Bullscot
This weekend was a busy one for the Heineken Cup as twelve matches were played in the third round of the competion. The weekend started on Friday night with a comprehensive win for Ulster over Northampton and a win by Connacht against Biarritz. Following Munster’s win over Saracens on Saturday it looked as if there may be a clean sweep of wins for the teams from Ireland and Northern Ireland.
However, Leinster stumbled to a narrow loss in their game against Clermont Auvergne on Sunday. This ended Leinster’s amazing 17 game unbeaten run in the Heineken Cup.
Head coach Gregor Townsend has made three changes to the Glasgow Warriors side which was beaten by Munster last week as they prepare to face French Top 14 team Castres Olympique in the Heineken Cup.
Former Bulls flank CJ Stander scored two tries in his run-on debut in the Pro12 for Munster to help the Irish province topple Glasgow Warriors 31-3 on Saturday.
The pick of the games in the Pro12 Round 10 will not take place until Sunday, when second placed Scarlets welcome table-topping Ulster to Llanelli.
Table-topping Harlequins will look to return to winning ways when they welcome Worcester Warriors to Twickenham Stoop in the opening Round 10 fixture on Friday.
Andy Farrell has called on his “fearless” young England side to record a significant milestone in their development by beating world champions New Zealand on Saturday.
Former Glasgow Warriors boss Lineen, a member of the Scotland Grand Slam winning side of 1990, is one of the favourites to take over from Robinson who quit after Saturday’s humiliating defeat to Tonga.
Andy Robinson has ended his three-and-a-half year reign as Scotland’s head coach after a disappointing run of results. He was clearly stung by Scotland’s 21-15 defeat by Tonga on Saturday when he warned there would be “consequences”.
Ireland produced a brilliant seven-try display to hammer Argentina and guarantee a crucial top-eight ranking ahead of the 2015 World Cup draw.
Scotland slumped to a third defeat in the EMC Tests as Tonga turned over the hosts in Aberdeen, recording a shock 15-21 victory in the North East.
In front of a near capacity crowd at Pittodrie, Greig Laidlaw slotted five penalties from six but it was two tries from the visitors from the southern hemisphere that sealed the win and left Scotland to answer some very difficult questions about their performance.
Scotland have made a late change to their team for tomorrow’s EMC Test against Tonga at Pittodrie Stadium, Aberdeen.
Scotland play the last of their three end of year tests on Saturday against Tonga at Pittodrie Football Stadium in Aberdeen. Both teams were announced yesterday with various changes being made by Scotland from the team that played the Springboks while Tonga only made one change to their team that beat the United States last weekend.
Joe Launchbury will make his first Test start as England make six changes for Saturday’s Test against South Africa. The lock, 21, replaces Wasps team-mate Tom Palmer, who drops out of the 23, as one of four changes to the pack.
England have dropped Thomas Waldrom, Tom Johnson and Charlie Sharples for Saturday’s Test against South Africa at Twickenham. Forward Joe Marler is also out after straining medial ligaments in his knee in the 20-14 defeat against Australia.
James Haskell and Ben Morgan have both been included in the squad for the first time this autumn. London Irish centre Jonathan Joseph has taken Sharples’ place in the squad after shaking off an ankle injury.
Uncapped, Inverness-born stand-off Tom Heathcote has tonight joined the Scotland squad in Aberdeen in preparation for Saturday’s EMC Test against Tonga. Heathcote, 20, who has already featured in the Heineken Cup for Bath Rugby, has previously played age-grade for England but is “delighted” to accept the call-up from the land of his birth.
Scotland head coach Andy Robinson said: “Tom has worked his way into the Bath first team squad from the academy and we’ve been monitoring his progress for the last couple of years.”
Australian lock Rob Simmons and New Zealand flanker Adam Thomson who both played for the their countries last weekend and were cited following acts of foul play will both be missing from their respective teams’ lineups this weekend. However, that is where the similarities end as Thomson received a one week ban for his stamp on Scotland’s Strokosch’s head, while Simmons received an eight week ban for a ‘tip/spear’ tackle on France’s Yannick Nyanga.
Centre Nick De Luca insists a victory over South Africa is not essential for Scotland’s World Cup hopes.
The Scots host the Springboks after losing to New Zealand last Sunday. They need to win, and beat Tonga a week later, to secure a second seed berth for England in three years’ time.
Scotland have made two changes from their starting XV and a further four alterations to their bench for Saturday’s EMC Test against South Africa at Murrayfield. Euan Murray, the 32-year-old tighthead prop who was man of the match when the nations clashed at Murrayfield in 2008, is restored at tight-head prop having missed the New Zealand game due to his religious observance, with Geoff Cross moving to the bench.
Scotland forward David Denton today looked ahead to the next round of the EMC Autumn Test rugby series and insisted it is a case of “bring on the Boks”.
Undeterred by the fact that Scotland opened their programme with a 51-22 home defeat by New Zealand, the 22-year-old Edinburgh back rower insisted a bucketload of rust has come out of the team’s system.
The first double leg amputee to compete at both the Olympic and Paralympic Games has been made an honorary doctor by Strathclyde University.
Oscar Pistorius, 25, was recognised for his outstanding sporting success at the ceremony in Glasgow.
Scotland and France may both have played tests this past weekend and will play again in the coming weekend. However, the two teams are in quite different places at the moment with France pulling off a very good win against Australia while Scotland suffered a big defeat to New Zealand.
Furthermore, Scotland have numerous players on the injury list ahead of their game against South Africa on Saturday which is great concern for head coach Andy Robinson. On the other hand, France’s coach Philippe Saint-Andre was able to announce an unchanged squad for their game against Argentina.
A sold out Murrayfield witnessed nine tries as the world champions, New Zealand, saw off the challenge of Scotland in the first of the EMC Tests.
Two tries from Tim Visser and one from Geoff Cross were not enough to hold off the might of the visitors, with head coach Andy Robinson immediately turning to the challenge of South Africa, the second in the November series.
Scotland and the World Champions New Zealand clash in the first match of New Zeland’s Northern Hemisphere tour on Sunday at Murrayfield. This is shaping up to be a memorable occasion in spite of the best efforts of a certain journalist from New Zealand’s shameful disrespectful attempt at mocking the hosts in an article earlier this week.
Ireland’s South Africa-born hooker Richardt Strauss is set to come face-to-face with his cousin Adriaan in Saturday’s Test match in Dublin.
Surrey’s capture of Graeme Smith is the biggest signing in county cricket since Shane Warne went to Hampshire in 2000. The South Africa Test skipper is a hugely impressive individual with great presence and has been one of cricket’s outstanding players and captains for a number of years.
Ireland wing Andrew Trimble is hoping that South Africa star JP Pietersen will be only too aware of his abilities after Saturday’s Test in Dublin. Pietersen struggled when asked to talk about the opposition backs on Tuesday and suggested that France’s David Skrela could be in the Ireland team.
The customary time of the year when Southern Hemisphere International teams descend on the Northern Hemisphere is now upon us. We can look forward to four action packed weekends with twenty matches involving the various international teams (nineteen of which will be test matches).
Wales interim coach Robert Howley has dropped Mike Phillips and brought in Scarlet Tavis Knoyle at scrum-half to face Argentina in Cardiff on Saturday.
The Scotland team to face the All Blacks at Murrayfield on Saturday was announced today. Scotland have never beaten the world’s number one team and reigning World Cup champions so will be going all out to try and make history on Saturday.
PUMA and the IRFU have launched the new Ireland alternate jersey which will be worn for the first time in the GUINNESS Series opener against South Africa at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday week (November 10).
Table topping Ulster welcome Edinburgh to Ravenhill in one of three Pro12 games Friday. Ulster have been victorious in all competitions so far this season, and will no doubt want to maintain that unbeaten record as the Pro12 breaks for the year-end Tests.
It will be a bottom-of-the-table clash when Sale Sharks take on London Irish to kick off the Premiership action on Friday.
Surrey have signed South Africa Test skipper Graeme Smith on a three-year deal as club captain.
The Golden Lions Rugby Union are locked in renewed discussion with lawyers, after the unpleasant John Mitchell saga took an intriguing new twist this week.
England wing Chris Ashton has been suspended for the start of his country’s November Tests.