Pro12 teams start to flex their muscles
Many people were left eating humble pie at the weekend as the Pro12 teams had one of their most successful weekends of European Rugby, with 8 of the 12 picking up victories. There were some very straightforward and expectant victories in amongst them but there were also some that will have sent shockwaves through France and England.
Leinster’s hammering of Northampton at Franklin’s Gardens on Friday night was swiftly followed by an Irish double on Saturday with Ulster beating one of the favourites, Clermont and Munster not allowing Leicester a single point in return of their own 38.
And the result of the weekend was most certainly in Paris with Glasgow comfortably beating Racing 92, leaving last year’s finalists pointless after two games.
Leopards never change their spots
Just when you think someone has changed for the good, they then go and do something utterly ridiculous that leaves you with your head in your hands.
Dylan Hartley certainly achieved that on Friday night when his flying right arm made contact with the side of Sean O’Brien’s head a mere six minutes after coming on a substitute. Social media fiends were licking their lips as the camera panned around to see Eddie Jones with his head in hands on the touchline.
Then to France and another man that has courted more than his fair share of controversy over the years, Pascal Pape, he of flying knee into Jamie Heaslip’s spine in 2015!
Phil Burleigh, The Edinburgh centre, gave Pape a little slap after the whistle was blown and by the World Rugby directives was rightly sent off. There was minimal contact to say the least and that was unfortunately followed by the 6’ 5” lock diving to the ground like he had been shot from the stands. The fact that the TMO and ref were quite clearly trying to find a clause in the rules that they wouldn’t have to send Burleigh for an early bath was testament to just how pathetic Pape’s behaviour actually was.
We loved this reaction from @Glove39:
Another look at the Pascal Pape incident#PrayForPascal pic.twitter.com/ZHRAOPaI3C
— Graham Love (@GLove39) December 11, 2016
Stander and Murray give Lions call
There can’t be many players in better form in World Rugby at the moment than CJ Stander and Conor Murray. The partnership that they have developed at the base of the Munster and Irish pack is gelling so well that they are starting to make teams look plain silly.
If this was a Lions trial match, then Ben Youngs may as well accept defeat as Murray was dictating where and how Munster were to play throughout. His no-look pass for Simon Zebo’s try was majestic.
Stander however is taking his play to another level. 20 carries for 67 metres with three defenders and two offloads are highlight stats, but when you add in four turnovers and ten tackles you realise just how much work this man actually gets through in match.
World Rugby needs to start using their heads to tackle safety
The tackle area is the main bone of contention in the law book with coaches and players alike at the moment but is it now starting to get a bit soft?
As it stands, the directive is to officiate on the outcome of the tackle rather than the intent and this was no better demonstrated than when Kurtley Beale was yellow carded for his tackle on Niyi Adeolokun of Connacht on Sunday.
Adeolokun seems to duck into the tackle meaning Beale didn’t really have any chance to get any lower but because he made contact with the head and neck area it was deemed a yellow.
Dai Young, the Wasps Director of Rugby was very vocal about how soft this was and Eddie Jones has shared his opinion on the matter after Elliot Daly was red carded against Argentina, but this is where it becomes a grey area.
If you sit on the same side of the fence as Young and Jones then that would mean that Dylan Hartley shouldn’t have seen red either? His intent was to make an impact and hurt O’Brien with a tackle but the outcome was he made contact with the head. If O’Brien wasn’t falling then he would have made contact with the torso and play would have continued.
This could take some time to resolve.
Halfpenny won’t give Hogg shirt easily
The inevitable Lions selection chat started months ago, but talk of who should play at full back has been fairly quiet as Stuart Hogg seemed to have become odds on favourite to wear the famous red 15 shirt in New Zealand.
Maybe we shouldn’t speak too soon though as a true star of the last tour is coming up on the rails to lay claim again.
Leigh Halfpenny claimed 16 of Toulon’s 31 points at the weekend against Scarlets as he grabbed an impressive try and yet again was 100% from the tee.
His stats in attack were impressive: 106 metres off just 11 carries, beating 3 defenders in the process.
His contract dilemma between Toulon and returning to Wales is still up in the air but it doesn’t seem to be affecting his progress back to full form, and wherever he is playing next season he will fight for that beloved Lions shirt.
Sevens Heaven for England
Sevens seems to have only been enhanced by the exposure the game has received as an Olympic Sport, and in front of a packed Cape Town Stadium at the weekend England upset the hosts and favourites in the final to grab one of their best wins on the tour to date.
They bounced back from a humbling at the hands of New Zealand in the group stage to win an epic quarter final against Olympic Gold Medallists Fiji, capped by an extraordinary try from Dan Norton. After despatching Scotland in the semis they then wrapped it up beating the Blitz Bokke in the final.
Sevens has become a brand all of its own now and the encouraging thing is that the crowds are turning out in force to watch it. With 550 tries in the first two rounds, all played in blazing sunshine may I add, who can really blame them?
Andy Daniel
Follow Andy on Twitter (@scrum5ive)
Photo by: Patrick Khachfe / Onside Images
On the subject of Lions full back I would say that Kearney is still a very good shout (unless he’s injured of course!!) Defensively I would rather see Halfpenny than Hogg, but Hogg adds something in attack that Halfpenny simply can’t.
Kearney is the best all round full back in the NH and I would suspect (hope) that Halfpenny will not be in there just on his kicking ability!?
Agree with this Dazza. Also, if Farrell is at 10 or 12 you don’t need Halfpenny as a kicker.
For a while its been Hogg @ 15 for me. But after the AI Kearney seems to have gone up a few gears in terms of performance. As mentioned, Kearney would be a better all rounder with Hogg able to inject something special in attack.
I don’t think Halfpenny really offers much over either of them. He can goal kick but this shouldn’t be a reason for inclusion if we have a 10/12 (Farrell) that is capable of knocking them over. Halfpenny lacks in attack and defence compared to the other two, and Liam Williams should be considered ahead of him for 15 as well.
Agreed on this, though Kearney needs to show that he can sustain his form over the course of the 6 Nations.
He seemed on the way down for a while but as you say, weas great during the AIs. Hopefully it wasn’t a blip
No thanks to Hlafpenny for me, just doesn’t add anything beyond his goal kicking. I’d take Brown over him
Six Nations will be the deciding factor. Selection will hopefully be based on whoever performs the best.
Was Kearney injured for a while? I think Zebo was playing 15 occasionally. If RK keeps up his performances I would have no problem with him going.
I think HP along with a few others are only still in contention based on reputation (some of which is unfounded).
Yep Halfpenny, Warburton, North and Roberts have all been woeful this year and shouldn’t be anywhere near the lions but reputation means they keep coming up in conversations
And Wales players aren’t the only ones:
England: Hartley, Cole, Tuilagi, Cipriani
Ireland: Bowe, Sexton, Earls
Scotland: R.Gray, Laidlaw
Agree with that list except Hartley and Cole. It is lose on me how people can think Hartley isn’t playing well for England – he is absolutely smashing his core job. Englands line out has been unbelievable all year and he has always been a great scrummager. This Autumn we also saw some better carrying from him.
Yes George has been the form hooker in club rugby in Europe now for a couple years, and should go too, but Hartley is right in the mix.
Cole as well has a great work rate, which will be vital for the way we will need to play in NZ. That has him edge ahead of Nel for the bench spot for me.
Jake
Agreed. Halfpenny is much over-hyped! He might be indispensable to Wales and Toulon but the Lions have other options (Hogg, Kierney).
Winger berths wrapped up by other faster players too (North – concussions permitting – Watson and even Nowell) I don’t think 1/2 penny is a serious option at wing to put fear into the ABs.
Kicking duties are covered IMO by Ford and Farrell.
However with it being a Gatland/Howley coaching axis who knows!
I also don’t think he can be considered an option on the wing either. Gone are the days where he was lean and whippy, he’s bulked up a lot and doesn’t look that agile imo.
As you said, the wing position is hotly contested by Watson, Nowell, May, Seymour, North and L.Williams its hard to see why you would take him. I know the first two haven’t played in a few weeks but Nowell looked almost back to his best against Bordeaux, hes so threatening with ball in hand.
I also think North is one who is in purely on reputation. Yes on his day he is a beast but when was the last time we really saw that? His defence is very suspect for someone that big and he doesn’t offer much in the air either.
But it is all down to who WG/RH chooses. A larger contingent of out of form players will surely be chosen so as not to dampen moral of the national side.
Anyone know if the sevens have proper TV coverage?
Also have to say that watching the European sevens in the summer has been good entertainment at a sensible price too.
I know in the past before we switched to BT that Sky used to show most of the tournaments, not sure if they still do. But they seem to be available online these days, certainly I was watching the group games live that way in the Dubai leg on the Friday afternoon the weekend before.
You can watch live from the world rugby website
Thank you both. Will look into that.
Anyone else think that a Lions back row of Stander, Vunipola and O’Brien would be something to behold?
Tipuric over O’Brien
Um no thanks. Tipuric looks great when he plays lesser teams or when the game is open.
The games against the ABs will be all about the breakdown, as their matches against Ireland showed. Tipuric doesn’t have the power and work rate in the tight to have an impact against the NZ pack.
Witness the Wales Aus game to see how he was ineffectual against a decent back row
I saw a suggested Lions 15 on another rugby website today which had Tipuric and Biggar in it!!!!!! Don’t know what rugby they’ve been watching!?
Apologies to any Welsh reading, but at the moment I’d only have L Williams in the Lions XV, I think any of the rest would be squad (at most). Then again, it’s Gatland/Howley, so who knows?
You could make a case for Alyn Wyn Jones, but there are so many great locks at the moment
Even then where would he go? Hogg and Kearny for FB and Watson/May/Seymour/Maitland as bona fide starting wingers?
I like Williams as a player (as a person not so much) but don’t think he gets in ahead of the above.
I’d have Williams ahead of Maitland or Seymour.
Watch some of the highlights of Wales’ summer tour in NZ to see how he absolutely carved the ABs open at times. Not something I can see either Maitland or Seymour doing
Totally agree. O’Brien just has more power.
Absolutely Pablito, though if Haskell gets back to his absolute best in the six nations he would come into the equation.
Don’t seem to be many Welsh commenting (whatever happened to Brighty?) so i’ll stick my two pennies in.
The Welsh i’d take with me who are in contention for a starting berth – AWJ (and that isnt a shoe in).
The Welsh i’d take on tour – Webb, L Williams, Faletau, Moriarty, 1/2P.
1/2P to cover wing primarily – but can cover FB. I know he isn’t popular on this site but he is a skillful attacker at wing (see highlights 2008 – 2011) (Gatland has ruined him to be fair).
As a side note the welsh back 3 should’ve been North, L Williams, 1/2P for some time now – and Cuthbert dropped. This is what is so irritating about Wales. Gatland/Howley a shocking choice but at least you only have to put up with it for a month – we’ve got this shower until 2019 at the minimum.
Note on Moriarty – i think he would make cracking mid week fodder.
Again when it comes to Wales, it should be Moriarty, Faletau, Warbs/Tips depending on opposition and Lydiate dropped. Moriarty does everything he does (better), plus carry.
Who i think will go:
Roberts, JD2, Warburton, Faletau, Webb, AWJ, 1/2P, North
Unfortunately for Wales a slump in form has coincided with Ireland England and Scotland playing well but we all know they have some great players but on current form many are well down the pecking order
AWJ is a good player but is suffering due to the amount of quality competition in the second row. He should tour but will probably be a mid week player
Webb is in a similar boat but if he has a good 6N could easily move up the pecking order to the bench (Murray will start)
Faletau and Moriarty have a chance to stake a claim with Billy injured for the 6N but again backrow is a hotly contested position
L.Williams I would have in the starting line up as he is a class player
As you say 1/2p was skilled attacker but he is horribly out of form and 2011 is a long time ago
North is also out of form and has been since that head knock in 6N having more concussion issues is only going to cause him more issues so currently I wouldn’t take him.
AWJ, Faletau, Webb, Moriarty, L.Williams should all go but if Wales perform well in the 6N it might all change