Ireland team to take on Russia

Posted on Sep 23, 2011 in Latest Rugby News

They say a week is along time in politics, but in rugby it is a lifetime. A week ago, Irish fans might have been looking at the game with Kingsley Jones’ Russia as a potential banana skin for their misfiring team. Now, after their stunning victory over the Australians, Ireland and their fans can comfortably expect Ireland to score a big win against the tournament new boys. Such is their confidence, they have made ten changes to the side and fully expect to run up a big score, cementing their position as favourites to win the group. 

The Ireland team and replacements for the Rugby World Cup Pool C match against Russia in Rotorua International Stadium on Sunday (kick-off 6.00 pm local time/6:00am Irish time) has been announced and shows ten changes, one of which is a positional switch, to the starting XV from Ireland’s game against Australia.

Fergus McFadden makes his first appearance in a Rugby World Cup and starts on the right wing.  Keith Earls moves from the wing to outside centre alongside Paddy Wallace, who also makes his debut in the tournament.  Andrew Trimble is named on the left wing, while Ronan O’Gara and Isaac Boss start as the halfback partnership.

Sean Cronin makes the switch with Rory Best from the replacements to start at hooker, with Tony Buckley also making his first start at tight head prop. There is a change in the back row as Donnacha Ryan starts at blind side in place of Stephen Ferris.  The final change to the side is Leo Cullen, who comes into the team in place of Paul O’Connell and will also have the honour of captaining the team in his first Rugby World Cup appearance.

IRELAND Team & Replacements

(v Russia, 2011 Rugby World Cup Pool C, Rotorua International Stadium, Sunday, September 25, kick-off 6:00pm local time/6:00am Irish time):

15 – Robert Kearney (UCD/Leinster)
14 – Fergus McFadden (Old Belvedere/Leinster)*
13 – Keith Earls (Young Munster/Munster)
12 – Paddy Wallace (Ballymena/Ulster)*
11 – Andrew Trimble (Ballymena/Ulster)
10 – Ronan O’Gara (Cork Constitution/Munster)
9 – Isaac Boss (Terenure College/Leinster)
1 – Cian Healy (Clontarf/Leinster)
2 – Sean Cronin (Leinster)
3 – Tony Buckley (Sale)
4 – Donncha O’Callaghan (Cork Constitution/Munster)
5 – Leo Cullen (Blackrock College/Leinster)* Captain
6 – Donnacha Ryan (Shannon/Munster)
7 – Sean O’Brien (Clontarf/Leinster)
8 – Jamie Heaslip (Naas/Leinster)

Replacements:

16 – Rory Best (Banbridge/Ulster)
17 – Mike Ross (Clontarf/Leinster)
18 – Denis Leamy (Cork Constitution/Munster)
19 – Shane Jennings (St.Mary’s College/Leinster)
20 – Eoin Reddan (Lansdowne/Leinster)
21 – Jonathan Sexton (St. Mary’s College/Leinster)
22 – Geordan Murphy (Leicester)

*Denotes RWC Debut

D’Arcy and O’Connell injury update

Posted on Sep 19, 2011 in Ireland, Irish Rugby

Ireland centre Gordon D’Arcy and second row Paul O’Connell both underwent scans this morning to investigate hamstring injuries that they picked up during the Rugby World Cup Pool C encounter with Australia on Saturday evening.

The scans confirmed that D’Arcy and O’Connell have picked up hamstring strains and both players will be monitored over the coming days on the progress of their recovery.  No decision on their availability for the game against Russia will be made until the team is announced at lunchtime (local New Zealand time) on Friday.

In other team news, the Ireland squad enjoyed a down day following the transfer of their team base from Auckland to the beautiful surroundings of Lake Taupo as they prepare for their Rugby World Cup Pool C game against Russia on Sunday.

Ireland second row Donncha O’Callaghan was certainly keen on getting the balance right between rest and work: “With a bit of a longer turnaround this week then we had for the Australia game, it’s great to be able to have that extra day to let the bumps and bruises settle before we hit the training pitch again.  Some guys might head out for a look around Taupo. The area sounds a little bit like Queenstown, with some really good outdoor activities to help the lads relax.   Others might be happy to hang around the hotel, so It’s good to have that flexibility and the down days have been great whether we do something together as a group or do our own thing.

“There was an incredible buzz around the lads when we were setting off from Auckland to come down here (Taupo). You sort of expect that after a good win, but something we have all been chatting about is that we need to remain focused on the job at hand.  Our goal has always been to qualify from our pool and just because we had a big win on Saturday night, it guarantees us nothing.  We have two games left against two teams who will challenge us physically across the park, so we want to get ourselves right for that.

“We worked really hard last week with the coaches both on and off the pitch to get things right.  The work ethic was always very high over the last couple of months, but it was about making sure we did that work justice by delivering it on the pitch.  I think we managed to do that, but the challenge is now to keep the standards of our preparations up this week to reach the Russia game in as good a shape as possible.  We don’t know what the coaches have in mind for selection (for the Russia game), but there is such a good vibe at the moment, with lads busting a gut on the training field wanting to be involved, I don’t think anybody will want to be left out for the Russia game.

O’Callaghan also made a special mention of the support that the team has experienced both on and off the field. “The amount of green in the stadium was incredible on Saturday night in Eden Park, just as it was in New Plymouth.  Even the days before the games, the numbers of expatriates and travelling Irish as well as local people, shops and bars that we saw supporting Ireland was great.  It has all added to create incredible atmospheres and hopefully we can get similar support in Rotorua this weekend.”

Pool C Week 1 Preview

Posted on Sep 8, 2011 in Latest Rugby News

Tri Nations Champions Australia will hope to top a pool containing Six Nations sides Ireland and Italy, as well as Cold War rivals Russia and the USA. Although the Italians would like to think of this pool as a three horse race, the likelihood is that this is a two horse race between Australia and Ireland. Russia will hope to celebrate their first World Cup appearance with a win over the USA in an eagerly awaited Cold War showdown, and both teams will hope of upsetting the Italians for automatic qualification for 2015.

Australia v Italy (Auckland, Sunday 11th 04:30 GMT)

A proud sporting nation with a terrific World Cup record, Australia will be hoping to put things straight after a shock quarter final exit in 2007. A convincing win for the Tri Nations champions would lay down the gauntlet to the Irish and should give the Wallabies the momentum to top the pool and hopefully avoid the South Africans in the quarter finals. Italy though have never reached the quarter finals, and feeling is that they’ll target the Ireland game rather than this one. However Italy have given Australia a few scares in past Autumn Internationals, and if they can get the better of the Australian pack and put in the defensive performance of their lives then they could make history. Big ifs though.

Prediction: Australia to win reasonably comfortably.

Ireland v USA (New Plymouth, Sunday 11th 07:00 GMT)

Former Ireland coach Eddie O’Sullivan will hope his USA Eagles side puts in a performance that makes his former employers stand up and notice. His Ireland team struggled against the minnows fours ago and he wouldn’t mind a similar thing happening to his successors team. This will be an incredibly emotional day for the American players as this game will be played on the ten year anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, and this emotion could very well inspire the Americans into producing a once in a lifetime performance. However even with all the emotion and sentiment Ireland should still win comfortably. They went into the 2007 tournament with high expectations and fell flat on their faces, and after a winless summer warm up period they will be desperate not to let history repeat itself. When’/if Ireland produce a massive lead expect both teams to make mass substitutions as Ireland will want to conserve strength ahead of the Australia clash, and the USA will do likewise ahead of the more winnable game against Russia on Thursday.

Prediction: Ireland to win comfortably.

Russia v USA (New Plymouth, Thursday 15th 08.30 GMT)

Arguably the most eagerly awaited of all the minnow v minnow clashes. The Cold War may have ended twenty years ago, but Russo-American sporting clashes still remain fiery affairs. This will be Russia’s first ever World Cup match and beating the USA is the perfect way to celebrate it. The USA have the disadvantage of going into this game only four days after playing Ireland, but will be hoping that their experience of the big stage will see them through. Whoever wins this game will throw the kitchen sink at Italy in the hope of automatic qualification for 2015.

Prediction: Depends how the USA recover from the Ireland game but imagine Russia will win a close affair.

USA Eagles finally fly with Bowl triumph

Posted on Jun 20, 2011 in Latest Rugby News

USA 32-Russia 25.

TODD CLEVER lifted the Churchill Cup Bowl at Sixways to give the US Eagles a boost ahead of their Rugby World Cup showdown with Russia.

After a shocking start to their Churchill campaign – heavy defeats to England Saxons and Tonga – they salvaged a victory from this afternoon’s victory, courtesy of a try nine minutes from time by Tai Enosa.

US Eagles fly half and man-of-the-match Nese Malifa said: “We knew Russia were going to come out hard and that we had to take the fight to them. Hats off to the boys – it was a big day at the office.”

The teams will meet in New Plymouth, New Zealand on September 15 and Russian boss Kingsley Jones admitted: “If we could have kept hold of the ball more we could have won. USA were smarter than us at the breakdown. We are taking two steps forward and one step back but we need to take the positives out of this tournament.”

Yury Kushnarev and Malifa traded early penalties in an even first 20 minutes before the USA No 10 put a second chance wide.

The Eagles made several breaks and they eventually got through after Andrew Suniula brushed off five tacklers before being hauled down short of the line. The ball was recycled and Malifa sent Paul Emerick over.

Russia hit back to level the scores at 8-8 with a try from Vladimir Ostroushko after taking Kushnarev’s miss pass after a solid scrum platform put the Eagles under pressure.

And the Bears almost scored the try from the end of Sixways when they counter attacked from in front of their own posts and, 80 metres later, only a knock-on prevented the score.        

The Russians, intent on keeping the ball in hand, spurned a penalty chance to go for touch but their endeavour was not matched by their ability to win the subsequent line-out and the chance was lost.

Kushnarev and Malifa added another penalty apiece before Russia grabbed their second try when Igo Klyuchnikov made the break, Ostroushko jinked his way closer down the wing and Alexander Voytov trundled in from Alexander Sahkirov’s pass.

Malifa kept the Eagles in touch when he created a try for Suniula, who checked and sped to the line and it was all USA as Clever intercepted the ball in a flat Russian back line move to race 70 metres and score to put them 25-18 up.

But the Russians weren’t out of it and Vasily Artemyev stepped inside and burrowed over for Kushnarev to convert and level the scores.

USA had a chance from halfway to edge ahead but Clever opted for the lineout which crumbled but they kept up the pressure and Blaine Scully insitigated the counter attack for Emerick and Suniula to combine and send Enosa over.

USA: B Scully; C Hawley (T Enosa 59), P Emerick, A Suniula, K Swiryn;  N Malifa, M Petri (T Usasz 62); M Moeakiola (E Fry 68), P Thiel, S Pittman, J Van der Giessen, S Lavalla, I Basauri (N Johnson 62), T Clever (capt), L Stanfill (P Danahy 78). Reps (not used): C Biller, R Suniula.

Scorers: Tries: Emerick, Suniula, Clever, Enosa; Pens: Malifa (2); Cons: Malifa (3).

Russia:I Klyuchnikov; V Artemyev, M Babaev, A Makovetsky, V Ostroushko;  Y Kushnarev, A Shakirov; S Popov, V Korshunov (capt), I Prishchepenko, A Voytov, D Antonov, A Temnov, A Garbuzov (V Gresev 36-40, A Panasenko 62), V Grachev (Gresev 50). Reps (not used): V Tsnobiladze, A Chernyshev, A Bykanov, A Ryabov, I Galinovsky.

Scorers: Tries: Ostroushko, Voytov, Artemyev; Pens: Kushnarev (2); Cons: Kushnarev (2).

Referee: D Pearson (RFU)

Tonga and Italy A step up to the Plate

Posted on Jun 17, 2011 in Latest Rugby News

Having made their debuts into the Churchill Cup this year, Tonga and Italy A will now face each other in the Plate final this Saturday at Sixways Stadium (1415).

The pair will play the second game of the day following the Bowl final between USA and Russia at midday.

Tonga’s path to the final was cleared with an opening victory over USA (13-44) thanks to winger Viliami Iongi’s tearing apart of the Eagles with four tries at Esher Rugby. The Tongans biggest test followed with title holders and competition favourites England Saxons in their sightsat Kingsholm where, despite an early flurry, the men in red succumbed to the force of the Saxons’ dominance upfront (14-41)
For the Italians, a closely fought win over Russia (19-24) at Kingsholm ensured their place in the Plate final, although with the likes of Marco Bortolami and Mauro Bergamasco on show, the Azzurri will likely rue the missed opportunity having failed to make an impression against finalists Canada at Franklin’s Gardens (26-12). The former of the two Italy players – who have over 180 caps between them – will captain the side at Sixways.

Churchill Cup finals, Saturday June 18, Sixways.

Bowl final: USA v Russia 1200
Plate final: Tonga v Italy A 1415
Cup final: England Saxons v Canada 1630

Tonga: M Malupo; V Helu, S Hufanga, T Sili, V Iongi; E Paea, S Havea; O Fainga’anuku, A. Halangahu, K Pulu, J Afu, E Kauhenga, S Timani, P Kaho, P Mapakaitolo. Reps: S Telefoni, M. Latu, P Koloamatangi, T Ula, D Morath, S Fonua, K Morath

Italy A: D. Gerber, G. Venditi, A. Pratichetti, A. Pratichetti, A. Esposito; R. Bocchino, T.Tebaldi; M Aguero, T. D’Apice, F. Staibano, J. Furno, M Bortolami (C), L. Petillo, F Minto, M. Vosawai Reps: A. Manici, De Marchi, D. Chistolini, V. Bernabo, G. Toniolatti, R Trevisan, N. Belardo