NEW YORK, NY – European rugby held the world stage this weekend as the oldest rugby tournament in the world – the Six Nations (6N) – kicked off. Along with the Men’s 6N, the Women’s 6N, U20 6N and the 6N B – aka the European Nations Cup – also kicked off. In addition, we have LV= Cup action, USA 7s news and global updates and player moves. With so much to cover, let’s get into the Weekend Rugby Recap.
But… Ladies First…
Women’s: There were two big upsets this weekend… Ireland steamrolled Scotland – as many expected – but a dominant performance by a relentless France shocked all pundits. Les Féminines denied England a try on their way to a statement-stamped victory… In the other upset, Italy came back with a late score to deny host Wales the win.
Here are the results:
FRI – 31 JAN 14
Ireland 59 – 0 Scotland
SAT – 01 FEB 14
France 18 – 6 England
SUN – 02 FEB 14
Wales 11 – 12 Italy
U20: It was a successful weekend for the home sides in the Under 20 6N. The Ireland young guns defeated Scotland with ease… The French youngsters struggled to get by England, while the Welsh side looked confident in cruising by Italy.
Here are the results:
FRI – 31 JAN 14
Ireland 34 – 7 Scotland
France 21 – 15 England
Wales 26 – 9 Italy
6 Nations: These big games require big coverage and we’re lucky to have in-depth coverage from RWU writing machine James Harrington. See his thorough review of the weekend’s match-ups.
6N B: The European Nations Cup (ENC), formerly known as the 6N B will takes place simultaneously as the 6N. tournament favorites Georgia and Romania held on to their rankings by shutting out Belgium and Portugal, respectively. In a very tight contest, Russia fought a fierce Spanish comeback to steal a victory in Spain.
Here are the results:
SAT – 01 FEB 14
Georgia 35 – 0 Belgium
Romania 24 – 0 Portugal
Spain 25 – 28 Russia
LV= CUP: Lost in the shuffle of all the 6N action was the LV= Cup final round of pool play. Booking their place in the semi-finals of the tournament were Saracens, Exeter, Bath and Northampton… Blues finished on a positive note and denied Harlequins of a semi-final place with their win, as did Ospreys with their defeat of Sale… Despite their defeat of Bath, Leicester fails to go through although Bathe did. Newcastle won’t be going further either but they did finish with a satisfying shutout of Newport-Gwent… Exeter booked their semi-final place with a thorough dismantling of Worcester, while the Saints booked their place by defeating of Saracens… Gloucester hammered Wasps and London Irish didn’t put a step wrong as they easily defeated Scarlets.
Here are the results:
FRI – 31 JAN 14
Cardiff Blues 35 – 5 Harlequins
Ospreys 37 – 36 Sale
Leicester 17 – 35 Bath
Newcastle 29 – 0 Newport Gwent Dragons
SAT – 01 FEB 14
Worcester 3 – 42 Exeter
Northampton 20 – 16 Saracens
Gloucester 36 – 5 Wasps
London Irish 29 – 10 Scarlets
Conversion Kick:
Signings/Player Moves: Worcester dominated the news during this weekend’s transfer market as they’ve accepted the loss of Josh Matavesi, who is linked with Ospreys… The less-than-pleased Warriors signed Sam Smith along with Matt Cox and Ryan Mills. This was the beginning of something new and fresh by the Warriors as they prepare for life in the Championship.
USA 7s for Wellington 7s: The team and schedule was named for Wellington. Carlin Isles is shockingly still with the team… and not with his NFL team… Madison Hughes, the top college 7s player in the country, will try and take the next step and looks to be the real article… time will tell. The revamped line-up will also see the return of Garrett Bender, so the new USA list looks like it has more bite. What are your thoughts?
Men’s Eagles Sevens | Wellington Sevens
1. Carlin Isles
2. Nick Edwards
3. Danny Barrett
4. Garrett Bender
5. Zack Test
6. Brett Thompson
7. Folau Niua
8. Andrew Durutalo
9. Pono Haitsuka
10. Shalom Suniula
11. Madison Hughes
12. Ryan Matyas
Men’s Eagles Sevens Coaching Staff | Wellington Sevens
Matt Hawkins – Head Coach
Brian Green – Physio
Paul Goulding – Tech Analyst
Thomas Wagner – Manager
Men’s Eagles Sevens | Wellington Sevens
v Argentina – Thursday, Feb. 7 – 7:21 P.M. ET
v Canada – Thursday, Feb. 7 – 9:48 P.M. ET
v Scotland – Friday, Feb. 8 – 12:56 P.M. ET
That’s it for now… feel free to comment below, look for and “Like” our Facebook Rugby Wrap Up Page and follow us on Twitter @: RugbyWrapUp, Junoir Blaber, DJ Eberle, Nick Hall, James Harrington, Cody Kuxmann, Jaime Loyd and Declan Yeats, respectively.
And until the next time… stay low and keep pumping those legs.
