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**dudeabides** · 12-09-2009, 07:13 PM

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The Heineken Cup is back following November's Test match action and Europe's top club competition looks set to provide another thrilling weekend of thrills as the teams enter the vital back-to-back round of fixtures.

Kicking off with a bang on Friday is Perpignan's trip to face Munster at their fortress-like home, Thomond Park, in Pool 1. The French champions have won one, lost one after the first round of matches and face a stuttering Munster side fresh from a domestic defeat to the Ospreys.

Also on Friday, Bryan Redpath's Gloucester travel to face Glasgow in a must-win Pool 2 game for the Guinness Premiership side. They have one victory to their name but were routed by Biarritz in their last European fixture.

Saturday's action is headlined by two titanic showdowns, with French heavyweights Toulouse travelling to face Cardiff Blues at the Cardiff City Stadium in a re-run of last year's quarter-final and the Scarlets looking to take further hold at the top of Pool 6 with the visit of champions Leinster.

Toulouse's Pool 5 meeting with Cardiff is a vital game for the Welsh side, who have the psychological advantage after defeating their visitors at the Millennium Stadium last season. Les Toulousains are unbeaten so far in Europe and will put one foot in to the quarter-final draw with victory. Cardiff need a win at home before heading to France next weekend and are handily placed four points behind their rivals.

Scarlets have been one of the surprise packages in this season's competition and go in to the game off the back of a superb away victory over London Irish at the Madejski Stadium. Leinster fell to the Exiles at home in round one and will need to pick up the points at Parc y Scarlets.

London Irish are in France on Saturday as they face winless Brive at the Parc Municipal. A win is vital for Toby Booth's side after Leinster picked up the points last time out to make it a three-horse race.

In Saturday's other action Ospreys travel to face Viadana at the Stadio Luigi Zafanella in search of a bonus-point win in Pool 3 and Ulster look to put some pressure on Pool 4 leaders Stade Francais at Ravenhill.

Sunday's key clash takes place at the Stade Marcel Michelin where Leicester Tigers are the visitors to Clermont Auvergne. Tigers head coach Richard Cockerill played two seasons for Les Jaunards and will be all too aware of the task facing his men. A losing bonus-point would not be the end of the world for Cockerill's charges as they scrap with Clermont and the Ospreys for top spot in Pool 3.

Also in France on Sunday, Biarritz will aim to keep their 100% record alive with the visit of the Dragons to the Parc des Sports Aguilera. Edinburgh can heap further woe on Bath at the Rec on Sunday following the home side's last-gasp loss to Stade, while Sale need to pick up the points against Harlequins at the Stoop.

Vital weekend looms in Heineken Cup | Rugby Union | Heineken Cup | Rugby News | Scrum.com

Here is a further article about Perpignan preparing for the test with Munster:

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Perpignan have put their nightmare start to the Heineken Cup behind them and are targeting the points as they travel to face Munster at Thomond Park on Friday night.

Perpignan prop Nicolas Mas described their opening round loss to Benetton Treviso as a 'faux-pas' and is hopeful that their home win against Northampton last time out can provide impetus as they travel to the fortress-like home of the two-time European champions.

"After our faux-pas against Benetton Treviso in round one, we compromised our chances to qualify, but luckily a victory against Northampton Saints has helped us stand second in our Pool behind Munster so all is not lost," Mas told ERC. "We really made things difficult for ourselves and now we have no choice but to win these back-to-back games against Munster. It would be a real achievement for us to go and beat Munster but our ambitions are still there and we want to reach the quarter-finals.

"A huge challenge awaits us - especially when we go to face them on their home turf. Thomond Park is like a fortress and a very difficult ground at which to play. Munster are a great team well used to competing in the Heineken Cup and they always turn up on the day as a fully committed team."

The French champions have been in mixed domestic form in recent weeks, thumping Montpellier but losing to bottom side Albi, but will be in hope of causing some problems against a Munster side that is yet to fire so far this season. Mas has pinpointed the threat of the Munster pack and their fly-half Ronan O'Gara, whom he described as a 'metronome'.

"Their pack is very strong and their three-quarters are fantastic players but, above all, they have an excellent metronome operator in Ronan O'Gara," he said. "Make no mistake, we know what to expect and we know we are in for an extremely tough challenge."

Perpignan target Thomond upset | Rugby Union | Heineken Cup | Rugby News | Scrum.com

And one about Leinster's test with the Scarlets:

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Leinster coach Michael Cheika has a no-nonsense assessment of his side's Heineken Cup showdown with the Scarlets on Saturday - it's a must-win.

The Welsh region top Pool 2 following victories over Brive and London Irish in the previous rounds of action, but both Leinster and the Exiles are hot on their heels. The reigning champions lost to Irish in the opening round before seeing off Brive and their losing bonus-point has kept them in touch.

Both sides tasted domestic defeat at the weekend, with Leinster slumping to defeat against the Dragons and the Scarlets narrowly losing out to Edinburgh.

"December and January are when you really make your pitch for the rest of the season - and for us that starts on 12 December," Cheika told ERC. "The Scarlets are the leaders of the group and that puts them in a commanding position while having the home leg of the back-to-back games against us first is a massive benefit to them.

"We are at the stage of the tournament where you stare at the opposition and make sure you don't blink first - this group looks as if it will be going down to the wire.

"All the Pool 6 matches are massive for all four of us and, as far as I am concerned, the only thing that matters is that on Saturday we perform at a level to get the win at the Scarlets."

Cheika will be reading up on their opponents ahead of the game and has his eye on their nerve-centre, No.8 David Lyons, scrum-half Martin Roberts and fly-half Stephen Jones.

"Obviously the Scarlets are a highly efficient attacking outfit, with a very good axis at eight, nine and 10, and lots of pace out wide and not scared to have a go - they are a high scoring attacking team and we will do some homework on them," he said. "We are in a situation where we are missing a few guys but also pretty happy with the way we have developed."

Leinster eyeing must-win game | Rugby Union | Heineken Cup | Rugby News | Scrum.com

**Leinster777** · 12-10-2009, 04:52 PM

Cheers dude! COME ON LEINSTER!

**dudeabides** · 12-10-2009, 08:24 PM

And the Perpignan guys fearing Ronan O'Gara was not a whim on their part, results in the article:

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Ronan O'Gara emphatically answered his critics by kicking all of Munster's points in a vital 24-23 Heineken Cup victory over Perpignan at Thomond Park.

O'Gara produced a colossal kicking display, controlling the game from start to finish and landing seven penalties and a drop-goal to defeat the French champions. Perpignan scored opportunist tries through flanker Yohan Vivalda and scrum-half Nicolas Durand in the first-half while a sensational solo effort from Phillip Burger threatened to break Munster hearts in the dying moments.

Munster boss Tony McGahan elected to drop his newly-acquired Springbok centre Jean de Villiers for the game, calling on Keith Earls and Lifiemi Mafi in midfield outside O'Gara. The fly-half has lost his place in the Ireland side to Leinster's Jonny Sexton, but he was every inch the Munster hero that he has been for a number of years as his side scrapped to victory.

Roared on by the capacity crowd Munster started with their trademark intensity. Jerome Porical failed to deal with an early high-ball, allowing Earls to snaffle possession and trade sniping breaks with Mafi before a cross-kick from Tomas O'Leary was well covered by Porical. Advantage was being played, though, and O'Gara stepped up to give his side the lead with an assured strike.

The lead was short-lived as an uncharacteristic flap from skipper Paul O'Connell at a defensive lineout presented Vivalda with the easiest of tries. Munster had taken an early throw to relieve pressure but some slow thinking left Mafi with a hack to touch, handing position back to the visitors. Perpignan's blindside strode clear of a messy Munster lineout and crashed over in the corner, enjoying a rare outing in the first-team due to injuries to Henry Tuilagi, Jean-Pierre Perez, Damien Chouly and Gerrie Britz.

O'Gara's second penalty was a well-struck effort to calm the nerves but some poor execution from Paul Warwick again put his side under pressure. The fullback overcooked a probing kick and play was pulled back to Munster's 10 metre line, where again their lineout faltered. Guilhem Guirado snaffled the ball and offloaded out of the tackle to Vivalda. The flanker found Durand, who broke clear and stepped outside a flat-footed Doug Howlett to score in the corner.

With the conversion added Munster took a stranglehold on possession but found no penetration. Lateral running from Alan Quinlan was rescued by a grubber from O'Gara but the French champions were rarely troubled.

Porical missed an opportunity to extend their lead from the kicking-tee and his profligacy was not matched by the home fly-half. O'Gara clipped over his next penalty attempt to reduce the arrears to three but was wide with an attempt that would have levelled the scores.

Warwick continued to test Porical with a series of arching Garryowens and one produced O'Gara's next shot at goal. The fullback safely collected the ball but was levelled by Howlett, who got beyond the ball to force the turnover. O'Gara's kick was good.

Perpignan started the second-half with a bang, showing some deft handling to drag Munster across field, with Vivalda losing the ball while attempting to offload to Maxime Mermoz on his inside. O'Gara put Munster back in to the lead with his fifth shot at goal, secured after referee Wayne Barnes incorrectly called for a deliberate knock-on against Farid Sid.

Munster loosened their grip on the possession and territory stats as the half wore on, with a towering cross-kick from Gavin Hume falling just short of its target before Porical levelled the scores with a simple penalty. The fullback was handed three points on a plate by his pack, who chewed up the Munster front-row at a scrum, drawing a penalty.

Some sloppy passing on both sides produced a try-scoring chance for Earls, when a looping pass was picked off by O'Connell. Quinlan provided the link play with some soft hands, allowing O'Gara to chip in behind. Earls raced after the ball but the bounce took the ball away from the centre and in to touch.

Munster exacted a small amount of revenge at the next scrum by winning a free-kick, which was quickly taken by O'Leary. Leamy and Quinlan rumbled forward and O'Gara scooped over an excellent drop-goal after O'Leary had become entangled in the Perpignan defence. O'Gara missed a difficult shot at goal soon after but extended his side's lead with his next attempt. A pinpoint high ball from Warwick was snaffled superbly by Quinlan, forcing Durand to concede a penalty in front of the posts.

Replacement David Mele reduced Perpignan's arrears with an ugly penalty after Mafi had been pinged for holding on, and contributed another ugly moment shortly after with an apparent stamp on the arm of Earls.

There was nothing ugly about Perpignan's third try. Another kick from Warwick was picked off by Burger on his own 22, with the former Free State fullback springing clear of the Munster defence, backing his pace and beating Warwick and O'Gara to the corner.

The conversion was wide, leaving the door open to O'Gara. Perpignan failed to control their emotions as Munster poured forward and a high-tackle from openside Bertrand Guiry handed the lead back to the home side as the clock ticked towards the 80 minute mark.

Thomond Park stood to a man to cheer Denis Hurley as the wing broke from a ruck and raced away to score the game-sealing try, only for the tough judge to rule out the score due to a knock-on in the act of retrieving the ball from the breakdown.

The cheers rang out as O'Gara was announced as the Man of the Match and as Perpignan's discipline deserted them a late stream of penalties handed the game to the two-time champions.

Resurgent O'Gara kicks Munster to victory | Rugby Union | Heineken Cup | Rugby Match Pack | Scrum.com

**dudeabides** · 12-12-2009, 12:23 PM

Bad day for the French in Heineken:

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The battle for this season's Heineken Cup crown resumed this weekend with a host of thrilling clashes across the continent.

Pool 4

Ulster boosted their quarter-final hopes with a battling 23-13 victory over Stade Francais at Ravenhill. A try in either half from hooker Nigel Brady and winger Simon Danielli and a man of the match performance from fly-half Ian Humphreys steered the Irish side to an impressive European triumph while Stade scrum-half Julien Dupuy, who was sin-binned for an off-the-ball charge in the second half, may well find himself in more trouble after an alleged gouging incident was caught by the TV cameras.

Stade emptied their bench in the second half in search of a bonus point and replacement winger Julien Arias got over with seven minutes remaining with replacement Noel Oelschig converting the score. However, Oelschig's penalty two minutes before the end failed to find the target that left his side empty-handed.

This was Stade's fifth loss from six visits to Ravenhill and Ulster's ability to match the French side in the collision zone and to take their chances when they were presented to them saw them deservedly take the game. The result puts Ulster and Stade level at the top of the pool ahead of the return clash next weekend in Brussels.

Pool 5

There was more woe for France with Cardiff Blues edging out Toulouse 15-9 in a largely forgettable clash at the Cardiff City Stadium. The boot of fullback Ben Blair gave the hosts a narrow 6-0 half-time lead and he continued to punish the ill-disciplined visitors after the break to stretch his side's lead. Toulouse clawed their way back into the game with penalties from Florian Fritz and Frederic Michalak and a drop goal from David Skrela brought them to within three points but Leigh Halfpenny's late kick ended their hopes of a turnaround. The victory lifts the Blues to within a point of Toulouse at the top of the pool ahead of next weekend's return clash.

Ulster stun Stade at Ravenhill | Rugby Union | Heineken Cup | Rugby News | Scrum.com

**dudeabides** · 12-13-2009, 11:07 AM

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The battle for European glory resumed this weekend with the latest round of action in this season's Heineken Cup.

The northern hemisphere's premier club competition once again delivered in terms of tension, drama and entertainment as the continent's leading sides continued their quest for the knock-out stages.

Pool 6

Defending champions Leinster hit top form to end the Scarlets' unbeaten European run and record a 32-7 bonus point victory at Parc Y Scarlets. First-half tries came from Shane Horgan, Gordon D'Arcy and Shaun Berne, who provided 17 points, before flanker Sean O'Brien grabbed the vital try. The Scarlets, who were missing injured trio Mark Jones, Matthew Rees and Dafydd Jones, struck back briefly in the second half with a try from Jonathan Davies but were unable to maintain that momentum and a yellow card for centre Sean Lamont dented their hopes further.

Leinster stormed into a 22-0 lead in the opening half hour but did not seal the bonus point until nine minutes from time - having weathered a yellow card for lock Nathan Hines. The victory was the province's second successive away win following defeat to London Irish in the opening round and pulled them level with the Exiles at the top of the pool.

In the other Pool 6 clash, London Irish powered to a 36-3 victory over Brive to end the French side's European hopes. The Exiles had produced one of the shock results of the opening two rounds with a stunning win at reigning champions Leinster before stumbling at home to the Scarlets. But Toby Booth's men got back on track with a hard-fought win in a bad-tempered contest at the Parc Municipal.

Fly-half Chris Malone was the hero with a 14-point tally which included a fourth-minute strike which rocked the home side while wing Tom Homer grabbed a brace of tries. Back-row pair Steffon Armitage and Richard Thorpe claimed the visitors' other tries but tempers flared in the final quarter as Brive replacement Guillaume Ribes saw red for a punch on Danie Coetzee before the South African hooker and Jean-Philippe Bonrepaux were sin-binned for fighting. Sale Sharks also remain in the hunt for the knock-out stages following their 29-19 victory over Harlequins at the Twickenham Stoop. Both teams showed their attacking intentions from the whistle, but it was Sale who made the first breakthrough with a stunning seventh-minute try. Nick Macleod fielded a high ball and sparked a counter-attack involving Mathew Tait, Lee Thomas and Ben Cohen combining to send Dwayne Peel through an extended defence. And before Quins could gather their thoughts, Sale doubled their lead with another well-worked score for Macleod.

It took something special to open up Sale, and former All Black fly-half Nick Evans produced it midway through the half, chipping Mark Cueto, and scoring a try which he also converted. But the crowd were still celebrating when Sale hit back, scoring a sensational try 10 seconds after the re-start with David Seymour pouncing on a mistake by Nick Easter.

Back came Quins with a searing score from winger David Strettle but Sale had the last word of the half with a Hodgson penalty. Easter was next to cross shortly after the re-start Sale smashed straight back yet again with a candidate for try of the season. Cueto's inside pass to Hodgson saw the fly-half bemuse the defence before passing inside to Seymour. He moved the ball on, with David Bishop playing in Tait who sent Cohen flying in on the left for his 33rd European try in both competitions - and a four-try bonus point for his club.

Sale keep hopes alive with win | Rugby Union | Heineken Cup | Rugby News | Scrum.com

**dudeabides** · 12-18-2009, 01:53 PM

This weekends' matches are dubbed 'Revenge'

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It's all set to kick-off again in the Heineken Cup as Europe's best gear-up for the return bouts following a thrilling round of action last weekend.

Clermont swap snowy Montferrand for Leicester and Welford Road on Saturday in our Game of the Week from Pool 3, with last weekend's showdown at the Stade Marcel Michelin having gone down to the wire. Clermont hold the advantage but will need to be on their toes against a Tigers side not renowned for rolling over at home.

The Pool's other game sees the Ospreys out for back-to-back bonus points against Viadana as they return to the Liberty Stadium. Sean Holley has taken no chances with his Ospreys side, naming an identical XV to the one that put 60 points on their opponents last weekend. Tommy Bowe has been cleared to start on the wing after a citing against him for a dangerous tackle did not result in a ban.

The weekend's action was meant to kick off on Friday evening but Newport Gwent Dragons' clash with Biarritz was put back until Saturday afternoon because of a partially frozen pitch at Rodney Parade. The game will now take place at Parc y Scarlets in Llanelli.

Dragons boss Paul Turner spoke of 'over-confidence' in his Dragons side after their humbling Pool 2 defeat in Basque country last weekend and he will be hoping for a far more dogged display on Welsh soil.

Turner has made seven changes to his starting line up with Steve Jones coming in at hooker to captain the side. Danny Lee starts at scrum-half, while Ali McKenzie, Hoani McDonald and Joe Bearman are promoted from the bench. Biarritz have named an either or on the right wing with Ilikena Bolakoro and Paul Couet-Lannes both named with Takudzwa Ngwenya absent. Nicolas Brusque replaces Iain Balshaw at full-back and Romain Terrain and Campbell Johnstone come into the front row.

Bryan Redpath's Gloucester, are in the same boat as the Dragons as they return to Kingsholm a week on from their comprehensive 33-11 hammering by Glasgow at Firhill. Glasgow boss Sean Lineen has lost winger Thom Evans to injury, calling in Canadian international DTH van der Merwe and Dave McCall out wide. Richie Vernon starts at No.8, with Johnnie Beattie forced to make do with a place among the replacements.

Paul Doran-Jones replaces All Black Greg Somerville in the Gloucester front-row, with Akapusi Qera returning on the openside. Tim Molenaar starts alongside James Simpson-Daniel in the centre and Olly Morgan and Tom Voyce are drafted into the back-three.

Northampton travel to Italy after seeing off a determined Benetton Treviso at Franklin's Gardens to remain in with a shout in Pool 1. Dylan Hartley will make his 100th Saints appearance at hooker while the Italians have made two changes to their backline, bringing in Emiliano Mulieri on the wing and Simon Picone at scrum-half.

The other game in the Pool sees Munster travelling in search of vital points against Perpignan at their fortress, the Stade Aime Giral, following the narrowest of victories at Thomond Park.

Munster boss Tony McGahan has stuck to his guns for a tough away trip, calling on the same XV that started in Limerick last weekend. Ronan O'Gara was the hero at home and he will need to have his wits about him in one of Europe's most volatile atmospheres.

As for the hosts, Philip Burger has been rewarded for his wonder try at Thomond with a start at full-back at the expense of Jerome Porical, who drops to the bench. Also in the backs, David Mele has gotten the nod at scrum-half ahead of Nicolas Durand. In the pack, Perry Freshwater and Guilhem Guirado make way for Jerome Schuster and Marius Tincu in the front row, while Ovidiu Tonita has been preferred to Yannick Parent at No.8.

Cardiff Blues have a similarly mountainous task as they look to follow up a drab home victory over Toulouse in Bordeaux. Dai Young has been forced to make one change, with Tom James out injured, and he will be replaced by Richard Mustoe.

Toulouse chief Guy Noves has shuffled his starting line-up, with Frederic Michalak shifting to scrum-half and David Skrela wearing No.10. Clément Poitrenaud starts at fullback in one of two changes to the back-three, with Yves Donguy replacing Cedric Heymans on the wing. Jean Bouilhou starts in the back-row, with Louis Picamoles shifting to No.8 and Thierry Dusautoir moving onto the openside.

Sale will look for back-to-back bonus-points against a struggling Harlequins at Edgeley Park in Pool 5's second game. Aston Croall, Tani Fuga and Mark Lambert all return to the Quins starting line-up and Tom Guest replaces Chris Robshaw in the back-row. Sale boss Kingsley Jones has named an unchanged backline for the game but has been able to recall Dean Schofield and Chris Jones as his second-row pairing.

Reigning champions Leinster burst the Scarlets' bubble in style at Parc y Scarlets last weekend and will be brimming with confidence after a complete attacking display secured a vital away bonus-point in Pool 6.

All of last weekend's try scorers start in an unchanged Leinster XV with Shane Horgan, Gordon D'Arcy, Shaun Berne and Sean O'Brien all out for more of the same in front of their home fans. The Scarlets will have a stern test of their new promise and resolve and have called in a second kicking option at fullback with Rhys Priestland replacing Daniel Evans. Jonathan Edwards replaces Richie Pugh on the openside.

London Irish are also out for back-to-back bonus points after thumping Brive in France, with the Scarlets now in a difficult spot. The Exiles have been boosted by the return of England fullback Delon Armitage on the bench, with Chris Malone again entrusted with the playmaking duties.

Jamie Noon and Steve Thompson start from Brive's English contingent, with Shaun Perry named on the bench. Luciano Orqera starts at fly-half while French international Nicolas Jeanjean is in at fullback.

Controversy has surrounded Stade Francais this week after Julien Dupuy and David Attoub were cited for alleged gouges on Ulster flanker Stephen Ferris at Ravenhill last time out and there will be no shortage of spice as the Irish province look for points at King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels that could help them towards a quarter-final berth.

Dupuy has been hit with a six-month ban so his season is over, while Attoub's case was adjourned for a second time on Friday afternoon so he has been left out of the squad. Elssewhere, England flanker James Haskell has also lost his starting place, to Italian Mauro Bergamasco. Pierre Rabadan starts in place of Bergamasco on the openside. Julien Arias also displaces an Englishman, starting ahead of Sevens specialist Ollie Phillips, and Noel Oelschig takes over at scrum-half from Dupuy.

Ulster have been boosted by the return of BJ Botha at tight-head and Paddy Wallace in the centre. Timoci Nagusa returns on the wing, allowing Andrew Trimble to shift to No.13. Willie Faloon replaces David Pollock on the openside, with Ferris again starting at No.6.

In the Pool's other game, Edinburgh have a chance to avenge their narrow defeat by Bath at the Rec.

The Scots have Ross Rennie available once more, and the flanker goes straight into the starting line up. Ally Hogg is out for the season, allowing David Callam a chance at making his second appearance. Bath boss Steve Meehan has retained his starting XV from last weekend, with the superb Luke Watson again starting at No.8.

Revenge on the menu in Europe | Rugby Union | Heineken Cup | Rugby News | Scrum.com

**dudeabides** · 12-19-2009, 12:14 PM

Saturday scores

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The battle for the Heineken Cup quarter-finals intensified this weekend in the midst of a cold snap that engulfed much of Europe. The freezing temperatures forced two postponements but failed to quell the desire of the continent's leading sides as they continued to push for this season's knock-out stages.

Defending champions Leinster issued another reminder that they have no intention of relinquishing their crown with a seven-try demolition of Scarlets in Dublin while Biarritz made it four wins from four against the Dragons. Perennial title challengers Toulouse bounced back to winning ways against Cardiff Blues and Edinburgh breathed life into their campaign with a narrow win against Bath in the snow at Murrayfield.

Check out our Pool by Pool round-up of the latest action:

Pool 1

Northampton climbed to the top of Pool 1 with a hard-fought 21-18 victory over Treviso. A late penalty try from Treviso brought the Italians to within a score of their much-fancied opponents who were forced to close shop in the final minutes to hold onto the win. Saints led 7-3 at half-time through Phil Dowson's try and scored twice more through Jon Clarke and Courtney Lawes but they were forced on the back foot by a score from Emiliano Mulieri and the late penalty try, with Neil Best in the sin bin.

Saints were forced to work hard for their bonus point win at Franklin's Gardens last week but any thought of repeating that were put on hold during a highly competitive game that was delayed for more than an hour while snow was shovelled from the pitch. Munster will have the chance to reclaim top spot in the pool when they travel to Perpignan on Sunday.

Pool 2

Biarritz extended their unbeaten run in this season's competition with a convincing 26-8 victory over the Dragons at Parc Y Scarlets in Llanelli on Saturday after their original fixture at Rodney Parade on Friday night was postponed due to a frozen pitch. Biarritz scrum-half Dimitri Yachvili ran the game for the Top 14 side - contributing 23 of his team's points courtesy of two tries, two conversions and three penalties. Yachvili put the visitors ahead with an early penalty but the Dragons hit back with winger Richard Fussell touching down. Dragons fly-half James Arlidge and Yachvili then traded penalties to see the French side lead 9-8 at the break.

Biarritz proved far too strong for their hosts in the second-half and international centre Damien Traille stretched their lead with a 52nd minute drop goal, and on the hour Yachvili stole away from a lineout in the Dragons' 22 for a try which he also converted. The Dragons stormed back looking for a losing bonus point but Yachvili intercepted a pass from Shaun Connor near his own line and raced clear. Fullback Martyn Thomas chased him down but Yachvili found Arnaud Mignardi in support and the replacement repaid the compliment for Yachvili to cross for his second try, which he again converted.

Pool 3

Ospreys powered to the top of Pool 3 with a 45-19 demolition of Viadana at the Liberty Stadium. Man-of-the-match Tommy Bowe crossed twice as the Welsh region followed up their 62-7 win in Italy last week with a less convincing six tries to one at an icy cold Liberty Stadium.

Dan Biggar, still only 20, provided 16 points to make it a remarkable 37 points out of 37 with the boot from the two Viadana clashes. But the big plus point for the Ospreys was the return of Lions prop Adam Jones. The tighthead came on 58 minutes into the match for his first rugby in six months since dislocating his shoulder in the Lions' second Test against South Africa last June. Captain Ryan Jones also made a welcome return for the Ospreys having recovered from the back injury that ruled him out of the Wales-Australia game last month.

Pool 4

Edinburgh kept their quarter-final hopes alive with a narrow 9-6 victory over Bath at Murrayfield. The hosts opened the scoring thanks to a Chris Paterson penalty in the second minute but handed Bath the chance to level the scores moments later - however Nicky Little's effort fell short of the posts. Edinburgh continued to press but their adventure brought no reward and eventually the visitors levelled and then took the lead through the boot of Little.

However, no sooner were Bath ahead than they gave away a penalty soon after the restart and Paterson struck the straightforward kick home and the teams turned drawing 6-6. Benefiting from touch kicks by Paterson plus pick and go by the forwards they camped in Bath territory and took the lead once again just past the hour mark. In the closing stages Bath sub Ryan Davis missed two penalties, while Phil Godman was off-target with one effort from long distance.

The other Pool 4 clash between Stade Francais and Ulster that was scheduled for Saturday afternoon was another to succumb to the wintry weather and has been postponed until Sunday with the match switched to the Stade Jean Bouin in Paris.

Pool 5

Toulouse strengthened their grip at the top of Pool 5 with a commanding 23-7 victory Cardiff Blues at Stade Municipal. Scrum-half Frederic Michalak was the star of the show for the three-time champions with an 18-point tally on the way to the man of the match award. Michalak produced a polished performance by booting five penalties and a drop goal as well as setting up captain Thierry Dusautoir's first-half try to leave the Blues with zero points from the fixture.

The Blues hit back briefly through Faao Filise's score but on the day that saw Gareth Thomas reveal he was gay, the former Wales and British Lions captain was left on the losing side against his former team as the visitors' ill-discipline proved costly. Thomas came on for the final eight minutes in the south of France with the score at 20-7 but the damage had already been done after Andy Powell and captain Paul Tito were yellow carded by Irish official Alan Lewis.

Pool 6

Leinster hit top form for the second successive weekend to crush Scarlets 39-7 at the RDS in Dublin.

Rob Kearney, Gordon D'Arcy and Brian O'Driscoll grabbed two tries each. Shane Horgan also crossed the Scarlets' line, while the visitors' only response came in the final quarter when full-back Rhys Priestland broke through for a converted score. The key moment came just before half-time when, just as the Scarlets looked set to cross the Leinster try-line, Deacon Manu's pass was intercepted by Horgan, who outstripped Stephen Jones and Priestland to finish from 80 metres out.

The Scarlets defence gave way after eight minutes when Kearney managed to slide in at the left corner, taking a pass from Horgan after CJ van der Linde and Shaun Berne had made headway into the 22. The visitors took time to get within sight of the Leinster whitewash only for Manu's pass, with a two-man overlap, to be snaffled by Horgan in devastating fashion.

The Scarlets' resolve had been broken and Leinster cruised through the second half, securing the bonus point within six minutes as D'Arcy danced through from close range. O'Driscoll muscled his way over for the fifth try, with support from Kearney and replacement Bernard Jackman.

A superb catch by Kearney, a decibel-raising run from Jackman and a sweet draw and feed from Berne preceded D'Arcy's second try. Starved of territory, the Scarlets lifted the siege just past the hour mark and, with Kearney foiled by the bounce of the ball, Priestland hared through for a consolation try. But, showing no mercy, Leinster had the final say when replacement Fergus McFadden fed O'Driscoll for a simple score in the left corner.

London Irish notched their second successive bonus point victory with a 34-13 victory over Brive at the Madejski Stadium. England fullback Delon Armitage made a try-scoring return from shoulder surgery as the Exiles completed another demolition job of French strugglers Brive.

Armitage's searing individual effort in the last minute earned Irish the vital four-try bonus point that kept them on course for a showdown with Leinster in Round 6. The Exiles were dominant throughout and would have been kicking themselves had they failed to take maximum spoils for the second week running against Brive, who had four players sin-binned and remain without a point in the competition.

London Irish raced into a 20-6 half-time lead with tries from Tom Homer, the England Under-20 winger who scored twice last weekend, and Seilala Mapasua. Elvis Seveali'i showed neat footwork to score a third but it was not until the final play of the game that Armitage, who had come on as a 66th-minute replacement, sealed the bonus point.

Euro race hots up as temperatures plummet | Rugby Union | Heineken Cup | Rugby News | Scrum.com

Looking forward to that showdown.

**dudeabides** · 12-20-2009, 12:00 AM

Quote:

Leicester Tigers battled to a 20-15 victory over Clermont Auvergne in their Heineken Cup Pool 3 clash at Welford Road.

Tries from centre Anthony Allen and fullback Scott Hamilton and 10 points from the boot of fly-half Toby Flood proved enough to carry last year's beaten finalists to their second victory of the European campaign but the boot of Clermont No.10 Brock James - that provided all his side's points courtesy of three drop goals and two penalties - ensured the French side were rewarded for a battling defensive display with what could be a priceless losing bonus point.

The victory lifted the Tigers to second place in the pool behind pace-setters the Ospreys but their Top 14 rivals' six point haul from their back-to-back clashes leaves them well-placed ahead of the final two rounds of action that will determine who progresses to the knock-out stages.

Clermont were without Fijian wing Napolioni Nalaga, who had scored a brace of tries in last weekend's entertaining 40-30 win in Montferrand, with skipper Aurelien Rougerie shifting from centre to wing as result. Dan Hipkiss returned to the Tigers midfield alongside Anthony Allen while scrum-half Ben Youngs was handed a first start.

Both sides began with plenty of ambition and the opening set the tone for another pulsating clash between two of Europe's premier sides. But instead of the try-fest that was produced at Stade Marcel Michelin last weekend, the capacity crowd were treated a brusing battle of high intensity.

An early penalty against Leicester flanker Lewis Moody offered James the chance to open the scores but the normally reliable Clermont fly-half pulled his effort wide of the posts. Back came the hosts and a strong run from winger Lote Tuqiri put the Clermont defence on the back foot and the resulting penalty allowed Flood to put his side ahead.

Clermont responded well and lock Jamie Cudmore hacked a loose ball into the Tigers' 22 only to see Tuqiri do enough to scramble the ball in to touch. But it was not long before Clermont were pressing again with winger Julien Malzieu scything through the Tigers defence where he was eventually hauled down but James stepped in to slot a simple drop goal get his side back on level terms.

But they were soon chasing the game again with Flood restoring the home side's lead with a well-struck penalty just a minute later. Clermont fullback Anthony Floch then attempted to extend the tit-for-tat exchange but his long-range penalty was short and wide. Undeterred, the visitors rallied once more and Malzieu was again the key threat until he was stopped in his tracks by Flood - only for James to deliver another excellent drop goal.

A superb lineout claim from Leicester's Louis Deacon then laid the platform for the game's opening try. A sniping break from the impressive Youngs cut Clermont open and the No.9 kept Rougerie guessing long enough for Allen to join him in support and take the easy scoring pass.

James resumed the kicking duties with Clermont's next long range penalty but his effort also failed to reach its target - however, he did reduce the arrears to four points with the last kick of the half.

Leicester began the second half strongly but failed to capitalise on their dominance in terms of territory and possession - frustrated at every turn by Clermont's well-disciplined defence. Instead it was Clermont who came closest to scoring next with James quick to drop back in the pocket for another drop goal but the alert Moody and Hamilton charged his effort down.

Flood and Hipkiss then threatened with half breaks on the Clermont 22 but were unable to break down the visitors - with Hamilton spilling the ball under pressure just short of the line in one of several missed opportunities. Having weathered another storm, Clermont took the game downfield and a strong run from hooker Mario Ledesma created the time and space for James to slot his third drop goal to bring his side to within a point.

With the clock running down, Leicester conjured a crucial score to dent the visitors' hopes of ending the Tigers' impressive home record. A seemingly aim-less kick from Flood was allowed to bounce in a rare error from the Clermont defence and Hamilton scooped up the loose ball on half way before racing towards the corner where a last-ditch tackle from Floch was unable to prevent the Kiwi from scoring.

Flood then stepped up to nail an excellent touchline conversion to extend the Tigers' lead to eight points and out of losing bonus point range. But a soft penalty from the re-start against Moody immediately gifted James the chance to close the gap once more and keep he duly slotted the kick.

With a priceless bonus point in the bag the visitors then ran down the clock and as a result it was a muted celebration that greeted the final whistle.

"I am pleased with the win but not with the fact that they leave with a bonus point from a game we largely dominated," said Leicester coach Matt O'Connor. "It can be frustrating when one team is trying to be positive and the other negative. We didn't get the rub of the green with certain decisions, but the win keeps us in there fighting.

"I'm convinced one of us will go through as a successful runner-up, but it will go down to the wire. When Scott Hamilton scored his try, it was a relief all round and now we look forward to the last two rounds."

Tigers notch hard-fought win | Rugby Union | Heineken Cup | Rugby Match Pack | Scrum.com

**dudeabides** · 12-20-2009, 04:05 PM

Sunday:

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The battle for the Heineken Cup quarter-finals intensified this weekend in the midst of a cold snap that engulfed much of Europe. The freezing temperatures forced two postponements but failed to quell the desire of the continent's leading sides as they continued to push for this season's knock-out stages.

Defending champions Leinster issued another reminder that they have no intention of relinquishing their crown with a seven-try demolition of Scarlets in Dublin while Biarritz made it four wins from four against the Dragons. Perennial title challengers Toulouse bounced back to winning ways against Cardiff Blues and Edinburgh breathed life into their campaign with a narrow win against Bath in the snow at Murrayfield. The plaudits were reserved for Munster on Sunday, when the two-time champions smashed Perpignan away to kick-start their season.

Check out our Pool by Pool round-up of the latest action:

Pool 1

Munster produced an amazing display to pick up a 37-14 bonus-point victory over Perpignan at their fortress-like home, the Stade Aime Giral.

The French champions had won 16 successive European ties at home, having not been beaten in the south of France since London Wasps tasted success in 2004. But the Irish province took full control with an excellent display and Tony McGahan's men were rewarded with maximum points thanks to tries from Denis Fogarty, Denis Hurley, Jean de Villiers and Doug Howlett.

Ronan O'Gara also chipped in with 15 points from the boot as the hosts were comprehensively out-battled at the breakdown. They scored a try to replacement hooker Guilhem Guirado but his effort was immediately cancelled out by a superb de Villiers effort, which the Irish province will hope has spurred on the misfiring Springbok. The bonus-point arrived with the last kick of the game as Howlett latched onto O'Gara's chip through, deservedly sending Munster back to the top.

Northampton picked up a hard-fought 21-18 victory over Treviso. A late penalty try from Treviso brought the Italians to within a score of their much-fancied opponents who were forced to close shop in the final minutes to hold onto the win. Saints led 7-3 at half-time through Phil Dowson's try and scored twice more through Jon Clarke and Courtney Lawes but they were forced on the back foot by a score from Emiliano Mulieri and the late penalty try, with Neil Best in the sin bin.

Saints were forced to work hard for their bonus point win at Franklin's Gardens last week but any thought of repeating that were put on hold during a highly competitive game that was delayed for more than an hour while snow was shovelled from the pitch.

Pool 2

Gloucester scored a cathartic 19-6 win over Glasgow at Kingsholm after a strong second-half showing yielded tries for wing Charlie Sharples and lock Alex Brown. Fly-half Nick Robinson also chimed in with nine points from the kicking tee as the Cherry and Whites bounced back from last weekend's hammering at Firhill.

The first-half was all Glasgow, with the Shed roaring a cry of 'what a load of rubbish' as their side trooped from the field 6-0 down after a penalty and a drop-goal from Warriors fly-half Dan Parks. Recalled openside Andy Hazell also spent 10 first-half minutes in the sin-bin for cynically ending a pacy Glasgow counter-attack.

The second-half was a different story and the introduction of All Black prop Greg Somerville brought a string of scrum penalties the way of the home side. Sharples rounded off a concerted period of pressure by carrying three defenders over the line with him and Glasgow had no response to the mounting demands placed on their defence.

A pacy break from fullback Olly Morgan was supported by Robinson and Sharples close to the visitors' line and blindside Alasdair Strokosch found a brilliant offload to put Brown over in the corner.

Biarritz extended their unbeaten run in this season's competition with a convincing 26-8 victory over the Dragons at Parc Y Scarlets in Llanelli on Saturday after their original fixture at Rodney Parade on Friday night was postponed due to a frozen pitch. Biarritz scrum-half Dimitri Yachvili ran the game for the Top 14 side - contributing 23 of his team's points courtesy of two tries, two conversions and three penalties. Yachvili put the visitors ahead with an early penalty but the Dragons hit back with winger Richard Fussell touching down. Dragons fly-half James Arlidge and Yachvili then traded penalties to see the French side lead 9-8 at the break.

Biarritz proved far too strong for their hosts in the second-half and international centre Damien Traille stretched their lead with a 52nd minute drop goal, and on the hour Yachvili stole away from a lineout in the Dragons' 22 for a try which he also converted. The Dragons stormed back looking for a losing bonus point but Yachvili intercepted a pass from Shaun Connor near his own line and raced clear. Fullback Martyn Thomas chased him down but Yachvili found Arnaud Mignardi in support and the replacement repaid the compliment for Yachvili to cross for his second try, which he again converted.

Pool 3

Ospreys powered to the top of Pool 3 with a 45-19 demolition of Viadana at the Liberty Stadium. Man-of-the-Match Tommy Bowe crossed twice as the Welsh region followed up their 62-7 win in Italy last week with a less convincing six tries to one victory at an icy cold Liberty Stadium.

Dan Biggar, still only 20, provided 16 points to make it a remarkable 37 points out of 37 with the boot from the two Viadana clashes. But the big plus point for the Ospreys was the return of Lions prop Adam Jones. The tight-head came on 58 minutes into the match for his first rugby in six months since dislocating his shoulder in the Lions' second Test against South Africa last June. Captain Ryan Jones also made a welcome return for the Ospreys having recovered from the back injury that ruled him out of the Wales-Australia game last month.

The Pool's other game was a thriller at Welford Road, where Leicester hung on to defeat Clermont Auvergne 20-15 in our Game of the Week.

Superb Munster emerge as contenders | Rugby Union | Heineken Cup | Rugby News | Scrum.com

**dudeabides** · 12-20-2009, 04:05 PM

Quote:

Pool 4

Stade Francais seized the initiative in Heineken Cup Pool Four with a 29-16 victory over Ulster at the Stade Jean Bouin.

The contest had been scheduled to take place in Brussels yesterday but snow forced the postponement and the fixture was switched to Stade's Paris home. The hosts thrived on home turf as Dimitri Szarzewski and Benjamin Kayser rounded off forward efforts with tries and France fly-half Lionel Beauxis was unerringly accurate with the boot - kicking 19 points, seven from seven attempts - to put Stade clear of Ulster and Edinburgh at the top of the standings.

Ian Humphreys kicked 11 points and Andrew Trimble scored a second-half solo try but Ulster fell to a second Heineken Cup loss of the season. There was the prospect of bad blood between the sides following last weekend's 23-13 win for Ulster at Ravenhill - a result that was overshadowed by allegations of gouging. Stade scrum-half Julien Dupuy was on Friday slapped with a six-month ban, while a January hearing hangs over the head of David Attoub.

Edinburgh kept their quarter-final hopes alive with a narrow 9-6 victory over Bath at Murrayfield. The hosts opened the scoring thanks to a Chris Paterson penalty in the second minute but handed Bath the chance to level the scores moments later - however Nicky Little's effort fell short of the posts. Edinburgh continued to press but their adventure brought no reward and eventually the visitors levelled and then took the lead through the boot of Little.

However, no sooner were Bath ahead than they gave away a penalty soon after the restart and Paterson struck the straightforward kick home and the teams turned drawing 6-6. Benefiting from touch kicks by Paterson plus pick and go by the forwards they camped in Bath territory and took the lead once again just past the hour mark. In the closing stages Bath sub Ryan Davis missed two penalties, while Phil Godman was off-target with one effort from long distance.

Pool 5

Sale Sharks kept their Heineken Cup hopes alive by coming from behind to defeat Harlequins 21-17 at a snowy Edgeley Park.

Quins led 14-8 at half-time after tries from Nick Evans and Aston Croall but a 55th-minute score from prop Eifion Roberts edged the Sharks back in front. Evans claimed a penalty soon after to reduce the deficit to a solitary point but Sale held on to record their second win inside eight days against the Londoners and maintain the pressure on Toulouse.

Sale were ahead as early as the third minute thanks to a try from Sisa Koyamaibole but they found Quins a tougher nut to crack this weekend after a free-flowing victory at the Stoop last time out. Quins have now lost all four of their group matches but they contributed to an entertaining encounter which was almost abandoned in the 70th minute because of the hazardous conditions. Match officials asked ground staff to clear snow from around the perimeter of the pitch and the final 10 minutes were played out.

Toulouse strengthened their grip at the top of Pool 5 with a commanding 23-7 victory over Cardiff Blues at Stade Municipal. Scrum-half Frederic Michalak was the star of the show for the three-time champions with an 18-point tally on the way to the man of the match award. Michalak produced a polished performance by booting five penalties and a drop goal as well as setting up captain Thierry Dusautoir's first-half try to leave the Blues with zero points from the fixture.

The Blues hit back briefly through Faao Filise's score but on the day that saw Gareth Thomas reveal he was gay, the former Wales and British & Irish Lions captain was left on the losing side against his former team as the visitors' ill-discipline proved costly. Thomas came on for the final eight minutes in the south of France with the score at 20-7 but the damage had already been done after Andy Powell and captain Paul Tito were yellow carded by Irish official Alan Lewis.

Superb Munster emerge as contenders | Rugby Union | Heineken Cup | Rugby News | Scrum.com