rm3r 2 27 14

GG ll ee nn dd aa ll ee RR aa pp tt oo rr ss vv SS aa nn tt aa MM oo nn ii cc aa DD oo ll pp hh ii nn ss aa tt II nn ff ii nn ii tt yy ,, SS aa tt uu rr dd aa yy MM aa rr cc hh 11

OO ll yy mm pp ii cc RR uu gg bb yy CC ll uu bb vv DD ee nn vv ee rr BB aa rr bb aa rr ii aa nn ss aa tt RR aa yy SS hh ee ee rr aa nn FF ii ee ll dd oo nn TT rr ee aa ss uu rr ee II ss ll aa nn dd ,, 33 .. 11

Rocky Mountain

Regional Rugby Report

2.27.14

In this Issue:

NSCRO picture clarified: University of Denver Pioneers, New Mexico Highlands University Vatos to

NSCRO playoffs 1st Round in Texas

DU v UNC: match report - it wound up bein’ a friendly, but it was a fiery-hot StoveTop, nonetheless

more of the Hot Stuff from Saturday’s StoveTop: Colorado Springs Grizzlies v Glendale Academy; and Glendale Raptors v Denver Barbarians, the latter fixture each clubs’ Auxiliaries in friendly-mixer? Why sure - pictorial: vande

Pacific Rugby Premiership Results: Raptors point up, Barbos off - from Saturday, 2.22; also PRP Table

Upcomers – high school league begins and the inaugural Colorado PRP fixture in Kettle… also Men’s D-II revisited as those guys re-start quick-as-you’d-like, ready and reloaded for the rugby

GlobalComps: Richard and Trotski o Six Nations – Round III - Scotland the Bravest and four, 2-1s the #s, with England on the inside rail o Super XV Rugby - results/upcomers… Marnitz who? o Aviva, Top XIV, Pro12 - roundups, recaps and tableaus o Heineken Cup – when do playoffs begin?

hR’s Back Page: o Daktari’s Rugby Cypher o Down the Whistler

Brendan’s Pub

Brendan’s Pub

at 404 Broadway ◊ Kevin Geraghty ◊

proprietor

“great sounds, good people, fine food”

http://www.brendans404.com/



University of Denver v University of Northern Colorado

On a blowy-cold Saturday afternoon, DU were awarded the forfeit victory as their

opponents had roster issues and the NSCRO playoff picture clarif ied with that happening.

But if you’re thinking, with the outcome already determined, the “friendly” was to be

played with any less enthusiasm and soulful heart, then you would have been sorely

mistaken. For the clash between the Colorado institutions was anything but an

afterthought: 13 trys, three instances of knotted scores and three lead changes with all

players available involved kept the faithful at Infinity’s StoveTop on the edge of their East

Terrace seating spaces and leaping along the western touchline for the full 80 minutes

before a grounding at the death brought cl imactic closure to a f ine display of early-season

rugby.

After a scoreless f irst twenty minutes in which DU Pioneers spent nearly the whole of it in

UNC Bears territory - yet host could not breach tryline - it was the travelers what drew first

blood when loaner-f lyhalf, and former Litt leton Eagles high school star, Cody Melphy,

hacked the jouncer into space and misplay in the business district set up a series of

smashing pick-&-goes that Pioneers wel l-defended. However, in the sixth phase of play, ball

spun swiftly wide put openside f lanker, Jesus Flores, away to crash, cross and ground: 0-5

at 21.

UNC worked backed into the DU 22 and Bears loosehead prop, Kyle Smith, cleaved

defenders to dot for Melphy’s conversion, and it was nil-12 after 27 ticks of referee Marc

Nelson’s t imepiece.

With three-quarters of the f irst forty gone, DU roared back after turning ball over inside

their guests 22. Patient Pioneers packsters brought the pil l steady within sight of glory

before #10 Jake Miller’s fast sl ing found f lyer Gabe Bram free, and the speedster crossed

effecting stoppage image: vande



and touched down in the corner for fullback Nat Prouty’s impressively accurate completion

from touch, driven through a diagonally swirl ing chop: 7-12 in the 30t h minute.

The hosts were back for more quickly after a penalty kick for touch found that l ine f ive

meters from UNC’s goal. Surely taken toss by DU leaper and transfer to openside Landan

Banks had that breakaway thread the defense for the grounding that leveled the tall ies, one

dozen for everyone as Nelson sounded the halft ime.

12-all at kickoff of the Second Stanza

With DU pressuring inside the Bears 22, ball was turned over at breakdown. UNC elected

not to clear, but to swing weakside. Replacement wing Lucien York collected, near f ifteen

meters from his own goal, stepped sl ickly inside a tackle and 85 meters later dotted the try

that made the

scoreline 12-17 at

minute 45; UNC

had retaken the

advantage.

Seven minutes

later, seven more

points for the

Bears as Smith

crashed over for

his brace,

converted by Dustin Gordon: 12-24 at 52.

Next eleven minutes were all University of Denver as Bram chipped a wee looker into space,

collected the l ightning himself , and crossed for 17-24 numbers in the 56t h minute.

DU back again when ball delivered from breakdown enabled outside center Travis Barlock

the crease and that man delivered himself for f ive: 22-24 at minute number 63.

UNC extended the lead to seven with a Sam Adio try two minutes later, before a l ineout

poach by DU at midfield saw Barlock clear for his 30-meter sprint to goal and the dot:

conversion by scrumhalf Matt Clement and we were al l locked at 29 approaching the 70th

minute. Ratcheting the heat upwards just now…

It was at that 70t h minute that DU claimed its f irst lead when Bram booted ahead, covered

himself yet again, and offloaded to f irst center Michael Gestal for Gestal ’s crossing: 34-29

with ten left and the crowd l ively l ike mad!

Flanker Frye on the loose image: vande

image: vande



Now came the Bears from five meters away the DU line. A quickly-tapped penalty had Slim

Rufio into goal for his touch down that leveled things yet again at 34s in the 75t h minute

and fueled the f ire for the f ixture’s f inal act.

And it was the travelers’ Cody Schwann (Colorado Springs Grizzl ies product) who breached

the l ine for the grounding converted by Stiu Fico for a last tal ly of: DU 34, UNC 41

Scoring DU - Try: Bram (2), Banks, Barlock (2), Gestal; Con: Prouty, Clement ; UNC - Try: Flores, Smith (2), York, Adio, Rufio, Schwann ; Con : Melphy, Gordon, Fico Match Official: Marc Nelson Next ups : Saturday, March 1 University of Denver Pioneers travel to Las Vegas, NM for a f ixture at New Mexico Highlands University Vatos that wi l l determine the seeding going into next month’s Cowboy Cup in Texas, which begins NSCRO playoffs breakdown, knockout rounds; while University of Northern Colorado Bears host CU-Colorado Springs Lions at Butler Hancock Rugby Pavil ions on the Greeley campus, Saturday

Saturday Shows at StoveTop

Ridgeview Academy is looking for a head coach so that the club can play this spring. If interested, you are encouraged to contact Athletic Director, Mike Sackel - 720.833.8183; [email protected]

* could be just the thing for a college player in an athletic-related endeavor seeking relevant,

coursework-related, real-life experience or someone looking to expand their rugby coaching CV in

significant manner… whoever you may be, you are needed and valued at Ridgeview *

Grizzlies Paddy Donavan in the midst of a flock of

Raptors image: vande Raptors contest Grizzlies lineout w B. Zapp, referee, at

ideal vantage image: vande

Glendale Raptors Academy and Colorado Springs Grizzlies clubs combined for winning rugby on the day. The #6

nationally-ranked and very dangerous Bears and the scholars played a friendly in which the off-season jams were

kicked out in form fashion.

http://www.nscro.org/



… and Glendale Raptors invited their pals,

Denver Barbarians, over for a bit of the

footie, albeit a friendly. A number of scores

from each side resulting from the cracking

action and all hands onboard in the early-

season mixer, meant for an excellent

warmup for both sides

Raptors look to capture their throw-in at the well-

contested lineout image: vande

Barbarians #9… slingin’ it! image vande

slippage and preparation for the go-and-go in

the face of stiff opposition image: vande

how’s

your

rugby?



Round 3:

San Francisco Golden Gate were up 24-7 on their Glendale guests at halft ime; the

home side were required to dig deep to hold off a determined Raptors f ightback and

claim 31-26 victory, an unblemished record and sole possession of f irst place on the

Premiership table with the bonus-point win; Raptors garnered two bonus-points in the loss

and f inish their February, three-match, road sojourn at 2-1 and 11 MPts, an exceedingly

good haul for Glendale , one might consider; also captain Zach Fenoglio and three-quarters

Chad London were unavailable while on US Eagles camp duty;

Belmont Shore got the last-gasp, f ive-pointer over LA rivals, Santa Monica , a 29-28

result at Cal State-Long Beach on Saturday to keep them #2 on the chart and hot on

SFGG ’s heels; Dolphins were able to lay claim to a pair of MPts in the loss at seven-or-less,

with four trys;

Old Mission Bay Athletic Club (OMBAC) fel l behind as Olympic Rugby Club

leapt to a 12-nil lead, but the Southern Californians scored the last 28 points to

claim the four-point, road win at Ray Sheeran Field on Saturday, the rugby day

Club Won Lost Drawn Match Points (MPts)

San Francisco Golden Gate – SFGG 4 0 0 19

Belmont Shore 3 1 0 16

Glendale Raptors 2 1 0 11

Santa Monica Dolphins 1 3 0 9

Old Mission Beach Athletic Club – OMBAC 2 1 0 8

Denver Barbarians 0 3 0 2

Olympic Rugby Club 0 3 0 0

Results2.22.14



v : Glendale Raptors v Santa Monica Dolphins at Infinity Rugby Stadium, “Das

Kettel,” the Park that Church built: Raptors to re-track their 2014 train? or wi l l Santa

Monica Dolphins Big Closing Splash ruin the inaugural PRP home fixture for the Coloradans?

If you’ve the opportunity, catch this elite-level match on Saturday as Raptors are in their

lofty redoubt for six matches in the next seven weeks - the off-week a true off week for

Glendale have their second and f inal bye of the 2014 season, April 5; also… Zach’s back;

v : Belmont Shore v Old Mission Bay Athletic Club at Cal State-Long Beach:

Belmont prevailed, 28-23, in a thri l ler one fortnight ago versus this weekend’s guests and

snatched it last Saturday v Dolphins at home, 29-28,; Shore are proving they’ve the skinny

on winning at rugby day’s end; OMBAC wil l l ike its second road win in sequence to vault

itself into strong contention; gonna be a blinder at Cal State on Saturday, your rugby day; A

win for the home team means head of the table past an idle SFGG ;

v : Olympic Club v Denver Barbarians at Ray Sheeran Field - each unwon with

three losses; boat could very well be leaving one of the club’s docking areas come the sir’s

f inal whistle Saturday; Barbarians would very much l ike to f in ish their four-match road run

in winning fashion, while if you’re thinking their hosts wil l kindly accommodate, well why,

that’s stinkin’ thinkin’ as this’ l l f ire the Bay Area up nicely inna warm, rugby glow

noto bene: stunning roadwork by Raptors in earning 11 of a possible 15 match points while

hard at work in Cal i during February, and a…

Top Dog, San Francisco Golden Gate , has its f irst bye weekend

Upcomers

3.1.14

large

WELCOME

home

http://www.infinityparkatglendale.com/raptors

http://www.santamonicarugby.com/


http://www.santamonicarugby.com/


http://www.belmontshorerfc.com/

http://www.ombacrugby.org/

http://www.belmontshorerfc.com/

http://www.ombacrugby.org/

http://www.belmontshorerfc.com/Mens-Division/Maps

http://www.ocrugby.com/

http://www.denverbarbarians.com/

http://www.ocrugby.com/

http://www.denverbarbarians.com/

http://www.ocrugby.com/directions.html



D-2 Men's Roundup, Upcomers

Everyone knows Haggis is good... right now it is perfect! image: vande

After 5 matches played, the union Men's Division-2 Table: Club (MPts) Won Lost Drawn Park City Haggis (25) 5 0 0 Glendale Raptors (20) 4 1 0 Denver Highlanders (15) 3 2 0 Denver Harlequins (12) 2 3 0 Colorado Springs (6) 1 4 0 Northern Colorado (1) 0 5 0 Each club has completed five matches. Each has five left. It is anyone's feast yet if you run numbers (or even if you don't) every D-2 club is yet in the mix: #s 1&2 go to playoffs

Haggis be the news at 5-0-0 with all possible points taken just now; Second-place Raptors were soundly beaten by the Utahans on the trot in PC, 12-53, though

they'll look at responding in kind to that hospitality at the return engagement in Colorado, April 5 Highlanders have lost in Utah to Haggis and at the StoveTop to Raptors. They'll test both clubs

(that are) ahead of them on the chart after the frost. Bonus point wins for the Hillmen in those matches will mix up things nicely: scratch-scratch, furrow-furrow;

Harlequins are only three MPts adrift those Highlanders, whom they'll host in the competitive cycle's continuation on 4.12, and they'll be at home in The Cooker for their fixture v Raptors as well. It would be unwise to discount the Jesters as they'd new players onboard who were only working their way into coach Mark Price's estimable system in the fall and, depending on their rugby uptake over the course of the break, could prove instrumental in the confoundation of those clubs ahead of them at table and ultimately, the realization of a Harlequins ascendancy;

Grizzlies showed well in their match at Glendale's StoveTop this season… darn near won the second stanza with a minus one player count. Springs centers are capably exciting and their pack will only improve with the addition of Dan Mechtly in its front row at 2014’s re-start;

Flamingos will see positive player numbers in the spring. Those stalking waterbirds are well-capable of running away with their last five contests.

One thing is certain from the fall competition: If you don't eat Haggis… it will eat you - Robbie Burns' birthday = always January 25… then there will be always Haggis

(continued next )



2014 Men’s Division-2 Spring Schedule

All men’s, divis ion-2 f ixtures on Saturday save for the Denver Highlanders v Park City Haggis

f ixture on Sunday, April 6 (fol lowing the Saturday, 4.5, Haggis visitation of Infinity and The

Mighty Meal’s match w/Raptors). A prospective attendee to any of the games l isted would

be advised to check ancil lary sources (i .e. ERRFU website, or the clubs’ websites and/or

their FbPs) themselves for logistical updates; current (MPts):

March 8 Colorado Springs Grizzl ies (6) v Glendale Raptors (20); Denver Highlanders (15) v Northern Colorado Flamingos (1)

March 15 Northern Colorado Flamingos v Denver Harlequins (12)

March 22 Park City Haggis v Colorado Springs Grizzl ies; Glendale Raptors v Northern Colorado Flamingos

March 29 Park City Haggis v Denver Harlequins; Glendale Raptors v Denver Highlanders

April 5 Glendale Raptors v Park City Haggis; Colorado Springs Grizzl ies v Denver Harlequins

April 6* Denver Highlanders v Park City Haggis

April 12 Northern Colorado Flamingos v Colorado Springs Grizzl ies; Denver Harlequins v Denver Highlanders

April 26 Park City Haggis v Northern Colorado Flamingos; Denver Harlequins v Glendale Raptors; Denver Highlanders v Colorado Springs Grizzl ies - as ever, if you’re seeing a discrepancy in wins, losses or match point assignment let us know and we’l l square it , over?

http://www.springsrugby.com/


http://www.denverhighlanders.net/

http://www.nocorugby.com/

http://www.harlequins.org/

mailto:[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]



A wee bit of the carrot-and-stick by coach Gatland during the week and the Dragon roared

longly and loud in front of its chorus at the Millennium Stadium; Wales are right back into

the tick o’ t ings at 2 wins against a loss; Homeboys ran out to 20-6 halft ime advantage

before shutting down Les Bleus in the second stanza for the 27-6 result; George North

looked comfortable in the centers and may be Wales f ix for its spate of f ive-eighths’

injuries; 17 points in the Leigh Halfpenny account for f ive penalties and one conversion

struck

Wales 27, France 6;

A Duncan Weir dropped goal with f ifteen seconds remaining on Olimpico Stadium’s clock

decided the Test; Italy f lyhalf Tommaso Allan, whose rugby rose within the Caledonian

system (Scots father) and played for Scotland U-20 before declaring Azzurri e l igibil ity

(Ital ian mother), had 13 points in the losing effort on a try, a conversion and a pair of

penalty str ikes; Alex Dunbar, sweetness itself , was for a brace of groundings out of the

second center slot and meant a return to try-scoring and joy for Scotland on Saturday, this

rugby day

Italy 20, Scotland 21;

A rock ‘em, sock ‘em rugby affair of the highest order at Twickenham as England put

everybody back in Six Nations contention with victory over Ireland; England were up 3-nil

after forty, but Ireland notched the init ial ten points of the second stanza and it became 3-

10, with Irish eyes laughing the smile just then; but England claimed the last tenner on an

Owen Farrell three-pointer, a dangerous Danny Care try and Farrell again for its conversion

and 13-10 the result

England 13, Ireland 10

UpComers: Saturday, March 8 Ireland v Italy; Scotland v France Sunday, March 9 England v Wales



Super 15 Rugby Results

by the numbers

75 meters the scamper of replacement #15 James Lowe, as t ime went to next week, capping a f ine defensive effort for the travelers and Chiefs began their 2014 tit le quest in form defeat of Crusaders with an 18-8 victory; good work by Aaron Cruden to get the last deuce from touch;

5 three-pointers for presumptive ‘Bok #10 Johan Goosen on four penalties and a dropped goal, suff icient to the task of leveling Cheetahs season at 1-1; bonus point for loss by seven (or less), but no win for 2013 SA champs, Bulls , as they sl ipped on the road in a soggy Free State Stadium, 9-15;

4 trys and f ive points for the bonus-point win as Highlanders proved their worth at Forsyth-Barr; the home team nearly squandered a 24-nil halft ime lead, but they didn’t and that meant a joyful Dunedin as Highlanders topped the North Island club, Blues , 29-21;

10 points the margin in Reds defeat of Brumbies , 27-17, at Canberra Stadium; the visitors #10, Quade Cooper, ran his three-quartersl ine in f ine fashion, employing boot or sl ing as needed; Lachie Turner sol id in defense for travelers, while Brumbies #15, Jesse Mogg, had an erasably lamentable evening for mine hosts;

17 the point count for Sharks #10, Pat Lambie, up one from last week, and Sharks are undefeated at home, while Hurricanes wil l look to next match after their 9-27 loss at Kings Park;

29 the point count for Lions #10 Marnitz Boshoff on 9, three-pointers (6 pens, 3 drops) in the home side’s 34-10 drubbing of Stormers at El l is Park; who, exactly, do Boshoff and the rest of the Big Cats think they are?

3 trys for Wallabies ful lback, Israel Folau, and twice that for his club meant 43- 21 joy for Waratahs at All ianz Stadium; 13 points from the boot of ‘Tahs standoff, Bernie Foley, while his counterpart on Force , Zach Holmes, struck for 11 with his toe

Melbourne Rebels on the bye weekend yet again



Upcomers

with 2014 Match Points earned in parentheses beside Club (X)

2.28.14:

Blues (0) v Crusaders (0) at Eden Park: each wil l l ike the early season win;

Crusaders were unhappy with last week’s result and they’l l look to t inker their

2014 campaign strategies to eschew an 0-2 start; Blues should l ike another

dimension or so on their gameboard;

Rebels (0) v Cheetahs (5) at AAMI Park: Rebels would l ike a win here at home their

own opening day, but they are unwon in Super Rugby competit ion v the Fast Cats;

a very mixed side for Rebels with a handful of Kiwis on the Melbourne side;

Cheetahs wil l look to f ire up their outside engines and open up their opponent’s

midfield;

Stormers (0) v Hurricanes (0) at Newlands Stadium: ‘Canes to surprise a Capetown

side reel ing from last week’s thrashing by upstart Lions? Probably not, but maybe;

with four All Blacks in the tight f ive, the ‘Canes should be scrumming better than

they showed in Durban last week, or mebbe Sharks are just that good?

3.1.14:

Chiefs (4) v Highlanders (5) at Waikato Stadium: here’s a nice, big, early-on, bash-

er-ooney that’l l f ire up the Land of the Long White Cloud; Cruden’s on form either

with ball or defending and that’s signif icance itself; this season’s no-namers from

Dunedin wil l have to defend for both halves this week if they’re to put the rankle

on their hosts;

Waratahs (5) v Reds (4) at ANZ Stadium: here’s the Big Banger from the other side

of the Reef; not quite a State of Origin matchup, because it ’s union and that

makes it better, but every bit as much (and more!) energy wil l be expended in this

derby; Cooper-Genia connection functioned well in the win v Brumbies last and

the Queenslanders wil l be looking for reprise from that pairing; as is often the

case, they who win the upfront battle, triumph the day;

Force (0) v Brumbies (0) at NIB Stadium: Force may, but Brumbies wil l ; Mogg wil l

l ike to erase last week’s forgettable performance with form this day as the horses

wil l be running; East Coasters wil l be looking to redress 2013 defeat in Perth in

demonstrative fashion; Force may surprise, however;

Bulls (1) v Lions (8) at Loftus Versfeld: Bulls are wobbly in their 2014 campaign’s

infancy, but should that continue, it would be viewed as malignancy and Pretoria

wil l be excising whatever tumors might be cited as cause its 2014 false start and

not with high-end precis ion SA surgeon’s tools; no, they’l l be f iring off a cable to

Top XIV buddies, Toulon, for loan of Madame Guil lotine and they’l l hackety-hack

with that for awhile; whaddaya got this t ime, M. Boshoff? Speaking of the form

flyhalf, who knew Monsieur B a player also in the Court of the Crimson King?

http://www.superxv.com/blues/stadium.asp

http://www.superxv.com/rebels/stadium.asp

http://www.superxv.com/stormers/stadium.asp

http://www.superxv.com/chiefs/stadium.asp

http://www.superxv.com/waratahs/stadium.asp

http://www.superxv.com/force/stadium.asp

http://www.superxv.com/bulls/stadium.asp



Super Rugby Conference Tables

Australian Rugby Conference

Club Won Lost Drawn MPts

Waratahs 1 0 0 5 Reds 1 0 0 4 Rebels 0 0 0 0 Brumbies 0 1 0 0 Force 0 1 0 0

New Zealand Rugby Conference


Highlanders 1 0 0 5 Chiefs 1 0 0 4 Crusaders 0 1 0 0 Blues 0 1 0 0 Hurricanes 0 1 0 0

South Africa Rugby Conference


Sharks 2 0 0 9 Lions 2 0 0 8 Cheetahs 1 1 0 5 Bulls 0 2 0 1 Stormers 0 1 0 0



Aviva Premiership: Top four playoff - #1 v #4; #2 v #3

Won Lost Drawn MPts

Northampton Sa ints 13 1 1 59

Sar acen s 13 2 0 58

Bath Ru gb y 11 3 1 49

Le icester T igers 9 4 2 44

Har leq uin s 9 6 0 41

Sale Sh arks 8 7 0 39

London Wasp s 6 9 0 34

Exeter Ch iefs 6 9 0 30

Glou cester Ru gb y 5 10 0 27

London Ir ish 5 10 0 26

Newcast le Fa lcon s 3 12 0 16

Worcester Warr iors 0 15 0 4

Northampton Saints , who topped Newcastle 22-16 Sunday, continue to lead the league by a

single point ahead of Saracens , who beat Exeter Chiefs , 23-10 at Copthall a lso on the day;

Signif icant movement (for Tigers!) on table as Leicester Tigers topped London Irish , 20-15,

and those Big Cats are now in 4th, the f inal playoff slot, with seven games left on the

schedule; Harlequins , who failed to keep pace with Leicester , fel l in 20-25 defeat on the

road at Gloucester Rugby - 10 points from the toes of Quins f lyhalf, Ben Botica on braces of

penalty str ikes and try conversions, and from Gloucester fullback, Rob Cook, for the same;

3-2 the try count, though, in Cherry-and-Whites favor at Castle Grim;

Upcomers

Friday, 2.28 : Bath Rugby (49) v Saracens (58) at the Recreation Ground: #s 3&2; this’ l l be the stuff, lads and lasses… yippee!!! Saturday, 3.1: Exeter Chiefs (30) London Irish (26) at Sandy Park: #s 8&10; gonna be a good contest; whaddaya got, Mr. O’Connor? Harlequins (40) v Worcester Warriors (4) at The Stoop: #s 5&12; funnymen get back on track, one should think; London Wasps (34) v Sale Sharks (39) at Adams Park: #s 7&6 ; I ’m goin’, you goin’? Northampton Saints (59) v Gloucester Rugby (27) at Frankl in’s Gardens: #s 1&9; careful , Saints Sunday, 3.2: Newcastle Falcons (16) v Leicester Tigers (44) at Kingston Park: #s 11&4; Tigers wi l l want to keep some space ‘tween themselves and the batch bellowing behind…



French XIV: #s 3-6 playoff 1s t Round as #s 1, 2 bye; then semi-f inals

Clermont maintained the ordering seat with a 42-16, f ive-point tumping of former 2n d -now

-5th placed Montpel l ier; Stade Français squeaked past feisty Oyonnax , 29-26, and

have the frontrunners in view with

six left, but they’re yell ing, “All aboard!”

the lead locomotive soon;

- Toulon are now third with their pals,

Castres , after the clubs’ respective wins of

15-9 and 29-27 over Bayonne and

Toulouse; Toulouse boss was schlepped to

the bin for ninety days for assessing

inadvisably, so he’d be a good man to

avoid now-now; Toulouse are 1-3 in their

last four, not the right direction;

- Grenoble fa i led to capital ize on the

Montpell ier loss, dropping a 20-22

bummer at home in Stade Lesdiguieres v

lowly-yet-viperous Biarritz ;

- Bordeaux Begles banged Racing around

Stade Andre Moga to the tune of 25-9, so

now they’re sniff ing that last playoff spot;

as is Brive , despite losing to our personal favorite, Perpignan , 6-12; also the Perps‘re in

distant view the f inal extra-time slot, but B-B probably f igure best as they’ve a match in

hand due inclemency of weather this loopy, continental winter; Won Lost Drawn MPts

C lermont Au ver gne 12 7 1 60

Stad e França is 13 7 0 56

Tou lon 11 8 1 55

Castres 11 8 1 55

Montpel l ier 10 9 1 53

Grenob le 11 8 1 50

Tou louse 10 10 0 50

Rac in g Metro 10 8 2 48

Bordeau x Begles * 9 10 0 46

Brive 8 9 2 46

Perp ignan 8 11 1 42

Bayonne 8 12 0 39

Oyonnax ** 8 10 0 35

Biarr it z * 4 15 0 21

* n u m b e r o f a s t e r i s ks b y a c l u b i n d i c a t e s th e n u m b e r s o f m a ke u p m a t c h e s t h a t c l u b y e t h a v e



(continued from previous ) Upcoming the T-14

Are you betting Clermont? Bet you might not know Morgan Parra got a red card for his

noggin-knocker Saturday and he’l l not be on the pitch for a bit and then some. How

important is he to Clermont Auvergne? How vital the drivetrain to the function of your

auto?

Friday, 2.28

Montpell ier (53) v Stade Français (56) at Stade Yves-du-Manoir: put the you in huge;

The Big Bang in the south of France this weekend;

Saturday , 3.1

Bordeaux Begles (46) v Clermont Auvergne (60) at Stade Chaban-Delmas: the leaders

are on the road, but can their hosts provide them a real trip? Travelers wil l be

Parra-less, you think;

Brive (46) v Grenoble (50) at Stade Amedee-Domenech: Middle Banger; Grenoble are

in the f inal playoff seat with s ix to go, Brive would could be there by the

weekend’s end, but they’l l need the large result here in front of their

supporters;

Racing Metro (48) v Castres (55) at Stade Olympique Yves-du-Manoir: the other

weekend Big Bang, in the French capitol; both need the crucial points;

Toulon (55) v Oyonnax (35) at Stade Felix-Mayol: Toulon wil l l ike the home win, but

Oyonnax tricky-tricky;

Toulouse (50) v Perpignan (42) at Stade Ernest Wallon: cr it ical for Toulouse or

somebody’l l be strokin’ out, fer sure; but you know we’re ever l ikin’ the Perps ;

Sunday, 3.2

Biarritz (21) v Bayonne (39) at Parc des Sports Aguilera; homeboys sniff ing a cellar

exit? could happen, but Bayonne should l ike this more as they can yet catch

the last car on the playoff train, but no more losses for the travelers, n’est-ce

pas? nada nichts bupkes

15s



RaboDirect PRO12

Munster steamrolled Ospreys in an important road statement, 25-11, and are keepin’ roll in’ r ight along just now; - Leinster got the f iver at Cardiff , 34-22, and creep closer their provincial buddies, and - Ulster nipped Benetton Treviso , 14-12 for the road win - they’ve a game in hand the top two, and that may f igure yet; 1, 2, 3 those Irish provinces at RDP12 buffet now; - Glasgow Warriors did themselves l itt le good in col lect ing only the losing bonus point at Newcastle Dragons , 23-24; - Scarlets dropped Edinburgh , 25-21, at home; - and the D Monahan Connacht side continued its winning ways in northern Italy with 27-19 victory over Zebre

Won Lost Drawn MPts Munster 13 2 0 57

Le inster 11 3 1 55

Ulster * 10 4 0 45

Ospr eys 9 5 1 45

Glasgow ** 10 3 0 42

Scar lets * 6 7 1 32

Dragon s * 6 8 0 28

Ed inbur gh ** 5 8 0 24

Card if f B lu es 4 10 1 23

Connach t 4 11 0 22

Benetton Treviso * 3 10 1 20

Zebre 2 12 1 14

** - two games to makeup; * - on e game to makeup

Upcomes the RDP12

Friday, 2.28: Ulster v Dragons at Ravenhil l : should be f ive for the host; Edinburgh v Ospreys at Meggitland Sports Pavi l ion: s leeper Big Bang; Saturday, 3.1: Zebre v Cardiff Blues at Stadio XXV Apri le: should be a good ‘un; whaddaya got at home, Black-and-Whites? Connacht v Benetton Treviso at Galway Sportsground: 3-in-a-row for DM’s Conno? Scarlets v Munster at Parc des Scarlets: Munster trip? Leinster v Glasgow at Royal Dublin Society: everybody here desperately needy; the weekend Real Big Bang



Final Heineken Pool Results : quarterfinal happen April 5t h, 6t h

Pool 1 Won Lo st Drawn MPts

Le inster 5 1 0 22 Northampton Sa ints 4 2 0 17 Castres 2 4 0 9 Ospr eys 1 5 0 5 Pool 2 Won Lo st Drawn MPts Tou lon 5 1 0 24 Card if f B lu es 3 3 0 14 Exeter Ch iefs 3 3 0 12 Glasgow 2 4 0 11 Pool 3 Won Lo st Drawn MPts Tou louse 5 1 0 23 Sar acen s 4 2 0 20 Connach t 3 3 0 13 Zebre 0 6 0 0 Pool 4 Won Lo st Drawn MPts Clermont Au ver gne 5 1 0 24 Har leq uin s 3 3 0 16 Scar lets 2 3 1 11 Rac in g Metro 1 4 1 7 Pool 5 Won Lo st Drawn MPts Ulster 6 0 0 26 Le icester T igers 4 2 0 21 Montpel l ier 2 4 0 11 Benetton Treviso 0 6 0 0 Pool 6 Won Lo st Drawn MPts Munster 5 1 0 23 Glou cester Ru gb y 3 3 0 14 Ed inbur gh 3 3 0 12 Perp ignan 1 5 0 7

Playoffs 1st Rounds: April 5, 6

Undefeated and top points-earner, Ulster, wil l host Saracens on Saturday, April 5t h at

Ravenhil l ; Toulon and Leinster get after the pil l at Stade Fél ix-Mayol that evening;

Clermont Auvergne battle Leicester Tigers the following afternoon, Sunday 4.5 , at Stade Marcel Michel in; and Munster take on Toulouse at Thomond Park in a 6pm (local) kick

?

http://www.ulsterrugby.com/Team/Stadium.aspx

http://www.rugbygroundguide/Toulon.html

http://www.rugbygroundguide/clermont.html

http://www.munsterrugby.ie/club/thomond.php



a l l c o n t e n t h e r e i n a n d t h e r e i n a n d e v e r y w h e r e i n R M 3 R © h R

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*Daktari’s Rugby Cypher* last week’s solution: “I think there is definitely a feeling that

we can get a lot better,” Sharks flyhalf, Pat Lambie

Kudos 1st Responder and Colorado Senior Old Boy (CSOB),

Rich Bristol

today’s cryp below

“Nd bfo zxxt ft fzovmrdxmw zgnmmnftd wxfg cvg Ngnob lvqxto grezw,”

Ngxmfts ufjdfnt Cnvtf Uvebmft;

text is encrypted

to solve: substitute letters in the pattern above to determine the rugby-related phrase.

hint: c = f

RSVP the

cryp



Down at the (remodeled) Whistling hR ©

XV rugby

time

How about those Lions?

Bulls will not go to 0-3 that’s how

‘bout ‘em feelin’ snarky, Sharky? we’re talkin’

Sale, right?

not if you’ve been

paying attention

heck’s that mean?

and then at the end of the match everyone told me

how good I did

if Warren Gatland yelled

at me I’d perform

O now the birds in the air said… “Stuff it!” let’s chuck it

When they heard Cock Robin had kicked the…

the battle has been joined

skirmishing just now, yet nascent warfare

nonetheless

gettin’ the rugby now,

are we?

‘swhat I meant

bit of a surprise for

Les Bleus at mon

MillStad, wot?

…when they her-her-heard Cock R-r-r-r-robin

I’m thinking the

Chiefs, again

think thee yet again… yon

Highlanders doth figure anon

rm3r 2 27 14

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