Champions: New Zealand
It is time for Planet Rugby's weekly wrap of who has their name in lights right now...and who is making the headlines for the wrong reasons...
They're smokin'!
Ulster and Connacht: It truly was a remarkable performance from the Ravenhill outfit down in Cardiff on Friday as they returned to PRO12 action for the first time since the unfortunate death of team-mate Nevin Spence. With the initials NS on the shirts, Ulster put in their best showing for some time as tries from Michael Allen, Nick Williams (2), Tommy Bowe (2), Jared Payne and Andrew Trimble saw them prevail 48-19. That same night, Connacht recorded a 34-6 bonus-point win over Heineken Cup champions Leinster in Galway. It was a five-try, five-star effort.
All Blacks: A mention first of all for hat-trick man Cory Jane and the impressive Kieran Read but this inclusion is more for the collective. New Zealand claimed the inaugural Rugby Championship title in La Plata over the weekend in some style with a fine win in Argentina. No doubt they celebrated the success but now, can they finish the job in Soweto for a six from six record. It promises to be some event, with South Africa eager to crash the party.
Bryan Habana: Put simply, it was an outstanding performance from the veteran. While critics have been quick to slam the Springboks in the past, Habana has never given up trying to lift his side. He made nine runs for 117 metres at his former home ground on Saturday and was fully deserving of his hat-trick. It is set to come down to a straight shootout with Cory Jane (5) and Habana (6) in Johannesburg for who tops the Rugby Championship try tally.
Canterbury: Not a bad day at the office was it. 84 points, twelve tries and a big fat zero by the side of Southland on the scorecard on Sunday. Johnny McNicholl scored a hat-trick, Telusa Veainu and Paea Fa'anunu picked up two while there was one score apiece for Willi Heinz, Robbie Fruean, Adam Whitelock, Nasi Manu and George Whitelock. Meanwhile, Tom Taylor kicked all twelve conversions in a victory that sent a warning to their ITM Cup play-off rivals.
Get these guys a cup of warm soup!
Mike Phillips and Cedric Heymans: The Bayonne duo received suspensions for what was described by club president Alain Afflelou as "unacceptable off-field behaviour" after their loss to Toulouse. Heymans' indiscretion was a surprise but Phillips was also suspended by Wales last year when he misbehaved during a late-night incident in Cardiff outside a fast food restaurant. The Welshman's suspension has now been lifted but tut-tut Michael.
Sale: The Premiership's bottom-placed team's horror start continued when they suffered a 31-10 loss to Bath last weekend. That means that Bryan Redpath's men have now lost five successive matches and have gathered just one point from a potential 25 on offer already this season! Forwards coach Steve Scott became the sacrifical lamb when he was fired in the run-up to the Bath match and Sale CEO Steve Diamond has promised to replace him with someone "with a real proven track record at the highest level," by the end of the week. We await that appointment with anticipation. Next up, a home clash with Leicester Tigers.
Laser in La Plata: All Blacks coach Steve Hansen brushed it off as "no big deal" but shining a laser into a player's face while he is lining up a goal-kick is seriously uncool. New Zealand had already notched 50 points in their 54-14 success over the Pumas when an Argentine supporter shone the laser into Aaron Cruden's face but one can't help but wonder what Hansen's reaction would have been if his team held a narrow lead or were trailing matters.
Wallaby injury count: To say coach Robbie Deans was in charge of a depleted Wallabies side in their 31-8 loss to the Springboks in Pretoria would be an underestatement. Injury-ravaged is a term which best describes what Australia suffered in that Test. Adam Ashley-Cooper (concussion) and Berrick Barnes (chest), Tatafu Polota-Nau (head and shoulder), Digby Ioane (knee) and Radike Samo (shoulder) were all forced off the field on Saturday.
By Adam Kyriacou and David Skippers
Comments
jonesy2 says...
APV1-- you are one of the all time biggest douchebags. south africa should be in the not section. AAC, JOC, stephen moore, berrick barnes, james horwill, david pocock, quade cooper, drew mitchell, will genia, wycliff palu, sekope kepu, rob horne, ben mccalman, nic white, cooper, joe tomane, rod davies, just for some perspective even you might be able to understand, england have never produced an 8th as many great players as the wallabies injury list in the history of their rugby. unluckily for you, this is going to provide the wallabies with even more depth.
Posted 07:55 08th October 2012
powerplay says...
haha@cuw3100..its not a hidden promo is it p.r?
Posted 11:24 04th October 2012
APV1 says...
In my previous post I stated,
"The "Not Hot" aspect was their (deliberate or not, you decide) attempt to field too many subs. This isn't a friendly match in pre-season, this is the 4N, for Goodness' sake! Even at my level (local club, fatties XV) we can't have rolling subs, so to attempt to do so was certainly Not Hot."
This was unfair and I apologise, as the IRB have states that the Match officials got the call wrong:
http://tiny.cc/1scnlw
Posted 10:10 04th October 2012
startledwombat says...
Can I put in a good word for the referees? I didn't see the All Blacks game, but in the Wallabies vs South Africa the TV match official made the correct calls in very tight circumstances, and the referee handled all that was thrown at him - including collapsed scrums, and Golden oldie rules, admirably.
Posted 14:30 03rd October 2012
karup says...
and a big performance by the leinstermen who were resting (as for 50% of the games) because they are playing only the heineken cup. The rabodirect pro 12 is not a real competition. Nice fair play.
Posted 11:14 03rd October 2012
karup says...
and a big performance by the leinstermen who were resting (as for 50% of the games) because they are playing only the heineken cup. The rabodirect pro 12 is not a real competition. Nice fair play.
Posted 11:14 03rd October 2012
GoWalesGo says...
northampton_lad
Planet rugby seems to have a pretty anti english agenda
Posted 05:45 03rd October 2012
cuw3100 says...
"Tatafu Polota-Nau (head and shoulder), "
PR : is it something to do with hair damage :)
Posted 05:28 03rd October 2012
weemanmarsh says...
Hopefully Steve Diamond can poach another coach with no morals without having to compensate the other team. Doing it during the season is something he's good at so it should work well for him.
Posted 04:31 03rd October 2012
olepete says...
northampton lad
I agree
Posted 19:52 02nd October 2012
NHSaints says...
@northampton_lad ...you'd think so but it's rare Northampton get any praise on here...even when they are going well. I guess people don't see it as something to shout about because we've lost 3 Premiership semi's in the last 3 years, a LV cup final and a HC final to boot.
Posted 19:27 02nd October 2012
APV1 says...
I whole-heartedly agree about the laser. I've no idea whether it was "eye-safe" or not, but lasers can cause permanent damage and retinal burns. It was such a shame too, as the fans were (other than in this case) excellent and could easily have been noted in the "Hot" list.
I don't disagree that the Wallabies have suffered many injuries, but so have most other teams (we don't need a list do we?). The "Not Hot" aspect was their (deliberate or not, you decide) attempt to field too many subs. This isn't a friendly match in pre-season, this is the 4N, for Goodness' sake! Even at my level (local club, fatties XV) we can't have rolling subs, so to attempt to do so was certainly Not Hot.
I thought the Boks as a team or, at least, a couple of other individuals (I'm getting a bit of a man-crush for Flo, as a good example) might get a "Hot" mention. Not only did they beat the Wallabies convincingly (both with clear injury issues), but thay also leap-frogged them in the IRB rankings. Not even worth a Mention In Dispatches..?
Posted 17:05 02nd October 2012
northampton_lad says...
What about Northampton Saints? 5/5 wins I'd have thought deserves a mention
Posted 16:34 02nd October 2012