Pienaar, Henderson, Henry and Wilson named in Ulster squad to face Leinster

Posted on Mar 26, 2013 in Ulster

Ulster scrum-half, Ruan Pienaar, and backrow forwards Iain Henderson, Chris Henry and Roger Wilson have recovered from injury and are included in the extended Ulster squad to face Leinster at the RDS on Saturday evening (Kick Off 18.15).

Ulster Head Coach, Mark Anscombe, can also call upon Ireland internationals Rory Best and Craig Gilroy who return to the Provincial set-up following the RBS 6 Nations.

The game will see Ulster take on the new leaders of the RaboDirect PRO12.

Ulster are third in the table, level on points with second placed Glasgow and a point behind top-side, Leinster.

Extended Ulster squad to face Leinster in the RaboDirect PRO12, Saturday 30th March, RDS, 18.15;

Forwards (15)

Neil McComb, Callum Black, Rory Best, Robbie Diack, Chris Henry, Dan Tuohy, Lewis Stevenson, Johann Muller, Nick Williams, Rob Herring, Kyle McCall, Ricky Lutton, Tom Court, Iain Henderson, Roger Wilson;

Backs (10)

Ruan Pienaar, Jared Payne, Craig Gilroy, Paul Marshall, Peter Nelson, Michael Heaney, Paddy Jackson, Stuart Olding, Darren Cave, Andrew Trimble.

Leinster Squad Update

Posted on Mar 25, 2013 in Leinster

The Leinster squad have stepped up their preparations for Saturday’s RaboDirect PRO12 clash against Ulster in the RDS (KO: 6.15pm) with their first on-field training session of the week on Monday afternoon.

Unfortunately Jordi Murphy has been ruled out of this weekend’s fixture with a hand injury that may see him miss the next 4 or 5 weeks but apart from bumps and bruises there were no other casualties from what was a highly combative top of the table clash at the RDS last Saturday.

David Kearney received on field attention for a dislocated finger but the Cooley Peninsula outside back finished the game and is expected to be joined in the panel this week by his elder brother Rob and several other Ireland internationals whose return to provincial action were managed last week.

Amongst the possible returnees for Saturday’s interprovincial derby are Cian Healy, Jamie Heaslip, Sean O’Brien and Mike Ross while the province is hopeful that Fergus McFadden (rib) will also be available for selection. Naas man Heaslip’s next appearance will be his 160th for the province.

Gordon D’Arcy and Quinn Roux both successfully came through their respective comebacks after injury on Saturday. Second row Tom Denton is also available for selection.

The team will be named at midday on Friday.

McBryde Looking Forward to Summer Tour

Posted on Mar 21, 2013 in Wales

Fresh from witnessing Wales retain the RBS 6 Nations title, forwards coach Robin McBryde believes the success will breed new confidence in his side.

Wales lifted the RBS 6 Nations trophy for the fourth time in nine years on Saturday as they beat England 30-3 in a thrilling encounter at the Millennium Stadium. The victory meant Wales retained the title, winning it in back-to-back years, for the first time since 1979.

As he did back in 2009, McBryde will step up to lead Wales on their summer tour later this year and he will be in the stands at the Millennium Stadium on March 30 to run the rule over contenders for tour places as the Judgement Day encounters pit all four Welsh regions against each other. He believes the squad that heads to Japan will be brimming with confidence.

“The squad we take to Japan will head over there full of confidence and belief,” he said. “Players who played in the Championship will have the belief behind them but also players who maybe didn’t feature will be boosted as success breeds success. It was a very accomplished performance on Saturday.

“We spoke during the week that it was just another test match that we had to go out and win and that’s exactly what we did. We didn’t focus on the points difference or the advantage they went into the match with, we were focused on the 80 minutes in front of us.

“The side went out and started well, controlled the early exchanges and took us into the break with a small cushion. In the second half we stepped it up and showed the sort of performance we all knew we were capable of and it was a fantastic way to win the Championship.

“In was a huge day. The city and the stadium were packed and the crowd were at their best and it was great to put that sort of performance together to reward them. It was a very physical and I thought our defence and physically was fantastic. We were always on the front foot and the pack did really well at set piece and around the park and really gave us a really good platform.

“The squad worked extremely hard to retain the title. After the disappointment of the Ireland game to put themselves back in contention and to then go out and win the Championship was impressive and they deserved that reward.”

Wales head to Osaka and Tokyo on their two-test tour of Japan this summer and McBryde will announce his squad following the British and Irish Lions squad selection later this spring. The former Wales hooker is looking to blend experience and youth in his squad and believes it will be a valuable trip for less experienced Test players.

“For North America in 2009 we took a good mix of experience and youth and I’m sure that will be the case again this summer,” he added. “It’s a good chance to reward players with more international game time and give players the opportunity to play at this level.

“Back in ’09 we took boys like Sam Warburton, Jonathan Davies, Dan Biggar and Craig Mitchell with us and look at where they are now. It’s great to see how far they have come and what they have achieved since that tour.

“The Lions will obviously impact on selection but it will be taking experience out to Japan with us. We will also be looking to reward players who have performed for their regions week in and week out and who put their hand up towards the end of the season.

“There are some big games coming up and some very big head-to-heads on Judgement Day and it’s a chance for players to show us what they can do and to fight for their chance to play for Wales this summer.”

Glasgow Warriors team news: Townsend makes six changes for Leinster

Posted on Mar 21, 2013 in Glasgow

Gregor Townsend has made six personnel changes and one positional switch to the team that defeated Cardiff Blues earlier this month, as the Warriors prepare to travel to Dublin to face Leinster at the RDS on Saturday night.

The RaboDirect PRO12 returns after a three-week break and the Warriors are looking for their eighth league win in a row, which has seen them move to the top of the PRO12 on points difference ahead of Ulster.

Tommy Seymour, Rob Harley, Tom Ryder, Ed Kalman, Dougie Hall and Moray Low all come into the starting XV, while Jon Welsh, Pat MacArthur, Gordon Reid and Ryan Wilson drop to the bench. Byron McGuigan and Tim Swinson are not included in the 23-man squad.

Glasgow Warriors and Leinster are currently the form teams in the league, with the Warriors having dropped just one possible league point and Leinster only two in their last six games.

Warriors Head coach, Gregor Townsend said: “We have been on a fantastic run of form lately, but Leinster will provide an extremely tough challenge for us and we’ll need to be at our best if we’re to come away with a positive result.

“It’s been good to have our full squad back together again after the Six Nations and training has been very competitive and sharp this week. We travel to Dublin having put ourselves in a good position in the league, but nothing is won until May and we still have a lot of work to do.”

Matawalu keeps the number nine jersey and Weir is given the nod at fly-half ahead of Ruaridh Jackson, after starting the last two of Scotland’s games against Ireland and France.

Exciting youngsters Peter Horne and Alex Dunbar continue their centre partnership, with Peter Murchie once again deployed at full-back.

Canadian winger DTH van der Merwe starts on the left wing, with Seymour replacing McGuigan on the opposite side.

Low and Kalman make up the front row, with the experienced Hall coming in at hooker and captain Al Kellock starting alongside Ryder in the second row.

Josh Strauss moves from flanker to number eight, in place of substitute Wilson, while John Barclay continues at openside and Harley comes in at blindside.

It is a strong bench with Pat MacArthur, Gordon Reid, Jon Welsh, James Eddie, Ryan Wilson, Henry Pyrgos, Ruaridh Jackson and Sean Lamont all included.

It is an experienced Warriors squad to face Leinster, with 279 Scotland caps in the matchday 23.

Stuart Hogg and Sean Maitland both miss the game after picking up knocks with Scotland, but are expected to return within the next week or two. Chris Cusiter has had an injury setback and may require an operation on his shoulder and Finlay Gillies requires neck surgery, with them both expected to be out of action for a number of months.

Gregor Townsend said: “Leinster are the only team to still have a 100 percent home winning record in the league and that shows just how difficult our task will be this weekend. For the past few seasons they have been the best in Europe at playing with pace, ambition and aggression.

“We have picked a team which we believe is capable of winning the game but we have a number of players who are unlucky not to be involved. Those selected must grab the opportunity to play in such an important fixture with both hands. They have to make it very difficult for me to leave them out next week.

“We are disappointed that both Chris (Cusiter) and Finlay (Gillies) will be out beyond the end of the season. It’s been a really frustrating time for both players and we wish them a speedy recovery.

“The game on Saturday represents a marker of where we are this season and we are fully aware of the significance of getting a result in Dublin. We will give everything we have to secure a win.”

Glasgow Warriors team to play Leinster in Round 18 of the RaboDirect PRO12, RDS, Saturday 23 March (kick-off, 7.45pm):

15 Peter Murchie

14 Tommy Seymour

13 Alex Dunbar

12 Peter Horne

11 DTH Van der Merwe

10 Duncan Weir

9 Niko Matawalu

1 Moray Low

2 Dougie Hall

3 Ed Kalman

4 Tom Ryder

5 Al Kellock (Captain)

6 Rob Harley

7 John Barclay

8 Josh Strauss

16 Pat MacArthur

17 Gordon Reid

18 Jon Welsh

19 James Eddie

20 Ryan Wilson

21 Henry Pyrgos

22 Ruaridh Jackson

23 Sean Lamont

Not available for selection through injury:

M Cusack (shoulder), C Fusaro (groin), F Gillies (neck), S Hogg (knee), S Maitland (leg injury), R Lamont (ankle), C Cusiter (shoulder)

Ospreys team to face NG Dragons

Posted on Mar 21, 2013 in Ospreys

Head Coach, Steve Tandy, said:

“It’s great to be back at the Liberty Stadium on Friday night, for a big Welsh derby, and to welcome home our international boys after they did so well in the Six Nations. Last season, they came back to us off the back of a Grand Slam and provided the impetus to build on the work done by the core group while they were away that allowed us to kick on and win the league. Having won the Six Nations again thanks to a great victory against England on Saturday we’ll be looking for the boys to have a similar impact this time.

“We’ve got a lot of work still to do if we are going to secure a place in the top four but what is really pleasing is the attitude of the boys coming back. I spoke to them all after Saturday and everyone of them wanted to be involved in this game, they couldn’t wait to get back to their region, with their team-mates, and roll their sleeves up for the cause.

“It’s going to be tough, on Friday night and over the next five games. We aren’t going to worry about who else does what over the coming weeks, we’ll just focus on our own game, control what we can, and make sure that everybody gives what they can. If we are well prepared, focused on the job in hand and get the performance level where it needs to be then we believe in ourselves to get the job done.

“With only two home games left we’re hoping for a good crowd at both games. It’s a great opportunity for supporters to get behind the cause and really make a difference to the play-off chase.”

Team

The Ospreys team to play Newport Gwent Dragons at Liberty Stadium on Friday 22nd March, KO 19.05, is as follows:

15 Richard Fussell

14 Tom Habberfield

13 Jonathan Spratt

12 Ashley Beck

11 Tom Isaacs

10 Dan Biggar

9 Kahn Fotuali’i

1 Ryan Bevington

2 Richard Hibbard

3 Adam Jones

4 Alun Wyn Jones (Capt)

5 Ian Evans

6 James King

7 Justin Tipuric

8 Jonathan Thomas

REPLACEMENTS

16 Scott Baldwin

17 Duncan Jones

18 Dmitri Arhip

19 Lloyd Peers

20 George Stowers

21 Rhys Webb

22 Matthew Morgan

23 Ben John

Joe Bearman was unavailable for selection due to suspension

The following players were not considered because of injury:

Ryan Jones – Shoulder

Ian Gough – Back

Eli Walker – Back

Morgan Allen – Shoulder

Andrew Bishop – Back

Hanno Dirksen – Knee

Tom Smith – Groin

Joe Rees – Neck

Aaron Jarvis – Knee

Forthcoming Fixtures

Sat 30 Mar – 17.15KO – Cardiff Blues v Ospreys – RaboDirect PRO12

Sat 13 Apr – 18.30KO – Ospreys v Benetton Treviso – RaboDirect PRO12

Fri 19 Apr – 19.35KO – Glasgow v Ospreys – RaboDirect PRO12

Fri 3 May – 19.45KO – Leinster v Ospreys – RaboDirect PRO12