The News Review:
- Leicester beat Stade in thriller
- Biarritz `disappointed angry and frustrated`
- Leinster’s Euro dream dies
- Humphreys out of action
Leicester beat Stade in thriller
RTE.ie – Apr 1, 2007
Substitute Tom Varndell’s 72nd-minute try which was converted by fly-half Andy Goode sent Tigers through to a last-four appointment with Welsh challengers Llanelli Scarlets at Walkers Stadium in three weeks’ time. Leicester’s victory also means England will have a record three clubs in the semi-finals after Northampton shocked Biarritz and booked a clash against 2004 European champions Wasps. But France despite their national team winning this season’s RBS 6 Nations Championship have failed to produce a representative in the penultimate knockout round. The Tigers are also on course for a Guinness Premiership play-off place and they will contest the EDF Energy Cup final against the spreys at Twickenham on April 15… Full-back Juan Martin Hernandez the game’s outstanding back scored a first-half try but Varndell came up trumps when it mattered following an early touchdown by Seru Rabeni. Goode kicked 11 points. Leicester had lost four out of seven previous Heineken Cup meetings against Stade but their pre-match mood was lifted by skipper Martin Corry recovering from an elbow problem that forced him off during last Saturday’s EDF Energy Cup semi-final victory over Sale Sharks. And Corry went on to deliver a towering display. Stade were without injured forwards Sylvain Marconnet Dimitri Szarzewski and David Auradou while Italy flanker Mauro Bergamasco missed the sold-out tie through suspension. Leicester started brightly with Alesana Tuilagi putting his team on the front foot through a crunching tackle on Stade centre Stephane Glas and Tigers built from Tuilagi’s physical presence to score inside three minutes. He smashed through Stade’s midfield defence – only a Christophe Dominici ankle-tap slowed his momentum – but Leicester recycled possession quickly and full-back Geordan Murphy sent an unmarked Rabeni over.
Biarritz `disappointed angry and frustrated`
Planet Rugby – Apr 1, 2007
Right now the players deserve 24 hours to bask in the glory of a pretty incredible victory. “It has been an incredible week and an even more incredible day. The Heineken Cup is pretty special but to come here to such a loud and intimidating place where you could be on the end of a good old-fashioned walloping is I think only one word – incredible. “We’ve got a massive game away to Newcastle but right now we don’t even want to think about that. “We have made the Heineken Cup semi-finals against all the odds. It proves that on any given day sport can turn up some bizarre results… The Heineken Cup is pretty special but to come here to such a loud and intimidating place where you could be on the end of a good old-fashioned walloping is I think only one word – incredible. “We’ve got a massive game away to Newcastle but right now we don’t even want to think about that. “We have made the Heineken Cup semi-finals against all the odds. It proves that on any given day sport can turn up some bizarre results.
Leinster’s Euro dream dies
unison.ie – Apr 1, 2007
Munster and Leinster had the dubious comfort of coming to terms with their defeats long before the final whistles. They were well beaten.
Humphreys out of action
Ireland nline – Apr 1, 2007
An MRI scan has revealed Humphreys will need rehabilitation for a degree of bony bruising from the impact and significant soft tissue damage. Humphreys will miss two Magner’s League and two Heineken Cup matches including a home tie with Llanelli Scarlets and an away date at Toulouse. He will aim to return for the Magner’s League trip to The spreys on January 27th.