Optimum Sports : Rhys Priestland

Showing posts with label Rhys Priestland. Show all posts

Saturday, 2 April 2016

Leinster v Munster - Preview

Jonathan Sexton returns in one of nine Leinster changes for the Pro12 derby against Munster.

Zane Kirchner, Dave Kearney, Eoin Reddan, Jack McGrath, Sean Cronin, Devin Toner, Jordi Murphy and Jamie Heaslip also come in for the hosts.

Second-placed Leinster are seven points clear of Irish rivals Munster, who make five changes.

Conor Murray, Francis Saili and Andrew Conway return, along with James Cronin and CJ Stander, who is named captain.

Murray partners Johnny Holland at half-back, with Saili overcoming a bang to the shoulder to resume his midfield partnership with Rory Scannell.

As a result, Keith Earls makes a positional switch to the wing and joins Conway and full-back Simon Zebo in the back three.

Munster are boosted by the return of Ireland scrum-half Conor Murray for the Aviva Stadium derby

Munster have Ireland scrum-half Conor Murray back for the Aviva Stadium derby

Cronin will start alongside Niall Scannell and Stephen Archer in the front row, with Stander coming in to join Dave O'Callaghan and Tommy O'Donnell in the back row.

With Kirchner returning at full-back, Leinster captain Isa Nacewa moves to the right wing with Kearney also back in the equation on the left wing.

There are two new half backs in Reddan and Sexton - back in the Leinster side for the first time since the defeat by Wasps in January - while five changes in the pack include two in the front row, with McGrath and Cronin starting alongside Tadhg Furlong.

Toner returns to partner Hayden Triggs in the second row, while in the back row Rhys Ruddock is again selected - but moves from number eight to blindside flanker.

Murphy comes in at open-side while Heaslip completes the pack at number eight.

Leinster

Zane Kirchner; Isa Nacewa (capt), Garry Ringrose, Ben Te'o, Dave Kearney; Johnny Sexton, Eoin Reddan; Jack McGrath, Sean Cronin, Tadhg Furlong, Devin Toner, Hayden Triggs, Rhys Ruddock, Jordi Murphy, Jamie Heaslip.

Replacements: Richardt Strauss, Cian Healy, Mike Ross, Ross Molony, Josh van der Flier, Luke McGrath, Ian Madigan, Fergus McFadden.

Munster

Simon Zebo; Andrew Conway, Francis Saili, Rory Scannell, Keith Earls; Johnny Holland, Conor Murray; James Cronin, Niall Scannell, Stephen Archer; Donnacha Ryan, Billy Holland; Dave O'Callaghan, Tommy O'Donnell, CJ Stander (capt).

Replacements: Mike Sherry, Dave Kilcoyne, John Ryan, Robin Copeland, Jack O'Donoghue, Tomás O'Leary, Ian Keatley, Darren Sweetnam.

Saturday, 26 March 2016

Connacht v Leinster - Preview

Peter Robb will make his Pro12 debut for leaders Connacht while Luke Fitzgerald returns for Leinster for Saturday's top-of-the-table contest.

Connacht's two changes from the win over Edinburgh see Robb, 21, and Niyi Adeolokun replacing Craig Ronaldson and Danie Poolman in the backs.

Ireland centre Robbie Henshaw is named in the Connacht replacements.

Fitzgerald's inclusion after injury is one of eight Leinster changes from last Friday's defeat by Glasgow. The wing missed Ireland's entire Six Nations campaign because of a medial ligament injury.

Fitzgerald is joined in the backline by Ian Madigan and Fergus McFadden who both featured as replacements in Ireland's win over Scotland.

Richardt Strauss, Cian Healy and Rhys Ruddock will also start for Leinster in Galway after being introduced by Ireland last weekend while another of Joe Schmidt's Six Nations players Josh van der Flier is named in the back row.

A strong Leinster bench includes Ireland players Jamie Heaslip, Jack McGrath, Mike Ross, Devin Toner, Sean Cronin and Eoin Reddan.

Henshaw is joined in the Connacht replacements by another Ireland squad member Finlay Bealham.

Nathan White, who featured in all five of Ireland's Six Nations games, will start in the Connacht front row while youngster Sean O'Brien is again named in the back row alongside Jake Heenan and skipper John Muldoon.

Connacht go into the Sportsground contest a point ahead of Leo Cullen's Leinster side.

Connacht

T O'Halloran; N Adeolokun, B Aki, P Robb, M Healy; AJ MacGinty, K Marmion; D Buckley, T McCartney, N White; Q Roux , A Muldowney; S O'Brien, J Heenan, J Muldoon (capt)

Replacements: D Heffernan, R Loughney, F Bealham, A Browne, E McKeon, C Blade, S O'Leary, R Henshaw.

Leinster

I Nacewa (capt); F McFadden, G Ringrose, B Te'o, L Fitzgerald; I Madigan, L McGrath; C Healy, R Strauss, T Furlong; R Molony, H Triggs; D Ryan, J van der Flier, R Ruddock

Replacements: S Cronin, J McGrath, M Ross, D Toner, J Heaslip, E Reddan, N Reid, Z Kirchner

Wednesday, 16 March 2016

Gatland Issues Apology for Banter

Warren Gatland has apologised for referring to an abusive comment aimed at prop Samson Lee by England's Joe Marler as "just banter".

Marler apologised to Lee for calling him a "Gypsy boy" during Saturday's Six Nations match at Twickenham.

Gatland made his comment on Tuesday, but, in a statement on Wednesday, said: "I don't condone racism of any kind."

Lee added: "I personally believe the comments to have been intended as banter and accepted Joe's apology."

After Gatland referred to Saturday's incident as "banter", ex-Wales captain Gareth Thomas tweeted: "I'm sorry, but I cannot agree with this as banter. Poor excuse."

Romany Gypsy advocate and activist Shay Clipson earlier told BBC Radio Wales Gatland should be "held accountable" for his comment.

Cardiff North Welsh Assembly member and former MP Julie Morgan said on Twitter: "Gatland dismissing 'gypsy boy' taunt as 'banter' has sent rugby backwards."

Marler faces a hearing on Wednesday after being cited for allegedly elbowing another Wales prop, Rob Evans, in England's 25-21 victory.

Gatland's statement continued: "I apologise for any offence my use of the word banter may have caused.

"My intention was to take the focus away from Samson, a private individual, and enable him and the rest of squad to prepare for the final game of the championship.

"My comments were made following a discussion with Samson about the incident."

A Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) statement added: "The WRU does not condone racism of any kind. The incident is being investigated by the Six Nations and we would welcome a definitive and speedy conclusion to their investigation.

"The WRU recognises that Warren's overriding intention was to protect Samson by playing down the incident and that his comments were made following a thorough consultation with Samson and with his support."

In the same statement, Lee, who is from a Traveller background, added: "I stand beside Warren.

"Warren is fiercely protective of the team and his comments were made based on conversations with me and with the intention of deflecting attention away from me."

Friday, 26 February 2016

Wales v France - Preview

Winger Alex Cuthbert replaces Tom James in one of three Wales changes to the starting XV.

The other changes come in the pack, as flanker Dan Lydiate replaces Justin Tipuric and Bradley Davies stands in for injured lock Luke Charteris.

Winger Djibril Camara makes his debut in one of five changes for France.

Scrum-half Maxime Machenaud, flanker Antoine Burban, lock Paul Jedrasiak and prop Rabah Slimani are the other four fresh faces for Les Bleus.

Warren Gatland

"Everyone talks about French flair and where has the French flair gone? In the past, they had absolute world-class quality players in attack.

"The reason is not so much French flair any more - it's not because they haven't got the players - it's just teams defensively are so organised. There is just no space on the field.

"You get breaks in the game. They are made by someone missing a tackle or someone making a system error - that's where the breaks are. At this level, not many players make mistakes any more and not many players miss tackles.

"Where's the flair gone? Well, we are all trying to be innovative and hopefully trying to create space, but the more you try to be creative in attack, the better teams become defensively as well."

Head-to-head

Wales have won their last four Tests against France. This is their best run since they won six in succession between 1952-1957.

France's last win over Wales came in the World Cup semi-final in 2011. They won 9-8 as Wales had Sam Warburton sent off.

Brice Dulin's try in last year's encounter was the first France had scored against Wales since their 28-9 win in the Six Nations in 2011.

Wales

Wales are unbeaten in their last six Six Nations games (W5 D1), their best run since winning eight in a row between 2007-09.

France have won three Six Nations matches in a single tournament once in the last four years (2014).

They have lost on their last four trips to the Principality Stadium - this includes two games in the 2015 World Cup against Ireland and New Zealand.

France have had the most carries (224) and made the most metres (795) in the 2016 tournament.

Wales

Liam Williams, Alex Cuthbert, Jonathan Davies, Jamie Roberts, George North, Dan Biggar, Gareth Davies; Rob Evans, Scott Baldwin, Samson Lee, Bradley Davies, Alun Wyn Jones, Dan Lydiate, Sam Warburton (capt), Taulupe Faletau.

Replacements: Ken Owens, Gethin Jenkins, Tomas Francis, Jake Ball, Justin Tipuric, Lloyd Williams, Rhys Priestland, Gareth Anscombe.

France

Maxime Medard, Vrimi Vakatawa, Maxime Mermoz, Jonathan Danty, Djbril Camara, Jules Plisson, Maxime Machenaud; Jefferson Poirot, Guilhem Guirado (capt), Rabah Slimani, Paul Jedrasiak, Alexandre Flanquart, Wencelsas Lauret, Antoine Burban, Damien Chouly.

Replacements: Camille Chat, Uini Atonio, Vincent Pelo, Yoann Maestri, Loann Goujon, Sebastien Bezy, Francois Trinh-Duc, Gael Fickou.

MATCH OFFICIALS

Referee: Wayne Barnes (RFU)

Touch judges: JP Doyle (RFU) & Luke Pearce (RFU)

TMO: Shaun Veldsman (SARU)

Thursday, 25 February 2016

Ireland Debut McCloskey and van der Flier

Stuart McCloskey and Josh van der Flier will make their Test debuts in Ireland’s Six Nations clash with England at Twickenham on Saturday.

Battering ram centre McCloskey has replaced injured Ulster team-mate Jared Payne in Ireland’s rejigged midfield, with Leinster’s 22-year-old Van der Flier starting at openside flanker.

Connacht’s 22-year-old lock Ultan Dillane could also make his Test bow off the bench, with Donnacha Ryan replacing concussion victim Mike McCarthy in Ireland’s injury-hit second row.

New Zealand-born centre Payne has failed to beat the hamstring problem he suffered in the 10-9 defeat to France, causing Ireland boss Joe Schmidt to move Robbie Henshaw to 13 to accommodate the uncapped McCloskey.

McCloskey and Henshaw will form what is surely Ireland’s biggest-ever centre pairing, with the 23-year-old Ulsterman having impressed hugely in PRO12 action this term.

McCloskey’s Ulster team-mate Luke Marshall admitted Ravenhill’s senior players mistook the 6ft 2ins, 17st powerhouse for a second row when he first pitched up for provincial training.

Now he has the chance to lay down a marker for a long-term spot in Ireland’s midfield, provided he can master the nerves of a Twickenham debut.

Leinster’s fast-developing flanker Van der Flier only signed his first senior contract in April, having made his provincial debut in March last year.

A natural scavenging openside, Ireland will hope Van der Flier will add an extra continuity edge against England’s imposing pack.

Ireland have battled a daunting injury catalogue in their 16-16 draw with Wales and defeat in France, leaving their chances of an unprecedented third-straight Six Nations title all but done and dusted already.

The return to fitness of seasoned and potent props Cian Healy and Mike Ross ought to shore up their previously creaking scrum however.

Healy has beaten knee surgery to take a seat on the bench, while Ross has recovered sufficiently from his hamstring issue to start at tighthead.

Ireland

Rob Kearney (Leinster), Andrew Trimble (Ulster), Robbie Henshaw (Connacht), Stuart McCloskey (Ulster), Keith Earls (Munster), Johnny Sexton (Leinster), Conor Murray (Munster), Jack McGrath (Leinster), Rory Best (Ulster, capt), Mike Ross (Leinster), Donnacha Ryan (Munster), Devin Toner (Leinster), C J Stander (Munster), Josh van der Flier (Leinster), Jamie Heaslip (Leinster).

Replacements: R Strauss (Leinster), C Healy (Leinster), N White (Connacht), U Dillane (Connacht), R Ruddock (Leinster), E Reddan (Leinster), I Madigan (Leinster), S Zebo (Munster).

#ENGvIRE

Thursday, 11 February 2016

Schmidt Ireland Selection Decided

Joe Schmidt has admitted his latest ever Ireland team selection has proved “unsettling and frustrating” after Simon Zebo failed a last-ditch fitness test before Saturday’s match against France.

Fergus McFadden has been drafted on to Ireland’s bench for the Six Nations encounter in Paris, with Zebo unable to shake off knee trouble and Keith Earls still recovering from suspected concussion.

Schmidt took what, for him, has been the unprecedented step of delaying his team announcement until after Ireland’s final training session on home soil before flying out to France.

The wing McFadden was omitted from Ireland’s initial Six Nations squad, but has now been pressed into service despite initially being selected for Leinster’s Pro12 encounter with Zebre on Friday night.

“That’s the latest selection and change we’ve had to make,” said Schmidt. “Normally we would name the match squad before training, and everyone would be fully fit and have absolute clarity on what their role was and where they were training. It’s probably a bit unsettling and frustrating, but we have to get around it.”

Ireland opened their Six Nations campaign with a bruising 16-16 draw with Wales in Dublin on Sunday. Schmidt lamented the realities of the short break between facing Warren Gatland’s Wales and Guy Noves’ France, while also counting hefty injury collateral.

Johnny Sexton and Andrew Trimble have won their own fitness battles to face Les Bleus, with Sean O’Brien and Rob Kearney fit again too. Fly-half Sexton has brushed off a heavy blow to his neck, with Trimble recovering from a shoulder issue and O’Brien and Kearney now past hamstring problems.

Schmidt felt Ireland had little option but to delay their selection while sweating on Zebo and Earls, only for both wingers to fail in their fitness bids.

“We were just trying to clarify the fitness of Simon Zebo and Keith Earls, both of whom we have left out of the squad,” said Schmidt. “One of the reasons it took a while was that they got through training but at the same time we just felt they weren’t 100% fit and it was a risk.

“There’s nothing worse than having someone replaced early in the game who wasn’t potentially fully fit. And having someone come off the bench who isn’t fully fit isn’t probably the best thing to do when you’re going to Paris.

“Simon Zebo was just a little bit sore and couldn’t stretch out his knee fully. Keith Earls will probably complete the last step of his HIA [head injury assessment] tomorrow, but we have to name a team today.

“It’s one of those things with a six-day turnaround, particularly when you’re travelling. If we had another day at home we could hedge our bets a little bit, but we have to get on a plane at 3.15 this afternoon, and we’ve got to take the players who are available to play.”

Sexton insisted he is raring to go despite trudging off in the final throes of the Wales match. Schmidt’s men are chasing a second successive victory in France for the first time since 1927; Sexton is adamant that statistic outweighs the fact that Ireland have not lost to France since 2011.

France have spent their last three clashes with Ireland heaping the pressure on Sexton, and the Leinster playmaker expects another physical examination with Jonathan Danty in midfield.

“I’m OK now, I just got a bang on top of the head and it just compressed my neck a little bit,” said Sexton. “But I’m fit to go and really looking forward to it.

“I’ll be fine – I probably felt the way front-rowers feel every day, but as a soft out-half I just didn’t hide it as well. We’ve only had one chance to see France under their new management, but some of the new individuals they’ve thrown in have impressed. They’ve got dangerous guys across the backline.

“I’ve played against Danty a few times when I was in Paris, and he’s pretty similar to Mathieu Bastareaud in stature. He’s got a lot of ball-playing abilities and speed to add to that too though.

“But we’ve prepared really well for it, we’ve tried to give them the respect they deserve. I don’t think you can ever go to Paris confident. They are never beaten over there, it’s a tough place to go. Just because we’ve had a little purple patch against them doesn’t mean anything now.”

Ireland

R Kearney (Leinster); A Trimble, J Payne (both Ulster), R Henshaw (Connacht), D Kearney; J Sexton (both Leinster), C Murray (Munster); J McGrath (Leinster), R Best (Ulster, capt), N White (Connacht), M McCarthy, D Toner (both Leinster), CJ Stander (Munster), S O’Brien, J Heaslip (both Leinster).

Replacements R Strauss (Leinster), J Cronin (Munster), T Furlong (Leinster), D Ryan (Munster), T O’Donnell (Munster), E Reddan, I Madigan, F McFadden (all Leinster).

Wales Benefit from Biggar Recovery

Dan Biggar has been passed fit to play in an unchanged Wales team for Saturday’s Six Nations meeting with Scotland in Cardiff.

Biggar limped off midway through the first half of last weekend’s 16–16 draw with Ireland in Dublin after suffering a sprained ankle, and was replaced by Rhys Priestland.

He trained with the Wales squad on Thursday and the head coach Warren Gatland said: “He had to get through today’s training.

“He has made a miraculous recovery. The boys were joking and calling him Lazarus and stuff. He got through training today and looked sharp. We feared the worst after the game.

"I spoke to the medics, who thought that the injury was a three to five-week injury, but the scan came back clear and he has worked really hard in terms of his recovery.”

With Biggar playing, the only change is on the bench where the Cardiff Blues back Gareth Anscombe, who was ruled out of the Ireland game because of a tight hamstring, replaces Alex Cuthbert.

Biggar was Wales’ star performer during the World Cup and his return to fitness is a major boost for Gatland.

Elsewhere, the coach has again selected the captain Sam Warburton at blindside flanker, with Justin Tipuric wearing the N07 shirt, while the Scarlets props Rob Evans and Samson Lee have another opportunity to impress following a strong scrummaging performance against Ireland.

The centre Jonathan Davies wins his 50th cap and lines up alongside his midfield partner Jamie Roberts for the 41st time in Tests, with Anscombe offering versatile back division cover off the bench.

“It’s great to be able to name an unchanged side, with Dan coming through, fit and ready to play,” Gatland said. “It is a reward for some players who put in a great shift in Dublin, while we will be asking a little more of some of the players as well.”

Wales have not lost to Scotland since Gatland took charge in 2008, winning eight successive Tests, while the Scots last triumphed in Cardiff 14 years ago.

Although Wales saw their grand slam and triple crown hopes disappear with the draw in Dublin, they still appear well placed for a major title push

Three of their four remaining games are at home – they also face England at Twickenham on 12 March – with Scotland being followed at the Principality Stadium by France and Italy.

Wales

Liam Williams (Scarlets); G North (Northampton), J Davies (Clermont Auvergne), J Roberts (Harlequins), T James (Cardiff Blues); D Biggar (Ospreys), G Davies (Scarlets); R Evans (Scarlets), S Baldwin (Ospreys), S Lee (Scarlets), L Charteris (Racing), AW Jones (Ospreys), S Warburton (Cardiff Blues, capt), J Tipuric (Ospreys), T Faletau (Newport Gwent Dragons).

Replacements K Owens (Scarlets), G Jenkins (Cardiff Blues), T Francis (Exeter), B Davies (Wasps), D Lydiate (Ospreys), Lloyd Williams (Cardiff Blues), R Priestland (Bath), G Anscombe (Cardiff Blues).