Clara Johnson

The Stormers’ woes continue as centre Ruhan Nel has been cited for his tackle on Connacht flyhalf Conor Fitzgerald this past Saturday. Nel was handed one of two yellow cards shown to the Stormers in a 19-17 reverse at Galway as referee Ben Blain determined the centre’s hit on Fitzgerald in the fourth quarter was dangerous because it made head contact, though it was mitigated by Fitzgerald’s “drop in height”. Mallett: Quality of Euro refs is poor Irish citing commissioner Ed Kenny disagreed with Blain stating in his report that there was “no sudden/significant drop in height” from Fitzgerald. “After [Fitzgerald] has passed the ball, [Nel] executes an upright and dominant tackle. [Nel] turns his head significantly to his left which makes his right shoulder prominent and he leads into the contact with his right shoulder. The right shoulder makes initial contact to the upper chest and left shoulder of [Fitzgerald] before making contact to the jaw area. “I believe that this was an act

Tuks scored a try in the final minute of play to seal a 38-30 bonus-point victory over the Ikeys in the Varsity Cup on Monday night. The two teams could not be separated in an exciting first half that saw three tries each, while each side lost one player to the sin bin. Tuks gave the University of Pretoria the lead just 25 seconds into the match when they won the ball back from the kick-off, spread it wide and flank Dian Schoonees showed great pace to sprint clear and go over the tryline. The Univeristy of Cape Town’s Ikeys responded through a try from fullback Duran Koevort and a brace from hooker Alex Castle, both from mauls, the second coming after Tuks lost flank Orateng Koikanyang to a yellow card for repeated infringements However, Tuks were not to be outdone as Kabelo Mokoena scored in the corner, before centre Jason Edwards levelled the scores at 21-21 just before half-time. Schoonees had the home support on their feet shortly after the break when he scored his second try

Tuks scored a try in the final minute of play to seal a 38-30 bonus-point victory over the Ikeys in the Varsity Cup on Monday night. The two teams could not be separated in an exciting first half that saw three tries each, while each side lost one player to the sin bin. Tuks gave the University of Pretoria the lead just 25 seconds into the match when they won the ball back from the kick-off, spread it wide and flank Dian Schoonees showed great pace to sprint clear and go over the tryline. The Univeristy of Cape Town’s Ikeys responded through a try from fullback Duran Koevort and a brace from hooker Alex Castle, both from mauls, the second coming after Tuks lost flank Orateng Koikanyang to a yellow card for repeated infringements However, Tuks were not to be outdone as Kabelo Mokoena scored in the corner, before centre Jason Edwards levelled the scores at 21-21 just before half-time. Schoonees had the home support on their feet shortly after the break when he scored his second try

The Munster squad returned to the High Performance Centre on Monday ahead of Saturday’s United Rugby Championship clash against Dragons at Thomond Park (5.15pm). Tickets for the game are available here. There were eight Munster senior and Academy players in action for Ireland and the Ireland U20s over the weekend. Peter O’Mahony captained Ireland with […] The post Squad Update | Munster Prepare For Dragons At Thomond appeared first on Munster Rugby . The post Squad Update | Munster Prepare For Dragons At Thomond appeared first on Rugby Daily News . source https://rugbystream.us/squad-update-munster-prepare-for-dragons-at-thomond/

The Munster squad returned to the High Performance Centre on Monday ahead of Saturday’s United Rugby Championship clash against Dragons at Thomond Park (5.15pm). Tickets for the game are available here. There were eight Munster senior and Academy players in action for Ireland and the Ireland U20s over the weekend. Peter O’Mahony captained Ireland with […] The post Squad Update | Munster Prepare For Dragons At Thomond appeared first on Munster Rugby . The post Squad Update | Munster Prepare For Dragons At Thomond appeared first on Rugby Daily News . source https://rugbystream.us/squad-update-munster-prepare-for-dragons-at-thomond/

France captain Antoine Dupont has urged his side to guard against complacency after they moved within two matches of a first Six Nations title and Grand Slam since 2010. Dupont’s side swept aside bogey team Scotland with a thumping 36-17 victory at Murrayfield this past Saturday. With the victory, the French continued their unbeaten run in this year’s Six Nations and remain on top of the table, with two more games to play. “We’re very satisfied with this victory because it’s very difficult to win at Murrayfield, but we still have two matches to play and we have to remain cautious,” said Dupont, whose side ran in six tries to overwhelm a Scotland team who thwarted their title ambitions in 2020 and 2021. Having already overcome Italy and Ireland at home, France head to Wales on 11 March, with the chance of clinching a title and Grand Slam against England in Paris eight days later. “We haven’t won the tournament for twelve years and we have to aim for that,” added Dupont, who set up

France captain Antoine Dupont has urged his side to guard against complacency after they moved within two matches of a first Six Nations title and Grand Slam since 2010. Dupont’s side swept aside bogey team Scotland with a thumping 36-17 victory at Murrayfield this past Saturday. With the victory, the French continued their unbeaten run in this year’s Six Nations and remain on top of the table, with two more games to play. “We’re very satisfied with this victory because it’s very difficult to win at Murrayfield, but we still have two matches to play and we have to remain cautious,” said Dupont, whose side ran in six tries to overwhelm a Scotland team who thwarted their title ambitions in 2020 and 2021. Having already overcome Italy and Ireland at home, France head to Wales on 11 March, with the chance of clinching a title and Grand Slam against England in Paris eight days later. “We haven’t won the tournament for twelve years and we have to aim for that,” added Dupont, who set up

Clontarf took a giant step towards securing a home Division 1A semi-final with a convincing 23-14 win over Lansdowne , their closest rivals. Energia Men’s All-Ireland League: Results Round-Up The Energia All-Ireland League top flight’s leading two clubs clashed on the Aviva Stadium’s back pitch and second half tries from captain Matt D’Arcy and prolific hooker Dylan Donnellan claimed the spoils for Clontarf. Lansdowne were first on the scoreboard, their in-form winger Sean Galvin running in a fifth-minute intercept try which Peter Hastie converted. Adrian D’Arcy was bundled into touch as ‘Tarf sought a quick response, but it took over 20 minutes for Conor Kearns to open the visitors’ account from the tee. Skipper Jack O’Sullivan and Clive Ross led a brick wall-like defence from Lansdowne, yet Clontarf centres Matt D’Arcy and Michael Courtney were growing in influence in attack. ‘Tarf worked their way into scoring range and swung the ball out left for winger Cian O’Dono

Clontarf took a giant step towards securing a home Division 1A semi-final with a convincing 23-14 win over Lansdowne , their closest rivals. Energia Men’s All-Ireland League: Results Round-Up The Energia All-Ireland League top flight’s leading two clubs clashed on the Aviva Stadium’s back pitch and second half tries from captain Matt D’Arcy and prolific hooker Dylan Donnellan claimed the spoils for Clontarf. Lansdowne were first on the scoreboard, their in-form winger Sean Galvin running in a fifth-minute intercept try which Peter Hastie converted. Adrian D’Arcy was bundled into touch as ‘Tarf sought a quick response, but it took over 20 minutes for Conor Kearns to open the visitors’ account from the tee. Skipper Jack O’Sullivan and Clive Ross led a brick wall-like defence from Lansdowne, yet Clontarf centres Matt D’Arcy and Michael Courtney were growing in influence in attack. ‘Tarf worked their way into scoring range and swung the ball out left for winger Cian O’Dono

A controversial technicality in the laws left Italy playing with only 13 men for the majority of a heavy defeat against Ireland. It was one-way traffic in Dublin as Ireland romped to a 57-6 victory over Italy. The emphatic scoreline gives little indication into the relative competitiveness of the two sides though as the hosts played with a two-man advantage for most of the match. Ireland started the match strongly, exploiting a disjointed Italian defence to make early inroads. Joey Carberry, starting at flyhalf ahead of Johnny Sexton, scored the first try for the hosts after he profited from Josh van der Flier’s linebreak. Italy hit back with a fantastic long range penalty from fullback Eduardo Padovani soaring between the posts. For a moment it looked as though Italy might grow into the game. But then, disaster struck for the Azzuri. After losing starting hooker Gianmarco Lucchesi to injury, his replacement Hame Faiva saw red for a high tackle. Rugby’s laws require that in the ab

A controversial technicality in the laws left Italy playing with only 13 men for the majority of a heavy defeat against Ireland. It was one-way traffic in Dublin as Ireland romped to a 57-6 victory over Italy. The emphatic scoreline gives little indication into the relative competitiveness of the two sides though as the hosts played with a two-man advantage for most of the match. Ireland started the match strongly, exploiting a disjointed Italian defence to make early inroads. Joey Carberry, starting at flyhalf ahead of Johnny Sexton, scored the first try for the hosts after he profited from Josh van der Flier’s linebreak. Italy hit back with a fantastic long range penalty from fullback Eduardo Padovani soaring between the posts. For a moment it looked as though Italy might grow into the game. But then, disaster struck for the Azzuri. After losing starting hooker Gianmarco Lucchesi to injury, his replacement Hame Faiva saw red for a high tackle. Rugby’s laws require that in the ab

Flyhalf Marcus Smith kicked 17 points as England withstood a second-half fightback from Wales to secure a hard-fought victory at Twickenham. What will be remembered as a thrilling contest and a good advert for the Six Nations disguised disjointed performances from both teams and it was England that weather a late onslaught to come away 23-19 winners. Smith was deadly off the kicking tee in the opening ten minutes, slotting two penalties to punish Wales. The hosts looked to have ascendency at the set piece as well as the breakdown and Wales were initially made to pay for their inaccuracies. The Welsh also squandered opportunities of their own, including an attacking lineout five metres from the England line. This the defending champions would come to rue in the second half. Meanwhile, England methodically built their lead over the opening half and entered the tunnel 12-0 ahead despite having lacked the killer edge to score a try. A moment of madness in the second half handed Engl

Emily McKeown touched down twice as Suttonians swept past Galwegians on a 26-0 scoreline to be crowned the first ever Energia All-Ireland League Women’s Division Conference champions. ENERGIA ALL-IRELAND LEAGUE WOMEN’S DIVISION CONFERENCE FINAL: Saturday, February 26 SUTTONIANS 26 GALWEGIANS 0, Energia Park Scorers: Suttonians: Tries: Emily McKeown 2, Lauren Farrell McCabe, Catherine Martin; Pens: Nicole Carroll 2 Galwegians: – HT: Suttonians 13 Galwegians 0 Stephen Costelloe’s charges completed a six-match post-Christmas winning run with a stellar four-try performance at Energia Park, the same venue where they gained their AIL status back in 2019. Out-half Nicole Carroll inspired a 13-0 half-time lead for Suttonians, providing two try assists and landing the first of two penalty attempts. Speed merchant McKeown (17 minutes) and captain Lauren Farrell McCabe (36) registered the tries, with Galwegians held scoreless despite a couple of bright spells. McKeown, who was part

Emily McKeown touched down twice as Suttonians swept past Galwegians on a 26-0 scoreline to be crowned the first ever Energia All-Ireland League Women’s Division Conference champions. ENERGIA ALL-IRELAND LEAGUE WOMEN’S DIVISION CONFERENCE FINAL: Saturday, February 26 SUTTONIANS 26 GALWEGIANS 0, Energia Park Scorers: Suttonians: Tries: Emily McKeown 2, Lauren Farrell McCabe, Catherine Martin; Pens: Nicole Carroll 2 Galwegians: – HT: Suttonians 13 Galwegians 0 Stephen Costelloe’s charges completed a six-match post-Christmas winning run with a stellar four-try performance at Energia Park, the same venue where they gained their AIL status back in 2019. Out-half Nicole Carroll inspired a 13-0 half-time lead for Suttonians, providing two try assists and landing the first of two penalty attempts. Speed merchant McKeown (17 minutes) and captain Lauren Farrell McCabe (36) registered the tries, with Galwegians held scoreless despite a couple of bright spells. McKeown, who was part

France were at their devastating best scoring six tries en route to a comprehensive victory over Scotland at Murrayfield on Saturday. The French made it three from three in this year’s Six Nations as they stormed to a 36-17 bonus-point victory that brings them a step closer to winning the tournament. The opening 20 minutes in Edinburgh was blistering. France brought deadly accuracy and intent and blew the hosts off the park in the opening exchanges. Paul Willemse and Yoram Moefana both scored early  on for the visitors as France converted dominance into points. Scotland looked punch-drunk against a superior France pack flexing its physical muscle. The Scots, to their credit, fought their way back into the match chiefly through the efforts of livewire back rower Rory Darge. It was Darge’s try that gave the hosts hope and brought them within two points. Scotland had a chance to take the lead as Duhan van der Merwe broke through the French defences and linked up with centre Chris Ha

The Sharks climbed into eighth place on the Vodacom United Rugby Championship table after a last-minute try sealed a bonus-point win over Benetton in Treviso on Saturday. The result saw the Sharks climb above the Stormers to become the best-placed South African team on the overall table. Sean Everitt’s side came into the match wary of Benetton’s threat after the Italian side stunned the Vodacom Bulls in last year’s PRO14 Rainbow Cup final. However, the Sharks showed none of the same complacency that had troubled the Bulls, opening the scoring through Ruben van Heerden’s try in the fifth minute and never giving up the lead from there. While Benetton had their opportunities in the first half, it was the Sharks who went into the break 21-0 up, with Aphelele Fassi and Phepsi Buthelezi adding tries just before half-time. The Sharks thought they had the bonus-point try when Thomas du Toit sent front-row partner Ox Nche over, but it was chalked off after a TMO review. Captain Lukhanyo

Flyhalf Chris Smith kicked 15 points as the Vodacom Bulls ran in six tries for an emphatic United Rugby Championship victory against Zebre in Parma. The Bulls’ first win in Italy won’t ease the pain of having lost the Rainbow Cup final against Benetton in Treviso last year, but improving to 4-6 on the season with a 45-7 win in Parma is a positive response to their recent home loss against the Sharks. Smith was perfect, kicking six conversions and one penalty as the Bulls won the collisions and controlled the field for a higher volume of scoring opportunities. The Bulls will rightfully be chuffed with the result but the margin of victory belies a sometimes mediocre performance. Isolated runners and slow reaction to clean made a mess of the Bulls’ attacking breakdown and they repeatedly made the hole deeper by shovelling poor passes to stationary receivers, all of which boosted the Zebre defence. Spurts of efficient scrumming alleviated some of the pressure by parachuting the Bulls

Flyhalf Chris Smith kicked 15 points as the Vodacom Bulls ran in six tries for an emphatic United Rugby Championship victory against Zebre in Parma. The Bulls’ first win in Italy won’t ease the pain of having lost the Rainbow Cup final against Benetton in Treviso last year, but improving to 4-6 on the season with a 45-7 win in Parma is a positive response to their recent home loss against the Sharks. Smith was perfect, kicking six conversions and one penalty as the Bulls won the collisions and controlled the field for a higher volume of scoring opportunities. The Bulls will rightfully be chuffed with the result but the margin of victory belies a sometimes mediocre performance. Isolated runners and slow reaction to clean made a mess of the Bulls’ attacking breakdown and they repeatedly made the hole deeper by shovelling poor passes to stationary receivers, all of which boosted the Zebre defence. Spurts of efficient scrumming alleviated some of the pressure by parachuting the Bulls

Munster Rugby have announced the establishment of the Munster Schools Girls Senior and Junior Cup competitions. The inaugural editions of both the Senior and Junior Cups are set to commence next week. This season’s Junior Cup competition will be contested by six schools; Coláiste Íde agus Iosef Abbeyfeale, Salesian Secondary College Pallaskenry, St Anne’s Community College Killaloe, Bandon Grammar School, Thomond Community College and Ardscoil Mhuire. The Senior Cup competition will be contested by four teams; Bandon Grammar School, Villiers School, Coláiste Íde agus Iosef Abbeyfeale and St Anne’s Community College Killaloe. The establishment of a Girls Schools Cup competition has long been an ambition of Munster Rugby and it is hoped that the competition will develop year on year going forward. Munster Rugby is confident that the competition will provide another avenue for girls in the province to play competitive rugby which will have a positive impact on participation and pl

Munster Rugby have announced the establishment of the Munster Schools Girls Senior and Junior Cup competitions. The inaugural editions of both the Senior and Junior Cups are set to commence next week. This season’s Junior Cup competition will be contested by six schools; Coláiste Íde agus Iosef Abbeyfeale, Salesian Secondary College Pallaskenry, St Anne’s Community College Killaloe, Bandon Grammar School, Thomond Community College and Ardscoil Mhuire. The Senior Cup competition will be contested by four teams; Bandon Grammar School, Villiers School, Coláiste Íde agus Iosef Abbeyfeale and St Anne’s Community College Killaloe. The establishment of a Girls Schools Cup competition has long been an ambition of Munster Rugby and it is hoped that the competition will develop year on year going forward. Munster Rugby is confident that the competition will provide another avenue for girls in the province to play competitive rugby which will have a positive impact on participation and pl

Follow the live action as the Vodacom Bulls travel to Parma to battle Zebre in the Vodacom United Rugby Championship. The match kicks off at 7.25pm                             Tweets by BlueBullsRugby   The post LIVE: Zebre v Vodacom Bulls appeared first on SA Rugby magazine . The post LIVE: Zebre v Vodacom Bulls appeared first on Rugby Daily News . source https://rugbystream.us/live-zebre-v-vodacom-bulls/

Follow the live action as the Vodacom Bulls travel to Parma to battle Zebre in the Vodacom United Rugby Championship. The match kicks off at 7.25pm                             Tweets by BlueBullsRugby   The post LIVE: Zebre v Vodacom Bulls appeared first on SA Rugby magazine . The post LIVE: Zebre v Vodacom Bulls appeared first on Rugby Daily News . source https://rugbystream.us/live-zebre-v-vodacom-bulls/

Curwin Bosch will start at flyhalf for the first time in the Vodacom United Rugby Championship and Sharks coach Sean Everitt hopes he can use his booming boot to dominate Saturday’s match against Benetton. Bosch was heavily linked with a move away from the Sharks after playing time in his favoured No 10 jersey dried up in the URC. Boeta Chamberlain, who has come through the Sharks’ junior ranks, and newly-recruited Argentinian Tito Bonilla were both tried at flyhalf, with mixed results. There was talk that Bosch was on the verge of signing for English side Bath, but he has remained in Durban and fought for his place. He recently made his return from injury in the Currie Cup and looked like he had rediscovered some of his verve in the coastal derby against Western Province in Durban. That performance earned him a recall to the URC squad and he came off the bench against the Vodacom Bulls to help the Sharks close out a win at Loftus Versfeld. Speaking to the media during a press con

Curwin Bosch will start at flyhalf for the first time in the Vodacom United Rugby Championship and Sharks coach Sean Everitt hopes he can use his booming boot to dominate Saturday’s match against Benetton. Bosch was heavily linked with a move away from the Sharks after playing time in his favoured No 10 jersey dried up in the URC. Boeta Chamberlain, who has come through the Sharks’ junior ranks, and newly-recruited Argentinian Tito Bonilla were both tried at flyhalf, with mixed results. There was talk that Bosch was on the verge of signing for English side Bath, but he has remained in Durban and fought for his place. He recently made his return from injury in the Currie Cup and looked like he had rediscovered some of his verve in the coastal derby against Western Province in Durban. That performance earned him a recall to the URC squad and he came off the bench against the Vodacom Bulls to help the Sharks close out a win at Loftus Versfeld. Speaking to the media during a press con

All roads lead to Energia Park on Saturday for the Energia All-Ireland League Women’s Division final between Blackrock College and title holders Railway Union. Ahead of the south Dublin derby, which kicks off at 7.30pm and will be broadcast live on TG4, we got the pre-match views of Railway’s director of rugby and head coach John Cronin. Tickets On Sale For Energia All-Ireland League Women’s Division Finals IrishRugby.ie: How is the mood in camp and what have your preparations for the final been like? John Cronin: As people will have seen from Keelin Brady and Grainne O’Loughlin’s interview earlier in the week , it’s a very positive mood in the camp. We have a mantra about getting better, that everyone must commit to getting better all the time and that if you stay still in Railway, you will fall behind very quickly. That includes me, the rest of coaching team, the managers, as well as the players. Saturday is just a point in time for us, we’re on a journey of constantly gettin