NEW YORK, NY – Yes we know Ireland won this weekend and we will get to it but first there was a lot of news to cover. Lets take care of the transactions and then get to the fixtures. Today’s recap will cover: Ireland over NZ, Andy Robinson, Sean Reidy, Ben Tapuai, Dan Carter suing… So, off we go with this rendition of the RWU Global Rugby Recap.
News & Transactions:
Aviva Premiership: Bristol have suspended their director of rugby, Andy Robinson, and appointed Mark Tainton as acting head coach with immediate effect… Bath have signed Darren Allinson on a short-term loan from Championship side London Irish, the club announced on Wednesday… Harlequins announced that Alofa Alofa has signed a new deal, extending his time at the Premiership side on a long-term contract.
Pro 12: Cardiff Blues bolstered their pack with the signing of Georgian tighthead prop Anton Peikrishvili, who joins with immediate effect… Ulster has been boosted by the news that Sean Reidy has signed a three-year contract extension, keeping him in Belfast until the summer of 2020.
Super Rugby: The Brumbies announced that they have signed experienced center Anthony Fainga’a on a one-year contract for the 2017 season… The Waratahs announced the re-signing of powerful back-row Jack Dempsey who will stay with the Sydneysiders for another two seasons… The Western Force confirmed that Ben Tapuai has been released from his contract to continue his career with Premiership club Bath… The Highlanders recruited former Western Force prop Guy Millar for their 2017 Super Rugby squad… Former French international Pieter de Villiers will reportedly sign for the Stormers and fill the role of scrum coach… The Sharks have announced that former France full-back Clement Poitrenaud will join the union as one of six new signings.
The following players have extended their contracts with the Sharks:
Three years: Hyron Andrews, Mzamo Majola, Sibusiso Nkosi, Thomas du Toit
Two years: Andre Esterhuizen, Benhard Janse van Rensburg, Curwin Bosch, Franco Marais, Jean Droste, John-Hubert Meyer, Marius Louw, Neil Maritz, Rhyno Smith, Stephan Lewies, Tristan Blewett
One year: Odwa Ndungane, Ruan Gouws
Top 14: Former All Blacks Dan Carter and Joe Rokocoko have decided to make a case to the French public prosecutor after they were accused of doping and their medical records were released by the media.
USA Rugby: USA Rugby (USAR) and the newly-formed United States Rugby Players Association (USRPA) have announced today a partnership committed to aligning their shared interests and respective strengths. The formation of the USRPA, which is independently governed by the Players and has in its membership all rugby athletes who represent US Senior National Teams, is a positive development for the game in the United States as it continues to grow at all levels. Read more at here.
Maccabi USA Rugby is looking for Jewish rugby players born in 1999 and 2000 to become part of Maccabi USA Rugby and to earn a chance to represent USA at the 2017 World Maccabiah Games in Israel. If you are a competitive or select side player interested, please contact Head Coach Greg Schor Haskin (rugbychiro@aol.com) or Maccabi USA Rugby Chairman Dave Rudzinsky (drudzinsky@gmail.com). To submit an application for immediate consideration, please click here.
World Rugby: Scotland and Spain will come face to face with each other in Glasgow and Madrid this month with a place at Women’s Rugby World Cup 2017 awaiting the aggregate winner. The first leg of this European play-off will take place at Scotstoun Stadium in Glasgow on Friday, 18 November at 19:30 with the return at the Central University Stadium in Madrid at 13:00 on Saturday, 26 November… Seven shortlists for World Rugby Awards have been announced ahead of the ceremony in London on 13 November, including those for the men’s and women’s sevens player of the year. For the shortlist and videos, click here… Allan Bunting has been unveiled as the New Zealand women’s sevens coach.
The weekend’s fixtures:
As always, Ladies first…
Oceania Rugby Women’s Championship: A six-try win over Papua New Guinea means Fijiana’s dream of qualifying for Women’s Rugby World Cup 2017 is still alive.
Here are the results:
Sat – 5 Nov 2016
Fiji 37-10 Papua New Guinea
Autumn Internationals: This is the first weekend of internationals for some countries, it is the unofficial start of the international fixtures season. As for the fixtures themselves, they begin with the Maori All Blacks thumping the USA in Chicago in the first match of the rugby weekend. In the second match and the one that shook the world, Ireland snapped it 111 year long drought against New Zealand… Argentina made light work or a relatively raw Japan side. Australia continued it’s long run of dominant performances against Wales… Finally we saw a very competitive Barbarians match, the all-star scratch side drew with a somewhat second string Springbok side.
Here are the results:
Fri – 4 Nov 2016
USA 7-54 Maori All Blacks
Sat – 5 Nov 2016
Japan 20-54 Argentina
Wales 8-32 Australia
Barbarians 31-31 South Africa
Ireland 40-29 New Zealand
Anglo-Welsh Cup: This competion serves as an important developmental tournament for young players in Wales and England. It has been the place where players like Johnny May, Jack Nowell, Ollie Devoto and Maro Itoje made a name for themselves and became regulars for their club and or country. As for match-up this weekend, Sale edged out Wasps, Leicester snuck past Bath while Worcester were too strong for Bristol. Harlequins knocked off Exeter, Gloucester won a shootout against Saracens and finally Northampton defeated Newcastle.
Here are the results:
Fri – 4 Nov 2016
Sale Sharks 17-13 Wasps
Bath 20-21 Leicester Tigers
Worcester Warriors 31-25 Bristol
Sat – 5 Nov 2016
Harlequins 29-15 Exeter Chiefs
Gloucester 36-32 Saracens
Sun – 6 Nov 2016
Newcastle Falcons 16-24 Northampton Saints
Top 14: The Top 14 season continues. The twelve teams this season are champions Racing 92, runners-up Toulon, Clermont, Montpellier, Toulouse, Castres, Bordeaux, Brive, La Rochelle, Grenoble, Pau and Stade Français… Two new teams from the 2015–16 Pro D2 season were promoted to Top 14 this year, Bayonne and Lyon in place of the two relegated teams, Agen and Oyonnax. It marks the first time that both teams relegated are both promoted in the following season (Bayonne and Lyon where both relegated during the 2014–15 Top 14 season). The line-up for the weekend begins with Racing being too strong for Montpellier, Brive dismantling Bayonne, Clermont stealing a win at home against Grenoble as Toulouse did similar against Castres. Bordeaux won their battle with Stade Francias, Lyon upset Toulon and La Rochelle dispatched Pau.
Here are the results:
Sat – 5 Nov 2016
Racing 92 21-9 Montpellier
Brive 26-9 Bayonne
Clermont Auvergne 21-20 Grenoble
Toulouse 16-15 Castres
Bordeaux-Bègles 37-19 Stade Français
Sun – 6 Nov 2016
Lyon 27-13 Toulon
La Rochelle 27-6 Pau
Pro 12: The 2016–17 Pro12 (also known as the Guinness Pro12 for sponsorship reasons) will be the sixteenth season of the professional rugby union competition originally known as the Celtic League, and the seventh with its current four-country format. It is the third season to be referred to as the Guinness Pro12. The weekend saw Edinburgh upset Ulster, Munster blank the Ospreys, Cardiff be too strong for Treviso, and Newport-Gwent defeat Connacht. In the last two matches, Leinster crusied by Zebre and Scarlets thumped Glasgow.
Here is the schedule:
Fri – 4 Nov 2016
Edinburgh 28-17 Ulster
Munster 33-0 Ospreys
Treviso 28-34 Cardiff Blues
Newport Gwent Dragons 21-16 Connacht
Sat – 5 Nov 2016
Zebre 10-33 Leinster
Scarlets 27-3 Glasgow Warriors
European Nations Cup: The ENC, or the 6 Nations “B” , is the premier tournament for the second-tier nations of Europe. Unbeknownst to some, the ENC consists of seven divisions, each featuring between four and six teams. The matches played will determine who will get promoted and relegated from groups Championship, Trophy, Conference 1 North &1 South and 2 North & 2 South over a two-year cycle. The Championship, where the best teams in Europe not called England, Ireland, France, Italy, Wales or Scotland reside, has no promotion option – only relegation back to 1B. Hopefully promotion from 1A to the proper 6N will eventually occur… but we aren’t banking on it.
As for the the weekend’s fixtures, it began with the Trophy division Netherlands crushed Ukraine, in Conference 1 South this weekend, Israel won a tough match against Croatia. In Conference 1 North, Lithuania defeated their brotherly rival Latvia and Sweden shut out tiny Luxembourg.
Here is the schedule:
Sat – 8 Oct 2016
RET: Ukraine 12 – 54 Netherlands
C1S: Israel 23 – 16 Croatia
C1N: Lithuania 11 – 6 Latvia
C1N: Luxembourg 0 – 19 Sweden
That’s all for now, please feel free to comment below, look for and “Like” our Facebook Rugby Wrap Up Page and follow us on Twitter@: @RugbyWrapUp, @Junoir Blaber, @MeetTheMatts, @Luke Bienstock, @Ronan Nelson, @Brian C Cole and @Declan Yeats.
And as always, stay low and keep pumping those legs.
