The News Review:
- Munster join Toulouse in Heineken Cup final
- Bradley: ‘Connacht can qualify for next seasons Heineken Cup’
- Topsy Ojo takes London Irish oh so close
- Saracens sign World Cup winner van Heerden as replacement for Hill
- All Backs to face Munster at Thomond
- Ireland poised to appoint Kidney
- ‘I’ll be the ballboy and Butch will play!’
Munster join Toulouse in Heineken Cup final
Belfast Telegraph – Apr 28, 2008
Declan Kidney’s men held off the English side for most of the second half to secure an 18-16 win at the Ricoh Arena. Ronan O’Gara and Alan Quinlan both scored tries for the Irish side, who now go on to face French side Toulouse in the final. The match takes place on May 24th at the Millennium Stadium, the site of Munster’s previous Heineken Cup triumph over Biarritz. Post a comment
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Bradley: ‘Connacht can qualify for next seasons Heineken Cup’
Ireland Online – Apr 28, 2008
With just two games to go in this seasons Magners League, the Connacht coach feels that his side are in a strong position with two home matches at this stage of the season. “Our approach to this game is that it’s an opportunity to still qualify for next seasons Heineken Cup,” he said. “We’ve been playing well enough and we’ll be trying to match the level of performance we’ve achieved in recent weeks. Hopefully we’ll be able to beat Cardiff and keep qualification alive until the final day of the season against the Ospreys. In Connacht’s previous outing they had a superb away win against the Dragons, which Bradley feels could well build momentum going into the final two weeks of the season.
Topsy Ojo takes London Irish oh so close
Times Online – Apr 28, 2008
Once they havecome to terms with the sinking feeling in the pit of their stomachs, theywill use the experience to regroup, learn and come back stronger. Having tasted the rarefied heights of the Heineken Cup knockout stages for thefirst time, they want to return and fulfil the team’s potential and provethat they deserve recognition as central characters, rather than extras, onthe European and domestic stage. “This is our time,” Toby Booth, the highlyregarded forwards coach, said. “If not today, then in the very near future. ”It was difficult to disagree. It was a relative lack of composure at key moments that denied them a debutappearance in the final.
Saracens sign World Cup winner van Heerden as replacement for Hill
Daily Mail – Apr 28, 2008
But after all of my knee operations, there was huge satisfactionthat I proved I could still compete in that company. ?Neil de Kock, the Sarries captain, paid tribute to Hill andGaffney and then admitted: ?It is gut wrenching to be in thisposition of being out of the Cup for at least two seasons. ?London Iri sh look highly unlikely to qualify for the HeinekenCup through the Premiership by finishing in the top six. They lost their semi-final 21-15 to To u l o u s e a tTwickenham and now have two r e m a i n i n g league games againstdoomed Leeds and away at Sale to try and earn the right to appearin the Cup next season.
All Backs to face Munster at Thomond
Irish Times – Apr 28, 2008
” Meanwhile, Connacht coach Michael Bradley is refusing to give upthe ghost as his side chase a Heineken Cup place. Connacht’s remaining two Celtic League matches are at theSportsground and while the western province trail Ulster, who havea game in hand, by four points, Bradley is hopeful ofcatching Matt Williams’ side. “Our approach to this game is that it’s an opportunity to stillqualify for next seasons Heineken Cup,” Bradley said ahead of nextweekend’s visit of Cardiff. “We’ve been playing well enough and we’ll be trying to match thelevel of performance we’ve achieved in recent weeks. Hopefullywe’ll be able to beat Cardiff and keep qualification alive untilthe final day of the season against the Ospreys. ” © 2008 The Irish TimesADVERTISEMENT.
Ireland poised to appoint Kidney
BBC News – Apr 28, 2008
After Munster’s heroics in reaching yet another Heineken Cup final, Kidney can now wrap up the finer details of his contract and backroom staff. It is expected that Niall O’Donovan will lead a temporary coaching team for the Barbarians game on Tuesday, 27 May. O’Donovan will cover for Kidney who will be pre-occupied in preparing for the Heineken Cup final on 24 May. Kidney’s promotion to the Ireland job will be widely accepted, although some will remember his short-lived stint with Welsh region the Dragons and his subsequent move from Leinster back to Munster. Apart from Toulouse’s Guy Noves he has the best club record in Europe, guiding Munster to four finals, winning one in 2006.
‘I’ll be the ballboy and Butch will play!’
Independent Online – Apr 28, 2008
Do you think the Northern Hemisphere game has the same intensity as its Southern Hemisphere counterpart?
Claassens: I think, yeah, especially for the forwards, they play a lot of the ball. I reckon it’s quite physical, yeah. Some of the games in the Premiership maybe, the Heineken Cup, and the European Cup Yeah, I reckon it’s almost the same, but the game is a bit quicker in the Southern Hemisphere because the ball and the fields are a bit drier, stuff like that. James: I think (the game’s) very intense over here. The guys, before the game, they’re really tense and fired-up; they get a lot more fired-up than we do back home. Especially when you play at home, you have your supporters all around, and the stands are all very close to the field, so it’s very intense out there, as well as being very physical. Guys really get stuck in to each other.