The Heineken European Cup resumed this weekend, after the Autumn Test International break in November. And with the defensive kick-oriented Southern Hemisphere test rugby off the stage – bar two matches – it started raining tries again (58 in all) across 12 matches.
There was rugby for every type of aficionado of the game.
Friday night saw the grinding but thrilling win by Munster 24-23 over Top 14 champions, Perpignan, who ended up on the losing side.
This was despite scoring three tries against the restored, brilliant boot of Ronan O’Gara, who masterminded the win with his kicking out of hand and from the tee.
O’Gara’s kicking had reduced to season average of 43% before the game, he finished the game with 8 kicks out of 9.
Perpignan nearly made it, with SA import Phillip Berger running the full length of the pitch for one of the tries of the comp, to take the lead in the dying minutes, only for O’Gara to give the Munstermen victory.
Meanwhile, Magners League leaders, Glasgow, were dishing it out to Gloucester at Firhill, finishing 33-11 to the good with Dan Parks in flying form with boot and hand – seven kicks, and a hand in two tries on his scoring ledger.
Saturday’s games opened up with a bang, with Ospreys running riot in Italy against Super 10 side Viadana, and running in eight tries against a single consolation one.
World cup winner, Ricky Januarie, was at the heart of many of the Welsh tries with his quick passing finding players time after time to get over the line.
In Belfast, Ulster were proving Ravenhill remains a fortress against Stade Francais, posting four Heineken Cup home wins of five against the French side.
Irish out-half, Ian Humphreys, ran the game to perfection with his place kicking and tactical play setting up two of the game’s tries, including one from his 22, linking to a storming Stephen Ferris run to the line that was finished off by Scotland’s Simon Danielli for the Irish side.
Ulster now top their pool.
Another top French side were paying a visit to Wales, where Cardiff Blues met Toulouse. The French sides’ ability to drop form away from home continued with this game; the only one to not produce a try from two of the comp’s more fluent teams.
It finished 15-9 in favour of the Blues.
Perpignan had already created the shock of the competition in the opening rounds by losing away to lowly Italian side, Treviso – normally a bonus point banker.
The Italians looked like they might repeat the feat, when they took on Northampton in their English fortress at Franklin Gardens.
The scoreline as half-time approached was 3-13, with the Italians a try to the good.
The Saints woke up from their stupor and crossed the line four times either side of the half-time point.
Treviso got another later on in the game, but couldn’t manage to close the gap, with Northampton finishing comfortably at 30-18 with a bonus point in the bag.
The final two games of the day ended up with lop-sided scores in two away wins.
Brive were another poor French team, coughing up five tries against London Irish with some sub-standard defending in a 3-36 defeat.
The try of the match was an eye-catching run by Steffon Armitage – the Englishman dancing down the touchline past Brive defence and finishing under the posts.
Irish now lead their pool over current champions Leinster on try difference.
Leinster had come out of the blocks against the Scarlets, with Horgan, Shaun Berne and Gordon Darcy crossing the line in a blistering period in the first half that left the Scarlets breathless.
Both sides moved the ball around in hand, with very few kicks being taken.
Scarlets came out in the second half and played more pragmatically to gain field position. They were rewarded with a powerful try by Jonathan Davies.
That was all the Welsh side got though as Leinster continued to press and crossed for their fourth try courtesy of some lovely footwork by the Australian Berne passing to Man of the Match, Sean O’Brien, crossing for the bonus point.
Kidney now has a third option to use at seven in the World Cup – O’Brien may well outshine Wallace and Jennings in the upcoming Six Nations with a greater facility for fetching than his multi-capped counterparts.
Leinster finished 7-32 to the good.
Sunday saw the final batch of matches from Round 3 completed with four matches on the card. Bath reasserted their position in their pool with a 16-9 defeat of Edinburgh and kept the home crowd happy with two tries from Stephenson and Dixon.
The tempo increased at the Stoop in an all-English affair where last season’s bad boys, Harlequins, played Sale in a frantic, open, try-scoring game with Sale eventually finishing the winners; outscoring Quins four tries to three.
The final two matches had 118 points scored between them. First up, Biarritz restored French pride with a home thrashing of Welsh outfit Newport-Gwent Dragons, 49-13.
Former English International Ian Balshaw got two of Biarritz’s six tries who overwhelmed the Dragons and benefiting from two yellow cards.
Last game of the day saw Clermont Auvergne finally defeat Leicester in a high scoring match (40-30) with eight tries on the board by the end.
Clermont surged into a seemingly unassailable lead of 35-9 with ten minutes to go.
Six minutes later the Tigers had three tries on the board, and were relishing either getting a losing bonus point, and possibly a fourth try bonus point.
Clermont put their final try over the line, and a mad scramble on their own line at the final whistle prevented Leicester taking anything from the match.
58 tries ought to keep the crowds returning for next week’s round – it starts all over again in 5 days.
Northern hemisphere rugby boring? Natch.
Parisien
Guest
My dear Viscount old fruit, a tad hysterical? Moi? Why indeed, I do mind you saying so, velly velly much. Hysterical you say, hysterical, HYSTERICAL?!! aaaahhaahhh, ggnnaaaoouueeiiiiiii I done gone an killed a man for less. Dreadfully sorry, mixing my accents again. I'm calm again. Its nice to think Ackford's mole really exists, but on which part of his anatomy I ask? I have been inside a French dressing room and can judge on the accuracy of the article, and I think its full of s... I've played here and witnessed it first hand. There are many criticisms one can make, but Ackford's mole's are off the mark. All to sell copy like I said to Pothale. As for Ewen McKenzie, you can read elsewhere what I think of him, his reputation is shot in this town. Finally, yes, I agree, there is a fundamental weakness in the French sporting psyche despite their glorious depth of talent, and this is why I love them so much. They caused some of the most exciting upsets in the last twenty years and I'd lose interest in rugby if it wasn't for them. Meagre returns? I think they've done pretty damn well apart the last two years which were largely experimental. But who cares, vive le beau rugby! Merde, s'il y a un coup à tenter, comptez sur les français!
Parisien
Guest
Its not raining here now, Pothale, its snowing! Freezing! re: the gouging, thanks for the images Colin. Dupuy's offence looks worse because its deliberate, especially the second attempt, whereas the other one (Abboud?), looks physically worse, but perhaps unintentional given his own head is buried deep in a ruck and his finger is gouging via another player's jersey. He must have been going on feel...
Viscount Crouchback
Guest
Parisien - You're being a tad hysterical, if you don't mind me saying. I really don't think Ackford made the story up, nor do I doubt that his "mole" - Iain Balshaw, perhaps? - was speaking the truth as he saw it. None of us have been inside a French dressing room, so we can't really judge the accuracy of the article, but I can say that the bit about French players losing the plot and pointing fingers at one another after defeats has been repeated elsewhere by none other than Ewan McKenzie (who ought to know). I'm not a great fan of Ackford's journalism, but I think it's fair to claim that there is a fundamental weakness in the French sporting psyche. Their glorious depth of talent has produced meagre returns in the past decade.
Colin N
Guest
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R9aKZIh2CHc Here's the footage of Dupuy. It looks pretty conclusive to me. What made it worse was Dupuy apparently said to Ferris "I didn't do anything." http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_union/irish/8412715.stm This is the picture of the other one.
Derm
Roar Guru
Funnily enough, it has stopped raining in Ireland after a deluge of it in November. But I'm not attaching any significance to the presence of SH teams for that. I didn't cite the article per se. I was responding to VC bringing it up. It is minor fluff in the context of the wider point about behaviour of Dupuy in the match. He and abboud have both been cited for their alleged offences of gouging. Will be interested to see the findings. Did you see the pictures? If Abboud is indentifiable from the photographer's still of putting his finger into Ferris' eye, then he's a goner. Dupuy's apparent double attempt on the same player which seem to be more about scratching his face/eye area, will perhaps be viewed more leniently. Year-long bans are being talked about.
Parisien
Guest
Not at all Pothale. As I say above, I just thought the Ackford "article" was really bad, and was surprised you and VC both cite it. I suspect that Ackford had nothing to write that week so dashed it off sloppily - his conclusion was so stereotyped. but hey, there's the Telegraph for you. It could have been an article on wine, food, travel, the Greeks, anything really, but with no fact or content. Give the readers what they want. I'm not French, so there is no raw nerve to touch, I just dislike poor journalism and am amazed how much it still influences people and their judgement. Imagine if some English paper ran an article on Irish rugby with similar dubious claims, all coming from some "mole" working in Ireland, and as a result readers form a misinformed viewpoint about Irish rugby, but that suits their prejudice... Ah, newspapers can be disappointing! I mean, we already have blogs for viewpoints, opinions, hearsay, and prejudice ...OOPS! By the way, I thought your article title should read : THE SOUTHERN TEAMS HAVE GONE , ITS RAINING AGAIN.
sledgeandhammer
Guest
When looking at teams playing with positive intent, I think we need to go back to the last couple of games from the Autumn tours. I refer of course to NZ vs France, Australia vs Wales, and of course the Barbarians game. Let's home this is real sign of change, who knows perhaps the public outcry against boring rugby has touched a raw nerve amongst the players and coaches! Unlikely, but seems change is in the air.
Derm
Roar Guru
Touched a little raw nerve, perhaps, Parisien?
Derm
Roar Guru
No I opened the article with defense-minded test play has gone for the year, and club sides descend into scoring tries again - 58 of them. Do pay attention, Andy. tsk, tsk. ;)
Parisien
Guest
VC, Pothale! I hadn't read the Ackford article and was surprised to hear about it and the conclusions you revealed to us here at the Roar, so went and found it. What an appalling and poorly written shabby little article based on one "secret" insider Englishman's views while working somewhere in France! As a conclusion drawn from one unnamed man's unsubstantiated assertions, it is "maddeningly" stereotypical and caricatural, and an indictment on Ackford and The Telegraph! I'm very surprised you both mentioned it, given that you both normally have interesting and well-argued views to impart. But then you mention "teutonic" and "hitlerian", so perhaps you are fans of the Ackford style? I sincerely hope not, as this kind of article does no service to rugby, or information for that matter. Here is the article in its entirety so everyone can see just how weak it is: "Apparently, all is not what it seems in French rugby. According to one insider working in that country, the notion of French sides as liberated, free-flowing, make it up as you go along outfits is as far from the truth as it is possible to get. I know. I have bought into that stereotype too. Yet the reality is that the French love structure, love being told what to do and when to do it. "You have to be dictatorial if you want to get on," says my mole. "They want a le patron who puts them in front of the video and humiliates them. If you try to initiate a discussion and give them some responsibility for originating strategy, they won't listen to each other and start arguing amongst themselves." We're not talking small fry here either. Many of the Top 14 sides, including Biarritz, Perpignan and Montauban, are said to prefer the prescriptive approach. "It goes way beyond anything I've ever come across," reveals my man. "In the UK we tend to encourage players to analyse teams and devise ways to nullify opponents. The culture is collaborative. In France the opposite is true. They do not believe in the concept of a number of leaders throughout a team, and even the captain is marginalized. Players would be genuinely shocked if a coach discussed selection issues with the captain." Yet all is not bleak. Despite still being some way adrift in areas such as physical conditioning and medical back-up, the quality of the playing pool is high. "There's massive potential in French club rugby," discloses my source, "most of it untapped." An assortment of strait-jacketed artists? That's presumably the reason why French rugby remains so maddeningly inconsistent."
AndyS
Guest
So I take it that wasn't your original title, if you are opening a "hooray, it's raining tries again" article with Perpignan scoring three but being denied by seven penalties and a drop goal. Irony much? :)
Yikes
Guest
Well, WNM, you haven't been listening to Fox News! Every time a cold snap hits, global warming is "revealed" as a hoax. What are the drivers? For me, the fact humans emit 28 billion tonnes of C02 into the atmosphere each year is enough to suggest to me that we have at least a small parachute attached to our arms on the roller coaster. And it's getting bigger each time we go on the ride. And one day it will rip our arms off. But Melon, we can agree to disagree on that one. In a rugby sense, there is a mix between what the Laws are and the role of the all-important fear of losing. The higher up the level of game (provincial, international) the greater the consequences of losing. Hence the game is played differently to lower levels of the game where winning is important, but not everything. My argument is that there is a nexus between what the Laws allow (cheating, penalty goals to be scored) and what is the best option statistically speaking for a team whose fear of losing trumps the incentive of playing open football. Rugby has to find the sweet spot between the Laws and the fear of losing so that at the top end of the game, it is the statistically right choice to play attractive football as opposed to negative football. At the moment, the needle is pointed too far in the direction of negative play - kicking, good defence, good goal kicker wins you matches more often than not.
Justin
Guest
No Brumbies in the top 6 Temba! They have a hell of a squad next year. Think they are big contenders...
Harry
Guest
Hayden and PastHIsBest - try supporting Queensland this decade, after having one of the finest provincial sides in the world through the 80's and 90's.
Temba
Guest
The bulls have the same line up (without Habs) but most of all they have exceptional depth. I am not even doubting for a second they have a player waiting with just as much talent as Habanna, of course without the experience. What scared me is watching guys like Botha, Matfield and Du Preez towards the end of the season... the lacked a bit of stamina and mental toughness. Unfortunately I think they are going to rely on the kick chase and rolling maul again in 2010. I think that plan will work if they make the finals but with the S14 even closer next year it will be the teams that run in tri's that will make the Semi's. Stormers have had a massive break and building a formidable team led by Rassie... watch this space. Warathas have the best scrum and now building on their back line too... If anyone is going start playing running rugby again it will be the Aussies... Sorry Pothale :) I can hope the bulls win it but for the sake of S14 I hope one of the Aussie teams or a brand new champion. Ie Canes, Stormers or Cheetahs (not going to happen) Then again 2011 my new team joins from Melbourne, can you imagine if they win it their first year? Sign a Hollywood move deal staring Matt Damon.
Derm
Roar Guru
I read that, VC. Was astonished at its content and conclusions from his conversations with the French 'mole'. I'm trying to reconcile the hitlerian 'patron' edicts with the chaos and brilliance that alternately appear on French pitches. Perhaps these diktats are more prevalent in the Top 14, and the coaches are left to fend for themselves in the H Cup (since it is not so important to the patron?).
Who Needs Melon
Guest
Temba showing enormous guts making S14 calls this far ahead of the season!
Who Needs Melon
Guest
Acknowledging that this isn't the forum to debate climate change, I'm firmly in the "denier" category and have never heard any fellow denier utter anything as stupid as "a snow storm today – global warming’s not real". In the global warming debate, the real point of contention is what are the drivers effecting climate. For a denier like myself, human activity has about as much effect on climate as sticking your arms up in the air on a roller coaster. In the quality of rugby debate, the real point of contention is what are the drivers for conservative, negative tactics. I agree with you that I think there is more to it than just the laws.
PastHisBest
Roar Guru
'Canes definitely Hayden....
PastHisBest
Roar Guru
"equally as poor as some of the defending in some S14 matches last season" Cheapshot Pothale... :-)