European Semi Final Preview

So Saracens and Clermont Auvergne will face each other on May 13^th in Murrayfield after they defeated Munster and Leinster in this weekend’s Semi Finals in Dublin and Lyon. Saracens proved once more why they are so hard to beat in Europe , they are 17 unbeaten now and will really fancy their chances of retaining the title they won in May 2016.

Munster will know that they were well beaten by a team that are now well used to winning tight games at home and in Europe. They lost the set piece battle at scrum and line out and also they were beaten in the tactical kicking battle where Williams and Bleyendaal faced Owen Farrell and Richard Wigglesworth. Munster did dominate possession and territory and even when Jackson Wray was sin binned Munster still could not find a way to unlock the Saracens defence.

It took Saracens 10 minutes to find a way around the Munster defence where only for a Richard Wigglesworth knock on Saracens would have found an early try , then for the majority of the first half both sides kicked away possession and even when Munster did have the ball and kept it in hand they struggled to get any go forward ball , Jaco Taute and Rory Scannell who have been really important in terms of leading the defence and also the attack found  it very hard to force home the supremacy that Munster had and Saracens for their part  had no real trouble in trying to deal with a fairly blunt Munster attack.

What Saturday really proved to people in how crucial Conor Murray has become for both Munster and Ireland in the past few seasons. Although Duncan Williams has done an adequate job in covering the scrum half position, Conor Murray was really missed and his steady influence at the base of every ruck and scrum was really missed. He has developed into probably the best scrum half in Europe and this summer he will hopefully face Aaron Smith to see who the best scrum half in world rugby is !!

Back to Saturday and Munster will feel extremely disappointed that they didn’t turn pressure into points and make more of the 10 minutes where Saracens had only 14 men on the field. Saracens did very well to disrupt Munster at scrum time and the line out.  Maro Itoje and George Kruis defiantly got the better of the Munster pairing Billy Holland and Donnacha Ryan.  Saracens scored tries through Mako Vunipola and Chris Wyles.

So after a very workmanlike performance , Saracens found a the winning formula and won the game 26-10 , Munster managed a late consolation try through CJ Stander. Saracens will head to Edinburgh full of confidence after winning away from home in the Semi Final and won’t have any fears of facing Clermont Auvergne on May 13^th.

Leinster took on Clermont Auvergne in Lyon yesterday and Clermont made another Final after an extremely close second half where Leinster had to produce another stirring comeback this time from 15-3 down , Clermont started very fast and led 15-0 after 17 minutes also Isa Nacewa was sin binned and it wasn’t until after half time that Leinster managed to mount a comeback , they had a try chalked off when Dan Leavy was found to have not released tackled player and even though he finished the move off , match referee Nigel Owens referred it to the TMO and the try was ruled out.

Gary Ringrose underlined his class by scoring a solo try , it was very much in the mould of his predecessor in the Leinster number 13 shirt Brian O Driscoll. Unfortunately for Leinster the 17 points from the boot of Jonathan Sexton and the Ringrose try weren’t enough to get Leinster into the Final. The performances of Rhys Ruddock and Jack Conan had a major influence in the Leinster fight back.

Ireland did have two teams in the Semi Finals and won’t have any team in the Final but what has been achieved this season can’t be forgotten and after a few campaigns where Ireland couldn’t manage to make the breakthrough but this season has been a watershed for the Pro 12 and I hope they can continue what they started this season next year….

By

Cian Mc Gibney

24/04/2017

Lions 2017 – Revealed

After months of waiting and dummy squads and the haves and have-nots for the 2017 Lions squad , all of us were put out of our misery when a 12 noon today the 41 men that will take the hopes of four countries under the British and Irish Lions banner will face the mighty New Zealand this summer in three Tests. They will also face several New Zealand’s Super Rugby Teams in the games leading to the three Test Matches.

Now that the squad has been named we can finally begin to focus on Tour that starts on June 3^rd. There are several players that will not tour from the start but they could get a belated call up due to any injuries that players may pick up between now and when the Squad sets off.

For all the players who missed out on selection they may still be needed because if the last few Tours have taught players anything it is that other players will get hurt and then there time will come and in that case they will need to come in if they get the call and hit the ground running.

This Tour will be the most difficult Tour since 2005 when they last headed for New Zealand because since then New Zealand have won two World Cups in 2011 and 2015 and even though they have lost several key cogs they will be hell bent on making sure The Lions won’t be winning a first Series since the John Dawes captained side of 71.

Warren Gatland will also be very hopeful that his captain Sam Warburton will be fit and firing to lead The Lions on June 3^rd. If you look through this selection it is littered with Club captains like Peter O Mahony , Ken Owens and Rory Best.

This squad is also full of first time Lions but it is also sprinkled with guys that have been on multiple Tours like Alun Wyn Jones who will tour for a third time and Owen Farrell who will head away with The Lions for a 2^nd time.

Having won the Test Series 2-1 in 2013 in Australia at least this Tour will have positive memories unlike other times like the 2005 Tour where The Lions were whitewashed 3-0 and Dan Carter announced his name on the World Stage. Like 2005 , New Zealand will have the best 10 in World Rugby at their disposal in Beauden Barrett and they may will also face his brother Jordie when they face the Hurricanes in between Tests 1 and 2. Who knows he may be in a Black Jersey by the time The Lions come calling to play the Test games.

Whatever way you look at the squad selection , you can’t argue with the way he has selected the squad although they players that have been left out  might argue the other way. He has gone for a number of big ball carriers in his forward selections with the Vunipola brothers , Sean O Brien , Jack Mc Grath and Joe Marler all selected to do some heavy duty carrying. All of the 41 players will be asked to play multiple games and will each get game time in the hope of pushing their case for Test inclusion.

Going on the 2013 Tour, don’t be one bit surprised if he goes against the grain in each of his Team selections because as his decision in 2013 to leave Brian O Driscoll out of the third Test proves he isn’t one bit afraid to make the tough calls like it or not !!

There are big calls in the 41 , with combinations like , Ben Youngs , Jonathan Sexton and Owen Farrell all included they all toured in 2013 , You also have Conor Murray , Jonathan Sexton , Robbie Henshaw , Jared Payne , four men that were in a team that beat the All Blacks in Chicago in November 2016. Look to Wales and you have Webb , Biggar , North , Jonathan Davies , Liam Williams and Leigh Halfpenny , all players that toured New Zealand last June and impressed down in the land of the long white cloud. One thing Gatland can’t be accused of is not selecting combinations and he has a number of ways he can mix and match this talented bunch.  Whatever way you want to cut it , This tour is shaping up to be really special one and here’s hoping the feel good factor of the 2013 win in Oz can be built upon.

For now though , It’s time Gatland settled back and watched his squad do battle on the European front and also domestically. June 3^rd can’t come fast enough but we will have to wait another few weeks before battle will commence. Huge Congratulations to all 41 players in particular the 11 Irish Lions , including CJ Stander , Peter O Mahony and Conor Murray.

By

Cian Mc Gibney

19/04/2017  

European Champions Cup Semi Final Preview

So Ireland has teams back at the top table of European Rugby with Munster facing Saracens and Leinster taking on Clermont Auvergne in the Semi Finals of the Champions Cup in Dublin and Lyon respectively. Munster are first into action on Saturday at 3.15 where they face Saracens last season’s winners for a place in the showpiece Final in Murrayfield on May 13^th.

Munster are hoping to make a first European Final since they took on Toulouse in 2008 in Cardiff.  Ever since Anthony Foley passed away Munster have been on a quest to do his memory justice and by making the Pro 12 Semi Finals and now facing into a European Semi Final. Having secured a home quarter final and defeating Toulouse has set them up nicely for a crack at Saracens at the Aviva Stadium.

Munster may be missing Conor Murray through injury but may have CJ Stander back from an ankle complainant that has kept him side-lined since the win over Toulouse. Munster have shown this season that will stay going for 80 minutes and that quality will be crucial this Saturday against a team that have shown a real ability to go for 80 in the last two weeks against Northampton Saints and Harlequins.

Munster have shown great strength of character at different moments this season and it will be a real test of that character against Saracens this weekend. Rassie Erasmus and Jaques Nienber have worked extremely well to continue the work that Anthony Foley started a couple of seasons ago.  

Both Felix Jones and Jerry Flannery have also flourished under Erasmus and there work at the set piece and back play is plain to see and has been a major factor in how far Munster have been able to go this year.

The squad itself has grown as the season has gone on and with a water tight defence they have been able to grind out results when it matters most. This game on Saturday is crucial to see have they learned the lessons of past games Vs Saracens and they will need every aspect of the game plan to go smoothly if they stand any hope of turning over a much fancied and much vaunted Saracens team led by Ulster man Mark Mc Call.

This game is extremely close to call and with Munster having home advantage they will fancy their chances even if they do not have Conor Murray at 9. If he is rules out a lot of pressure will be on his deputy Duncan Williams to perform and help to try and guide Munster to the Final.

Leinster take on familiar foes Clermont Auvergne this coming Sunday in France and like Munster have had a very good season where some of their younger players have stood up and taken responsibility at certain points this year when the more senior players like Sexton and O Brien has been missing through injury or other reasons.

Players like Gary Ringrose , Robbie Henshaw , Luke Mc Grath and Ross Byrne have come of age and have added that youthful spark that was missing last season although the hard lessons of last seasons have been learned from with Leinster reclaiming a place in the Pro 12 Semi Finals and a Semi Final spot in Europe as well by seeing off Wasps in Dublin in the quarter final a few weeks ago.

 The time is now for both Munster and Leinster to strike a blow for the Celtic nations and also the Pro 12 in the battle for European supremacy. All the fun and games kick off at 3.15 this Saturday.

By

Cian Mc Gibney 17/04/2017

Referee’s Need To Be Human Too In the last 24 hours we have seen Luke Fitzgerald come out to criticise Nigel Owens refereeing style and he has questioned the way Owens deals with certain match situations. He cited a situation in a game last October where Owens made a comment toward Cian Healy where he said to him “That rule changed three years ago “ Referees are entitled to do what they see fit during a game as long as it is within the laws and spirit of sport. Nigel Owens has made a good career out of refereeing and he has been in charge of multiple major Finals including Heineken Cup/ Champions Cup Finals alongside the 2015 World Cup Final between New Zealand and Australia. Fitzgerald ‘s main point is he feels that Owens is going into dangerous territory with some of his remarks over the last few months. Most players seem to enjoy his on-field commentary and also he is extremely clear in his messages to all the players on the pitch. Rugby may be a professional business since 1995 but it has not lost some of the old amateur ethos and that includes the respect in which a referee is held although that has come under some scrutiny over the last season or so since the Television Match Official or TMO to you and me has been given more powers. Nearly every decision close to the try line is now up for debate. I still feel that the referee should take more responsibility for some of the on-field calls and also the assistant referees need to be clearer and more direct in helping the referee to make some of the tight calls. Nigel Owens has done a terrific job since his first international appointment in Osaka Japan , where Ireland took on Japan in 2005. What he has done is mix his personality with his professional job and this mix is still a great fit and he is still by far the best referee in both the North and South of the equator. Angus Gardener of Australia is really starting to rise up the ranks. For me , Nigel Owens can continue to make remarks pertaining to each game as along as it doesn’t come in the way of his job as a referee. He has done a great job and long may that continue into the future…. By Cian Mc Gibney 11/04/2017

Ireland Squad for Tour of USA and Japan

Here is the squad I would select to tour the USA and Japan this June.

Forwards : James Cronin , Peter Dooley , Dave Kilcoyne , Denis Buckley

Hookers : James Tracy , Niall Scannell , Dave Heffernan

Tight Head Prop : John Ryan , Oisin Heffernan , Finlay Bealham , Brian Scott

Second Row : Quinn Roux , Billy Holland , Mick Kearney , Donnacha Ryan

Back Row : Dan Leavy , Tommy O Donnell , Sean O Brien , Jack O Donoghue , Josh Van Der Flier , Jack Conan.

Backs :

Scrum Halves : Kieran Marmion , Luke Mc Grath , John Cooney

Out Half : Ross Byrne , Paddy Jackson

Centre : Rory Scannell , Noel Reid , Rory O Loughlin , Luke Marshall

Wingers : Craig Gilroy , Ronan O Mahony , Matt Healy , Andrew Conway

Full Back : Jared Payne , Tiernan O Halloran.

There is the squad I would pick to tour this summer. It is the ideal chance for Joe Schmidt and his coaching staff to look at other players who could stake a claim for a long term inclusion in upcoming Ireland squad's.

Schmidt will be joined during this tour by a number of young coaches who will get first-hand experience with the National side. Ronan O Gara , Felix Jones and Girvan Dempsey will take part in different phases of this tour.

By

Cian Mc Gibney

10/04/2017

Lions Squad 2017

Props : Jack Mc Grath , Mako Vunipola , Tadgh Furlong , Dan Cole

Hooker : Rory Best , Ross Ford , Ken Owens

Second Row :  Jonny Gray , Joe Launchbury , Devin Toner , Alun Wyn Jones

Back Row : CJ Stander , Sean O Brien , Justin Tipuric , Maro Itoje , Billy Vunipola , Sam Warbuton , Toby Faletau – 18 Forwards

Scrum Half : Conor Murray , Rhys Webb , Ben Youngs

Out Half : Jonathan Sexton , Dan Biggar

Centre : Robbie Henshaw , Jonathan Davies , Owen Farrell , Jonathan Joseph

Wingers : Keith Earls , Jack Nowell , Anthony Watson , George North

Full Back : Stuart Hogg , Leigh Halfpenny , Simon Zebo – 16 Backs

34 Player Lions Squad….

Here is my attempt at trying to select a Lions squad to face New Zealand in June. I know I have left a few players out but I think I have struck a good balance so I’d be interested to hear from people about the squad make up.

By

Cian Mc Gibney

04/04/2017