The News Review:
- Scarlets fever as region fails to hit Heineken high
- England find rare solace in Heineken Cup
- O’Gara poised for 1000 Heineken Cup points
- Meyer: We’re ready for Carter
Scarlets fever as region fails to hit Heineken high
WalesOnline United Kingdom
The Scarlets after their 26-16 defeat to Ulster in Ravenhill on Friday night have played 10 lost 10 in European rugby’s premier tournament. For a side which had been Wales’ flagbearers in Europe it doesn’t get much more painful than that. The Scarlets to be blunt are a million miles away from being the European force they once were. They can now only dream of semi-final places or even quarter-final spots.
England find rare solace in Heineken Cup
guardian.co.uk UK
Castres and Montauban are out of contention while Perpignan and Biarritz have lost two of their opening three matches and even though Clermont Auvergne pulled off a victory against the champions Munster they have a mountain to climb to qualify after being thumped at home by Sale in October. The inquest into England’s defeats by Australia South Africa and New Zealand is still being conducted but the success of Harlequins in Europe this season offers a pointer for the men in white. A year ago Quins were struggling in the Premiership and were all but out of contention in the Heineken Cup after failing to win any of their first three matches which included a heavy defeat to Stade Français in Paris. Quins returned to the French capital last Saturday and became the first team to win a group match against Stade there. Having failed to win any of their previous 12 matches in the tournament at the start of this campaign Quins now have a 100% record in their group and are handily placed in the Premiership. Their England wing Ugo Monye believes the way Harlequins have developed in the last 12 months is a cogent reason for England’s new management team to be given time. “We changed our style of play at the start of last season going for a more expansive approach and it did not pay immediate dividends” said Monye.
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O’Gara poised for 1000 Heineken Cup points
European Rugby Cup Ireland
The Munster marksman needs just seven more to reach four figures. His 993 points have so far come in 78 tournament matches at an average of 12. His total is made up of eight tries 133 conversions 216 penalty goals and 13 drop goals.
Meyer: We’re ready for Carter
SkySports
The Top 14 side will hand New Zealand fly-half Dan Carter his debut just days after he linked up with the club at the start of a seven-month contract. And Meyer is aware the legendary stand-off could bridge the gap between the sides after the Tigers gained a bonus-point victory over their Heineken Cup Pool 3 counterparts at the weekend. However the South African is refusing to focus his attention on the arrival of Carter admitting there are areas of his team that requires improvement if they to retain their unbeaten record in this year’s competition. World class opponents”Obviously it’s difficult going to France and there will be a lot of hype around Carter because he’s a world-class player but in every single game in this tough tournament you face world-class players” he said. “For me it’s not about one player. It’s about playing against a team and focusing on what we’re going to do well.