http://www.rugbydump.com Rugby videos featuring all the best rugby clips, with brilliant tries and big hits. Featuring Six Nations, Tri Nations, Rugby World Cup, Heineken Cup, Super 14, British and Irish Lions tours, and other videos from rugby around the world. rugbydumphttp://feedburner.google.com http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/rugbydump/~3/Ynzjf2LWqPg/incredible-try-from-bath-prop-anthony-perenise <p style="text-align:center;"><img src="http://www.rugbydump.com/media/posts/f1f9de853072de81d7837ac069b1b8f6.jpg" alt="f1f9de853072de81d7837ac069b1b8f6.jpg" /></p> <p style="text-align:left;"><strong>Bath scored five tries as they thumped Northampton Saints 46-14 with a bonus point win in the LV= Cup, setting them up nicely for a home semi final. One of the tries of the game was this outstanding effort from prop Anthony Perenise. </strong></p> <p style="text-align:left;">If you've been visiting the site for a while you'll know that whenever a prop scores a great try, you'll usually be able to see it featured and archived here. This one is one of the better efforts and will no doubt be a popular inclusion.</p> <p style="text-align:left;">Samoan Perenise, who played for his country at the Rugby World Cup in New Zealand recently, weighs in at close to 120kg so once he gathers a bit of speed, will always be tricky to bring down. On this occasion he stepped a defender and accelerated away for a wonderful try.</p> <p style="text-align:left;">In fact in this game each member of the front row scored, with Ross Batty and Charlie Beech also crossing. Saints were missing 10 players to the England Saxons, so were weakened already and following their heavy Heineken Cup loss to Munster last weekend, proved no match for the home side.</p> <p style="text-align:left;">World Cup winner Stephen Donald also scored and Olly Barkley kicked 21 points, but the moment of the game was no doubt this incredible try from the former Hurricanes and Hawkes Bay tank.</p> <p style="text-align:left;"><em>View the related posts below the video for more outstanding efforts from front rowers</em></p> <p style="text-align:center;"> </p><p><b><a href="http://www.rugbydump.com/2012/01/2317/incredible-try-from-bath-prop-anthony-perenise">Click here to view the full post</a></b></p> <p><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/yM0PdBZuaQAMs4RC7VVUBhI5kGs/0/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/yM0PdBZuaQAMs4RC7VVUBhI5kGs/0/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a><br/> <a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/yM0PdBZuaQAMs4RC7VVUBhI5kGs/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/yM0PdBZuaQAMs4RC7VVUBhI5kGs/1/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a></p><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/rugbydump?a=Ynzjf2LWqPg:4pL2Qy-q16k:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/rugbydump?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> </div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/rugbydump/~4/Ynzjf2LWqPg" height="1" width="1"/> Sat, 28 Jan 2012 18:30:00 +0000 http://www.rugbydump.com/2012/01/2317/incredible-try-from-bath-prop-anthony-perenise?src=rss http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/rugbydump/~3/glvuiOOQi2w/munster-and-simon-zebo-dispatch-northampton-saints <p style="text-align:center;"><img src="http://www.rugbydump.com/media/posts/0f31db709395f717ee0ffc93b8dd7c44.jpg" alt="0f31db709395f717ee0ffc93b8dd7c44.jpg" /></p> <p><strong>A Simon Zebo hat-trick for Munster signalled the end of the Northampton Saints’ European journey as the Irish side beat them 51-36 at Stadium MK a week ago. Many of you requested highlights so here they are, in HD.</strong></p> <p>Munster’s win over Saints meant they completed their group campaign with six out of six wins for the first time in their history, moving to 25 points which takes them top of the quarter final seedings, one point ahead of champtions Leinster.</p> <p>Captain Paul O’Connell feels they still have a long way to go, but was pleased with the performance considering the pressure they were under come scrumtime.</p> <p>"That 10-minute period just after half-time gave us a real lift. To be under such pressure in the scrum and still come out on top is testament to the strength and heart of the team," he said. </p> <p>"It was a very good performance. That has been coming for a while. We've been very close and it was very satisfying to see the back line finishing off a few moves. It's right up there because it came against a good side away from home at the business end of the Heineken Cup.</p> <p>"Last year didn't go our way, but we've had a bit of luck along the way this season and worked very hard to go six from six. We've proved nothing yet though - we've just come out of our pool and won nothing. We've still got a bit of a way to go to get up to the standard of Toulouse and Leinster."</p> <p><em>Munster face Ulster in the next round on the 8th April. Do you think Munster will go all the way? </em></p> <p style="text-align:center;"> </p><p><b><a href="http://www.rugbydump.com/2012/01/2316/munster-and-simon-zebo-dispatch-northampton-saints">Click here to view the full post</a></b></p> <p><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/bRv_KL90SGaBHO9AAYVaJMmV4wA/0/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/bRv_KL90SGaBHO9AAYVaJMmV4wA/0/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a><br/> <a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/bRv_KL90SGaBHO9AAYVaJMmV4wA/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/bRv_KL90SGaBHO9AAYVaJMmV4wA/1/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a></p><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/rugbydump?a=glvuiOOQi2w:wzmN_Bcrazk:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/rugbydump?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> </div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/rugbydump/~4/glvuiOOQi2w" height="1" width="1"/> Sat, 28 Jan 2012 11:26:00 +0000 http://www.rugbydump.com/2012/01/2316/munster-and-simon-zebo-dispatch-northampton-saints?src=rss http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/rugbydump/~3/HlAeL47T-Ag/extended-highlights-from-the-biarritz-rout-over-ospreys <p style="text-align:center;"> </p> <p style="text-align:left;">Extended highlights from Biarritz's 36-5 win over Ospreys in the Heineken Cup game at the Parc des Sports Aguilera this past weekend, including a hat-trick from US Eagles flyer Zee Ngwenya. <br /><br /><em>Highlights from the much requested Munster vs Northampton Saints game will feature tomorrow.</em></p><p><b><a href="http://www.rugbydump.com/2012/01/2315/extended-highlights-from-the-biarritz-rout-over-ospreys">Click here to view the full post</a></b></p> <p><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/UBC0SnwPP0D340bHZYmEBu6xsiU/0/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/UBC0SnwPP0D340bHZYmEBu6xsiU/0/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a><br/> <a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/UBC0SnwPP0D340bHZYmEBu6xsiU/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/UBC0SnwPP0D340bHZYmEBu6xsiU/1/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a></p><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/rugbydump?a=HlAeL47T-Ag:7Z8s59Hot1s:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/rugbydump?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> </div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/rugbydump/~4/HlAeL47T-Ag" height="1" width="1"/> Thu, 26 Jan 2012 13:30:00 +0000 http://www.rugbydump.com/2012/01/2315/extended-highlights-from-the-biarritz-rout-over-ospreys?src=rss http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/rugbydump/~3/Ow0AxJMSzf0/nathan-hines-hangs-onto-two-ulster-players <p style="text-align:center;"><img src="http://www.rugbydump.com/media/posts/e3f0e0d21dff91a811b74ad949a4cc68.jpg" alt="e3f0e0d21dff91a811b74ad949a4cc68.jpg" /></p> <p style="text-align:left;"><strong>Clermont Auvergne will face Saracens in the quarter finals of the Heineken Cup following their hard fought 19-15 win over Ulster on Saturday. Below is a look at a unique bit of foul play that infuriated Ulster fans. <br /></strong></p> <p style="text-align:left;">In recent times we've featured incidents where holding onto a player results in a retaliation in the form of someone lashing out, and in some cases even, a punch and red card.</p> <p style="text-align:left;">Usually it's just a jersey or arm tugging that prevents someone from getting to the next phase of play, but in the case of Nathan Hines on the weekend, he managed to take out two players at once.</p> <p style="text-align:left;">Unfortunately for Clermont his indiscretion cost them a try as he held onto not only Stephen Ferris, but Pedrie Wanneburg as well. Both players did well to not take a swing at him, although shortly after Lee Byrne crossed for what would have been a try, a scuffle broke out with multiple players.</p> <p style="text-align:left;">Some would have liked to have seen Hines yellow carded for such a cynical piece of gamesmanship, but referee Dave Pearson and his assistant decided that a penalty was sufficient punishment.</p> <p style="text-align:left;">Many of you wanted to see the incident again, so have a look and let us know in the comments what you think of the way it was handled by the players involved and the officials.</p> <p style="text-align:center;"> </p><p><b><a href="http://www.rugbydump.com/2012/01/2314/nathan-hines-hangs-onto-two-ulster-players">Click here to view the full post</a></b></p> <p><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/M7Xq29LdPpFPjDXsdKp_ZUlLaPg/0/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/M7Xq29LdPpFPjDXsdKp_ZUlLaPg/0/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a><br/> <a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/M7Xq29LdPpFPjDXsdKp_ZUlLaPg/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/M7Xq29LdPpFPjDXsdKp_ZUlLaPg/1/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a></p><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/rugbydump?a=Ow0AxJMSzf0:KsQi36cfEMU:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/rugbydump?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> </div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/rugbydump/~4/Ow0AxJMSzf0" height="1" width="1"/> Wed, 25 Jan 2012 11:05:00 +0000 http://www.rugbydump.com/2012/01/2314/nathan-hines-hangs-onto-two-ulster-players?src=rss http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/rugbydump/~3/XbcnYnCJu-Q/aled-brews-huge-hit-on-perpignans-david-mele <p style="text-align:center;"><img src="http://www.rugbydump.com/media/posts/b23748dfc7500f3246b8f8331278159e.jpg" alt="b23748dfc7500f3246b8f8331278159e.jpg" /></p> <p style="text-align:left;"><strong>Last weekend Newport Gwent Dragons were comfortably beaten by Perpignan in the Amlin Challenge Cup. There was a big tackle from Aled Brew that stood out though, and has since been requested on more than one occasion. <br /></strong></p> <p style="text-align:left;">While on Saturday the Dragons won convincingly, a week ago Perpignan were too good for them despite wing Aled Brew scoring just after half time to bring them back into the game.</p> <p style="text-align:left;">The Dragons are reportedly hopeful that Brew will stick around and sign a new deal to stay at Rodney Parade. The thinking is that his Wales ambitions will keep him there when his contract runs out, despite apparent interest from France, and Perpignan in particular.</p> <p style="text-align:left;">Brew wasn't included in Warren Gatland's Wales squad for the Six Nations however, leading to further speculation that he might look elsewhere. Dragons coach Darren Edwards quashed those fears though, stating that he believes Brew won't give up that easily.</p> <p style="text-align:left;">"Aled has got a fighting attitude and he will keep on going. He was an outsider for the World Cup but didn’t accept it, kept going and got his reward. I know he won’t take this rolling down and hopefully it will be his performances with the Dragons that get him back into the Wales squad.<br /><br />"Aled is so valuable to our attacking game and now that Shane Williams is gone I just wish he was given a proper run. Only then would we be able to see if he can make the same impact on the international stage as he does for us," he said.</p> <p style="text-align:left;">With hits like this one on David Mele, you'd think Brew will continue knocking on the door.</p> <p style="text-align:left;"><strong><em>If you don't have it yet, remember you can view a 'lite' version of the site on the RD App, where the latest videos are featured in an easy to view way.<br /><a href="http://www.rugbydump.com/app">Download it now for iPhone and Android!</a></em></strong></p> <p style="text-align:center;"> </p><p><b><a href="http://www.rugbydump.com/2012/01/2313/aled-brews-huge-hit-on-perpignans-david-mele">Click here to view the full post</a></b></p> <p><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/9YCKBDIdqqsh1AlsYlJuR57M9QA/0/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/9YCKBDIdqqsh1AlsYlJuR57M9QA/0/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a><br/> <a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/9YCKBDIdqqsh1AlsYlJuR57M9QA/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/9YCKBDIdqqsh1AlsYlJuR57M9QA/1/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a></p><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/rugbydump?a=XbcnYnCJu-Q:AklYFCLeVLU:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/rugbydump?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> </div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/rugbydump/~4/XbcnYnCJu-Q" height="1" width="1"/> Tue, 24 Jan 2012 09:30:00 +0000 http://www.rugbydump.com/2012/01/2313/aled-brews-huge-hit-on-perpignans-david-mele?src=rss http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/rugbydump/~3/Wv-qx-94iwM/gloucester-and-toulouse-play-out-a-classic-at-kingsholm <p style="text-align:center;"><img src="http://www.rugbydump.com/media/posts/5334cea532b08a168d71ebf3b591d2ef.jpg" alt="5334cea532b08a168d71ebf3b591d2ef.jpg" /></p> <p style="text-align:left;"><strong>Gloucester upset four-times champions Toulouse in a classic Heineken Cup meeting at Kingsholm on Friday night. Despite the 34-24 loss, Toulouse have qualified for the quarter finals. Below are highlights of a game that featured some wonderful tries. </strong><br /><br />Things didn't start according to plan for Gloucester as they lost prop Nick Wood to the sin-bin with just one minute on the clock. His wreckless use of the boot on a player put the home side at an immediate disadvantage, but it came to nothing as they scored first after a frantic bit of play by dynamic winger Timoci Matanavou. Jonny May swooped to score his first of two tries on the night. <br /><br />May and Charlie Sharples featured strongly for the home side as the speedsters not only scored some great tries, but both contributed towards an excellent overall team effort. Freddie Burns was also prominent as he scored 14 points with the boot. <br /><br />"That was a great performance," said Gloucester head coach Bryan Redpath. "We knew they had picked a big, physical side and we showed them a lot of respect. I thought numbers one to 23 - our substitutes that came on made a big difference as well - were great. I am delighted for the boys because we finished off the Heineken Cup in style.<br /><br />"Freddie has been improving over the past six or seven weeks, and he has been learning to do things other than the fancy stuff. In general terms, he controlled the game pretty well. Jonny is in the top two try-scorers in the Premiership, and he has probably scored a few in the Heineken and LV= Cup. With Charlie as well, our back three were dangerous tonight," he added. <br /><br />While Gloucester exit the competition after finishing third in Pool Six, Toulouse have qualified as pool winners after Harlequins’ surprise defeat at the hands of Connacht.<br /> <br /><em>Below are extended highlights from a fantastic game of rugby. Enjoy. </em></p> <p style="text-align:center;"> </p><p><b><a href="http://www.rugbydump.com/2012/01/2312/gloucester-and-toulouse-play-out-a-classic-at-kingsholm">Click here to view the full post</a></b></p> <p><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/BKHb4IsPxmcgKyEV4mkAMNmUXvY/0/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/BKHb4IsPxmcgKyEV4mkAMNmUXvY/0/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a><br/> <a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/BKHb4IsPxmcgKyEV4mkAMNmUXvY/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/BKHb4IsPxmcgKyEV4mkAMNmUXvY/1/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a></p><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/rugbydump?a=Wv-qx-94iwM:HewuIhR4Rx4:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/rugbydump?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> </div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/rugbydump/~4/Wv-qx-94iwM" height="1" width="1"/> Sun, 22 Jan 2012 09:30:00 +0000 http://www.rugbydump.com/2012/01/2312/gloucester-and-toulouse-play-out-a-classic-at-kingsholm?src=rss http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/rugbydump/~3/qSMFDDD_pcg/john-carters-shiner-from-dave-allen-punch-oxford-vs-cambridge-2011 <p style="text-align:center;"><img src="http://www.rugbydump.com/media/posts/9c598f0a0a5183bc6e3366cbc73d0a0c.jpg" alt="9c598f0a0a5183bc6e3366cbc73d0a0c.jpg" /></p> <p style="text-align:left;"><strong>Oxford University captain John Carter led from the front as his team claimed their biggest Varsity match victory over Cambridge since 1988, winning 28-10 at Twickenham last month. After the game all the talk was of <em>that shiner</em>. </strong><br /><br />The 2011 version of the Varsity match had everything you’d expect from such an encounter. The old school tradition was firmly in place as the touch judges were former captains, including a certain Joe Roff on one side. Then there was the raw physicality that we’ve come to expect, as the passion for the occasion spilt over more than once. <br /><br />Sebastian Chabal lookalike Carter, a former professional in the Guinness Premiership with Sale and Leicester, got involved in an off the ball scuffle with Australian Dave Allen, the latter having played with Ulster. Shortly after Carter makes a pass and play carries on, you can see the two get in a tangle. As the chip ahead takes place from the Cambridge counter-attack, Allen and Carter can be seen wrestling on the floor. <br /><br />What followed was a punch from Allen as he pinned down the Oxford skipper. After being stitched up Carter returned with an almighty shiner and battled all the way to the end, leading his side to a well-deserved victory. Man of the Match should have perhaps gone his way for the heroic effort, but it wasn’t to be and excellent lock Karl Outen claimed that honour.  <br /><br />It was Oxford’s second successive win in the Nomura Varsity Match and Carter clearly wasn’t too bothered by the battle scars afterwards, hailing his young side’s performance as he brushed off the incident, then no doubt joined Allen for a few beers later that evening.</p> <p style="text-align:center;"> </p><p><b><a href="http://www.rugbydump.com/2012/01/2311/john-carters-shiner-from-dave-allen-punch-oxford-vs-cambridge-2011">Click here to view the full post</a></b></p> <p><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/bNqL9ZxVwD-71p1I7SJNMDON_N4/0/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/bNqL9ZxVwD-71p1I7SJNMDON_N4/0/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a><br/> <a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/bNqL9ZxVwD-71p1I7SJNMDON_N4/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/bNqL9ZxVwD-71p1I7SJNMDON_N4/1/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a></p><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/rugbydump?a=qSMFDDD_pcg:hb7HMxghC5w:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/rugbydump?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> </div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/rugbydump/~4/qSMFDDD_pcg" height="1" width="1"/> Sat, 21 Jan 2012 08:10:00 +0000 http://www.rugbydump.com/2012/01/2311/john-carters-shiner-from-dave-allen-punch-oxford-vs-cambridge-2011?src=rss http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/rugbydump/~3/1hE2DMEIdEo/ulster-power-through-leicester-tigers-in-front-of-a-packed-ravenhill- <p style="text-align:center;"><img src="http://www.rugbydump.com/media/posts/39607b944ff05dd049e47edc8cc866cb.jpg" alt="39607b944ff05dd049e47edc8cc866cb.jpg" /></p> <p style="text-align:left;"><strong>Leicester Tigers were dealt with in no uncertain terms as Ulster handed them a hefty 41-7 blow at Ravenhill on Friday night. It was the largest points total Leicester had conceded in 15 seasons of European rugby, and the biggest margin of defeat too. </strong></p> <p style="text-align:left;">Ulster came out firing as their vocal home crowd backed them all the way against a powerhouse side that in the past wouldn't have struggled to such an extent. This time, they were no match for Ulster who have effectively knocked the Tigers out of the competition.</p> <p>"We are out. We will be third in our group. We are done," said Leicester's Richard Cockerill.</p> <p>"You don't want to be conceding 40 points. They are a good side, and we didn't cope with it. We never got on the front foot enough, and when we did, they worked very hard on the ball and we couldn't cope with their intensity.</p> <p>"We needed to come here and get a result, and we thought we could do that. The side we had out was good enough to put up a better show than that," he added.</p> <p>On the flipside Ulster's skipper Johann Muller was full of praise for his troops.</p> <p>"That was definitely one of our best performances in terms of taking our chances and the passion we showed. But it doesn't mean anything unless we get some points in Clermont [next week]. We have to make sure we do what we have to do," he said.</p> <p>Andrew Trimble scored twice and South African Ruan Pienaar, who has just extended his contract, kicked five penalties and three conversions. Craig Gilroy scored with about ten minutes left, then speedy number nine Paul Marshall exploited a huge gap to drive the nail into the Leicester coffin.</p> <p style="text-align:center;"> </p><p><b><a href="http://www.rugbydump.com/2012/01/2310/ulster-power-through-leicester-tigers-in-front-of-a-packed-ravenhill-">Click here to view the full post</a></b></p> <p><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/EiCWeGz5EQp9nAuzTxavbWuk-Sc/0/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/EiCWeGz5EQp9nAuzTxavbWuk-Sc/0/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a><br/> <a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/EiCWeGz5EQp9nAuzTxavbWuk-Sc/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/EiCWeGz5EQp9nAuzTxavbWuk-Sc/1/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a></p><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/rugbydump?a=1hE2DMEIdEo:OTCzR6Z68aE:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/rugbydump?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> </div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/rugbydump/~4/1hE2DMEIdEo" height="1" width="1"/> Thu, 19 Jan 2012 18:09:00 +0000 http://www.rugbydump.com/2012/01/2310/ulster-power-through-leicester-tigers-in-front-of-a-packed-ravenhill-?src=rss http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/rugbydump/~3/wP95-Kx6idE/mike-brown-named-aviva-premiership-player-of-the-month-for-december <p style="text-align:center;"><img src="http://www.rugbydump.com/media/posts/29b7d83cb8a980600e0a765d932c773b.jpg" alt="29b7d83cb8a980600e0a765d932c773b.jpg" /> </p> <p style="text-align:left;">Harlequins' Mike Brown has been voted the Aviva Premiership Player of the Month for December. Brown has been in fantastic form, making the decision easy for the panel of rugby media that included writers, broadcasters, and photographers.</p> <p style="text-align:left;">"Mike has reinvented himself this year and turned himself into a world class player who we believe will deservedly make his Test debut in this year's RBS 6 Nations," said Paul Morgan.<br /><br />"He exemplifies the reasons why Harlequins sit on top of the Aviva Premiership Rugby table and the award is our way or showing how impressed we have been with Mike's form."</p> <p style="text-align:left;"><em>Would you stick with Ben Foden for England, or give Brown a lengthy Six Nations opportunity?<br /></em></p><p><b><a href="http://www.rugbydump.com/2012/01/2309/mike-brown-named-aviva-premiership-player-of-the-month-for-december">Click here to view the full post</a></b></p> <p><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/ctvcDNHjUUqM7IfSP37hGcMUuHY/0/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/ctvcDNHjUUqM7IfSP37hGcMUuHY/0/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a><br/> <a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/ctvcDNHjUUqM7IfSP37hGcMUuHY/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/ctvcDNHjUUqM7IfSP37hGcMUuHY/1/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a></p><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/rugbydump?a=wP95-Kx6idE:ivZG2JfANfU:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/rugbydump?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> </div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/rugbydump/~4/wP95-Kx6idE" height="1" width="1"/> Wed, 18 Jan 2012 13:27:00 +0000 http://www.rugbydump.com/2012/01/2309/mike-brown-named-aviva-premiership-player-of-the-month-for-december?src=rss http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/rugbydump/~3/m1DumTzEuJw/toulon-grab-bonus-point-try-with-time-up-against-lyon <p style="text-align:center;"><img src="http://www.rugbydump.com/media/posts/208066d9c5cd5dce20ee22decdca22e7.jpg" alt="208066d9c5cd5dce20ee22decdca22e7.jpg" /></p> <p style="text-align:left;"><strong>While the Heineken Cup is the biggest thing going on in the rugby world at the moment, the Amlin Challenge Cup chugs along with a few fascinating match-ups of it's own. In Toulon we saw a fantastic finish to a game which kept the hosts in a strong position.<br /></strong></p> <p style="text-align:left;">Firstly, no, Rugbydump is not turning French. It just happens that right now we're getting a lot of timely contributions that come in that language. The majority of the time if the game is played there, it's usually a good idea to post the host language anyway. Other times, it's simply convenience and the fact that we'd rather post something than nothing at all.</p> <p style="text-align:left;">To reiterate, if you feel like you can help out with contributions in the way of highlights or short clips of incidents, please do get in touch and become a part of what we consider to be the RD community of rugby fans worldwide.</p> <p style="text-align:left;">This year we'll be rolling out new sections on the site to include more videos and news from a greater range of teams, so if you'd like to get involved by helping out with only the club or country you're passionate about, that's fine too, as fairly soon we'll have specific sections for each.</p> <p style="text-align:left;">For now though, here's a short clip of Toulon's fantastic try at the end of their match against Lyon, where they actually scored two tries at the death to earn themselves a valuable bonus point.</p> <p style="text-align:left;">Pierrick Gunther scored with a minute to play, Jonny Wikinson drop-kicked the conversion and then they launched their attack from deep, ending with a nice long pass from Wilkinson to Luke Rooney following some great passages of play.</p> <p>The 29-10 effectively knocked Lyon out of the running but puts Toulon in the driving seat as they head towards qualification for the next round of play. </p> <p style="text-align:center;"> </p><p><b><a href="http://www.rugbydump.com/2012/01/2308/toulon-grab-bonus-point-try-with-time-up-against-lyon">Click here to view the full post</a></b></p> <p><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/flN8KCsnh_AyiKYMAtlXkLliOTY/0/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/flN8KCsnh_AyiKYMAtlXkLliOTY/0/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a><br/> <a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/flN8KCsnh_AyiKYMAtlXkLliOTY/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/flN8KCsnh_AyiKYMAtlXkLliOTY/1/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a></p><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/rugbydump?a=m1DumTzEuJw:ANWbS7zj0Bw:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/rugbydump?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> </div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/rugbydump/~4/m1DumTzEuJw" height="1" width="1"/> Wed, 18 Jan 2012 11:20:00 +0000 http://www.rugbydump.com/2012/01/2308/toulon-grab-bonus-point-try-with-time-up-against-lyon?src=rss http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/rugbydump/~3/EXltn1AVrW4/saracens-close-to-qualification-following-win-over-biarritz <p style="text-align:center;"><img src="http://www.rugbydump.com/media/posts/fae9ebf235255b684c55b701fc5ea314.jpg" alt="fae9ebf235255b684c55b701fc5ea314.jpg" /></p> <p><strong>Saracens are on the verge of qualification for the next round of the Heineken Cup after they beat Biarritz 20-16 at Vicarage Road on Sunday. Owen Farrell kicked over five from five penalties as they battled past the French outfit. <br /></strong></p> <p>A little under 7000 fans watched key performances from Farrell and Alex Goode as they contributed towards Saracens being in a position whereby they need just one point from their trip to Treviso this coming weekend.</p> <p>Young number nine Ben Spencer had crossed for their only try of the match while Dimitri Yachvilli converted his own charge down try for the visitors, and kicked two penalties.</p> <p>"We are pleased to have won the game - these kind of games are about getting the job done," said Saracens director of rugby Mark McCall. <br /><br />"There were times in the first half and the start of the second where we were very dominant and at 14-6 we had an opportunity to pull away and break them. We couldn't do that but the last 20 minutes characterised everything we are about as a club with the the work ethic and discipline."</p> <p><em>The following highlights feature not only the tries, but some nice pieces of play around the park (including a bit hit). It's in French, which is not the host broadcaster language but all we have available right now. If you'd like to contribute with highlights or short clip, please get in touch.</em></p> <p style="text-align:center;"> </p><p><b><a href="http://www.rugbydump.com/2012/01/2307/saracens-close-to-qualification-following-win-over-biarritz">Click here to view the full post</a></b></p> <p><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/jxhSX4V63LCAEe_Dgr7KQKPS_38/0/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/jxhSX4V63LCAEe_Dgr7KQKPS_38/0/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a><br/> <a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/jxhSX4V63LCAEe_Dgr7KQKPS_38/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/jxhSX4V63LCAEe_Dgr7KQKPS_38/1/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a></p><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/rugbydump?a=EXltn1AVrW4:S7oL-jzD370:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/rugbydump?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> </div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/rugbydump/~4/EXltn1AVrW4" height="1" width="1"/> Mon, 16 Jan 2012 13:58:00 +0000 http://www.rugbydump.com/2012/01/2307/saracens-close-to-qualification-following-win-over-biarritz?src=rss http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/rugbydump/~3/EStBZUYELK0/toulouse-stay-top-after-bonus-point-win-over-connacht- <p style="text-align:center;"><img src="http://www.rugbydump.com/media/posts/f8faac48669d4d9462ea978102e9166f.jpg" alt="f8faac48669d4d9462ea978102e9166f.jpg" /></p> <p style="text-align:left;"><strong>Toulouse played some great rugby as they eased passed Connacht to stay top of Pool Six following their Heineken Cup game at the Stade Ernest Wallon stadium on Saturday. The 24-3 bonus point win leaves them sitting pretty after another impressive display. <br /></strong></p> <p style="text-align:left;">Connacht started well with three points from flyhalf Niall O'Connor but things soon turned the way of the hosts as flying Timoci Matanavou got on the end of a deft kick ahead from Maxime Medard. </p> <p style="text-align:left;">Matanavou was in the mood for running, as can be seen in the highlights, but Medard soon crossed himself as he got on the end of a well placed crosskick from Kiwi number ten Luke McAlister. </p> <p style="text-align:left;">They went into the break with the scores at 10-3 but Toulouse piled on the pressure in the second half and scored when powerful number eight Louis Picamoles took a quick tap to score. </p> <p style="text-align:left;">Connacht reigned the impressive French outfit in to an extent, but couldn't prevent them from scoring the bonus point try when Medard once again turned provider and Matanavou flew down the left wing to score their fourth. </p> <p style="text-align:left;">In the final round of matches Toulouse, who sit comfortably on top with 18 points, will face Gloucester at Kingsholm. Connacht will host Harlequins at home on Friday and despite their loss to the French giants, will no doubt feel buoyed by their spirited effort.</p> <p style="text-align:center;"> </p><p><b><a href="http://www.rugbydump.com/2012/01/2306/toulouse-stay-top-after-bonus-point-win-over-connacht-">Click here to view the full post</a></b></p> <p><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/UgumwuPPX3F7GIXvzc2VFjG9Yfc/0/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/UgumwuPPX3F7GIXvzc2VFjG9Yfc/0/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a><br/> <a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/UgumwuPPX3F7GIXvzc2VFjG9Yfc/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/UgumwuPPX3F7GIXvzc2VFjG9Yfc/1/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a></p><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/rugbydump?a=EStBZUYELK0:typGRkZ4lfE:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/rugbydump?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> </div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/rugbydump/~4/EStBZUYELK0" height="1" width="1"/> Mon, 16 Jan 2012 12:40:00 +0000 http://www.rugbydump.com/2012/01/2306/toulouse-stay-top-after-bonus-point-win-over-connacht-?src=rss http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/rugbydump/~3/5ZlLWUEWbPM/hat-tricks-for-wingers-as-clermont-thrash-aironi-in-italy <p style="text-align:center;"><img src="http://www.rugbydump.com/media/posts/02db508a7af83c1ab301ccf448f10a2c.jpg" alt="02db508a7af83c1ab301ccf448f10a2c.jpg" /></p> <p><strong>Former All Black wing Sitiveni Sivivatu scored a hat-trick of tries as Clermont thrashed Aironi 82-0 in their Pool Four Heineken Cup match at the Stadio Brianteo to keep their quarter finals hopes alive. The result is Aironi's heaviest defeat in the tournament. <br /></strong></p> <p>Clermont scored some wonderful tries as they racked up 12 in total and led by a mammoth 47-0 at the halftime break, leaving Aironi with an impossible task heading into the second period. </p> <p>Sivivatu and Frenchman Julien Malzieu both scored three tries a piece, completing their hat-tricks in the second half, while flyhalf Brock James kicked seven conversions after Morgan Parra had already kicked four of his own.</p> <p>Other try scorers included Welshman Lee Byrne, who scored two, while Alexandre Lapandry, James, and Elvis Vermuelen also crossed for tries.</p> <p>The bonus point win sets them up nicely ahead of next weekend's home meeting with pool leaders Ulster, who themselves comfortably beat Leicester Tigers. Highlights of that game, and a few others, will be posted soon. </p> <p><em>Below are lengthy highlights of the match, with French commentary, including all twelve tries. </em></p> <p style="text-align:center;"> </p><p><b><a href="http://www.rugbydump.com/2012/01/2305/hat-tricks-for-wingers-as-clermont-thrash-aironi-in-italy">Click here to view the full post</a></b></p> <p><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/Bm6GsTMmQoduVqVJADhjUnPBbd8/0/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/Bm6GsTMmQoduVqVJADhjUnPBbd8/0/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a><br/> <a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/Bm6GsTMmQoduVqVJADhjUnPBbd8/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/Bm6GsTMmQoduVqVJADhjUnPBbd8/1/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a></p><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/rugbydump?a=5ZlLWUEWbPM:zeaT46a9Ets:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/rugbydump?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> </div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/rugbydump/~4/5ZlLWUEWbPM" height="1" width="1"/> Mon, 16 Jan 2012 10:18:00 +0000 http://www.rugbydump.com/2012/01/2305/hat-tricks-for-wingers-as-clermont-thrash-aironi-in-italy?src=rss http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/rugbydump/~3/u4boAwwQebk/edinburgh-and-phil-godman-snatch-dramatic-win-away-at-racing-metro <p style="text-align:center;"><img src="http://www.rugbydump.com/media/posts/5164b1e3a6146e0eff73b61e67454399.jpg" alt="5164b1e3a6146e0eff73b61e67454399.jpg" /></p> <p style="text-align:left;"><strong>Phil Godman secured a valuable last second win for Edinburgh over Racing Metro in France last night in the Heineken Cup. They are now top of Pool Two and heading for their first quarter-final place in eight years. <br /></strong></p> <p style="text-align:left;">Not too long ago the two sides met in an incredible game that ended <a href="http://www.rugbydump.com/2011/11/2249/edinburgh-beat-racing-metro-in-eleven-try-thriller-at-murrayfield">48-47</a> at Murrayfield. This time the finish was just as thrilling, particularly for the Edinburgh fans.</p> <p style="text-align:left;">Godman came off the bench to deal the dramatic win away from home following tries from Ross Rennie, Netani Talei, and David Denton. Juan Imhoff scored a fantastic individual try for the hosts as he stepped fullback Chris Paterson, but it was all about the visitors in the end as Godman kept his head to claim the win.</p> <p style="text-align:left;">"We got lucky at the end, we held our composure and fell over the line with Phil's drop goal," said Edinburgh coach Michael Bradley. And credit to him, he's put in all the hard yards in training in the last six months to get back and come on and win a game like that.</p> <p style="text-align:left;">"Credit has to go to both set of players, it was a good open game of rugby, particularly in that second half. Racing really tore into us at the start of that period and we had to weather the storm, but we got there in the end.</p> <p style="text-align:left;">"It was a really different game to that last match against them and it was tighter in a lot of areas.<br /><br />"But we knew that the side that could hold onto the ball would get an opportunity in the last 10 minutes and that's what happened. Racing got ahead, we got back level with a penalty from Greg Laidlaw and then the drop goal which was perfect timing for us."</p> <p style="text-align:left;"><em>We'll do our best to feature clips and highlights from the rest of the weekend, so feel free to get in touch with requests, and even contributions, which all go a long way to providing quality content.</em></p> <p style="text-align:center;"> </p><p><b><a href="http://www.rugbydump.com/2012/01/2304/edinburgh-and-phil-godman-snatch-dramatic-win-away-at-racing-metro">Click here to view the full post</a></b></p> <p><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/nPwB_IN9r8UPVYs2tcr0eqjPpL4/0/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/nPwB_IN9r8UPVYs2tcr0eqjPpL4/0/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a><br/> <a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/nPwB_IN9r8UPVYs2tcr0eqjPpL4/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/nPwB_IN9r8UPVYs2tcr0eqjPpL4/1/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a></p><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/rugbydump?a=u4boAwwQebk:2we-996-g4w:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/rugbydump?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> </div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/rugbydump/~4/u4boAwwQebk" height="1" width="1"/> Sat, 14 Jan 2012 13:42:00 +0000 http://www.rugbydump.com/2012/01/2304/edinburgh-and-phil-godman-snatch-dramatic-win-away-at-racing-metro?src=rss http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/rugbydump/~3/pGa7Mcr9HYY/samu-manoa-and-mike-haywood-crunching-tackles-vs-harlequins <p style="text-align:center;"><img src="http://www.rugbydump.com/media/posts/717abc294cec98ba3117e9ef9051f121.jpg" alt="717abc294cec98ba3117e9ef9051f121.jpg" /></p> <p style="text-align:left;"><strong>American forward Samu Manoa put in a Man of the Match performance as Northampton Saints dominated Harlequins last Friday. The league leaders went down 24-3 to a Saints performance that was typified by the two tackles featured below. <br /></strong></p> <p style="text-align:left;">Northampton outplayed Quins with a physical and disciplined approach that was too much for the visitors to handle at Franklins Gardens. US Eagle Samu Manoa was dominant in the tight loose and put in this crunching hit late in the game, adding to his growing reputation among the Saints fans.</p> <p style="text-align:left;">Not too long ago he was an amateur player in the US but since joining Saints grown in stature and seems to improve with every game, shrugging off the pressure of professional rugby.</p> <p style="text-align:left;">"Like my dad says, '<em>you got to take care of yourself, practice hard, play hard, and hit hard</em>''. Everybody’s watching you, so you got to go hard," he said recently.</p> <p style="text-align:left;">Replacement Mike Haywood followed the same mantra and it was fitting that the game ended with another crunching tackle as Northampton never let up and continued to knock Quins backwards right up to the final whistle.</p> <p style="text-align:left;"><em>We're working with the Premiership to find the best way to streamline highlights for you, so patience is appreciated as we may experiment a bit over the next few weeks. <br /></em></p> <p style="text-align:center;"> </p><p><b><a href="http://www.rugbydump.com/2012/01/2303/samu-manoa-and-mike-haywood-crunching-tackles-vs-harlequins">Click here to view the full post</a></b></p> <p><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/emYXsy7lZwC_4mzAZ9Y150RujT4/0/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/emYXsy7lZwC_4mzAZ9Y150RujT4/0/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a><br/> <a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/emYXsy7lZwC_4mzAZ9Y150RujT4/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/emYXsy7lZwC_4mzAZ9Y150RujT4/1/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a></p><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/rugbydump?a=pGa7Mcr9HYY:5hPYpxuNu6Q:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/rugbydump?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> </div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/rugbydump/~4/pGa7Mcr9HYY" height="1" width="1"/> Thu, 12 Jan 2012 19:13:00 +0000 http://www.rugbydump.com/2012/01/2303/samu-manoa-and-mike-haywood-crunching-tackles-vs-harlequins?src=rss http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/rugbydump/~3/mJm490IPcss/maxime-medard-and-louis-picamoles-tear-lyon-apart <p style="text-align:center;"><img src="http://www.rugbydump.com/media/posts/dbe9cfd078ead85e29e32c2fd11893cb.jpg" alt="dbe9cfd078ead85e29e32c2fd11893cb.jpg" /></p> <p style="text-align:left;"><strong>Toulouse gave Lyon a 51-10 hiding on Saturday as they ran in six tries and consolidated their position at the top of the French Top 14 table. Here's a quick look at two of the better tries that they scored, with Maxime Medard playing a part in both.  </strong></p> <p style="text-align:left;">On Monday French Test player Medard extended his contract with Toulouse until June 2015. He has played for the French champions for eight seasons already, including 122 domestic games and 36 European Cup matches. The fullback has scored 59 tries, including the two he crossed for in this game against Lyon.</p> <p style="text-align:left;">At only 25 years old he still has a very healthy career ahead of him, and will no doubt score, and set up, many more wonderful tries. As you can see in the below video, he played a part in the Yves Donguy that was mainly created through the barnstorming run of replacement Louis Picamoles.</p> <p style="text-align:left;">The big number eight is one of the hardest running loose forwards in the game and usually bumps off defenders with ease, and on this occasion there was a hint of Lomu-Kronfeld about the way he went so close to the line then offloaded for Donguy to score it.</p> <p style="text-align:left;">The second try in this clip doesn't show the great build-up work unfortunately, but there was some neat passing and then a nice finish from Medard as he stepped the fullback. You can view a short summary of the entire game, with music and more tries, on the <a href="http://stadetoulousain.tv/2011-2012/stade-toulousain-lyon/les-temps-forts-du-match-12.html">Stade Toulouse website here</a>.</p> <p style="text-align:center;"> </p><p><b><a href="http://www.rugbydump.com/2012/01/2302/maxime-medard-and-louis-picamoles-tear-lyon-apart">Click here to view the full post</a></b></p> <p><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/oIOihA0eVgin4Lj4c9kIYKn4uk4/0/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/oIOihA0eVgin4Lj4c9kIYKn4uk4/0/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a><br/> <a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/oIOihA0eVgin4Lj4c9kIYKn4uk4/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/oIOihA0eVgin4Lj4c9kIYKn4uk4/1/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a></p><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/rugbydump?a=mJm490IPcss:XIeunVIPmWc:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/rugbydump?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> </div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/rugbydump/~4/mJm490IPcss" height="1" width="1"/> Thu, 12 Jan 2012 14:55:00 +0000 http://www.rugbydump.com/2012/01/2302/maxime-medard-and-louis-picamoles-tear-lyon-apart?src=rss http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/rugbydump/~3/_OyqaQXmnYI/highlights-of-toulon-vs-clermont-including-rougerie-fight-smith-yellow <p style="text-align:center;"><img src="http://www.rugbydump.com/media/posts/b9048439b7afd2ae043040f6445396e0.jpg" alt="b9048439b7afd2ae043040f6445396e0.jpg" /></p> <p><strong>One of the more controversial and action packed Top 14 games of the weekend was the clash between Clermont Auvergne and Toulon which the hosts won 25-19. The match hit the headlines this week following an outburst from Toulon president Mourad Boudjellal.</strong><br /><br />Toulon had led at the break following a first half try from Benjamin Lapeyre and three penalties and a conversion from Jonny Wilkinson. The game was tight and the tension spilt over shortly before halftime as Morgan Parra somehow got himself involved in yet another scuffle. <br /><br />Yellow cards for Jean-Charles Orioli and Aurelien Rougerie followed before Parra added five penalties of his own, one coming while David Smith was controversially in the sinbin.<br /><br />It looked as though Smith had attempted to make an effort to catch, or at least parry, the ball, but referee Christophe Berdos has no hesitation in showing him the way to the sinbin. That incensed Toulon president Boudjellal and sparked his comments this week, which have resulted in him drawing the attention of the Ligue Nationale de Rugby. <br /><br />"I had my first refereeing sodomy in the (2010) semi-final against Clermont. I've just had my second tonight. It appeared to hurt the first time but it was just as bad this time," Boudjellal said.</p> <p>"We will review the images not on Youtube but on YouPorn. Clermont are a great team. They did not need it," he added. LNR president Pierre-Yves Revol confirmed that they will be taking action:<br /> <br />"I personally find these metaphors vulgar and detrimental to all, and primarily detrimental to rugby. If he wants to start a debate on referring, there are other ways and other places to do it."<br /> <br />When Smith was back on the field, Rougerie scored a try that was converted by Parra, who added another penalty to stretch their lead. Toulon pounded the line late in the game with their star players featuring strongly, but couldn’t breach the resolute Clermont defence. <br /><br />As for Boudjellal, he has said he will stand by his comments. "What hurts is when a person does not acknowledge their errors. I will withdraw my remarks the day that referees apologise," he said. <br /><em><br />Below are highlights of the game, including the Smith yellow, and then the scuffle in a seperate video. It's a playlist so simply skip to the second video if you'd prefer to only watch the fight. <br /></em></p> <p style="text-align:center;"></p><p><b><a href="http://www.rugbydump.com/2012/01/2301/highlights-of-toulon-vs-clermont-including-rougerie-fight-smith-yellow">Click here to view the full post</a></b></p> <p><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/8olk2aWkakvx5-2gCw6kSsJHmjI/0/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/8olk2aWkakvx5-2gCw6kSsJHmjI/0/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a><br/> <a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/8olk2aWkakvx5-2gCw6kSsJHmjI/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/8olk2aWkakvx5-2gCw6kSsJHmjI/1/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a></p><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/rugbydump?a=_OyqaQXmnYI:Xv5aRRV06-U:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/rugbydump?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> </div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/rugbydump/~4/_OyqaQXmnYI" height="1" width="1"/> Tue, 10 Jan 2012 19:10:00 +0000 http://www.rugbydump.com/2012/01/2301/highlights-of-toulon-vs-clermont-including-rougerie-fight-smith-yellow?src=rss http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/rugbydump/~3/K3zOkjBoo-Y/referee-nigel-owens-this-is-not-soccer <p style="text-align:center;"><img src="http://www.rugbydump.com/media/posts/8b66d03b312ed5955431700864fa04ef.jpg" alt="8b66d03b312ed5955431700864fa04ef.jpg" /></p> <p><strong>Munster beat Benetton Treviso with a bonus point 29-11 victory in their RaboDirect Pro 12 encounter at Thomond Park on Saturday night. One of the moments that stood out was this amusing piece of officiating from Welsh referee Nigel Owens. </strong></p> <p>Owens, a stand-up comic in his spare time, has never been shy to tell it like it is on the rugby field. About a year ago he called both teams into a huddle around him and told them all off.</p> <p>In this game he pulled chirpy Treviso scrum half Tobias Botes aside and read him the riot act, introducing himself as the referee and going on to suggest that Botes thought they were engaged in a game of Soccer.</p> <p>One might say that making such an example of a player in a deliberately humourous way when knowing the game is broadcast on TV is a little much, but it is good to see him take a stand against football-like protestations, that it's safe to say nobody appreciates seeing on a rugby field.</p> <p>His outspoken nature caused a bit of a stir shortly before Christmas however, as Ospreys coach Scott Johnson took exception to Owens' use of social media. Johnson accused Owens of undermining his own authority by engaging with Welsh players and supporters on Twitter.</p> <p>"It is driving me absolutely nuts it is permitted to continue and the sport can do without this. We have officials in places of supposed power, but we don't need to learn their private business," Johnson said of Owens' habit of sharing his personal thoughts and feelings with his followers.</p> <p>During the Rugby World Cup, at one stage he tweeted his support for Wales, and shortly after the tournament shared the personal news that his partner had split up with him and he was struggling to lift himself up for work.</p> <p>"When you turn up at a game to play rugby, we have to respect the officials. But the respect button is not an easy one to turn on and off. We don't need them in conversations with the players through these social networking sites," Johnson continued.</p> <p>"When I get 17-year-olds mocking the behaviour of officials, that is not good for our sport. It has gone completely too far. This is about the integrity of our sport.</p> <p>"Last year he apologised for a forward pass he missed against us that Richard Fussell scored a try from. The public doesn't need to know that. It is out of control."</p> <p><em>Below is the amusing incident with Botes, that Owens himself shared on his Facebook page. What do you think of officials sharing their thoughts and emotions through social media channels? </em></p> <p style="text-align:center;">  </p><p><b><a href="http://www.rugbydump.com/2012/01/2300/referee-nigel-owens-this-is-not-soccer">Click here to view the full post</a></b></p> <p><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/ayzpfawZuHHkXtJCYkGjZrEz1II/0/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/ayzpfawZuHHkXtJCYkGjZrEz1II/0/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a><br/> <a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/ayzpfawZuHHkXtJCYkGjZrEz1II/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/ayzpfawZuHHkXtJCYkGjZrEz1II/1/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a></p><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/rugbydump?a=K3zOkjBoo-Y:3E4_YTW5lmM:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/rugbydump?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> </div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/rugbydump/~4/K3zOkjBoo-Y" height="1" width="1"/> Mon, 09 Jan 2012 10:14:00 +0000 http://www.rugbydump.com/2012/01/2300/referee-nigel-owens-this-is-not-soccer?src=rss http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/rugbydump/~3/ey1lWSH2rJ0/fight-night-in-france-agen-vs-biarritz-mass-brawl <p style="text-align:center;"><img src="http://www.rugbydump.com/media/posts/7d5cad0a64482020825253349599e7c2.jpg" alt="7d5cad0a64482020825253349599e7c2.jpg" /></p> <p><strong>Biarritz moved out of the Top 14 relegation zone last night with a 15-6 win over Agen in a match that was fiery to say the least. Dimitri Yachvili kicked most of their points for their second successive win, following on from th 25-6 win over Toulon last weekend.  </strong></p> <p>Marcelo Bosch kicked a dropgoal to make up their total score as they beat a determined Agen side to move into third from the bottom of the table. That position is subject to other results this weekend however.</p> <p>"We needed this success to back-up our win over Toulon and confirm our form," said prop Sylvain Marconnet. "It's all smiles in the dressing room. We'll savour this win and we continue with this spirit then we will be on our way. Of that, I'm absolutely certain," he added.</p> <p>In tryless game in bitter conditions, things soon got heated and with twenty minutes left, the gloves came off following a bit of foul play off the ball at the lineout. Marconnet, and quite possibly 29 other players and officials, got in the thick of it as things boiled over.</p> <p>While the original instigator appeared to be Benoit Guyot as he struck an Agen forward on the floor, flanker Wenceslas Lauret was shown yellow for what appears to be escalating the fight. Damien Lagrange was also sent to cool down for ten minutes.</p> <p>Biarritz are already facing all sorts of sanctions for their part in the chaos with Imanol Harinordoquy's father against Bayonne recently, so you can be sure this won't be taken lightly, and a few suspensions will follow for both sides. </p> <p><em>Have a browse through the related posts below the video for more rugby fights from the archive</em>.</p> <p style="text-align:center;"> </p><p><b><a href="http://www.rugbydump.com/2012/01/2299/fight-night-in-france-agen-vs-biarritz-mass-brawl">Click here to view the full post</a></b></p> <p><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/0Pc4WLdkmhEN428dfXKLi3kdpzE/0/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/0Pc4WLdkmhEN428dfXKLi3kdpzE/0/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a><br/> <a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/0Pc4WLdkmhEN428dfXKLi3kdpzE/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/0Pc4WLdkmhEN428dfXKLi3kdpzE/1/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a></p><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/rugbydump?a=ey1lWSH2rJ0:mJcjzt1xMag:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/rugbydump?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> </div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/rugbydump/~4/ey1lWSH2rJ0" height="1" width="1"/> Sat, 07 Jan 2012 17:13:00 +0000 http://www.rugbydump.com/2012/01/2299/fight-night-in-france-agen-vs-biarritz-mass-brawl?src=rss http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/rugbydump/~3/hcu3ftoEv2s/benoit-august-playacting-after-james-short-lashes-out- <p style="text-align:center;"><img src="http://www.rugbydump.com/media/posts/6e3c1a65dd514b53d3a38df531a2abf4.jpg" alt="6e3c1a65dd514b53d3a38df531a2abf4.jpg" /></p> <p style="text-align:left;"><strong>In a week from now round 5 of the Heineken Cup resumes across Europe so today, and hopefully over the next week, we'll aim to post a few requested clips from previous rounds. Here's one that outraged Saracens fans, for more than one reason. </strong></p> <p style="text-align:left;">In round 2 of the competition Biarritz beat Saracens 15-10 in a match that was tight and lowscoring but produced two fantastic tries nevertheless.</p> <p style="text-align:left;">Late in the game Saracens came close to putting themselves in a winning position as they almost scored in the corner through James Short, but he was held up and the try didn't stand.</p> <p style="text-align:left;">Unfortunately for Saracens Short's frustration showed as he lashed out at hooker Benoit August, striking him in what appeared to be the throat. A dramatic flop to the floor followed, and the possesion - which was going to go the way of the visitors - was reversed with a penalty for Biarritz.</p> <p style="text-align:left;">It looked for all money to be some serious acting, but only August himself will know if he was genuinly injured or not. The whole scene was quite amusing though as players could be seen sniggering as he fell over, and then when referee Nigel Owens made the call to penalise Short.</p> <p style="text-align:left;">The lesson though, despite the possible overacting, is that he shouldn't have given the opposition the opportunity to milk a penalty in such circumstances, however farcical it may have appeared.</p> <p style="text-align:left;"><em>Do you think that in future players that act in such a way should possibly be cited? <br /></em></p> <p style="text-align:center;"> </p><p><b><a href="http://www.rugbydump.com/2012/01/2298/benoit-august-playacting-after-james-short-lashes-out-">Click here to view the full post</a></b></p> <p><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/Lql5MS8mN0vU_r68vtROtZLcczs/0/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/Lql5MS8mN0vU_r68vtROtZLcczs/0/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a><br/> <a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/Lql5MS8mN0vU_r68vtROtZLcczs/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/Lql5MS8mN0vU_r68vtROtZLcczs/1/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a></p><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/rugbydump?a=hcu3ftoEv2s:GJfuaAeGk1o:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/rugbydump?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> </div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/rugbydump/~4/hcu3ftoEv2s" height="1" width="1"/> Fri, 06 Jan 2012 16:15:00 +0000 http://www.rugbydump.com/2012/01/2298/benoit-august-playacting-after-james-short-lashes-out-?src=rss