NEW YORK, NY – ” We will cover every match until our eyes bleed!” That was the directive from our fearless leader, Johnathan Wicklow Barberie. And we came pretty close to that happening! Anyway, on the international front there was the 5th round of The Rugby Championship and the first leg of the RWC2015 repechage qualifier. As for the domestic matches there were the three SANZAR competitions and Europe’s three premier leagues. Not to be forgotten would be all the international news, transactions and USA Rugby nuggets. With that, here’s the Weekend Global Rugby Cap:
The Rugby Championship: The TRC All Blacks went to work in Argentina, while the Springboks resumed their their green and gold rivalry with the Wallabies in The Republic. TRC expert Jamie Wall has you covered from his rugby lair, please click here.
Top 14: The situation for #Top14 giants Toulouse has reached def-con levels of alarm. The panic in the south of France can be heard all over the nation. There are other teams also panicking as the early part of the season is not looking good for several clubs. Our Ligue Nationale de Rugby expert details Toulouse’s problems and the panic of other struggling clubs following the weekend’s actions…. please click here.
Aviva Premiership: The Aviva Premiership continues with its enticing early round clashes that seem to be setting a ominous tone of unpredictability for the whole season…Our East Midlands Man will be back later this week with a recap of the action and the weekend’s talking points.
As for the rest of the weekend’s action: Gloucester traveled to London and faced the over-welcoming defense of the London Welsh, which allowed 40+ points for the 4th straight game … Sale‘s defense allowed 40 points to Saracens in their defeat, London Irish downed a resolute Leicester in the final minutes… Bath went to defending champions Northampton and found out the champs are not slowing down on a bid to win a consecutive titles… Harlequins had no answer for the relentless Exeter attack and Wasps easily won their match-up against Newcastle.
Here are the results:
Fri – 26th Sep 14
London Welsh 10 – 46 Gloucester
Sat – 27th Sep 14
Saracens 40 – 19 Sale Sharks
Leicester 19 – 22 London Irish
Northampton 31 – 24 Bath
Sun – 28th Sep 14
Exeter 36 – 13 Harlequins
Wasps 35 – 18 Newcastle
Guinness Pro12: The early signs of the 2014/2015 Pro12 season are that this season will be filled with unpredictable results. What is predictable is that a constant power will be the defending champs, Leinster, as they displayed in their victory over Cardiff. Meanwhile, last year’s finalist, Glasgow, showed their form by defeating Connacht… The unlikely results were Scarlets traveling up to Edinburgh and the match ending a draw, Zebre fans leaving happy as the home side got a big win against Ulster… Ospreys went up to the Emerald Isle and managed to shock Munster… Newport-Gwent easily handled Treviso.
Here are the results:
Fri – 26th Sep 14
Leinster 37 – 23 Cardiff Blues
Glasgow 39 – 21 Connacht
Edinburgh 20 – 20 Scarlets
Sat – 27th Sep 14
Zebre 13 – 6 Ulster
Munster 14 – 19 Ospreys
Sun – 28th Sep 14
Newport Gwent Dragons 33 – 15 Benetton Treviso
Currie Cup: The 2014 Currie Cup is entering its cross-over pool stage. This year’s version has two pools who have completed the home and away version of intra-pool play and now will play one-offs against the teams in the opposite pool. The first match of the weekend saw the Cheetahs leave Pretoria empty handed after facing the Blue Bulls. Over in Nelspruit, the Pumas could not stop the league leaders Western Province. The boys from Durban – the Sharks – romped over the boys from Port Elizabeth – the Kings – and Griquas were no match for the Lions.
Here are the results:
Fri – 26th Sep 14
Cheetahs 22 – 31 Blue Bulls
Pumas 23 – 37 Western Province
Sat – 27th Sep 14
Sharks 53 – 24 Eastern Province Kings
Griquas 8 – 46 Lions
ITM Cup: The 2014 ITM Cup was rocked by the result of the midweek match as North Harbour managed to take down the previously unbeaten Canterbury. It was Harbour’s first win over the Red & Blacks in 5 years. In the Thursday night game, Northland edged out the Bay of Plenty Steamers. As for the rest of the weekend’s action: In battle for playoff places, Taranaki became the number #1 seed at the expense of #4 Auckland, while on Saturday, Waikato outfought Manawatu… Counties Manukau thrashed winless Wellington, North Harbour gained a boost from their midweek win and emerged victorious from their match-up against Hawkes Bay, Tasman achieved a first as they became the first side to be promoted from the Championship to the Premiership and secure a playoff place in their first year as a result of their victory over Otago and Canterbury still wobbly from the their midweek loss were stunned by Southland.
Here are the results:
Wed – 24th Sep 14
North Harbour 29 – 24 Canterbury
Thu – 25th Sep 14
Bay Of Plenty 27 – 30 Northland
Fri – 26th Sep 14
Taranaki 35 – 22 Auckland
Sat – 27th Sep 14
Waikato 20 – 22 Manawatu
Counties Manukau 55 – 7 Wellington
North Harbour 28 – 25 Hawkes Bay
Sun – 28th Sep 14
Tasman 32 – 24 Otago
Canterbury 26 – 28 Southland
Australia NRC: The inaugural National Rugby Championship is heating up as playoff places are now genuinely at stake. In the Thursday night game, the Melbourne Rising were rude hosts to their guests, the University of Canberra Vikings.
As for the rest of the weekend’s action:
In the all-Queensland Derby the Brisbane City boys outgunned their Queensland Country cousins, the Sydney Stars were outshone by the Perth Spirit and finally in a local derby Greater Sydney and the North Harbour Rays fought to a thrilling standstill.
Here are the results:
Thu – 25th Sep 14
Melbourne Rising 34 – 13 UC Vikings
Sat – 27th Sep 14
Brisbane City 29 – 13 Queensland Country
Perth Spirit 63 – 21 Sydney Stars
North Harbour Rays 34 – 34 Greater Sydney Rams
RWC Qualifer: The first leg of the RWC 2015 Qualifier between Russia and Uruguay. The overall winner from the two-legged play off will join Australia, England, Wales and Fiji in Pool A at RWC 2015. Russia won the match in Krasnoyarsk, Siberia by the slimmest margin possible and now must defend that lead in the return leg in two weeks.
Here are the results:
Sat – 27th Sep 14
Russia 22 – 21 Uruguay
Tier 3 News:
The NACRA Championship is similar to most regional tournaments – but for North America and the Caribbean. It is not as layered as the other regional competitions and rather has the weaker teams play qualifiers to get to a stage that it would seem fair to bring in the larger unions. USA Rugby competes in this tournament by sending the USA South Regional all-star team, in order to develop talent and make the competition a much fairer one. In action last weekend, Barbados shut out Curacao.
Here are the results:
Curacao 0 – 29 Barbados
Unconverted Try:
Barbarians: The Barbarians will be coached by 1987 RWC winner, RWU good friend and Super Rugby Blues head coach Sir John Kirwan in their Killik Cup meeting with Australia at Twickenham on November 1.
IRB Sevens: Kenya have dropped ten players from the squad for the IRB World Series opener, Gold Coast 7s, in Australia in a dispute over pay and contracts. The players, including wingers Collins Injera and Horace Otieno and back-rower Biko Adema, were reportedly unhappy that the board had agreed to draw up performance-driven contracts without consulting them. For more information on the controversy, click here.
Speaking of squad announcements, Samoa and Fiji made released the squads they would be taking to the Gold Coast 7s.
Liam Middleton has been announced as the new head coach of Canada 7s Mens rugby team for the 2014/2015 season. Middleton takes over for Geraint John, who left to take over the Australia 7s program.
IRB News: The International Rugby Board has announced a strong line-up of speakers to participate in a panel discussion on Integrity – Protecting integrity and promoting inclusion – at the IRB World Rugby Conference and Exhibition 2014 (ConfEx) that will take place on November 17-18 at the Hilton London Metropole. The speakers will be Sir Craig Reedie, President of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and International Olympic Committee (IOC) Vice-President, Sir Ronnie Flanagan, Chairman of the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) Anti-Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU); Heather Rabbatts CBE, the Football Association’s (FA) first female director and chair of the FA’s Inclusion Advisory Board; IRB Head of Legal and Legislative Affairs Susan Ahern and Fiona Coghlan, the recently retired Irish women’s Rugby captain and a good Irish lass.
It was a historic day on Saturday as the IRB’s Get Into Rugby program lead to the first combined Pakistan Women’s rugby team took the field last weekend. Women’s and men’s sides representing the Pakistan RFU took on teams comprising players from Britain, Canada, America and Australia, in an event hosted by the British High Commission.
Transactions: After placing a help wanted sign out in front of their office in London, Wasps have reached A player exchange agreement with Championship team Yorkshire (formerly Leeds) Carnegie for the services of fly-half Glyn Hughes.
USA Rugby News and Updates: New USA 7s men’s head coach Mike Friday, has named the squad he will take to the Gold Coast 7s. The team will be lead by 2nd year player and Dartmouth grad, Madison Hughes. It features a few players that have been in and out of the team for years and hot prospect Perry Baker. Strangely it also features Danny Barrett who is on trial at Gloucester, which we will look into how it effects Barrett’s trail. Here is the squad list and GC7s schedule:
Men’s Eagles Sevens | Gold Coast Sevens
1. Garrett Bender
2. Andrew Durutalo
3. Zack Test
4. Nic Edwards
5. Pat Blair
6. Madison Hughes (C)
7. Folau Niua
8. Peter Tiberio
9. Danny Barrett
10. Maka Unufe
11. Carlin Isles
12. Perry Baker
Men’s Eagles Sevens | Non-Traveling Reserves
Aladdin Schirmer
Pila Taufa
Mike Te’o
Men’s Eagles Sevens | Gold Coast Sevens
v Canada – Friday, October 10 – 6:12 P.M. ET
v England – Friday, October 10 – 8:51 P.M. ET
v Argentina – Saturday, October 11 – 12:07 A.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, Karen Ritter , Jamie Wall, Jake Frechette and Declan Yeats, respectively.
And as always, stay low and keep pumping those legs.
