Rugby Drunk

I have to admit that I spent the majority of last weekend watching rugby and having a few shandies.

Well, it was my birthday and the weekend was filled with the best Heineken Cup quarter finals that I can remember.  And that's not just because I have a memory like a sieve.

I can't let these four fabulous games pass without comment.

The Leinster v Clermont Auvergne see-saw on Friday night was brilliant.  I like Leinster and I wanted them to win, but if I'm honest it wouldn't have been the end of the world if they hadn't.

But as a neutral this game had it all: 

• Man of the Match Jamie Heaslip powering over for a brace of tries.
• Jonny Sexton dragging his kicking stats out of the toilet and nailing kick after kick.
• Brock James flushing his usually robotically reliable kicking boots down the bog and turning into as big a choker as Tim Henman.
• Both teams edging ahead before being dragged back by the opposition.

Excellent stuff.  29-28 to Leinster.

Next up Biarritz v Ospreys, and randomly, another 29-28 thriller.

Again, the home team (even though they were playing in Spain) came out on top.  Some of the more amazing points:

• King of Mediocrity and ex-Leeds Carnegie player/full-time sicknote Iain Balshaw scorched over for a try WITHOUT injuring himself.
• Ryan Jones put in a storming performance after looking, well, pretty rubbish in the Six Nations.
• And who can forget one of the most outstanding solo tries to grace the competition.  Step up Takzuda Ngwenya:

Awesome stuff.

Next up was Munster v Northampton Saints: the game I was really looking forward to.

As a patriotic kind of girl I was firmly behind the Saints, who were the only English team left in the competition.  As a result, this was the game I enjoyed watching the least - not because it was a poor game, but because it meant a bit more.  I was gutted as Saints lost.

Highlights/lowlights:

• The impatient Sky Sports cameras venturing into the Northampton dressing room before kick-off.  Five seconds later they made a hasty retreat thanks to a chorus of expletives beign shouted out by the pumped up players.
• The atmosphere at Thomond Park.  Absolutely electric.  I NEED to go and watch a game of this magnitude there at some point in my life.
• Ronan O'Gara, who stopped whingeing about Jonny Sexton and did what he does best and kicked his team home in the second half, 33-19 the final score.
• Northampton captain Dylan Hartley's post match interview.  Credit to him, he fronted up even though he was absolutely gutted.  I just wanted to give him a cuddle.

Finally, there was the epic all French clash between Toulouse and pretty in pink Stade Francais on Sunday.

I very much enjoyed watching:

• Yannick Jauzion weaving his unique magic in the centre.  The man is a class act.
• Toulouse really going for the jugular and ripping Stade apart in the second half.  Very impressive.  42-16 at full time after a half time score of 13-10.  Watch out Leinster.
• Another brilliant try for Cedric Heymans.  I'm still gutted he didn't win try of the year last year.

All this means the semi finals shake down like this:

Leinster v Toulouse
Munster v Biarritz

I can't wait.

However I have to end this post on a sad note.  My team, Leeds Carnegie, were bummed 46-11 by Harlequins.  How rude of them not to give me the only birthday present I'd asked for: a bonus point win!
Boo!  :-(

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.

And the IRB Try of the Year is...

...going to be decided by a public vote.

After the IRB Player of the Year debacle (where good old BOD was robbed) it's nice that the IRB are gifting the great unwashed of the rugby world the chance to have their say on this relatively meaningless award.  Whether this will descend into a purely partisan vote-fest with everyone voting for the player(s) from their own country I don't know, but as there are no Englishmen shortlisted at least some of us will be able to remain objective.  Like me for example.

The runners and riders

As an admirer of Rob Kearney (and as an admirer of his skills with a rugby ball) I was so very tempted to vote for the brilliant try he scored for the Lions this summer.  However when I saw Cedric Heyman's scintillating try against the All Blacks, the rugby lover in me looked beyond the wonder that is Rob Kearney and I realised that in my opinion there could only be one winner.

If you can't be bothered to click through to the IRB site then you can view Heyman's brilliant try here:

Winner winner chicken dinner

So do you agree that Heymans scored the try of the year?  Not that it's really that important.

The closing date for entries is the 31st December and you can click here to visit the IRB site to view the tries and find out how to vote.