Welsh Rugby and all things Wales

[Welshboy]

Wales hand Gavin Henson dramatic return

Wales v BarbariansVenue: Millennium Stadium, Cardiff Date:
Saturday 4 June Kick-off: 1430 BST
Coverage:
Live on BBC Two Wales, BBC Radio Wales & the Scrum V website.

Gavin Henson trains with Wales ahead of the clash against the Barbarians Gavin Henson will make his first Wales appearance for two years in the capped Test with the Barbarians in Cardiff.

Henson, who is picked at centre, has not played for Wales since the 2009 Six Nations Championship and is now unattached after leaving Toulon.

Fly-half Stephen Jones will join Gareth Thomas on 100 Wales caps.

Dragons number eight Toby Faletau and Ospreys prop Ryan Bevington will make their Wales debuts in a side captained by Sam Warburton.

"We have tried to get the right mixture of youth and experience in there and I'd like to think the likes of Ryan Bevington and Toby Faletau will look at this and think 'this is a good chance for me'," said Wales coach Warren Gatland.

Wales are without injured wing Shane Williams, who has not played since Wales' 19-13 win over Ireland during the Six Nations. His place goes to Dragons wing Aled Brew.

Click to play
Interview: Wales assistant coach Rob Howley
Mike Phillips has got the nod over Scarlets scrum-half Tavis Knoyle for the number nine jersey despite being relegated to third-choice in the Ospreys pecking order as the season drew to a close.

It will be Phillips's first start in any match since the Wales lost to France in the final game of this season's Six Nations Championship.

Henson, who has won 31 caps, last appeared for Wales against Ireland in March 2009.

Soon after he was sidelined by a foot injury, then took a self-imposed rest from the game that was extended for personal reasons.

On his return he left the Ospreys for Saracens in October, then moved on to Toulon in February.

However, Henson's short time in France was marred by a one-week ban for off-field indiscipline.

But Toulon cited financial and availability reasons during the 2011 World Cup period for deciding Henson would not remain with them, leading to the player being linked with a future at Bayonne and Stade Francais.

However, Gatland has opted to give Henson a chance to stake a World Cup claim and says the player has settled in well on his return to the national squad.

"It's an opportunity for players like Gavin to do his talking on the rugby pitch," said Gatland.

"We have Andrew Bishop, Jamie Roberts, Jonathan Davies and now Scott Williams [at centre], but we need depth and hopefully Gavin does well and he puts some pressure on the established guys.

"He tells us it's fantastic to be back in this environment, that he has really missed it and is loving his rugby at the moment and that's a real positive for us, he knows he just needs to let his rugby do the talking now."

Henson is picked at inside centre in a midfield partnership with Davies of the Scarlets.

Davies has established himself as a player with big potential and ended this season's Six Nations as the regular midfield partner to Jamie Roberts, the 2009 British and Irish Lions man of the series.

Click to play
Lydiate relishes Baa-Baas challenge
Cardiff Blues centre Roberts is one of a host of front-line players who do not feature in the Wales squad for the one-off Test against the Barbarians, as Gatland assesses his wider options ahead of September's World Cup in New Zealand.

There are only seven survivors from Wales's 28-9 defeat to France in Paris in March - Davies, George North, Phillips, Paul James, Dan Lydiate, Warburton and Ryan Jones.

With Shane Williams out, North and Morgan Stoddart of the Scarlets join Brew in the back-three.

In the back-row, Gatland has opted for Faletau at number eight with his Dragons colleague Lydiate name as flanker with Warburton, while at lock Jones is paired with Luke Charteris with Alun Wyn Jones named on the bench.

Jones and Charteris pack down behind an all Ospreys front row of Bevington, Huw Bennett and James.

As well as Faletau and Bevington there are three other uncapped players selected on the bench - Dragons hooker Lloyd Burns, Blues prop Scott Andrews and Scarlets centre Scott Williams.

On Jones winning his 100th cap Gatland said: "Stephen has reached a fantastic milestone and he deserves all the plaudits he will get.

"But he is so important to us and will continue to be so in the coming months that there is also a sense that it is great for us to get his 100th cap out of the way.

"He still has so much more to give and it is a testament to him that he is still hungry.

"He is not limping towards a century of caps with a sense of relief, but bursting through the landmark, relishing the Baa-Baas game, but then intent on focussing on the World Cup and the matches ahead."

Wales go on to face England, twice, and Argentina during August before heading to New Zealand where they face South Africa, Fiji, Samoa and Namibia at the pool stage.

The Barbarians team is due to be announced on Thursday.

Wales: Morgan Stoddard (Scarlets); George North (Scarlets), Jonathan Davies (Scarlets), Gavin Henson (Unattached), Aled Brew (Newport Gwent Dragons); Stephen Jones (Scarlets), Michael Phillips (Ospreys); Ryan Bevington (Ospreys), Huw Bennett (Ospreys), Paul James (Ospreys), Ryan Jones (Ospreys), Luke Charteris (Newport Gwent Dragons), Danny Lydiate (Newport Gwent Dragons), Sam Warburton (Cardiff Blues, capt), Toby Faletau (Newport Gwent Dragons).

Replacements: Lloyd Burns (Newport Gwent Dragons), Scott Andrews (Cardiff Blues), Alun Wyn Jones (Ospreys), Josh Turnbull (Scarlets), Tavis Knoyle (Scarlets), Rhys Priestland (Scarlets), Scott Williams (Scarlets).

Barbarians squad:

Forwards: S Bruno (Toulon), Q Geldenhuys (Aironi), L Ghiraldini (Benetton Treviso), C Hayman (Toulon), D Kubriashvili (Toulon), E Lund (Biarritz), S Parisse (Stade Francais), S Perugini (Aironi), G Smith (Toulon), I Tekori (Castres Olympique), I Thomas (Scarlets), P Tito (Cardiff Blues), J van Niekerk (Toulon), M Williams (Cardiff Blues).

Backs: B Baby (Clermont Auvergne), M Bastareaud (Stade Francais), D Howlett (Munster), B James (Clermont Auvergne), N Jeanjean (Brive), W Mason (Toulon), F Michalak (Toulouse), R Pienaar (Ulster), S Rabini (La Rochelle), P Sackey (Toulon), S Tillous-Borde (Castres Olympique), T Visser (Edinburgh).

Referee: Alain Rolland (Ireland).

[arjay]

Welshboy, when quoting material from other sources, please place it in quote marks, and acknowledge/name the source, with webpage/link.

Thanks

[Welshboy]

History of the Barbarians
Many years ago, a group of players were chosen to form an elite team. They had no ground, clubhouse or subscription and membership was by invitation only. In essence, they represented a glorious concept brought to life by the vision and enthusiam of one man, William Percy Carpmael. Inspired by his personal playing experiences with both Blackheath and Cambridge University, his dream was to spread good fellowship amongst all rugby football players.The dream became reality on December 27th 1890 at Friary Field, Hartlepool. There, all things great about the game - flair, courage, spirit and passion - were encapsulated in one great team. A team they called the Barbarians.
Worlds apart

Outstanding talents have followed in their footsteps ever since. Not least the well remembered Edgar Mobbs. Sadly killed in The Great War, he showed the leadership and spirit required to wear the famous black and white hoops. In his honour, 'The Mobbs Memorial Match' has been an annual fixture since 1921.

Winning the world over

As a result of many scintillating performances, the Barbarians won respect worldwide and on 31 January 1948 they were invited to play the Australians at Cardiff Arms Park in the final match of the tour. The battle captured the imagination of millions and drew a capacity crowd of 45,000. So successful was the fixture that it became tradition for Australia, New Zealand or South Africa - whichever was touring the UK - to tackle the Barbarians in 'The Final Challenge.' This exciting event took place every three years until,in the professional era after 1995, games occurred more frequently.

The Modern Game

As the 21st century dawned the Barbarians played South Africa in 2000 and Australia the following year at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff. Then, in a magical three Decembers between 2007 and 2009, the Barbarians beat South Africa and New Zealand at Twickenham and hosted the first rugby union match at the rebuilt Wembley Stadium, playing Australia in a gala occasion that also celebrated the centenary of the 1908 Olympic Games in London

The Club's Development

The Barbarians are unique in that they have no ground, no clubhouse, no entry fee, no subscription, and the clubs they visit pay their expenses in the main. It is in every respect a touring club, for there are no "home" matches. The nearest to a clubhouse was the spiritual home at Easter from 1901-1971, the Esplanade Hotel at Penarth where, as at the Glamorganshire Golf Club, players were cared for with great tolerance.
From the beginning the club has been called The Barbarian Football Club. The reason for the name is shrouded in mystery, ranging from some classical authority who deemed it appropriate to give the club a name "dignified by the famous victory of Arminius over Varius and his legions in Germany some two thousand years ago" to that put forward by Emile de Lissa who thought it more likely the "Barbarian was chosen in defiance of those who would style all rugby players as just that".

The jersey has always been black and white with a monogram on the left breast, worn with dark shorts and the player's club stockings. The monogram in the first season consisted of the skull and cross bones with the letters B.F.C. under the monogram. This was, however, soon changed to one composed of the letters B.F.C. intertwined, which still exists today.

In 1895 a Club tie was introduced. It was presented to the club by F. Mitchell, being the colours of a cricket side which he took to the U.S.A. in 1895. This consisted of the colours dark blue and light blue in equal widths with a narrow white stripe between.

In 1929 the idea of a club blazer was formed. This consisted of a dark blue blazer with gilt buttons stamped B.F.C. and a pocket badge embroidered with two lambs gamboling with a rugby ball.

In 1930 a new badge was designed by Ian Stuart (an Irish International and Barbarian) embodying the composition of the Club. This consisted of two shields, one with the Rose, Thistle, Shamrock and Prince of Wales' Feathers, emblems of the Home Countries, and the other the Fern of New Zealand, Springbok of South Africa, and the Waratah of New South Wales (since, at that time, there was no Australian Rugby Union), the shields being surmounted by two lambs, jumping from one shield to the other in pursuit of a rugby ball. The design is so appreciated by members that despite the invitation of French, Italian, Romanian, Fijian, Russian, Samoan, Tongan and Canadian players amongst other nationalities in recent years, by unanimous agreement the badge remains unaltered.

The sun is shining. The beer is in the fridge. The barbecue is ready. Only 3 hours to go before kick off.
Win our loss. All Saturdays should be like this
Colin.

[Welshboy]

Cricket: Glamorgan defeat Middlesex but floodlight failure occurs at Swalec Stadium
by Gareth Griffiths, Western Mail
Jun 4 2011
A DRAMATIC farcical floodlight failure overshadowed Glamorgan’s opening victory in their first Twenty20 match at the Swalec Stadium against Middlesex.

It was a shambolic end to the match and a hugely-embarrassing episode for Glamorgan and the game of cricket played out on live television.

Middlesex were on 121 for six after 14.5 overs chasing 200, needing 79 to win from 31 balls when three of the four pylons went out just after 10pm because of a power surge.

Glamorgan were then in line to win by 29 runs under the Duckworth/Lewis method.

The lights were off for 35 minutes and the players had shaken hands as the umpire had made a decision to end the game, before the floodlights finally came back onto the cheers of the 5,000 crowd.

Confusion followed as the decision was reversed by umpires John Steele and Nigel Cowley and the players returned to the field at 10.40pm.

Two overs were lost with Middlesex needing a revised total of 183, 62 in 19 balls.

That was never on as Graham Wagg and Alex Jones took two wickets each with Glamorgan winning by 45 runs under the Duckworth Lewis method as Middlesex were bowled out for 137.

The humiliating events at the Swalec Stadium totally undermined what had been a professional performance from Matthew Mott’s men in their tournament opener. The Dragons were well in control before the lights went out.

After Glamorgan won the toss and batted, the Dragons compiled a mighty total of 199 for four in their 20 overs with Alviro Petersen (72), Jim Allenby (42), Mark Cosgrove (31), Cooke (22 from six balls) and Graham Wagg (22 not out) all contributing.

It was the highest T20 total in Cardiff, beating the previous best by Somerset in 2003 which the Panthers could not pass as they suffered at the hands of some great Glamorgan fielding.

Glamorgan have offered any ticket holders game free entrance to the Hampshire game in Cardiff on June 17 which also starts at 7.30pm.

[Welshboy]

[quote]

Wales suffer last minute defeat against Barbarians
By Jon Doel, WalesOnline
Jun 4 2011
Wales 28-31 Barbarians

WALES collapsed to a last-minute defeat against the Barbarians as the visitors outscored Warren Gatland’s side by five tries to four.

Leinster full-back Isa Nacewa was the hero for Dai Young’s star-studded team as he scored the second of his two tries in the dying moments to snatch victory from Wales’ grasp.

Wales conjured some decent attacking moments of the own, but the overall performance was hugely disjointed at best.

Gavin Henson produced an indifferent display on his return to the international stage following a two-year absence.

The 29-year-old created Wales’ first try with a delightful pass to George North, but his all-round game appeared understandably rusty after such limited game time.

Nevertheless, it was enough to see him named in Wales' preliminary 45-man World Cup squad shortly after the final whistle.

Stephen Jones booted eight points on his 100th Welsh cap but that wasn’t enough for the home side to win a game that was a long way off the intensity of a normal high-octane Test match

Read More http://www.walesonline.co.uk
/quote]

It rained. We lost. But still had a good day !
Such is life.
Colin.

[Welshboy]

Heineken Cup draw throws up mixed bag for Welsh regions
WalesOnline
Jun 7 2011
The Scarlets have been handed the toughest task of the three Welsh regions in the draw for next season's Heineken Cup.

The Llanelli side will face Irish giants Munster, this year's finalists Northampton Saints and French side Castres in Pool 1, which has already been dubbed this year's "group of death.

The Ospreys were also handed a difficult assignment in Pool 5, with English champions Saracens, French outfit Biarritz and Italian side Treviso among their opponents.

But the Blues were celebrating the easiest draw of the three Welsh representatives, with games against London Irish and Edinburgh on the agenda, as well as a potential banana skin against French moneybags club Racing Metro.

Pool 1
Munster
Northampton
SCARLETS
Castres

Pool 2
BLUES
London Irish
Edinburgh
Racing Metro

Pool 3
Leinster
Bath
Glasgow
Montpellier

Pool 4
Leicester
Clermont
Ulster
Aironi

Pool 5
Biarritz
OSPREYS
Saracens
Treviso

Pool 6
Toulouse
Harlequins
Gloucester
Connacht

[Welshboy]

THE Celtic League will be known as the RaboDirect PRO 12 from next season.

Taking over from Magners as the competition sponsors.

There is going to be a four year sponsorhip deal for the tournament.

The tournament is made up of 4 Welsh regions, 4 Irish, 2 Scottish and 2 Italian sides.

Because of the addition of the Italian teams in the competition. It can no longer be called.

The Celtic League.

[Welshboy]

[quot]
IRB World Rankings - 06 June 2011
Position Member Rating Point
1(1) NEW ZEALAND 93.19
2(2) AUSTRALIA 87.45
3(3) SOUTH AFRICA 86.44
4(4) IRELAND 82.51
5(5) ENGLAND 82.48
6(6) FRANCE 82.06
7(7) WALES 79.55
8(8) ARGENTINA 78.97
9(9) SCOTLAND 77.35
10(10) FIJI 74.05
11(11) SAMOA 74.02
12(12) ITALY 73.54
13(13) JAPAN 71.45
14(14) GEORGIA 70.16
15(15) CANADA 69.19
16(16) USA 67.69
17(17) TONGA 67.35
18(18) ROMANIA 65.34
19(19) RUSSIA 63.17
20(20) PORTUGAL 61.81
21(21) NAMIBIA 60.66
22(22) URUGUAY 60.02
23(23) SPAIN 59.43
24(24) CHL 59.19
25(25) BELGIUM 56.50
26(26) MOROCCO 56.11
27(27) HONG KONG 54.49
28(28) BRAZIL 54.35
29(29) MOLDOVA 54.10
30(33) KOREA 53.89
31(30) CZECH REPUBLIC 53.78
32(31) KAZAKHSTAN 53.66
33(32) UKRAINE 53.34
34(34) POLAND 52.88
35(35) KENYA 52.85
36(36) TUNISIA 52.24
37(37) GERMANY 51.83
38(38) LITHUANIA 51.49
39(39) SWEDEN 50.99
40(40) PARAGUAY 48.84
41(41) UGANDA 48.13
42(42) NETHERLANDS 47.71
43(43) IVORY COAST 47.52
44(44) SRI LANKA 47.24
45(45) MADAGASCAR 46.45
46(46) PAPUA NEW GUINEA 46.19
47(47) ZIMBABWE 46.15
48(48) TRINIDAD & TOBAGO 45.85
49(49) CROATIA 45.56
50(50) MALTA 45.23
51(51) SINGAPORE 44.92
52(52) BERMUDA 44.74
53(53) COOK ISLANDS 44.61
54(54) SWITZERLAND 44.22
55(55) CHINESE TAIPEI 43.93
56(56) SENEGAL 43.83
57(57) GUYANA 43.44
58(59) VENEZUELA 42.88
59(60) ANDORRA 42.83
60(61) LATVIA 42.69
61(58) MALAYSIA 42.29
62(62) PERU 41.98
63(63) THAILAND 41.74
[/quote]

Did not know Thailand had a team.

[Welshboy]

[quote
IRB JUNIOR WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
[UNDER 21 YRS]

Pool A
10 Jun, 18:10 Argentina 8-34 Wales Stadio Plebiscito, Padova
10 Jun, 20:10 Italy 7-64 New Zealand Stadio Comunale di Monigo, Treviso
14 Jun, 18:10 New Zealand - Wales Stadio Mario Battaglini, Rovigo
14 Jun, 20:10 Italy - Argentina Stadio Mario Battaglini, Rovigo
18 Jun, 18:10 Italy - Wales Stadio Comunale di Monigo, Treviso
18 Jun, 18:10 Argentina - New Zealand Stadio Plebiscito, Padova
Pool B
10 Jun, 18:10 Australia 54-7 Tonga Stadio Mario Battaglini, Rovigo
10 Jun, 20:10 France 24-12 Fiji Stadio Mario Battaglini, Rovigo
14 Jun, 18:10 Australia - Fiji Stadio Plebiscito, Padova
14 Jun, 20:10 France - Tonga Stadio Plebiscito, Padova
18 Jun, 18:10 Fiji - Tonga Stadio Mario Battaglini, Rovigo
18 Jun, 20:10 Australia - France Stadio Comunale di Monigo, Treviso
Pool C
10 Jun, 18:10 England 33-25 Ireland Stadio Comunale di Monigo, Treviso
10 Jun, 20:10 South Africa 33-0 Scotland Stadio Plebiscito, Padova
14 Jun, 18:10 England - Scotland Stadio Comunale di Monigo, Treviso
14 Jun, 20:10 Ireland - South Africa Stadio Comunale di Monigo, Treviso
18 Jun, 20:10 England - South Africa Stadio Plebiscito, Padova
18 Jun, 20:10 Ireland - Scotland Stadio Mario Battaglini, Rovigo
][/quote]

[Welshboy]

In association with Western Mail

Wales U20 tame the mighty Pumas
Jun 11 2011

Argentina U20 8 - 34 Wales U20

MATTHEW MORGAN inspired Wales to a winning start in the IRB Junior World Championship in Italy.

The Ospreys outside-half was in typically outrageous form as Wales defeated Argentina in their opening pool game.

Morgan, who was outstanding throughout the Six Nations Championship and who is tipped to possibly force himself into Wales reckoning ahead of the senior World Cup, helped himself to a try, four conversions and two penalties to finish with 19 points.

“There are obviously things to work on, that goes without saying. However, we are obviously delighted to have won the game and to have started with a victory,” said coach Richard Webster.

Morgan’s first penalty, after two minutes, gave Wales the perfect start to a game played in beautiful sunshine in Treviso.

After several days of inclement weather, the conditions improved significantly, thus allowing Webster and Rob Appleyard’s s side to play a brand of rugby that was certainly pleasing on the eye.

Seven minutes later, Morgan was at it again. A break from deep by Steve Shingler and Liam Williams, set up Wales in the Argentina half and, with the Pumas short on numbers, Morgan shot into space and touched down under the posts.

It was a further example of Morgan’s prodigious talent and a virtuoso try that would not have gone unnoticed by senior coach Warren Gatland.

The Pumas looked only a shadow of the side that held Wales in last season’s competition and struggled to piece together a single move of substance. Wales dominated the ruck, maul and set-piece and were 17 points to the good after 24 minutes thanks to a simple try for Lee Williams.

Decent scrum ball allowed Morgan to get his backs moving and, with Argentina stretched, Williams raced around the outside for a try his pivot duly improved.

It was the perfect start for Wales and, though the Pumas did hit back when scrum-half Marcos Bollini nipped in for a try that Brian Ormson converted, Wales were never in any danger of being beaten.

They avoided the forward confrontation that would have played into the Pumas’ hands and played with a swagger that suggests that this season will hopefully provide a better finish than last.

The second half was a carbon copy of the first with the Pumas having their moments but proving incapable of breaking down a Wales side that was well organised and comfortable in defence.

Ormson’s penalty did cut the gap, but Eli Walker nipped in for a try after Morgan’s well-executed chip behind the Pumas defence, and Williams added his second try on the overlap.

Morgan added a penalty for good measure 12 minutes from time, but by then, the job had been done.

Webster added; “We had one or two setbacks with injury in the build-up, but we have to be pleased with that. It will get harder as the competition wears on, but all you can do is win and that is what we have done.”

[Welshboy]

THE THING YOU DO WHEN THERE IS NO RUGBY ON A SATURDAY !

Naked cyclists pedal through Cardiff

by Graham Henry, Wales On Sunday
Jun 12 2011

NUDE cyclists took to the streets of the capital yesterday in a statement of pedal power.

Around 80 bike riders shed clothes and inhibitions to pedal around Cardiff in the buff to highlight the dangers facing cyclists on the roads and to promote greener transport.

While nudity was not compulsory, a large number of the participants revealed all to raise concerns about such issues as poor cycle lanes.

The event – the fourth in Wales since it began in 2007 – was part of a worldwide coordinated Naked Bike Ride which took in 80 cities across 17 countries.

Ride coordinator Nick Wysoczanskyj said that while most of the riders come from Cardiff or the immediate surrounding Valleys area, come from as far as Weston- super-Mare in Somerset.

He added that there was “lots of a appreciative honking and cheering” as the group snaked its way around the Cardiff’s city centre and down to the Bay area.

“It went very well, everyone was very happy with the turnout and people seemed to receive us very well,” he said.

“The main point of the ride was to be highly visible so more people would see us, it would have more impact and make more people aware of what is going on – that there is a need for better cycling provision and sustainable transport.

“Being naked does draw attention, but that’s what we are looking for.”

[Welshboy]

[various quotes]
The Thailand national rugby union team represents Thailand in international rugby union. Thailand have yet to make their debut at the Rugby World Cup, but have been playing in qualifying tournaments since the 1999 Rugby World Cup in Wales

History
Thailand played their first ever rugby international in 1970. Thailand first attempted to qualify for a World Cup in 1999 when Wales was the host. They competed in Round 1 of the Asia qualifying tournament, winning and losing one match; seeing them finish second in the final standings, and knocking them out of contention to qualify. For the 2003 Rugby World Cup in Australia, Thailand participated in Pool B of the Asia qualification tournament, but finished third in the standings after losing both of their fixtures.

Thailand attempted to qualify for the 2007 Rugby World Cup in France as well, and were grouped with Sri Lanka and Singapore. However they lost both of their fixtures and did not advance to the next stage.

Within the Asian Five Nations, they competed in the inaugural 2008 HSBC Asian Five Nations in Division Two. After winning all their matches, they will play in the First Division for the 2009 event, taking the place of the Chinese team, (which withdrew due to visa problems) Sri Lanka who finished last stay in Division One because of this.

Rugby World Cup Record
1987 - No qualifying tournament held
1991 - 1995 - Did not enter
1999 - 2011 - Did not qualify

Games played by Thailand

05 Jun 2010 China 3 - 56 Thailand
02 Jun 2010 Philippines 53 - 33 Thailand
11 Apr 2009 Thailand 51 - 17 Sri Lanka
08 Apr 2009 Arabian Gulf 36 - 17 Thailand
14 Jun 2008 Thailand 30 - 7 Malaysia
11 Jun 2008 Thailand 30 - 22 India
20 May 2007 Thailand 3 - 22 Chinese Taipei
12 May 2007 Pakistan 0 - 44 Thailand
22 Jul 2006 Thailand 27 - 36 Malaysia
07 Jun 2006 Thailand 50 - 28 India
11 Jun 2005 Singapore 47 - 27 Thailand
04 Jun 2005 Thailand 38 - 48 Sri Lanka
02 Jun 2005 Thailand 0 - 67 Kazakhstan
30 Oct 2004 Singapore 41 - 34 Thailand

First International
Japan 82–8 Thailand
(8 March 1969)
Largest win
India 6–90 Thailand
(28 October 1998)
Worst defeat
Japan 141–10 Thailand
(4 November 1996)

[Welshboy]

Cricket: Glamorgan not commenting on West Indies Test speculation
Wales on Sunday
Jun 12 2011
GLAMORGAN are remaining tight-lipped about reports the Swalec Stadium will lose their England Test match against the West Indies next year.

Last December, Cardiff was unveiled as the destination for the final allocated Test of the three-match series in 2012 alongside Edgbaston and Trent Bridge.

But Glamorgan chairman Paul Russell said last week he was unsure about whether the Windies would be coming to Cardiff and Lord’s is now in line to replace the Swalec Stadium on the Test calendar.

There was uproar last week when it emerged Lord’s would not be hosting the West Indies next year because they would have been the first touring team not have played a Test at the home of cricket during a series in England. The MCC made their feelings public through the media with comments from head of cricket John Stephenson.

Now it is understood the England and Wales Cricket Board are now considering reversing their original decision, with Lord’s likely to host the Test originally allocated to Glamorgan next summer.

This would give Lord's a second summer Test with South Africa visiting north London later that year.

Glamorgan have declined to comment on a U-Turn decision that could been seen as a major snub to the Welsh county just seven months after being awarded their third Test match.

But ironically county bosses might not be too disheartened about losing the Test match next summer because they are still counting the cost of last month’s match against Sri Lanka.

Glamorgan bid £2.5m for that Test match in 2008, with the staging fee due to be paid to the England and Wales Cricket Board within 30 days of the finish of the Test.

The Welsh county set to make a loss of more than a £1m and might have to negotiate a payment plan. Glamorgan were criticised for the Sri Lankan match struggling to attract public interest and it would have been no different hosting the West Indies in Cardiff next year.

It is probable Glamorgan will instead stage a New Zealand Test in 2013, which would stop their chances of hosting an Ashes match in the same year. But Glamorgan have still bid for an England-Australia match in 2015, which they would desperately need.

Glamorgan are hoping to finish the year on a high when they host an international one-day sellout against world champions India on September 16, with more limited overs internationals expected against South Africa and the West Indies in 2012

[Welshboy]

IRB Junior World Championships, Pool A
Venue: Stadio Mario Battaglini, Rovigo
Date: Tuesday, 14 June Kick-off: 1710 BST
Coverage: Live on S4C

Sky viewers. Press the red button for English commentary.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_u ... 752205.stm

[Welshboy]

I have been watching Rugby on youtube and saved these.
Get yourself a drink and see what you think.

http://youtu.be/TlzZIT_p83w

http://youtu.be/bVjO5_DUMGM

http://youtu.be/3w-WS-J

http://youtu.be/8QlmMGeiXX0

[Welshboy]

England U20 against Scotland

England U20 have made nine changes to the side that started the 33-25 win against Ireland in their Junior World Championship opener for the game against Scotland in Treviso on Tuesday, June 14. The game will be shown live on Sky Sports 4, kick off 5.10pm.

Worcester Warriors flanker Matt Kvesic will captain

[Welshboy]

Fixtures and Results Latest Results
JWC 14 JUN 2011 Australia 50 - 25 Fiji Stadio Plebiscito
JWC 14 JUN 2011 England 39 - 18 Scotland Stadio Comunale di Monigo
JWC 14 JUN 2011 New Zealand 92 - 0 Wales Stadio Mario Battaglini

Wales was totaly out classed by New Zealand.
There is only one good thing i can say about the match.
THANK GOD WE DONT HAVE TO PLAY THEM AGAIN !

[Welshboy]

JWC 2011: Day two latest
(IRB.COM) Tuesday 14 June 2011

Luke Whitelock scores one of New Zealand's tries in the win over WalesThe only place online to get all the news, results, reaction and live video from the IRB Junior World Championship 2011 in Italy is at irb.com/jwc.

New Zealand delivered an onimous warning to anyone with aspirations of wrestling the title from their grasp with an impressive rout of Wales, scoring 14 tries at the Stadio Mario Battaglini in Rovigo and only just coming up shy of the century, winning 92-0 in glorious sunshine.

It took a mere 56 seconds for flanker Sam Cane to open the scoring and the tries came thick and fast after that with seven touchdowns in the first half alone, leaving Welsh manager and former international Mark Taylor to admit at half-time that his side were "a little bit shell-shocked".

There were also wins for England and Australia in the opening matches on day two. England ran out 39-18 winners over Scotland, Christian Wade grabbing the headlines with a hat-trick in the win over the Auld Enemy at the Stadio Comunale di Monigo in Treviso.

Australia, meanwhile, topped half a century for the second match in a row, this time running out 50-25 winners over Fiji in Pool B. Eddie Bredenhann, captain Michael Hooper, Jarrad Butler, Ted Postal, Damon Anderson, Siliva Siliva, Jacob Woodhouse and Blake Enever all scoring tries in Padova.

[maaka]

Go the Junior All Blacks...92 -0...oyiiiiiiiiii...
still boyo we will be lucky to win the World Cup in NZ coming up soon..injuries are piling up already, still we can call on the juniors if we have too I suppose.

[Welshboy]

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Junior World Cup
Day two buzz

New Zealand captain Luke Whitelock: “It’s an exciting brand of rugby to play, plenty of fast ball, lots of running. We just need to make sure we continue that sort of form throughout the tournament.”

Wales captain Lloyd Peers: "Take nothing away from them, they are a good team. I think we did give them a bit too much respect at the breakdown area. We should have got in and done a bit more but you can’t take anything away from them, they’re a great team.

"Never look back at the past, that was a big defeat but at the end of the day they are one of the best teams we’ve ever played as individuals and as a team. We’ve got to put that behind us and just look forward."

England hat-trick hero Christian Wade: "We knew this was going to be a big game for us to give ourselves the best chance of getting through to the semis. I am really pleased that we won but it was just a bit frustrating as I don’t think we played to our best today. We showed good character to pull through and in the end we scored two or three tries at the end, but we’ve still got a lot to work on and we are looking forward to the South Africa game."

Australian captain Michael Hooper: "The key was getting to the breakdown and just working really hard. It was a hot Italian day today and we were sweating and working hard. I think we were scoring good points but also letting in a few so we have to work on that. We are a bit scrappy sometimes, losing the ball and then not working hard enough back and hard enough in general.”

Scotland coach Peter Wright: "I didn’t realise so many Italians had Scottish heritage! It’s the underdog thing isn’t it - underdogs tend to get the crowd on their side. I think when we scored that first try that really got the crowd going."

Tonga coach Benhur Kivalu: “The positive for this game I think was the guys gave their 100 percent, they fought right to the end plus we improved a lot from our first game against Australia. We improved our defence and our attack, the momentum going forward made it easier for us to attack.”

Ireland coach Mike Ruddock: “I thought we were matching them right until the end, until that last try, which was a bit of a heartbreaker. We’ve played two of the best rugby nations around and we certainly haven’t discredited ourselves. We’ve played quite well and really put it up to the both of them.

"South Africa, I’m sure if you go into their changing room, they’ll know they’ve been in a battle, England know they’ve been in a battle. South Africa had to dig deep again today to beat us. We’re showing glimpses of really good rugby but making basic errors to let the other team back in.”

South Africa coach Dawie Theron: “To be very honest we spilled quite a number of try-scoring opportunities. We were not patient enough in the strike zone, and were guilty of forcing quite a number of passed when the correct option was simply to have patience.

“We have to attempt to round off our point scoring opportunities, and against teams such as England, it could ultimately prove to be the difference between winning and losing."