Bees look to iron out mistakes

Posted on Sep 17, 2010 in Championship, English Rugby

Birmingham & Solihull Rugby Club make the long trip into Cornwall to Mennaye Field this Sunday, looking for some good fortune as they face the in-form Cornish Pirates (KO 3pm).

Heading into round 4 of the RFU Championship the Bees find themselves searching for that elusive first win, which has not been helped by injuries to a number of players including Dan Oselton, Dan Sanderson, Alex Ball, Mike Denbee, Adam Clayton, Rob Connolly, Ross Noonan, Jimmy Williams, George Crook and John Holtby.

With some of the injured players returning to the squad this weekend to gain some much needed match fitness, a change of fortune should hopefully be just around the corner.

“Weekends can’t come quickly enough for me at the moment, explained Bees Director of Rugby Russell Earnshaw. “We need to show that we are learning from our mistakes and getting better”.

“This weekend, we are hoping to take build on the belief created from a very good second half against Nottingham and a good first half at London Welsh”, he continued. “I still feel we need to piece together the good bits from all of our games and come up with a more complete performance for the full 80 minutes”.

The Bees team to face the Cornish Pirates includes for the first time flanker Jack Bentall who is a new signing for the club. Formerly of Bath, Bentall was out on loan with National Division 1 side Newbury last season.

The full team to face Cornish Pirates at Mennaye Field on Sunday 19th September kick off 3pm is as follows:- 1. Matt Long, 2. Dan Oselton, 3. Ngalu Tau, 4. Semisi Taulava, 5. Adrian Griffiths, 6. Jack Bentall, 7. Jack Preece, 8. Mark Hopley, 9. Rod Petty, 10. Sam Robinson, 11. Mitch Culpin, 12. Will Lawson, 13. Ollie Grove, 14. Ant Elliott, 15. Ollie Winter.

On the Bench:- 16. Leo Halavatau, 17. Rob Dugard, 18. Alex Ball, 19. Mike Denbee, 20. Dan Sanderson, 21. John Brake, 22. Simon Hunt

Bath confirm new signings

Posted on Sep 16, 2010 in English Rugby, Premiership

Bath Rugby is pleased to confirm that they have signed Ignacio Fernandez-Lobbe and John van der Giessen as injury cover in the second row. Lobbe will be with the Club for the rest of the season, whilst van der Giessen joins the West Country side for 3 months.

Both players bring with them a wealth of experience. 6’5” Argentine lock Lobbe has represented Argentina over 60 times, playing in three World Cups. He spent four years at Sale Sharks, before making the move to Northampton Saints in 2008, where he made 37 appearances.

Van der Giessen is the current USA Eagles captain, has earned 13 caps for his country, and spent last season playing with Top 14 side Albi. He has also represented Hawkes Bay in New Zealand.

Head Coach, Steve Meehan, said “Both players will be a valuable addition to the squad at this time when we have injuries in the second row. They are both experienced players, who have played in a variety of leagues, and have really good attitudes. I’m sure they will fit right in with the squad we have here. Ignacio has played at the highest level for his country, and is a proven leader, so will be bringing some great experience with him, and John is a strong player, who has some very good lineout skills and is also athletic around the field.”

At the same time, due to the strength and depth Bath Rugby have in the centres, Tom Cheeseman will be on loan to Newport Gwent Dragons for the rest of the season, to enable him to gain more game time.

Harley rewarded with first XV start

Posted on Sep 16, 2010 in Irish Rugby, Magners League, Scottish Rugby

Robert Harley gets a starting slot against Connacht

Head coach Sean Lineen has named the Glasgow Warriors team to play Connacht in the Magners League at Firhill tomorrow night (Friday 17 September, kick-off 7.30pm).

Flanker Robert Harley, who has impressed off the bench in recent weeks, will get his first start of the season when he runs out the Firhill tunnel alongside captain John Barclay.

On the young prospect, Lineen said: “Robert is being rewarded for all his hard work. He’s got a fantastic attitude and has made a big impact every time he’s come on.”

Although the Warriors haven’t lost at home to an Irish side since Ulster on 17 April 2009, they will face a Connacht side that are coming into the encounter off the back of two straight wins.

Speaking about tomorrow night’s opposition, Lineen continued: “Tomorrow night will be a huge physical test.

“Connacht are coming into the game with some momentum, so we know we’re going to have to really front up.”

Glasgow supporters under the age of 18 are reminded that Friday night’s game is a ‘Band of Warriors’ fixture.

Members of Glasgow Warriors’ young supporters club, Band of Warriors, receive two free tickets (an adult and a child) to a game at Firhill and the briefs issued so far this season can be used on Friday night.

Glasgow Warriors team to play Connacht at Firhill on Friday 17 September (kick-off 7.30pm)

15 Bernardo Stortoni

14 DTH van der Merwe
13 Max Evans
12 Graeme Morrison
11 Hefin O’Hare

10 Ruaridh Jackson
9 Colin Gregor

1 Jon Welsh
2 Fergus Thomson
3 Ed Kalman
4 Tom Ryder
5 Richie Gray
6 Robert Harley
7 John Barclay CAPTAIN
8 Richie Vernon

Substitutes
16 Pat MacArthur
17 Kevin Tkachuk
18 Moray Low
19 Aly Muldowney
20 Calum Forrester
21 Henry Pyrgos
22 Duncan Weir
23 Peter Murchie

Warriors name squad ahead of Connacht match

Posted on Sep 15, 2010 in Magners League, Scottish Rugby

Glasgow Warriors have received a major boost ahead of this Friday night’s Magners League clash against Connacht (17 September, kick-off 7.30pm) as they welcome Scotland international flanker, John Barclay, back to frontline action.

Warriors head coach Sean Lineen is continuing to ponder over final selection and today named a 26-man squad for the Friday night showdown – which returns to the regular time-slot of 7.30pm.

However, Lineen has not hesitated to hand Barclay the captaincy which he inherits a week before his 24th birthday. The flanker takes over the role from fullback Bernardo Stortoni who has led the team over the past month.

Although delighted to be handed the added on-field responsibility, Barclay admits there are leaders all around him who will have a significant impact on the team.

He said: “I captained the team a couple of times last year and enjoyed the challenge but we’ve got guys around me with experience and who have captained the team in the past, so they will be helping me out.”

Barclay has been sidelined due to an Achilles injury which has ruled him out of selection for the first two weeks of the Magners League season.

That opening fortnight brought with it a home win over Leinster before a disappointing away loss to Newport Gwent Dragons.

Having sat out those first two games of the season, Barclay admits he experienced two very different kinds of frustration.

“It was difficult watching the Leinster game,” he said. “Obviously you want to be involved, but when the guys won I was delighted, especially with the manner in which they won. Watching the Dragons game last weekend was a different kind of frustration.

“But I’m certainly looking forward to being back, being involved and being in a Glasgow Warriors shirt again.”

Glasgow supporters under the age of 18 are reminded that Friday night’s game is a ‘Band of Warriors’ fixture.

Members of Glasgow Warriors’ young supporters club, Band of Warriors, receive two free tickets (an adult and a child) to one game per season and those that have already signed up can use their free briefs to watch the Warriors on Friday night.

Those who would like to sign up to attend a future game should log onto www.bandofwarriors.co.uk

The final team selected to play Connacht will be announced before 12noon on Thursday (16 September).

Glasgow Warriors squad to play Connacht at Firhill on Friday 17 September (kick-off 7.30pm):

Forwards: Ryan Grant, Ed Kalman, Moray Low, Kevin Tkachuk, Jon Welsh, Pat MacArthur, Fergus Thomson, Richie Gray, Aly Muldowney, Tom Ryder, John Barclay, Calum Forrester, Rob Harley, Ryan Wilson, Richie Vernon

Backs: Colin Gregor, Henry Pyrgos, Ruaridh Jackson, Duncan Weir, Rob Dewey, Max Evans, Graeme Morrison, Peter Murchie, Hefin O’Hare, DTH van der Merwe, Bernardo Stortoni

All Blacks released for ITM Cup matches prior to end of year tour

Posted on Sep 15, 2010 in NZ, SANZAR

The bulk of the All Blacks squad have been made available to play ITM Cup matches over the coming weeks, before the All Blacks end of year tour to Hong Kong, the United Kingdom and Ireland.

The All Blacks returned to New Zealand on Sunday following their 23–22 victory over Australia in the final match of the Investec Tri Nations, with players spending the next few weeks at home before the 30–strong All Blacks squad for the end of year tour is announced on Sunday 17 October.

The All Blacks will play Tests on consecutive weekends against Australia (Saturday 30 October), England (Saturday 6 November), Scotland (Saturday 13 November), Ireland (Saturday 20 November) and Wales (Saturday 27 November).

Seventeen players from the All Blacks squad will be available to play ITM Cup, if required by their provincial coaches, at various stages over the next few rounds.

All Blacks Coach Graham Henry said: “Many of the players, especially those in the All Blacks starting XV, have had a big year with Rebel Sport Super 14 rugby and the Test season, while others haven’t played as much rugby. So we are taking a sensible approach in managing their workload as we prepare for the end of year tour as well as the new Investec Super Rugby competition in 2011.”

The upcoming ITM Cup rounds and matches (with players available for selection if required in brackets) are as follows:

Week 8

• Waikato (Liam Messam) v Southland, Hamilton, Thurs 16 Sept.
• Manawatu v Auckland (Benson Stanley), Palmerston North, Fri 17 Sept.
• Taranaki v Canterbury (Colin Slade), New Plymouth, Sat 18 Sept.
• Tasman v North Harbour (Anthony Boric), Nelson, Sat 18 Sept.
• Otago v Northland (Rene Ranger), Dunedin, Sun 19 Sept.

Week 9

• Southland v Auckland (John Afoa, Benson Stanley), Invercargill, Thurs 23 Sept.
• Canterbury (Corey Flynn, Colin Slade) v Wellington, Christchurch, Sat 25 Sept.
• Waikato (Liam Messam) v Tasman, Hamilton, Sat 25 Sept.
• North Harbour (Anthony Boric) v Manawatu, North Shore City, Sun 26 Sept.
• Counties Manukau v Northland (Rene Ranger), Pukekohe, Sun 26 Sept.

Week 10

• Auckland (John Afoa, Benson Stanley) v Hawke’s Bay, Auckland, Fri 1 Oct.
• Northland (Rene Ranger) v Waikato (Liam Messam), Whangarei, Sat 2 Oct.
• Otago v Canterbury (Corey Flynn, Colin Slade), Dunedin, Sat 2 Oct.
• Manawatu (Aaron Cruden) v Tasman, Palmerston North, Sun 3 Oct.
• Counties Manukau v North Harbour (Anthony Boric), Pukekohe, Sun 3 Oct.

Week 11

• Hawke’s Bay (Israel Dagg) v Northland (Rene Ranger), Napier, Thurs 7 Oct.
• Waikato (Liam Messam) v Otago, Hamilton, Fri 8 Oct.
• Taranaki v Manawatu (Aaron Cruden), New Plymouth, Sat 9 Oct.
• Counties Manukau v Auckland (John Afoa, Joe Rokocoko, Benson Stanley), Pukekohe, Sat 9 Oct.
• Southland v Canterbury (Corey Flynn, Colin Slade), Invercargill, Sat 9 Oct.
• North Harbour (Anthony Boric) v Wellington (Victor Vito), North Shore City, Sun 10 Oct.

Week 12

• Manawatu (Aaron Cruden) v Waikato (Liam Messam), Palmerston North, Thurs 14 Oct.
• Tasman (Ben Franks) v Northland (Rene Ranger), Nelson, Fri 15 Oct.
• Bay of Plenty v Southland (Jimmy Cowan), Mt Maunganui, Sat 16 Oct.
• Canterbury (Corey Flynn, Owen Franks, Colin Slade, Brad Thorn) v Counties Manukau, Christchurch, Sat 16 Oct.
• Wellington (Victor Vito) v Taranaki, Wellington, Sat 16 Oct.
• Auckland (John Afoa, Keven Mealamu, Joe Rokocoko, Benson Stanley) v Otago (Tom Donnelly), Auckland, Sun 17 Oct.
• Hawke’s Bay (Israel Dagg) v North Harbour (Anthony Boric, Tony Woodcock), Napier, Sun 17 Oct.

Meanwhile, All Blacks and Waikato midfielder Richard Kahui will undergo an arthroscopy on his injured right shoulder today.

Kahui re–injured his shoulder in his return to rugby ten days ago playing for Waikato against North Harbour. He had been out of rugby since suffering a small fracture of his right shoulder socket in the All Blacks’ opening Investec Tri Nations Test against the Springboks at Auckland on July 10.

All Blacks Doctor Deb Robinson said the arthroscopic procedure would examine how much damage there was to the interior of the joint and, if required, Kahui would have surgery.  Alternatively, if surgery is not required, he will continue his rest and rehabilitation.

Additionally, Dr Robinson said hooker Keven Mealamu and first five–eighth Aaron Cruden are recovering from their respective injuries suffered in the weekend’s Test win over Australia.

Mealamu suffered a slight calf tear in his right leg and will be out of rugby for several weeks while Cruden sprained his left ankle early in the Test.