Powergen Cup Semi Finals

[An Tarbh]

I've been more impressed with Bath in recent games, particularly with the backline, they looked to be in decent nick in the gloucester game, think they'll have too much for the Scarlets tomorow. Think the shockwaves of the ineptitude of the WRU will have spread further than the national team as well.

 

[loratadine]

cant see past a scarlets win

and good news - the scarlets are going to bring back that old tradition of hanging a bear from the posts wearing an english shirt.

cant wait - should be a great day of rugby - really great underdard with the wasps vs tigers game.

 

[Bullitt]

Wasps v Leicester teams

Wasps:

Wasps have opted to go with Josh Lewsey on the wing for their Powergen Cup semi-final against Leicester.

The two sides head to Cardiff's Millennium Stadium on Saturday as both semi-finals will be held in the Welsh capital.

Lewsey will make his first start of the season on the wing, with Mark van Gisbergen starting at full back for the clash.

Stuart Abbott and Fraser Waters will combine in the midfield, while Irish scrum half Eoin Reddan takes the number nine shirt ahead of Matt Dawson, who starts on the bench.

Lawrence Dallaglio returns to the number eight shirt to skipper the side, joining Joe Worsley and Jonny O'Connor in a powerful back row line-up.

French hooker Raphael Ibanez returns to the starting XV, as does lock Simon Shaw, but Alex King is still missing due to a fractured thumb meaning Jeremy Staunton continues at fly-half.

Wasps team:

............................15 M Van Gisbergen

14 J Lewsey......13 F Waters.......12 S Abbott...............11 T Voyce

...............................10 J Staunton

..........................................9 E Reddan

....................................................8 L Dallaglio (capt)

..............7 J O'Connor...................................................6 J Worsley

.....................................5 R Birkett...............4 S Shaw

.................3 T Payne............... 2 R Ibanez...................1 A McKenzie


Replacements: J Barrett, J Dawson, G Skivington, J Haskell, M Dawson, J Brooks, A Erinle.

Leicester:

The Tigers will be out for revenge after defeat in last year's Premiership Grand Final at the hands of Wasps, who claimed a third straight league ***le.

Leicester coach Pat Howard will look to the experienced members of his squad for the big game, with Austin Healy set to start at scrum-half in place of England's Harry Ellis.

Howard welcomes back six internationals to his starting XV following the Six Nations, with England skipper Martin Corry back for what is a mouth-watering clash with opposition number eight Dallaglio.

Geordan Murphy, Lewis Moody, Julian White Andy Goode and George Chuter all return, while Dan Hipkiss is back after four games out with injury.

Ollie Smith will have to miss the game with a neck injury, while Will Johnson, Ian Humphreys and Luke Abraham miss out on the 22 after playing in the Guinness Premiership at Newcastle last week.

Leicester (from):

...........................................15 S Vesty

14 G Murphy.........13 D Hipkiss...........12 L Lloyd.........11 T Varndell

...............................10 A Goode

.....................................9 A Healey; (Wiggy! Speaking of being too old!!! :lol

...............................................8 M Corry (capt)

.....................7 L Moody......................................6 S Jennings

.................................5 B Kay.....................4 L Deacon

..............3 J White.................2 G Chuter.................1 G Rowntree

Replacements: J Buckland, M Holford, L Collen, H Tuilagi, H Ellis, M Cornwell, A Tuilagi.

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I'll go out on a whim and say Wasps will win the cup overall. Leicester are on poor form and it's a strong Buckingham side that's been put out.

 

[Boy]

Originally posted by loratadine@Mar 4 2006, 09:03 AM
and good news - the scarlets are going to bring back that old tradition of hanging a bear from the posts wearing an english shirt.

Yes, it's an old tradition, but only between Llanelli and Bath, and it's actually a rag doll. It won't be wearing an England kit, but a Scarlets kit, as they won the last encounter between the two teams a few years ago in the Heineken Cup.

History Of The Rag Doll

 

[Boy]

Originally posted by el_tk+Mar 4 2006, 08:47 AM-->

Originally posted by Boy@Mar 3 2006, 09:39 PM

Originally posted by el_tk@Mar 4 2006, 08:15 AM
<!--QuoteBegin-getofmeland

@Mar 3 2006, 07:44 PM
Have you watched Bath recently, their backs have been fantastic, and they will keep getting better under Ashton....  I think that Bath have turned the corner, we have been successful in the Heiny Cup and Powergen Cup,

Your backs looked crap in both matches against Leinster, I don't fancy your chances in the knock-outs against more experienced European teams.

Hence the word 'recently.'

It still implied backline success in the HEC. [/b]

We have been successful in the two cups, which is what he said, winning 8 out of 9. We've scored six tries in the three PC pool games, and scored 18 tries in 6 HC matches.

 

[loratadine]

ahhhh thanks for clearing that up

 

[An Tarbh]

Cockerill stirring the **** even more with this whole Corry/Dallaglio debate saying that of course he would have kept him on and that he's a better player and a better bloke, didn't mince his words anyway. This could be quite a tasty game.

 

[loratadine]

well wasps are in final after beating the tigers 22-17

 

[harrison2468]

Terrible match, highlighting the problems in English rugby at the moment. Wasps should of won by more to be honest. Varndell still needs time while Abbott should play for England next week.

 

[loratadine]

16-7 to bath at half time

 

[loratadine]

scalerts 27

bath 26

so we get an anglo welsh final - the telling factor was the scarlets backs were too good.

 

[harrison2468]

Much better match, and a deserved win by the Scarlets. Grewcock being a bit silly again. Discipline lets him down sometimes. Easterby had a really good match IMO, unlucky not to get MOTM.

 

[loratadine]

popham was out of this world - really good ball carrier something the welsh side needs.

 

[Boy]

I don't know what's happened to Grewcock in the last couple of weeks. He's forgotten how he's been playing this season and gone back to his old ways.

Scarlets did deserve to win. Bath hardly had a sniff in the second half aside from Maddock's try. Higgins' sin bin was totally unneccessary, and again highlights his poor temperament (although a knock-on could, and maybe should, have been given earlier). But even then, it was nothing that Easterby wasn't going at pretty much every breakdown in the first half.

I'd just like to point out that in 17 years of watching rugby at The Rec, I have never once heard Bath fans boo whilst the opposition is preparing to kick. I'd like to think that the boos today came from the remaining Wasps/Tigers fans and those who don't normally attend.

 

[PeeJay]

That was one of the most exciting games I've seen in a long time, and made all the better by the fact that it was a Scarlets win

 

[Black-Monday]

I do hope Danny Grewcock will be cited for those countless amounts of off ball incidents, then hopefully a ban which stops him playing for England. I am even english and i hope then that will stop him doing it when it's important, for england. Putting us down to 14 as he has done on so many occasions.

BM

 

[Boy]

Originally posted by Black-Monday@Mar 5 2006, 09:24 AM
I do hope Danny Grewcock will be cited for those countless amounts of off ball incidents, then hopefully a ban which stops him playing for England. I am even english and i hope then that will stop him doing it when it's important, for england. Putting us down to 14 as he has done on so many occasions.

BM

By 'countless,' you must mean two. There was the slap at a ruck in the first half and the stamping in the 2nd.

He's been sent off once for England, in the Dunedin test Vs NZ on the Tour Of Hell in '97, and aside from his sin binning against Scotland last week, I can't think of another time in the last few years when he's been sent off for England. Saying he's done it on 'so many occassions' is harsh, but as always, his reputation goes before him.

 

[harrison2468]

Wales last year for tryting to take Peel's face off?

 

[Boy]

Oh, yeah. Touche.

Still, his disciplinary record is no worse than Back, Johnson or Moody. His stamping today was totally unneccessary and action should be taken, but if anyone else had thrown that slap it wouldn't be talked about.

 

[harrison2468]

There is nothing wrong about playing on the edge, but Grewcock can just be careless sometimes. Moody was a penalty machine again today as well.

Meers played well again. Why the hell did AR drop him for Chuter last week - he looked very plain today in the Wasps match.