Brian Redpath appointed Sale’s Director of Rugby

Posted on Jun 1, 2012 in Sale Sharks

Sale Sharks have announced that BRYAN REDPATH has agreed to join the club as Director of Rugby.

Bryan had a very successful playing career with the Sharks, joining the club in 2000 and captaining the side to the Parker Pen Shield victory in 2002. His final game as player with Sharks was in the European Challenge Cup Final victory over Pau in 2005. In all Brian played 80 times for Sale Sharks and his appointment will be welcomed by the Sharks supporters who remember him fondly as a leader and as a great scrum half.

After retiring as a player Bryan joined Gloucester as Backs Coach under Dean Ryan and was promoted to Head Coach in June 2009.

Bryan, born in Galashiels in 1971 played 60 times for Scotland and represented his country in two World Cups (1999 + 2003) Sale Sharks’ Chief Executive Steve Diamond said, "Anybody who knows what happened at our club in the last fifteen months will be aware that we termed it ‘Year Zero’, and that was just the start. Looking to the future we have a number of good players joining us. What I’ve always wanted since returning to the club was a proven coach in the Aviva Premiership, and in Bryan Redpath that’s exactly what we’ve got.

"Bryan became available from Gloucester at the end of last season. As soon as he did, we were keen to talk to him. Following our discussions he agreed to be our Director of Rugby, and we are delighted.

"Bryan is very similar to me in many respects.  His DNA was on the club for a long time, as was mine.  There are two routes we need to take going forward.  I can take the strategy and drive the Club forward off the field, but in the last weeks of last season I found myself  trying to be ‘master of all trades’ and have to be honest in that nobody can do that well. I was therefore looking for someone who had a similar hardworking, knowledgeable outlook with no ‘messing around’ to deal with on field matters . Bryan is absolutely ideal. He has very similar attributes to myself, although in all honesty he was a better player.

"We said last year that we wanted to put together a ‘no ego’ team, full of enthusiasm. We wanted to play the way we stated from minute one and we ended up with Rob Miller as the Aviva Premiership’s top try scorer and qualified for the Heineken Cup.  A big year for us, really.

"The skill in my job is getting the recruitment right, and putting the club in the hands of successful coaches, and I’m sure that’s the direction we’re going."

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England 29 France 25: England Women crowned European Cup champions

Posted on May 21, 2012 in England Women

England Women added the European Cup crown to the Six Nations Grand Slam title they have already won this season with a thrilling 29-25 victory over France in Rovereto, Italy on Saturday night.

An injury time try for Worcester wing Lydia Thompson, who made her England debut just seven days ago in the tournament opener, secured the victory in the dying minutes of the game.

The match, which was billed as the winner takes all clash, was a typical England versus France encounter with both sides fired up and giving everything they had to secure the win and the crown.

But in the end it was England’s tenacity that paid off as they came from a 22-25 deficit to take the title away from France in style.

England Head Coach for this tour Graham Smith, who blooded seven new caps over seven days, said: “This has been a tour of opportunity for all the players involved and I can safely say every single player involved has taken this opportunity with both hands.

“This was a scintillating game, but as a coach a hard game to watch. We certainly controlled the first half but after the restart it was a different matter and France took control when we couldn’t get our consistency going and we did not defend as well. We also gave away too many penalties and France were able to take those points and that put us in a precarious position.

“However, we never gave up and after making some changes from the bench we took our opportunities, with Sally Tuson scoring a late try and then Lydia Thompson touching down for the crucial score in extra time.

“We are obviously delighted to have won the European Cup and defended our title but I am more delighted about the fact that we have underlined what talent we have coming through our system. It has also been great to have Simon Middleton on board as Assistant Coach for this championship. He has made a real impression and we are fortunate to have a coach of his calibre involved in the England set-up.”

England took the European Cup crown the hard way going 3-0 behind in the early stages after French full-back Jessy Tremouliere converted a penalty when England were penalised for holding on.

France and England then battled it out in a typical clash between these two sides, which saw them neck and neck for the next forty minutes. England had their chances, with both Katherine Merchant and Thompson going close but France defended staunchly and kept their fierce rivals out.

In the end France’s line did break when Bristol flanker Marlie Packer made some space before offloading to Thompson, who had both the power and the pace to dive over the try-line. Emily Scarratt (PICTURED) added the conversion to hand England a 7-3 lead at the break.

After the restart though, France turned the tables and a 42nd minute try for substitute Elordie Portaries, after a good line-out, catch and drive, saw them take a 7-10 lead.

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Ulster vs Leinster – Heineken Cup Preview

Posted on May 19, 2012 in Heineken Cup, Leinster, Social Pundit, Ulster

BY SOCIAL PUNDIT: Well, this is it. This afternoon Twickenham will host an Irish invasion, as the Emerald Isle’s top two provinces (hi Munster fans) go head to head in the tournament’s first ever all-Irish final, although the next doesn’t seem too far away by now. This is a high-water mark of Irish rugby, but it is being achieved by two teams that still appear to be below their peak, and you get the feeling it could get even higher.

In the blue corner are Leinster, two times European rugby champions, seeking to become the only team to win back-to-back Heineken Cups since Leicester Tigers and also complete a European-domestic double, in what would be their third victory in four years, surely nailing on their status as one of the greatest Heineken Cup teams ever.

And in the white corner are Ulster, seeking to win for the first time this millennium and recent winners of sweet fanny adams. Uhm…

The first question any preview has to answer is ‘Can Ulster win this and is there any way Leinster can be stopped’, so great is the disparity in recent results between the two teams. Well, maybe my bias is misleading me, but the men from Ravenhill aren’t as far away as it may appear. It’s some challenge for only fifteen men to take on but it can be done and Ulster are an increasingly formidable team in their own right, although there’s no doubt that if both sides play to their best, Leinster simply have more about them.

Leinster have more about them than most mind. Joe Schmidt walked in on Cheika’s half-completed project and has turned them into probably the most complete side in Europe. People often remark most on their handling ability and lines, but their defence is incredible, their kicking game very strong, their set-pieces solid. When you look at the ferocity with which their backs hit tackles and the ease with which their forwards offload, you see a team who have blurred the distinction between forward and back as much as any other. They are masters of the fifteen man game and all the options it offers. They are masters of defence too, and the counter-rucking that the backs do is a large part of what makes them so difficult to score against. There’s been a list of injury worries since their slightly cagey victory over Glasgow in the ProDirect 12 semi-final, but thanks to the recuperative powers of cup finals Leinster will walk out at virtually full strength. Given Leinster’s strength in depth though, a few injuries was far from the end of the world for them. It also gives them, assuming all is well, a formidable bench containing six internationals.

Against this, Ulster have an up-hill struggle, if not up-mountain. But after the colossal defensive display they found to unseat Munster at Thomond Park, a performance that was more remarkable for the desire and mental resilience on show than any level of athletic and technical prowess, it’s not impossible. While its true the results card makes for bad reading, it won’t be registering much in Ulster minds, as it’s very rare for the provinces to meet 1^st XV to 1^st XV. Even last year’s playoff semi-final defeat saw Ulster much reduced with injury, starting with Stephen Ferris. Few men make as much difference to their side as Ferris and his mutant-esque levels of physicality and after very sparing use in recent weeks, he should be fit and raring to go. He’ll be the totem of an all-international pack that has asserted themselves recently as the equal of any in Europe with an abrupt abrasiveness. The set-piece is nigh flawless, it is rammed full with heavyweight carriers, and with Chris Henry back, it offers a fair bit of ruck disruption too. In the backs, Ruan Pienaar carries as much importance as Ferris up front, where so far he has turned in nerveless displays as general and goal-kicker in this tournament. He will probably first and foremost look to dictate territory before unleashing his back-line, but that does not mean the Ulster back-line should be overlooked. It has shown a few killer touches off its own this season, particularly when it links up with its mobile pack in a manner fairly reminiscent of their southern cousins. It may not have quite the same cachet as Leinster’s levy of Lions, but it is filled with talented players who yearn to show that they can be put in the same bracket.

Yearning is an appropriate word for Ulster’s emotional state right now, if anything a little mild. Years of struggle, of living as close to Connacht as to Munster and Leinster, has put an indelible mark on a senior core of players who have lived and breathed for a jersey that is a childhood ambition. It is a subject that has dominated interviews, an emotion that seemed to be made solid flesh at Thomond Park. In a game that will be decided as much by the mind as the body, properly channelled, this bellicose hunger will be a considerable weapon. In captain Johannes Muller, the perennial understudy to Victor Matfield who Andy Goode described as the best leader he’d seen other than Johnson, Ulster have one of the best possible men to do the channelling. Yet opposite him in the lineout will be a man nearly as well-respected for his leadership skills, Leo Cullen. Next to him is Brad Thorn, implacably bent on another trophy. And buzzing around in the backline like a pitbull on steroids will be Brian O’Driscoll. They will keep the desire levels ramped as high as possible. A surfeit of final experience would seem to point to Leinster, but Ulster aren’t short of players who’ve been in a big game or two. No advantage can really be seen at this point in the mental states of the players.

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O’Connell & Varley doubtful for Ospreys clash

Posted on May 8, 2012 in Munster

Paul O’Connell and Damien Varley are rated unlikely to feature in the RaboDirect PRO12 semi-final clash with Ospreys having sustained injury in the game last night against Ulster.

O’Connell departed the scene in the 55th minute with a knee injury while Varley, having replaced Mikle Sherry in the 45th minute, sustained an ankle injury with just two minutes of play remaining.

Medical examination this morning showed Varley had suffered an ankle sprain but O’Connell will need to see a specialist later in the week to determine the exact nature of his injury. Both have been ruled out or Both are considered doubtful for Munster’s semi final next Friday.

However news of Ronan O’Gara is that he’s expected to resume training this week with a view to being in consideration for the Ospreys game as is Ian Keatley who missed the Ulster game after sustaining a knock in training last Thursday.

Exeter’s Hayes “privileged” to create history

Posted on Apr 16, 2012 in English Rugby, Exeter Chiefs, Premiership

Exeter Chiefs skipper Tom Hayes says he and his team-mates feel "privileged" to be those creating yet more milestones in the club’s history.

Having helped guide the club out of the Championship and into the Aviva Premiership for the first time ever in 2010, Exeter’s on-field leader has again be at the forefront of matters as the Devonians took on life in English rugby’s top flight.

At Sixways on Saturday, a dramatic conclusion to the contest saw the Chiefs battle back from 26-19 down with just a minute remaining to triumph 31-26 and claim a memorable victory.

Exeter’s win – their 12th in the Premiership this season – not only saw Rob Baxter’s side leapfrog Northampton Saints into fourth place in the table, but it guaranteed the Chiefs would be competing amongst European rugby’s elite next season in the Heineken Cup.

In just two seasons that is a remarkable feat, one not lost on their Irish skipper, who said: "It’s a great achievement for the club. Coming from playing in front of a couple of hundred people when we were away in the Championship to now having this many people follow us here to Sixways and also to France last week, it just shows what massive momentum the club have right now and how great a feeling there is around the club."

With just two scheduled Premiership fixtures remaining – this Sunday against Northampton Saints, then an away date at Saracens on May 5 – the Chiefs know a place in the end of season play-offs remains a distinct possibility after this latest success against the Warriors.

Hayes insists the positivity around the club and the squad itself is what makes life at Sandy Park so special right now and he hopes that feeling will continue for a long time yet.

"Right now we are playing at a level of rugby that an awful lot of people would love to play at and haven’t had the opportunity to play in," he added. "We have that opportunity and we are privileged to be here. That said, we deserve to be here, so we are going to make the most of it.

"Today was one hell of a game and it’s a brilliant feeling, but there is still something there for us to build on. We’re happy with the momentum we’ve created, but we won’t get too carried away.

"We lost a game in the last minute in Paris last week and we said we wouldn’t get too downbeat about it, but for the same token we can’t get too carried away about winning an 80 minute game of rugby in the last minute.

"Next week it’s going to be a huge game, there is no doubt about that. Northampton dictated the game against us up at their place earlier in the season and they didn’t get into Heineken Cup final for no reason, so we have our work cut out. As always, we’ll stay positive and see what comes about."

Certainly the never-say-die attitude of the Chiefs has seen them prosper on a number of occasions this season and this latest success story at Worcester was a prime example of that.

"We had to be relentless because there was a period there when the whole momentum of the game swung against us," admitted Hayes. "That said, we never dropped our heads. We just had to try and keep ourselves in the game, get the ball, and try and turn the pressure back round on them.

"It took a while, a few subs came on, we had the boys back out of the sin-bin and we managed to get the ball back, it was then that we were able to keep the pressure on and in the end we managed to turn that into a few points for us."