The Rugby Roundtable


Rugby Roundtable News 7-4-08
April 9, 2008, 6:55 am
Filed under: Uncategorized

After 47 games the most remarkable winning streak in 7’s rugby history has come to an end. New Zealand was narrowly beaten in the final of the Adelaide 7’s by South Africa 15 - 7. Despite the loss the Kiwis are still well in charge of the series and look likely to take out their eighth world title in nine years.

Western Force coach John Mitchell says New Zealand referees are not as good as their Australian counterparts. The Force’s last two games have been refereed by Lyndon Bray and Steve Walsh respectively. Mitchell says both have failed to rule the tackled ball law correctly.

New Zealand players will feature in both the Heineken Cup and Challenge Cup semi-finals. Byron Kelleher’s Toulouse disposed of Cardiff 41-17 in the quarter finals and Glen Jackson kicked a conversion, three penalties and a drop goal to help Saracens to a 19-10 win over Ospreys. Doug Howlett scored a try in Munster’s 16-3 defeat of Gloucester. Munster face Saracens in the Heineken cup semi finals and Toulouse play the London Irish.
In the Challenge Cup, Worcester made it to the semis after Rico Gear scored two tries and Sam Tuitupou another to beat Montpellier 36-26. Carl Hayman touched down as Newcastle beat Castres 40-13 while Luke McAlister kicked five conversions and three penalties as Sale beat Brive 49-24. In the Challenge Cup semis Worcester play Newcastle and Bath face Sale.

Tana Umaga’s coaching career could be in doubt after he was red-carded while coaching Toulon. Umaga, whose star studded side has lost four of their last seven games, was sent off last week when he took the field to end a five-minute all-in brawl. The All Black legend ignored the referee’s orders to leave the field. Toulon was slapped with a $20,000 fine for a brawl and the club is now rumoured to be chasing former Bulls coach Heyneke Meyer.

The French Rugby Union wants to trial the ELVs. Dependant on the agreement of French rugby clubs the union hopes to use the experimental law variations at all levels of French rugby from September 1. Scotland and Italy are also considering trialling the ELV’s.

For the Rugby Roundtable I’m Gilbert Dropkick.


7 Comments so far
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Munster don’t just have Howlett. They had Rua Tipoki, the former NZ Mauri & Auckland Blues player, and Lifeimi Mafi (NZ U19, U21 & sevens) at 12 & 13 last weekend.

Comment by garypigott April 9, 2008 @ 9:46 am

And my how those Kiwi’s made the difference for Munster! Top class performances from all of them.

Comment by Colly April 9, 2008 @ 11:31 pm

How the fuck can the Force be playing so well when they’re coach is clearly on a different planet???
I love ya, Mitch, for being a Mooloo after all, but for fuck sakes man quit acting like that other bald-headed Australian moron and stop mouthing off about nothing in particular…. Their only two loosies I can think of are both David’s; Pocock (the only half-useful one in the squad) & Pusey (becasue he sounds like a bloody wimp)

Bottom-line Mitch. Don’t bitch about the ref’s… we AB fans have already thrashed that branch, look in the bloody mirror!!!
MMD

Comment by The Mad, Maaaaad Dutchman April 10, 2008 @ 4:05 am

@MMD
Fair comment, bro

@All
Firstly, we need to celebrate the magnificent display from the Highlanders last week. Even when things got really shitty, they kept their cool and nailed the game. Four tries. My money is on the Tantan Mafia to repeat the feat and make fesh-n’-cheps of the sharkies in The House of Pain. (the Chiefs looked useful too. the Blues were crap).

Secondly, Andy Nielsen is ON SPOT. What the fornication is going on with the total nutcases who write on Rugby Heaven? On and on dissing people or speculating as we the readers were retards who do not deserve better. And the call themselves journalists. They are even worse than the retards who write for the NZ Herald. Get a grip you losers.

Thirdly, the whole Fiji crap on the media about Serevi. Gime me a break!!!! It went away when Fiji almost kicked out of Adelaide on the semis. Duh!

Fourthly, who cares about the Ireland coach? It is the Ireland coach, come on! Get any joker with the guts to bitch-slap those players into playing to the standard they should and the Green Barfers will be back to where they deserve to be (walking all over the Pommies and causing endless pain to the Froggies). The Gatfather did that, plus assorted other things, and Cymru won the 6N.

Fifthly, Comfirmed: Andrew Blades has burned too many neurons due to massive and ilegal P consumption. In case you wonder who he is, he is the joker who was quoted by Mark Hinton (RugbyHeaven’s co-editor) as saying Tony Woodcock is a myth. [BTW, back to my second point, what the fornication was Hinton doing by giving any sort of attention to such crap on RH. That is the sort of bullshit that puts everyone off. This is rugby, if we wanted to read crap on the sports news we would be football/soccer fans.]

Sixthly, congrats to Dr Floss on the interviews to Ali Williams and Brad Thorne. Ali likes being a Crusader and is scoring lots of air-points just to look after his lady. Good on him.

Seventhly, loving the 50-something minutes episodes. This last one was 55.55 Nice touch with the numerology.

Eightly, we have been challenged to produce something for the 100th episode. Shit!

Comment by Gato April 10, 2008 @ 8:27 am

I can’t believe I’m saying this but the next Irish coach MUST be a Ginga, surely…. he cant do any worse, becasue these boys clearly need a good hiding to get them in line!!!
MMD

Comment by The Mad, Maaaaad Dutchman April 10, 2008 @ 9:49 am

I can’t believe I’m saying this but the next Irish coach MUST be a Ginga, surely…. he cant do any worse, becasue these boys clearly need a good hiding to get them in line!!!
MMD

Comment by The Mad, Maaaaad Dutchman April 10, 2008 @ 9:49 am

well, good to see I’m not the only one that’s still barracking for the Blackness. quite emotional moment for me to get top of the show. anyway, having spent the other night trying to book a hotel in Cardiff and having hotel after hotel saying “no rooms available that night”, I think the ex-pat fans are still keeping the faith at least.

but enough of that. no need for doom and gloom people. THE HIGHLANDERS WON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! all is once again right with the world, the grass looks a more brilliant green, the sun is shining brighter, and the I’m sure I heard a bird chirping the Highlander’s song the other morning.

Comment by Andy Neilson April 10, 2008 @ 4:04 pm



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