Compiled by JOHN O'SULLIVAN:
UCD take on the rest under lights to spotlight centenary
UCD RFC will mark the club’s centenary season with a fixture under lights against the Combined Universities comprising players from UCC, Trinity, Queen’s and NUIG next Friday in Belfield (kick-off 7pm). Entry at the gate is €10 (€5 OAPs), with student card holders free.
Gates open at 6pm and refreshments will be available in the stadium.
A half-time place-kicking competition, the Paddy Power Crossbar Challenge, featuring participants drawn from the crowd, will form a novel part of the night’s fare, with a potential prize of €25,000.
UCD, coached by Bobby Byrne, Gary Coakley and Killian Keane, have had a strong start to their centenary season, winning eight of their first nine matches. The teams will be announced tomorrow.
Steenson's stand-in stands out as Exeter Chiefs overrun Saracens on their own patch
INJURIES ARE rarely opportune in any sport but for Exeter Chiefs points-scoring phenomenon Gareth Steenson (right), damage to a knee sustained in the narrow defeat to London Irish saw him miss last weekend’s game; away to Saracens at Vicarage Road.
The Chiefs turned in their best performance of the season, a shock 23-9 success over last season’s beaten finalists. Central to Exeter’s win was the performance of Steenson’s replacement at outhalf, Ryan Davies, a summer recruit from Bath.
Davies contributed a try, two conversions and two penalties.
He’s a talented, ball-playing outhalf and Steenson won’t want to leave him ensconced in the team for long.
Exeter were once again led superbly from the secondrow by Tom Hayes, now commanding as many column inches as his brother, Ireland and Munster tighthead John.
Speaking of matters Exeter, those wondering how the remainder of the Irish contingent are faring at the Sandy Park club should note the club’s second team, Exeter United, who play in the English Premiership’s A league, are captained by David Gannon, who has made the first team match day squad several times.
Gannon is joined by Paul McKenzie, retaining a link to the Under-21 World Cup final of 2004 when they played for an Ireland team that lost to New Zealand in the final. McKenzie is playing at fullback these days – he was wing in that final – while Gannon is lining out at blindside flanker.
The latter’s cause has not been helped by the Chiefs signing a big-game Australian back five player in Peter Kimlin.
Gannon and McKenzie could not prevent Exeter United from going down 20-15 to the London Irish A team at Sunbury. Another ex-Ireland underage international, Ruairidh Murphy, was at prop for Exeter, while in the opposing frontrow was one-time Leinster hooker Brian Blaney. The Terenure man is happily recovered from the foot injury that delayed the start of his season after signing for the Exiles during the summer.
Irish feature prominently as Plymouth turn over Moseley
IN ENGLISH rugby’s National League 1, it proved a good weekend for the Irish contingent at Plymouth Albion as they helped the club to a 36-22 victory over Moseley. Kieran Hallett, a former underage Irish international, scored two tries from outhalf, while former Shannon player Fionn McLoughlin added another from the wing.
Ruairí Cushion lined out at scrumhalf, Irish rugby league international Johnny Coleman was on the wing and Robin Copeland, who has made a favourable impression since joining during the summer, was in the secondrow. Gavin O’Meara started on the bench for a team coached by former England and Bath hooker Graham Dawe.
Plymouth, though, find themselves a whopping 27 points behind runaway league leaders the Worcester Warriors, who were relegated from the Premiership last season.
The Warriors won again at the weekend with the Irish-qualified Callum Black and Neil Best giving eye-catching performances.
“Robbie (Deans, coach) has said plenty of times ‘this is the last kick to win the game’ and I think that’s the only one I’ve hit, so I’m pretty happy about it.” – Australia’s match-winner James O’Connor on his touchline conversion to beat the All Blacks
“They came here with a team of unknowns, got stuck into us and deserved to win. Their defence was excellent but the bottom line is they played as a team and today we played as individuals. Of course I’m disappointed but what do I do – kick a chair, shout, or throw water? No, you have to give credit where it is due.” – Not quite a Damascene conversion but Saracens coach Brendan Venter is a little more generous in defeat.
November 1st, 1923.
Rugby School, where William Webb Ellis first picked up the ball and ran, staged a special four nations match to celebrate the centenary of the sport.
An England/Wales selection beat their Scotland/Ireland counterparts 21-16 in front of 2,000 invited spectators, which included 800 boys from the school.
Everyone then repaired for a centenary dinner in Marylebone.
ON THIS DAY TOUCHLINE CONVERSION
A NICE LINE from referee Alan Lewis during Friday night’s Magners League game between Ulster and Munster at Ravenhill was picked up on the BBC coverage.
Lewis had smiled and said to Peter Stringer he would buy him a beer after the match if it was discovered he was wrong in penalising the Munster scrumhalf, before correcting himself and saying, “an orange” – Stringer doesn’t drink alcohol.
