Morris the Wizard hits 500

Posted on Feb 24, 2012 in Welsh Rugby

Aberavon’s long standing servant Richard Morris will have the honour of leading the Wizards out with his two-year-old son James tomorrow for the visit of Newport in a Principality Premiership clash (KO 1.30pm).

The Wizards’ veteran No 8 will be making his 500th appearance for the club, 17 years after making his bow as a 21-year-old – ironically against the same opposition.

Aberavon coach Simon King said: “I’d admired Richard from afar before joining the club five years ago. He has been a standout performer in the Premiership for a number of years.

“From my perspective he ticks all the boxes. He is a humble guy but plays with total commitment. He is a solid person and is a fantastic ambassador in the dressing room. Players like him and his achievement of playing 500 games should not be under-estimated.

“Due to the physical nature of today’s game and the demands placed on players, I doubt his achievement of reaching 500 games will be done again at this level.”

The former Neath man won the Wizards player of the year award in 1998 and repeated the feat in 2001, 2003 and 2004.

In 2003, he broke the club record for tries scored by a forward in a season when he touched down 25 times.

Morris also holds the Aberavon all-time try record with 153 to date.

"He’s been a great servant to Aberavon and he’s a top man as well," said Wizards chairman Andrew John.

"It’s ironic that he made his debut against Newport and will play his 500th game against them as well.

"I remember him as a supporter before I became chairman. He possessed sheer strength and presence on the field.

"He’s also a dressing room presence and has been a massive example for younger players.

"It’s a really special achievement and it would be nice if as many people as possible are there to mark it."

SANZAR appoints Operations Manager

Posted on Jan 31, 2011 in Rugby News

Leading rugby administrator Brendan Morris has been appointed Operations Manager for the newly-established SANZAR (South Africa, New Zealand, Australia Rugby) organisation.

Morris has been involved in the management of international sporting events and elite teams for 12 years and most recently worked in a team management role during the 2010 Tri Nations competition. Prior to that, he worked at the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games as Venue Systems Manager.

He has also worked as SANZAR Regional Tournament Director for Australia, was Team Manager for the Queensland Reds for two years and also ARU International Tours and Competitions Manager. He also worked in an operational role at the 2000 Sydney Olympics and 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics.

Morris will be responsible for the management and implementation of SANZAR’s two competitions: the three-country, 15-team, four-month Super Rugby competition and the Tri Nations.

SANZAR CEO Greg Peters said he was delighted to have someone of Morris’s calibre on board in a key role.

“Brendan was the candidate with the strongest direct experience in this area and won the position against a strong field of international applicants.  He is hugely experienced with both rugby and Olympic experience and is highly regarded by his peers,” Peters said.

“He arrives at an exciting time for SANZAR as we prepare to kick off the new, expanded Super Rugby season next month and look forward to this year’s crucial Tri Nations competition,” Peters added.

Morris said he saw the new job as “a challenging but fulfilling role with plenty of opportunity.

“It’s an exciting time for the evolution of the SANZAR joint venture with  a fresh new Super Rugby Competition and the introduction of a 15th team and an expanded finals series, and the Tri Nations just around the corner.

“Over the years working in rugby I have been lucky to work with some very dedicated and talented people across the three SANZAR territories and I am really looking forward to renewing those relationships.”

Leinster 30 v 7 Currie

Posted on Jan 24, 2011 in Rugby News

Leinster sealed their second successive bonus point victory in the British & Irish Cup when they defeated Currie 30-7 at Donnybrook on Sunday afternoon.

Ian McKinley kicked the hosts into a 2nd minute 3-0 lead as the Blues enjoyed the better of the early exchanges and a searing Niall Morris break five minutes later almost reaped the first try of the game but he was denied.

But from the resulting passage of play Eamonn Sheridan found Andrew Conway and the 19-year-old sprinted clear to score at the Wesley End. Leinster began to dominate with the power of Simon Shawe causing the Scottish visitors damage at scrum time while Jack McGrath picked up where he left off from last weekend with some strong breaks.

Again a Morris burst almost reaped a second try but he was denied. Currie gradually came back into the game with scrum-half Richard Snedden probing frequently, but his opposite number Paul O’Donohoe displayed tenacity in quelling threats and asking questions of the defence.

In fact O’Donohoe almost profited from a Sheridan burst which was denied metres from the Currie try-line, but a Currie defender illegally blocked O’Donohoe as he aimed for the line from the resulting ruck. McKinley slotted home the resulting penalty in front of the posts on 27 minutes to make it 11-0 to the hosts.

The half drew to a close with limited opportunities for either side, but Leinster came racing out of the traps with Dave Kearney almost scoring but the left wing’s attack was denied, but in the 55th minute Leinster touched down for their second try of the afternoon, again through Conway, after good work from Kearney and Morris.

Substitute Ian Madigan added the points with an excellent touchline conversion to give Leinster an 18-0 lead before Brendan Macken scorched past the Currie defence to earn Leinster’s third try.

Prop Jack McGrath secured the bonus point when he gathered a Madigan pass to touch down from close in after an excellent Kearney break with 68 minutes on the clock, and Madigan again added the points to make it 30-0.

Centre Alex Dunbar added a late consolation try for the visitors, with Hayden Abercrombie adding the extras, but Leinster were good value for their win against a spirited Currie side.

LEINSTER SCORERS: A. Conway (2 tries), B. Macken, J. McGrath (1 try each), I. McKinley (2 penalties), I. Madigan (2 conversions)

CURRIE SCORERS: A. Dunbar (1 try), H. Abercrombie (1 conversion)

LEINSTER:

15: Niall Morris
14: Andrew Conway
13: Brendan Macken
12: Eamonn Sheridan
11: David Kearney (Michael Keating, 69)
10: Ian McKinley (Ian Madigan, ht)
9: Paul O’Donohoe (John Cooney, 64)

1: Jack McGrath
2: Aaron Dundon (Tom Sexton, 62)
3: Simon Shawe (Stewart Maguire, 54)
4: Eoin Sheriff
5: Mariano Galarza (Ed O’Donoghue, 69)
6: Kevin McLaughlin CAPTAIN
7: Jordi Murphy
8: Leo Auva’a (Ciaran Ruddock, 67)

CURRIE:

15: Johnny Smith
14: Andy Whitingham
13: Hayden Abercrombie
12: Alex Dunbar
11: Tom Brown
10: Andrew Binikos
9: Richard Snedden

1: John Cox
2: Finlay Gillies
3: Alastair Hamilton
4: Ryan Wilson
5: Gary Temple
6: Mark Cairns CAPTAIN
7: Michael Entwhistle
8: Ross Weston

REPLACEMENTS:

16: Stu Simonsen
17: Ross Merrilees
18: Neil Scobie
19: Adam Best
20: Matt Scott
21: Fraser Harkness
22: Ian Dowhey

REFEREE: Ross Campbell (RFU), ASSISTANT REFEREES: Mark Patton (IRFU), Stuart Douglas (IRFU)

Leinster squad update

Posted on Jan 4, 2011 in Rugby News

The Leinster squad trained in UCD on Monday afternoon with a number of Ireland international players set to re-join the panel for the visit of the Ospreys to the RDS in Friday night’s Magners League clash (KO: 7.35pm).

Luke Fitzgerald stepped up his rehabilitation from the knee injury sustained during the November series and a decision on his availability will be made at Thursday’s team announcement.

Kevin McLaughlin featured for 80 minutes on Saturday for the first time since last May and he was joined by the returning Eoin O’Malley who had missed the province’s recent victories over ASM Clermont Auvergne and Ulster.

A number of the Ireland representatives who were unavailable for the last two fixtures as part of the IRFU player welfare programme – including Gordon D’Arcy, Cian Healy, Jamie Heaslip and Jonathan Sexton – are in contention alongside the likes of Leinster Academy graduates David Kearney (2 tries), Fergus McFadden and Niall Morris who were all try-scorers in the bonus point victory over Connacht at the weekend.

Leinster lie in third place in the Magners League table, a point ahead of the Ospreys.

Friday’s game marks Leinster’s 50^th competitive fixture in the RDS and looks set to be played in front of another strong crowd. Ticket sales are approaching the 15,000 mark and are on sale now from www.leinsterrugby.ie, Spar (Donnybrook), the Leinster Rugby Store (Donnybrook), Champion Sports (Grafton Street) as well as Ticketmaster outlets nationwide.

Connacht’s Robbie Morris retires through injury

Posted on Nov 16, 2010 in Rugby News

Born in Hertford on the 20th of February 1982, Robbie Morris began his rugby career at the age of 8 with his local side Hertford RFC. At the age of 18, Premiership side the Northampton Saints came calling. Robbie had a difficult decision to make as he had just won a silver Commonwealth Youth Games medal for discuss in Edinburgh. His choice was rewarded when he was named in the England U18 squad. He made his debut for the Saints in 2001 and went on to make 56 premiership and 17 Heineken cup appearances including reaching the Heineken cup quarterfinal in 2005. While at Northampton, Robbie was called into the England Senior squad and made his debut against Wales as a 21 year old in 2003. The 2005/6 season saw him make the switch to the Newcastle Falcons where he played with fellow Connacht forward Michael McCarthy. In two seasons with the Falcons, Robbie made 35 appearances before moving to the West of Ireland. He made his Connacht debut against South Africa in 2007 and added 39 Magners League caps and 17 European Challenge Cup games to his Connacht tally before being forced into retirement in 2010 through a back injury.

Robbie on career highlights:

“I’ve played a lot of big games over the 10 years and it’s impossible to pick a best moment but getting my first cap against Wales (in2003) in Cardiff was huge moment in my career, playing in front of a full house at Twickenham, playing the likes of Toulouse and Biarritz in the Heineken cup for Northampton and the Amlin Challenge Cup semi-final last year against Toulon, they’re all big occasions to look back on.
“Rugby is a very physical game now, when I first became a professional rugby player the front rows role it was a very different , it was more about scrummaging, lineouts, mauling and maybe getting in a few cheap shots in than carrying the ball and making tackles , the props that did do a bit around the field were the ones who really stood out, the likes of Phil Vickery, Trevor Woodman and Tom Smith, but if you look at today’s players they are expected to these things as standard”

Robbie on coaches:

“I’ve played with and against some great players, and been coached by some great coaches as well, Wayne Smith was a big influence in Northampton, not just on me but on coaching in England as well, the stuff he brought over from New Zealand influenced everyone, even the England set-up at the time were taking stuff from him”
“I was brought into the Newcastle team by Rob Andrews and got on really well under that setup but after 2 seasons there I felt it was time for a new challenge, I’d been playing in the Premiership for 6 years and was playing with Macca (Michael McCarthy) who was moving to Connacht and heard great things from Damien Browne (brother of Connacht lock Andrew) who I’d played with in Northampton so when Michael Bradley offered me the opportunity to join the squad I jumped at it”

Robbie on now and the future:

“I’ve always tried to help out the younger players and since I’ve been injured I’ve had more time to dedicate to going through the analysis, watch them at training, and offering advice where it’s needed. Dan McFarland’s a very knowledgeable forwards coach so I liaise with him and help out where I can. There’s some great young props coming through, the likes of Brett Wilkinson and Hago (Jamie Hagan) who’ve had a taste of the Irish squad and hopefully they’ll go on to get full caps and carry on from there”
“It’s too soon to decide what I’m going to do for the future but I’m enjoying coaching at the moment. I’m involved with Galwegians U21’s side and I enjoy being around the Connacht team and helping them out so I think no matter what I end up doing I will stay involved with rugby, be that as a full time coach or even just helping out at club level”

Robbie on the injury that forced him to retire:

“It’s not just one thing, it’s a build up of a number of lower back problems and the advice given to me was if I keep going on I could end up severely injuring myself. 10 years is a long time to be putting your body under the kind of pressure that exists in the front row and it’s going to give out at some stage, I’ve really enjoyed my time playing and met some fantastic people along the way. My last game was the semi-final of the Amlin Challenge Cup last season against Toulon, it was a huge effort by everyone that day and we were unlucky not to win that day but it’s a great memory to have.”

What the coaches have to say:

Former Connacht Head Coach Michael Bradley who was at the helm when Morris joined Connacht in 2007:
"Robbie was a very important signing for Connacht in 2007 at a time when players were slow to commit their future to the Province. Robbie brought a wealth of experience to Connacht and rose the level of expectation and confidence throughout the entire squad and the Connacht supporters. On his day Robbie was a devastating scrumager and a dynamic ball carrier. Robbie also understood what it is to be a member of the Connacht squad and the only thing bigger then Robbie on a rugby pitch is his personality. He will be missed by all in Connacht Rugby and even though he will remain reserved in his departure from the limelight the value of his legacy in Connacht cannot be underestimated on many levels".

Connacht Rugby’s Assistant Coach Dan McFarland:
“Robbie has been a huge person in our squad for the last 3 years. On the field he brought both playing ability and experience that we valued extremely highly. Off the field his personality has been a huge part in the growing of our squad. Since his injury Robbie has become more involved in the coaching side of the game and has been a tremendous help to us in bringing our young fellas through.”

Connacht’s Head Coach and former Irish International Eric Elwood:
“Robbie was a true professional who’s positive attitude both on and off the field was exceptional. The physicality he brought on the pitch not just in the scrum but around the park as well will be missed by everyone here in the club. In the 3 years Robbie has been with us he has made a huge impression on everyone and the work he has done helping to bring the younger members through has been invaluable.”