JLP : Obviously it’s awesome to see Garry is close to returning but those thoughts quickly turn to – who makes room for him? Bundee & Robbie are in a groove together now plus Stu hasn’t put a foot wrong either. There’s a case to be made for Ringrose to play on the wing and he would definitely be good there but that wouldn’t exactly be fair on Calvin Nash would it? Definitely comes under the heading of “good problems” for Andy & co.
2. “What changed?…I will only be able to understand that fully once we have talked to the players”
JLP : Ahead of the Calcutta Cup, I was genuinely concerned about our Round 4 trip to Twickenham, but I still held it back a bit until I saw how they got on at Murrayfield, and after an impressive start the way the Scots, or arguably DVDM, tore them down made me feel a whole lot better. Then I see Borthwick’s words afterwards which basically amount to responding to the question “what went wrong” with “damned if I know” then I feel better again. OBVIOUSLY, I’m taking nothing for granted – whatever goes before I fully expected England to be fully pumped to knock us over, I just feel better about their chances of doing it.
3. “It looked like it might have clipped it, but again the referee was well-positioned. The best to see it, really.”
JLP : Let’s just say this incident didn’t make our wrap pod! To be fair, I actually thought it was a try at that moment, but if some Welsh fans think this is the issue to be focusing on from the match, especially in the area of ‘referee injustice’ when they themselves somehow managed to keep 15 on the park from start to finish, then I say let them at it.
As you’ll see further down this column, we’d much rather focus on the fans who want to have a bit of craic after the match.
4. As the fly-half went to reset the ball on the tee, French players could be seen encroaching forward in an attempt to close down the shot.
JLP : I may have been glued to the telly as this kick was being taken, but I definitely missed this. I’m torn on this…it was such a critical moment of the match and the ball hitting the post caused so much controversy that it would have been a hell of a spot for the officials to call the movement. Has the TMO ever gotten involved for something like this? Perhaps they should. Possibly could have made a great and much deserved result (red card or no) for Italy even better.
5. “The 21-year-old Welshman has come up big for England here!”
JLP : Someone call the Clickbait Police! When I’m just scrolling through my aggregator in general, I tend to cross the road to avoid headlines like this, but for Front Five I will take the odd peek down the rabbit hole and see what’s going on. Obviously the “Irish person does something against English person” factor is being played up but I have to admire the irony in the subeditor’s outlandish use of the word “outlandish”. Look – overall I’m not crazy about emphasising nations of birth for test players, the qualification rules are what they are and the players are technically representing the union. I mean it’s not like Ireland doesn’t rely on players who qualified, but if anyone wants to say they’re not as much Irish rugby players as anyone else in the squad, well, we’re in a whole other area.
Note – views expressed in “Front Five” links do not necessarily reflect those of HarpinOnRugby
WRAP OF A WRAP
So there I was at my daughter’s match on Sunday morning when a text came in that had me scrambling to put together a traditional 3-person wrap pod. No hard feelings to he who had to cancel, life has a habit of doing that, I just had to throw myself at the mercy of my top band of contributors and thankfully Ciarán Duffy & Kristian Ross were able to cover the win on Sunday.
If you missed the wrap pod, here’s a link for Spotify but it’s also available on Apple and other platforms, please subscribe and/or leave a review if you can.
FULL POD
Because of the scramble I mention above I had to ditch the bonus clip this week, in fact I may leave it for a while as it can be unnecessarily time consuming. So to have something to post to YouTube I made a headline video of the full wrap pod. There is still one extra topic right at the end – what with Kristian being an Ulster fan I thought it rude not to ask him about the Dan McFarland news from during the week.
CAN WE CALL IT A DRAW?
I’m a self-confessed nerd and I love all that wonky talk about competition formats and such so this may not be for you, but I do believe this is a subject that may well come up again despite the tweaks World Rugby has made.
Pretty much a “steady as she goes” report, great to see Jamie and Ross made it through their first match back but still concerning to see names like Jimmy O’Brien and Charlie Ngatai still rooted to the bottom tier. Was a bit worried to see Tommy O’Brien limp off against Benetton but it seems he’s ok, so I doubt there will be that many changes in the 23 for the trip to Cardiff.
Harpin’ matchday 23 v Cardiff
McErlean, T O’Brien, Turner, Osborne, Russell, R Byrne, McGrath
Barron, E Byrne, Ala’alatoa, Deeny, Ruddock, Murphy, Prendergast, Brownlee
NB : the above matchday 23 is completely from my own mind, I’m certainly not suggesting I have any ITK a la Thornley
INJURY UPDATE – AVAILABLE FOR SELECTION:
Jamie Osborne: came through the game against Benetton Rugby with no issues after his return from a shoulder injury
Ross Byrne: came through the game against Benetton Rugby with no issues after his return from an arm injury
INJURY UPDATE – FURTHER ASSESSMENT REQUIRED:
Cormac Foley: has increased his training load and will be further assessed this week as he makes his way back from a shoulder injury
NO FURTHER UPDATES ON:
Martin Moloney (bicep), Alex Soroka (foot), Jimmy O’Brien (neck) and Charlie Ngatai (calf)
NOT A TWEETUP
After doing such a great job promoting the hashtag “IrelandWeek” in the lead up to the match, Welsh fan Ed Jenkins suggested a “gathering of individuals who engage on the platform currently known as X”, with the stipulation that it wasn’t called a “tweetup”. Sadly I wasn’t in the vicinity but as you can see a solid front row of Harpin forwards answered the call.
The pool stages were definitely a far cry from the success both Irish genders enjoyed in Perth, but the weekend most certainly was not without silver linings.
Obviously winning one leg in a series offers no guarantees of a repeat in the next one, but after defeating South Africa, we were done over by both Brazil and New Zealand and it wasn’t enough for a quarterfinal spot. Still, once in that position you can only aim to finish as high as you can and with wins over GB and Japan the girls did just that leaving them 9th. On the overall table it doesn’t look like we can aim much higher than 4th with AUS, NZL & FRA leading the way.
The men also just had one pool win but in their case it got them into the quarters as a best 3rd place finisher, and who did they come up against but France with Monsieur Duponte who of course got the winning try. However they also managed to salvage the most they could out of the position playoffs, defeating Fiji in extra time to leave us 5th in Vancouver and, somehow, SECOND on the overall standings! Argentina seem to be running away with 1st place but to finish behind them would certainly be quite the achievement. Standout player from the matches I saw was definitely Zac Ward, who got that winning try in ET and is quite the strong carrier.
Now the circus moves on to LA and you can see our fixtures below.
VANCOUVER 7S
IRELAND WOMEN
POOL STAGE
28-7 V RSA
7-24 V BRA
5-43 V NZL
9TH-12TH PLAYOFFS
21-7 V GBR
12-7 V JPN
IRELAND MEN
POOL STAGE
14-17 V GBR
14-19 V NZL
22-10 V RSA
QUARTERFINAL
5-12 V FRA
5TH PLAYOFF
24-19 V FIJI (AET)
LOS ANGELES 7S
SAT MAR 2
12:30AM – WOMEN V AUSTRALIA
3:38AM – MEN V SOUTH AFRICA
6:14PM – MEN V SPAIN
8:04PM – WOMEN V FRANCE
11:06PM – MEN V ARGENTINA
SUN MAR 3
12:18AM – WOMEN V JAPAN
NEXT IN THE SERIES…
HONG KONG APR 5-7
SINGAPORE MAY 3-5
MADRID MAY 31-JUN 2
🔝🐱🐴 UPDATE
With Stade winning the Parisien derby inflicting yet more pain on Stu’s Racing, they and Toulouse both hit the 50point mark atop the 🔝🐱🐴 table after round 16. Castres lead the chasing pack while ROG’s La Rochelle are hanging on to barrage contention by their fingernails after the NINTH league defeat of the campaign to go with the two in Europe. It’s actually starting to get them looking over their shoulders at the relegation positions where Montpellier are winning their way off the bottom. Victory next Sunday against Clérmont will be critical for ROG although Toulouse v Castres is the tie of the round.
Round 16
MONTPELLIER 28-23 BAYONNE
PERPIGNAN 27-15 LA ROCHELLE
CASTRES 41-12 BORDEAUX
LYON 43-26 OYONNAX
PAU 17-9 TOULON
RACING 92 11-27 STADE FRANCAIS
CLÉRMONT 33-37 TOULOUSE
Round 17
SAT MAR 2
TOULOUSE V CASTRES
BAYONNE V LYON
OYONNAX V MONTPELLIER
STADE FRANÇAIS V PAU
TOULON V PERPIGNAN
BORDEAUX V RACING 92
SUN MAR 3
LA ROCHELLE V CLÉRMONT
AIL UPDATE
It was essentially a final trial match ahead of the Women’s Six Nations but the all-Irish clash at the Kingspan Stadium also offered the Wolfhounds the opportunity to lift the Celtic Challenge title, and they accepted the offer with a convincing 47-26 victory over the Clovers. They can’t be caught atop the table so congrats are definitely in order! Here’s hoping they can continue the winning ways with the green jersey on, absolutely vital that we get at least a win or two under our belt.
Meanwhile in the AIL both genders return to action after a bye week, with Lansdowne v Cork Con in the men’s comp being the pick of the fixtures.
#SupportYourLocalClub
WOMEN’S CELTIC CHALLENGE
SECOND PLAYOFF ROUND
GWALIA LIGHTNING 43-5 GLASGOW WARRIORS
WOLFHOUNDS 47-26 CLOVERS
THIRD PLAYOFF ROUND
SUN MAR 3
CLOVERS V EDINBURGH
BRYTHON THUNDER V GWALIA LIGHTNING
WOMEN’S AIL
NO FIXTURES LAST WEEKEND
Round 13
SAT MAR 2
SUTTONIANS V OLD BELVEDERE
COOKE V UL BOHS
GALWEGIANS V BLACKROCK
WICKLOW V BALLINCOLLIG
MEN’S AIL
NO FIXTURES LAST WEEKEND
ROUND 15
SAT MAR 2
CLONTARF V YOUNG MUNSTER
TRINITY V CITY OF ARMAGH
LANSDOWNE V CORK CON
SHANNON V BALLYNAHINCH
TERENURE V UCD
RUGBY EUROPE CHAMPIONSHIP UPDATE
I will be very surprised if it isn’t a Georgia v Portugal final but you never know, we’ll see if Romania and Spain can cause an upset.
NO FIXTURES LAST WEEKEND
SEMIFINALS
SAT MAR 2
GEORGIA V ROMANIA
SUN MAR 3
PORTUGAL V SPAIN
NEXT BATCH OF HARPIN’
Short but sweet column this week, next up we’re turning our attention to Leinster’s URC visit to Cardiff keep an eye out for the preview & wrap pods.
Finally, as ever, be sure to enjoy your rugby wherever you are. JLP
Wales definitely better than most expected, Ireland will need to be more disciplined in Twickers but can get a bonus point win if they iron out the errors. Was delighted to see Frawley score a super try
Colin McConaghie
We need pace in the backline to get to the really top level. Possibly a bit complacent today but Lowe was really poor with his kicking and will cost us against a better team
John Clavin
A couple of big referee decisions didn’t go Ireland’s way. But, a 24 point win in the 6N and we’re all a bit disappointed in the performance…. Heady days for Irish Rugby.
Christy O’Connor
Very sloppy 2nd half. Ref was inconsistent, but it was our own fault that we made such hard work of it.
Wales deserve some credit for not giving up.
Carmel Daly
Not perfect but technically they held Wales scoreless only for penalty try given. Job done 👍
Greg Kelly
If we’d done that any other year we’d be jumping for joy. I think it’s a sign of what we expect from this team that people are nit picking the performance.
What a way to get BP. Class all the way from Stu's hit at halfway to Beirne's finish. We prob deserved the maximum, tho Welsh started 2nd half well, Winnett v impressive. Aki worthy PotM tho TB not far behind. On to Twickers.#IREvWAL
Ahead of Ireland v Wales and in the latest from our Opposition View series, I spoke to Seimon Williams, author of “Welsh Rugby – What Went Wrong?” about the most frustrating issues from the past decades, the best way forward and of course how he feels Saturday’s match will go.
The 2022-23 season may just be the bleakest in Welsh rugby history. Accusations of misogyny, sexism, racism and homophobia against the Welsh Rugby Union led to resignations, independent inquiries, Senedd intervention and rushed governance reform. Budget cuts, strike threats, uncertainty for players, embarrassing defeats and the dismissal of the national coach presaged another poor Six Nations campaign.
This book looks at the issues which have seen Welsh rugby stumble from crisis to crisis over the past 40 years. At how a nation which led the rugby world in the 1970s declined into the fractured, riven, divided rugby nation of today. At how occasional successes at club, regional and Test level were achieved despite the system, not because of it, and did little more than paper over the cracks. At, fundamentally, what went wrong.
A selection of five eye-catching egg-chasing quotes & links from around the ruggersphere, now including a few thoughts added by myself (JLP).
Béibhinn Parsons, Eve Higgins and Aoibheann Reilly were among those who were part of Ireland’s historic title win, beating Australia in the final.
Ireland name Sevens tournament winners in 34-strong squad
BBC.com
JLP : I’m delighted to see this. Fifteens must take precedent, Olymic year or no, especially after a wooden spoon the previous campaign. Expecting more from this one.
The Swiss army knife within the Ireland and Leinster squads, Ciarán Frawley can play a handful of positions…
JLP : The number one point of this article is that Hugo Keenan has made himself irreplaceable. But of course with test rugby being so attritional, you have to have a plan B when he’s not available and IMO even though I’m hearing reports that he could actually be available this weekend against Wales, I’m wondering if it might be better to rest him anyway to be sure he’s ok for Twickenham and also to try out alternatives. This piece makes a decent case for Frawley, Larmour & Stockdale but I reckon there are those like Mike Haley who will feel hard done by. To be fair, it does make sense to have the alternate a more versatile player across different positions, but if Hugo were ever out long term I reckon a more specialist option might be better.
During the draw, the 24 participating teams will be divided into six pools, each consisting of four teams.
JLP : Missed this earlier…it looks like after decades of complaints they are finally tweaking both the RWC format and the timing of the draw, I’m not sure that two years out is much of an improvement on three, but I suppose it is something. The seedings for a tournament to be held in late 2027 being determined by the world rankings two years earlier can still lead to a lop sided draw from where I’m standing, but we’ll see how it pans out.
“I’m focused on getting into the Reds team, and playing some good rugby. I won’t be looking too far ahead.”
JLP : Brilliant idea from Welsh fan Ed Jenkins, has to be said. I can’t say I’m a fan of his overall twitter approach but that goes straight to the backburner for this, whatever our differences on rugby and social media, we can easily put them aside when it matters. I mean…stopping a hateful hashtag from trending may be a very small form of protest but the medium is not the point, that would be the spirit.
Note – views expressed in “Front Five” links do not necessarily reflect those of HarpinOnRugby
WRAP OF A WRAP
I actually did the preview all on my lonesome this week for the first time since I did them in written form, made the experience very different but it was still fun putting it together. Then Conor & Rich joined me for the wrap on Sunday evening and it was as ever an enjoyable task, obviously helped by the Leinster BP win!
If you missed the wrap pod, here’s a link for Spotify but it’s also available on Apple and other platforms, please subscribe and/or leave a review if you can.
HARPIN’ ON…SUPER RUGBY, THE ORIGIN ROUND & FIXTURE CLASHES
Mixed bag of topics for the bonus clip, I reckon this format is better with three different topics rather than one because often we can repeat each other’s points. The transcript for my bit is below.
“CLASH OF THE CLASHES”
As you probably know Ireland’s third match of the 2024 Guinness Six Nations takes place at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday, February 25 when our opponents are Wales, and across the Irish Sea the days leading up to the match is known as “#IrelandWeek”. Before I get to my topic I’d just like to encourage you to get on Twitter and use the hashtag it’s a great idea by Wales and Ivory Coast fan Edward Jenkins – the idea is that the more we use this tag the less chance other less desirable ones beginning with Ireland can be trending.
Anyway…as part of Ireland Week I plan to interview Seimon Williams, also a Welsh fan and as well as writing for the website gwladrugby he has written a book titled “Welsh Rugby – What Went Wrong” which having read it does exactly what it says on the tin. While there are many different factors going into our Celtic brothers numerous rugby issues, one of the biggest ones is the relationship between the over 200 different clubs across the principality, and the Union when the game went pro, especially when the regions were established.
The reason I bring that up is not just to promote our bonus podcast which should post on Wednesday morning, but also to highlight my point for this rant, which is that although the transition from the amateur game definitely went a whole lot smoother on these shores, that’s not to say we’re without some, well, what would I call them, maybe tensions? between the clubs and provinces.
And in my humble opinion, we got a perfect example of these tensions just last weekend in Dublin 4. Obviously if you’re watching this video you know perfectly well that there was a top of the table clash at the RDS on Saturday between Leinster in 1st place in the URC and Benetton who were 2nd, we actually did a whole podcast on it. But as Hollie Davidson got the match underway, just up the road at the Aviva Stadium back pitch, there was also a senior rugby match with important playoff connotations.
This was in Round 14 of the 18-round regular season in the Men’s All Ireland League Division 1A with 3rd place Lansdowne hosting 4th place and reigning champions Terenure. As well as being a crucial fixture in the league it was also of course a Dublin derby. And as if that wasn’t already enough to sell this match, there were also a lot of names Leinster fans will recognise from the fringes of the Leinster set up past and present like Temi Lasisi, Adam LaGrue, Harrison Brewer and Jordan Coughlan. You could say a match like this if nothing else does a decent job of replacing the British and Irish Cup matches many Leinster fans enjoyed going to during the 2010s.
So simply put, if you’re a serious fan of going out and watching Leinster Rugby, this AIL fixture would definitely be of interest to you. So why did it kick off a mere half an hour before things got underway just a stone’s throw up the road?
Already I can hear the voices screaming at their screens. “The AIL always kicks off at 2:30!!!” or “The URC has to set its matches according to broadcasters” or “Why should one side move when it’s clearly the other that’s the problem???” But I’m not here to point fingers, because in my view, the finger pointing is a large part of the problem. Wherever the blame lies, the net result is the same, and Saturday certainly isn’t the only time we’ve seen multiple matches which would interest the same group of fans take place at the same time.
All I am saying is that someone has to give at some point, and at a time when clubs are trying everything to get bums on seats at their games and buying pints and lunches in their clubhouses, while those innovative social media team naming tweets are definitely entertaining and share-worthy, for me a lot of that is lost when over 15,000 potential bums are within reach, so to speak.
Obviously I’m not suggesting that a kickoff time of, say, 12:30pm together with maybe a a discount for producing your RDS match ticket would definitely get them all across, but it certainly would have been a cracking double header for many fans and surely it would have been worth some kind of outside the box thinking.
WOMEN’S RUGBY : CANCELLED CULTURE
Happy to eat my words…a few weeks ago I said in this column that maybe the cancellations in the Women’s All Ireland Cup weren’t as bad a look as some were making out, but at the time I was unaware that there was to be a clash between the playoff rounds of the Celtic Challenge and the Women’s AIL itself, which is literally a whole different ball game for me, hence this week’s TikTok offering.
The only update is that there’s no update…I thought we might see one what with Leinster playing Saracens on the Friday night but we’ll see if one pans out before then, if so I will post it here along with my suggested matchday squad.
THAT BENETTON IMAGE
Look – I appreciate the spirit behind this image. We want to see the URC promoted as much as possible, especially in Italy where the 1st v 2nd nature of Saturday’s match made it important for Benetton to do all they could to hype the fixture.
But this is just not the way to do it. Do other countries still use the leprechaun trope for Irish people? I guess so. And does the presence of a “Leprechaun Museum” in the centre of Dublin help banish the nasty stereotype? Perhaps not. Still, I know it’s Benetton’s logo but what exactly is so Italian about a lion???? So maybe it would have been better to ignore the national identity and maybe utilise the fact that Leinster use a lion theme too? Maybe have two facing each other down?
Anyway here at Harpin’ Manor we workshopped a possible image using the reverse of the thinking used for the one above…
WELSH RUGBY – WHAT WENT WRONG?
I just finished reading Seimon Williams’ book, which is just as well because about seven hours after I’m typing this I will be chatting to the author himself about it! It would be a bit much to say I “enjoyed” reading it, given it is an account of a series of communication failures between different levels of the game over decades, but it is definitely put together extremely well and is a worthwhile read. The podcast will also count as part of our “Opposition View” as it would be rude not to talk about the match at the weekend.
Version 1.0.0
URC IRISH SHIELD UPDATE
No more matches until May I know but I haven’t posted the state of play for a while so here it is.
NOV 4 CONNACHT 22-20 ULSTER
NOV 10 ULSTER 21-14 MUNSTER
NOV 25 LEINSTER 21-16 MUNSTER
DEC 2 CONNACHT 22-24 LEINSTER
DEC 22 ULSTER 20-19 CONNACHT
DEC 26 MUNSTER 3-9 LEINSTER
JAN 1 CONNACHT 22-9 MUNSTER
JAN 1 LEINSTER 21-22 ULSTER
MAY 11 MUNSTER V CONNACHT
MAY 18 ULSTER V LEINSTER
MAY 31 LEINSTER V CONNACHT
JUNE 1 MUNSTER V ULSTER
“SVNS” UPDATE
The weekend festivals return this weekend with both Irish teams hoping to build on successful outings in Perth. The Vancouver event lasts just two days instead of three which means three matches per day instead of two, I’d say that makes quite a difference when it comes to preparation.
Also while the matches have been all streamed live on RugbyPass TV up to now, I see TNT Sport has the rights for this one so we’ll see if the stream will still be there, I’ll try to find out for our Thursday Rugby on TV post.
VANCOUVER 7S
FRIDAY FEB 23
8:36PM WOMEN V SOUTH AFRICA
10:14PM MEN V GREAT BRITAIN
SATURDAY FEB 24
1:30AM WOMEN V BRAZIL
3:18AM MEN V NEW ZEALAND
7:21PM WOMEN V NEW ZEALAND
9:05PM MEN V SOUTH AFRICA
NEXT IN THE SERIES…
LOS ANGELES MAR 2-3
HONG KONG APR 5-7
SINGAPORE MAY 3-5
MADRID MAY 31-JUN 2
🔝🐱🐴 UPDATE
Eye-popping result of the round has to be Montpellier overturning Racing in Paris, certainly doesn’t do their relegation struggle any harm but definitely a worry for Stu Lancaster’ side, they will need a big result in the derby match next weekend. Stade and Toulouse now opening up a bit of a gap at the top. Meanwhile there’s yet another defeat for La Rochelle although they’re still within just two points for the playoff spots so I wouldn’t dream of ruling them out of contention just yet.
Round 15
LYON 28-17 LA ROCHELLE
BORDEAUX 10-20 PAU
RACING 92 20-44 MONTPELLIER
STADE FRANCAIS 32-19 PERPIGNAN
TOULOUSE 61-34 OYONNAX
BAYONNE 21-13 CLÉRMONT
CASTRES 25-17 TOULON
Round 16
SAT FEB 24
MONTPELLIER V BAYONNE
PERPIGNAN V LA ROCHELLE
CASTRES V BORDEAUX
LYON V OYONNAX
PAU V TOULON
RACING V STADE FRANCAIS
SUN FEB 25
CLÉRMONT V TOULOUSE
PREMIERSHIP UPDATE
This comp is on a prolonged break until the end of March but I thought I’d update it here anyway since Leinster face Sarries on Friday evening in a friendly, no doubt to help them make up for the loss of fixtures after some clubs unfortunately went to the wall.
NO MATCHES LAST WEEKEND
ROUND 13
FRI MAR 22
BRISTOL V NORTHAMPTON
LEICESTER TIGERS V GLOUCESTER
SAT MAR 23
BATH V SALE SHARKS
EXETER CHIEFS V NEWCASTLE
SARACENS V HARLEQUINS
AIL UPDATE
The Wolfhounds could have clinched the Celtic Challenge title with a win in Edinburgh but just fell short in what sounds like a thrilling 26-all draw which means their final match on Saturday against the Clovers is more than just a Six Nations trial match.
Question…are draws in women’s rugby like “kissing your brother”???
Anyway – as for the WAIL, well I said quite a bit in the TikTok already but with UL Bohs being awarded the 5 points they stay top with an unbeaten record and the rest of the top four stays the same as well.
Over in the men’s side and the top two both won although Tarf just got past Armagh, and in the big Dublin derby (check out my YouTube bit above on the timing btw) Terenure edged Lansdowne to keep the top four placings tight. The league takes a break next weekend.
Finally congrats to St Mary’s 13 wins from 14, already clinched promotion which means Div 1A rugby will be back within my reach next season!
#SupportYourLocalClub
WOMEN’S CELTIC CHALLENGE
FIRST PLAYOFF ROUND
GLASGOW 17-24 BRYTHON THUNDER
EDINBURGH 26-26 WOLFHOUNDS
SECOND PLAYOFF ROUND
SAT FEB 24
GWALIA LIGHTNING V GLASGOW WARRIORS
WOLFHOUNDS V CLOVERS
WOMEN’S AIL
Round 12
UL BOHS (5PTS) W/O SUTTONIANS (-5PTS)
BALLINCOLLIG 36-10 COOKE
BLACKROCK 24-10 WICKLOW
RAILWAY UNION 83-7 GALWEGIANS
Round 12
SAT FEB 17
UL BOHS V SUTTONIANS
BALLINCOLLIG V COOKE
BLACKROCK V WICKLOW
RAILWAY UNION V GALWEGIANS
MEN’S AIL
ROUND 14
BALLYNAHINCH 19-15 TRINITY
ARMAGH 12-15 CLONTARF
CORK CON 38-24 SHANNON
LANSDOWNE 20-27 TERENURE
YOUNG MUNSTER 31-24 UCD
ROUND 15
SAT MAR 2
CLONTARF V YOUNG MUNSTER
TRINITY V CITY OF ARMAGH
LANSDOWNE V CORK CON
SHANNON V BALLYNAHINCH
TERENURE V UCD
RUGBY EUROPE CHAMPIONSHIP UPDATE
Please, please, PLEASE spare a thought for Belgium. After an historic win over Portugal in Round 1, not only are they overtaken in the standing by Os Lobos, they don’t even qualify for the semifinals despite winning 2 out of 3!!!!! Absolutely cruel.
A big win in Romania sets up an Iberian derby for Portugal in the final four while the Oaks must go to Georgia. It’s looking to all intents and purposes like a GEOvPOR final but we’ll see.
ROUND 3
GEORGIA 38-3 SPAIN
ROMANIA 24-49 PORTUGAL
BELGIUM 31-10 POLAND
NETHERLANDS 39-13 GERMANY
SEMIFINALS
SAT MAR 2
GEORGIA V ROMANIA
SUN MAR 3
PORTUGAL V SPAIN
HARPIN PREDICTION LEAGUE
Added another “yellow cap” to my collection in Round 10 to pull away a bit, although Those Pesky Birds the Ospreys denied me a perfect round with that late drop goal against Ulster. Although the only prize in our league is of the ‘booby’ variety, we can only really focus on the race at the top since last place is pretty much done and dusted courtesy of Neil ‘No Picks’ Keegan…
NEXT BATCH OF HARPIN’
Keep an eye out for that bonus pod on Wednesday morning then it is of course all about the Welsh at the weekend, preview as ever will be Friday, wrap pod as ever will record Sunday evening, stay tune as ever to all our social media channels!
Finally, as ever, be sure to enjoy your rugby wherever you are. JLP
17 February 2024; Liam Turner of Leinster evades the tackle of Ignacio Mendy of Benetton, right, on his way to scoring his side’s third try during the United Rugby Championship match between Leinster and Benetton at the RDS Arena in Dublin. Photo by Ben McShane/Sportsfile
Great result considering how well Benetton are doing this season and all the missing internationals.
Love Prendergast’s cool under pressure ability, he took a wrong option and was immediately swamped by the defence but had the ability to keep calm and place the ball back so well.
Lots of rusty performances and mistakes due to weather and no recent games.
Delighted to see Byrne get a chance to rinse the spiderwebs off his game and McErlean get a solid game behind him, again pity the weather was so naff for his first tog out.
Greg Kelly
Leinster sticking 47 points on the 2nd placed team tells you all you need to know about the URC
Craig Grehan
Good to see that mixture of players running well. Few fumbles here & there. But very good
Eamon Saunders
Good win nice to see a Wexford man get a try #Brian Deeny
Christy O’Connor
Very scrappy at times from both sides. Have to hand it to Benetton, they fought really well and I don’t think the scoreline does them justice
Dave Murray
Not a spectacular performance but good 5 points.
Benetton fell off after the break but we took our chances well, bench too good, handy 5 points, Jamie worth PotM, on to Cardiff, nuff said.#LEIvBEN
