The News Review:
- Leinster face Edinburgh in the RDS
- Hipkiss feels the time is right
- Edinburgh row forces Paterson to take the road to Gloucester
- Rugby Daryls Eyeing Up Warriors Success (from Evening Times)
Leinster face Edinburgh in the RDS
RTE.ie – Jul 24, 2007
The two teams will also clash in Pool Six of the Heineken Cup but will be without their international players for that first Magners League meeting due to the World Cup. Munster will be at home to the Llanelli Scarlets on that weekend at Musgrave Park in another clash of Heineken Cup rivals. Meanwhile Ulster also start their league campaign against one of their Heineken Cup opponents – the Ospreys at Ravenhill. Connacht open at home to the Newport Gwent Dragons.
Hipkiss feels the time is right
Planet Rugby – Jul 25, 2007
Yet as it is the highly-rated centre still awaits that honour. After a season of note at Leicester the 25-year-old centre has rocketed up the pecking order in the England ranks and he is loving life as the new kid on the block. With England coach Brian Ashton trimming his squad down all the while Hipkiss remains in the camp – and with their first warm-up game less than two weeks away against Wales on August 4 – Tigers’ star centre is poised to finally make his debut. It was no secret that Hipkiss would have toured South Africa with England earlier in the year but as it was he was on club duty instead – against Wasps in the Heineken Cup Final… With England coach Brian Ashton trimming his squad down all the while Hipkiss remains in the camp – and with their first warm-up game less than two weeks away against Wales on August 4 – Tigers’ star centre is poised to finally make his debut. It was no secret that Hipkiss would have toured South Africa with England earlier in the year but as it was he was on club duty instead – against Wasps in the Heineken Cup Final. As Ashton deemed those players playing in the Heineken Cup Final ’surplus’ to requirements Hipkiss has had to patiently wait for his chance. And now with over a month of training camps under his belt Hipkiss feels a little more at home with his new squad mates – but is still determined to earn their respect as well as that of his coaches. “It is all pretty new to me despite four weeks of training” he told The Leicester Mercury. “I still feel like a new boy because it is all completely different for me. “I am used to being comfortable at Leicester.
Edinburgh row forces Paterson to take the road to Gloucester
Times Online – Jul 25, 2007
While Paterson is the first to take up the offer from Bob Carruthers the Edinburgh owner that he would be willing to release unsettled players the fear is that there are others who are equally unhappy at being pawns caught between the warring parties and are also looking for the exit. It is still unclear exactly what the union can do to bring matters to a head quickly but internal sources say they are now determined to act feeling that failing to do so would risk more leading players leaving the club which would then struggle to compete in either the Magners League or Heineken Cup and would provide hardly any players to the national side. Edinburgh dispute this doomsday view of things their statement clearly spelling out that this is the “final adjustment” to the squad and emphasising that all the remaining internationals are tied to long-term deals. The club clearly has no intention of releasing any more players early. There have been rumours around for sometime that Paterson was on his way out of Edinburgh. He had already said that he was unlikely to seek a new contract when the old one expired in the summer of 2008 mainly because of his ambition to take up coaching after he retires.
Rugby Daryls Eyeing Up Warriors Success (from Evening Times)
Glasgow Evening Times – Jul 24, 2007
The 19-times capped New Zealandcentre has joined the Warriors fromtop English rugby side Leicester Tigers on a two-year deal. And coach Sean Lineen will need to rely heavily on his services in the opening competitive fixture away to Cardiff on September 21 22 or 23 and then to the Ospreys the following week. advertisementThe 32-year-old said: “I’m lookingforward to helping the team developfurther and perform well in the Magners League and Heineken Cup. “The move to Firhill is exciting and with improved team performances and excellent facilities for the supporters we’ll hopefully get more people supporting the professional game in Glasgow.