The News Review:
- Return of the gouge
- Morrison eyes Scots bragging rights
- Rugby’s Challenge Cup to follow Uefa Cup
Return of the gouge
Times nline UK
“It was very rare tohave this kind of thing happen” says Corrigan “I would be surprised ifthese attacks are more prevalent now than then. ”The evidence suggests otherwise. n December 13 a Harlequins player complainedto teammates that he had been eye-gouged in the Heineken Cup match againstStade Francais at The Stoop. The next day Saracens director of rugby Eddie Jones complained his playershad been victims of eye-gouging in their European Challenge Cup victory overBayonne. “That is the way they play” said Jones of the French. “It isobviously allowed in their domestic competition but we really don’t want tostart seeing these sort of things in rugby. ”It is not exclusively a French problem.
Morrison eyes Scots bragging rights
BBC Sport UK
“It might not have been the prettiest rugby to watch but the final result was definitely worth it. My parents had flown over from Hong Kong for the weekend so that made it all the more special for me. A good run in the Magners League culminating in a 21-18 victory over Heineken Cup winners Munster saw Glasgow end the season in fifth place – their best-ever position. But for Morrison that was not an unexpected outcome. “We surprised a few people but I don’t think that included ourselves. In fact we were a little disappointed not to be higher than that. “There were a couple of results that didn’t go our way and we lost out by a very narrow margin.
Related from Greenjolly: Highland capital to host minority languages ‘Eurovision’
Rugby’s Challenge Cup to follow Uefa Cup
Telegraph.co.uk United Kingdom
By Mick Cleary Last Updated: 7:56PM GMT 22 Dec 2008 Rugby has adopted football’s Uefa Cup approach in proposing that the three runners-up in the Heineken Cup pool stages behind the two best second-placed teams who have gone through to the knockout stages will go into the European Challenge Cup quarter-finals. In effect this means that the teams ranked ninth 10th and 11th after the Heineken Cup pool stages will still see European action. The Heineken Cup quarter-finals are made up of the six pool winners plus the two best-placed runners-up. That format will still stand. However the Challenge Cup which has become increasingly an Anglo-Saxon affair ought now to contain some European heavyweights as it goes to its knockout phase.