The News Review:
- Blues cup success delights Young
- Geech praise for Cipriani
- spreys are just an enigma on big stage
- spreys’ James Hook vows to lift his British Lions chance
- Double-chasing Munster must pull out all the stops
- Ireland’s Slam: Those who also served
Blues cup success delights Young
BBC News
getEmpEmbeddedParams(”emp_7970271″);Blues showed flair and skill – YoungThe Saints fought back with a brilliant response from Joe Ansbro but could not overhaul the Blues. The final will be the Blues’ first as a region and they still have a Heineken Cup quarter-final to come against Toulouse. "We didn’t do well in the Heineken Cup and the other competitions four or five years ago because weren’t good enough. You don’t have a right to be in finals; you have to earn it" added Young. "It has not happened as quickly as we would have liked but we have put real solid foundations in with the academy.
Geech praise for Cipriani
SkySports
“That’s what’s been missing and he had a confidence today that he’s not had recently. There were a lot of good things in his game. “Wasps must now produce a spectacular winning run in their last four games to have any hope of qualifying for next season’s Heineken Cup but coach Shaun Edwards refused to concede defeat. “We’re not going to make the Premiership play-offs but still have a slim chance of the Heineken Cup and we’ll give it everything we’ve got” he said. “The last time we weren’t in the Heineken Cup was in 2002-03 when we won the Parker Pen Challenge Cup and Premiership. After that we won trophies for six consecutive seasons. Building block”If you do miss out on the Heineken Cup it’s disappointing but the lesser competition can be used as a building block for the next season.
spreys are just an enigma on big stage
Walesnline
And just to confirm Gloucester’s dominance wing Iain Balshaw ran in a late interception try from deep inside his own half. However much the spreys huffed and puffed they could not smash spirited Gloucester’s defensive resistance. And while they remain in contention for Heineken Cup and Magners League silverware this season the shattering of their treble dream is frustrating after they again failed to deliver on the big stage. Gloucester: Morgan; I Balshaw (G Cooper 77) M Tindall (capt) (M Watkins 29) A Allen J Simpson-Daniel ( Barkley ht); R Lamb R Lawson; A Dickinson (C Nieto 33) Azam (S Lawson 59) G Somerville W James (M Bortolami 67) A Brown (Bortolami 4-14) A Strokosch G Delve A Hazell (A Qera 51). Try: Balshaw; pens: Lamb (3); drop-goal: Lamb. spreys: G Henson (J Spratt 37); T Bowe S Parker A Bishop (D Biggar 69) S Williams; J Hook J Nutbrown (M Phillips 53); P James (C Griffiths 79) R Hibbard (H Bennett 58) A Jones I Gough (A W Jones 25) A Lloyd (F Tiatia 62) T Smith R Jones (capt) M Holah. Referee: N wens (Wales)Attendance: 26774.
spreys’ James Hook vows to lift his British Lions chance
Walesnline
”n top of overcoming his own personal disappointments Hook is just one of several spreys looking to bounce back from Wales’ Triple Crown anguish last weekend. Hook agrees with skipper Ryan Jones that securing silverware for the spreys would be an ideal way to ease the pain. Starting with tomorrow’s EDF Cup semi against Gloucester and building up to their crunch Heineken Cup quarter-final with Munster the spreys are about to embark on what managing director Mike Cuddy has referred to as “possibly the biggest month yet” for the region. Knowing that momentum could be the key to success on all three fronts Hook believes it’s imperative the spreys get straight back into winning ways this weekend. With Gloucester firmly establishing themselves as one of the best teams the Guinness Premiership has to offer in recent years he knows it won’t be easy. But with points to prove and a trophy to defend Hook believes the spreys have the motivation they need to produce a top-drawer display and emerge victorious. “It’s a little difficult to put what happened against Ireland behind us” he said.
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Double-chasing Munster must pull out all the stops
Limerick Leader
The Irish provinces meet in a crucial League tie at Thomond Park on this Saturday night (7. Eight days later Munster are due to host the spreys in a mouth-watering Heineken Cup quarter-final tie in Limerick as the season reaches a critical point. Hooker Flannery said Saturday night’s big Magners League tie at Thomond Park has been in the back of Munster players’ minds throughout the RBS six Nations Championship. “The Leinster game has been in the back of everyone’s mind through the Six Nations. “It has been on the minds of the Munster boys and I am sure the Leinster guys have been thinking about it as well” Flannery said. “It is going to be a big test.
Ireland’s Slam: Those who also served
Times nline
There was a time roughly four years ago when Iwould have felt a lot more like strangling him. He was coaching Leinster at the time and I was his team captain. We’re in theweek leading up to a Heineken Cup quarter-final against Leicester atLansdowne Road a massive match when he tells me he’s leaving us at the endof the season – to go back to Munster! Not only that he wants to tell theplayers before the Leicester game because he’s afraid the news is going toget out anyway. While I could understand his reasons for leaving at thetime I was absolutely fuming. But last week I could have hugged him. Not just for the way he managed to getthe absolute best out of a talented group of players but for hisgraciousness in victory. Typically when the fireworks were going off andthe players were jumping up and down Deccie was making a point ofcourteously thanking the match officials.