The News Review:
- Rugby’s just a game
- Horan set for Munster task
- BBC Sport in Paris
- Tonga call off green-hair day
- This Parisian bearpit is the perfect place to face Tonga terrors
Rugby’s just a game
Belfast Telegraph – Sep 28, 2007
O’Sullivan’s men also need to stop Argentina getting a bonus point in defeat by ensuring the winning margin is greater than seven points and preventing Los Pumas scoring four tries themselves. Everything is stacked against Ireland. Yet as Munster proved with miracles matches against both Gloucester and Sale Sharks in the Heineken Cup nothing in rugby is impossible. Do it for Simon boys. Post a comment Limit: 500 charactersView all comments that have been posted about this article.
Horan set for Munster task
Belfast Telegraph – Sep 28, 2007
They must beat a side riding high at the top of pool D score four tries in the process and prevent Argentina from getting a losing bonus point by winning by more than seven points and preventing the Pumas scoring four touchdowns themselves. Horan is the first to admit the task is gigantic. But as a member of the Munster pack that eliminated Gloucester from the Heineken Cup in 2003 by scoring four tries and winning by 27 points with the last kick of the game he feels anything is possible. "The win over Gloucester does give us the belief that it can be done" said Horan. "You have to admit that Argentina are flying high at the minute after beating France and having watched us against France last week they will be feeling very confident. "They are in pole position to quality but from our point of view sometimes when you have nothing to lose you can go into the game with less pressure. "There is a lot of pressure on them to try to top the group and if we can use that to our advantage we can pull out a shock result on Sunday.
BBC Sport in Paris
BBC News – Sep 28, 2007
It may transpire I play the next one who knows but this is my chance now and there is a definite feeling of ‘now or never’. " His attitude has been sharpened after a less-than-smooth passage into England’s starting line-up having started all but one of this year’s Six Nations matches. Like many Leicester and Wasps players involved in the Heineken Cup final he was keen to go on tour to South Africa in the summer but had to accept Brian Ashton’s decision to leave him at home. His fears were realised as Mark Regan stated a forceful case for his jersey and not helped by a bang on the knee against Wales Chuter found himself playing second fiddle during the warm-up games and the pool matches against the USA and South Africa. "It was very frustrating" he admits. "Don’t get me wrong I really enjoy training but I am here to play rugby. It is frustrating I didn’t get to play sooner but I think that all came out against Samoa.
Tonga call off green-hair day
Telegraph.co.uk – Sep 28, 2007
We will have a right crack like we did against South Africa. The 6ft 4in centre is a familiar figure for the England team. He started his professional career at Newcastle before moving on to Sale where he lost his contract after he admitted biting Munster’s Denis Leamy in a Heineken Cup match. He has played for the last two years in Japan though he intends to return to England. His jocular comments have become a feature of Tonga’s media scrums where he has constantly aimed good-natured ribbing at Rob Andrew his director of rugby at Newcastle. “Is he still the most boring man in English rugby?” Taione has repeatedly asked. The response from the now director of elite rugby for the Rugby Football Union has been equally frank: “I spent most of my time trying to get him out of the pub but with his athleticism and skills he was and is a massive talent.
This Parisian bearpit is the perfect place to face Tonga terrors
Guardian Unlimited – Sep 28, 2007
The Parc is a cauldron one of the last old-style rugby bearpits and it is a wonderful place to play. This time hopefully it will be full of celebrating Englishmen once more. That Heineken Cup final in 2001 really was the most extraordinary day the highlight of my club career without a doubt. The game was a blur particularly in the 10 minutes after Martin Johnson got himself sent to the sin-bin but I have clear memories of the aftermath. When a few of us finally emerged from the changing rooms we discovered the team bus had left without us. We simply shrugged our shoulders and wandered down the road carrying the cup to locate the nearest bar. We found one full of Leicester supporters going completely mental put the trophy down on a table outside and got the beers in.