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
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Friday, April 24, 2009
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
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
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
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.
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
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
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