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Posted 31 days ago
MUNSTER SHOULD be afraid. Very afraid. On Saturday evening in the semi-final of the Heineken Cup they will encounter a Clermont side at the top of their game. So what if an estimated 5,000 of the ‘Red Army’ will descend on Montpellier’s Stade de la Mosson for the mouthwatering clash; Clermont have enlisted 22,000 foot soldiers, and every one expects their boys to do to Munster what they did last week to Toulouse – thrash them.
Posted 48 days ago
CLERMONT AUVERGNE demonstrated just why they are the favourites to lift the Heineken Cup this year as they clinically saw off Montpellier. Rugby World, however, has decided to pinpoint a few individuals, rather than teams, who stood out over the weekend.
Posted 86 days ago
IT’S A tough life being a referee – hundreds of decisions to make, crowds jeering you, coaches blaming you. There was an even more painful moment for Wayne Barnes recently. During Munster’s Heineken Cup game against Racing Metro in January, Ian Keatley launched a kick and the ball hit Barnes smack in the face.
“The ball travels about 35 metres after…
Posted 348 days ago
REIGNING HEINEKEN Cup champions, Leinster, have been drawn in Pool 5 of the 2012/13 tournament and will face ASM Clermont Auvergne, Scarlets and newcomers, Exeter Chiefs, as they attempt to win an unprecedented third title in a row.
The draw for European club rugby’s elite competition took place on Tuesday, 12 June at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin where the 18th…
Posted 421 days ago
THE TOP two in the RaboDirect Pro12 go head-to-head at Thomond Park tonight as Munster host their Irish rivals Leinster. It’s sure to be an enthralling match, but who’s going to come out on top in Limerick? Here Conor Murray, Alan Quinlan, Bernard Jackman and RTE Sport’s Michael Corcoran offer their thoughts on the top-of-the-table clash…
Posted 742 days ago
By Sarah Mockford, Rugby World Features Editor
SO THE Magners League Grand Final is decided; it will be an all-Ireland affair between Munster and Leinster, the top two in the end-of-season table going head-to-head at Thomond Park on Saturday 28 May.
Leinster sealed their place with an 18-3 win over Ulster on Friday night. It was a comfortable win for the Dubliners…
Posted 744 days ago
The Munster side announced today for the Magners League semi-final shows nine changes, two of those positional, from the side selected for the game against Connacht last time out.
The positional changes sees young Danny Barnes wear the 13 shirt this time around as opposed to the 12 he wore against Connacht while with Donncha O’Callaghan restored to the second row…
Posted 744 days ago
By Sarah Mockford, Rugby World Features Editor
THE MAGNERS LEAGUE finalists will be decided this weekend with Ireland guaranteed at least one team in the season’s climax. Ulster visit Leinster on Friday night and the following evening Munster host defending champions the Ospreys.
It will be the fifth time the Ospreys have played Munster this season, with results currently 3-1 in the…
Posted 763 days ago
By Sarah Mockford, Rugby World Features Editor
THE OSPREYS’ 22-20 defeat to Munster at the Liberty Stadium means it’s extremely unlikely the defending champions will qualify for the Magners League play-offs.
They struggled in the first half against Munster but hit back in the second through the forwards, Alun Wyn Jones touching down from a driving lineout and a penalty try being…
Posted 763 days ago
MUNSTER BEAT the Ospreys 22-20 but whose performances will have impressed Warren Gatland and Declan Kidney?
OSPREYS
Alun Wyn Jones
In one word – immense. He carried his team and produced a real leader’s performance. Not only did he make key tackles, he drove players back, and was at the heart of a tremendous forward effort. And he topped it all off with…
