The News Review:
- Easter in tribute to Corry
- Leinster fight to keep Elsom in Ireland
- Ireland hoping to clip wings of Eddie’s Eagles
- Leinster can now bask in glorious season
- Ulster up for the new Cup
- HEINEKEN CUP
Easter in tribute to Corry
The Press Association
Lined-up against them is a formidable trio of Serge Betsen Jerry Collins and Rocky Elsom. “I’ve played against Serge many times for club and country and he’s always very tough” said Easter. “Jerry Collins is a very big hitter in the tackle and Rocky has proved just how good he is again in the Heineken Cup. Chris Robshaw and I played against Rocky in the Heineken Cup quarter-final and Chris said afterwards what a top player Rocky is. Copyright © 2009 The Press Association. All rights reserved.
Leinster fight to keep Elsom in Ireland
The Age
au Saturday May 30 2009 Leinster fight to keep Elsom in Ireland May 28 2009 – 4:20PM Leinster’s Australian coach Michael Cheika has outlined how much Rocky Elsom’s expected return would boost the Wallabies by revealing he’s still improving with every match. Elsom is close to re-signing with the Australian Rugby Union but Cheika warned it wouldn’t come without a huge fight from the Irish club heavyweights. The former Randwick coach told ruggamatrix. com the Heineken Cup champions were “doing everything we can to keep him” in Dublin. Part of their pitch is talking up the positive effects of the Irish lifestyle on the former NSW Waratahs firebrand. Cheika said Elsom was now a far more relaxed character highlighted by the way he handled a serious car accident before running amok in the weekend’s Heineken Cup final triumph against Leicester. “He’s very calm and relaxed now” Cheika told ruggamatrix.
Ireland hoping to clip wings of Eddie’s Eagles
Irish Independent
The internecine off-field childish rivalry between Munster and Leinster should now be a thing of the past following the latter’s Heineken Cup success; both sides can decommission their respective superiority and inferiority complexes. Tomorrow’s Ireland v USA international is another chance to assess Ireland’s confident maturity; once offered as a vengeful re-match between Eddie ‘Sullivan and Declan Kidney the latter’s helming of a Grand Slam has eliminated another perennially wearisome saga. school”A lot of the guys here were in school when Eddie was in charge” laughs captain Rory Best still smarting from his Lions snub. Instead we can concentrate on the rugby. Salad days these may be but awkward trips like these far away from the public gaze represents the basis for the next generation of Irish rugby — be it golden or otherwise.
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Leinster can now bask in glorious season
Irish Times
It always seems a little churlish to move agendas on in the immediate aftermath of a momentous triumph – not least one that took 14 years – but then this is nothing compared to the Lions management who decreed that Leinster’s four Lions were bound for London at 8. 50am on Sunday morning. Ye Gods have they no heart? Would there not have been an argument for giving them a 48-hour respite if only to recharge their brains and emotions as much as their bodies? Short of the utopian wish that Leinster and Munster invade Paris next May and contest next season’s Heineken Cup final as expressed by one blue-clad supporter on the homeward journey or Ireland winning the World Cup (and in both cases we’re probably getting a little greedy here) then the reality is that this season will never be bettered. As generations go a golden one was coming to the end of its cycle and opportunities such as those that have been grasped since Munster first won the Heineken Cup in 2006 have given tangible reward to many brilliant careers. It’s being asked again whether Munster will bounce back? f course they will. They always have and Leinster’s triumph – while warmly welcomed by the vast majority of their players and supporters – will only stiffen resolve in the south-west to regain the crown. Informed sources say the conveyor belt in the Leinster Academy is better oiled than Munster’s though time will tell.
Ulster up for the new Cup
Belfast Telegraph
And that’s just as well as the teams have been drawn together in the same group in the new British and Irish Cup along with Moseley Bedford Blues London Welsh and Aberavon. In the season just ended Ulster and Llanelli played each other both in the Magners League and the Heineken Cup. Games in the new competition which is an extension of the Anglo Welsh Cup will be played over five weekends during the autumn internationals and Six Nations windows with the semi-finals and finals staged on April 24 and May 15. In addition to clubs from Ireland and Wales English National League ne and Scottish Premiership ne are also represented. Heineken Cup champions Leinster and Magners League winners Munster are also in the 24 strong competition which should provide an opportunity for Ulster’s up and coming stars to stake a claim for a regular place. Post a comment Limit: 500 charactersView all comments that have been posted about this article.
HEINEKEN CUP
SkySports
com caught up with Kenny Logan to get his views on the Heineken Cup final. Leicester take on Leinster in the Heineken Cup final on Saturday just sevens days after lifting the Guinness Premiership trophy and Logan who won the double with London Wasps in 2004 believes the quick turn around will give them the advantage. “I think it is good for them and will hold them in good stead” Logan told skysports. “I know from my Wasps days when we had big back-to-back games many people said it would harm our chances. I disagree and believed it was a massive advantage for us.