Test Rugby Result: Cyprus 33, Slovakia 7

14.03.2009
Cyprus 33, Slovakia 7 in Episkopi (ENC 3D)

Reviews
I predicted a win for Slovakia but an easy win for Cyprus at home puts them just into the lead over Bosnia Herzegovina on the points table. The clash between Cyprus and Bosnia Herzegovina next weekend in Zenica will decide who wins the first round.

Preview
This is the lowest division in the FIRA-AER European Nations Cup. It is also the only division that does not play in the 2011 World Cup qualifying matches.

Cyprus is one of the undefeated teams in this division. The other is Bosnia Herzegovina. The winner of the second round (to be played 2009-10) will be promoted to Division 3C which, under the present qualifying system, are eligible to participate in the qualifying series for the 2015 World Cup finals. Cyprus has defeated Monaco and Azerbaijan, neither of whom are championship contenders.

Slovakia on the other hand pushed the Bosnians close at home last November, losing 32-46. So, providing they travel well and have been able to select their strongest team, they could well cause an upset at the British Army ground.

Previous Encounters

These teams have met only once before. Cyprus winning easily at home 38-8 in November 2007.

GWC Rugby Rankings: Europe Table-Cyprus 39th, Slovakia 40t

No Change

Teams

Slovakia Squad
Peter Bolla (RC Slovan Bratislava)
Martin Čmiel (RC Havířov, Czech Rep.)
Michal Fric (RC Havířov, Czech Rep.)
Ondřej Hankovszki (Sokol Mariánské Hory, Czech Rep.)
Richard Hladík (Lokomotiva Olomouc, Czech Rep.)
Richard Januš (Lokomotiva Olomouc, Czech Rep.)
Michal Juhász (RC Havířov, Czech Rep.)
Pavel Kozubík (RC Havířov, Czech Rep.)
Petr Kozubík (RC Havířov, Czech Rep.)
Josef Kučera (RK Petrovice, Czech Rep.)
Michal Kučera (Lokomotiva Olomouc, Czech Rep.)
Tomáš Kurka (Lokomotiva Olomouc, Czech Rep.)
Martin Majovský (RC Slovan Bratislava)
Marcel Mana (Lokomotiva Olomouc, Czech Rep.)
Jan Mandičák (RC Slovan Bratislava)
Martin Mihálik (RC Slovan Bratislava)
Andrej Nátěr (RC Slovan Bratislava)
Viktor Ondroušek (JIMI Vyškov, Czech Rep.)
Patrik Poledna, Capt. (Lokomotiva Olomouc, Czech Rep.)
Daniel Puha (RC Slovan Bratislava)
Titus Silný (RC Slovan Bratislava)
Pešír Václav (RK Petrovice, Czech Rep.)
Coach: Pavel Lištvan


Slovak team photo thanks to http://slovan.rugby.cz

http://slovan.rugby.cz/nominace-slovenska-proti-kypru
Thanks to http://www.fira-aer-rugby.com/forum2007/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=3042


Cyprus team logo thanks to www.cyprus-rugby.com

Cyprus Squad
Forwards:
Christo Kasabi,
Tony Thoma,
Dinu Floredan
Graeme Scott
Stephan Eleftheriou
Panos Jacovides
Andy Spring
Vlad Muhaylon
Deano Dean
Chris Thoma
Marco Mladenovic
George Theodoulou
Dan McFarlane

Backs:
Dimitri Maratheftis
George Agathocteous
Dan Thrasivolou
Marcus Holden
Anthony Crassas
Colm O’Cleirigh
Andreas Zacharia
Marc Thrasivoulou
Luke Peters
Kyle Oelofse
Fidias Efthymiou
AJ Pugh

http://www2.onthisisland.com/moufflon-team-announced/2009/03/03/
Thanks to http://www.fira-aer-rugby.com/forum2007/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=3042

International Rugby Your Opinions

International rugby 2009 is well and truly on its way. It's time to get active and to recieve your opinions about international rugby. Because this site covers the game at the top level of rugby around the globe you will see rugby results from Andorra to Zimbabwe. Rugby is now truly a global game.

Add a comment to the post that interests you the most. I would love to hear your opinons, especially those of you who went to see any of these games.

I welcome your photos from international rugby matches. Send them in with a caption, especially player's names.

Please comply with a code of conduct-No abuse and please treat other peoples opinions the way you would want your opinions treated-with respect. I reserve the right to delete any offensive postings.

Rugby in Japan

Ian McDonnell sends to me a regular newsletter on the all ins and outs of rugby in Japan. The latest newsletter has drug scandals, corporate teams pulling out of the championship and a look at the Sanyo Sungoliaths who are winning their matches by huge scores.

Go to www.rugbyinternational.net

Test Rugby This Weekend 14-15 March

14.03.2009
Wales v Italy in Rome (6 Nations)
Ireland v Scotland at Murrayfield (6 Nations)
Romania v Georgia in Tblissi (WCQ Europe R1; ENC 1)
Czech Rep. v Belgium in Brussels (WCQ Europe R2; ENC 2A)
Switzerland v Andorra in Avusy (WCQ Europe R4; ENC 3A)
Cyprus v Slovakia in Episkopi (ENC 3D)

15.03.2009
France v England at Twickenham (6 Nations)
Spain v Portugal in Lisbon (WCQ Europe R1; ENC 1)

Reviews
The odds are on Ireland extending their lead in the 6 Nations Championship. However Scotland have a chance to defeat Ireland. Scotland won well against Italy last weekend whilst Ireland struggled against a struggling England and Scotland has the home advantage.

Realistically Wales would have to play dreadfully to lose to Italy in Rome whilst the England-France clash at Twickenham on Sunday could well be the game of the weekend. A loss to either side would almost certainly knock it out of championship contention.

The winner of the Romania-Georgia clash in Tblissi will jump to the lead in the European Nations Cup Division 1. Romania has already lost to Russia at home and may well find a rejuvinated Georgia too much at home. On Sunday Spain and Portugal clash in a most interesting Iberian contest. Both sides are on the brink in this competition with Portugal showing the better recent form and they also play at home.

For the first time since last November the contests below ENC Division 1 emerge. Divison 2A is wide open with all teams on four points and all with one loss each. The Czech Republic now play their last two games in a row and both are away. Belgium was one of the leading teams in ENC 2A last year but is finding the going tougher this year. The winner will jump to the lead.

Switzerland host Andorra in a bottom of the table clash in ENC 3A. Both teams have two losses and look well off the pace of the leaders Armenia and Lithuania. The host team has an advantage.

Cyprus and Slovakia are two of the newest teams in European rugby. Although not a Rugby World Cup qualifier, the contests in Divison 3D will produce a winner by 2010 and that winner will progress to Divison 3C. From there they will participate (under the existing system) in the qualifying system for the 2015 Rugby World Cup final.

Test Rugby Results

28.02.2009
Ireland 14, England 13 in Dublin (6 Nations)
Scotland 26, Italy 6 at Murrayfield (6 Nations)
Russia 28, Romania 19 in Bucharest (WCQ Europe R1; ENC 1)
Georgia 55, Spain 11 in Madrid (WCQ Europe R1; ENC 1)

Reviews
Ireland just squeaked passed England at Croke Park. The win now leaves Ireland as the only undefeated team in the 6 Nations Championship, and the only team that can possibly achieve the Grand Slam.

Scotland swept Italy away 26-6. The Italians now look like being the Wooden Spoon holders for 2009. Will it signal the end of Nick Mallet's coaching time in Italy?

Russia defeated the more fancied Romanians 28-19 in Bucharest and now look to challenge Georgia for the second European place at the 2011 Rugby World Cup. Meanwhile Georgia finally clicked into gear with a huge 55-11 win over Spain in Madrid.

Test Match: England v Ireland

28.02.2009
England v Ireland

Preview
Dear old England travel to Croke Park to encounter an Irish with as much to win and as much to lose from this game.

Both teams are a tick off the pace behind Wales. Another loss would almost certainly place either of these teams out of the 6 Nations race for 2009.

Last Five Encounters
15.03.2008 England 33-10 at Twickenham (6 Nations)
14.02.2007 Ireland 43-13 in Dublin (6 Nations)
18.03.2006 Ireland 28-24 at Twickenham (6 Nations)
27.02.2005 Ireland 19-13 in Dublin (6 Nations)

GWC Rugby Rankings: World Table-England 5th, Ireland 8th
Europe Table-England 2nd, Ireland 4th

Prediction: Ireland to give out some more Croke Park medicine to England, Ireland by 9 points.

Team data not available

International Rugby: Italy v Scotland

28.02.2009
Italy v Scotland at Murrayfield (6 Nations)

Preview
Italy has become Scotland's worst nightmare. Italy has defeated Scotland in the last two 6 Nations matches. Firstly, it was humiliating 17-37 loss at Murrayfield in 2007, whilst last year Italy won 23-20 in Rome. Another loss on Saturday would just about end Frank Haddens tenious hold onto the coaching job and the end of some of the players' test careers. Scotland simply must win.

Last Five Encounters
25.03.2008 Italy 23-20 in Rome (6 Nations)
29.09.2007 Scotland 18-16 in St Etienne (World Cup, Pool C)
24.02.2007 Italy 37-17 at Murrayfield (6 Nations)
18.03.2006 Scotland 13-10 in Rome (6 Nations)
26.02.2005 Scotland 18-10 at Murrayfield (6 Nations)

GWC Rugby Rankings: World Table-Scotland 7th, Italy 10th
Europe Table-Italy 5th, Scotland 6th

Prediction: Italy to continue their dominace over Scotland. Italy by 3 points.

Test match: Russia v Romania

28.02.2009
Russia v Romania in Bucharest

Preview
The European Nations Cup 1st division is certainly warming up. Both these teams have played 2 matches for 2 wins, both top the table and both has a point difference of +31. This match is looking like being one of the key matches in this first round. Georgia is also undefeated but has a draw thrown in with its win. This match should be a cracker. Lets hope the weather is fine and a good crowd turns up.

Last Five Encounters
15.06.2008 Romania 13-12 in Bucharest (IRB Nations Cup)
15.03.2008 Russia 12-8 in Krasnodar (ENC 1)
04.11.2007 Russia 22-12 in Bucharest (ENC 1)
10.06.2006 Russia 25-24 in Krasnoyarsk (ENC 1)
26.02.2005 Romania 33-10 in Timisoara (ENC 1)

GWC Rugby Rankings: World Table-Romania 17th, Russia 20th
Europe Table-Romania 9th, Russia 10th

Prediction: Russia by 7 v Romania

Team data not available

Rugby Test Match: Georgia v Spain

28.02.2009
Georgia v Spain in Madrid (WCQ Europe R1; ENC 1)

Preview
Georgia is still a contender for the European Nations Cup. They clawed their back to a draw against Portugal two weeks ago and really haven't shown their true form.

Spain will need to win this game if they are going get close to the leaders of this competition.

Can Spain win this game? Remember Spain gave Georgia a big fright in Tblissi last year and also won in Madrid the last time these two teams met there. What do you think?

Regret team data not available for this match.

Last Five Encounters
24.04.2008 Georgia 22-20 in Tblissi (ENC 1)
17.03.2007 Spain 31-17 in Madrid
28.10.2006 Georgia 37-23 in Madrid (WCQ Euro. R5, Pool B)
22.02.2004 Drawn 6-6 in Tarragona (ENC 1)
22.02.2003 Georgia 34-2 in Tblissi (ENC 1)

GWC Rugby Rankings: World Table-Georgia 15th, Spain 21st
Europe Table-Georgia 7th, Spain 11th.

Prediction: Spain has the opportunity to turn over a Georgian team who are performing below par. Spain by 7 points.

Test Rugby: France 21, Wales 16

Review
Just when we thought France would stumble again they didn't. They were out of the game down 3-13 and then produced a remarkable comeback that had the Parisian fans deleriously wild. It was a win that could well herald a new beginning for French rugby. As for Wales, they came back solidly late in the second half but indiscipline was their downfall. This competition is now wide open.

Test Rugby: Wales v France in Paris

27.02.2009
Wales v France in Paris (6 Nations)

Preview
Young 20 year-old centre Mathieu Bastareaud makes his debut for France. Benoit Baby will play his first game at fly half for France. Normally a centre, Baby will need to play above his best so far if he is to make an impact against the pace-setting Welsh. The Parisian crowd has not been gentle on their nation side of late as it lurches and bounces its way along in some inconsistent displays of test rugby.

Last run on to the park saw the French overcome a determined Scottish side 22-13 and with some boos from their supporters. Its was not a convincing display. The French have added an inexperienced centre and a player not known for his skills as a fly half into their team.

Wales has the advantage of a win last time these teams met and it was a very convincing 29-12. France has won the last two games between these two teams in Paris.

Last Five Encounters
15.03.2008 Wales 29-12 in Cardiff (6 Nations)
26.08.2007 France 34-7 in Paris (World Cup Warm-up)
24.02.2007 France 32-21 in Paris (6 Nations)
18.03.2006 France 21-16 in Cardiff (6 Nations)
26.02.2005 Wales 24-18 in Paris (6 Nations)

GWC Rugby Rankings: Wales 3rd, France 6th
Europe Table-Wales 1st, France 3rd.

Prediction: It will be a right old tussle between these European greats. I expect the unexpected from France but not enough to push the Welsh over. Wales by 12 points


Teams

France
15 Maxime Medard (Toulouse)
14 Julien Malzieu (Clermont-Auvergne)
13 Mathieu Bastareaud (Stade Francais)
12 Yannick Jauzion
11 Cedric Heymans (Toulouse)
10 Benoit Baby (Clermont-Auvergne)
9 Morgan Parra (Bourgoin)
8 Imanol Harinordoquy (Biarritz)
7 Fulgence Ouedraogo (Montpellier)
6 Thierry Dusautoir (Toulouse)
5 Sebastien Chabal (Sale)
4 Lionel Nallet, Capt. (Castres)
3 Sylvain Marconnet
2 Dimitri Szarzewski (Stade Francais)
1 Fabien Barcella (Biarritz).
Replacements
16 Benjamin Kayser (Leicester, England)
17 Thomas Domingo (Clermont-Auvergne)
18 Romain Millo-Chluski (Toulouse)
19 Louis Picamoles (Montpellier)
20 Sebastien Tillous-Borde (Castres)
21 Francois Trinh-Duc (Montpellier)
22 Clement Poitrenaud (Toulouse)
Head Coach: Marc Lièvremont

Wales
15 Lee Byrne
14 Leigh Halfpenny
13 Tom Shanklin
12 Jamie Roberts
11 Shane Williams
10 Stephen Jones
9 Michael Phillips
8 Andy Powell
7 Martyn Williams
6 Ryan Jones (captain)
5 Alun-Wyn Jones
4 Ian Gough
3 Adam Jones
2 Matthew Rees
1 Gethin Jenkins.
Replacements
16 Huw Bennett
17 John Yapp
18 Luke Charteris
19 Dafydd Jones
20 Dwayne Peel
21 James Hook
22 Gavin Henson
Head Coach: Warren Gatland

Rugby Tests This Weekend 27-28 February

27.02.2009
Wales v France in Paris (6 Nations)

28.02.2009
England v Ireland in Dublin (6 Nations)
Russia v Romania in Bucharest (WCQ Euro.R1;ENC 1)
Georgia v Spain in Madrid (WCQ Europe R1; ENC 1)

Rugby Results: Portugal 44, Germany 6

21.02.2009
Portugal 44, Germany 6 in Lisbon (WCQ Euro.R1; ENC 1)

Germany had two players yellow carded early in the game and again conceeded tries late in the match. This result easily distances Germany from the rest of the teams in the competition and they look to be the likely team heading for relegation in 2010. My prediction of a 32 point win by Portugal was not far away.

International Rugby: Germany v Portugal

21.02.2009
Germany v Portugal in Lisbon (WCQ Europe R1; ENC1)

Preview
These two teams last met ten years ago. Such has been the competition gap between these two European rugby nations that they have not met since.

At this stage of the competition this is the clash of the minnows. Both teams are languishing at the bottom of the points table although Portugal has both a match in hand and a draw to its credit.

Germany has struggled to compete since rising to this level of world rugby. They have lost to Spain, Georgia and Romania and although they've put up some stirring opposition they have not threatened the try line in the last two matches played.

Portugal were a little unlucky to draw against Georgia away. They had the game sewn up 20-13 on full time then conceeded a try at the death. That result would have been heartening for a team that captured the hearts of rugby fans around the world during the 2007 Rugby World Cup but who have failed to fire since. At home against a struggling team they should win and win comfortably.

Last Five Test Matches for Portugal
14.02.2009 v Georgia in Tblissi Drawn 20-20 (WCQ Euro R1; ENC 1)
07.02.2009 v Russia in Lisbon Lost 14-18 (WCQ Euro R1; ENC 1)
30.01.2009 v England Saxons in Sale Lost 0-66 (Friendly)
01.11.2008 v Canada in Lisbon Lost 13-21 (Friendly)
10.05.2008 v Spain in Madrid Lost 17-21 (ENC 1)

Last Five Test Matches for Germany
14.02.2009 v Romania in Heidelberg Lost 0-22 (WCQ Euro R1; ENC 1)
07.02.2009 v Georgia in Heidelberg Lost 5-38 (WCQ Euro R1; ENC 1)
15.11.2008 v Spain in Madrid Lost 11-22 (WCQ Europe R1; ENC 1)
08.11.2008 v Welsh Clubs XV in Berlin Lost 14-27 (Friendly)
26.04.2008 v Netherlands in Amsterdam Won 27-17 (ENC 1)

Last Five Encounters Germany v Portugal
04.04.1998 Portugal 30-6 in Lisbon (WCQ Europe Pool 3)
14.05.1995 Portugal 26-16 in Heidelberg (FIRA A2)
17.04.1994 Germany 20-18 in Lisbon (FIRA A2)
30.04.1989 Germany 30-15 in Hanover (FIRA B2)
17.04.1988 Portugal 13-9 in Arcos Valdevez (FIRA B2)

GWC Rugby Rankings: Europe Table-Portugal 8th, Germany 12th

Prediction: Portugal by 32 points.

Teams

Portugal Squad
Antonio Aguilar (GD Direto) Age 30, 56 tests
Pedro Cabral (CR Madrid, Spain) 25, 17
João Correia, Capt. (GD Direto) 27, 41
David Dos Reis (RC Nimes, France) 31, 2
Bernardo Duarte (AEIS Agronomia) 25, 6
Valter Ferreira (OS Belenenses) ?, New cap
Gonçalo Foro (CD University Lisboa) 26, 13
Diogo Gama (SL Beneficia) 27, 15
Tiago Girão (CR Madrid, Spain) 23, 16
João Junior (CD University Lisboa) 22, 3
Pedro Leal (GD Direto) Age 24, 30
David Mateus (OS Belenenses) 28, 27
Diogo Mateus (OS Belenenses) 28, 62
Juan Murre (Sporting Nazairien Rugby, France) 28, 12
Salvador Palha (GD Direto) 24, 7
Duarte Pinto (AEIS Agronomia) 26, 38
Jose Pinto (Rugby Roma Olimpia, Italy) 27, 38
Jorge Segurado (GD Direto) 24, 4
Juan Severino (AEIS Agronomia) 26, 20
Pedro Silva (OS Belenenses) 24, 4
Cristian Spachuck (FC Auch, France) 27, 28
Gonçalo Uva (Montpellier RC, France) 23, 39
João Uva (OS Belenenses) 28, 42
Vasco Uva (GD Direto) 25, 52
Head Coach: Tomaz Morais

Germany
15. Edmorre Takaendesa (RG Heidelberg) aged 28, 6 tests
14. Benjamin Brierley (SC Frankfurt 1880) 22, 2
13. Colin Grzanna (Berliner RC) 28, 24
12. Lars Eckert (SC Neuenheim) 25, 23
11. Clemens von Grumbkow (RC Orléans) 25, 22
10. Kieron Davies (Ampthill RFC, England) 28, 25
9. Mustafa Güngör (RG Heidelberg) 27, 24
8. Manuel Wilhelm (RG Heidelberg) 28, 23
7. Alexander Hug (TSV Handschuhsheim) 24, 3
6. Timothy Kasten (Southend RFC, England) 26, 11
5. Bobo Sieber (Univ. of Capetown RFC, South Africa) 30, 19
4. Jens Schmidt, Capt. (TSV Handschuhsheim) 27, 37
3. Pierre Faber (RG Heidelberg) 30, 20
2. Timothy Coly (RG Heidelberg) 29, 33
1. Alexander Widiker (RC Orléans) 26, 33
Replacements
16. Benjamin Krause (SG 78/08 Hannover) 26, 26
17. Marcus Trick (SC Neuenheim) 32, 17
18. Benjamin Danso (DRD Hannover) 25, 12
19. Kehoma Brenner (RG Heidelberg) 23, 78
20. Rolf Wacha (SC Frankfurt 1888) 27, 3
21. Thorsten Wiedemann (TSV Handschuhsheim) 23, 4
22. Christopher Liebig (Heidelberger RK) 22, New Cap
Head Coach: Rudolf Finsterer

With help from http://www.rugby-journal.de/index.php/basis/meldung/die_deutsche_formation_gegen_portugal/ and http://www.totalrugby.de/index.php?option=com_joomleague&func=showPlayers&p=6&ttid=285&Itemid=250

Rugby Result: Ireland 38, Italy 9

15.02.2009
Ireland 38, Italy 9 in Rome (6 Nations)

An easy but done too convincing win for Ireland. They now go to the top of the 6 Nations points table.

Rugby test Match: Ireland v Italy in Rome.

15.02.2009
Ireland v Italy in Rome

Preview
Silly me backed an Italian side that were so disorganised with a forward pressed in to playing halfback that they virtually gifted the match to England. I would love to see Italy cause a major upset. They have a pack that can hold, even dominate any opposition. But oh those backs!

This is a very experienced Italian side. 7 players have played in 50 or more tests whilst another 3 have 40 or more. But we have more tinkering and fiddling with the backline, Italy's wart. Now we have another half combination. This time 33 year old Paul Griffen has been recalled to partner Luke McLean who is yet to establish himself at fly half.

Ireland travel to Rome with a good win against France under their belt. On paper they should be too strong for the Italians. Is this Irish team the one that will threaten Wales in this competition? Much as I would love Italy to win I can't see it being against Ireland.

Last Five Encounters
02.02.2008 Ireland 16-11 in Dublin (6 Nations)
24.08.2007 Ireland 23-20 in Belfast (World Cup Warm Up)
17.03.2007 Ireland 51-24 in Rome (6 Nations)
04.02.2006 Ireland 26-16 in Dublin (6 Nations)
06.02.2005 Ireland 28-17 in Rome (6 Nations)

GWC Rugby Rankings: World Table-Ireland 7th, Italy 10th
Europe Table-Ireland 4th, Italy 5th

Prediction: Ireland by 8 points.

Teams

Italy
15 Andrea Masi (Biarritz Olympique, France) 27, 45
14 Kane Robertson (Viadana) 28, 36
13 Gonzalo Canale (Clermont Auvergne, France) 26, 43
12 Mirco Bergamasco (Stade Francais, France) 25, 57
11 Matteo Pratichetti (Calvisano) 23, 13
10 Luke McLean (Calvisano) 21, 4
9 Paul Griffen (Calisano) 33, 38
8 Sergio Parisse, Capt (Stade Francais, France) 25, 58
7 Mauro Beragamasco (Stade Francais, France) 29, 70
6 Alessandro Zanni (Calvisano) 24, 27
5 Tommaso Reato (Rovigo) 23, 7
4 Santiago Dellapé (RC Toulon, France) 30, 53
3 Martin Castrogiovani (Leicester Tigers, England) 27, 55
2 Fabio Ongaro (Saracens, England) 31, 60
1 Salvatore Perugini (Stade Toulousain, France) 30, 56
Replacements
16 Carlo Festuccia (Racing Metro, France) 28, 46
17 Carlos Nieto (Gloucester, England) 32, 32
18 Carlo Antonio Del Fava (Ulster, Ireland) 27, 33
19 Joshua Sole (Viadana) 28, 34
20 Giulio Toniolatti (Capitolina) 24, 2
21 Gonzalo Garcia (Calvisano) 24, 6
22 Andrea Bacchetti (Rovigo) 20, New cap
Head Coach: Nik Mallett

Ireland
15 Robert Kearney (Leinster) Age 24, 12 tests
14 Tommy Bowe (Neath Swansea Ospreys, Wales) 24, 19
13 Brian O'Driscoll, Capt (Leinster) 29, 88
12 Patrick Wallace (Ulster) 29, 13
11 Luke Fitzgerald (Leinster) 21, 8
10 Ronan O'Gara (Munster) 31, 88
9 Tomas O'Leary (Munster) 25, 4
8 James Heaslip (Leinster) 24, 14
7 David Wallace (Munster) 32, 51
6 Stephen Ferris (Ulster) 23, 9
5 Paul O'Connell (Munster) 29, 58
4 Donncha O'Callaghan (Munster) 29, 51
3 John Hayes (Munster) 35, 90
2 Jeremy Flannery (Munster) 30, 27
1 Marcus Horan (Munster) 31, 62
Replacements
16 Rory Best (Ulster) 26, 28
17 Thomas Court (Ulster) 28, New Cap
18 Malcolm O'Kelly (Leinster) 34, 90
19 Denis Leamy (Munster) 27, 35
20 Peter Stringer (Munster) 31, 86
21 Gordon D'Arcy (Leinster) 28, 38
22 Geordan Murphy (Leicester Tigers, England) 30, 59
Head Coach: Declan Kidney

For a complete list of all international rugby test matches played by both Italy and Ireland go to www.rugbyinternational.net

International Rugby Results: 14 Feb.09

14.02.2009
Wales 23, England 15 in Cardiff (6 Nations)
France 22, Scotland 13 in Paris (6 Nations)
Georgia 20, Portugal 20 in Tblissi (WCQ Europe R1; ENC 1)
Romania 22, Germany 0 in Heidelberg (WCQ Europe R1; ENC 1)

Reviews
Wales had to struggle to subdue and England side that rose to the occasion. Could this be the start of the England revival the fans have been waiting for. Wales are still well on track to retain their hold of the 6 Nations Chmapionship Trophy.

France stutted and splutted against a spirited but eventually outplayed Scottish side. Neither side will threaten the leaders of this competition playing this way. The French crowd booed their team for much of the game. Hard to please?

In a reportedly awful game Georgia managed a draw with Portugal. Georgia had all the territory but failed to convert that into the extra points that could have won them the game. Georgia are the holders of the European Nations Cup but they need to find the 'on' button to the game plan. Portugal will not win games without possession and territory. Today they were lucky they got away with a draw.

Romania continued its advance along the winning path. Germany played well but could not convert possession into points. They will continue to struggle until they can score points.

What are your views on the games this weekend? Did you see them? Post your views here

Rugby Test: England v Wales

14.02.2009
England v Wales in Cardiff.

Preview
Wales are riding the top of the European rugby world at present. They are so far on track to repeat their 6 Nations Championship win and Grand Slam last season. The thought of a wobbly English side must be mouthwatering to a Welsh side always eager to inflict painfull victories over their traditional 'enemy'.

England took advantage of a disorganised Italian side last weekend and posted a much needed win. Not all is well with the execution of game plans. England will need to play well above recent form to make any impact against Wales. A thunderous reception awaits England at the stadium in Cardiff.

Last Five Encounters
02.02.2008 Wales 26-19 at Twickenham (6 Nations)
04.08.2007 England 62-5 at Twickenham (World Cup Warm Up)
17.03.2007 Wales 27-18 at cardiff (6 Nations)
04.02.2006 England 47-13 at Twickenham (6 Nations)
05.02.2005 Wales 11-9 (6 Nations)

GWC Rugby Rankings: World Table-Wales 3rd, England 5th
Europe Table-Wales 1st, England 2nd

Prediction: Wales by 16 points.

Teams

England
15 Delon Armitage (London Irish) Age 24, 5 tests
14 Paul Sackey (London Wasps) 29, 20
13 Michael Tindall (Gloucester) 30, 56
12 Riki Flutey (London Wasps) 28, 5
11 Mark Cueto (Sale Sharks) 28, 25
10 Andrew Goode (CA Brive, France) 28, 10
9 Harry Ellis (Leicester Tigers) 26, 23
8 Nicholas Easter (Harlequins) 33, 21
7 Joseph Worsley (London Wasps) 31, 67
6 James Haskell (London Wasps) 23, 13
5 Nicholas Kennedy (London Irish) 27, 3
4 Steven Borthwick, Capt. (Saracens) 28, 45
3 Phillip Vickery (London Wasps) 32, 69
2 Lee Mears (Bath Rugby) 29, 29
1 Andrew Sheridan (Sale Sharks) 29, 28
Replacements
16 Dylan Hartley (Northampton Saints) 22, 5
17 Julian White (Leicester Tigers) 35, 45
18 Thomas Croft (Leicester Tigers) 22, 9
19 Luke Narraway (Gloucester) 25, 5
20 Paul Hodgson (London Irish) 26, 1
21 Tobias Flood (Leicester Tigers) 22, 18
22 Mathew Tait (Sale Sharks) 22, 24
Head Coach: Martin Johnson

Wales
15 Lee Byrne (Neath Swansea Ospreys) Age 28, 23 Tests
14 Leigh Halfpenny (Cardiff Blues) 19, 4
13 Thomas Shanklin Cardiff Blues) 29, 59
12 James Roberts Cardiff Blues) 21, 7
11 Shane Williams (Neath Swansea Ospreys) 31, 62
10 Stephen Jones (Lanelli Scarlets) 31, 76
9 Michael Phillips (Neath Swansea Ospreys) 26
8 Andrew Powell (Cardiff Blues) 27, 5
7 Martyn Williams (Cardiff Blues) 33, 85
6 Ryan Jones, Capt. (Neath Swansea Ospreys) 28, 26
5 Alun-Wyn Jones (Neath Swansea Ospreys) 23, 27
4 Ian Gough (Neath Swansea Ospreys) 32, 56
3 Adam Jones (Neath Swansea Ospreys) 27, 53
2 Matthew Rees (Lanelli Scarlets) 28, 23
1 Gethin Jenkins (Cardiff Blues) 28, 64
Replacements
16 Huw Bennett (Neath Swansea Ospreys) 25, 18
17 John Yapp (Cardiff Blues) 25, 11
18 Luke Charteris (Newport Gwent Dragons) 25, 10
19 Dafydd Jones (Lanelli Scarlets) 28, 35
20 Dwayne Peel (Sale Sharks, England) 27, 65
21 James Hook (Neath Swansea Ospreys) 23, 30
22 Andrew Bishop (Neath Swansea Ospreys) 23, 4
Head Coach: Warren Gatland

For a complete lists of all international rugby test matches played by both England and Wales go to www.rugbyinternational.net

Test rugby: Scotland v France in Paris

14.02.2009
Scotland v France in Paris (6 Nations)

Preview
Scotland have an uphill battle against a French side that has been threatening to break loose at any moment. Scotland require some old hands to play to steady the ship. Players like Hines and Murray in the forwards and Patterson in the backs.

France have yet to show some decent recent results. There have been promises of great things to come and calls for patience made recently by players and coaching staff. Problem is the Parisian crowd is not too forgiving. Players and coaches know this so they will be under great pressure to perform and perform well on Saturday. Heads will roll if France lose. And how do France usually perform under pressure. Well, not to well actually!

Last Five Encounters
03.02.2008 France 27-6 at Murrayfield (6 Nations)
07.03.2007 France 46-19 in Paris (6 Nations)
05.02.2006 Scotland 20-16 at Murrayfield (6 Nations)
05.02.2005 France 16-9 in Paris (6 Nations)
21.03.2004 France 31-0 at Murrayfield (6 Nations)

GWC Rugby Rankings: World Table-Scotland 6th, France 8th
Europe Table-France 3rd, Scotland 6th

Prediction: France by 17

Teams

Scotland
15 Hugo Southwell (Edinburgh Gunners) Age 28, 45 Tests
14 Simon Danielli (Ulster, Ireland) 30, 16
13 Max Evans (Glasgow Warriors) 25, 2
12 Graeme Morrison (Glasgow Warriors) 26, 12
11 Thomas Evans (Glasgow Warriors) 25, 3
10 Phillip Godman (Edinburgh Gunners) 26, 13
9 Michael Blair, Capt. (Edinburgh Gunners) 27, 54
8 Simon Taylor (Stade Francais, France) 29, 62
7 John Barclay (Glasgow Warriors) 21, 8
6 Alistair Strokosch (Gloucester, England) 26, 7
5 James Hamilton (Edinburgh Gunners) 25, 19
4 Jason White (Sale Sharks, England) 30, 70
3 Alastair Dickinson (Gloucester, England) 24, 8
2 Ross Ford (Edinburgh Gunners) 24, 25
1 Allan Jacobsen (Edinburgh Gunners) 30, 34
Replacements
16 Douglas Hall (Glasgow Warriors) 28, 24
17 Moray Low (Glasgow Warriors) 24, New Cap
18 Kelly Brown (Glasgow Warriors) 26, 26
19 Scott Gray (Northampton Saints, England) 30, 5
20 Christopher Cusiter (Perpignan, France) 26, 40
21 Christopher Paterson (Gloucester, England) 30, 91
22 Nicholas De Luca ( Edinburgh Gunners) 25, 6
Head Coach: Frank Hadden

Injured List: Simon Webster, Geoff Cross

France
15 Clement Poitrenaud (Stade Toulousain) age 26, 32 tests
14 Maxime Medard (Stade Toulousain) 21, 4
13 Benoit Baby (Clermont Auvergne) 25, 7
12 Yannick Jauzion (Stade Toulousain) 30, 56
11 Cedric Heymans (Stade Toulousain) 30, 44
10 Lionel Beauxis (Stade Français) 22, 12
9 Sebastien Tillous-Borde (Castres) 23, 5
8 Imanol Harinordoquy (Biarritz Olympique) 29, 52
7 Fulgence Ouedraogo (Montpellier) 22, 12
6 Thierry Dusautoir (Stade Toulousain) 27, 18
5 Romain Millo-Chluski (Stade Toulousain) 25, 5
4 Lionel Nallet, Capt. (Castres) 32, 44
3 Nicolas Mas (Perpignan) 28, 22
2 Dimitri Szarzewski (Stade Français) 25, 31
1 Fabien Barcella (Auch) 25, 3
Replacements
16 Benjamin Kayser (Leicester, England) 24, 6
17 Renaud Boyoud (US Dax) 28, 2
18 Sebastien Chabal (Sale, England) 30, 42
19 Louis Picamoles (Montpellier) 22, 9
20 Morgan Parra (Bourgoin) 20, 5
21 Maxime Mermoz (Perpignan) 22, 1
22 Julien Malzieu (Clermont Auvergne) 25, 7
Head Coach: Marc Lièvremont

For complete lists of all international rugby tests results for both Scotland and France go to www.rugbyinternational.net

Australian Bushfire Appeal

As many of you are aware the Australian State of Victoria suffered life taking and massive property destruction. I stayed in Melbourne overnight on my way home from NZ 31 Jan-1 Feb with friends only a suburb away from Kinglake which was devastated including huge loss of life. My friends are now harbouring a friend from that suburb who only just managed to save herself, her cat and her car. Everything else gone!! The survivors need help.

The Australian and now World community have rallied to support the people of Victoria. You can do this at this web site
http://www.redcross.org.au/

International Rugby: Portugal v Georgia

14.02.2009
Portugal v Georgia in Tblissi

Preview
The differences between the European Nations Cup Division 1 teams were not that great last weekend. Germany apart, the teams have looked fairly even on the scoreboard.

Portugal is desperately trying to find the spirit and form that took them to the 2007 Rugby World Cup. There closely fought lose to Russia at home was heartening. But this weekend they travel to rugby-made Georgia where the home team awaits and winning by visiting teams is a rare occurance.

Georgia made hard work of Germany away last weekend. They seem to struggle against the weaker sides and save their true spirit for the big challenges. Portugal may find their host underprepared.

Last Five Encounters
13.02.2008 Georgia 11-6 in Lisbon (ENC 1)
02.02.2008 Georgia 31-3 in Tblissi (ENC 1)
25.11.2006 Drawn 11-11 in Lisbon (WCQ Europe R5 Playoff, 2nd leg)
11.11.2006 Georgia 17-3 in Tblissi (WCQ Europe R5 Playoff 1st leg)
11.03.2006 Georgia 40-0 in Tblissi (ENC 1)

GWC Rugby Rankings: World Table-Georgia 15th, Portugal 21st
Europe Table-Georgia 7th, Portugal 11th

Prediction: Georgia by 14 points

Teams

Portugal
15 Pedro Leal (GD Direto) Age 24, 29 tests
14 David Mateus (OS Belenenses) 28, 26
13 Pedro Silva (OS Belenenses) 24, 3
12 Diogo Mateus (OS Belenenses) 28, 61
11 Gonçalo Foro (CD University Lisboa) 26, 12
10 Pedro Cabral (CR Madrid, Spain) 25, 16
9 Jose Pinto (Rugby Roma Olimpia, Italy) 27, 37
8 Eduardo Acosta (GD Direto) 30, 8
7 Vasco Uva (GD Direto) 25, 51
6 Tiago Girão (CR Madrid, Spain) 23, 15
5 Gonçalo Uva (Montpellier RC, France) 23, 38
4 David Penalva (FC Auch, France) 28, 25
3 Cristian Spachuck (FC Auch, France) 27, 27
2 João Correia, Capt. (GD Direto) 27, 40
1 Jorge Segurado (GD Direto) 24, 3
Replacements
16 Juan Murre (Sporting Nazairien Rugby, France) 28, 12
17 Bernardo Duarte (AEIS Agronomia) 25, 6
18 Juan Severino (AEIS Agronomia) 26, 19
19 Valter Ferreira (OS Belenenses ) ?, New Cap
20 Salvador Palha (GD Direto) 24, 6
21 Duarte Pinto (AEIS Agronomia) 26, 37
22 Diogo Gama (SL Beneficia) 27, 14
Head Coach: Tomaz Morais

Georgia
15 Merab Kvirikashvili (Massy, France) Age 25, 29 Tests
14 Irakli Machkhaneli (Agen, France) 27, 29
13 Davit Kacharava (Enisey STM-Krasnoyarsk, Russia) 23, 22
12 Tedore Zibzibadze (Périgueux, France) 28, 37
11 Giorgi Shkinin (Hooligana) 25, 30
10 Lasha Malaghuradze (Beziers, France) 22, 11
9 Irakli Abuseridze, Capt (Orléans, France) 31, 55
8 Mamuka Gorgodze (Montpellier, France) 24, 30
7 Gia Labadze (Toulon, France) 35, 48
6 Giorgi Chkhaidze (Racing Metro, France) 27, 30
5 Kakhaber Uchava (Farul Constanta, Romania) 32, 12
4 Ilia Zedginidze (Aix-en-Provence, France) 31, 50
3 Goderdzi Shvelidze (Montauban, France) 30, 46
2 Akvsent Giorgadze (Castres, France) 31, 52
1 David Kubriashvili (Toulon, France) 22, 5

Replacements
16 Irakli Natriashvili (Farul Constanta, Romania) 25, 13
17 Davit Khinchagishvili (Brive, France) 25, 19
18 Dimitri Basilaia (Morlass, France) 23, 8
19 Rati Urushadze (Enisey STM-Krasnoyarsk, Russia) 33, 32
20 Bidzina Samkharadze (Farul Constanta, Romania) 25, 36
21 Irakli Giorgadze (Dax, France) 26, 32
22 Otar Barkalaia (VPC, Andorra) 24, 35
Head Coach: Tim Lane

Thanks to friends from http://www.fira-aer-rugby.com/forum2007/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=3016

For complete lists of all international rugby test results for both Portugal and Georgia go to www.rugbyinternational.net

Test Match: Romania v Germany

14.02.2009
Romania v Germany in Heidelberg

Preview
Germany faces another giant of a forward pack from Romania this weekend. The Germans displayed spirit and determination aplenty last weekend. They will need more than that to hold a Romanian team itching for a good win to help keep them up with the competition leaders.

Prediction: Romania by 16 points

Teams

Romania
15. Florin Vlaicu (Steaua Bucuresti) 22, 16
14. Catalin Fercu (Steaua Bucuresti) 21, 22
13. Adrian Barbuliceanu (Dinamo Bucuresti) 24, 3
12. Csaba Gal (Dinamo Bucuresti) 23, 12
11. Stefan Ciuntu (Dinamo Bucuresti) 22, 8
10. Dorin Manole (Universitate Cluj) 22, 1
9. Petre Mitu (Montauban, France) 31, 38
8. Daniel Carpo (Farul Constanta) 24, 5
7. Stelian Burcea, Capt. (Dinamo Bucuresti) 24, 11
6. Florin Corodeanu (Saint Marcelline Sport, France) 31, 55
5. Cristian Petre (Beziers, France) 28, 58
4. Valentin Poparlan (Dinamo Bucuresti) 21, 7
3. Paulica Ion (Bath, England) 25, 29
2. Florin Teasca (Dinamo Bucuresti) 29, 4
1. Nicolae Nere (Steaua Bucuresti) 27, 4
Replacements
16. Catalin Beca (Dinamo Bucuresti) 23, 1
17. Silviu Florea (Montauban, France) 31, 20
18. Alexandru Giucal (Perpignan Espiors, France) ?, New Cap
19. Andrei Gorcioaia (Universitate Cluj) 21, New Cap
20. Valentin Calafeteanu (Dinamo Bucuresti) 23, 17
21. Ionut Dimofte (Steaua Bucuresti) 23, 26
22. Ionut Botezatu (Baia Mare) ?, New Cap
Head Coach:

Germany
15. Edmorre Takaendesa (RG Heidelberg) aged 28, 5 tests
14. Benjamin Brierley (SC Frankfurt 1880) 22, 1
13. Benjamin Simm (SG 78/08 Hannover) 23, 8
12. Colin Grzanna (Berliner RC) 28, 23
11. Clemens von Grumbkow (RC Orléans) 25, 21
10. Kieron Davies (Bedford RFC, England) 28, 24
9. Mustafa Güngör (RG Heidelberg) 27, 23
8. Robert Mohr (La Rochelle, France) 30, ?
7. Michael Poppmeier (Lazio Rom, Italy) 26, 1
6. Timothy Kasten (Southend RFC, England) 26, 10
5. Jens Schmidt, Capt. (TSV Handschuhsheim) 27, 36
4. Bobo Sieber (Univ. of Capetown RFC, South Africa) 30, 18
3. Pierre Faber (RG Heidelberg) 30, 19
2. Timothy Coly (RG Heidelberg) 29, 32
1. Alexander Widiker (RC Orléans) 26, 32
Replacements
16. Benjamin Krause (SG 78/08 Hannover) 26, 25
17. Damien Tussac (RC Toulon, France) Age ?, 1
18. Manuel Wilhelm (RG Heidelberg) 28, 22
19. Kehoma Brenner (RG Heidelberg) 23, 7
20. Alexander Hug (TSV Handschuhsheim) 24, 2
21. Lars Eckert (SC Neuenheim) 25, 22
22. Thorsten Wiedemann (TSV Handschuhsheim) 23, 3
Head Coach: Rudolf Finsterer
Line up source: totalrugby.de):

For complete lists of all international rugby test matches played by both Germany and Romania go to www.rugbyinternational.net.

Test Rugby This Weekend 14-15 February

14.02.2009
Scotland v France in Paris (6 Nations)
England v Wales in Cardiff (6 Nations)
Portugal v Georgia in Tblissi (WCQ Europe R1; ENC 1)
Romania v Germany in Heidelberg (WCQ Europe R1; ENC 1)

15.02.2009
Ireland v Italy in Rome (6 Nations)

We have another fantastic weekend of international rugby coming up. Both Scotland and France lost their opening games of the 6 Nations Tournament. A second loss will virtually eliminate that team from title contention. Both teams will be desperate to win, especially a heavily critisised French team playing in front of an unforgiving home crowd.

England is the team Wales loves to win, especially at home. England must win to keep their championship hopes alive. This will be the clash of the weekend.

Portugal travels to Georgia in what will be a difficult game for the visitors. Georgia is a handful at the best of times and on their home turf almost unbeatable.

Romania travels to Germany. The Germans showed great spirit and determination against Georgia last weekend but face yet another of the most formidible forward packs at this level.

On Sunday Ireland travel to Rome in what should be a straight forward win.

So who are the winners this weekend? Post your thoughts here.

British and Irish Lions Tour to South Africa 2

Squad of 35 Players after Round 1 of 6 Nations

I have made a few changes to my squad. Make your selections on this blog.

Fullbacks
Lee Byrne (Wales)
Geordan Murphy (Ireland)
Wingers
Leigh Halfpenny (Wales)
Rob Kearney (Ireland)
Chris Patterson (Scotland)
Shane Williams (Wales)
Centres
Brian O'Driscoll (Ireland)
Luke Fitzgerald (Ireland)
Jamie Roberts (Wales)
Thomas Shanklin (Wales)
Gordon D'Arcy (Ireland)
Flyhalves
Stephan Jones (Wales)
Ronan O'Gara (Ireland)
Scrum Halves
Mike Blair (Scotland)
Mike Phillips (Wales)
Danny Care (England)
Number 8
Andy Powell (Wales)
Jamie Heaslip (Ireland)
Loose Forwards
David Wallace (Ireland)
John Barclay (Scotland)
Martyn Williams (Wales)
Stephan Ferris (Ireland)
Ryan Jones (Wales-Captain)
Dafydd Jones (Wales)
Lock Forwards
Paul O'Connell (Ireland)
Nathan Hines (Scotland)
Alan Wyn Jones (Wales)
Steve Borthwick (England)
Props
Phil Vickery (England)
Euan Murray (Scotland)
Andrew Sheridan (England)
Gethin Jenkins (Wales)
Adam Jones (Wales)
Hookers
Ross Ford (Scotland)
Rory Best (Ireland)
Mathew Rees (Wales)

Some of my selections are off the scene with injuries. With one round gone these players will need to play soon and show form to stay on my list.
Chris Patterson, Danny Care, Nathan Hines and Euan Murray.
My team now has four Jones' and less English players.

Rugby Result: Wales 26, Scotland 13

08.02.2009
Wales 26, Scotland 13 at Murrayfield (6 Nations)

Wales managed a 26-13 win over Scotland at Murrayfield with the local team again disappointing their fans. Injuries and a ten minute stint in the sin bin for debutant prop Cross sealed Scotland's fate.

International Rugby: Wales v Scotland

08.02.2009
Wales v Scotland at Murrayfield (6 Nations)

Preview
Wales are the team to beat. 6 Nations champion and Grand Slam winner for 2007-08 and the only team to inflict defeat a Southern Hemisphere (excluding Argentina) nation in November, Wales arrive in Edinburgh the champions of Europe. All they have to do is play to that reputation and they should win comfortably. But to take a win against Scotland at Murrayfield for granted at any time is courting disaster. Look what happened in 2007! With basically the same side that defeated Australia (with Phillips and Bennett added for strength) Wales looks the winner on paper.

Last Five Tests Played by Wales
29.11.2008 v Australia W 21-18 in Cardiff
22.11.2008 v New Zealand L 9-29 in Cardiff
14.11.2008 v Canada W 34-13 in Cardiff
08.11.2008 v South Africa L 15-20 in Cardiff
14.06.2008 v South Africa L 21-37 in Pretoria

Scotland fans will be wondering just what will this Scottish side of theirs dish out this time? Following their team is like riding a roller coaster-up and down! After their great win against Argentina in Buenos Aires last year the team's performances were great against South Africa, then poor against New Zealand. So. Up and down. here we go again. What will it be today?

Last Five Tests Played by Scotland
22.11.2008 v Canada W 41-0 in Aberdeen
15.11.2008 v South Africa L 10-14 at Murrayfield
08.11.2008 v New Zealand L 6-32 at Murrayfield
14.06.2008 v Argentina W 26-14 in Buenos Aires
07.06.2008 v Argentina L 15-21 in Rosario

Last Five Encounters Wales v Scotland
09.02.2008 Wales 30-15 in Cardiff (6 Nations)
10.02.2007 Scotland 21-9 at Murrayfield (6 Nations)
12.02.2006 Wales 28-18 in Cardiff (6 Nations)
13.03.2005 Wales 46-22 at Murrayfield (6 Nations)
14.02.2004 Wales 23-10 in Cardiff (6 Nations)

GWC Rugby Rankings: World Table-Wales 3rd, Scotland 6th
Europe Table-Wales 1st, Scotland 6th

Prediction: Wales by 12 points

Teams

Scotland
15 Hugo Southwell (Edinburgh Gunners) Age 28, 44 Tests
14 Simon Webster (Edinburgh Gunners) 27, 31
13 Benjamin Cairns (Edinburgh Gunners) 23, 5
12 Graeme Morrison (Glasgow Warriors) 26, 11
11 Sean Lamont (Northampton Saints, England) 26, 32
10 Phillip Godman (Edinburgh Gunners) 26, 12
9 Michael Blair, Capt. (Edinburgh Gunners) 27, 53
8 Simon Taylor (Stade Francais, France) 29, 61
7 John Barclay (Glasgow Warriors) 21, 7
6 Allister Hogg (Edinburgh Gunners) 25, 46
5 James Hamilton (Edinburgh Gunners) 25, 18
4 Jason White (Sale Sharks, England) 30, 69
3 Geoffrey Cross (Edinburgh Gunners) 26, New Cap
2 Ross Ford (Edinburgh Gunners) 24, 24
1 Allan Jacobsen (Edinburgh Gunners) 30, 33
Replacements
16 Douglas Hall (Glasgow Warriors) 28, 23
17 Alastair Dickinson (Gloucester, England) 24, 7
18 Kelly Brown (Glasgow Warriors) 26, 25
19 Scott Gray (Northampton Saints, England) 30, 4
20 Christopher Cusiter (Perpignan, France) 26, 39
21 Christopher Paterson (Gloucester, England) 30, 90
22 Max Evans (Glasgow Warriors) 25, 1
Head Coach: Frank Hadden

Geoff Cross wins his first test cap for Scotland.

Wales
15 Lee Byrne (Neath Swansea Ospreys) Age 28, 22 Tests
14 Leigh Halfpenny (Cardiff Blues) 19, 3
13 Thomas Shanklin Cardiff Blues) 29, 58
12 James Roberts Cardiff Blues) 21, 6
11 Shane Williams (Neath Swansea Ospreys) 31, 61
10 Stephen Jones (Lanelli Scarlets) 31, 75
9 Michael Phillips (Neath Swansea Ospreys) 26
8 Andrew Powell (Cardiff Blues) 27, 4
7 Martyn Williams (Cardiff Blues) 33, 84
6 Ryan Jones, Capt. (Neath Swansea Ospreys) 28, 26
5 Alun-Wyn Jones (Neath Swansea Ospreys) 23, 26
4 Ian Gough (Neath Swansea Ospreys) 32, 55
3 Adam Jones (Neath Swansea Ospreys) 27, 52
2 Matthew Rees (Lanelli Scarlets) 28, 22
1 Gethin Jenkins (Cardiff Blues) 28, 63
Replacements
16 Huw Bennett (Neath Swansea Ospreys) 25, 17
17 John Yapp (Cardiff Blues) 25, 10
18 Luke Charteris (Newport Gwent Dragons) 25, 9
19 Dafydd Jones (Lanelli Scarlets) 28, 34
20 Dwayne Peel (Sale Sharks, England) 27, 64
21 James Hook (Neath Swansea Ospreys) 23, 29
22 Andrew Bishop (Neath Swansea Ospreys) 23, 3
Head Coach: Warren Gatland

The injured list
Gavin Henson (after selection), Ian Evans

Test Rugby Results 7 Feb

07.02.2009
England 36, Italy 11 at Twickenham (6 Nations)
Ireland 30, France 21 in Dublin (6 Nations)
Georgia 38, Germany 5 in Heidelberg (WCQ Eur. R1; ENC 1:
Romania 19, Spain 10 in Madrid (WCQ Europe R1; ENC 1:
Russia 18, Portugal 14 in Lisbon (WCQ Europe R1; ENC 1)

Test Match: Russia v Portugal

07.02.2009
Russia v Portugal in Lisbon (WCQ Europe R1; ENC 1)

Last Five Encounters
01.02.2008 Russia 41-26 in Krasnodar (ENC 1)
12.05.2007 Russia 21-13 in Lisbon (ENC 1)
28.10.2006 Portugal 26-23 in Lisbon (WCQ Europe R5, Pool A)
13.06.2006 Russia 37-17 in Lisbon (IRB Nations Cup)
25.02.2006 Drawn 19-19 in Lisbon (ENC 1)

GWC Rugby Rankings: World Table-Russia 19th, Portugal 21st
Europe Table-Russia 9th, Portugal 11th

Prediction: Russia by 8 points

Teams

Russia
15. Igor Kluchnikov (VVA-Podmoskovje)
14. Andrey Kuzin (VVA-Podmoskovje)
13. Mikhail Babaev (VVA-Podmoskovje)
12. Sergey Trishin (VVA-Podmoskovje)
11. Alexander Gvozdovsky (Krasniy Yar-Krasnoyarsk)
10. Yuri Kushnarev (VVA-Podmoskovje)
9. Victor Motorin (VVA-Podmoskovje)
8. Victor Gresev (VVA-Podmoskovje)
7. Evgeny Matveev (VVA-Podmoskovje)
6. Andrey Ostrikov (Agen, France)
5. Kirill Kulemin (Castres, France)
4. Alexander Voitov (VVA-Podmoskovje)
3. Evgeny Pronenko (Enisey STM-Krasnoyarsk)
2. Vladislav Korshunov, Capt. (VVA-Podmoskovje)
1. Alexander Khrokin (VVA-Podmoskovje)

16. Vladimir Botvinnikov (Enisey STM-Krasnoyarsk)
17. Andrey Garbuzov (Krasniy Yar-Krasnoyarsk)
18. Alexey Travkin (VVA-Podmoskovje)
19. Artem Fatakhov (Enisey STM-Krasnoyarsk)
20. Alexander Yanushkin (Slava Moscow) (now VVA)
21. Dmitry Gerasimov (Enisey STM-Krasnoyarsk)
22. Vasily Artemyev (Univ.College, Dublin, Ireland)
Head Coach: Nikolay Nerush

http://www.fira-aer-rugby.com/forum2007/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=3001

Will be played at Lisbon University Ground in Lisbon

Preperations: Russian team in South African training camp most of January, returned to Russian Jan 26th and then flew to Portugal 30 Jan.
Portugal in England, lost 0-66 to England Saxons in Sale Jan 30th.

Portugal
Eduardo Acosta
Pedro Cabral
João Correia, Capt.
Aderito Esteves
Gonçalo Foro
Tiago Girão
João Junior
Pedro Leal
David Mateus
Diogo Mateus
Juan Murre
Salvador Palha
David Penalva
Duarte Pinto
Jose Pinto
Jorge Segurado
Juan Severino
Pedro Silva
Cristian Spachuck
Gonçalo Uva
João Uva
Vasco Uva
Head Caoch: Tomaz Morais,

http://www.fira-aer-rugby.com/forum2007/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=3001

Test Rugby: Romania v Spain

07.02.2009
Romania v Spain in Madrid (WCQ Europe R1; ENC 1)

Last Five Encounters
23.02.2008 Romania 17-11 in Madrid (ENC 1)
10.03.2007 Romania 50-14 in Bucharest (ENC 1)
14.10.2006 Romania 43-20 in Madrid (WCQ Europe R5, Pool B)
06.03.2004 Romania 50-10 in Bucharest (ENC 1)
08.03.2003 Romania 31-6 in Madrid (ENC 1)

Spain last defeated Romania in 1992, winning 6-0 in Madrid.

GWC Rugby Rankings: World Table-Romania 16th, Spain 20th
Europe Table-Romania 8th, Spain 10th

Prediction: Romania by 22 points

Teams

Spain Squad
Juan Rafael Alvarez (Bera Bera RT)
César Bernasconi (CRC Madrid)
José Mª.Bohorquez CR Ciencias)
Aníbal Bonan (Vrac Valladolid)
Juan Cano (CRC Madrid)
Javier Canosa (CRC Madrid)
Damien Elgoyhen (Avion Bayonnais, France)
Pablo Feijoo (CRC Madrid)
Leandro Fernández-Aramburu CR Ciencias)
Juan Gonzalez (CRC Madrid)
Sebastián Hattori CR Ciencias)
David Hernandez (Getxo Artea RT)
Ion Insausti (CRC Madrid)
Ignacio Martin (Gran Parma RC, Italy)
Igor Mirones (Getxo Artea RT)
David Mota (CRC Madrid)
Jaime Nava (CE Salvador)
Martín Jeremías Palumbo (Getxo Artea RT)
Romain Roques (Stade Dijonnais, France)
Javier Salazar (CRC Madrid)
César Sempere (CRC Madrid)
Sergio Souto (CE Salvador)
Julien Tourtoulou (Colomiers RC, France)
Diego Zarzosa (CE Salvador)
Head Coach: Ged Glynn Squad

Romania
15. Florin Vlaicu (Steaua Bucuresti)
14. Catalin Fercu (Steaua Bucuresti)
13. Adrian Barbuliceanu (Dinamo Bucuresti)
12. Catalin Dascalu (Steaua Bucuresti)
11. Madalin Lemnaru (Arad)
10. Ionut Dimofte (Steaua Bucuresti)
9. Petre Mitu (Montauban, France)
8. Daniel Carpo (Farul Constanta)
7. Stelian Burcea, Capt. (Dinamo Bucuresti)
6. Florin Corodeanu (Saint Marcelline Sport, France)
5. Alin Coste (Narbonne, France)
4. Laurent Giucal
3. Paulica Ion (Bath, England)
2. Florin Tasca (Dinamo Bucuresti)
1. Nicolae Nere (Steaua Bucuresti)
Replacements
16. Catalin Beca
17. Silviu Florea (Montauban, France)
18. Valentin Poparlan (Dinamo Bucuresti)
19. Daniel Ianus (Steaua Bucuresti)
20. Valentin Calafeteanu (Dinamo Bucuresti)
21. Dorin Manole (Universitate Cluj)
22. Stefan Ciuntu (Dinamo Bucuresti)
Head Coach:

Rugby test: Georgia v Germany

07.02.2009
Georgia v Germany in Heidelberg (WCQ Europe R1; ENC 1)

The Germans are new to this level of international rugby. They won the right to play in this division due to the first place the ENC 2A Division they gained, played 2006-08. Their first match was a 11-22 loss to Spain in Madrid last November. They will find the Georgians very difficult to handle. This is all about learning to play the game at a greater pace against heavier energy-sapping forwards. The Germans will see this game as pivotal in their development having put so much energy and resources in to finally reaching this level of international rugby. A loss by less than 20 points will almost seem like a victory.

Germany's Last Five Tests
15.11.2008 v Spain Lost 11-22 in Madrid (ENC 1)
08.11.2008 v Welsh Clubs XV Lost 14-27 in Berlin
26.04.2008 v Netherlands Won 27-17 in Amsterdam (ENC 2A)
19.04.2008 v Ukraine Won 13-5 in Hannover (ENC 2A)
24.11.2007 v Moldova Won 34-5 in Heidelberg (ENC 2A)

Georgia travel to Germany with a squad full of players who went to the 2007 Rugby World Cup and many more experienced at the top level of the European Nations Cup. This is the team that won ENC 1 2006-08 and the only real advantage Germany has is that they will play on home soil. Other than that it looks all very one-sided.

Georgia's Last Five Test Matches
14.11.2008 v Scotland 'A' Lost 3-69 in Glasgow
20.06.2008 v Italy 'A' Won 25-3 in Bucharest (IRB Nations Cup)
15.06.2008 v Uruguay Won 20-18 in Bucharest (IRB Nations Cup)
11.06.2008 v Emerging Springbox Lost 3-11 in Bucharest (IRB Nations Cup)
26.04.2008 v Spain Won 22-20 in Tblissi (ENC 1)

Previous Encounters Between Germany and Georgia
15.10.1995 Georgia 14-3 in Tblissi (FIRA B1)

GWC Rugby Rankings: Europe Table-Georgia 7th, Germany 12th.

Prediction: Georgia by 40 points.

Teams

Georgia
15 Merab Kvirikashvili (Massy, France) Age 25, 28 Tests
14 Irakli Machkhaneli (Agen, France) 27, 28
13 Davit Kacharava (Enisey STM-Krasnoyarsk, Russia) 23, 21
12 Irakli Giorgadze (Dax, France) 26, 31
11 Irakli Chkhikvadze (Aia) 21, 11
10 Lasha Malaghuradze (Beziers, France) 22, 10
9 Irakli Abuseridze, Capt (Orléans, France) 31, 54
8 Mamuka Gorgodze (Montpellier, France) 24, 29
7 Rati Urushadze (Enisey STM-Krasnoyarsk, Russia) 33, 31
6 Giorgi Chkhaidze (Racing Metro, France) 27, 29
5 Kakhaber Uchava (Farul Constanta, Romania) 32, 11
4 Ilia Zedginidze (Aix-en-Provence, France) 31, 49
3 Davit Zirakashvili (Clermont Auvergne, France) 25, 18
2 Irakli Natriashvili (Farul Constanta, Romania) 25, 12
1 Goderdzi Shvelidze (Montauban, France) 30, 45

Replacements
16 Akvsent Giorgadze (Castres, France) 31, 51
17 Davit Khinchagishvili (Brive, France) 25, 18
18 Gia Labadze (Toulon, France) 35, 47
19 Dimitri Basilaia (Morlass, France) 23, 7
20 Bidzina Samkharadze (Farul Constanta, Romania) 25, 35
21 Tedore Zibzibadze (Périgueux, France)
22 Otar Barkalaia (VPC, Andorra) 24, 34
Head Coach: Tim Lane

Twelve of these players last took the field when Georgia lost 3-69 to Scotland ‘A’ in Glasgow last November. Some old veterans return to the Georgian side. Both Labadze and Akvsent Giorgadze last played for Georgia at the 2007 Rugby World Cup. Ilia Zedginidze will play his 50th test for Georgia.
Thanks to http://www.fira-aer-rugby.com/forum2007/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=3000&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&start=15 and to http://www.rugby.ge/KA2009/0205_GerRazmi.htmReferee: Graham Knox (Scotland)

Germany
15. Thorsten Wiedemann (TSV Handschuhsheim) Age 23, 2 Tests
14. Benjamin Brierley (SC Frankfurt 1880) 22, New Cap
13. Benjamin Simm (SG 78/08 Hannover) 23, 7
12. Edmorre Takaendesa (RG Heidelberg) 28, 4
11. Clemens von Grumbkow (RC Orléans) 25, 20
10. Kieron Davies (Bedford RFC, England) 28, 23
9. Mustafa Güngör (RG Heidelberg) 27, 22
8. Michael Poppmeier (Lazio Rom, Italy) 26, New Cap
7. Alexander Hug (TSV Handschuhsheim) 24, 1
6. Timothy Kasten (Southend RFC, England) 26, 19
5. Jens Schmidt, Capt. (TSV Handschuhsheim) 27, 35
4. Bobo Sieber (Univ. of Capetown RFC, South Africa) 30, 17
3. Pierre Faber (RG Heidelberg) 30, 18
2. Timothy Coly (RG Heidelberg) 29, 31
1. Alexander Widiker (RC Orléans) 26, 31
Replacements
16. Benjamin Krause (SG 78/08 Hannover) 26, 24
17. Damien Tussac (RC Toulon, France) Age ?, New Cap
18. Manuel Wilhelm (RG Heidelberg) 28, 21
19. Kehoma Brenner (RG Heidelberg) 23, 6
20. Rolf Wacha (SC Frankfurt 1880) 27, 2
21. Lars Eckert (SC Neuenheim) 25, 21
22. James Reid (Barking RFC, England) 24
Head Coach: Rudolf Finsterer

Please note: Test caps are unofficial. They derive from my own records, plus those found for 2006-08 at http://www.totalrugby.de/index.php?option=com_joomleague&func=showPlayers&p=6&ttid=285&Itemid=250, plus v Welsh Clubs XV played last November but not included in above.

Rugby Test: France v Ireland

07.02.2009
France v Ireland at Croke Park, Dublin

France is probably the most likely team to challenge Wales for the 6 Nations title for 2009. But can Ireland finally rise above some very ordinary form to create a 'Croke Park Special' and win this test match? So what do you think? Which team will win?
Post your comment now.

Preview
The team of experience verses the new and mostly untried. This is the mix of the teams when they run onto Croke Park tomorrow.

Ireland has a new coach but that's about all. The team has five players with 85 test matches or more to their credit. Unfortunately this experienced combination has hardly caused a stir since their exit from the 2007 Rugby World Cup. The team is based upon the European Champion side Munster and they are mostly in the forwards or the inside backs. This pack outplayed Argentina in November which is saying something.The brittleness and pedestrian nature of the backs ( 1 try scored in 3 tests last November) has caused Paddy Wallace to be employed at inside centre. This is not a backline that will excite. Will we get much of the same durgid rugby from Ireland we have come to expect?

Ireland's Last Five Tests
22.11.2008 v Argentina in Dublin Won 17-3
15.11.2008 v New Zealand in Dublin Lost 3-22
08.11.2008 v Canada in Limerick Won 55-0
11.06.2008 v Australia in Melbourne Lost 12-18
07.06.2008 v New Zealand in Wellington Lost 11-21

France, on the other hand, is a breath of fresh air. The team consists of two players with more than 50 caps and whole lot more with ten or less. France looked far more solid up front in their November tests that they have for a while and the backline looks like it could spring an attack at any time soon. That's what the coaching staff want France to go back to, the good old days of French flare. Will we see it from France in Dublin. If they do they will walk the old solid Irish pack all over Croke Park.

France's Last Five Tests
22.11.2008 v Australia in Paris Lost 13-18
15.11.2008 v Pacific Islands in Marseilles Won 42-17
08.11.2008 v Argentina in Marseilles Won 12-6
05.07.2008 v Australia in Brisbane Lost 10-40
28.06.2008 v Australia in Sydney Lost 13-34

Last Five test Results between France and Ireland
09.02.2008 France 26-21 in Paris (6 Nations)
21.09.2007 France 25-3 in Paris (World Cup Warm Up)
11.02.2007 France 20-17 in Dublin (6 Nations)
11.02.2006 France 43-31 in Paris (6 Nations)
12.03.2005 France 26-19 in Dublin (6 Nations)

Ireland's last win was 15-12 in Dublin 2003.

GWC Rugby Rankings: World Table-Ireland 7th, France 8th
Europe Table-France 3rd, Ireland 4th

Prediction: France by 8 points

Teams

Ireland
15 Robert Kearney (Leinster) Age 24, 11 tests
14 Tommy Bowe (Neath Swansea Ospreys, Wales) 24, 18
13 Brian O'Driscoll, Capt (Leinster) 29, 87
12 Patrick Wallace (Ulster) 29, 12
11 Luke Fitzgerald (Leinster) 21, 7
10 Ronan O'Gara (Munster) 31, 87
9 Tomas O'Leary (Munster) 25, 3
8 James Heaslip (Leinster) 24, 13
7 David Wallace (Munster) 32, 50
6 Stephen Ferris (Ulster) 23, 8
5 Paul O'Connell (Munster) 29, 57
4 Donncha O'Callaghan (Munster) 29, 50
3 John Hayes (Munster) 35, 89
2 Jeremy Flannery (Munster) 30, 26
1 Marcus Horan (Munster) 31, 61
Replacements
16 Rory Best (Ulster) 26, 27
17 Thomas Court (Ulster) 28, New Cap
18 Malcolm O'Kelly (Leinster) 34, 90
19 Denis Leamy (Munster) 27, 34
20 Peter Stringer (Munster) 31, 85
21 Gordon D'Arcy (Leinster) 28, 37
22 Geordan Murphy (Leicester Tigers, England) 30, 58
Head Coach: Declan Kidney

Tom Court makes his test debut for Ireland. An amazing five players have played in 85 tests or more for Ireland.

France
15 Clement Poitrenaud (Stade Toulousain) age 26, 32 tests
14 Julien Malzieu (Clermont Auvergne) 25, 6
13 Florian Fritz (Stade Toulousain) 24, 13
12 Yannick Jauzion (Stade Toulousain) 30, 55
11 Maxime Medard (Stade Toulousain) 21, 3
10 Lionel Beauxis (Stade Français) 22, 11
9 Sebastien Tillous-Borde (Castres) 23, 4
8 Imanol Harinordoquy (Biarritz Olympique) 29, 51
7 Fulgence Ouedraogo (Montpellier) 22, 11
6 Thierry Dusautoir (Stade Toulousain) 27, 17
5 Lionel Nallet, Capt. (Castres) 32, 42
4 Sebastien Chabal (Sale, England) 30, 41
3 Benoit Lecouls (Stade Toulousain) 30, 5
2 Dimitri Szarzewski (Stade Français) 25, 30
1 Lionel Faure (Sale, England) 30, 6
Replacements
16 Benjamin Kayser (Leicester, England) 24, 5
17 Nicolas Mas (Perpignan) 28, 21
18 Romain Millo-Chluski (Stade Toulousain) 25, 4
19 Louis Picamoles (Montpellier) 22, 8
20 Morgan Parra (Bourgoin) 20, 4
21 Benoit Baby (Clermont Auvergne) 25, 6
22 Cedric Heymans (Stade Toulousain) 30, 43
Head Coach: Marc Lièvremont

Beauxis last played test rugby for France v Argentina in the 2007 Rugby World Cup playoff. Fritz last played for France v Italy at the start of the 2007 6 Nations competition.

Test Rugby: Italy v England

07.02.2009
Italy v England at Twickenham

Just imagine England getting the fright of their life. Just imagaine Italy creating another chapter in the horror story that is England test rugby at the moment. Can Italy upset England at Twickenham in the first 6 Nations encounter for 2009?
What do you think? Post your comments here now.

Preview
England must win this game and win it well if they are to begin to erase the horror of their Autumn campaign. England lost to Australia, South Africa and New Zealand by wide margins, leaving their fans bewildered after the euphoria of the change of direction expected under Martin Johnson. Places in the British and Irish Lions will also be up for grabs at the end of the 6 Nations Tournament. England need to perform consistantly well if they are to command a presence in that squad. There is still that fragility and brittleness about this side and the inclusion of Andy Goode, so long out of the mix, has an air of uncertainty about the side.

Last Five Test Matches
29.11.2008 v New Zealand at Twickenham Lost 6-32
22.11.2008 v South Africa at Twickenham Lost 6-42
15.11.2008 v Australia at Twickenham Lost 14-28
08.11.2008 v Pacific Islands at Twickenham Won 39-13
21.06.2008 v New Zealand (2nd test) at Christchurch Lost 12-44

Italy have a steady and developing (still?) look about their squad. They have built their pack into one of the most formidable in the world with a huge number of very experienced players. It is in the backs and especially the inside backs that Italy has weaknesses. For this game, the lack of depth at scrum half sees the placing of a loose forward in this position. They have yet to make any real impact in the 6 Nations tournament since joining in 2000. Their rugby fans would be looking for a rise in standards of play and consistency in results. If ever Italy can knock the Poms over this could be their chance.

Last Five Tests played
22.11.2008 v Pacific Islands at Reggio Emilia Lost 17-25
15.11.2008 v Argentina at Turin Lost 14-22
08.11.2008 v Australia in Padova Lost 20-30
28.06.2008 v Argentina in Cordoba Won 13-12
21.06.2008 v South Africa in Capetwon Lost 0-26

Last Five Encounters England v Italy
10.02.2008 England 23-19 in Rome (6 Nations)
10.02.2007 England 20-7 at Twickenham (6 Nations)
11.02.2006 England 31-16 in Rome (6 Nations)
12.03.2005 England 39-7 at Twickenham (6 Nations)
15.02.2004 England 50-9 in Rome (6 Nations)

GWC Rugby Rankings: World Table-England 5th, Italy 10th
Europe Table-England 2nd, Italy 5th

Prediction: Italy by 7 points.

Teams

England
15 Delon Armitage (London Irish) Age 24, 4 tests
14 Paul Sackey (London Wasps) 29, 19
13 James Noon (Newcastle) 29, 37
12 Riki Flutey (London Wasps) 28, 4
11 Mark Cueto (Sale Sharks) 28, 24
10 Andrew Goode (CA Brive, France) 28, 9
9 Harry Ellis (Leicester Tigers) 26, 22
8 Nicholas Easter (Harlequins) 33, 20
7 Steffon Armitage (London Irish) 23, 0
6 James Haskell (London Wasps) 23, 12
5 Nicholas Kennedy (London Irish) 27, 2
4 Steven Borthwick, Capt. (Saracens) 28, 44
3 Phillip Vickery (London Wasps) 32, 68
2 Lee Mears (Bath Rugby) 29, 28
1 Andrew Sheridan (Sale Sharks) 29, 27
Replacements
16 Dylan Hartley (Northampton Saints) 22, 4
17 Julian White (Leicester Tigers) 35, 44
18 Thomas Croft (Leicester Tigers) 22, 8
19 Joseph Worsley (London Wasps) 31, 66
20 Benjamin Foden (Northampton Saints) 23, 0
21 Shane Geraghty (London Irish) 22, 2
22 Mathew Tait (Sale Sharks) 22, 24
Head Coach: Martin Johnson

Goode last played for England v South Africa in November 2006, whilst 35 year old White makes a comeback after last appearing for England v Wales in the 6 Nations match of 2007. Geraghty also last appeared for England v Wales in 2007.
Trinidadian born Steffon Armitage in the starting XV and Foden from the bench will make their test debuts.
On the injured list: Daniel Care, Michael Tindall

Italy
15 Andrea Masi (Biarritz, France) 27, 45
14 Kane Robertson (Viadana) 28, 35
13 Gonzalo Canale (Clermont Auvergne, France) 26, 42
12 Gonzalo Garcia (Calvisano) 24, 5
11 Mirco Bergamasco (Stade Francais, France) 25, 56
10 Andrea Marcato (Benetton Treviso) 25, 11
9 Mauro Beragamasco (Stade Francais, France) 29, 67
8 Sergio Parisse, Capt (Stade Francais, France) 25, 57
7 Alessandro Zanni (Calvisano) 24, 26
6 Joshua Sole (Viadana) 28, 33
5 Marco Bortolami (Gloucester, England) 28, 70
4 Santiago Dellapé (Toulon, France) 30, 52
3 Martin Castrogiovani (Leicester Tigers, England) 27, 54
2 Fabio Ongaro (Saracens, England) 31, 58
1 Salvatore Perugini (Toulouse, France) 30, 55
Replacements
16 Carlo Festuccia (Racing Metro, France) 28, 45
17 Carlos Nieto (Gloucester, England) 32, 29
18 Tommaso Reato (Rovigo) 23, 6
19 Jean-Francois Montauriol (Casinò di Venezia) 24, 0
20 Giulio Toniolatti (Almaviva UR Capitolina) 24, 1
21 Luke McLean (Calvisano) 21, 3
22 Matteo Pratichetti (Calvisano) 23, 10
Head Coach: Nik Mallett

Mauro Beragamasco’s selection at scrum half, after spending most of his international career on the side of the scrum, is a very rare occurrence of a forward being selected as a back at this level of international rugby.

Referee: mark Lawrence (South Africa)

British and Irish Lions Rugby Tour to South Africa

Quick, quick...we must do this quickly!!

Quickly pick your 35 players ( the experts are saying the party will number about this) who you think, at this stage, just before the 6 Nations kicks off, will make the tour. We can each review the team at the conclusion of each round. Your final selection can be made in a period from 22 March up until the day before the final selection is made (Date to be confirmed). I'll organise a prize for the contributor who gets either all 35 players correct or the closest.

Don't forget to include your captain. You can also vary the number of players for each position. It's up to you

So to get you going, here are my 35 players selected prior to 6 Nations Round 1.

Fullbacks
Lee Byrne (Wales)
Geordan Murphy (Ireland)
Wingers
Leigh Halfpenny (Wales)
Rob Kearney (Ireland)
Chris Patterson (Scotland)
Shane Williams (Wales)
Centres
Tommy Bowe (Ireland)
Brian O'Driscoll (Ireland)
Luke Fitzgerald (Ireland)
Jamie Roberts (Wales)
Tom Shanklin (Wales)
Fly Halves
Stephen Jones (Wales)
Ronan O'Gara (Ireland)
Scrum Halves
Mike Blair (Scotland)
Mike Phillips (Wales)
Danny Care (England)
Number Eights
Ryan Jones (Wales) (Captain)
Jamie Heaslip (Ireland)
Loose Forwards
David Wallace (Ireland)
John Barclay (Scotland)
Martyn Williams (Wales)
Stephen Ferris (Ireland)
Thomas Croft (England)
Lock Forwards
Paul O'Connell (Ireland)
Nathan Hines (Scotland)
Alan Wyn Jones (Wales)
Steve Borthwick (England)
Prop Forwards
Phil Vickery (England)
Euan Murray (Scotland)
Andrew Sheridan (England)
Gethin Jenkins (Wales)
Julian White (England)
Hookers
Lee Mears (England)
Ross Ford (Scotland)
Rory Best (Ireland)

I'm looking forwards to viewing your selections. Come on, less than 12 hours or so before the kick off!!

International rugby: Wales v Scotland

08.02.2009
Wales v Scotland at Murrayfield (6 Nations)

Wales comes into this competition on top of the European rugby scene. They were the only team to prevent a Southern Hemisphere clean-sweep last November when they defeated Australia. So can they carry this form on to win another 6 Nations title? Are Wales that good? And can Scotland rise to cause what would be a major upset?
Post your opinions here now.

Test Rugby This Weekend 7-8 February

We got a little taste of international rugby in late January with England Saxons taking the sword to Portugal 66-0 in Sale, Northern England and tiny Monaco recording a 38-12 win over Azerbaijan. This weekend it's time for the BIG GAMES

07.02.2009
Italy v England at Twickenham (6 Nations)
France v Ireland in Dublin (6 Nations)
Georgia v Germany in Heidelberg (WCQ Europe R1, ENC 1)
Romania v Spain in Madrid (WCQ Europe R1; ENC 1)
Russia v Portugal in Lisbon (WCQ Europe R1; ENC 1)

08.02.2009
Wales v Scotland at Murrayfield (6 Nations)

2008 A Year of Rugby Part 5

CAR Nations 20th-28th

Benin
Benin did not participate in international rugby in either 2007 and 2008 and thus falls off the ladder.

28th Burundi
Burundi played two matches in 2008, both at home in Bujumbura. The first was against a Belgian Club side made up mainly of Congolese. The Kibubu RFC played in place of the side from Congo who pulled out of the CAR Development Cup, South, Pool A tournament. Burundi went on to lose 5-7 to neighbour Rwanda.

27th Swaziland
Swaziland's only game in 2008 was against Botswana in Gaborone to decide who would move on to the World Cup qualifying matches for Africa. The 7-25 loss eliminated Swaziland.

26th Algeria
Algeria played its first ever international rugby test against Tunisia 'B' in Nabeul. The Algerians won 8-7. They also played club sides in France and look set to enter the CAR competitions soon.

25th Rwanda
Rwanda travelled to Bujumbura to play in the CAR Development Trophy, South, Pool A. They defeated the home side Burundi 7-5. Unfortunately they were unable to play the winner of the other CAR South winner.

24th Mali
Mali played its first international rugby test in 2003. Since then they have failed to make much impression in the local tournaments. in 2008 the team travelled to Accra, Ghana to play in the North Zone, Pool B. All the games were low-scoring affairs, and although they drew 3-3 with Niger they lost their other games.

23rd Chad
Chad first played international rugby in 2006. They won their first ever test match 10-0 against Mali in the CAR Development Trophy Tournament in Accra, Ghana. The Chadians lost their two other games.

22nd-Togo
Togo won two of their three games in the 2007 CAR Castel Beer cup matches in the tournament played in Lagos. They won only one match in this years tournament, thus slipping to 22nd on the African ladder.

21st Ghana
As host of this years CAR Tournament for Africa's minor nations, the Ghanese were expected to do well. They lost to Burkino Faso by one point but it was enough to push them out of the final. They won their other two games comfortably.

20th Burkino Faso
Winners of the CAR Castel Beer Trohpy, North Pool B tournament in 2007, the Fasians were expected to challenge strongly for the title in 2008. They defeated Chad easily in their first game but only just won 9-8 against hosts Ghana in the second. Niger was too strong for them in the final.

For a full list of all the above nations international rugby results go to www.rugbyinternational.net.

Next I will cover Africa from 10th to 19th place

Overseas

I will be away overseas 11 January to 1 February. This blog will not be updated during this time.

Come back though in February for a continued summary of 2008 and some insight into the 6 Nations and European Nations Cup international Championships.

2008 A Year of Rugby Part 4

North America

The main features about international rugby in North America was the NAWIRA (North American and West Indies Rugby Association) World Cup qulaifying matches and the USA v Canada Churchill Cup clash.

12th Costa Rica
Costa Rica participated in the CONSUR B (South American Zone) competition in 2006, held in Caracus. They were outclassed in all their games and stayed away from international competition to rebuild. In 2008 they hosted the Cayman Islands losing 17-20 in San Juan on 17 May. This was a very good effort considering the Caymans had particpated in the NAWIRA World Cup qualifying matches in April. Coast Rica may well look to NAWIRA for future competition.

11th Saint Vincent and Grenadines
This country, like Costa Rica, re entered the international scene after a year's absence. They played Mexico at home in late March to decide the final place in the NAWIRA World Cup qualifying tournament on Grand Cayman. The Mexicans, also playing for the first time since 2006, won easily 47-7.


10th Jamaica
Jamaica was one of a number of Caribbean nations to reappear on the international scene after a few years absence. Jamaica lost all their games but they were all close encounters, including a 3-10 loss to Guyana, one of the tournament finalists, in the first World Cup knockout match.


9th Cayman Islands
The hosts of the NAWIRA World Cup qualifying tournament could well be disappointed with their 7th placing. They were outplayed by eventual tournament winner Trinidad and Tobago in the first match, a World Cup knockout match, then lost to newcomers Mexico in the second and then defeated Jamaica in the Shield final. Caymans then travelled to Costa Rica in May to narrowly defeat their hosts 20-17.


8th Mexico
Mexico qualified for the NAWIRA Tournament after a 47-7 win against St Vincent and Grenadines away. At the tournament they nearly caused a major upset in their first game, just losing 20-21 to Barbados in the World Cup knockout round. They then suprised the hosts Cayman Islands to win 13-7 but lost their last game to Bahamas.


7th Bahamas
The Bahamas lost their first game of the NAWIRA Tournament 13-29 to Bermuda in the World Cup qualifying knockout round. They went on to win the other two matches against Jamaica and Mexico to take the tournament's bowl prize.


6th Barbados
Barbados was the team that won the 2005 NAWIRA World Cup qualifying tournament, which included a 25-17 win over Trinidad and Tobago. The Barbadians went on to play the USA and Canada for a place in the World Cup Final. They lost heavily to the two North American giants but were expected to fare well again at this tournament. They started with a very shakey 21-20 win over Mexico and were humbled 0-56 against Trinidad and Tobago in the next match. A dispirited team then lost the plate final to Bermuda 6-17 to end a disappointing tournament.


5th Bermuda
Bermuda has been around the Caribbean Championship scene for over thirty years. Their most recent matches were losses to Cayman Islands and Canada Under 21 in a tournament in the Caymans in 2006. At the 2008 NAWIRA tournament they started in style defeating the Bahamas 29-13 but then lost 13-25 to eventual finalist Guyana 13-25. In their last match they defeated Barbados 17-6 to take the Plate final.


4th Guyana
Guyana had defeated Trinidad and Tobago 29-21 back in the NAWIRA Tournament in 2005. After winning their first two games at the 2008 NAWIRA tournament, the Guyanese were pitted against the Trindadians in the final. They showed great spirit in the final only to lose to the better side 24-40.


3rd Trinidad and Tobago
The Trinidadians defeated Guyana 40-24 in the final and won the right to play the CONSUR B finalist Brazil to move to the next World Cup qualifying stage. Althought they lost both legs of the games against Brazil, Trinidad and Tobago can be proud to be the champion team of the Caribbean until the next NAWIRA competition.


2nd United States
For the third year running the USA had to play second fiddle to their northern neighbours Canada. The USA lost 10-26 to Canada in Chicago in the Churchill Cup 5th/6th (Bowl) playoff.

1st Canada

Part 5 will look at Africa (CAR-Confederation Africa Rugby) placings 20th to 29th

Seasons Greetings

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU ALL

2008 A Year of Rugby; Part 3

Oceania

Travel! For the lower nations on this table this has been a major factor in their international rugby arrangements for 2008, especially at the senior level.

Oceania is governed by FORU, The Federation of Oceania Rugby Unions. There are fourteen rugby unions affiliated to this federation. The minor unions are divided into two zones, East and West. These zones will be involved in the 2011 Rugby World Cup qualifying process in 2009, the winner playing Samoa for a place in the Cup Finals.

Each zone holds a round robin tournament at one venue with the winners squaring off for a single winner-takes-all title. There is no promotion-relegation into the Pacific Nations Cup, which involves Tonga, Samoa and Fiji.

In 2008 the Eastern Zone tournament was to be held in Rarotonga, whilst the West was to be in Noumea. It was expected that American Samoa would enter for the first time. But it all turned out to be a bit of a fizzer.

Firstly, Papua and New Guinea and Solomon Islands pulled out of the Western Zone, to be held in Noumea, at the last minute due to travel difficulties. PNG had warmed up with a 5-41 loss to Fiji 'A' in the curtain raiser to the Fiji v Samoa game at Lautoka, June 7. Wallis and Futuna also withdrew. That just left Vanuatu and New Caledonia, with the home side winning 29-20.

The Eastern Zone fared no better. Tahiti pulled out as did American Samoa leaving just the Cook Islands and Niue to play in Rarotonga. The Cook's decided only to play home-based players and lost 7-18, a mistake I'm sure they will not make in next years World Cup qualifiers.

The final in Noumea saw Niue easily win 27-5 to take the Oceania Cup for 2008.

Neither Tahiti nor Solomon Islands played international rugby in 2008 so they both drop off the table. The lower rankings look like this.

10th-Vanuatu
9th - New Caledonia
8th-Papua New Guinea
7th - Cook Islands
6th-Niue

Samoa, Tonga and Fiji played in the Pacific Nations Cup, along with Japan, Australia 'A' and New Zealand Maori.

5th-Fiji
The Fijians were unable to improve on their 5th placing in 2007. Traditionally the leading Pacific island nation over the years they have slipped against their close neighbours. An early win over Samoa was countered by an away loss to Tonga in the last fixture of the tournament, sealing Fiji's 5th ranking.

4th-Tonga
The Tongans slipped from 3rd in 2007, losing to Samoa early in the tournament but upsetting the Fijians at home to prevent a slip further to 5th place. Generally the Tongans were unable to maintain their magnificent efforts at the 2007 Rugby World Cup.

3rd-Samoa
Although losing to Fiji early in the tournament, the Samoans came back strongly with a youthful side to defeat Tonga at the right time and secure 3rd place. The gap from 3rd to 2nd to the top nations was emphasised with the Samoans' 14-101 loss to New Zealand in New Plymouth

New Zealand and Australia again hold the top two positions. It is difficult to see any other Oceania nations coming anywhere near these two.

2nd-Australia
For the fourth year in a row the Aussies play second fiddle to the Kiwis who had a magnificent season, except for a slight wobble in the middle of the Tri Nations. New Zealand and Australia played four times for the Bledisloe Cup. New Zealand dropped the first encounter in Sydney, but then took out the next three, including an historic meeting in Hong Kong, to keep their top position in Oceania.

1st-New Zealand.

Part 4 will see a review of North American rugby

For a complete list of all 2008 GWC Rugby Rankings, go to http://www.rugbyinternational.net/

2008 A year of Rugby, Part 2

I will now look at each region and work my way through the nations of that region from the bottom up. Part 2 looks at South America, or its official IRB name CONSUR (Confederation Sudamericana de Rugby).

The 2008 CONSUR B tournament was held in Asuncion, Paraguay and signalled that nations return to international rugby after an absence of 3 years. The tournament was also part of the 2011 World Cup qualifying process, the winner playing the North American zone winner in order to proceed.

8th-Peru
Peru lost all their games and finished last. They hosted the 2007 tournament in Lima where they did well in only losing to tournament winner Brazil. They lost heavily in all their games except for the 20-25 loss to Colombia. They dropped from 6th Ranking in 2007.

7th-Colombia
Colombia hold the same ranking as in 2007, again managing to win only one of its games, a close 25-20 win over Peru. They have never got close to either Brazil nor Paraguay, the top seeds in CONSUR B.

6th-Venezuela
Venezuela was the first CONSUR B winner outside of Brazil and Paraguay to play in CONSUR A against the likes of Chile, Uruguay and Argentina. This took place in 2004 but it was a disaster. Venezuela were well below the required standard losing all the games heavily, including 147-7 against Argentina. That little experiment would not be repeated. In 2008 though, and against similiar standards, they fared better than their last in 2007. Wins over Colombia and Peru ensured a better placing, but they lost heavily to both Paraguay and Brazil.

5th-Paraguay
What a disappointment 2008 turned out for the Paraguayans. A self imposed exile from international rugby to build their strength and their finances failed in the last match of the tournament. Brazil caused a major upset to topple the hosts 15-6.

4th-Brazil
In winning this tournament Brazil won the right to play Trinidad and Tobago for the right to proceed in the 2011 World Cup qualifiers. Their 15-6 win over Paraguay was their first since 1979. They won all their other tournament matches easily. Brazil also qualified for the World Table because they played against Trinidad and Tobago, outside their region.

3rd-Chile
The Chileans failed to improve on their position from 2007. They lost 71-3 to Argentina 'A' and 46-12 to Uruguay to record a most disappointing season. Their standard has slipped since the expansive days of 2001-2004 when Chile made a huge effort to play outside their zone.

2nd-Uruguay
Uruguay cemented its place in South American rugby underneath the Argentinians with a 46-12 win at home against Chile and a 8-43 loss to Argentina 'A' in May. A trip to the USA in early November with a below par side registered a loss 43-9. Earlier, Uruguay travelled to Bucharest to play in the IRB Nations Cup. They played impressively to hold Romania 6-10, Georgia 18-20 and finally Russia 19-23.

1st-Argentina
Argentina hold their top position without being threatened. Their 'A' side did the job comfortably. Argentina is of course concentrating their efforts with the No.1 side, using the CONSUR tournaments to blood their home-based players into international rugby.

Part 3 will look at the Oceania Zone.

2008: A year of Rugby. Part 1

2008 A year of Rugby will follow in a number of parts as Rugbyinternational looks at rugby around the world at the international level.

Part 1: What is GWC Rugby Rankings?

My Rugby Ranking system is simplicity to a fault. It's so easy it defies all the technically enhanced computer generated systems led of course by the IRB Ranking System.

The IRB System is now so respected that it determines the placings of the top Rugby nations for the 2011 Rugby World Cup. That seeding system was completed with the 2008 November round of international rugby tests and the resulting draw for that tournament was made in early December.

The only real grizzle I have with such a system is that teams who never play each other are all ranked in together. For the top tier of nations that is not really a problem as they mostly play each other in a clalendar season. When you go beyond that level teams who never play each other are ranked together. To me that is just not logical.

So about 5 years ago I came up with a simple system of ranking nations in geographical groups, which is where most teams below the top tier play. So I grouped teams in the following areas.

Europe
North America
South America
Asia
Oceania
Africa

The rankings follow the old tennis ladder system. If you defeat a team above you on the ladder, you move to their position, and then all teams move down. If you draw with a team above you you go to the position imediately below, with all teams in between moving down.

The rankings are readjusted at the end of any tournament. In the 6 Nations tournament, if team No.1 is defeated by team No.6 in the last round there may not be a change if, on the points table there is no change. Small adjustments can be made.

All teams are ranked in their geographical zones, and then if they play a test match across the regions they then enter the World Table as well, which of course is the premier table. For example, both Hong Kong and Tunisia entered the World Table earlier in the year as they played two tests, home and away. Hong Kong is in the Asian zone whilst Tunisia is in the African. Brazil and Trinidad and Tobago also entered the World Table for 2008 because they played against each other in Rugby World Cup qualifying matches.

A team must play a test match within a calendar year to remain on any table. Teams drop out of the World Table for the same reason. No play, no gain.

The ladder philosophy is very simple. You are only as good as the last game you played.

You can view the completed GWC Rugby Ranking tables at www.rugbyinternational.net.

Post your views on the various ranking systems around. Post the links here and others can view and discuss. Look forwards to hearing from you.

Test Rugby results 6 Dec.

06.12.2008
Serbia 32, Andorra 7 in Smederevo (WCQ Europe R4; ENC 3A)
Cyprus 24, Monaco 3 in Episkopi (ENC 3D)

Rugby Test: Monaco v Cyprus

06.12.2008
Monaco v Cyprus in Episkopi (ENC 3D)

Venue: Happy Valley, RAF Episkopi, Near Limassol

Previews
Cyprus come into this test match with an impressive 37-3 win over Azerbaijan away last weekend. A clear win over Monaco here will put the Cypriots up there with Bosnia Herzegovina as competition leaders.

These two teams met for the first time in October last year at the ENC 3D tournament held in Cyprus. On that occassion Cyprus won 19-10. Cypris won that tournament and qualified to play Israel in a 3C/3D playoff in September. The result placed Cyprus back into ENC 3D and out of World Cup qualification. They will be out to make amends.

GWC Rugby Rankings: Cyprus 39th, Monaco 41st.

Prediction: Cyprus by 15 points.

Teams not available

Test Rugby: Andorra v Serbia

06.12.2008
Andorra v Serbia in Smederevo (WCQ Europe R4; ENC 3A)

Preview
Andorra and Serbia have both had a shocker start to the new competition. Andorra lost 10-26 to competition high-roller and new comer Lithuania at home. Serbia crashed 0-41 to Armenia at this same venue back in September after defeating Armenia 19-8 back in May! Picking form is going to be tricky.

Andorra are without some of their leading players due to injury. Heading into Serbia for the first time the Andorrans will find this assignment tough although they will be slight favourites. There is no information available about the make up of the Serbian side.

These two teams have not met before.

GWC Rugby Rankings: Europe Table-Andorra 24th, Serbia 27th

Prediction: Andorra by 6 points

Teams
David Martinez
Roger Font
Xavier Vilasetru
Joan Castellon
Franck Mitjana
Oscar Cabanes
Ritchie Ortega
Marcos Cellone
Josef Chelidze
Paul Alieu
David Kirikashvili
Toni Carmona
Peter Ambor
Waki Tchatokey
Fabian Tonino
Jonathan Garcia
Eduard Vergara
Sergi Lucas
Roger Fite
Marc Gispert
Flavien Sayo
Maxim Taurinya
Anthony Gaulin
Benjami Fajol
Roberto Gimenez
Emmanuel Sarti-Gardes
Gerard Sotera
Head Coach:

Special thanks to ‘AndorranFanClub’ http://www.fira-aer-rugby.com/forum2007/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=2950
For Andorra: Taurinyà, Magallón, Jonathan Garcia, Lucas, Paul Alieu and Carmona are all injured, Thanks to 'Quentin'.

Serbia-Not available

December-January

The months of December and January are the quietest months of international rugby around the world. There are a few more games to be played, mostly in the European Championship, known as the European Nations Cup. They are in the lower divisions.

The international action hots up again in February when the 6 Nations International Championship for 2009 gets underway, and the European Nations Cup fires up, especially in Division 1 games.

So what is this blog going to do for two months? I've made a list below. If there are aspects of the international game you want to know about then you can add a question in the comments box.

Here we go..

• A review of international rugby in 2008
• A summary of the European Nations Cup, which is sort of mid-season now.
• A best of for 2008 (best try, best player, most improved team, biggest upset..all ideas I think I'll pinch from the FIRA-AER forum)
• Just what is this 'GWC Rugby Rankings' you see on every game preview.
• A summary of the final table of GWC Rankings 2008
• In January a preview of the 6 Nations Championship
• A look at the 2009 British and Irish Lions tour.
• A look at the 2011 Rugby World Cup Qualifying process and where it is up to.
• How about a quiz with some prizes?
• A look at some other rugby blogs from around the world.
• The web sites I most use to build my data base of international rugby.

Gee Wizz, I thought I might have a rest over December-January. That's not going to happen. Well, after all, there are a lot of rugby fans out there busting to find out more about this game of rugby.

So, fire your questions/ideas at me.