Fancy a Flutter?

If there is any proof needed that you can bet on anything then this is it.  Place your bets for the wedding of Ireland international Brian O'Driscoll and Amy Huberman.

O'Driscoll will tie the knot with his actress girlfriend in Leitrim today and if you fancy a flutter there is a whole host of big day betting specials.

Bookies Paddy Power are offering odds of 4/7 that the Ireland skipper will start blubbing during his speech and a controversial 10-1 that his old flame, model Glenda Gilson, will turn up at the wedding.

Then of course there is the traditional bet on the the length of the best man's speech.  Just how long will Damien O’Donoghue talk about Ireland's favourite son?  More than 10 minutes pays out at 9/4.

Another bet that could grab your imagination is who will catch Amy's bouquet. Rob Kearney, Brian's Leinster and Ireland teammate, might be sweating as current squeeze Susie Amy is looking likely with odds of 8-1.  Kearney's ex-girlfriend, Ruth O'Neill, will also be jostling for position at 12-1. Then again if you fancy an outside bet you could plump for Ms Gilson at 100-1 - if she turns up that is.

Finally, if you're feeling fruity, why not have a punt on when the happy couple will have their first baby?  With odds of 6/5 that we will hear the pitter-patter of tiny feet sometime next year it seems the bookies think it's almost a certainty.

All this is very romantic I'm sure you'll agree.  Still, the newlyweds could be laughing all the way to the betting shop in a few years' time as the bookies have given them two free €100 bets - the first will pay €100,000 if their first daughter wins an Oscar while the second will pay €10,000 if their first son follows in his dad’s footsteps and plays rugby for Ireland.


Betting aside, I would like to wish Brian and Amy a lovely day and a long and happy marriage.  Aw.

Six Nations Week 4: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

The Good

Brian O'Driscoll winning his 100th cap for Ireland.  A truly world class player, even though he had a pretty quiet game against Wales.

Paul O'Connell's fantastic performance in the line-out and the loose.  A superb game for the ginger giant.

Tomas O'Leary.  A brilliant try-scoring performance by the Ireland scrum half.  Man of the match O'Leary was instrumental in several key plays and set up Keith Earls for his second try.

Tomas O'Leary dives in for his try

The Scottish crowd singing 'Flower of Scotland' loudly and proudly before the Calcutta Cup game against England.  The atmosphere in Murrayfield was electric right from the opening blast of by the lone bagpiper.

Andy Robinson-cam.  Watching the Scotland coach flail his arms around in exasperation whilst yelling expletives provided a few rare moments of entertainment in an otherwise uninspiring game.

Saying that, Scotland number eight and man of the match Johnnie Beattie played a strong game in attack and defence, along with his fellow back row Killer Bs, Kelly Brown and John Barclay.

Ben Foden's impact from the bench.  A breath of fresh air mixed with a steamroller.  Come on Haskell, Deacon and chums: take note of how Foden smashed towering lock Alastair Kellock out of the way when he was running from deep.  Oh and well done Johnno for hauling Armitage off and giving Foden a run.  Ben has got to start against France.  In fact: Ding ding - all change.

France's pocket rocket wing Marc Andreu, who, at 5ft 5", flew under the Italians' radar and over the whitewash.

In fact, France totally demolished Italy in their 46-20 with a classy display.  The French backline was in dazzling and fluid form, and their forwards weren't half bad either.  Scrum-half Morgan Parra, full-back and man of the match Clement Poitreneud and Imanol Harinordoquy get special mentions for their excellent performances.  Again.


The Bad

Jonny Sexon's woeful scattergun approach to goal kicking.  The Ireland fly-half had about as much accuracy as a drunk bloke blasting his pee towards a urinal.

Lee Byrne's yellow card.  Wales conceded two tries when the full-back was warming the sin bin and Byrne was decidedly below par upon his return to the field.

Wales' set piece:  Line-out: Poor.  Scrum:  Poor.

England missing tackle after tackle after tackle after tackle (repeat to fade)...

Just when they thought they were getting a bit better, Nick Mallet's Italy found themselves 40 points behind France after being clinically taken apart.  At least Italy were able to restore a degree of respectibility in the last 20 minutes, when France had already switched off and were no doubt starting to plot England's demise next weekend...

The Ugly

Dan Parks' stupid sideburns.  Who does he think he is?  Zorro?

Fancy Dan

Scrum time between Scotland and England.  Zzzzzz.  Do you enjoy watching burly forwards in tight fitting tops flopping down onto the floor?  Yeah.  And so it seems did referee Marius Jonker.  The scrums were painfully tedious to watch and it often took more than two minutes just to restart the game.  Yawn.

Ugo Monye being stretchered off.  Apparently he's OK, but it's never a nice sight seeing anyone stretchered off the field.  Still, maybe you should have a rest next weekend Ugo, and let Northampton's Chris Ashton have a go?


So there's only one week left in this year's competition.

I can't wait until next weekend's finale: France v England at the Stade de France. 

Although I bet Johnno and pals will try to make it as tedious an affair as possible.  We will see.

Ton Up for O'Driscoll

Brian O'Driscoll, Ireland's crinkly-eyed captain and centre extraordinaire, wins his 100th Ireland cap today.

And what a career the 31-year old Dubliner has enjoyed so far.

The world class number 13 made his international debut against Australia in Brisbane, way back on 12 June 1999 aged just 20.

Since then he's racked up 38 tries and has cemented his reputation as one of the most dazzling and feared centres in world rugby.

He captained Ireland for the first time against Australia in November 2002 whilst winning his 31st cap and took over as skipper of the squad for the 2004 Six Nations after Keith Wood's retirement.

O'Driscoll has also played six test matches for the British and Irish Lions, and captained the tourists on the 2005 tour to New Zealand.  Unfortunately his time on the pitch was painfully cut short when he suffered a dislocated shoulder in the 1st Test defeat to the All Blacks. This was thanks to a controversial "spear" tackle from All Blacks Tana Umaga and Keven Mealamu which ruled him out for the rest of the tour.

BOD returned from New Zealand, recovered, and signed a contract to keep him at Leinster until 2011.

In 2007 Brian led Ireland to their third Triple Crown in four years and was named player of the Six Nations in both 2006 and 2007.

Last year he skippered Ireland to their first Six Nations (and indeed Five Nations) Grand Slam in 61 years, and helped Leinster lift their first Heineken Cup.

Not bad, and there's no signs of him stopping yet.

Congratulations on your 100th Ireland cap Brian!

Here's a video of some of your best bits:

Six Nations Week 3: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

The Good

Three from three for France and the Grand Slam is still on for les Bleus.

The French scrum: the best in Europe, no doubt.

Shane Williams' sizzling late try to set up another tantalising finish.  Sadly for Wales, Freddie Michelak kicked the ball into touch at the final restart to deny another buttock clenching finale at the Millennium Stadium.

Another mention for Shane Williams, who passed Gareth Edwards' record of 18 Championship tries for Wales.  And on his 33rd birthday too.  Aw.

Italy's last gasp win over Scotland.  A brilliant try by Pablo Canavosio helped the Azzurri to their 7th win in ten years of the Six Nations.  Something for coach Nick Mallet to write on his calendar then.

Centurion: John Hayes

John Hayes winning his 100th cap for Ireland.  An excellent achievement for any player, but especially so for a front row forward.

Ben Foden, who finally pulled off his tracksuit to replace the injured Delon Armitage.  Foden was a shining star for England with a desire to run the ball forward instead of hoof it aimlessly.

England not kicking the ball away every five seconds.  OK so England didn't win, but they looked pretty evenly matched against Ireland.  Martin Johnson did comment after the match that he thought his team suffered as they tried to run the ball too much.  Oh God, I hope this doesn't mean we can look forward to a return to kicking 101 against Scotland.

The Bad

Wales' string of errors.  Two interception tries?  Check.  Plenty of passes to no-where?  Check.  Failing to see the men in support and not passing the ball for a certain try, Jamie Roberts?  Check.

Yeah I know Shane.  It was really frustrating.

Not so much bad, more not quite there.  Morgan Parra and François Trinh-Duc's partnership at half back is a weak link in the French team.  Parra is a bit selfish and Trinh-Duc retreats into the pocket when put under pressure.

Scotland's failure to score a try against Italy.  And they lost.  Again.  Wooden spoon, Andy Robinson?

Danny Care's sloooooooooow service to Super Jonny and chums. This limited Wilkinson's options and left England's backline looking static.

The atmosphere in Twickenham.  Oh sorry, there wasn't one.

(Not so) Super Jonny's kicking stats.  Only 3/6 for the usually robotic place kicking Wilkinson.  Poor.

The Ugly

Brian O'Driscoll being stretchered off the field.  I hope he'll be fit to pick up his 100th cap in a couple of weeks.

The ridiculous handbags between England and Ireland.  Not really ugly but come on ladies, sort it out.  Still, Danny Care's missus is probably a very satisfied lady looking at Care's excellent throw down skills (as demonstrated on Tomas O'Leary).

Six Nations Previews and Predictions: Week 3

Wales v France

Friday night’s game is a tantalising battle between Grand Slam hopefuls France and comeback Kings Wales.

Who can forget the men in red’s pulsating victory over Scotland in Cardiff in week two?

Confidence will be high in the Wales camp, but the task facing Gatland’s men this weekend is a formidable one.

The Wales coach has focussed his criticism on his back row after the last gasp win over Andy Robinson’s Scotland. With Andy Powell dropped in the wake of Golf Buggy-gate and Martyn Williams and captain Ryan Jones unusually below par, Wales’ forwards need to up their game.

Will Williams (l) and Ryan Jones (r) provide good service to Stephen Jones (c)?

Alun Wyn Jones is out after undergoing surgery on his elbow and Deiniol Jones and Bradley Williams get a chance to impress in the second row. Scrum-half Mike Phillips returns to the bench despite only playing 40 minutes of rugby in the past four months. Dwayne Peel must be left wondering if his move to Sale has scuppered his international career.

France coach Marc Lievremont will be forced to juggle his team again after injuries to Benjamin Fall, Pascal Pape and Fulgence Ouedraogo.

Both winger Fall and lock Pape suffered ankle injuries and will be replaced by Julien Malzieu and Julien Pierre respectively. Pape’s absence means Sebastien “The Caveman” Chabal comes onto the bench and Julien Bonnaire replaces Ouedraogo.

Alexis Palisson has recovered from Jerry Flannery’s can-can kick and starts on the wing.

As for the game, I think the clash between centres Mathieu Bastereaud and James Hook will be a fascinating one to watch.

The forward battle will be the key area though, and France’s powerful scrum will be a stern test for the Wales pack. Gethin Jenkins came off the bench against Scotland but doesn’t feature in the 22 to face France.

If Wales get good service from the pack they will give the flair-packed France a run for their money. However, I can’t see France slipping up at the Millennium Stadium.

My prediction: France to win by 8.


England v Ireland

It’s make or break time for England. After two lacklustre games for the men in white, Ireland will be a much sterner test.

A stuttering performance against Wales and an unimpressive win over Italy mean Martin Johnson’s team is still on for the Grand Slam. However write off Ireland at your peril. Declan Kidney’s men were taught a rugby lesson in France a fortnight ago and only a win against England will keep their championship dreams alive.

Johnson has only tinkered with his match day 22 after criticism over the team’s performance in Rome. He has stuck with (maybe not so) Super Jonny at fly-half and Ben Foden and Joe Worsley both start on the bench.

As for Ireland...  OK so a back to back Grand Slam is no longer possible for Brian O’Driscoll and chums but the Triple Crown is definitely in their sights.


Rory Best will start at hooker for Ireland after Jerry Flannery was banned after his not exactly subtle kick on Alexis Palisson.

Ireland's first choice fly half: Jonny Sexton

Wunderkind Jonny Sexton snatches the number 10 jersey from Ronan O’Gara with the Munster man relegated to the bench. Rob Kearney is out with injury and he is replaced by Leicester’s Geordan Murphy. A fit again Donnacha O’Callaghan pushes Leo Cullen to the bench.

England is hardly a dynamic force in the world of rugby at the moment, and Ireland will have been busy licking their wounds after the 33-10 hammering in France. Unless Martin Johnson and co’s strategy has undergone a total revamp in the last couple of weeks, then I expect England to kick the ball away ad infinitum which will give Ireland ample opportunity to run it back at them. And past them. And over the line.

The key battle I’ll be watching is Jonny v Jonny. Fly-half of the recent past v fly-half of the future. I wonder who will take control and pull the strings to orchestrate a win? I think it will be Jonny Jnr.

My prediction: Ireland to win by 12.


Italy v Scotland

Andy Robinson’s Scotland committed what can only be called rugby hari kari against Wales two weeks ago. Quite why Mike Blair chose to run the ball rather than boot it into touch when the clock went red only he will know. Add to that the two late sin binnings and 13-man Scotland could only watch as impish Shane Williams skipped over the line to snatch a last gasp win.

Gutting.

So what next? Well, all is not lost as this weekend they face serial wooden spoon winners Italy.

England made tough work of overcoming the Azzurri but Italy looked much more convincing than they did against Ireland. Surely Scotland have enough flair to overcome the tournament whipping boys though?

In a word: yes.

Max Evans returns for the Scots after scoring a try after coming off the bench against Wales. Hugo Southwell and Simon Danielli replace Chris Paterson and Rory Lamont and Allan Jacobsen is in for Alistair Dickinson in the front row. The Scots are looking to turn their fortunes around and end a two-game losing streak in the tournament.

Evans will hopefully take it to the Max.

Italy coach Nick Mallet has named only one change for Italy as Carlo Antonio Del Fava starts in the second row after a remarkable recovery from knee surgery.

Italy will be targeting the game against Scotland as their most realistic chance to notch up a win as Scotland are the only team they have beaten in the Six Nations.

However the Scots will be looking to turn their 70 minute performance against Wales into a full 80 minute win against Italy. If they don’t, the wooden spoon awaits…

My prediction: Scotland to win by 13.

So what do you think?  Will France march on towards a Grand Slam?

Six Nations Week 1: The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly

The Good...

A 30-17 win for England, despite a strong comeback from Wales in the second half.
England's line out.  Excellent work again from messrs Borthwick and Shaw.
Jonny Wilkinson.  Another 15 points in the bag.  Easy.
James Hook's solo try.  Is he Barry John in disguise?
France's Mathieu Bastareaud, an 18 stone double try-scoring powerhouse.  Ireland beware in Paris next week.
The French front five.  Dominated scrum time, solid in the line out and great in the loose.

The Bad...

Scotland's scrum which looked totally feeble.  Please hurry back Euan Murray.
Wales' goal kicking.  A couple of misses for James Hook which let England off the hook early on.
Ireland's second half performance.  Brian O'Driscoll said it was "mediocre" and "frustrating".  I nearly drifted off to sleep.  Ireland have got to step it up before their trip to Paris next weekend.
Rob Kearney's sloppy clearance, straight into the arms of Kane Robertson, who skipped over the line for an easy try.

The Ugly...

Italy's tediously slow work at the breakdown.  The BBC commentator said Italy's backs could make a cappuccino in the time it took their scrum-half Tebaldi to dig the ball out.  I think it would have been quicker if I had swum across the Irish sea to Croke Park and got the ball for him.  Zzzzzz.
Gonzalo Garcia's attempted spear tackle on Brian O'Driscoll.  Tut, tut.  A well deserved yellow card for that one.
Alun Wyn Jones' stupid trip.  Cue a ten minute sin-binning and England scoring two tries against 14 man Wales.  D'oh.

Six Nations Top Trumps: Ireland

“You never defend anything. You give back the trophy, and then you try and win it again.”

So said Ireland captain Brian O'Driscoll at the Six Nations launch press conference earlier this week.
Go get 'em tiger.

Ireland remained unbeaten in 2009 and clinched last season's Six Nations Grand Slam on the way to a victory over current World Champions South Africa.  2010's Six Nations competition looks to be a little tougher for the men in green, as the big games against France and England are both on the road and away from the bubbling cauldron that is a packed Croke Park.  Despite this, Ireland are many people's favourites to win a back to Six Nations title, if not a repeat of last year's Grand Slam.

Ireland is a team packed full of world class talent, which is where they have an advantage over the other home nations.  How many of the England starting XV would make it into a World XV?  Probably none.  Wales?  3?  4?  Scotland?  Zero.  Contrast that with Ireland who have the shining stars of Brian O'Driscoll, Paul O'Connell, Rob Kearney, Tommy Bowe and Jamie Heaslip: all of who are world class players and are bang in form.  Oh, and don't forget Jonny Sexton, Ireland's new rugby darling, and quite rightly so after his performances with Leinster and Ireland.  (Did you see his calm and collected last gasp drop goal to secure a home draw in the Heineken Cup quarter finals for Leinster last weekend?  Exactly).

Anyway, on to the Unofficial Top Trumps.  All categories are scored out of a maximum 100.

And here's why:

Scrum: 62/100.
A perceived area of weakness for Ireland after the internationally inexperienced Cian Healy was taught a lesson or two against Australia.  Other sides will look to target this chink in Ireland's well polished armour.

Line-Out: 81/100.
With Munster men and fellow Lions, Paul O'Connell and Donnacha O'Callaghan as targets to aim for in the line out, provided that the selected hooker (Flannery, Best or Cronin?) can hit his man, this is a set piece that should win a lot of ball for Ireland.

Attacking Flair: 79/100. 
Where do I start?  Brian O'Driscoll looks likely to be partnered with his fellow Leinster centre Gordon D'Arcy after O'Driscoll's partner from the November tests, Paddy Wallace, was included in the Ireland 'A' squad.  D'Arcy is in a purple patch of form at the moment, as is O'Driscoll, Horgan, Bowe, and Kearney (despite him looking uncharacteristically shaky under the high ball recently).  Ireland also demonstrated the ability to grind out games last year in the 20-20 draw against Australia, but their glittering back line is packed full of talent who enjoy running from deep.

Defence:  65/100.
Ireland seem to have a never say die attitude both in attack and defence.  Just please no last minute crazy challenges in the potentially Grand Slam winning game this year, eh Paddy Wallace...

Stadium:  91/100.
Croke Park.  Capacity 82,300.

Snore Factor: 23/100.
Low.  No rugby by numbers here.  Take note Johnno and chums.

Phwoargh Factor:  88/100.
Very high.  I mean, the ladies are really spoilt for choice with crinkly eyed BOD, smouldering Rob Kearney, hunky Jamie Heaslip, drop dead gorgeous David Wallace...  The list goes on and on.

Scandal Potential:  69/100. 
High.  With Stephen Ferris the current eye-gouging victim of choice, when Ireland take on France at the Stade de France on 13 February there could be an anti-ban backlash from the French crowd after the 70 week ban of Stade Francais' David Attoub and the 23 week ban of Julien Dupuy.  Quelle horreur.

As for the final standings:

Last season: 1st with the Grand Slam
Prediction for this season: 1st but with no Grand Slam.  I tip them for the Triple Crown though.

Man of the Month: December

It's another post for the girls I'm afraid as it's time to announce the lucky player who is the recipient of my (not very) prestigious Man of the Month award.

With the IRB failing to fall for his Irish charms and twinkle-toed side-step and after they ignored his excellent year on rugby pitches all over the world, I feel that it is only right for me to help redress some of the balance.

Yes, there can only be one player on my shortlist for this month's accolade, and that player is the one and only Brian O'Driscoll: rugby maestro and crinkly-eyed favourite of the ladies.

Anyone fancy a roll in the grass with Brian?  Oh, go on then...

All together now ladies: swoon...

Here are some more pictures of the lovely Brian:

Enjoying a fun run with ROG

Getting a taste for the 6 Nations trophy before he helped Ireland win it this year

Musing on the wisdom of adding tomatoes to a salad...

With his fiancée, the lovely Amy Huberman

Fortunately his bad hair days are a thing of the past

A well deserved winner I think.

IRB Player of the Year (Or Not...)

So All Blacks Captain Richie McCaw is the IRB Player of the Year for 2009 and he becomes the first ever player to win this accolade for the second time.  Except he's not really the player of the year, is he?

My, what a big cup you have

Richie McCaw spent a lot of 2009 injured, and in that time the All Blacks looked off colour, suffered as their 'aura' slipped and failed to win the Tri-Nations. McCaw is undoubtedly a class act and the best openside flanker in the world, but I think 2009 was BOD's year - and before you say it I'm English so I'm not biased!

With everything he achieved this year O'Driscoll should have walked this award.  He led Ireland to their first Grand Slam in 61 years and Ireland remained unbeaten in 2009; he was an instrumental cog in the Leinster team that lifted the Heineken Cup, and according to Ian McGeechan he formed half of "the best centre partnership in world rugby" alongside Jamie Roberts with the Lions in South Africa this summer.

Oh and he can plait sawdust and yesterday he knitted a rather fetching scarf from the fog that shrouded Croke Park.

My sentiments exactly Brian

Seriously - what else did O'Driscoll have to do to win this award?  He had an excellent season by his own high standards and effectively stuck two fingers up at all the critics who dared to question if he was past his best.
Brian was robbed, and I am not happy.

Prediction Time

It's typical isn't it?  This week I've had four lovely days away from work where I've been able to sleep in, do some half-hearted Christmas shopping and go and visit my parents and their crazy dog Jake.  And yet these lovely lazy days have whizzed past in a flash and before I know it the weekend is here again.  I know this is welcome for most people but for me it's a sign I'll be back in work again in two short days.  Oh well, at least there's plenty of rugby to occupy myself with before I resume my position at my desk and stare blankly at my computer screen again.

Anyway, here are my predictions for the weekend's games.  I didn't do very well (at all) with my crystal ball gazing last week, but here goes anyway. 

Winners in bold:

Worcester vs Saracens
Newcastle vs Northampton
Sale vs Wasps (Postponed - but I think Sale would have won this one)
Bath v London Irish
Harlequins v Gloucester
Leicester v Leeds Carnegie

Sorry Leeds.  My heart says you will win, but the cold-hearted gambler in me would put my money on Leicester.  Not that I'm a cold-hearted gambler.  Or any sort of gambler come to think of it.  You know what I mean though -  I think playing the Tigers away is one step too far at the moment, although as always I am happy to be proved wrong where my Leeds Carnegie predicitons are concerned!

And now to the internationals and there's some corking games here.  France take on the All Blacks and the Irish are hoping to riverdance all the way over the Boks' try line.  I'm going to be curling up on my sofa to watch O'Driscoll and co, and I really really want Ireland to give the Saffas a trouncing and restore some real pride in northern hemisphere rugby.
Again, winners in bold:

France vs New Zealand
Ireland vs South Africa
Italy vs Samoa
Scotland vs Argentina
Wales vs Australia

Three Words

Powering in Green

Ireland 20 - 20 Australia

Ireland snatched a draw from the jaws of defeat at Croke Park today and although they didn't win the game they can certainly take away a lot of positives away from their performance. 

BBC commentator Eddie Butler perfectly summed up Ireland's approach in three words: 
"Energised and confident."

Ireland fielded a strong side against the rampaging Wallabies, and after looking dead and buried, a last minute try from BOD himself (who else?) allowed O'Gara to bag two more points and seal a hard fought draw.  (Seriously, who writes O'Driscoll's scripts?  In his 100th test match appearance he scores the decisive try to help level the score.  Praise be to BOD).

Australia should have won this game, but sadly for them they just couldn't manage it.  Hurray!  At least the smug Wallabies won't go home clutching an autumn international home nations whitewash to their puffed up green and gold chests.

The personification of the Irish performance today?

Cian Healy.

Strong running in the loose, confidence in his own abilities on his international debut and an all round gutsy performance from the Leinster prop.  Cian's got work to do to get his scrummaging up to scratch, but other than that it was an excellent first cap performance.


Maurauded in Maroon

England 16 - 9 Argentina

England on the other hand might have beaten Argentina yesterday in their new purple change strip, but after a dismal performance they were quite rightly booed off the pitch at half time.  The Argentina side contained four, yes four amateur players but despite this a dull and uninspiring England could only limp to a 16 - 9 win.

Jeremy Guscott's three word conclusion of England's performance?

"Slow and sloppy."

The personification of this?

Ugo Monye.

Flaky at fullback, shocking under the high ball and slow to allay the fears of the disgruntled Twickenham crowd.


I feel like a broken record. 

Martin Johnson:  PLEASE bring Ben Foden in to play at full back next week as I think we can safely say that the Monye experiment has been deemed a failure. 

If an idiot is defined as someone who repeats their actions yet expects to get a different result, then surely the time has come to show the world that you're not ready to take up residence in a remote village whilst wearing a dunce's hat. 

Then again, I think it will take nothing short of a minor miracle to resurrect England's hopes of beating the All Blacks next Saturday.  What is the game plan?  Do the players know it?  Does anyone care?

Still, even if the game's rubbish I can distract myself by looking at Dan Carter's biceps.  Happy days.

"Power Green" vs Green and Gold

A couple of score lines from yesterday, Friday 13th November:

France 20 - 13 South Africa

Wales 17 - 13 Samoa

So the World Champions were taken down in the south of France.  Their score on Freaky Friday 13th?  13.
Wales scraped past Samoa at the Millennium Stadium and put the ghosts of Samoa's famous wins in Cardiff in the World Cups of 1991 and 1999 to rest.  Samoa's score?  13.

Two excellent results for the northern hemisphere teams against their southern hemisphere counterparts, who both only amassed an unlucky thirteen points each.    Maybe Wales's new change strip of cack-yellow is lucky for them?

Not so mellow

Of course I'll be watching England take on Argentina this weekend, but the game I really want to watch is Ireland vs Australia at Croke Park on Sunday.  England will be proudly wearing their new purple strip whilst the Irish boys are debuting their new strip which is apparently in "Power Green" (don't you just love all the marketing bunf).  Check out the promotional shot from last month:

Dear oh dear oh dear

Anyway, beyond the boy-band style jumping in the air and the naff marketing spiel, the real question is whether Ireland will be able to "power" past the Wallabies this Sunday.  (Sorry).

I really think they can.

Last week England's centres didn't put much pressure on the debut centre pairing of Quade Cooper and Digby Ioane, and this pair of Wallabies looked as if they'd been playing at test level together for years.  This weekend I envisage that O'Driscoll (who is winning his 100th test cap when he trots out against Australia) and Paddy Wallace will cause the youthful Wallabies a world of problems in comparison, especially when the likes of Rob Kearney will be rock solid and making strong angled runs from full back and the pace of Tommy Bowe and speed and sidestep of Luke Fitzgerald are out on the wings. 

Facing up against the Wallabies forwards is an impressive Ireland pack which is rammed full of world class front men:  Flannery (Munster), Hayes (Munster); O'Callaghan (Munster), O'Connell (Munster); Ferris (Ulster), David Wallace (Munster), Heaslip (Leinster), along with debutant Cian Healy (Leinster).  I think they will put much more pressure on the Wallabies at scrum time, and in the loose will be much more rapid at providing quick ball to their scrum-half (Tomas O'Leary) than the England forwards managed to provide Danny Care with last weekend.

Oh, and don't forget Ronan O'Gara: Ireland's top points scorer of all time.

Of course, the war of words to big up the opposition has been in full flow this week, with each team playing homage to the other.  Everyone has to appear to be modest now, don't they?

"It's going to be a litmus test for us," insisted Australia coach Robbie Deans.


"They're the grand slam Six Nations champions, European Cup champions two years in 08 and 09 (Munster and Leinster), so there's an awful lot of experience and belief in the group we're playing at Croke Park."

Yep.

O'Driscoll was quick to return the compliment:

"Australia are a very smart team, the smartest in world rugby...  They think about how to break down defences and have the personnel to do that."

So who is going to win?  As a team Ireland are formidable opponents and much more of the finished and polished package than the England team that were outwitted by the streetwise Wallabies last weekend.

It's tough to call but I think with the partisan crowd of a packed Croker behind them, the "Power Green" clad Irishmen will do it.  It won't be Friday the thirteenth when these two teams meet but I still think it might be an unlucky day for the Green and Golds.

BOD is Still God...

...well in Ireland anyway.

Congratulations to crinkly-eyed, twinkle-toed Brian O'Driscoll who picked up the Player of the Year award at the Guinness Rugby Writers of Ireland awards dinner earlier this week.

In BOD we trust

I suppose that O'Driscoll was the obvious candidate for this accolade.  I mean, this year he led Ireland to their first Six Nations Grand Slam in sixty-one years, he was a major part of the thrilling Leinster side that lifted the Heineken Cup, and don't forget the world class performances he put in for the Lions over the summer.  Not bad, Brian, not bad.

So the question on everyone's lips is has to be:

"What is O'Driscoll going to do to top all this in 2010?"

How about back to back Grand Slam and Heineken Cup wins? 
Yeah, that would be a good start...

However I'm pretty sure there are plenty of Ireland rugby fans looking to the future of the Irish game, and in 2010 they will all be urging Brian to whisk his bride-to-be Amy Huberman up the aisle as quickly as possible.  That way, Brian can get started on the miracle of creating the second coming - aka the procreation of Brian O'Driscoll Jnr.

Amen to that.

A Round of Missed Opportunites

This year's Heineken Cup Round 2 has to go down as one of the tightest in recent years, and whilst my predictions weren't too far off, certain teams have got to feel like they've really missed an opportunity to stamp their authority on the competition.

First up was Sale vs Cardiff Blues, and even though I thought this would be a closely run encounter I didn't see it going right down to the wire and finishing 27-26. The harsh sin-binning of Cardiff's resident Whitesnake impersonator Andy Powell saw Sale amass a quick 14 points and a lead that remained one point too many for the Blues to conquer.

Elsewhere Northampton fell short at a reinvigorated Perpignan, with the French team bouncing back from a shock defeat in the rain soaked opening round against Treviso. I really thought Northampton might pull a surprise victory out of the bag in the south of France but it wasn't to be. The only souvenir they took away from a bruising visit to the one time home of the luscious Dan Carter was a severe crack of whiplash for the suitably D'Artagnan-bearded Ben Foden, when he was unceremoniously dumped on his arse by the human bulldozer that is Henry Tuilagi. If you missed this expert demolition using an illegal shoulder charge then you can view it again here:

Ouch.

Yesterday I watched the Brive vs Leinster game which was a penalty strewn and scrappy affair saved only by the dynamic running of Leinster hot bod Rob Kearney to score the opening try, quick hands from Brian O'Driscoll, and an excellent performance from man of the match Kevin McLauglin. Another almost faultless performance from Jonny Sexton will undoubtedly have Ronan O'Gara reaching for the Horlicks to try and avoid many sleepless nights in the run up to the autumn internationals: If ever there was an international number 10 in waiting then Jonny Sexton is the man.

That aside, Leinster will be disappointed not to come away from France with a winning bonus point, especially against a Brive side that didn't offer too much other than constant indiscipline. Still, at least this provided a quick burst of handbag waving entertainment to liven up the end of this rather uninspiring game, when Brian O'Driscoll and Andy "Timotei" Goode indulged the crowd with a gentle slapping competition. Maybe Andy is just jealous of Brian's superior hairline?

Away from France, London Irish will be left to rue a missed chance thanks to a last gasp penalty for the Scarlets courtesy of Sesame Street's Count (aka Stephen Jones). This game finished up 25-27 with London Irish undoing all their good work with an away win away at Champions Leinster last round. Oh well, serves you right for beating my favourite Irish team.

Stephen Jones is the man counting the win

Tonight, the Harlequins and Bath players will probably all be at home swigging bottles of gin whilst they freeze their nads off in ice baths after both teams lost their second pool game of the tournament. This pair of losing performances pretty much ends their chances of progressing to the next round, which is a shame as both sides were comfortably leading this weekend's games at half time before they both committed Heineken Cup hara-kiri.

The final team who really missed a chance to press home their advantage in the competition was Clermont Auvergne who lost 25-24 at the Ospreys. I really wish I'd watched this game, as despite leading 22-3 at half time, the Ospreys almost threw it away to a resurgent Clermont side. Unfortunately for all the Welsh ladies out there, Mike Phillips hobbled off with a foot injury just before half time, which means that the much less attractive Dwayne Peel might get a shout for the international games next month. Never mind, I'm sure he has some fans out there - probably the same ones that fancy his twin brother: Emmerdale's Andy Sugden.

Finally (and most importantly) this afternoon I witnessed the rare event that is a bonus point victory for Leeds Carnegie. In a game littered with the usual smorgasbord of Leeds handling errors which included several passes flying into touch or being fumbled to the floor, Leeds out muscled a rotund Parma side and secured the bonus point with just over ten minutes of the game remaining.

As the scoring opportunities went begging in the first half I did wonder if Leeds were lacking the killer instinct and would be able to punish the Italian side who looked like they'd spent far too much time woofing pizza then doing bench-presses at the gym. Happily, for every mistake Leeds made Parma made two, which allowed a much changed Leeds side to press home for victory and rack up the points in the second half. Leeds ended the game with an impressive scoreline of 37-13 but they are certainly going to have to raise their performance and banish the sloppy guiseppe style mistakes before next Sunday when they take a trip down the M1 to top of the table Saracens. If they don't tighten up I can't see anything happening apart from a ritual humiliation in front of the Vicarage Road faithful.

Anyway, let's see how my predictions fared against the results this weekend:

(Correct predictions highlighted in bold)

Newport-Gwent D'gons 22-14 Glasgow
Perpignan 29-13 Northampton
Sale 27-26 Cardiff Blues
Biarritz 42-15 Gloucester
Brive 13-36 Leinster
Edinburgh 17-13 Ulster
Harlequins 19-23 Toulouse
London Irish 25-27 Scarlets
Munster 41-10 Treviso
Viadana 11-46 Leicester
Bath 27-29 Stade Francais
Ospreys 25-24 Clermont Auvergne

Not too shabby at all as I only missed out on two correct predictions. I'm really rather pleased with myself!

Anyway, that's all for now. A review of the eagerly anticipated Lions 2009: Living with the Pride DVD is coming soon...

A Weekend of Heineken Shorts

I've been looking forward to this weekend since... well since last Sunday night. Last weekend was a full on assault on my liver courtesy of two days and nights drinking minging cider, German beer and vodka as I watched and then celebrated Leeds Rhinos win their third consecutive Grand Final at (boo hiss) Old Trafford.



Anyway, after an exhausting weekend stampeding with the Rhinos I survived a corporate nipple-twisting team building day with work on Monday, so this weekend I am so looking forward to just settling back into my sofa and watching the multitude of Heineken Cup matches on offer.

Tonight I will be sampling the delights of Sale vs Cardiff Blues (or is that Pinks as I've just seen their away kit). I think Sale might just edge past an injury ravaged Blues side who haven't won on their travels yet this season.


Then tomorrow I will drag my sorry arse to the gym in the morning (I haven't been for nearly two weeks now - tut tut) before whacking on the kettle for a nice cup of tea to accompany my viewing of the Brive vs Leinster game where I think Leinster will triumph. (I have to watch this game as Messrs Kearney and O'Driscoll are playing, although watching my top two favourite players isn't my highlight this weekend. Oh no, no, no).
This is because Leeds Carnegie are playing Rugby Parma in the Amlin European Challenge Cup on Sunday and I really think Leeds are going to break their duck this season and win this game. I will be heading off to watch them in the South Stand and will be keeping my fingers well and truly crossed.




Anyway, I thought I might as well have a go at some predictions for this weekend's Heineken Cup fixtures. I am usually pretty useless at this sort of thing so please don't hold me liable if you put any money on these and subsequently lose:

(Winners in bold)

Newport-Gwent Dragons v Glasgow
Perpignan v Northampton
Sale v Cardiff Blues
Biarritz v Gloucester
Brive v Leinster
Edinburgh v Ulster
Harlequins v Toulouse
London Irish v Scarlets
Bath v Stade Francais
Ospreys v Clermont Auvergne
Munster v Treviso
Viadana v Leicester


In other news I pre-ordered the 'Living with the Pride' behind the scenes documentary of the 2009 Lions tour to South Africa today, so expect a review sometime next week :-) I am hoping for a lot of BOD and Rob Kearney action.

10 Studs to Watch

So the rugby season is now well under way, and if you're one of the few Leeds Carnegie fans like me then it's been yet another depressing start. Still, like the popular mantra on an all day drinking session - it's a marathon not a sprint - and whilst Saracens might be masquerading as speed king Usain Bolt at moment, there's still plenty of games left for my yo-yo loving team to metamorphosize into Paula Radcliffe and limp over the line in 11th place. Who knows, they might even sneak into 10th if they don't keep stopping like Paula to curl out yet another shit performance.

Anyway, with five games down I've had plenty of time to distract myself from Leeds' lacklustre start and survey the finer studs trotting about 22 yard lines up and down the country. Oh and how can I forget the fine specimens in the Magners league? Therefore, for my inaugural post on this blog I think it's only fitting for me to introduce my list of top 10 Studs to Watch this season (although I do reserve the right to amend this list as the season progresses!).

1. Rob Kearney

Well, where do I start with Leinster's gorgeous Rob Kearney? He's got sultry, smouldering looks, bucketloads of Irish charm and one hell of a sexy bod. I've admired Rob's footballing skills for a few years now, but the fact that he is so God damn handsome does help to maintain my interest. If I ever have the pleasure of meeting the lovely Rob I will ply him with Guinness and play with his curly black hair (on his head, before you get any ideas).

2. Brian O'Driscoll

In at number two is another Leinster man, the one and only BOD. In fact I'm kind of considering moving over to Dublin and switching my allegiance to the Irish province, as even if they lose there's always something (or someone) entertaining to watch. Everyone knows about BOD: his twinkly crinkly eyes, his biceps that are to die for and not forgetting his wisdom about not adding tomatoes to fruit salads. BOD has undergone a renaissance over the past year and I can only speculate that this is probably due in part to his engagement to the lovely (and very lucky) Amy Huberman. Although come on Brian - spelling out 'Will you marry me' in flower petals? That's just a little bit cheesy.

3. Danny Care

Q: Who likes Care Bears?

A: Me.

Ex-Leeds Tyke and now Harlequin, Danny 'Care Bear' Care initially set my pulse racing when he was snapped in the buff for the Everyman Campaign earlier this year. I don't think I need to say anything else about Danny's charms as the above picture speaks for itself. Nice ball too.

4. Olly Barkley

Gloucester or Bath? Gloucester or Bath? It was a tough decision for Olly to switch back and forth between these local rivals, but who cares about all that when he's got such lovely eyebrows and sexy curly hair (if you don't mind wiping your hands because of all the hair gel). Olly's currently recovering from a pesky broken leg, so anyone who'd like to help out with nursing duties please form an orderly queue...

5. Marco Wentzel

As a Leeds fan I had to include a Leeds player, and whilst my favourite player (tubby powerhouse Mike Macdonald) is still languishing stateside waiting for his visa, a new addition to the squad has caught my attention this season. Marco Wentzel was enlisted by World Cup winning Supremo Neil Back and his mate Andy Key, and so far has made a big impression with his powering runs and skills in the line out. Oh, and did I mention that he's pretty hot too? (Nice pose by the way Marco).

6. Ben Foden

When he's not busy cultivating his ridiculous Musketeer-style facial hair, Ben Foden is really rather handsome. Tipped as one to watch for purely his rugby skills, Northampton's Ben is also one to watch for more aesthetically pleasing reasons. Currently dating Una Healy from girl band 'The Saturdays' maybe Ben is trying to raise his profile and rise to fame in a similar way as Danny Cipriani?

Which brings me, rather predictably to number 7: the aforementioned Mr. C.

7. Danny Cipriani

Yes, I admit it: Danny Cipriani is foxy, although this admission does grate on me as I find myself really struggling to like him in his new guise as a 'celebrity'. I'm not knocking him for his desire to bump uglies with Kelly Brook as if I was that way inclined then I'd probably want to do the same, but Danny needs to sort out his priorities and concentrate on the game that is his real reason for fame rather than cavorting around Necker Island with his scantily clad bikini model/actress girlfriend. OK, when I put it like that I can see why he's been a little distracted.

8. Mark Cueto

Sale stalwart Mark Cueto knows how to fill a pair of underpants and work a locker. (OK, maybe he needs to practice his modelling skills but who cares when he's got a six-pack and a, ahem, package like that?)

9. Mike Phillips

Ospreys, Wales and the Lions' scrum half Mike Philips is keen to point out that he's number one, but I'm sorry to say Mike that you only sneak in at number nine on my list. I suppose this is quite fitting as that's the number of the shirt that you've so effortlessly made your own in recent years, but either way you are pretty damn fine and in at number nine. (Oh, I just rhymed).

10. Ryan Lamb

Last but by no means least in my top ten Studs to Watch list is a bit of leftfield choice. London Irish's Ryan Lamb usually plays at fly half, but last week he packed down at number eight in an impressive display against Leinster. I can only reason that I have been seduced by Ryan's ferrety looking charms after watching his mercurial performance against my beloved Leeds a few weeks ago. That, and the fact that he seemed to be aiming his kicks towards me in the pre-match warm up. Maybe that classes as flirting where he comes from?

Right, that's all for now. I'll be back with some more rugby related studdery very soon. Who knows, I might even be able to report a first win of the season for Leeds this Sunday...

Until then...