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**dudeabides** · 02-19-2010, 07:06 PM

Munster v Edinburgh

Quote:

Munster kept the pressure on Magners League leaders Glasgow with a 19-12 victory over Edinburgh at Musgrave Park on Friday.

Recalled prop Marcus Horan and replacement Scott Deasy claimed tries for the home side, while Edinburgh could muster only three penalties and a drop-goal from fly-half David Blair.

The home side struggled early on and lost Donnacha Ryan, Paul Warwick and Niall Ronan to injury after 15 minutes. Academy pivot Deasy stepped from the replacements bench to replace Warwick and despite missing five shots at goal, he sealed victory for the reigning champions with a well taken second-half try.

Blair's penalties had given the visitors a 12-8 lead at the start of the second-half as the Munster lineout malfunctioned. Deasy's try calmed the home side's nerves and helped them to a vital victory in the pursuit for a play-off place.

Horan struck for the opening try after Blair had chipped over a drop-goal, capitalising on a strong break from wing Ian Dowling. Blair hit back with a penalty after Deasy missed the conversion, but his Munster counterpart found his range with a penalty to restore their cushion.

Blair gave his side a one-point lead at the break with his third penalty and extended the advantage after Alan Quinlan was sin-binned for a ruck infringement. Deasy slotted a penalty minutes later, having missed a brace at the beginning of the half, and secured the game's vital try when he latched on to his own chip to score.

The conversion was wide and centre Lifeimi Mafi saw yellow for taking out a support runner as Munster dug deep in defence, their 14 men doing enough to secure the spoils.

Edinburgh boss Rob Moffat took a number of positives from the game but lamented their lack of second-half possession as Munster took the game by the scruff of the neck.

"The difference is that Munster probably have a better understanding about how to grind out a result," he said. "There was a period of about 15 minutes when we struggled to get hold of the ball which decided the game when Munster got their try. That try and penalty made the difference in the end.

"At that point, we were stuck around our own 10-metre line, but we responded well and kept going until the final whistle. I thought we had a good go at them and two or three times we came close to scoring a try. But games at this level are won or lost by very small margins and unfortunately on this occasion we ended up on the losing side."

Glasgow v Cardiff Blues:

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Cardiff Blues dented Glasgow's charge at the top of the Magners League with a comfortable 30-7 victory at Firhill on Friday.

Three first-half penalties from fullback Ben Blair had put the Blues in control before under-fire Wales scrum-half Gareth Cooper scored the opening try just after the restart, sniping through the home defence with ease. The Blues are mired in the battle for a Heineken Cup place and will take heart from a rare away win in Scotland.

Former Canterbury and Crusaders centre Casey Laulala scored the Blues' second just before the hour after Glasgow made a mess of their own scrum ball, with Wales wing Tom James scoring the visitors' final try minutes later. The home side secured a late consolation through centre Max Evans, and also denied the Blues a potentially vital bonus-point.

Ulster v Newport Dragons:

Ulster failed to translate their European form onto the domestic stage and were held to a 22-22 draw at Ravenhill by the Dragons.

A strong kicking display from Jason Tovey, switched to fly-half from his usual fullback position, brought a share of the spoils for the visitors after they had trailed 17-12 to Paddy Wallace's first-half try and four penalties from Ian Humphreys.

Steve Jones hit back with a converted try after the break for the Dragons, but Ulster's Scotland international wing, Simon Danielli, crossed minutes later to put the home side back in charge. Tovey added a 54th minute drop-goal to his four first-half penalties to level the scores. Humphreys had two late chances to seal the game for Ulster, but his penalty and drop-goal drifted wide.

**dudeabides** · 02-20-2010, 05:31 PM

Leinster v Scarlets:

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Jonathan Sexton kicked Leinster past the Scarlets at the RDS to boost his chances of featuring for Ireland against England in next Saturday's RBS 6 Nations showdown.

Sexton drove a rusty Leinster to their 11th straight league win at their Dublin base, converting Isa Nacewa's try, firing over five penalties and grabbing a late try of his own for a 22-point haul.

But the victory was marred by an early injury suffered by Leinster's Sean O'Brien, who was also pressing for selection against England.

The promising flanker had to be carried off on a stretcher, just 24 hours after fellow Ireland hopeful Donnacha Ryan injured his shoulder in action for Munster.

The Scarlets will be kicking themselves as this was a match they could have easily won. They failed to convert a number of try-scoring chances, the most notable of which saw Rob McCusker knock on after blocking Shaun Berne's 70th-minute clearance kick.

Jonathan Davies and the fit-again Regan King showed well early on for the visitors but when Deacon Manu was isolated at a midfield ruck after 11 minutes, Sexton smacked over the resulting penalty for the opening score.

Davies rumbled forward to set up Rhys Priestland for a levelling penalty and the Scarlets surged 8-3 ahead, just a minute later, with one of the best tries of the season.

A fantastic long range break, highlighted by deft passes from King and Johnathan Edwards, caught Leinster napping and hooker Ken Owens, chasing his first Welsh cap against France next weekend, finished it off in the left corner.

Priestland failed to add the extras and Leinster soon increased their intensity, big prop CJ van de Linde being held up short before space was created on the left for Nacewa to go over.

Sexton nailed a terrific conversion from close to the touchline and swapped further penalties with Priestland as Leinster went in at the break with a 13-11 lead.

When Stan Wright was punished for not rolling away, four minutes into the second half, Scarlets fly-half Priestland kicked his side back in front but ultimately, luck was not with the Welsh region.

Daniel Evans was inches away for sending King over for a try - Fergus McFadden doing well to intercept close to the Leinster try-line - and the Scarlets pack were thwarted at close range on a couple of occasions as Shane Jennings and his team-mates kept them at bay.

Three well-struck penalties from the in-form Sexton stretched Leinster more than a converted score clear and he ran a good support line, following a line break from Berne, to take a pass from debutant Andrew Conway and score the clinching try four minutes from time.

Sexton went narrowly wide with the extras and salt was rubbed into the Scarlets wounds when Ireland Under-20 starlet Conway recovered to force a knock-on from Andy Fenby, just metres from the home line.

RTÉ Sport: Leinster 27-14 Scarlets

**dudeabides** · 02-21-2010, 02:04 PM

Ospreys v Connacht:

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Ospreys went top of the Magners League despite an unconvincing performance against bottom side Connacht at the Liberty Stadium.

But the Welsh region were buoyed by the return of Lions scrum-half Mike Phillips. He came on at half-time for his first rugby since tearing ankle ligaments last October.

Dan Biggar, released for the match by the Wales squad, provided 14 points with a try and three penalties as the Ospreys just squeezed home.

Biggar found himself in the thick of the early action. First he missed a drop goal before being successful with a 45-metre penalty.

And then the 20-year-old was on hand to drag down Connacht hooker Sean Cronin to prevent a certain try.

Connacht drew level on 14 minutes with an Ian Keatley penalty.

Biggar then missed an easy penalty shot but from the restart the Ospreys scored a spectacular try. Full-back Gareth Owen ran in with real pace going through two men and then rounded the full-back as the home side led 8-3 after 19 minutes.

After a Connacht try was ruled out by the TV match official, despite number eight George Naoupu believing he had grounded the ball, the lively Westerners breached the Ospreys' 22 only for Owen to pull off a fine tackle on scrum-half Connor O'Loughlin.

Connacht's endeavours were finally rewarded with a second penalty for Ian Keatley to reduce the Ospreys lead to 8-6 on 35 minutes.

In first-half injury time a flowing Ospreys attack ended with the award of a penalty which Biggar converted from the 22 to give his side an 11-6 interval lead.

Phillips emerged at half-time to a warm welcome from the home faithful and almost immediately the Ospreys opened up a 13-point lead with a penalty and try for Biggar within the first nine minutes of the restart.

Biggar went in at the left corner after receiving a reverse pass from Owen.

But any hopes of then going for the bonus point win had to be delayed after second row Ian Evans was yellow-carded for a high tackle, and with the extra man Connacht grabbed a try through hooker Sean Cronin.

And 19-11 became 19-14 as Keatley converted a penalty from in front of the posts.

In injury time, despite being down a man due to Gavin Duffy's sin-binning, Connacht then cut the deficit to just two points with Keatley's fourth penalty.

http://www.rte.ie/sport/rugby/2010/0..._connacht.html

After round 11, the Magners league table now shows:

1. Ospreys 33 pts.
2. Glasgow 31 pts.
3. Leinster 30 pts.
4. Munster 30 pts.
5. Edinburgh 29 pts.
6. Ulster 25 pts.
7. Dragons 25 pts.
8. Cardiff 23 pts.
9. Scarlets 17 pts.
10. Connacht 10 pts.