BBC Alba to screen Leinster vs Glasgow LIVE

Posted on May 11, 2012 in Pro12

BBC ALBA SCREEN LIVE COVERAGE OF LEINSTER V GLASGOW PRO12 PLAY-OFF SEMI-FINAL

Leinster v Glasgow Warriors

BBC ALBA – Saturday 12th May 19:30 – 21:25

BBC ALBA will this weekend screen live coverage of RaboDirect PRO12 semi-final showdown between Leinster and Glasgow Warriors.

Coverage from the Royal Dublin Society will begin on Saturday at 7.30pm. The match itself will begin at 7.35pm and commentary will be provided by Hugh Dan MacLennan.

Saturday’s clash will see Warriors and the Leinstermen bid to secure a place in the end of season PRO12 showpiece final.

Sean Lineen’s side will enter the game in a positive mood following last weekend’s comprehensive 24-3 win over Connacht and Warriors will be hoping they can progress one step further than they did in 2010 when they lost away to Ospreys at the semi-final stage.

The match will see Warriors come up against a formidable Leinster side who are aiming for a European and PRO12 double and who have reached the play-offs for the last three seasons.

However, Glasgow will take confidence from their unbeaten PRO12 record against Leinster this season.

Their first league meeting was in September when tries from Peter Horne and Nick Campbell, plus kicks from Duncan Weir and Scott Wight, helped Warriors to a famous 23-19 win in Dublin.

Their last league meeting was at Firhill in February in a match that ended in a 10-10 draw, with Glasgow’s points coming through a converted penalty try plus a penalty from Scotland stand-off Ruaridh Jackson.

As well as all the live action, we’ll have half-time features including interviews with Warriors skipper Al Kellock and departing head coach Sean Lineen.

BBC ALBA has signed an exclusive deal to show live RaboDirect PRO12 rugby in Scotland until the 2013/14 season. The channel is committed to showing at least eight Edinburgh or Glasgow home matches per season, and has teamed up with Irish and Welsh broadcasters to also provide live coverage of selected away matches for both sides.

Glasgow Warriors head to Dublin for semi final challenge

Posted on May 11, 2012 in Glasgow, RaboDirect Pro 12

Glasgow Warriors head coach Sean Lineen has challenged his players to take their game to the next level in Saturday’s RaboDirect PRO12 semi-final against Leinster at the RDS (kick-off 7.35pm, live on BBC ALBA).

The play-off match will see the Warriors seek to become only the second team to defeat the reigning European champions twice this season, Glasgow having recorded a 23-19 success in the first RaboDirect PRO12 meeting between the teams in Ireland last September.

Leinster have since lost just once in all competitions, with the Warriors one of only two teams to take points off them in the RaboDirect PRO12 this calendar year, courtesy of a 10-10 draw at Firhill back in February.

The Dubliners underlined their class in the Heineken Cup head-to-heads, inflicting a 38-13 defeat on the Warriors at the RDS before edging a tighter affair 23-16 in Glasgow.

Lineen believes it will take “something truly special from all 23 players” to see off a team who have booked another Heineken Cup final date for the following week, but has emphasised the belief underpinning his squad’s approach.

The head coach commented: “We’ve shown great consistency and character to reach the semi-finals, but this is where the hard work really begins.

“We’re not satisfied just to be in the play-offs; we’re absolutely determined to keep our run going, and that means finding a way to beat a side who are the benchmark for every other team in Europe.

“Leinster’s record in both the RaboDirect PRO12 and Heineken Cup these past few years speaks for itself, and you only need to look at the statistics to see how hard it is to beat them.

“But we have confidence in ourselves, our game plan and each other and while we have huge respect for Leinster, we won’t be standing back and admiring them.

“To win, we need every player to be better than they’ve ever been before. That’s a big ask, but it’s what it will take, and we’ve every confidence the players will deliver. They’ve risen to every challenge we’ve put in front of them this season, and this is undoubtedly the biggest yet.”

The Warriors team for Saturday’s match will be confirmed tomorrow morning. Lineen said: “Training has been excellent all week. As you would expect, the hunger and intensity have been right out of the top drawer, with everyone absolutely desperate to get into the 23 for the weekend.

“It promises to be another fantastic occasion, and the players will soak up the experience. But most of all they will be inspired by it and work to show the wider audience just how good a team they are.”

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Odejobi ruled out of Marriott London Sevens

Posted on May 10, 2012 in England Sevens

England’s Mark Odejobi has been ruled out of the Marriott London Sevens after sustaining a broken bone in a foot.

And Isoa Damudamu – injured in last month’s Army v Navy Babcock Trophy match – faces knee surgery and a long spell out of the game.

Former England Under 20 wing Odejobi was injured after coming off the bench in the second half of England’s 40-7 victory over Kenya on day one at Scotstoun.

It leaves Head Coach Ben Ryan with one place to fill in the 12-man squad for the Marriott London Sevens at Twickenham this weekend.

Former captain Andy Vilk (Rugby Lions), Bristol-based Simon Hunt and newcomer Jeff Williams, a centre who played in the French Federale 1 league with RC Chateaurenard this season, are all in contention for the final spot as England aim to take another step forward after beating Australia, South Africa and Fiji before falling to champions New Zealand in the Glasgow final.

“It’s a tough break for Mark who’d come back from injury and trained hard with us – and he was only on the field for three minutes,” said Ryan.

“But we’ll go with what we’ve got and bring in one of the three who’ve been training with us  regularly.

“Andy Vilk and Simon Hunt are experienced sevens internationals who’ve played and won big tournaments with England while Jeff has impressed us with the way he’s fitted into the group in the last month.”

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Rabo Direct Pro12 dream team

Posted on May 3, 2012 in RaboDirect Pro 12

Edinburgh Rugby’s ‘Flying Dutchman’ Tim Visser has winged his way into the RaboDirect PRO12 Dream Team for the third year in a row.

Visser, who qualifies to play for Scotland this summer, is once again the leading try scorer in the RaboDirect PRO12 and has bagged 36 tries in 56 appearances for Edinburgh up to Round 22 of the 2011/12 campaign this weekend.

That total has worked him into third place in the PRO12 all-time try scoring list level with Nikki Walker and just behind Shane Horgan (39) and Tommy Bowe (46). He picked up 15 out of a possible 28 votes for the two wing positions, with his nearest rivals way back on four.

There are five players in the 2011/12 Dream Team who have retained their place from the previous year. A panel of 14 journalists from Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales were canvassed to select the team after 19 rounds of the tournament and four of the returning players were in the back line.

Leinster’s utility back Isa Nacewa once again won the full back shirt, beating off the strong challenge of Glasgow Warriors rising star Stuart Hogg, while Ruan Pienaar was the overwhelming choice at scrum half with 10 of the 14 votes.

Cardiff Blues centre Casey Laulala was the other player to make it two in a row as he won the race to join the Ospreys’ Ashley Beck (8 votes) at centre. His Blues team mate, Wales Grand Slam wing Alex Cuthbert, took the left wing spot on try count over Munster’s Simon Zebo.

It was also tight at outside half, where Glasgow Warriors’ Duncan Weir just pipped Leinster’s Ian Madigan for the No 10 jersey after both players received four votes. In the end, Weir’s superior scoring record earned him the half-back berth alongside Pienaar.

Only one forward survived from the 2010/11 Dream Team, Leinster hooker Richardt Strauss. He polled eight votes with the Ospreys’ Richard Hibbard his nearest rival with three.

There was another close call at loose head prop, where Glasgow’s Jon Welsh and Leinster’s Heinke van der Merwe were locked on three votes each. In the end, the decision went to Welsh on the basis he had scored three tries to Van der Merwe’s one.

Munster’s BJ Botha beat off the challenge of Ospreys’ Adam Jones and Ulster’s John Afoa to complete the front row as the tight head choice. There were 15 different players put forward for the two second row positions, but Ulster’s Dan Tuohy and Glasgow’s Tom Ryder were the clear favourites over some illustrious candidates.

Tuohy topped the poll with six votes, while Ryder had four, and their elevation into the Dream Team was a reflection on their reliability and durability at the heart of their respective packs over the season.

The back row comprises three players who failed to make their nation’s World Cup squads, yet all featured in the RBS 6 Nations. Edinburgh’s Dave Denton took the blindside flanker position ahead of nine other candidates, while new England No 8 Ben Morgan, of the Scarlets, crowned his great season by polling twice as many votes as his nearest rival.

The No 7 jersey went to the Ospreys outstanding openside flanker Justin Tipuric, who received the third highest number of votes of any player – Visser 15, Pienaar 10 – with nine to leave the 2011 nominee, Sam Warburton, trailing in his wake.

No fewer than 89 players from all 12 clubs in the RaboDirect PRO12 received votes and the final make up of the team is as follows:

RaboDirect PRO12 Dream Team 2011/12: Isa Nacewa (Leinster), Tim Visser (Edinburgh), Casey Laulala (Cardiff Blues), Ashley Beck (Ospreys), Alex Cuthbert (Cardiff Blues); Duncan Weir (Glasgow Warriors), Ruan Pienaar (Ulster); Jon Welsh (Glasgow Warriors), Richardt Strauss (Leinster), BJ Botha (Munster), Dan Tuohy (Ulster), Tom Ryder (Glasgow Warriors), Dave Denton (Edinburgh), Justin Tipuric (Ospreys), Ben Morgan (Scarlets)

Teams (8):Glasgow Warriors 3, Cardiff Blues 2, Edinburgh 2, Leinster 2, Ospreys 2, Ulster 2, Munster 1, Scarlets 1

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John Muldoon looks forward to the challenge

Posted on May 2, 2012 in Connacht, Irish Rugby

As Connacht head to Glasgow for the final RaboDirect PRO12 game of the season, recently crowned Connacht Rugby’s Mazda Player of the Year John Muldoon spoke about the challenges the Warriors pose:

"It’s a massive game for us, it’s the end of the season and we are determined to finish on a high. We’ve had some great recent results and some of our performances of late have been exceptionally high so we’re looking to build on that and finish well for the season. It’s been an up and down year but it’s also been a bit of a breakthrough for the club regards the Heineken Cup and we’re delighted to be back in there again. I think everyone appreciates and understands how big the Heineken Cup really is and we’re no different and we’re looking forward to it being bigger and better next season but for now we’re concentrating on this weekend."

"Glasgow are riding high in the league at the moment, their coach is leaving, they’re leaving Firhill and they are also gunning for a top four position so we know the pressure’s on them and they’ll be coming out all guns blazing but at the same time we’re looking to cause an upset and finish a record 8th, that would be a very good return for us this season."

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