The News Review:
- 2006 Rugby Union: New Zealand’s year but will they stumble at…
- BBC Sport | Sport Homepage | Northern Ireland | Season Ticket | Win…
- Munster 25 – 11 Leinster
- Tigers to lose Howard
2006 Rugby Union: New Zealand’s year but will they stumble at…
International Herald Tribune – Dec 28, 2006
The result is a team that is dependably uninspired. For those looking for a potential David to New Zealand’s Goliath perhaps the most significant game of 2006 was not an international but theoretically at least a club match. The Heineken Cup final in Cardiff on May 20 pitted Biarritz a French club against Munster an Irish province. Ireland with its relatively paltry playing base has thrived since the Irish Rugby Football Union decided to put its emphasis on four regional teams rather than the poorly supported clubs that form the tier beneath. Unlike Wales and Scotland which tried to emulate Ireland and have imposed regional teams across the fault lines of traditional local-club enmity the Irish kingdoms have an ancient history and command strong loyalty. Ulster two-thirds of which is part of Britain and where the Gaelic sports are therefore weaker won the European Cup in 1999. Leinster based in Dublin Ireland’s biggest city the home of the national team and with a relatively large middle class reached the semifinals this year.
BBC Sport | Sport Homepage | Northern Ireland | Season Ticket | Win…
BBC News – Dec 28, 2006
The Welsh side are in pole position for automatic qualification to the knock-out stages of the Heineken Cup having won their four matches to date. Could there be a sting in the tail with Ulster trailing the Scarlets by eights points but still with a mathematical chance to overhaul their Welsh rivals. Ulster lost to the Scarlets at Stradey Park earlier in the competition but defeated them 31-16 in the Magners League back in September. To have a chance to watching the game answer the following question:Which current Ireland international is captain of the Scarlets?a) Simon Easterby b) Simon Cowell c) Guy EasterbyPut the name only in the space below and make sure you include your contact details:.
Munster 25 – 11 Leinster
Guardian Unlimited – Dec 28, 2006
Leinster had not played in European rugby’s most hostile environment since 1995 and for a generation of their players this fixture represented a first experience of a full Thomond Park the venue that has helped create so many memorable Heineken Cup occasions. For some 50 minutes it was nowhere near as uncomfortable as the visitors probably imagined it would be as a passionate if one-dimensional game hung in the balance. But once Leinster lost their discipline at the breakdown and Ronan ‘Gara had punished them with five second-half penalties the game changed rapidly. The performance of the young fly-half Jonathan Sexton regressed from that of relative calm to something close to all-out panic as Munster began to exert their forward power and the substitute full-back Rob Kearney dropped the first two up-and-unders aimed in his direction and never fully recovered from the shock. This is the kind of venue that can do that do you.
Tigers to lose Howard
InTheNews.co.uk – Dec 28, 2006
"This is a great club and there are some people here who could really help with the succession planning hopefully I’ll be one of them and I can ease that transferring over" he said at the time. Howard played for the Tigers at centre and fly-half between 1998 and 2001 before returning to Welford Road as backs coach in 2004. Leicester are currently second in the Guinness Premiership and qualified for the knockout stages of the Heineken Cup earlier this year. cocomment || {}; cocomment. title pageurl:document.