Friday, November 4, 2011

RaboDirect Pro12: NG Dragons v Cardiff Blues (Sun)

Centre Jamie Roberts, prop Gethin Jenkins and lock Bradley Davies start for that visitors with scrum-half Lloyd Williams on the bench.
Aled Brew is around the Dragons wing and hooker Lloyd Burn on the bench.
The hosts celebrate the conclusion of the new stand with the Blues hoping to spoil the party.
Cardiff Blues coach Gareth Baber believes the clash will be ideal preparation for his or her opening Heineken Cup clash not much later at Racing Metro.
"It's likely to be a sell-out. They're opening their new stand, Real Madrid Jersey " Baber said.
"We have a job of labor to do and our focus is firmly on making sure we leave with a victory."
The Blues are winless in five encounters with fellow Welsh regions in 2011 while the Dragons' only win within their last four league games was against Ulster in round five, however they have won five of the last six games at Rodney Parade in the competition.
Former Rodney Parade favourites Rod Snow, of Canada, ex-South Africa captain Gary Teichmann and Wales flanker-turned-adventurer Richard Parks will join entertainer Max Boyce in helping mark the stand's completion.
But on the field Baber wants the night time to fit in with the Blues, as he and fellow coach Justin Burnell seek to secure their roles at the region's helm.
Baber said: "If anybody's ever took part in them or gone to watch them, whatever you do experience clashes in Europe there's an intensity to the game [against the Dragons].
"Every time you go to the Dragons there's an intensity towards the game which is matched in terms of physicality and also the margins the games are won and lost by.
"And that's the level that you want to be playing at.
"You want your players to be ready,Barcelona Soccer Jersey to become battle-hardened and ready for European competition and that's just what the Dragons provide."
The Dragons will be planning to bounce back following last Saturday's 50-24 defeat against Treviso.
But head coach Darren Edwards says there won't be any requirement for him to fire up his players for the region's first Welsh derby of the season.
"As a motivation factor there's no need for me to face up and ask them to perform," said Edwards.
""I think the people will be really ready for it.
"As an event it's great. Any Welsh derby for any Welsh players, that is what we want to reach.
"It's a statement of intent where you are like a region and player."
The defeat in Treviso was the fifth away game the Dragons had lost in the Pro12 this year.
However the Dragons are unbeaten at Rodney Parade and Edwards sees the house game from the Cardiff Blues being an opportunity to kick-start their season.
"We've had a real tough campaign. The majority of our games have been away and it's so nice in the future home, Aguero Jersey" he explained.
"We're really relishing the fact that you can easily make statement now coming home and show the fans what we're all about.
"People tend to forget yourself on the street and it is time we came back and set a marker down."

Mumps dashes Mike Phillips' Bayonne debut hopes

Bayonne's visit to their neighbours has been postponed because players from Biarritz's recent opponents Lyon happen to be identified as having the illness. Lyon's games with Bordeaux-Begles and Montpellier are also postponed. Air Jordan 13
Phillips' former team the Ospreys are due to face Biarritz within the Heineken Cup on Saturday 12 November.
However, a couple of Phillips' former Ospreys team-mates, Lee Byrne and James Hook, could make their Top 14 debuts at the weekend.
Full-back Byrne's new club Clermont Auvergne travel to Stade Francais on Saturday, while Perpignan could field versatile back Hook at Toulouse earlier on that day because the players go back to club rugby after their post-World Cup efforts.
Biarritz drew 15-15 with Lyon on 22 October and some Lyon players were later identified as having the contagious illness.
And although Biarritz played a week later inside a 41-0 defeat by Clermont Auvergne, Custom Soccer Jerseys their next scheduled game has now been postponed.
Lyon's clash against Bordeaux-Begles on 29 October was cancelled.
And the French league's authorities have also ruled Lyon cannot take on Montpellier on Saturday 5 November, when Bayonne were also because of play Biarritz. Fabregas Jersey

Matt Jess feel pressure to perform for Exeter Chiefs

Exeter Chiefs winger Matt Jess says there is pressure on him to play well to keep his place in the side.
Jess, 27, Air Jordan 11 has played every minute of all seven of Exeter's Premiership matches this season and scored a try in the opening day win at Leicester.
But with the arrivals of Gonzalo Camacho and Josh Tautpu this season, Barcelona Jersey Jess told BBC Rado Devon there is more competition for places.
He said: "The pressure's rife in the squad whether you're playing or not."
Jess added: "When you're not playing you're working as hard as you can to get in the side."
Exeter's second string, containing Argentina World Cup man Camacho and Nic Sesteret on the wings, won well against Bath's reserves on Monday.
And Jess says their performances will make it harder for him to now keep his shirt.
"It's not written in stone and I think you've got to keep working as a player at the weekend and as a player off the field," Custom Soccer Jerseys said the former Launceston and Cornish Pirates winger.
"The pressures are there week-in, week-out. It's just how you deal with that."

Bryan to hold talks with Eliota Fuimaono-Sapolu

The Samoa international, 31, is likely to face a Rugby Football Union investigation for comments made about Saracens' Owen Farrell.
Last month he was hit with a six-month suspended ban for remarks he earned during the World Cup.
"We'll meet today [Wednesday] and set items to bed quicker than normal," Redpath told BBC Gloucestershire.
"We need to get up with our day-to-day jobs while focusing the actual game. I do not see Eli getting distracted at all. He does train well and play well but we have to move on from it, Cheap Jordns to possess some normality the lives.
"I wish to coach and I hope the players want to play rugby and obtain up with it.
"The most of conversations appear to be about external factors not necessarily about the game.
"I wish to discuss Olly's [Morgan] performance, Freddie's [Burns] performance for An hour, Tinds [Mike Tindall] coming on for 20 an looking enthusiastic but sadly this is the way the game went."
Redpath revealed he was conscious of further tweets sent by Fuimaono-Sapolu which hinted he could be set to depart Gloucester when his contract finishes at the end of the growing season.
In response to a message sent by fellow Samoan Census Johnston which said "Not getting excited about another cold winter in Europe", Soccer Cleats Fuimaono-Sapolu replied "last winter for me. thank god".
"I've been informed about this tweet today, Soccer Jerseys " said Redpath. "My discussions with players will push on and we'll take a seat with agents and players to go over who would like to stay, who wants to go, who wants to have other options in life.
"That will solve itself within the next 4 to 6 weeks for a lot of of these - Eli is going to be one of them.
"If it is exactly what his tweet said then which will come through in the discussion."

Blackburn 5-3 Newcastle (aet)

Gael Givet's extra-time header put Blackburn through to the Carling Cup last eight at the expense of Newcastle.
Rovers took an early lead when Ruben Rochina blasted in from 12 yards before Yakubu doubled the lead from the spot in the second-half.
Injury-time strikes from Danny Guthrie and Yohan Cabaye forced extra time.
Morten Gamst Pedersen scored a free-kick, Air Jordan 2011 Peter Lovenkrands' penalty levelled from the spot before Givet popped up with the late winner.
Towards the end of normal time it looked as though Blackburn were certain to reach the quarter-finals for the fourth time in five seasons, but in-form Newcastle were not going to give up their unbeaten start to the season easily and stunned the home fans with their late double.
Alan Pardew's side came into the game with an 11-game undefeated run in all competitions, which sees them sitting level with Chelsea in the Premier League - 14 points ahead of rock-bottom Rovers, who have won just one league game so far.
Blackburn fans protested before their last two home games, demanding the dismissal of boss Steve Kean, but this battling performance may appease some of the unhappy supporters.
Rochina set Blackburn off to a flying start with a fifth-minute strike after Martin Olsson broke down the wing before pulling the ball back into the path of the Spaniard, Barcelona Jersey who struck from 12 yards.
Newcastle thought they had a penalty after the restart when Christopher Samba appeared to bring down Demba Ba in the area, but it was at the other end that a spot kick was awarded when keeper Tim Krul upended Rochina in the area after 64 minutes and Yakubu calmly slotted home.
But just as Rovers were poised to celebrate their first victory over Premier League opposition in the Carling Cup since 2009, the visitors staged a late comeback when Guthrie scored from 25 yards in the 93rd minute after the Rovers defence backed off.
And in the sixth minute of stoppage time Cabaye forced extra-time when he hit a 20-yard free kick after Samba fouled substitute Lovenkrands.
Blackburn were back in front nine minutes into extra time thanks to Pedersen's 35-yard free-kick, which took a deflection off the Newcastle wall before flying past Krul.
However, Newcastle were soon on level terms once more when Cabaye was deemed to have been pulled back in the area by the assistant referee and Lovenkrands stepped up to put away the resulting spot kick.
Just as penalties looked to be on the cards, Pedersen swung in a free-kick that Samba headed back across the goal for Givet to head home from just a yard out with the Newcastle defence appealing for offside.
Blackburn Rovers manager Steve Kean:
"Gael Givet encapsulates the whole spirit we have got here - he had a hamstring nick but would not come off. He's a warrior, he has put his head where other people wouldn't put their feet. He was fantastic.
"It's tough mentally when they scored so late to go and score again but we did it.
"We are always going to score goals but we have been working day in, Soccer Jerseys day out defensively so that when we lose possession we get a good shape."
Newcastle manager Alan Pardew:
"I don't like the tag of gallant losers but it was a fantastic effort and the fans would have appreciated the effort we have put in.
"Some times events just go against you and events certainly did tonight. But the players don't know when to give in, we kept going and two great hits got us back into the game, but tiredness cost us at the end.
"If we are going to go out of the cup that's how it should be - giving it everything."

Bath's Sam issues Premiership warning to Donald

New Zealand international Donald, 27, has joined Bath on the three-year deal from Super 15 side Chiefs.
The World Cup winner will get through to the Rec next week and can contend with Vesty, 29, for that number 10 shirt.
"When it comes to training and we'll be smacking bits out of each other he'll realise it's about the Premiership now," Cheap Jordan Shoes Vesty told BBC Points West.
"He'll be on the bit of a buzz as he's won the planet Cup but then he'll train here and it will be wet and windy and perhaps that buzz will go.
"It's completely different to Super 15s - the size of season, amount of time you get off and also the type of rugby that's played. The defences work so difficult over here and they are very well organised, perhaps nothing like in Super 15s.
"The boys are bigger and heavier right here so you get a little little more bruised. But I'm certain he's a big lad so I'm certain he'll be able to handle it. If I can deal with it I'm sure he can."
Along with Donald,Soccer Jerseys Vesty also faces competition from academy youngster Tom Heathcote.
Heathcote, 19, was introduced the game against Leicester after Vesty had suffered a head trauma and went on to kick the winning points within the 26-25 victory.
The youngster continued at fly-half for that games against Wasps, Newport Gwent Dragons and Worcester although Vesty regained his place in Saturday's make an impression on London Irish.
"I was playing alright and then I acquired a knock to the head and Tom arrived and played very well,"Cheap Soccer Jerseys added Vesty.
"With Stephen Donald coming in as well there are many competition. But that's what the squads need - it keeps you on your toes and that competition ultimately results in playing well and success.
"It's the healthiest environment for a rugby team."