Dai Young Admits That Their Game Wasn’t Up To The Mark

Dai Young has said that despite winning, his side’s performance was not up to the mark. Two tries were scored by tom Varndell and James Gaskell and Rob Miller each scored a point. The team won a bonus point and moved up to the fifth place. Their overall performance though was good enough to win them the match; it wasn’t an overall good performance. Young said that some parts of their game was “messy” and they appeared “shaky” at times, he admitted that they provided opportunities for their opponents to score which they utilized. He further added that team Newcastle was very hard to defeat and as they fought with all their might till the end of the match, they deserve all the glory. But the only thing that made Young satisfied was that his team was able to get a bonus point in this game.
The only outstanding performer in the wasps team was Ashley Johnson. He was the person who provided passes that scored tries twice.
Young said that Ashley deserved to be the man of the match. His performance for the whole season has been outstanding.
Newcastle struggled very hard all through the match but they were only able to manage two tries due to the efforts of Ruki Tipuna Juan Pablo and Rory Clegg.
Newcastle lost for the 20th consecutive time I this tournament but Richards still holds that his team is making improvements.
He said that they lost the game for making individual faults way too much, and it cost them dearly. He further added that in the last season all they wanted was to avoid being relegated and they succeeded at their aim though they were only able to score a tie in their first five to six games. But in this season they are scoring a number of tries and it is a significant improvement and might be able to bring them to a better position than they were before.

Uruguay and Russia go head to head for Rugby World Cup qualification

The 2015 Rugby World Cup is surely going to be one of the toughest competitions till date among the various nations of the world. This is especially clear from the fierce rivalry that the fans are getting to witness in the qualification campaign. Two new teams have emerged as major powers in the early stages which include Uruguay and Russia. Russia beat Zimbabwe in the Repechage semi final in Krasnoyarsk with a score line of 23-15. The Bears received huge support from the home crowd each time their players were in possession of the ball. The atmosphere was electrifying as flay half Yuri Kushnarev kicked a third minute penalty but failed to capture the extra points. The second try provided the hosts with the much needed 13-0 lead. Guy Cronje was the star performer for Zimbabwe in the fly half position but a number of easy misses in the penalty area led to their downfall. Even though Russia was a man down for a major part of the second half, they provided a resilient performance much to the delight of the fans.
Uruguay kept alive their hopes for qualifying into the final rounds of the Rugby World Cup for the third time in a row. Their win came against Hong Kong with a score line of 28-3 which does not quite reflect the tension in the match. It was only in the final quarter that the Los Teros managed to score two tries and increase the lead to such an extent. Jack Delaforce and Phillipe Berchessi were the most impressive players on the pitch throughout the match. The two evenly matched teams will be for booking a berth in Pool A of the Rugby World Cup along with England, Fiji, Australia and Wales and it is tipped to be an exciting encounter by the experts.

Exciting Quarterfinal fixture featuring London Irish and the Harlequins

The London Irish Rugby club is getting ready for a stern test against the Harlequins at the Super Sevens Rugby championship quarter finals. The Exiles qualified for the quarter finals after winning their two group B games in Gloucester. The team put up some impressive performance in attack and defense by the young as well as the experienced players coming to the fore. Cam Cowell who will be playing as a winger expressed his confidence in the side lauding their fearless nature. Each of the players is hungry to make an impact and according to Cowell their analysis against the opponent team shall help them in the course of the game. This will be the young star’s maiden first team appearance since he had become a part of the academy after playing for the England Under-18’s team.
London Irish Academy Director Nick Kennedy made his point clear saying that he has no illusions ahead of their fixture against probably one of the best teams in the competition. They will have their task cut out and will have to play out of their skins in order to win the campaign. The London Irish team has made four changes to the squad from the last week. Will Harries, Ollie Williams, Jamie Hearn and Theo Brophy Clews shall join the squad. Ollie Curry will have the onus of captaincy on his shoulders in the crucial match. The Harlequins have also followed it up with four changes in their squad. Louis Grimoldby, Charlie Walker, Sam Stuart and Kieran Tredwell have been replaced by Ian Clark, Simon Pitfield, Gavin Dampies and the academy scrum half Jordan Burns. The much awaited quarter final is sure to produce some fireworks as fans from each side will be rooting for their favorite stars going up against one another.

George North says he joined the Saints to win silverware

George North has claimed that he joined the Northampton Saints to win silverware, stressing that he wants to play an important role as the Jimmies chase two titles over the next two weeks.

The Saints face the challenge of fellow Aviva Premiership rivals Bath Rugby in the final of the European Challenge Cup this weekend and then take on Saracens FC in the final of the Aviva Premierships playoffs in what is their second straight final appearance.

The 22 year told the BBC that anyone who doesn’t get excited about being in such a scenario and doesn’t want to play in a final shouldn’t come anywhere near the rugby field.

He went on to add that he joined the Kingston Park outfit to play in big matches and to win silverware. He added that he believes he has hopefully done enough to warrant a place in the two final matches.

The Welshman scored his ninth try of the season to lead his side to a playoff semi final win over bitter rivals the Leicester Tigers, avenging their loss in the final last season. He mentioned that the atmosphere in the match was something that hadn’t experienced before and it was an electrifying experience.

North is hoping to play a pivotal role in the European Challenge Cup final at Cardiff Arms Park as they try to secure their first major title since 2010.

He added that he has never played at the stadium and he is looking forward to going back to Wales and play in the stadium for the first time and he is hoping that his first experience of playing there is sweet enough for him and ends with the team holding the trophy aloft.

North will be hoping to ensure his selection to the Wales side on the back of the Saints’ run as well.

WAUGH ANNOUNCES RETIREMENT

Phil Waugh has today confirmed that he will be retiring from professional rugby with immediate effect. Waugh is the most-capped player in the history of NSW Rugby, and he has also captained his state on almost twice as many occasions than any other player.

His 79 Tests place him twelfth on the Wallabies all-time list, and he has also had the honour of leading his country.

Waugh said that while he still feels physically and mentally capable of playing at the highest level for a few years yet, he believes now is the right time to move into a career in business.

AUSTRALIAN RUGBY PLAYERS COULD DONATE THEIR BRAINS

Scientists have requested Australian rugby players to donate their brains in order to help in studies. They got the idea to study the brains of rugby players after Shaun Valentine, a former player with North Queensland in Australia, revealed that he regularly suffers from vomiting, nausea, and dizziness. Valentine is one of several retired players who are wondering if their health has been put at risk after all the years of taking hits to the head.

Chris Nowinski, who’s the president of the Sports Legacy Institute, is setting up a meeting with Valentine and is hoping he will be the first Australian rugby league player to donate his brain to it.

If he does donate his grey matter he definitely won’t be the first athlete to as the institute already has a bank of over 1,000 brains which were donated by boxers, wrestlers, football, ice hockey, and soccer players.

The 32-year-old Nowinski himself is a Harvard graduate who used to wrestle in the WWE and had to retire when he was just 25 after suffering from repeated concussions. He said that today’s generation of athletes who engage in contact sport is suffering all over the world due to a huge problem which has to be solved.

BLACKADDER LOVES RUGBY

Canterbury rugby icon Todd Blackadder has said that he is in love with rugby and cannot think of any other game that will rekindle his senses.

Under immense pressure to boost morale in the wake of Christchurch’s devastating earthquake – and already responsible for honouring the memory of the Pike River mine victims in this fixture at Trafalgar Park – the Crusaders achieved both aims with a heart-warming performance.

“It’s a massive pressure release,” he said after surveying an exhausted though elated dressing room.

“You can see it in the sheds right now in the faces of the players.

“I’ve never been more proud as a coach in my career to walk in there.

“With everything that’s been going on … to get the win for our people, it’s just hard to describe.

“It’s just a game of rugby, but hopefully the people feel really good and take some pride.

“This is their team. Everyone owns this team, the guys play for our community. We’re going to fly our flag very proudly.”

BRUMBIES WITHOUT A COMPANY

Australia’s most successful team, the Brumbies has been left without a company. Super Rugby organisers focused on scheduling derbies in the opening round of the expanded competition.

Last night, expansion franchise, the Rebels, hosted NSW Waratahs, fuelling the traditional Sydney-Melbourne rivalry, while the go-getting states of Queensland and Western Australia pair off in Brisbane tomorrow.

Which left the Brumbies on their lonesome, at least in terms of a local derby.

The Brumbies have been set up with the Chiefs, who could not find a partner in New Zealand where the Highlanders travelled to Wellington to tangle with the Hurricanes last night and Blues host the Crusaders in Auckland tonight.

ENGLAND TOLD TO FORGET AUSTRALIA

England have been adviced to forget the Australia result and get back to winning ways. The 35-18 destruction of the Wallabies was the high point of Johnson’s reign but he warned that the Six Nations, which England have not won since he captained them to a grand slam en route to the World Cup triumph in 2003, is another matter.

“Not every game is going to be like that, it takes two teams to make a match like that,” Johnson told reporters at the Six Nations launch.

“That showed what we want to do and what we are capable of doing but on other occasions you have to impose yourself and find ways to break teams down.”

PRICE GETS AWARD

Former Australian rugby league Test prop Price has won a surprise award in New Zealand. Recognised for services to rugby league in New Zealand after playing 91 NRL matches for the Auckland-based Warriors and becoming the club’s longest-serving captain, proud Queenslander Price was initially unsure whether he was eligible.

“I didn’t know whether I was allowed to accept it,” said Price, who represented Australia in 15 Tests and played 28 State of Origin matches for the Maroons.

“I actually said to the lady, ‘You know, don’t you, that I’m Australian?”