Wales Heard Me and Scotland are out to prove something

And evidence shows that someone must have printed a copy of my last blog and passed it around the Welsh dressing room this past weekend, as they sent Argentina packing with a very comfortable win. Granted, the Argentines are weak at the moment due to injuries and retirements, but it is still Argentina. Not only Wales but Shane Williams proved me wrong. He came through with two tries! James Hook still deserves a bigger part for Wales, but it is good to see the country on the upswing.

In other news SCOTLAND! Scotland has pulled the biggest upset this century by defeating Australia. Scotland was not on a long string of victories. There are no players of the quality one might call "game breaking" such as Bryan Habana or Dan Carter. In fact, the player everyone raves about, Chris Paterson, was sitting the bench and only got on the board thanks to a huge drop goal. I was amazed to see the man wearing the #21 jersey, but he has yet to nail down a specialized position. He is a great winger, but not as speedy as Sean Lamont or Danielli. He is solid under the high ball with a great punt, but without the counter attacking skill of Hugo Southwell. He is a reliable fly half, but does not start every week like Godman. Alas, I digress, but Chris Paterson deserves to get into the game more often, especially with his incredibly reliable boot and his overall skills. Scotland face Argentina next weekend and have the potential to win all their autumn tests.

Ireland showed class and Jonny Sexton was MoM, perhaps giving a glimpse of what is to come for Ireland. Ireland has been in some trouble recently, most specifically in the fly half position. While they enjoyed David Humphreys and Ronan O'Gara for well over a decade, O'Gara will probably be gone within five years and no one was putting their hand up as a solid replacement until Sexton came through for Leinster. He is bound to falter soon, albeit for only a game or so, because he has been on such a long string of good luck. Here's to a long career.

An England loss to the All Blacks and a French victory over Samoa are two other small points to consider, neither of which were ever in doubt.

This week's games

Italy v. Samoa

These two teams are ranked as 12 and 13, with Italy taking the lower rank. However, Italy is still the better team. Unfortunately for them, they consistently lose due to their aggressive schedule in the Six Nations. None of the Six Nations games are guaranteed wins for the Italians, and rarely are wins ever extracted except against Scotland. Samoa is a good team, but Italy should win.

Ireland v. South Africa

Normally, even my Irish pride would keep me from predicting a victory against the Springboks, especially a World and Tri-Nations Champion side. BUT, South Africa have lost everything that has come their way this series, except against the lowly Italians. I think Ireland can come through with a victory given their recent form and South Africa's bad games.

Scotland v. Argentina

Argentina is on a bad luck streak while Scotland is on a very big high after the upset over Australia. Argentina can always upset teams, but not now. They are missing their stars and Rodriguez cannot be held accountable for all of his team's points. Scotland victory. Now, lets see Chris Paterson start!

Wales v. Australia

Australia will be fighting hard to reclaim some dignity after losing to Scotland for the first time in 27 years, but Wales will also be trying to prove their strength and keep going after the big win over Argentina. Yet, Australia's need for a win is greater. The Wallabies always produce a good game against the Welsh, with some very close scores in recent years. Count on Giteau to make his kicks this weekend.

France v. New Zealand

France and Australia are the two teams that have the key to the All Black defense. They always seem to be able to beat them, France especially in the World Cup. The All Blacks have been strong lately. Good enough when it counted, but never overpowering. I am betting on a French victory this weekend, especially being at home. They split the series with the All Blacks in New Zealand this past June and French flair in the running game is unmatched.

~Tyler

Four out of Six

One for two in the first week and four for six in the second week. Not a bad tally, especially since one of my mistakes ended in a tie last weekend.

The Welsh team is awful right now. Sure, Stephen Jones can kick his goals, but the team is choking without James Hook being played in a position where he can show his playmaking prowess. Instead, he's stuck back at fullback and has to rely on counter attacks to show any skill. Shane Williams was fantastic last season and during the Grand Slam of 2008, but is bad right now. I think he is a liability for Wales. He tends to be streaky in his scoring anyway, but he is going on a long streak without many tries for both club and country. To add to it, the Samoan team played poorly overall and should have won the game if not for their terrible place kicking. Wales were simply bad. They are lucky to face another poorly performing team this weekend in Argentina.

England is also playing badly. They are struggling to find any points except through Jonny Wilkinson, who has had to kick multiple drop goals just to pad the English scoreline. And with the All Blacks as their next opponent, they look ready to lose.

Ireland played below their form of the Six Nations, but not terribly. O'Gara managed to regain some of his kicking abilities that faulted him during the opening Heineken Cup rounds, and a late O'Driscoll try salvaged some dignity in a draw against the Aussies who got the short end of the stick this past Tri-Nations season. They are a great team and just were outshone by the better All Blacks and Springboks.

The Sringboks, however, are on a bad run. They lost to Leicester, they lost to France, they lost to Saracens. This is not the South Africa that we have seen since the RWC. They may be able to reclaim some winning form against Italy this weekend.

The Games

Ireland v. Fiji

Ireland should be able to defeat Fiji, especially at home. The Fijians tend to play with more flair and wing play than the other island nations, which is where Ireland are slightly weaker. With Fitzgerald gone, they may struggle more. But the big news is that Jonny Sexton will be making his Ireland debut against Fiji, with full and complete support from Brian O'Driscoll. Sexton is a fantastic fly half and has proven a worthy replacement for Contepomi at Leinster. I expect an Irish win.

Italy v. South Africa

South Africa should be able to regain their winning ways against Italy despite the Italian passion that shown against the All Blacks. South African win.

England v. New Zealand

This is the big test for Jonny Wilkinson. He can kick his goals, no question. But will he be able to finally open up the defense of the All Blacks? Wales played well against New Zealand, and England have the ability to upset the All Blacks, but not on their current form. They have to score tries to beat New Zealand, and right now only Jonny Wilkinson's boot is scoring points. All Black victory.

Wales v. Argentina

I would like to pick Argentina to win, and given recent Welsh form, I could be right. However, Argentina has also been stripped of their biggest players in Hernandez, Contepomi and Leguizamon. The Welsh should be able to win given the current form of the Argentinians, however Argentina can always upset big teams.

France v. Samoa

France should win. Samoa can really only hope for upsets against Wales and Scotland. France just defeated the World Champion Springboks and will still be on a high.

Scotland v. Australia

A while back, I may have been wiling to give Scotland an upset here, but Australia has proven strong against England and Ireland. With Scotland often relying on Chris Paterson, Australia should have little to worry about.

~Tyler

Dan Carter Cited?

One for two. I have not watched the England v. Australia game, but from the sound of it England did not get off the ground. I had slated them for victory, especially since Jonny Wilkinson is on the top of his game right now. But, alas, one man does not make a team. New Zealand, on the other hand, kept Wales at bay. However, the story of the weekend is how the mighty Springboks fell to Leicester and their new player, Lote Tiqiri. No one would have predicted this, Tiqiri or no Tiqiri.

Lote Tiqiri is a fantastic player and one of the best wingers in the game. But, I have one question for Leicester: Why? Why do you need to become the New York Yankees of rugby? They consistently hire the best players and it does not put them leagues above the rest as it should and does on paper. They currently sit in fourth place, two wins and a bonus point out of first. By the way, first place is in the hands of Saracens. They are the same team that dumped players and payroll last year during transition of management. Go figure.

This coming weekend will have an interesting assortment of games, with few of them looking to provide upsets.

Wales v. Samoa

Don't expect another 1991 RWC repeat here. Samoa has not performed well at all against bigger nations. Wins against USA and Japan don't count for much here. However, Wales will need to be ready for the stereotype "Samoan tackles" this weekend. A Welsh win is nearly inevitable.

France v. South Africa

Here is a good game. South Africa is coming off of a bad weekend against Leicester, albeit with a less-than-best squad. France had a big win against New Zealand in New Zealand in June, but not much after that. Their domestic league is going well, but South Africa is the best team in the world right now. South Africa will win this game so long as they can keep France to less than three tries.

Italy v. New Zealand

Dan Carter might miss this game against Italy due to being cited for a high tackle against the Welsh, but he was not likely to start anyway. There are multiple fly halves waiting for selection for the All Blacks. I'm guessing Stephan Donald will get the nod, with McAlister going to inside center again. Italy usually has better luck against Australia, and the All Blacks should win this one.

England v. Argentina

The last time we saw this match-up, it proved to be a historic victory for Argentina. However, Agustin Pichot and Ignacio Corleto have retired. Juan Martin Hernandez and Felipe Contepomi have retired. I am a big believer in Argentina, and have been since before their "sudden" arrival on the international scene in the 2007 RWC, but even I can't hope for a win here. Well, I can hope. But Argentina should lose this one to Wilkinson and the rest of England.

Scotland v. Fiji

Fiji has a short list of test matches since their glory of the 2007 RWC, with most of those games against lesser opponents. Fiji has the ability to defeat the Scottish, but the Scots play very well at home. Scotland has only lost once to Fiji, back in 1998 in Fiji. Scotland should win this game, but I do not quite understand this seemingly reluctant choice of putting Chris Paterson into the lineup. He is their best player.

Ireland v. Australia

Ireland is starting to lose the high from last season, although three of the top five teams in the Magners League are Irish. Australia does well against England, but has not done very well against Ireland in the Northern Hemisphere recently. I'd love to pick Ireland outright to win this game, but I am having difficulty doing so. Ronan O'Gara has been less than effective lately, especially with his kicking. Jonny Sexton wouldn't be able to defeat Australia if he were to be tossed in instead of O'Gara. Nonetheless, I think Ireland can win.

~Tyler

Autumn Internationals week 1

England v. Australia

Jonny Wilkinson is back and at the top of his game in the south of France, which can only mean good news for England. I am disappointed in not seeing Mathew Tait's name on the England list, but I have gotten used to that since the World Cup. He has been seeing less and less playing time. Regarding the match, England is looking to end Australia's hope for a Grand Slam before it can take off. Australia got beaten up during the Tri-Nations this summer, and did not do so well last weekend in Tokyo. I doubt that Australia will be able to conjure up some magic in order to win a Grand Slam, but a win against England would actually be an upset. England should win, especially with Wilkinson playing so well.

Wales v. New Zealand

Dan Carter is still a fitness doubt, but with New Zealand being New Zealand, there is always more than enough cover. Wales has been the site of controversy in recent games against the All Blacks. First, they refused to let the Haka take place on the field. Then, the following year, they stood and refused to move after the Haka was performed. I think refusing to let it be performed is poor sportsmanship, but standing up to it is fantastic. The All Blacks have a one-sided opinion when it comes to the Haka. They see it as a perfectly fair way to offer up a challenge to the opposition and demand respect for it. Yet, they refuse to allow any "response" to the Haka. A response would be like what the Welsh did last year when they stood up to the Haka. The All Blacks need to realize that just because they're the most successful team does not mean they deserve special treatment. Don't forget, they consistently fail to win the World Cup. In fact, they haven't even been able to reach the Final since 1987. Yet, the Welsh are in no shape to pull an upset, especially with this juggling nonsense that James Hook is being forced into.

~Tyler

Warren Gatland is Right

BBC Rugby has recently posted a story discussing Gatland's strong statements toward English rugby. He says that the Guinness Premiership is weak. I must concur. Ronan O'Gara received some heat a number of years back when he said bad things about the Premiership just ahead of Munster's Heineken Cup tie with Leicester at Welford Road. Luckily for O'Gara, he was able to kick a monster penalty from his own half in driving rain with only seconds to go in order to back up his claim and top the English giants.

Gatland has picked only one foreign-based player for his Welsh squad, Dwayne Peel, which is completely justified given the man's abilities and the Welsh scrum-half issue at the moment. The Magners League has had a roller coaster season so far. The top of the table has been occupied by many different teams in the early part of the season, including three of the four Irish provinces. This helps to show just how strong the Magners League is becoming. Completely unlike the Guinness Premiership, which has only a few real contenders: London Wasps, Leicester Tigers and now the London Irish. Gloucester always shows promise but falters. Bath is not as strong as they once were. Leeds is a joke of a team, bound for relegation again this season. The Saracens may be undefeated and sit atop the GP table, but five of their six wins have seen the opponents walk away with a bonus point loss. This could show their tenacity and ability to hang on, but a week two victory over London Irish and a squeaker against Northampton do not prove much so early in the season.

The real proving ground is the Heineken Cup, the only place that full strength sides from all the Home Nations are able to compete against each other in a hugely competitive atmosphere. The GP teams have faired 5-8-1 through two rounds so far. Irish teams have broken even at 3-3, Welsh teams 5-2-1 and the Scots 1-3, despite early season promise shown in the ML.

Former powerhouse Bath hasn't won since 1996 in the Guinness Premiership, and except for blips on the radar from Newcastle in 1998 and Sale in 2006, it has been a two horse race with London Wasps and Leicester Tigers swapping titles. A two team tournament is hardly a fierce competition, rather, a fierce rivalry. The Magners League, however, has shown more competition. Though it has a shorter history, five different teams have won the tournament, with no team claiming more than two titles. All three nations have produced a winner or runner up.

I will not bash the Guinness Premiership, but it is not the premier tournament in the Northern Hemisphere. It is inferior to the Magners League and to the French Top 14, possibly the league with the most skilled of players. London Wasps and Leicester Tigers will continue to be extremely successful as the best teams in the GP, but Warren Gatland is correct. The Guinness Premiership is weak. How can this be changed? The change is already underway with Martin Johnson at the helm of English rugby, as he is very strict on foreign-based players. He allows very few into the national setup.

That and ditching Danny Cipriani. He has potential, but Stuart Barnes is in love with the man and that right there should raise a few brows.

~Tyler

Heineken Cup Outlook and the Autumn International injury outlook

The first two rounds of the Heineken Cup are done and there are some big surprises. Treviso defeated the French Champions Perpignan, Bath lost both of their matches and look out of the running, the Scarlets managed to win two and last year's Welsh strength Cardiff underperformed. As the pools stand right now, its a story about the French. Only one English teams sits atop a pool, with one Irish and one Welsh joining them.

This Heineken Cup campaign has been, thus far, one of nail-biter endings. Almost two-thirds of all the games played in the opening two rounds could have been changed with one additional unconverted try, meaning a 4 point or less spread. This is rugby. This is what the Heineken Cup is all about. I'd rather see a two point Munster victory than a 35 point drubbing. I'd rather see Cardiff go down to a late penalty than close out the final 15 minutes. (Nothing against Cardiff!)

I had predicted that the Ospreys v. Clermont game would be the game of the week, and I was close. But the real game of the week was Bath v. Stade Francais. The game bounced back and forth throughout, with most of the points coming from the boot of Julien Dupuy. Bath had a lead early on, but Dupuy kicked a penalty for Stade just about every 10 minutes in the second and third quarter of the game, keeping them within reach.

In the December matches, where teams are played back-to-back, there is an opportunity for teams to cement a spot at the top. Northampton plays Treviso, Biarritz plays the Dragons and the Ospreys play Viadana. Some teams have very tough games, such as the Scarlets having to play Champions Leinster. A sweep for either team could be enough to secure the pool.

As for the upcoming Autumn Internationals, Australia is looking for a Grand Slam, and begin against the struggling English. The English have already lost their two best props, Sheridan and Vickery. But they have a healthy Jonny Wilkinson, which can sometimes mean a win from kickoff. The Welsh have a few injuries as well, while the Irish are looking relatively healthy (save for O'Gara's poor kicking thus far) and the Scottish might have ridden out their early-season success. Nonetheless, Australia won't get a Grand Slam because they always have trouble against Wales and Ireland plays too well at home.

~Tyler

Round 2!

So the first round of the Heineken Cup produced some interesting scores. Perpignan, the French giant, lost to lowly Treviso. It is certainly the biggest Italian victory in the history of European Cup rugby, if not the biggest in Italian club history. Unfortunately, it probably will not be repeated this week. London Irish topped the Champions, Leinster, who looked trapped by Irish's wonderful defense. Leinster often looked the better attacking team, only to come up short in their own (usually great) defense. The Ospreys fought back to tie Leicester and should be pretty happy with that draw, given the fact that they were away from home and nearly lost it to Leicester in the end, who had to fight back from a huge deficit.

Round 2

Pool 1

Munster v. Treviso. While Treviso won last week and Munster lost, it is inconceivable that Munster would lose at home to an Italian minnow. It might not be a massive victory, if Treviso can manage to bring some of that spunk they showed last week to Thomond Park, but it should be a Munster victory nonetheless.

Perpignan v. Saints. This game looks to be one of the better games of the weekend. The Saints will be going to France on a high after defeating the Heineken Cup poster boys last weekend. Unfortunately, the French will be looking to strike back and restore some of their pride from not only the Heineken Cup, but their poor season to date. However, if Geraghty can manage to find half the brilliance he showed last weekend, Northampton can smile atop Pool 1 yet again.

Pool 2

Dragons v. Warriors. This Magners League match-up looks to possibly be a season turner for the Dragons, should they get a win. Gloucester had a scare last week as they relied on a Welshman's boot to secure a very late penalty and a win over the lowly Welsh team. The Dragons have never performed well in Europe and it would take an immense effort to recreate what they had last weekend. Glasgow, on the other hand, has been very solid in the early weeks of the Magners League, and should be able to pull out a victory.

Biarritz v. Gloucester. While this would have been a massively important game in years past, it is not the highlight it used to be. Its still a big game, but Biarritz has lost some of their luster and Gloucester never performs in the biggest of games. Yet, Biarritz defends their home turf very well and look to be in prime position to add a second win to their season.

Pool 3

Viadana v. Leicester. Clermont put almost 20 points past the Italians, and the English team of Leicester will do better than that. Win for Leicester.

Ospreys v. Clermont. This is the game of the weekend. The Ospreys need a big boost to get their season rolling in both the Heineken Cup and Magners League, although their two point draw last week could help them when Leicester visit Wales in January. The best team in France is Clermont, at the moment, and despite a relatively low victory margin against Viadana, they should give Ospreys a huge run. The Ospreys have the most potential of any team in Europe, and consistently fail to reach it. However, with Gavin Henson on leave, they are better off. He is a fantastic player but, he never looks like he wants to play. He is overly nonchalant. With Biggar and Hook running the show, the Ospreys should be able to give the home crowd a victory.

Now, if we can only get a consistent showing from Shane Williams. The man is the essence of brilliance on minute, and utterly anonymous the next.

~Tyler

So After last week's show I might as well throw all of my predictions out the window. Congrats to the Cardiff Blues and the Scarlets, way to represent Wales!

Pool 4:

Edinburgh vs. Ulster: Now I got these two teams predicted right, and Ulster has stopped the Edinburgh show already this season, and Edinburgh has been on quite a down swing since their firey start. So to put things simply I expect Ulster to beat Edinburgh.

Stade Francais vs. Bath: I have to stick with my French predictions on this one. Stade is looking to get in a groove, and Bath isn't likely to be the team to stop them.

Pool 5:

Cardiff Blues vs. Sale: As the Blues turned things around last week against the 'Quins I have a small hope for the Blues this weekend. So for my upset of the weekend I choose the Blues to beat the 'Quins.

Toulouse vs. Harlequins: After the 'Quin's lose to the Blues last weekend they appear to be stumbling just a bit, Toulouse on the other hand, they took a victory when it was presented to them. So i have all faith that Toulouse will win again this weekend.

Pool 6:

Scarlets vs. London Irish: Now I am ecstatic that I got the Scarlet's prediction wrong, and have faith that this may be the momentum swing they have been needing for years, but it comes at an ill time. Personally if the Scarlets weren't playing a Heiniken Cup game this weekend, and they weren't playing on of the top three team, I would say they would win. But instead they are playing the London Irish, who have just stolen a victory from Leinster. Two teams with season making, or breaking, momentum, but only one will win. Once again I have to shy away from my club team and say that The Irish will walk off the feild the victors.

Leinster vs. Brive: Two teams searching for redemption. Origional pool favorites, Leinster, were popped in the face by the Irish last weekend. And moderate performing Brive was upset by the struggling Scarlets. Needless to say this is a must win for both teams, but I will go with Leinster again this weekend, who knows, if I'm wrong again then the Scarlets may be better off that I thought.

~Conner

Heineken Cup 2009, round one

The Heineken Cup starts this weekend! Ireland has performed very well in the recent tournaments, winning three of four. I hope to see the Irish teams doing well this year, despite certain bad games recently.

I will be doing Pools 1-3:

1: Treviso, Munster, Northampton, Perpignan

2: Biarritz, Ulster, Gloucester and Newport-Gwent Dragons

3: Viadana, Ospreys, Leicester and Clermont

Pool 1:

Northampton v. Munster. Given the recent form of Munster, it was a very hard loss to take this past weekend. Especially to rivals Leinster. Munster always (always!) plays fantastically in the Heineken Cup, and I hope that this weekend is no different. Northampton hosts Munster this weekend. Northampton lost this past weekend and beat Leeds the previous week (not difficult) so its hard to judge their form. Munster, on the other hand, played absolutely horrible. The worst I have ever seen. O'Gara couldn't kick and no one could make five meters. Munster will definitely bounce back, but the question is how soon? I honestly cannot see Munster beating Northampton away, given O'Gara's inability to kick so far this year and their bad form. Gheraty for Northampton has been in very good form and should help steer them home to a win.

Perpignan will annihilate Treviso. No questions asked.

Pool 2:

Gloucester v. Dragons. It is an interesting match since Gloucester has continually failed to meet their potential, especially in recent seasons. Given the fact that they have the weakest of the Welsh regions to compete with, they should not have to worry to much. The Dragons managed to pull off a win, albeit an ugly one, against the lowliest of teams: Connacht. The Dragons will not beat Gloucester, especially being the away team.

Glasgow v. Biarritz. Last year, Glasgow was able to pull off some amazing upsets in the Heineken Cup and have done very well for themselves so far in the Magners League this year. They have surprised everyone, and even Dan Parks is playing consistently well, something somewhat foreign for a long time as he did not quite live up to his potential. Given Biarritz's relative fall from their previous almost unbeatable persona, I think Glasgow should be able to impress the home crowd with a victory against the French.

Pool 3:

Clermont v. Viadana. Again. No questions. Clermont is a top club in the French Top 14 and Viadana is an Italian whipping boy.

Leicester v. Ospreys. The Ospreys showed up this past weekend with a good victory, but Leicester is Leicester. They have continually shown how good they are by bringing home silverware. The Ospreys tend to be a hit or miss team, with many players failing to meet their potential. With a lineup like the Ospreys have, they should be crushing teams week in and week out, even without Gavin Henson. Dan Biggar is causing a stir by trying to (and successfully so far) stealing James Hook's No. 10 jersey. But, the Ospreys look to just be getting started on their season, albeit a slow start. Despite the Tigers having home field advantage, the Ospreys should be able to nudge them by a few points.

~Tyler

It is good to see that the Irish have been sustaining power since their Six Nations victory. Unfortuanatley for us Welsh fans, we have to endure another time of hardship; as most of the Welsh teams have fallen off the face of the earth.

I Will cover pools 4-6:

4: Bath, Edinburgh, Stade Francais, Ulster

5: Cardiff Blues, Harlequins, Sale, Toulouse

6: Brive, Leinster, London Irish, Scarlets

Pool 4:

Ulster vs. Bath: Entering this game, it would seem that Ulster is the heavy favorite, and rightly so. Because Ulster is sitting pretty in second in the Magners League, while Bath is struggling to stay in the middle of the field in the Guinness Premiership. Ulster being 3-0-2 is my choice to top the 1-1-3 team of Bath.

Edinburgh vs. Stade Francais: Now this is the match to watch. Edinburgh is just coming off a hot streak where they were sitting at the top of the table in Magners League, so they've got the taste of victory in their mouths. Stade goes without saying, they are always a good team, and they always show up. This match is the one to tell which team has it; not only for the Heineken Cup, but the rest of the season. Unfortunately only one team can win, so when it comes down to the wire I see the every well perfoming French to top this match off.

Pool 5:

Cardiff Blues vs. Harlequins: Truly a match up that most will over look. It is two non-well perfoming teams taking the field against each other. As much as I would like to cheer the Welsh team, I don't see them taking this game.

Toulouse vs. Sale: Toulouse the whole way. They are performing well for the tournament they are currently in, and Sale is struggling to make ends meet.

Pool 6:

Leinster vs. London Irish: Another great match up. Leinster, the top team in the Magners League takes on the No.2 team in the Guinness Premiership. This will be an exciting game, and one that all will have to follow till the end. But despite a good match up I still see the well performing Leinster team beating out the London Irish.

Scarlets vs. Brive: I would love to say that my favorite club team in the whole world would win this one, but that would be like having Fiji win the World Cup. As there may be hope there it is highly improbable. Brive is performing decent in the French 14, while the Scarlets are second to last. So needless to say, Brive will win this weekends game.

~Conner

Foreshadow for the Six Nations?

Conner

Ok, I know that we are only four games into the Magner's league, but I really want to point something out. If one looks at the standings most of the Irish teams are in the top of the table, and all of the welsh are in the bottom or lower middle of the table. While the scottish teams are scattered. This could only mean one thing, Ireland will have a sweet six nations this year. Not wanting to forget that Edinburgh leads the league right now, we may see Scotland finish higher than second to last this coming year. As for Wales, with the unofficial, official retirement of Gavin Henson, Wales will be lacking a great weapon. Plus it looks like welsh players just can't pull it together consistently. As this has been a problem for years, it is even worse this year than it has been for a few years. Right now it is looking like England and Ireland will be one of the top performers, as always. And Wales may struggle just trying to not get the wooden spoon. It is also a given that the French team will perform well because they are never short of any talent. So this coming year the teams to watch for the first time in a long time are the Scottish. Best of luck to Chris Paterson, he will be one of the breakout players to watch out for.

Magners League Weekend to Prove Something

This is it. This weekend looks to be the weekend to stamp authority on the season. Cardiff hosts the Scarlets, who have played well so far (if not above expectations) an Cardiff needs a win this weekend or face a deeper hole of 0-4. It is no exaggeration to say that either team could win, but Cardiff needs the win more than the Scarlets. Cardiff should be able to squeak out a win at home.

Glasgow hosts the Ospreys, another team in need of a win. There is so much expectation from this team, and they consistently fail to prove their worth. With the quality of players on their team, they constantly come up short. They are rugby's version of the New York Yankees. Tons of money, lots of talent and often coming up short. That said, they should also be able to pull out a win.

Connacht v. Ulster. Connacht has a knack for winning in Galway, but Ulster just came off a big win too. For me, this is actually the toughest game to predict because Connacht is so often unpredictable, but I can't see them having two big wins in a row. Ulster.

Munster hosts the Dragons this weekend in what looks to be a sure-fire win for Munster. They have played well enough so far this year, and had a last minute win against the Scarlets last week in Llanelli. They should be 3-1 next weekend.

The biggest game of the weekend is between leaders Edinburgh and Leinster. Leinster is enjoying some very good play from Shane Horgan and Girvan Dempsey in the opening weeks, but is going to need something else to top the soaring Edinburgh team. Edinburgh will be the home team, and Leinster has struggled against them in recent years. I think that Edinburgh will win the game unless Leinster manage to get two scores on them.

~Tyler

The Blues?

Cardiff Blues. 0-3? Far and away, Cardiff is the best Welsh region. Granted, their Lions players are not in the squad yet, but they should have at least one victory on the board. On the other side of the Magners League table is Edinburgh, who is 3-0. No one would have predicted Edinburgh to start off the season as the number one team, even with the best goalkicker in Chris Paterson.

Munster pulled off a fantastic late-game try to beat the Scarlets, although neither team took charge. Munster had two yellow cards and committed about a dozen penalties in as many minutes. Had it not been for an off-target Rhys Priestland, Munster could have lost. On the same note, Jeremy Manning had a bad day with the boot as well, missing an extremely easy conversion as well as a few penalties.

The Tri-Nations has come to a close completely now, which means that all focus will be on the Northern Hemisphere's leagues. In the French Top 14, Jonny Wilkinson has been receiving praise for weeks since his new return to top flight rugby, even from Freddie Michalak. Despite Danny Cipriani's recent show of skill in the Guinness Premiership and the push for only domestically based players to play for England, Wilkinson is almost guaranteed a spot on the roster for England this fall. Even if he doesn't start, he should be on the list.

The Heineken Cup is around the corner, and if Edinburgh can keep up their fantastic form, we may see a somewhat unfamiliar face on the leaderboards: the Scottish.

~Tyler

The first weeks

Congrats to South Africa, outright winners of the 2009 Tri-Nations title! They were the hot team coming into the tournament and showed why they deserve the title of World Champions. South Africa is the international team to beat and should keep that title for the time being.

In the Home Nations, the season is starting to take shape. The early season lineup swapping should be easing down as players stamp their names for the season.

Ireland cannot hope to top this past season's glory. A Grand Slam, Six Nations title, Heineken Cup and Magner's League championship all came into Irish hands. At best, they could match it. The only title not in Irish hands that could have ended that way was the European Challenge Cup, a prize that only Connacht was competing for.

England's Guinness Premiership looks to be another good year, with the two big powerhouses of Leicester and London Wasps leading the way. London Irish will be very good this year, and I will be pleasantly surprised to see Mike Catt take the field. He is not on the official team website, but I would bet big money on seeing him pull on the jersey at least a couple of times this season, even if only as a stop-gap. He has proven invaluable with Irish so far. The Saracens pulled off an early season upset over the Irish, and the recent turbulent times for them may not have the lasting impact previously predicted. Nonetheless, the top three teams will remain Irish, Wasps and Leicester. If Cipriani remains healthy, my prediction is another Wasps championship.

As for the Magner's League, it will be the tightest contest yet. That may sound like an easy prediction to make, but I assure you it is not. Munster is just as strong as they were last season, despite Tipoki and Puccarellio leaving, amongst others. Leinster is definitely weaker, if one can say that, with the losses of Whitaker, Elsom and Contepomi. Sexton will gladly take the chance to prove his worth at fly half, but Contepomi is not replaceable. The two Scottish teams will be very good this year, and may even supply a team for the playoffs that have been added. The Welsh teams will struggle this year. Cardiff will play well and Llanelli can always sneak a win, but the Dragons are always bottom feeders and the Ospreys never seem to live up to their potential. Jerry Collins may be the changing factor for the Ospreys, but one man does not make the team. My earliest season prediction on the Magner's League is that Leinster will take the Magner's League in a dramatic final at the new Aviva Stadium (formerly Lansdowne Road).

~Tyler

Magner's League, Guinness Premiership and the closing weeks of the Tri-Nations

Well, the Springboks are not invincible. But the fact of the matter is that the All Blacks and Wallabies will not win the Tri-Nations. Australia has been very good, but mainly in the opening sequences. The first time that they have turned the game around was against South Africa last weekend, but Australia has had a bad run of luck against the All Blacks, despite the quick starts they had so far this season.

The All Blacks can still win the Tri-Nations, but they will not do it. They would have to demolish the Aussies and then soundly beat the Springboks, who are playing at the top of their game. Despite the return of on-form Dan Carter, its the Springboks' championship to lose.

In the Northern Hemisphere, the season has stared. Finally. The only downside to the opening weeks is the second string teams that take the fields. Munster, reigning Magner's League Champs, fell to Glasgow. Leinster fell to the Scarlets. Both teams were missing their Lions players, and many of their internationals as well. The good news for Leinster is that Girvan Dempsey was fantastic. Or, until his eye met a Scarlet's knee.

More to follow.

Dan Carter=Champion

Daniel Carter: World's Best Player.

Seriously.

I know it is easy to name a fly-half as the world's best simply due to the heavy influence they have on the game, but Carter really is the world's best. His first game back from injury and from France showed he hadn't been softened up by the French. His final penalty that gave the All Blacks the win was very well taken and he looked as cool as ever.

It is sad to see Australia lose all of their games so far this Tri-Nations campaign. Australia looked fantasic during the internationals of June, much better than New Zealand looked. But, once again, they cannot hang onto a lead. They started strong against the All Blacks twice so far and also against the Springboks, but have nothing in the win column to show for it.

Now, will South Africa be able to play as well away from home as they did with the advantage? My answer: yes. They might not go undefeated, but they will win the Tri-Nations. Australia's mountain is too much for them to climb and New Zealand would have to hope for a few bonus point victories coupled with an Aussie turnaround or Springbok crash.

In other news, it is fantastic to see Jonny Wilkinson back to his old self in France! Most people love Jonny, although Conner does not like him because everything is always "Jonny this and Jonny that," and he has a point, but he can rival Carter for the title of best player. He has one of the best boots in world rugby and is the toughest fly-half of them all when it comes to tackle time.

As for this weekend's upcoming game, with hosts Australia and visitors South Africa, there is no choice but to hand South Africa another victory. Australia is looking at injuries to Barnes and Sharpe, two of their top players, in addition to Mortlock, who is already gone. Now lets see if Habana can stretch his legs for the first time this year!

One note on Tom Williams' suspension: good job getting it reduced. Fake blood is a serious offense but a full year is ridiculous, especially since he was placed in the position to fake the injury, and did not do it on his own. The Harlequins' staff created that idea, and have been justly punished.

~Tyler

Uni-Nation

It appears that no other team even wants to show up for the 2009 Tri-Nations. South Africa has dominated in every aspect of every game. Australia and New Zealand both had flurries of attacking success but, overall, South Africa has suffocated the offense while remaining disciplined. The boot of Morne Steyn has been Chris Paterson-like so far this campaign, and has really won the games for South Africa. All Black and Wallaby penalties are killing any opportunities for South African losses.

All of this is happening without Bryan Habana. He is on the field, but has missed passes and knocked on often. He has not had the chance to stretch his legs and really show his pace in the three games played so far. It must be mentioned that New Zealand and Australia have kept him under close watch to prevent any of his signiture tries, however.

In the upcoming games, South Africa could play a few percentage points below their current form, and still come out on top. South Africa is well on their way to an undefeated campaign, despite two games in Australia and another in New Zealand.

In other news, rugby sevens is on the verge of becoming part of the Olympics. This is a good choice to have sevens and not 15-a-side, which takes too long to play and to long to recover from. In addition, with sevens, lower nations have a better chance to win. If the USA manages to pull off an upset, the game could catch on in America. Sevens is already a more popular game than 15s anyway here in the States. I was not very supportive of rugby in the Olympics, but it looks to be a better choice.

South African Domination

Last weekend, the Springboks showed why they are the World Champions. The All Blacks looked flat...again. And even though Morne Steyn scored all the points, the rest of the team still looked good. Or better than good. The Springboks are the team to beat right now. They are brushing aside the All Blacks like a JV high school team. They don't even look worried about playing them.

This weekend, the Springboks host Australia. Australia came out firing against New Zealand, but then lost some of their flair and dropped the first game. I don't expect them to beat South Africa, but they will give them a better game than the All Blacks did. South Africa by less than 10 points.

Now...the problem with the All Blacks. I think they need some new players tossed in to shake it up. Nonu and Smith in the center is old news. They've been there forever, and no matter how good a pairing is (D'Arcy/O'Driscoll) it can still fall flat (RWC '07). Ireland knows this. Mealamu is past his prime, and Andrew Hore isn't playing very consistently either, at least at lineout time. The props are mediocre. The second row is mediocre (although Ross is doing things second rowers don't do: kick 50m, run in tries...) and the back row just seems boring. Piri Weepu needs to start at scrum half, but isn't. Donald is good at fly half, at least right now. Mils is doing well at full back, but the formerly great wingers of Rokocoko and Sivivatu look like their tricks have all been uncovered. Neither of them look able to break the line, not to mention the fact that both of them look a little chunky. The All Blacks need different wingers, someone very fast and agile, to compete. Rokocoko looked like he was trying to barge up the field, but lacked the strength against the Boks. And Sivivatu just looked slow.

~Tyler

Tri-Nations Round 3

Official Picks:
Conner: South Africa
Tyler: South Africa

Nothing against the All Blacks, but something needs to be done. They were lucky to beat Australia. Australia came out hard and should have been able to hold out, but lost to their own poor discipline. The Kiwis have shown nothing impressive so far this summer (or winter for them). Stephen Donald has been solid, but not outstanding, and he is really the biggest talking point of the team so far. That, coupled with how great the Springboks have been, should prove another South Africa victory.

~Tyler

Rugby World Cup!

Not much surprise with who was awarded the Rugby World Cup hosting rights. England in 2015, Japan in 2019. The tournament in England will be very exciting, as all world cups are, but it will be nothing special. It will be another rugby nation hosting the biggest tournament. But, Japan will be something totally different. The Japanese fans came out in numbers at the 2003 and 2007 tournaments, and were the most colorful of the fans. When the soccer World Cup was in South Korea, it was the first time that the organizers reached out to other nations. Japan is the same.

I would love to see the Rugby World Cup come to North America, either a joint hosting by the USA and Canada or just the USA. Here is why:

-We have the stadiums
When looking at the size of the stadiums used for the World Cup, especially in the British Isles, the stadiums are small. Sure, Twickenham and the like are huge, but Gloucester and Leicester, even after being expanded, are still small. The USA is much larger, and has many more stadiums that could hold rugby matches. Colleges could be the top choices for hosting games, since on average their capacities are larger than professional stadiums. There are venues all over the country, and in almost every state, that could host. However, I do believe using the LA Memorial Coliseum would be the top choice as a venue for the final.

-We are used to the professional aspect
Rugby has only been professional for about 15 years. There are many players who remember playing in the amateur era. The major sports in the USA have been professional almost since their inception. Baseball players have been paid for over 100 years. Not to say that rugby organizers worldwide are not used to professionalism, but there are often objections to certain aspects of professionalism, most often with sponsors. (However, aside from the team and who makes the uniform, none of the uniforms from the four major sports have sponsors in the USA).

-We obsess about things for short periods of time
Every time the FIFA World Cup comes around, everyone becomes a soccer fan. Everyone talks about soccer and how the USA is doing. If the Rugby World Cup came to the USA, the Eagles would be smashed just the same as if the tournament was in any other country. The difference is that people would be made aware of rugby. Most people have no idea what rugby is in the USA, but they would become fans if they could see top flight rugby in their own country. Americans would be rugby crazy for the two months it takes to play the tournament. It might not last, but it would create a good atmosphere.

So, there. RWCL, pick the USA to host a World Cup. It would do the sport good. And, who knows, it might sway a few Americans to play rugby and maybe, just maybe, the USA would become a stronger team.

~Tyler

Tri-Nations round two

Conner is 2-0 so far at his Tri-Nations predictions. I, however, am only 1-1.

South Africa pulled off a very convincing win this past weekend. The Springboks did very well throughout the game, and the All Blacks only showed occasional attacking abilities. Conrad Smith scored a fantastic solo try by running around and through half the South African team, but other than that and Donald's occasional charges, New Zealand looked flat. McCaw did not stamp his name on the game as he usually does, and he even got shoved off (relatively embarrassingly) in an attempt to tackle Pierre Spies.

I am disappointed in the showing that both Rokocoko and Sivivatu gave in the game. Both of them used to have searing pace, but both of them look a bit chunky out there. Rokocoko was trying to juke his way around the defense, only to end up tackled. Sivivatu did not get the ball very often, and wasted a very good chance to run away with a try, but kicked it out of bounds as he chipped upfield.

The Springboks, on the other hand, dominated the game. The back row was fantastic at the breakdown, at scrum time and in open play. McCaw was well shackled throughout the game. The All Black second row was virtually nullified by Botha and Matfield, who are still the best second row combination in world rugby. Smit did well from tighthead again and the Kiwi front row never looked to challenge the Boks with any intensity.

Overall, the All Blacks were less than mediocre. No one stood out, although Ross managed a massive punt for a second row after Pienaar hit the post on a penalty attempt. Only Donald and Conrad Smith earned their pay for the day, with a very good kicking display and a sensational solo try. The injury to DeVilliers is apparently not as bad as it looked, which is good for both South Africa and Munster, his new club for the upcoming season.

This weekend's game is a rematch. Depending on if Graham Henry finally decides to switch up the starting XV, the All Blacks might find themselves 1-2.

~Tyler

Tri-Nations round one!

So, my prediction was incorrect. However, Australia was fantastic in those first 20 minutes. Overall, I am not so sure the All Blacks deserved to win the game. Baxter, the Wallabies tighthead, was often deemed guilty of collapsing the scrum, but the commentators rightly pointed out that Woodcock was not binding. George Smith played very well, and I am actually surprised Richie McCaw was able to score a try on his return. He did not seem to play to his exceptional standards, although he was far from bad.

I was very surprised to see Barnes come off early for Australia, given his very solid tackling and his try that was very well taken. Donald kicked well and really was the only reason the All Blacks held the game together. Sivivatu was not able to do much in attack, and Ma'a Nonu looked rusty. The Wallabies stole the lineouts at will in the first half, although New Zealand regathered control in the second half.

Overall, the Wallabies played better in every aspect except for one: discipline. Had there been fewer penalties, the Wallabies could have run away with the game. But, there were often problems at the breakdown which led to kickable penalties (more in the second half, when the All Blacks had the wind to their advantage).

For the record, Conner picked the All Blacks.

In round two, South Africa hosts New Zealand. This is an interesting game, since the Springboks are coming off of a huge season, winning the Super 14 and a Lions tour. Game three of the Lions tour is heavily lopsided to the tourists, since most of the first XV from South Africa were rested. Given how the Springboks have played this season, and their decent dicsipline, I am picking another All Blacks loss this weekend.

I pick an All Blacks loss because of the players they have been picking as starters. Weepu and McAlister should be starting, not Cowan and Donald. Rokocoko should start, not Jane. At the very least, McAlister should be taking a spot in the center.

On a side note, it is very nice to see Jean De Villiers being signed to Munster. His style of play fits how Munster plays well. Also being signed to a NH team is Nicky Little, who is going to be the replacement for Butch James at Bath, who is injured on a long-term schedule.

~Tyler

Lions Reaction/Tri-Nations/Argentina Troubles

So, another Lions tour has come and gone. And, another Lions tour has been lost.

There has been a lot of talk about the Lions and whether or not it is even a good idea. I believe it is! American sports have All-Star games and teams every single year. The point of the All-Star games here in America is simply to have fun and to put on a show for the fans. Lions tours mean more, but they are still for the fun. Only once every four years can a fan watch their favorite Welshmen and Irishmen, Scots and Englishmen, all playing together on the same field.

I would only make one change. Well, maybe a few. I have heard complaints about too few games being played on this Lions tour. If it is too few, how many would be too many? And who will determine if a team has nowhere near the skill to even compete with the Lions? I think that the teams that face the Lions need to be at least skilled enough to compete. Manawatu got annihilated in 2005 against a touring side that, in turn, got annihilated against the All Blacks. In 2005, the Lions lost to the All Blacks by 30 points at worst and 18 points at best, yet still managed to destroy Manawatu 109-6. I think that the teams chosen to play against the Lions in 2009 were all very good choices. Maybe one or two more games could have been scheduled, but this is still after the entire domestic and international season for these players, and no one wants to see burnout on a Lions tour.

The other change could be motivated by my status as a fan, but I would like to see another Lions tour to Argentina. It has happened before, why not now? Argentina would be a fantastic host, it would give them much needed money and could help sweep them, once and for all, into professionalism. Many of the club teams (or all, if I am not mistaken) in Argentina are strictly amateur. Also, Argentina managed a draw against the Lions in 2005, where the Lions were the home team in Cardiff.

Tri-Nations. The season is coming up and I must say, at first glance, South Africa is my favorite to win the tournament. The first game of the Tri-Nations is this Saturday, between the All Blacks and the Wallabies. The Wallabies demolished Italy pretty easily last month and also defeated the French as well. The All Blacks lost once to the French, ran them close a second time and beat the Italians in their final June test. Given how both teams played, I am going to pick the Wallabies to win against the All Blacks despite the fact that the All Blacks are at home. I have not been impressed by New Zealand at all this year, and even though Richie McCaw is coming back from injury, he is still a bit raw. The Wallabies, on the other hand, had their backline working for them very well in June. I doubt James O'Connor, the 18 year old, will get a start against New Zealand. I would like to see it, but it is a slightly more important game than a friendly against Italy, where he scored three tries. Plus, Matt Giteau was running rampant last month. Wallabies by a score.

Now, it is sad to see what is happening in Argentina right now. Due to a bad outbreak of swine flu, all domestic schedules have been canceled. This is, of course, a safety measure. But, it is still sad since only a third of the season has been played so far. At least this won't affect their attempts to join the Tri-Nations.

~Tyler

The Lions' Chances

The first Lions test is over and done. What has it told us? That the Englishmen in the front row are bad, and that Ugo Monye has no handling ability.

In the second test I would keep Gethin Jenkins, but replace Mears and Vickery with Rees and possibly Hayes. I might be partial to Hayes and Adam Jones is fantastic but, I am not so sure an all Welsh front row would work. The second row is still great and no changes should be made. I have the same to say about the back row, especially after Croft's fine display with two tries. Wallace and Heaslip were both very good.

Mike Phillips should keep his starting spot but I think James Hook should get a shot at the fly half spot. Ronan O'Gara is very good, and a personal favorite at fly half, but when he has been on the field during the tour, the Lions have been less than great. His kicking has been great though. I would keep Bowe on the wing but maybe switch Monye for Fitzgerald. The center pairing of Roberts and O'Driscoll is still golden, however. The two worked very well together. If Lee Byrne recovers from his foot injury, I would start him at fullback. Otherwise, Kearney is the best choice.

Overall, not too many changes should be made but a few definitely should be made, especially to the front row.

Test two has a better chance of producing a Lions' victory but I still can't see the Springboks losing. Not after their incredible defense and the Lions' show against the Emerging Boks yesterday. Springboks by less than a score.

The First Lions Test

I will not be watching the second and third tests when they air, as I will be gone on vacation.

This first test will swing the momentum one way or the other, obviously. Most of the Northern Hemisphere is giving the Lions either a huge chance or a series win while most of the Southern Hemisphere is generally going for a Springboks' win. Breaking the team down could help.

The two front rows for the first test look pretty even. Gethin Jenkins probably has the edge over Tendai Mtawarira, but I believe the Springboks have the overall advantage. Bismarck du Plessis is a far better hooker than Lee Mears, and Phil Vickery is neither the player (anymore) nor the leader that John Smit is. Front row to the Springboks.

In the second row, we will see the best lineout battle the world has to offer. From the start of the tour, people were talking about the battle between Alun-Wyn Jones & Paul O'Connell and Bakkies Botha and Victor Matfield. These are the two best second row combinations in world rugby. Unfortunately for the Lions, Botha and Matfield play together on club and national level and are very used to each other. I think that Jones and O'Connell have the ability to outperform the two Springboks, but it should not be expected. Second row to the Springboks.

The back row is where many games are won and lost. For the Lions, this may be a good thing. I would feel much more worried if Burger and Kankowski were in the Springbok lineup. Pierre Spies is one of the best No. 8's in the world, but Jamie Heaslip is just coming into his own. David Wallace is the better of the two openside flankers, and also the best flanker in either lineup. Tom Croft is probably the fastest flanker in world rugby, which will also give the Lions a boost. Juan Smith has the ability to turn a game around through his work at the breakdown, but the Lions are better in the back row. Back row to the Lions.

The half back pairings are very familiar for the Lions, with two Welshmen lining up, but the choices made by the Springboks are slightly confusing. Ruan Pienaar has played all over the field, but I feel he is best at scrum half. It will be interesting to see how the game shakes out with him at fly half, somewhere I'd expect to see Francois Steyn instead (who starts at fullback). Fourie du Preez is the best choice at scrum half for South Africa, and better than Mike Phillips. Half backs are tied at one a piece here. Fly half to the Lions, scrum half to the Springboks.

The centers for the Lions were known before the tour began. Or at least once Shanklin's injury became apparent. Jamie Roberts and Brian O'Driscoll will be fantastic in the center. For the Springboks, Jean de Villiers and Adi Jacobs have strength and speed, but not necessarily the playmaking ability of their Lions counterparts. Centers to the Lions.

The back three will provide the excitement in the game, especially with Brian Habana out there. Habana is still the world's best wing, but Tommy Bowe has graduated from a 'cherry picker' to a genuine try scorer and creator. Ugo Monye is probably not as good as JP Pietersen, but provides more strength than the Springbok. At fullback, Lee Byrne is a bigger attacking force than Francois Steyn, but Steyn has the better kicking game. The wings go to the Springboks, but fullback goes to the Lions.

Overall, more positions were given to the Springboks. When it comes down to it, it looks like the Lions have the better chance if it comes down to penalty kicks. But, if it is an attacking game, the Springboks look to have the better chance. If Brian O'Driscoll is on his game, the Lions can win. At this point, despite my original choice to give the Lions a series win, I must give game one of the series to the Springboks. The Lions have not played exceptionally well throughout the tour. If the Lions win, it will be no huge shock at all, but it is not to be expected.

~Tyler

Summer Tours and the Mystery of the French

After a crazy weekend of rugby, the world pecking order seems jostled. The French beat the All Blacks in New Zealand, Argentina defeated the English and an 18 year old scored three tries against the Italians.

New Zealand never really showed up to the match, or at least not like the All Blacks usually do. Fly-half Donald was average, and McAlister didn't make much of an impact when he came onto the field. Only one player really stood out for the All Blacks: their left wing Corey Jane. He set up a try and was always looking for the ball. Even Joe Rokocoko seemed to be absent at times. The French scrum-half Dupuy was kicking everything he had the chance to and looks to have solidified his immediate start in a French jersey.

Argentina has been somewhat inconsistent in recent games. At one point a few years ago, they had won five out of six matches against France. But, recent games have had odd results. Just one week prior to this England victory, the Pumas lost by over 20 points. Last autumn, Argentina beat Italy and lost a close game to France, but got beat well by the Irish. Just before that, they lost by over 50 to South Africa. Everyone knows that Argentina can beat any team, but they are less than consistent when compared to the other Top 10 teams. I expect this to change once Argentina is admitted into the Tri-Nations and receives a consistent schedule.

James O'Connor. Everyone in Australia already knew about him and everyone in the British Isles is acting like he just came out of nowhere. I am a passive Western Force fan, and saw him score his first Super 14 try last year when he was 17. He is a very good player, but I am not sure he will have much of a chance to start this Tri-Nations season. His hat trick of tries could have been only a brace, since Giteau could have gone himself on one. I will give O'Connor the credit he deserves for slipping out of a tackle from the world's best No.8, Sergio Parisse, before scoring his third. With plenty of other quality fullbacks in Australia, O'Connor will have to prove himself as not just a fluke. He has the ability and, right now, the head, to become a great player.

Now...there is a mystery surrounding the French. The French seem to believe that players have short shelf lives. Compared to a team like Ireland, who has a relatively large group of core players who have been around for years, France has a small core. There is a lot of rotating in and out, which sometimes works for them and sometimes fails. Some players, like Pelous, have seen over 100 caps. But, looking at the players who score the points, the caps have disappeared. Three players have over 1000 points in international rugby. Almost 20 have over 500 points. The top French player does not even top 400.

So, my question is...how does France find so many different players that can score points and keep the team competitive, without having long careers? Sure, some top scorers for France weren't kickers, such as Christophe Dominici, but even just looking at the past few years...scrum halves and fly halves cannot seem to nail down a spot. Tillous-Borde, Parra, Ellisalde, Yachvili, Dupuy. All five of them are top notch scrum halves, and most of them are kickers. Michilak, Trin-Duc, Beauxis, Skrela, Traille. All five of them are top notch fly halves. Maybe the question should not be how I asked it, but why does France have such a huge talent base to pick from?

~Tyler

End of Season and The Lions Tour

The domestic seasons are coming to a close.

The Super 14 Final was both entertaining and shocking this past weekend. The Bulls ran riot in South Africa against the visiting Kiwi side, the Chiefs. Captain Muliana and massive No. 8 Lauaki could do little to stop the Bulls' offense. The score that really put the game out of reach came in the first half: a Bryan Habana intercept try. The Chiefs never really looked to have a chance in this game, although the final score of 61-17 was heavily unfair to them and ther fantastic season.

With regard to the Lions v. South Africa tests coming up later this month, this is a good sign for South Africa. To be able to demolish a team like the Chiefs with what appeared to be ease proves how strong the Springboks' options are. In addition to the Bulls' performance, the Royal XV team showed the Lions how tough it will be. Personally, I expected the Lions to come out and dominate, especially after how well the Home Nations played in their domestic leagues and Heineken Cup. The year has been extremely good for the Irish, where the Triple Crown, Grand Slam, Heineken Cup and Magner's League trophies all reside this year. But, the Royal XV were on the front foot from the start. An early O'Gara penalty was the only lead the Lions would see until Lee Byrne scored a sensational up-and-under try around the 73rd minute.

One great sign for the Lions is that O'Gara's kicking game is back. I was never in doubt that he could recover it, but it was the source of much speculation during the tail end of the Six Nations and Magner's League. He was a perfect 100% on his place kicks and only overcooked one kick for touch.

The down side for the Lions is that no one wanted to take charge, not even the captain Paul O'Connell. A poor start for Keith Earls, with four straight knock-ons, might have made other players realize their jitters as well, but only Lee Byrne looked good throughout.

The next game is with a completely different lineup, this Wednesday against the Golden Lions. Brian O'Driscoll will lead the team on that day, and the squad looks more formidable. I expect another victory, and a more fluid game of passing as well.

~Tyler

2009 Heineken Cup Final

This Saturday is the date of the biggest championship game in European rugby. Despite being crowned English champions, Leicester captain Geordan Murphy said that not winning the Heineken Cup as well would be a disappointment. Leicester has always been a team to post lofty goals. Two years ago, they almost pulled off a "Triple Crown," but lost to the Wasps in the Heineken Cup Final after winning the EDF Energy Cup and the Guinness Premiership.

Leinster, on the other hand, holds no trophies this year. Their Irish internationals do, but Leinster players do not, at least not this year. The 2008 Magner's League champs do have one thing working for them: they beat Munster badly in the Heineken Cup. They also did it without Felipe Contepomi, who almost always seems to be the deciding factor. When he misses kicks or plays badly, Leinster struggles. But, Jonathan Sexton came into the lineup and played a fantastic game, outplaying Ronan O'Gara.

Both teams have injuries or unavailable players. Leicester still lacks their two big Islanders and now Toby Flood is gone as well. Leinster is missing their main kicker and playmaker Felipe Contepomi and South African prop CJ van der Linde. The good news for Leinster is that Rob Kearney is back, and their entire backline is healthy.

Leicester will be riding the high from last weekend when they won the Guinness Premiership while Leinster have no high to ride. Last week they lost to the Dragons, which should not count for anything since the entire team will be changed up for the Final, but they don't have a high to ride. Leinster has never been to a Heineken Cup final, while Leicester has a few times, and won.

Overall, the game will come down to a few things. Sam Vesty is the stand-in fly half for Leicester and while he played well enough to help them win the Guinness Premiership, he is still in uncharted water. Geordan Murphy has been the key man for Leicester as both captain and with his skills at fullback, but I am not so sure his scoring ability will be on showcase against Leinster's defense, which has been spectacular as of late. Leinster's pack is superior, although they will be given a huge test against the likes of Italian Castrogiovanni and Argentinian Ayerza. Rocky Elsom and Shane Jennings should be able to control the breakdown area, as they have been doing very well lately. The backs for Leicester are a bit unpredictable, in my opinion. Without the bruising Islanders of Rabeni and Tuilagi, I think they have seemed reliant on Murphy's ability to come into the line as well as the boot of their French scrum half, Dupuy. Leinster has a strong backline that has worked both on club level and international level.

This will be a tough, gritty contest to the final whistle. I see the final tally being within a score.

Leinster 21-16 Leicester

If Leinster can keep their discipline, as they have been doing, they may be able to take advantage of Leicester's tendency to be undisciplined. Sexton can kick the penalties, as he proved in the Semi Finals.

~Tyler

The 2009 Guinness Premiership Final

After a long season, there are only two English teams left in the running:

London Irish
and
Leicester Tigers

Both teams have been exceptional, but the final comes down to who can grind it out the longest. Finals rarely turn out like this season's EDF Energy Cup did. Being a Munster fan, the two Heineken Cup Finals that Munster won were both close and, at times, agonizing!

This final will rest on stars for both teams. Toby Flood is out, which is a huge blow to the Tigers. Flood is the current England fly half and I was surprised to see Dupuy kicking in the Heineken Cup semi final. To lose him is huge. Geordan Murphy will have to play a big part in both defense and offense, but it will be his ability to come into the line that can change the game in Leicester's favor. Their depth is extraordinary, given that they have lost Flood and their two big Islanders, still serving their bans.

London Irish, on the other hand, have one player that can break open the game in a second: Tagicakibau. He is to the Irish what Joe Rokocoko is to the All Blacks or what Bryan Habana is to the Springboks: a scoring threat from anywhere at anytime. If Leicester can bind him up, they can win. The Irish also have another weapon: Mike Catt. He is, to my knowledge, the oldest player in the Premiership. Yet, he is far from done! His incredible experience and leadership on the field are invaluable and his playing abilities are still sharp as well.

The scrums will probably go to Leicester, with their Italian and Argentinian props up front and their powerful second row. However, the lineouts seem to be in Irish's favor with Kennedy and Casey the two main receivers. The breakdown battle also seems to be in Leicester's favor.

Overall, I pick Leicester to win, again. I am pulling for London Irish on all fronts (being an Irish fan) but unless Mike Catt has something still up his sleeve...I do not see the Irish winning unless it is due to yellow cards/injuries or a cheeky drop goal.

~Tyler

WOW

The 2009 Heineken Cup Semi Finals were insane.

Both of my picks failed to win, and both games were opposite of my predictions. Leinster won by a huge margin and Leicester won by the tiniest of margins. But we'll review the games just the same.

Munster v. Leinster
Except for the first ten minutes or so, Munster never looked like they were going to win. An early Keith Earls break was the first and only real threat from the Munster offense. In addition, their defense was bad. Just...bad. Leinster had fantastic defense and their offense was also very good. When Felipe Contepomi went off injured very early, I figured Munster had it in the bag. But, Jonny Sexton was wonderful. He kicked his goals and outshone Ronan O'Gara in every facet. I picked Sexton as Man of the Match, not Brian O'Driscoll.

Cardiff v. Leicester
At least one of my picks, Geordan Murphy, made a name for himself in the game. A bad one. A late yellow card, the second for Leicester, put two men in the sin bin and allowed Cardiff to storm back with two brilliant tries, both converted from the touchline by Ben Blair. The 26-26 tie forced extra time, which was thoroughly boring since no one was willing to take a chance and go for the line. In the end, a penalty shootout was always on offer, and was very exciting. To have the entire game riding on the kick of a forward is almost too much pressure on a non-kicker. When Martyn Williams missed his kick, which couldn't be expected of him, the game was always Leicester's.

Players to note:
--Ben Blair: He kicked two of the most important kicks of his career today, both from the touchline. If he had missed either, the season would have been over for Cardiff.
--Rocky Elsom: Yet another great game from the Aussie flanker. He was solid in defense and made one break that looked worthy of something Brian O'Driscoll would do.
--Ben Kay: Even though Stuart Barnes is annoying and entirely pro-English, he was 100% right about Kay's play today. He was phoenomenal.
--Jonny Sexton: When he came on for Contepomi, most would have seen it as the end of the match, but Sexton proved to be better than even O'Gara.
--Gordon D'Arcy: Although he has made a quiet comeback from injury in the 2008 Six Nations, he has played very well for Leinster and scored the try that really started to seal Munster's doom.
--Ronan O'Gara: He only had two chances to kick for points, but his punts and chips were very poor for most of the game, in addition to his poor defense.

So now we wait and see who plays well in the coming weeks until the final, on May 23.

~Tyler

2009 Heineken Cup Semi Finals

There have been recent comments about how strong the Magner's League must be to produce three semi finalists, and I agree that it is a great tournament. It is superior to the Guinness Premiership and at least as good as the French Top 14, but that is for another blog.

There are a few key things to these two games. Most notably, the missing players:
Alesana Tuilagi (ban), Seru Rabeni (ban), Tomas O'Leary (injury), Rob Kearney (illness)

The Leicester Tigers have very little chance of upsetting the favored Cardiff Blues, especially without their two big Pacific Islanders. Cardiff is on a high after a long string of wins, including the EDF Energy Cup. Leicester does still have the skill of Toby Flood, the power of Martin Castrogiovanni, the leadership of Martin Corry and the scoring talent of Geordan Murphy, but I do not believe that will be enough. Cardiff has the current top points scorer in Ben Blair, plus their massive leadership team of Thomas/Tito/Williams/Rush. Not to mention the 74,000 seater of Millennium Stadium.

Projected score:
Cardiff 27-17 Leicester

The other semi final looks to be a bigger game. Not only is it a semi final of Europe, but it is between the two top Magner's League teams, and rivals, Munster and Leinster. Both teams know how each other plays. The two big Munster victories over the course of the current domestic season will not mean too much except for giving Munster the tag of favorites. The injury to O'Leary will not really hurt Munster's chances, since I believe Peter Stringer deserves the starting jersey for both Munster and Ireland, given the way he played for both teams during the Six Nations campaign. He was fantastic, hitting every pass, making tackles and running lines (something rare for him). Unfortunately for Leinster, Rob Kearney's bout of the mumps is a huge blow. He is playing very well right now, and with Girvan Dempsey most likely to take his spot at fullback, they will miss his left boot and attacking prowess. Dempsey is probably a more solid defender, but he does not have the speed and offensive tendencies that Kearney does. In addition, despite the game being played in Dublin, it will not be a home field advantage to Leinster.

Projected score:
Munster 25-22 Leinster

That being said, a Leinster victory would not be a shock, nor really a big upset.

~Tyler

The Problem of the Welsh Regions

First of all, I must say that this problem I have been watching is strictly on the regional level. A team with the ability to win two Grand Slams in four seasons deserves the honor. Wales as a national team is very good and, except for the Rugby World Cup 2007, has performed very well lately.

But, the Welsh regions seem to be failing. With the exception of Cardiff Blues (and even then, only very recently) Wales is failing.

The Dragons have never been a formidable team. Colin Charvis arrived, but only very late in his career. Right now, Luke Charteris is their best player, in my opinion. Quite frankly, that is terrible. Ceri Sweeny even left! A few foreign imports have also failed to spark the team.

The Ospreys should be winning silverware in all of their competitions. Heineken Cups, EDF Energy Cups and Magner's League titles should be pouring in. The Osprey's backline is basically the Welsh backline, with the addition of an Irishman and Lion named Tommy Bowe. Their forwards are nothing to be overlooked either, with both Jones props, Ian Gough, Alun Wyn Jones and Welsh captain Ryan Jones all in the scrum.

The Scarlets are the scariest of the bunch. Recent problems have brought up what could be a dark backroom. Daffydd James may be closer to the end of his career than he is the beginning, but the Scarlets have not even given him a chance this season. They claim to have legally terminated his contract by quoting a 26 week injury clause. James disputes the injuries, claiming to have never been "so humiliated" in his life. Not too long ago, the Scarlets were worried about money, their new stadium and whether or not they would even be around. I think someone is mismanaging the Scarlets, somewhere up in the ladder. James is a fan favorite, a Lion, has nearly 50 caps for Wales, and also is the top try scorer in the history of the Heineken Cup. To terminate his contract on an apparently trival and untrue clause is ridiculous.

As of right now, I see very little positive things coming out of this season for the Welsh regions. Even with Cardiff's recent surge to form, they still lie in 8th place in the Magner's League. Granted, they are the EDF Energy Cup winners (by some margin) and also are Heineken Cup Semi-Finalists. I will give them that. But at this point, Cardiff looks to be the only Welsh region with anything going for them.

As for the exact problem...I do not believe there is just one. I think it is a combination of two big things:
1) Poor leadership among the players- Cardiff is full players that are experienced leaders (Gareth Thomas, Martyn Williams, Paul Tito, Xavier Rush) while the other teams are not.

2) Burn out- We all know the English excuse of burn out, but it is a real problem. Between Heineken Cup, Magner's League, EDF Energy Cup, Autumn Internationals and the Six Nations, the Welsh have the most games to play out of the Celtic countries.

Oh, one more thing. Give up Gavin Henson. He is overrated. He can have a fantastic game every once in a while, but he mostly acts like he doesn't even want to play.

~Tyler

I have to agree that the Welsh nation is successful, but the club teams are experiencing some shortfalls. But none the less they are always a team to be reckoned with. Every time another team squares off against a Welsh team they never write that game off as a victory.

Yeah so the majority of the Welsh leaders are closing in on the end of their career, and others are not really given the chance, and most are centrally located in Cardiff. So one player has to step up and be a leader, but that's what the sport is all about; someone stepping up and doing something phenomenal.

What the Welsh really need to do is stop spending all their resources in taking someone in from a different country. There are plenty of players in the Welsh homeland who would be more than willing to step up and be a leader.

Now I have to say that Wales is the cause of their own downfall. I say it is because they don't give their own players a chance to be a leader. For how many years was Gareth Thomas their captain? How many years does it look like Ryan Jones will be their captain? Wales always uses the options they know will work, and are afraid to use any option that has a hypothetical chance of wavering. An example of this is Alix Popham. I mean, where did he go? I say he left Wales because he was never really looked at as a leader on the field.

I say the main reason why the regional teams are wavering as of late is due to their reliance on forgein players. Now I'm not bashing them, because they are still good players, but Welsh teams need to rely more on their WELSH players. Look at the teams from each country that are the prime team to think of for that country. Now how many forgein players do they have? Most have very few. Wales needs to groom their own players in order to have a successful regional system.

~Conner

2009 British and Irish Lions reaction

Tyler's reaction

Initially, I was very surprised to see a list without the likes of Ryan Jones (as I'm sure just about everyone was). However, after I gave it some thought, I think one moment may have left his name off the list. In the opening of the final Six Nations match between Wales and Ireland, Ryan Jones made a blatant trip on Ronan O'Gara. This may have been a typical act by someone like Danny Grewcock, it was out of character for the Welsh captain. I would still choose Ryan Jones had I been the selector, but I can at least see the other side.

I am disappointed to see that, yet again, Chris Paterson was left home in Scotland. Yet, I cannot see where he would be put. He would have no chance of playing on the wing with Shane Williams, Tommy Bowe and Luke Fitzgerald all guaranteed before him. Lee Byrne and Rob Kearney are both better at fullback and Paterson simply cannot compete with the regular fly halves of O'Gara and Jones. Paterson may be the most reliable kicker in the world and the best overall player in Scotland, but if he was named as a Lion, he would probably be stuck on the bench the entire time anyway.

Not to toot my own horn, but I am very proud to say that apparently I'm the only person to pick Simon Shaw for my Lions team before he was actually named. Now I know I wasn't the only one, but no one was throwing his name around at all. I had him picked due to his experience and his form so far this year.

Leigh Halfpenny's selection is a surprise and I'm looking forward to seeing him prove his worth. Stephen Ferris is not a name I would put on the list, as I'm not convinced he is as good as Denis Leamy (who was not named a Lion). And I am suspicious of Phil Vickery's ability to perform given how he played this Six Nations.

Names I'm glad to see off the list: Danny Cipriani, Delon Armitage
Names I'm very surprised to see on the list: Alan Quinlan, Keith Earls, Leigh Halfpenny

Conner's Reaction

First of all I will state that I have high hopes for this team. There is a lot of potential and I look forward in following their tour later in the year. But, and I say this with great severity, the team will not perform to their best because they aren't naming, and in some situations can't name, the best players to represent.

Now we all know that the lion's don't have much to fear about when it comes to the boot. Ronan O'Gara is one of the best the world is watching, and Stephan Jones is up there as well. With the names for the wingers, they have a great mixture of speed and strength. One only has to fear that Shane Williams decides to not show up to the game, mentally. He will have to have the drive and desire to be in on the action every second of the game. Halfpenny is a young and rising star, I share the same hopes as Tyler in that he proves himself of being named to the lions. As for Bowe and Fitzgerald they will be the muscle of the group and there is no fear about them showing up for the game.

It's a good thing the coaches named Martyn Williams and David Wallace. Their previous lion's experience will prove invaluable. Unfortunatly Ryan Jones was left off the list, but hopefully with the naming of Alan Quinlan that void will be filled. I have no fear about the lion's second row exept for O'Callaghan's temper, but that is containable. As for the props, I was disappointed about John Hayse being left off, but with Adam Jones, Phil Vickery, and Gethin Jenkins there is still something to look forward to.

But injuries played a big role in this year's selection because it removed players, like Gavin Henson, from the Lion's list. This year may not be an all-star line up, but there is still a lot of skill going south this year.

Tyler Chambers and Conner Brogan

The two of us are cousins from Michigan in the United States. We got into rugby thanks to a Playstation2 video game called EA Sports Rugby back in 2003. The two of us have started a little rugby craze around our area and even started a short-lived high school team in 2006. Here is a little information on the two of us.

Conner Brogan
Positions: Wing, scrum half, fullback
Favorite teams: Wales, (Llanelli) Scarlets, Highlanders, France
Favorite players: Gareth Edwards, JPR Williams, Sebastien Chabal, Martyn Williams, Dwayne Peel
First international: USA v. Wales, Chicago 2009

Tyler Chambers
Positions: Wing, fullback, center
Favorite teams: Ireland, Munster, Argentina, Western Force, San Isidro Club (URBA)
Favorite players: Agustin Pichot, Brian O'Driscoll, Ronan O'Gara, David Humphreys, Keith Wood
Qualified to play for: United States
First international: Canada v. Wales, Toronto 2005

Begin

Two cousins obsessed with rugby blogging about rugby.

Lions reaction to follow.