BBC Alba to screen Leinster vs Glasgow LIVE

Posted on May 11, 2012 in Pro12

BBC ALBA SCREEN LIVE COVERAGE OF LEINSTER V GLASGOW PRO12 PLAY-OFF SEMI-FINAL

Leinster v Glasgow Warriors

BBC ALBA – Saturday 12th May 19:30 – 21:25

BBC ALBA will this weekend screen live coverage of RaboDirect PRO12 semi-final showdown between Leinster and Glasgow Warriors.

Coverage from the Royal Dublin Society will begin on Saturday at 7.30pm. The match itself will begin at 7.35pm and commentary will be provided by Hugh Dan MacLennan.

Saturday’s clash will see Warriors and the Leinstermen bid to secure a place in the end of season PRO12 showpiece final.

Sean Lineen’s side will enter the game in a positive mood following last weekend’s comprehensive 24-3 win over Connacht and Warriors will be hoping they can progress one step further than they did in 2010 when they lost away to Ospreys at the semi-final stage.

The match will see Warriors come up against a formidable Leinster side who are aiming for a European and PRO12 double and who have reached the play-offs for the last three seasons.

However, Glasgow will take confidence from their unbeaten PRO12 record against Leinster this season.

Their first league meeting was in September when tries from Peter Horne and Nick Campbell, plus kicks from Duncan Weir and Scott Wight, helped Warriors to a famous 23-19 win in Dublin.

Their last league meeting was at Firhill in February in a match that ended in a 10-10 draw, with Glasgow’s points coming through a converted penalty try plus a penalty from Scotland stand-off Ruaridh Jackson.

As well as all the live action, we’ll have half-time features including interviews with Warriors skipper Al Kellock and departing head coach Sean Lineen.

BBC ALBA has signed an exclusive deal to show live RaboDirect PRO12 rugby in Scotland until the 2013/14 season. The channel is committed to showing at least eight Edinburgh or Glasgow home matches per season, and has teamed up with Irish and Welsh broadcasters to also provide live coverage of selected away matches for both sides.

Glasgow Warriors head to Dublin for semi final challenge

Posted on May 11, 2012 in Glasgow, RaboDirect Pro 12

Glasgow Warriors head coach Sean Lineen has challenged his players to take their game to the next level in Saturday’s RaboDirect PRO12 semi-final against Leinster at the RDS (kick-off 7.35pm, live on BBC ALBA).

The play-off match will see the Warriors seek to become only the second team to defeat the reigning European champions twice this season, Glasgow having recorded a 23-19 success in the first RaboDirect PRO12 meeting between the teams in Ireland last September.

Leinster have since lost just once in all competitions, with the Warriors one of only two teams to take points off them in the RaboDirect PRO12 this calendar year, courtesy of a 10-10 draw at Firhill back in February.

The Dubliners underlined their class in the Heineken Cup head-to-heads, inflicting a 38-13 defeat on the Warriors at the RDS before edging a tighter affair 23-16 in Glasgow.

Lineen believes it will take “something truly special from all 23 players” to see off a team who have booked another Heineken Cup final date for the following week, but has emphasised the belief underpinning his squad’s approach.

The head coach commented: “We’ve shown great consistency and character to reach the semi-finals, but this is where the hard work really begins.

“We’re not satisfied just to be in the play-offs; we’re absolutely determined to keep our run going, and that means finding a way to beat a side who are the benchmark for every other team in Europe.

“Leinster’s record in both the RaboDirect PRO12 and Heineken Cup these past few years speaks for itself, and you only need to look at the statistics to see how hard it is to beat them.

“But we have confidence in ourselves, our game plan and each other and while we have huge respect for Leinster, we won’t be standing back and admiring them.

“To win, we need every player to be better than they’ve ever been before. That’s a big ask, but it’s what it will take, and we’ve every confidence the players will deliver. They’ve risen to every challenge we’ve put in front of them this season, and this is undoubtedly the biggest yet.”

The Warriors team for Saturday’s match will be confirmed tomorrow morning. Lineen said: “Training has been excellent all week. As you would expect, the hunger and intensity have been right out of the top drawer, with everyone absolutely desperate to get into the 23 for the weekend.

“It promises to be another fantastic occasion, and the players will soak up the experience. But most of all they will be inspired by it and work to show the wider audience just how good a team they are.”

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Centre Matavesi to become a Warrior

Posted on May 10, 2012 in Worcester Warriors

Worcester Warriors have confirmed the signing of hugely talented and versatile Fiji international back Josh Matavesi from French giants Racing Metro.

Matavesi, who previously played for Exeter Chiefs until his move to the Pariseans and the Top 14 in 2011, will move to Sixways from the start of next season following the completion of talks.

The 21-year-old, who can play across the back line and has featured regularly at inside centre for Racing Metro, has already earned five international caps for his country scoring 12 points with the boot.

The Fiji international, born and raised in Cornwall, is 6ft 1in and weighs 17 and a half stone.

Head Coach Richard Hill said: “We are very pleased that we can confirm the news that Josh will be joining the Warriors.

“We needed two good strong inside centres now we have released Dale Rasmussen and Sione Tu’ipulotu. Ravai Fatiaki has been fantastic the last six months with us and has really good potential. When you add that to the signing of Josh, we are pleased with our midfield options.

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Edinburgh sign Mike Penn on a one-year contract

Posted on May 8, 2012 in Edinburgh

Edinburgh Rugby have signed Worcester Warriors starlet Mike Penn on a one-year contract.

Born in Wordsley, the flight-footed 22-year-old winger/full-back is a product of the Warriors’ academy and moves north to link up with the club’s defence coach, Billy McGinty, who joined last summer after six years at Sixways.

His arrival augments Edinburgh Rugby’s back-three resources, which include the increasingly prominent full-back Tom Brown, wingers Lee Jones and try-machine Tim Visser, the latter available for Scotland selection this summer.

Edinburgh Rugby head coach, Michael Bradley, said: “Mike [Penn] is a talented young player and is very excited about the opportunity to play for Edinburgh Rugby.

“He’s an ambitious young man and arrives knowing that he has to work hard and have a big year to secure a longer term.

“That kind of pressure can bring the best out of players, particularly when competition for places in our back-three is increasingly fierce.”

Penn arrived late to the sport for a professional player, picking up the oval ball aged 14 for Starbridge rugby club.

When he was16 he signed for the Premiership side’s Academy before earning selection for England under-18 and enjoying a successful spell at associated Championship side Birmingham & Solihull.

He then returned to the Warriors to impress for the A side, making four appearances for the senior squad before taking on a second championship loan spell at Nottingham.

Penn checked into the stadium for a fitness test last month and revealed the visit to the ground and the buzz at the club sealed the deal for the West Midlands flyer.

“My first thoughts when I arrived were centred around the training facilities and the quality of the coaching staff, particularly their ideas and ambitions to take the club forward,” he explained.

“Edinburgh Rugby have been one of Europe’s top sides this season so I’m really looking forward to getting in there, working hard as part of a quality squad and proving myself.

“I couldn’t ask for much more really. The type of rugby they play really suits me, that’s my type of game. I like to play the ball and avoid contact using my pace, I can’t wait to show it on the big pitch at Murrayfield.”

Penn joins eight other new faces making their way to Murrayfield next season, including South African prop WP Nel; All Black back and former Junior World Player of the Year, Ben Atiga; and Welsh caps John Yapp (prop) and Richie Rees (scrum-half), while 19 of the club’s top performing players have also extended contracts.

Michael Penn (22)

DOB: 7 August 1989 in Wordsley, Height: 1.75 m (5′ 9"), Weight 85 kg (13st 4lb)

Position: Full-back/wing

Honours: England U18

Hogg and fellow Warriors honoured at RaboDirect PRO12 awards

Posted on May 8, 2012 in Glasgow

Just 24 hours after sealing a place in the RaboDirect PRO12 play-offs, Glasgow Warriors have further cause for celebration today, with teen sensation Stuart Hogg and the team as a whole receiving prestigious accolades at the RaboDirect PRO12 awards.

19-year-old Hogg, who has enjoyed a tremendous campaign in the black and blue, has been recognised for his outstanding form with the RaboDirect PRO12 Young Player of the Year award.

The Hawick man, a key figure in the Warriors’ progress to the semi-finals, fought off strong competition from Scarlets No.8 Ben Morgan and Leinster’s Ian Madigan.

Hogg was last week named Glasgow Warriors Young Player of the Season and Players’ Young Player of the Season.

The Warriors as a collective, meanwhile, are the inaugural Rhino Collision Kings, an award given to the team that a panel of experts judge has been most clinical at the breakdown in the RaboDirect PRO12 this season.

Points were awarded for ball retention, speed of clearance, dynamic movement, and the ability to counter-ruck effectively.

The awards were presented at a ceremony in Cardiff on Sunday night, six days out from the Warriors’ semi-final against Leinster at the RDS in Dublin.

Three Glasgow stars, lock Tom Ryder, stand-off Duncan Weir and prop Jon Welsh had already been named in the RaboDirect PRO12 Dream Team.

Managing Director Nathan Bombrys said: “Glasgow Warriors have already enjoyed a very positive weekend, and Stuart Hogg and the team being recognised with these awards caps a truly memorable 24 hours.

“Stuart thoroughly deserves to be named Young Player of the Year. He has been consistently excellent for us, and has the potential to develop into an even more fantastic asset in the years ahead.

“The quality of player in the RaboDirect PRO12 is such that he has beaten off some very strong competition for the award, and that’s testament to the form he has shown for Glasgow Warriors.

“Our season to date has been built on a great team ethic and hard-working spirit within the group. Those qualities have been the difference between winning and losing in a number of big games, and we’re delighted to see the consistency and intensity of our work at the breakdown recognised with the Rhino Collision Kings award.

“It will take another huge collective effort from the players, coaches and support staff to beat Leinster in their home stadium on Saturday, but everyone is up for the challenge and well aware of what’s at stake.”