Month: September 2019

The Rebels are back on track, kicking eight points clear atop the Australian Conference with a brilliant 46-14 bonus point over the Sharks at AAMI Park.

It wasn’t a Rebels performance which produced breathtaking tries until very late in the piece but it was one that showed they can tough out flat stretches before finding their best to shoot clear – a trait all champion sides must possess.

The work of Anaru Rangi, Adam Coleman and Colby Faingaa up front set the platform for Melbourne’s backs and while it took an hour before things really clicked, Billy Meakes starred in his first start of the season.

Melbourne flew out of the gates with far more intent than they displayed in their loss to the Waratahs, Meakes making the most of his touch of the ball by splitting the line in the first phase of the match – a break that would set the tone for a superb first half for the former Force star.Meakes busted three tackles, made two line breaks and racked up 47 metres from eight first half runs alone, his ball playing and kicking in play also complementing the work of Will Genia and Jack Debreczeni in the halves.

As Meakes flourished the Melbourne attack followed suit but it was a rolling maul which would produce the first points of the match – Anaru Rangi falling over the line in the 11th minute.

A yellow card to Curwin Bosch followed six minutes later, the Sharks fullback deliberately knocking the ball down and denying the Rebels a certain try in the process.

But just as Melbourne threatened to blow the game open, mistakes creeped into their game and the Sharks worked their way back into the match.

While Melbourne dominated the run of play and controlled 65 percent of first half possession it was Lwazi Mvovo that crossed next, some brilliant passing from Robert Du Preez setting up the 28th minute try.

The Rebels hit right back but again it was left to the rolling maul to throw the final punch, Amanaki Mafi scoring in the 38th minute to send Melbourne into the sheds up 15-7.

It felt as though they should have led by more and after Jermaine Ainsley bombed a try by declining to pass in the first half Sefa Naivalu bombed one by deciding to pass 13 minutes into the second half, a sublime Jack Maddocks break and pinpoint pass putting the Fijian flyer away in the lead up.

Will Genia did what Naivalu couldn’t three minutes later, though, spotting a gap in the Sharks defence on their line and splitting it to open up a 25-7 lead.

Meakes was then rewarded for his brilliant night with 17 minutes to play, reaching out to put the finishing touch on a try sparked by a determined run from Coleman.

That would be the final nail in the Sharks’ coffin, a Ross Haylett-Petty try from a Fereti Saaga break rounding out a night which put Melbourne back on track in their quest for the Australian Conference crown.

RESULT

Rebels 46

Tries: Rangi, Mafi, Genia, Meakes, R Haylett-Petty, Saaga

Cons: Hodge, Debreczeni 4

Pens: Hodge, Debreczeni

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Sharks 14

Tries: Mvovo, Louw

Cons: Du Preez, Bosch

Pens:

A hat-trick from Hurricanes centre Ngani Laumape has relegated the Brumbies to a 43-13 loss on a night where Brumbies captain Christian Lealiifano felt they couldn’t ever really get going.

This was far from the near-seamless effort the Brumbies produced in Canberra last week, with turnovers and basic errors opened the door for a ruthless Hurricanes outfit benefitting from the return of playmaker Beauden Barrett on their home turf.

Victories across the ditch are that much harder to come by and the Hurricanes’ victory was their 23rd from 24 at home, albeit playing a touch north of their usual Wellington Stadium, 14th of 15 against Australian opposition and the 38th win for a New Zealand team against Aussies in New Zealand in 39 matches.

The Brumbies continued to charge on with their attacking approach but two early turnovers lead directly to tries and they found themselves in a 14-point hole early on.

Trailing 19-8 at the break, the Brumbies still had a sniff but a dominant 24-5 second half from the HUrricanes snuffed out any chances for the visitors.

Their Kiwi opponents also had their issues with the ball but the Brumbies weren’t able to be as punishing in their response, unable to consistently push the Hurricanes into their defensive zone.

A usually accurate defence was beaten by red-hot Laumape seven times with the Brumbies racking up 29 missed tackles overall.

Lealiifano said they had plenty of work to do before facing the Rebels in Melbourne in a week’s time.

“I think the Hurricanes came hard at our breakdown there and it’s something we’ll look at and try and improve,” he told SKY post-match.

“We just couldn’t get our game going as well as we would’ve liked.

“We were still in the contest early there and just fell away in the end.

The Hurricanes were quick to play the territory game and starve the Brumbies of attack and their approach paid dividends.

Things were shaping up as a grind but it took just one fumble from Rory Arnold for Hurricanes hooker Dane Coles to snatch an intercept and storm his way to the line.

The speed of the game was tripping up both sides but it was the Brumbies who hurt the most as the Hurricanes punished their mistakes.

Centre Ngani Laumape scored just two minutes after Coles, with a Brumbies turnover setting up a break for the rampaging centre, who shook off a Chance Peni tackle attempt to score the Hurricanes’ second.

With the expansive efforts not quite sticking, the Brumbies took a chance to go to the corner and hooker Folau Faingaa went over almost immediately to finish off their monstrous maul.

Pete Samu made the most of his first Brumbies start, winning three turnovers before the half hour mark, only serving as a reminder of the depth the Canberra side has in loose forwards, all of whom had impressive nights.

Poor discipline from the Hurricanes allowed the Brumbies to mount more attack but it was a Haurricanes lineout that led to the next scoring opportunity, though a rampaging Dane Coles.

Coles made a handy break and threw a dummy before offloading to Laumape deep in attack.

Halfback TJ Perenara took the next recycle and passed back into Coles’ hands just inside touch for the hooker’s double.

A penalty on the other side of half-time kept the Hurricanes ticking the scoreboard over, as the hosts built momentum.

Returning flanker David Pocock saved a near-certain Hurricanes try in the 49th minute but the pressure relief didn’t last long as the Kiwis continued their attacking barrage.

Another Laumape try followed and though Barrett’s conversion put the Hurricanes into bonus-point territory but the centre wasn’t done with his impact, though, swallowing an intercept from Christian Lealiifano in the 60th minute t oscore his third.

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David Pocock was sent to the bin in the 63rd minute for an early tackle on TJ Perenara but by then it seemed like the wind was already out of the Brumbies sails.

Second-game back Tom Wright clinched a consolation try in the 73rd minute that looked like giving the Brumbies the final say but the Hurricanes kept the foot on the throat with lock James Blackwell scooping up one final Brumbies fumble in the 83rd minute.

The Brumbies have a chance to test their improvement when they take on the Rebels next weekend, after a narrow round one defeat to Melbourne, while the Hurricanes face the Highlanders.

RESULT

Hurricanes 43

Tries: Laumape 3 Coles 2, Blackwell

Cons: Barrett 4, Garden-Bachop

Pens: Barrett

Brumbies 13

Tries: Faingaa, Wright

Pens: Lealiifano

Yellow card: David Pocock (63’)

Karmichael Hunt and Adam Ashley-Cooper are confirmed Waratahs starters with Kurtley Beale the first Wallaby rested from Super Rugby ahead of the 2019 Rugby World Cup.

Beale played 31 games last year, the most of any Australian player, and featured in almost every minute of those outings at both Super Rugby and Test level.

He is one of seven Wallabies who were rested from the preseason trials as part of a plan to manage international players ahead of the World Cup but he is the only one who will sit out the Hurricanes clash.

Hunt’s performances at training since joining the club last month and in those trial games were enough to give Waratahs coach Daryl Gibson the confidence to keep Beale on ice for one more week.

“He came to us in January, and you never quite know what shape they’re in and he presented in excellent shape and very quickly got up to speed and we’re very satisfied with where he’s at,” he said.

“Those (rotation) decisions are all based on the short-term and long-term view on making sure we’re getting the best out of our players over 16 games and hopefully 18 if we progress.”

It’s not the first time Hunt’s efforts have propelled him up the pecking order – his attitude is exactly what earned him a Wallabies debut back in the 2017 June Series.

Hunt’s combination with Ashley-Cooper is only 10 minutes old but Gibson said their experience made that a non-issue.

“I think they bring a lot of experience,” he said.

“The bonus with both of them is the fact they can pick things up very quickly, very much on the same wavelength, talking about the game, that’s been very easy.”

Ashley-Cooper has only played 40 minutes in the preseason but the option of winger Cam Clark on the bench allows for Curtis Rona to potentially move to 13 should Ashley-Cooper need to be subbed.

While the selection of Ashley-Cooper and Hunt shows the depth the Waratahs might enjoy in the backline, their front row looks far less shored up with two debutants on the bench and rookie loosehead Harry Johnson-Holmes starting alongside Damien Fitzpatrick and Sekope Kepu.

Gibson admitted the bench duo of Chris Talakai and Rory O’Connor had been rushed into Super Rugby calculations earlier than anticipated but there was little point dwelling on that.

“We’ll try to bolster that with (Tolu) Latu in the second half, obviously Keps coming back for his first minutes of the year,” he said.

“Not slightly where they should be but you’ve just got to get on with it and do your best.”

The Waratahs will be boosted by the round one returns of Kepu, Rob Simmons, Michael Hooper, Bernard Foley, Israel Folau and Latu, who all sat out the team’s preseason trials.

Jake Gordon will start at halfback with Nick Phipps (calf) unavailable and Mitch Short will come off the bench.

Jack Dempsey is set to start at no. 8 for the first time in Super Rugby with Ned Hanigan at blindside flanker for the Brookvale Oval clash. 

The Waratahs take on the Hurricanes on Saturday February 16 at Brookvale Oval, kicking off at 7:45pm AEDT, LIVE on FOX SPORTS and via RUGBY.com.au RADIO. Buy tickets here.

TEAM

Waratahs to face the Hurricanes

1. Harry Johnson-Holmes

2. Damien Fitzpatrick

3. Sekope Kepu

4. Jed Holloway

5. Rob Simmons

6. Ned Hanigan

7. Michael Hooper

8. Jack Dempsey

9 .Jake Gordon

10. Bernard Foley

11. Curtis Rona

12. Karmichael Hunt

13. Adam Ashley-Cooper

14. Alex Newsome

15. Israel Folau

Reserves

16. Tolu Latu

17. Rory O’Connor

18. Chris Talakai

19. Lachlan Swinton

20. Will Miller

21. Mitch Short

22. Mack Mason

23. Cam Clark

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The Brumbies late-season surge towards the Super Rugby finals has been halted by a 24-19 loss to the Chiefs in Hamilton.

Needing a fourth straight win on Saturday to keep their unlikely play-off hopes alive, the 10th-placed Brumbies looked buried at 24-5 well into the second half.

However, they stormed home with two late tries and threatened to snatch victory when sweeping downfield in the final play before a contentious knock-on call from South African referee Rasta Rasivhenge.

The Brumbies are five points behind the eighth-placed Melbourne Rebels and will need a big win over the Waratahs next week to move ahead of them on points differential.

They’ll also need other results to go their way.

Dan McKellar’s men dominated the second half against one of the competition’s premier sides, just as they did when upsetting the Hurricanes last week.

Captain David Pocock was magnificent all around the park while winger Henry Speight crossed for two tries on a ground he once graced at provincial level for Waikato.

The other second-half Brumbies try went to outstanding fullback Tom Banks but it wasn’t enough to overcome the Chiefs, who kept their nose in front through a try to reserve back Johnny Fa’auli midway through the second spell.

Nothing went the Brumbies way in the first half, losing flanker Tom Cusack to injury.

He clashed heads with teammate Rory Arnold in key moment, the pair then falling off hooker Nathan Harris as he scored the Chiefs’ first try.

The second went to brilliant playmaker Damian McKenzie, who finished with 14 points and was the one player to make regular punctures in an otherwise industrious Brumbies defensive line.

Chiefs reserve forward Jesse Parete was shown a yellow card late in the second half but Pocock was adamant there should have been more.

The Wallabies flanker constantly asked Rasivhenge why he wasn’t punishing the Chiefs for persistent offending.

The Chiefs’ remain locked with the Hurricanes in a fierce battle for second place in the New Zealand conference.

Those teams meet next week in a match to determine which team is ranked fourth overall and hosts a quarter-final.

RESULT

Chiefs 24

Tries: Harris, McKenzie, Faauli

Cons: McKenzie 3

Pens: McKenzie

Brumbies 19

Tries: Speight 2, Banks

Cons: Hawera 2

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The Frenchman will miss out against Brighton and possibly Spurs’ return to Europe, while Harry Winks is also a doubt

Moussa Sissoko could miss the first leg of Tottenham’s Champions League semi-final against Ajax according to Mauricio Pochettino, who said the midfielder could be out “for the next two weeks”.

Spurs lost 1-0 to Manchester City three days after Sissoko picked up a groin injury in the second leg of their stunning Champions League quarter-final victory over Pep Guardiola’s men and Pochettino said that he was not optimistic about the Frenchman’s chances of a quick recovery.

Home games against Brighton and Hove Albion, and West Ham in the Premier League will give Spurs the chance to continue their push for third place ahead of the visit of Ajax, but Pochettino said he is not expecting Sissoko or fellow midfielder Harry Winks to feature.

Winks has been struggling with a similar problem to Sissoko but managed 81 minutes on Wednesday before sitting out Saturday’s defeat at the Etihad Stadium.

“Moussa Sissoko is not going to be fit, maybe for the next two weeks,” said Pochettino.

“We hope he can recover before but I am not so optimistic.

“Harry Winks we don’t know because it is a problem that is one day very good, next day not very good, it is about assessing each day.

“We hope he will be available for Tuesday [against Brighton] but we are not sure.”

Defeat at City on Saturday left Spurs just one point clear of fourth-placed Arsenal – who were then stunned 3-2 by Crystal Palace on Sunday – and Pochettino said the prospect of the Champions League semi-final would not distract his players from ending their domestic campaign on a high.

He said the opportunity to play three successive matches at the new Tottenham Hotspur Stadium would give Spurs a lift, saying: “We hope we can keep going, getting the same result. It is going to be fantastic and it is going to be helpful for us playing in the new stadium with our fans and we hope and wish to repeat the performances of the previous results.

“We are not thinking of Ajax. We showed today that we are thinking about the Premier League.

“Now our energy is on Brighton. It is so clear that we have two objectives – one is to be in the top four at the end of the season and the other is to beat Ajax, but we need to go step-by-step.”

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The Togo striker was roundly criticised at the time for his actions but he has now claimed they were in response to discriminatory insults

Emmanuel Adebayor has revealed that alleged racist chanting from Arsenal fans caused his infamous celebration against them in September 2009.

The striker had only months prior ended a three-year stint at the Gunners to join Manchester City for a fee of around £25 million.

In his first appearance against his former club, Adebayor netted City’s third goal in a 4-2 win against Arsenal and celebrated by running the length of the pitch to slide on his his knees in front of the away supporters at the Etihad Stadium.

The Togo forward did later apologise for his actions and was fined by the Football Association (FA), but reflecting almost a decade on, Adebayor feels his punishment was unfair given the alleged racist abuse he received from Arsenal supporters.

“This is the thing,” the 35-year-old told the Daily Mail. “And it is why I have not said anything about racism the past few weeks. When I celebrated, the FA fined me, they punished me. Nothing happened to the Arsenal fans. So it [racism] started with me and long before me.

“I remember getting to the stadium and Arsenal fans were there. All I heard was the the chant: ‘Your mother is a wh*re and your father washes elephants’. 

“My father worked in currency exchange and my mother is a businesswoman, but this went on and on. So how can I reply? I didn’t have a voice to go against thousands of supporters.

“Now the same FA are trying to stop racism? I’m sorry, it does not work that way. Today is too late. We are tired. Enough is enough. I see Mario Balotelli and Didier Drogba on Instagram. How many times do we have to post something? We have to react. We have to leave the pitch.

“The abuse was too much,” he added. “I was ready to die. I just looked at them and thought: ‘There are things you do not do’.

“If a sniper shot me, he would not have struck me down. I was in my spiritual zone. Kolo Toure said to me: ‘I was looking at the pictures and you did not flinch once’. I did not feel human anymore.”

Adebayor is currently playing with the likes of Gael Clichy, Robinho, Arda Turan and Demba Ba at for Turkish side Istanbul Basaksehir.

As well as representing Arsenal and Man City, Adebayor has also played for Monaco, Real Madrid and Tottenham Hotspur during his distinguished career.

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A Nicolas Sanchez header just before halftime gave Monterrey a leg up ahead of next week’s decider at the Estadio BBVA Bancomer

Too often, it seems like those comparing a sporting event to a heavyweight title fight have never seen a boxing match of any sort.

Yet, if not two sluggers going at it in the ring, what should we compare the first leg of the Concacaf Champions League final to? An arching header from a corner kick just before the break was the difference, with Monterrey taking the 1-0 advantage into next week’s second leg thanks to Nicolas Sanchez.

The sides traded punches. Tigres would attack, only for Rayados to keep the final pass from getting through. Then they’d go forward, surging from the back as is their specialty. A Tigres midfielder would chop down the attacker or sometimes pick the ball right off his feet. The whole process would start again.

Maybe the analogy falls short there, too. Because while Tuesday’s first leg certainly felt like a title fight, it had some of that classic scrap that was in a fighter like Julio Cesar Chavez. There were big punches thrown but it also was remarkable just how much each team was able to withstand. It should be seen as no slam to call the game reminiscent of a welterweight fight.

It was a minor miracle no one actually threw a punch – outside the stadium nor on the field – as referee John Pitti kept the whistle to his lips and tried to impose some sort of order over the proceedings (the Panamanian did well, showing how silly those trying to start controversy when the news came out that neither leg would be overseen by a Mexican referee were being). 

Tigres were frustrated, not only to be held quiet at home but not to have more success on the wings. Miguel Layun and Jesus Gallardo had help all match, with Rodolfo Pizarro and Dorlan Pablon coming back to try and keep the quick wide players from getting in one-on-one situations – or from finding Andre-Pierre Gignac in the box once the Frenchman came on with 30 minutes left to play. They also had to protect Stefan Medina, the converted fullback who had to fill in at center back with Cesar Montes suspended and Jose Maria Basanta injured.

Tigres weren’t at full strength, either. Gignac will look to go the full 90 minutes in the second leg. Carlos Salcedo would love to slot back into the center-back spot where he’s best, not play a half as the left back and another half as the right back to try and cover for the injured Luis “Chaka” Rodriguez. 

With the away goals rule not in effect for the title game, there is still plenty of chance for Tigres to get back into the series and win its first-ever international title. And the ghosts of the Liga MX final between the two clubs in the 2017 Apertura, which Tigres won on Rayados’ home field, will be howling Wednesday. You only had to look at Tigres goalkeeper Nahuel Guzman urging the crowd at El Volcan to sing louder after the final whistle to see that Tuca Ferretti’s side still will have belief.

So it all hangs in the balance going into the second leg. We knew it would. There’s not enough between the city’s two teams for either to have created any separation before the decider at the Estadio BBVA Bancomer.

You don’t have to be an expert to know that each team still stands more than just a puncher’s chance.

Saturday’s Championship fixture between has been called off, the EFL has confirmed

Bolton Wanderers’ home game against Brentford has been called off after their players refused to play in protest at unpaid wages.

The troubled club “regrettably” confirmed less than 24 hours before the scheduled kick-off time that the Championship fixture would not be taking place on Saturday.

The EFL described the developments as “disappointing” in a statement on its website, adding that Bolton are now guilty of misconduct and will be referred to an Independent Disciplinary Commission.

Their players had released a statement earlier on Friday that they would not be fulfilling the remaining two matches in the season due to monies owed – a decision that won the backing of the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA).

Both the squad and coaching staff members have still not been paid for March and first-team players reportedly refused to train for 48 hours this month in protest after club workers also went unpaid.

“This situation is creating mounting mental, emotional and financial burdens for people through no fault of their own,” the statement from the players read. “The mental pressure has affected some people to the extent that they feel they are unable to perform their jobs sufficiently.

“These are unprecedented circumstances and are affecting every aspect of our lives, placing great strain on ourselves and our families.”

Former Watford owner Laurence Bassini last week agreed a last-minute takeover of the club to prevent them going into administration. The deal hoped to lead to the settlement of a High Court case related to an unpaid tax bill.

Bolton’s relegation to League One was confirmed last week by their 2-0 home defeat to Aston Villa.

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