The News Review:
- Tigers fall to Carter’s boot
- Heineken Cup Round Four
- Heineken Cup round-up: Quins can nick it claims hero Evans
- Heineken Cup: Wasps 19 Edinburgh Gunners 11
- Heineken Cup: Glasgow Warriors 19 Bath 25
- Scarlets chief urges players to get smart
- Hibbard throws his name into Wales pot
Tigers fall to Carter’s boot
SkySports
html’>Rugby on Sky. The New Zealand fly-half in his first appearance of a lucrative seven-month sabbatical from All Blacks duty in the south of France landed four penalties and two conversions. In addition to Carter’s haul blindside flanker Gerrie Britz scored two tries to ensure Perpignan got the win they needed to keep their quarter-final hopes alive. Leicester who beat the same opponents on home turf last weekend scored a try in each half through Tom Croft and Scott Hamilton while Toby Flood kicked 10 points. ExchangeAfter Flood drew first blood for the visitors with an early penalty Carter replied in kind with his first points for his new club on 10 minutes.
Related from Camp-supetar: GESENHUES: Bittersweet taste of boot camp
Heineken Cup Round Four
SkySports
Munster and Sale in Pool One Leinster and London Wasps (two) Leicester and Ospreys (three) Toulouse and Bath (five) and Cardiff and Gloucester (six) are all right in the hunt to top their respective pools. Harlequins will feel they have one foot in the knockout stage after back-to-back wins over Stade Francais but even the Londoners could slip up over the final two weeks. In fact a total of 15 teams all still have legitimate hopes of reaching the last eight in what is turning into the most open of Heineken Cups. Who do you think will be making up the quarter-final line-up? And which team has impressed you as potential champions?Share your thoughts using the feedback coupon below.
Heineken Cup round-up: Quins can nick it claims hero Evans
Daily Mail UK
The New Zealander whose last-minute drop-goal brought the house down at The Stoop believes the mighty Quins are on course to gatecrash the Heineken Cup hierarchy occupied by Munster and Toulouse. ‘There is no reason why we cannot go on and win the tournament’ he said. ‘We believe in ourselves and in our ability to go all the way in this competition.
Heineken Cup: Wasps 19 Edinburgh Gunners 11
Glasgow Daily Record UK
The Gunners had already seen their prospects of sneaking into the knock-out stages of the Heineken Cup being wiped out by the Londoners’ win at Murrayfield. But they had vowed to do everything in their power to make Wasps’ path to the last eight as rocky as possible at Adams Park. However playmaker Dave Walder made sure of the home success by bagging all their points. Edinburgh coach Robinson said: “Over two matches the scorelines were very close but Wasps managed their game well enough to make the difference. “At 8-7 if we had come out to play with tempo and were able to keep the ball in attack we might have asked more questions.
Heineken Cup: Glasgow Warriors 19 Bath 25
Glasgow Daily Record UK
Warriors wanted revenge for last weekend’s defeat to Steve Meehan’s side but lacked the power to pile up the necessary points. Matt Banahan inflicted the main damage with a try in each half to keep alive his side’s hopes of reaching the Heineken Cup knock-out rounds. Lineen said: “You can’t give a team as strong as them that amount of ball and expect to beat them. We never established a platform and in the second half we were unable to create a meaningful try opportunity. “We were buzzing at half-time but didn’t win enough possession after the restart to mount any real threat. However Bath coach Meehan said: “Glasgow are a very very good side and any team who fails to give them due respect will come unstuck.
Scarlets chief urges players to get smart
WalesOnline United Kingdom
After ending their Heineken Cup losing streak on Friday night – even if Ulster held them to a 16-16 draw at Parc y Scarlets – Davies’ side face a tough festive programme. The Scarlets host the Blues on Saturday before meeting neighbours Ospreys (December 27) and the Dragons (January 1). “These Welsh derbies are unique and form doesn’t always come into those encounters” said Davies. “They are very physical and the boys throw everything into them. “We have just got to be a little bit smarter in key moments in games.
Hibbard throws his name into Wales pot
WalesOnline United Kingdom
The hooker along with Jonathan Thomas was a massive presence as the Ospreys continued their assault on the Heineken Cup. Hibbard’s strength power and ball-carrying ability were crucial as they nipped a worrying fightback by Treviso in the bud just as the Italians were threatening a mighty Pool 3 upset. It was a wonderful way for the 17st 4lbs forward to celebrate his 25th birthday with his performance quite rightly drawing plaudits from Ospreys caretaker coach Sean Holley. “I don’t normally single players out but Richard was outstanding in his work-rate and ball-carrying” he said. Yet Holley conceded Hibbard has to work harder on finding the target while aiming for his intended recipient at the tail of the lineout.