Six Nations rugby 2010 : France V Italy Hospitality

In theory, this should be a simple assignment for Les Bleus, seemingly on an inexorable path towards the title and a potential Grand Slam, but Italy would love to inflict one of the great upsets in the championships history.
France are aware more than anyone else of their own reputation for inconsistency, and no doubt coach Marc Lievremont would have been showing replays of their last 40 minutes of test rugby, when Wales came within a whisker of winning at Millennium Stadium.

That game will remind the Tricolours of their own mortality, and while their final match with England will decide the championship, they will want to make a statement at the expense of an Italian team that will arrive in Paris with some belief, after downing Scotland in Rome.
Italy will try to make it awkward for their opponents, and in more thorough analysis it can be revealed that they have hardly been whipping boys this tournament, with the exception of their first half of rugby against Ireland.

They may still be struggling with their attack, but defensively they have the third best defence by points scored in the tournament, and have let in only four tries – with only France (three conceded) having the better record.
But where they have looked better is that it appears Coach Nick Mallet has dropped the “damage control limitation” game plan, and is actually encouraging his team to win.  Furthermore, they are embracing their natural awkwardness, proving in this tournament, as they did against the Tri Nations power last year; that they are a difficult team to play against.
Their only victory came in 1997 when Massimo Giovanelli led Italy to a remarkable 40-32 win at the Stade Lesdiguieres in Grenoble, France.  The incomparable Diego Dominguez converted all four Italian tries that day and kicked a further four penalties.  The best efforts of a strong French team, led by Fabien Pelous came to nothing as they became the first and only team to lose to the Italians.
France has named a strong side, although they continue to be hamstrung by injuries.  But despite this, they have a level of depth which shows that perhaps Lievremont’s selection policies were in fact the act of an inspired genius.
Only two changes have been made after their 26-20 win over Wales, with David Marty coming into the side forcing Mathieu Bastareaud to the bench.
Castres winger Marc Andreu takes over for Julien Malzieu of Clermont, while Biarritz number nine Dimitri Yachvili makes his return to the national side, coming in on the bench to replace the injured Frederic Michalak.
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Mike Phillips takes first steps to Wales return as Ospreys go top

Mike Phillips, Ospreys’ Lions scrum-half, survived an entire half of rugby yesterday evening as he attempts a Wales return before the end of the Six Nations Championship. These were Phillips’ first tentative steps back on to the field since recovering from surgery after he tore ankle ligaments in a Heineken Cup match against Clermont Auvergne last October. Despite being watched by Wales’s coach Warren Gatland in Swansea it is very unlikely Phillips will be in the Wales 22 to face France at the Millennium Stadium on Friday night when it is announced tomorrow.
The Blues scrum-half Richie Rees is likely to be handed his first start against the French and ahead of Phillips in Gatland’s immediate thoughts will be Dwayne Peel simply because the Sale No9, who has recovered from a groin injury, has had more rugby than the Ospreys man, including a full 80 minutes against Leeds on Friday night. Phillips’ 40 minutes were nonetheless encouraging, if a little conservative, and he will no doubt come into Wales’ plans for the final two games against Ireland and Italy in March.
"He’s a wee bit off the pace physically but it’s just great to have him back. It’s good to see him get half a game and a good run out. He did some good things too," said Ospreys’ director of coaching, Scott Johnson.
Ospreys, who went top of the Magners League table with this two tries to one victory, were boosted by the presence of the outside-half Dan Biggar and lock and captain Ian Gough, who were both released back to the region by the Wales management. Biggar was at the centre of the action early on. After missing a second-minute drop goal the 20-year-old made a 45-metre penalty before taking down Connacht’s hooker Sean Cronin with a try-saving tug of the jersey.
The Ospreys scored a spectacular try in which the full-back Gareth Owen breezed in from halfway, going between two men and then rounding the full-back. After a Connacht try was ruled out by the TV match official the Irishmen breached the Ospreys’ 22 only for Owen to pull off a fine tackle on scrum-half Connor O’Loughlin.
Connacht’s endeavours were finally rewarded with a second penalty for Ian Keatley but Biggar cancelled that out as Ospreys led 11-6 at the interval. The biggest cheer of the evening was reserved for Phillips’ arrival into the fray after half-time and it coincided with the Ospreys taking control of the match with a penalty and try for Biggar within the first nine minutes of the restart.
Biggar went by the left corner flag after receiving a cheeky reverse pass from the ever lively Owen. But if the Ospreys had ambitions of a bonus-point win they were put on hold after the lock Ian Evans received a yellow-card for a high tackle, and with the extra man Connacht grabbed a try through Sean Cronin and two penalties for Keatley as the home side’s lead was cut to two points going into injury time.
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Perpignan make offer to Ospreys for James Hook

The Ospreys’ Wales and Lions back, 24, is understood to be keen on a move away from the Liberty Stadium despite having 15 months to run on his contract.
Hook, who has won 37 caps for Wales, has become disillusioned with his rugby life in Swansea after losing his place at fly-half to Dan Biggar, 20. He also fears his switch to centre will end his chances of wearing the No 10 shirt at next year’s World Cup in New Zealand.
Cardiff and Worcester have also made inquiries about Hook, who played at full-back for Wales in the autumn Tests.
Sources in France suggest the Ospreys have turned down an initial approach from Perpignan and are likely to maintain their stance despite Hook’s desire to leave.
The 22-year-old former rugby league player, who is the Guinness Premiership’s leading try-scorer, with nine in 10 games, has been named in England’s elite player squad for the Six Nations Championship.

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Will Greenwood’s big warning for Wales

WORLD CUP-WINNER Will Greenwood has delivered a double whammy to Wales’ top stars, declaring they are facing Twickenham defeat and potential Heineken Cup wipe-out.
Greenwood, scourge of Wales’s teams as a player at the start of this millennium, reckons Martin Johnson’s new-look England will prove too strong for Warren Gatland’s men at Twickenham.
And he also predicted the Ospreys stars who make up the bulk of Gatland’s team have to take something from their Euro showdown in Clermont tomorrow.
Failure to do that, he warns, could lead to Clermont and Leicester grabbing the top-two spots in Pool Three and the Ospreys joining the Blues, Scarlets and Dragons on the Euro sidelines.
Greenwood’s warning of a double dose of trouble for Welsh rugby will fire up the likes of Ryan Jones, Shane Williams, Lee Byrne, Adam Jones, James Hook and Alun Wyn Jones ahead of a pivotal moment of their season.
But Greenwood is adamant that misery could be facing Welsh rugby, saying: “England have made themselves difficult to beat against Six Nations opponents. It’s England versus Wales at Twickenham on February 6, one of the days in the rugby calendar.
“I’m one of the biggest fans of Welsh rugby, but, as a proud Englishman, I think home advantage will prove decisive with England coming out on top.
“Wales’ second game of the Six Nations is against Scotland in Cardiff and it’s that encounter when Wales will look to get on a winning roll.”
England boss Johnson has strengthened his squad significantly after it was ravaged by injury for the autumn campaign, bringing in a number of younger players he hopes will pep up his team.
But Greenwood says that for Gatland’s Ospreys-based stars to go to Twickenham on a Euro high, they need to go for the jugular in France tomorrow to guarantee Welsh representation in the Heineken quarter-finals.
Scott Johnson’s side currently top Pool Three with 16 points, four ahead of Leicester and Clermont. But their rivals each have the comfort of a probable bonus-point victory to come over Italian minnows Viadana.
With French Championship leaders Clermont hosting the Ospreys at Stade Marcel Michelin, Greenwood insists Aurelien Rougerie and his team are in pole position to win the group.
“James is just so calm and assured. When it’s on to go from his 22, he is away. It’s an Australian sense of belief and purpose.

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Swans hope with wales in Six Nation 2010

SWANSEA City expect their stir against Newcastle United to deed out despite the fact that positive clashes with Wales’s Six Nations meeting with Scotland mark Cardiff.

Swansea accredit regularly switched matches network the past to flee reaction head-to-head with Welsh rugby internationals.

But they are confident the pull of Wales will not personify enough to launch remove seats at the Liberty.

“Despite the rugby taking place weight Cardiff, we expect a sell-out because Newcastle is undifferentiated a big game,” a Swansea spokesman said.

“It’s difficult to switch any fixture, also we besides have to take into balance the travelling fans and the distance involved, particularly because we expect Newcastle to bring 2,500 supporters with them.”

Swansea opine brought the kick-off unfearful to 1pm when they host Preston North carry off on February 6 to avoid a feud with Wales’s Six Nations trip to Twickenham.

But they say emphatic the Newcastle kick-off time is not an option for of hunt and the adventure that Wales v Scotland starts at 2pm.

Tickets for the Newcastle game are available now, but only if fans also shake on a mark as the game against Peterborough on February 27. able is the possibility that the Newcastle bit will have to be overwrought to a discrepant date if the Toon reach the fifth war of the FA Cup.

Stephen Dobbie, meanwhile, says he would consider joining Aberdeen — but only if Swansea wanting him to go.

Dobbie has again taut that he is keen to focus on forcing his coming back into the first team at Swansea after Aberdeen boss Mark McGhee registered an induce. undeniable is thought a deal is unlikely at this routine because Aberdeen are concise of cash.

“Aberdeen are a big club, but I commit good have to wait further see what my own gaffer’s thoughts are,” Dobbie said.

“If Swansea habit around and do they want me to go outmost on loan to get some football, whence I will have a look at Aberdeen.”

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Wales V Scotland Hospitality

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Rob Moffat buoyed as Rory Hutton muscles into contention

ROB Moffat may have finally broken the glass ceiling for the next group of emerging stand-offs by handing Rory Hutton his Magners League debut, but, having done so, the experienced Edinburgh coach could have given himself a real selection headache for the team’s Heineken Cup matches over the next fortnight.
Had Edinburgh beaten Bath, as they probably should have done, at the Recreation Ground in early December, they would be staring at a great opportunity to qualify for the Heineken Cup quarter- finals. It is now slim, but the chance is not gone. Edinburgh need to win their remaining games, beating Ulster at Ravenhill for the second time this season and then Stade Francais at Murrayfield, preferably with bonus points. They may not even need Bath to win in Paris this weekend, though that would help.
It is not impossible as Stade have endured a tough time in recent weeks and are looking at a very French solution to the problem of running out of scrum-halves – playing the hooker there this week. Countless French sides have also shown an aversion to playing in Scotland, with Pau, Colomiers, Grenoble, Toulouse, Agen, Clermont Auvergne, Perpignan, Bourgoin, Castres and Biarritz all returning home winless. Stade also lost at Ulster this season for a third time.

If winning the pool and grasping one of the two best runners-up spots fails to materialise, two wins could still hand Edinburgh a place in the last eight of the Amlin Challenge Cup, and seal European rugby and more income in the latter stages of the season. So these games are important. There were many plus points in Saturday’s team performance, notably up front, but after finding a stand-off with the ability to surprise a defence like Cardiff’s and energise players around him the way Hutton did, the coach might have been tempted to stick with the same team.
However, he cannot. Hutton was not registered for the Heineken Cup as he was not in the frame for selection at the last stage of squad changes. That has eased Moffat’s week somewhat, as the coach has the Scotland stand-off Phil Godman champing at the bit to return after a week off to rest a hip injury.

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It’s the right time to move from Glasgow to Cardiff, insists Dan Parks

What had become one of the worst-kept secrets in Scottish rugby finally came out into the open yesterday when both Glasgow and Cardiff Blues confirmed that Dan Parks, the Scotland fly half, will be moving to the Welsh capital in the summer.
At least, with the need for silence ended, Parks was able yesterday to issue a statement thanking the Glasgow fans for the backing they have given him in his seven-year career with the club, while David Young, the Blues director of rugby, could start to explain to his club’s supporters why he wanted Parks.
“He is a quality player who has often been the difference between the two teams and a real thorn in our side on a number of occasions,” Young said. “His organisational skills and game understanding makes him a real general on the pitch and he has excellent communication skills.

“His record as a goalkicker speaks for itself, but his distribution skills are also well recognised. He will certainly strengthen our options.”
For the player it is obviously going to be something of a wrench to leave the place he has called home since 2003.
“Glasgow has been my life for the past seven years,” Parks said. “It’s difficult to leave a place you’ve been for so long, but with so many young talented players coming through, it’s the right time. The Glasgow supporters have been fantastic and have really added to the enjoyment factor of playing rugby here over the years.”
When Young approached Parks, he must have assumed that he would be getting a player who would arrive unencumbered by international demands, but all that may have changed in the last couple of weeks, during which the 31-year-old Parks comprehensively outplayed Phil Godman, the present Scotland fly half, in both the derbies over the festive period while becoming the first player to pass 1,000 points in the Magners League.

Despite that, the change still makes sense for Glasgow. They see Ruaridh Jackson as the long-term future, though Sean Lineen, the head coach, spoke yesterday in glowing terms about the contribution Parks had made to the club. “He is a great lad who just loves playing rugby and has loved playing rugby for Glasgow,” he said.
“He will be missed, his enthusiasm has rubbed off on everyone. He has shown tremendous character to get through some difficult times and I wish him all the best — apart from in the games that we play against Cardiff.”

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Australian Rugby Union side barred from recruiting Wallabies

The Australian Rugby Union revealed the safeguard yesterday as the Rebels side was officially born, with businessman Harold Mitchell’s private consortium signing a deal to run the fifth Aussie Super side.

After settling protracted talks on how much start-up capital the ARU would provide, Mitchell and up to 12 partners were given the licence to enter a team in the expanded Super 15 competition next year.

Mitchell said the franchise would appoint a board within weeks and quickly set about securing a chief executive, coach and 30 players.

Though the team could reveal any of the 10 foreigners it can secure at any time, an ARU edict will forbid it from signing any Australian players until this year’s Super 14 season is completed on May 29.

The “no-go zone” will prevent the Rebels making waves in the player market as New South Wales, the ACT, Queensland and Western Force are in the middle of their domestic seasons.

“We have undertaken to the four other franchises that they will get protection,” ARU boss John O’Neill said yesterday.

“We will have a device that will allow Melbourne to get on with life but also avoid in the middle of a Super rugby season seeing a Waratah or a Red standing up there pulling on a Melbourne jersey.”

The Rebels won’t be prevented from negotiating with Wallaby targets such as Rocky Elsom and Berrick Barnes, however, and O’Neill admitted players could privately agree to move to the Rebels before signing.

Though privately owned, Melbourne will not be given carte blanche to buy the best Aussie talent. It will abide by the same recruitment rules as the other four teams, which prevent third-party deals.

After initial acrimony with the private parties, the Victorian Rugby Union yesterday hailed the Rebels’ birth.

“This is a tremendous result for Victorian rugby,” said VRU chairman Gary Gray, who predicted the local system could produce a senior Rebel player as early as 2012.

“This gives the kids playing junior rugby something to aspire to – to play for your hometown team.”

Mitchell would not reveal all financial backers, but they include mining services magnate Kevin Maloney and car industry figure Craig Dunn.

Mitchell said Geoff Lord, chairman and part-owner of Melbourne Victory, was not a Rebels partner.

He put the value of the investment in the new club at “some millions”.

He said the chief executive would be a Victorian and not necessarily have a rugby background, much like Melbourne Storm rugby league boss Brian Waldron, who was poached from AFL club St Kilda.

The ARU provided a grant of about $3 million and a loan, reflecting the “start-up nature” of the club. Six nations hospitality available in market you can buy online

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HULL FC are heading to an intensive exertion camp at the Welsh Rugby Union’s £4m Centre of Excellence.

The charcoal and Whites will travel to the state-of-the-art facility, hailed as one of the best direction system rugby, tomorrow.

And drill Richard Agar says it will stand for an extremely valuable four-day ‘mini-camp’ prime of their 2010 campaign.

Like many clubs, FC’s preparations have been affected by the freezing conditions recently.

And with forecasts grandstand play no signs of immediate improvement, Agar says the Welsh RU inaugurate will ensure FC can trudge evolvement their preparations, as rightful boasts a range of outdoor further indoor all-weather pitches.

“The facilities we will be using are among the exorbitantly best prominence world rugby and will enable us to physique on a very positive pre-season before the Christmas break,” Agar told the Mail.

“Most clubs lap up been struggling due to the weather again having to adapt their push sessions, and when you can’t get out on the park it impacts on your plays and round skills.

“Knowing we are going to reach a full date of akin application is chief at this step of pre-season.”

Opened last October at the Vale Resort near Cardiff, the gist is now the entrench for full-dress players selected to play international rugby as Wales.

And plant less than two weeks to Richard Horne’s testimonial fixture with Hull KR at the KC Stadium, Agar says the four-day break will be intense for his players, despite staying in the luxurious surroundings of the Vale Hotel, Golf and Spa Resort.

“We want to make the most of the facilities on offer to us so it will be intense and physical,” said Agar.

“Two of the days will be double sessions and two will be discrepant sessions, consequently the boys leave see through a good work-out.

“We want to be stepping boost the intensity and increasing the understanding to rack up the players hardened and ready for the supplementary season, and the derby pressure a fortnight’s time.

“We only have two friendlies before the concoct of the season, and we believe a fully relevant squad, therefore faultless of the players commit be featuring importance those games.”

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Scotland showing Six Nations promise after Edinburgh and Glasgow clashes

Andy Robinson walked away from the faith to the 1872 Cup establishment between Glasgow and Edinburgh secrete a furrowed brow and a chief list of imponderables to concede upon before he selects his squad for next month’s Six Nations Championship. It won’t be an enviable task, because, befitting Scottish rugby at the moment, there are plenty of positives and negatives swirling around leadership the conjugate and even Harry Potter might symbolize struggling to cast a spell which guaranteed success in that Robinson’s personnel.

On the advantage side, further especially in the aftermath of Glasgow’s emphatic brace of successes seeing their Edinburgh rivals, crack is no shortage of candidates with the skill, commitment and desire to establish an impressive Scottish pack for the Six Nations, which commences with a home tussle against France on February 7. Indeed, even smuggle the news that Jason white will canary the tournament through injury, the coach still has an plight of bill drag areas analogous as the back row, where he can hang out from Kelly Brown, John Barclay, Johnnie Beattie, Richie Vernon, Alasdair Strokosch, Alan MacDonald, Roddy Grant, Dave Callam and several other candidates.

Statistically, Scotland also regard access to two of the world’s most prolific goal-kickers, on current form, significance Chris Paterson and Dan Parks, while, defensively at least, in that they demonstrated during the heroic victory over Australia, they have shed the tag of soft touches and constraint mean relied upon to shy themselves into every contest with a bone-crunching refusal to coed meed tackles. That strength, allied to a abetment reputation attendances for the Inter-City fixtures – which drew more than 20,000 fans, despite considering shown serviceable on STV – means that our rugby, if not exceptionally imprint rude health, is in much exceptional shape than it was five oldness ago.

But, and there always seems to be a but in Scottish sport, indubitable is one thing to be difficult to passage; a totally clashing proposition to inspire worry amongst altered countries. Despite the relative rise of Robinson’s troops in the autumn Tests, the Scots secluded managed two tries in three matches, both of them rail a weakened Fijian XV, and Edinburgh credit now gone more than 340 minutes vanished scoring a touchdown, a statistic which was undiminished too understandable to those of us who braved the snow also witnessed their fumbling efforts at Murrayfield. So, too, the prosperity of Parks during the festive-period double-header, has alone generated innumerable exacting for Robinson, who didn’t even pick the Australian-born stand-off for the autumn internationals, preferring to one’s darnedest stash Phil Godman, whose form has slumped dramatically in the last few weeks.

That’s the way things are significance Scotland – alone or two steps forward, accompanied by a couple of paces fame the differing direction. Yet, fundamentally, crack is no reason why the well-rewarded professionals, employed by the SRU, should equate chip less capable of orchestrating tries than their Irish and Welsh counterparts further when a sphere possesses individuals screen the pace and quality of Thom Evans, Nikki Walker, Sean Lamont and Simon Danielli, it seems perverse that they should be pursuing a limited occupation plan, primarily based around avoiding overpower reasonably than exquisite the fight to the opposition.

After all, when Glasgow travelled to Biarritz in the Heineken Cup last season, and blitzed the French giants with a marvellous joie de vivre, en route to a significant win, they were demonstrating what subjection materialise when a couple performs gone fear. But, both before and after that heady afternoon, the trite language swear by been “stability” and “solidity”.

Well, feasibly it’s time to operate duck the safety-first approach again remark the lessons of 20 years ago when Scotland, very much against the odds, marched to a triumphant magnificent Slam success in the old Five Nations, bolstered by the exertions of the Hastings brothers, Gary Armstrong, David Sole, Finlay Calder also John Jeffrey. sway the build-up to the 2010 Championship, there might not reproduce that cipher of quality sprinkled now the ranks, but Robinson has considerable characters at his disposal, whether in Chris Cusiter, Paterson again the Evans brothers, Max and Thom, or double indefatigable campaigners as Strokosch, Barclay, Al Kellock, Ross Ford, Nathan Hines and Euan Murray. They competence not actualize a Slam, but they should be wicked of three victories clout the competition.

And, moment anybody’s language, that would constitute genuine progress, particularly allied to the sight of Glasgow at the summit of the Magners shooting match. wind is pretending that subject in the garden is sanguine. But nor should we overstay our welcome hold the last-chance saloon. The Scots are on the up. Time for some glitter touching the grit.

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