Gareth Anscombe (315), Pek Cowan (291)

Reds 32-17 Sharks

Queensland Reds produced one of the best displays in the first half of this game. As is the norm though, they took their foot off the gas for the second half, and allowed the Sharks to get some credibility on the scoreboard. Quade Cooper ran the game with Will Genia, and Robbie Deans will regret not having him in the team to face the Lions.

Watch out for Rod Davies finishing off a Reds 100m try.

DTOTW: Saia Fainga'a (51), Quade Cooper (38)

DTOTY: James Slipper (341)

Cheetahs 34-39 Hurricanes

This was back to the Cheetahs of old. Some poor defending, falling behind, before coming back with spirit and a missed kick costs them a chance to fully go for the win, and coming up short.

It's safe to say that Labuschagne was missed.

DTOTW: Coenie Oosthuizen (83)
DTOTY: Pieter Labuschagne (295), Robert Ebersohn (243), TJ Perenara (141)

Blues 36-32 Rebels

The Rebels were in the news the last week for all the wrong reasons, with Kurtley Beale now taking another indefinite leave from rugby. The Blues continued their impressive season with another win, keeping out a spirited Rebels side that earned two bonus points.


DTOTW: Frank Halai (66), Mitch Inman (60), Francis Saili (57), Scott Higginbotham (48), Rene Ranger (44)
DTOTY: Ged Robinson (430), Steven Luatua (330), Hugh Pyle (308), Charles Piutau (307), James O'Connor (305),


Waratahs 21-15 Stormers

This was an important win for the Waratahs to prove that last weeks hammering of the Kings wasn't a once off.

Israel Folau is getting better with each week. If Robbie Deans was smart, we should be scared. Gatland will have to prepare for him at some stage. 

DTOTW: Andries Bekker (33)

DTOTY: Israel Folau (382), Bernard Foley (302)

Southern Kings 34- 27 Highlanders

 

This was an important win for the Kings to prove that last weeks hammering to the Tahs was a once off.

I really don't know how to comment on the Highlanders, this was a terrible performance. At one stage, after being behind for a while, they got two quickfire tries showing that they are still a good team, before going back into their shells and conceding, and ultimately losing.

DTOTW: Cornell de Preez (63), Luke Watson (58), Brad Thorn (49), Shaun Venter (40), Schalk Ferreira (36)

DTOTY: Cornell du Preez (324)

Fantasy

Player of the Round was Murray Kinsella with another score over 400 points. His 413 lifts him up and away from Peter Corley, and within touching distance of Simon Farrell.

Super Irish

Twit vs Tweeter

Rob McCusker wants a bit of Robbie Diack

Super Rugby Review Round 12

Blue 18-17 Stormers

When you are 15 - 3 up with 20/30 minutes to go you, don't expect to be hanging on in the end. The Stormers dominated the first half and would have been upset to have gone in behind. Missed tackles cost the Blues and let Jean de Villiers bring the Stormers to within a point. Elton Jantjies was given a hospital ball after numerous phases at the end to try and land the drop goal to win

Rebels 33 - 39 Chiefs

The Chiefs are making a habit of seemingly putting games to bed before switching off and letting opposition back into the game. Margins of 24 -5, and 29 -12, made the Chiefs feel like they were home and dry, before the Rebels fought back and were camped on the Chiefs line at full time trying to sneak an unlikely win.

Highlanders 25-22 Chiefs

At the start of this game, Brad Thorn was a Super Rugby winner, a Tri-Nations winner, a State of Origin winner, a NRL winner, a Rugby World Cup winner and a Heineken Cup winner. But he still had to taste victory with the Highlanders. That has changed now, thanks to the try of the season, finished off by Colin Slade:

Western Force 11 - 11 Reds

The Force are the Reds' bogey team, and this showed again this weekend. Digby Ioane showed that he will be missed when he leaves at the end of the season with 17 runs and 12 tackle busts.

Southern Kings 10 - 72 Waratahs

What we were expected from the Kings, next week is important for both teams, for the Kings to prove that was a once off, and for the Tahs to prove it wasn't. As for the performance, After 3 minutes Israel Folau had 5 tackle busts and 30+ points. He finished with a try, two try assists, 16 runs, 16 tackle busts, 7 offloads, 2 linebreaks and 3 linebreaks created for a haul of 92 points. If you have an hour of your life (14 minutes), watch the highlights

Bulls 48 - 14 Hurricanes

The Bulls spanked the Canes in a game that showed even the most experienced can make a bad tackle that knocks them out. Best wishes to Conrad Smith on a speedy recovery. Just like with the previous game, I'll let the highlights do the talking.

Brumbies 23- 30 Crusaders

Crusaders and Dan Carter ruined George Smith's record breaking night with a fine performance, as Israel Dagg responded well to being benched.

So What does this mean for the Fantasy League?

It's not often I'm upset with 396 points, mostly because it's not often that I get that high.

Super Irish this week featured all 9 players getting above 300, 8 of which were above 370, with 5 above 400. With the average throughout the competition and a huge 379, you know it was a high scoring week, mostly down to one Israel Folau.

The Dream team of the week had a monsterous 850 points between them, with 9 getting above 50 points. A number of these players rocket into the Overall Dream Team.

Things are getting tight again in Super Irish, with 130 points separating 1st and 4th, with Simon Farrell, Peter Corley and Murray Kinsella coming up behind. The battle to avoid last place has been reduced to 33 points.

Twit vs Tweeter Results

(8(-)) Average 379 - 396 Ball Handling Hooker (2(up 1))

(1(-)) Poseidon's Belvedere 415 - 321 Ireland's Answer (3( down 1))

(7(down 2)) Les Mecs 372 - 447 The Westhies (4(up2)) -featuring an extremely lucky Connacht Man, who thanks to Rod Davies not playing, meant that Israel Folau and his 90 points were subbed in.

(5(down 1)) GlasUlsterman NSW 413 - 432 Multiple Scoregasms (6(1 up))