Superbru 6 Nations competition

I'm not setting up a Houston specific pool for this one so...........

Come join the Six Nations prediction game I'm playing on SuperBru! It's free and loads of fun. Just click here:

http://www.superbru.com/sixnations/pool.asp?p=11052422

Pool name: Fly/Orka 6 Nations
Pool code: daispave

If you've never played before its dead easy. You simply select which team will win and by how many points and you are awarded points on your results.

Quick and a lot of fun.

Watch the games and see if you can predict who is playing the better rugby and make your picks accordingly.....

or just guess.

This pool won't have more than 30 players so you have a good chance. Other pools have close to a hundred and more.

The U20 6 Nations competition starts tomorrow.

Usually good rugby.

watch on Vipboxsports dot tv

IRB mens 7s from New Zealand

Friday 1st Feb and Sat 2nd Feb 
Each day 1pm through 10pm local.

Deduct 19 hrs for Houston time.
So, if they begin at 1pm Friday local this is 6pm Thursday Houston
For full schedule
http://www.irbsevens.com/destination/edition=3/fixturesresults.html

Houston women's 7s schedule

IRB Women's Sevens World Series - SCHEDULE


Friday and Sat 13.00hrs through 20.00 hrs

HOUSTON - 2013


No   Pool    KO             Home
        
1      C     13:04          AUSTRALIA               JAPAN
2      C     13:26          RUSSIA                  BRAZIL
3      A     13:48          NEW ZEALAND             TRINIDAD TOBAGO
4      A     14:10          ENGLAND                 NETHERLANDS
5      B     14:32          SOUTH AFRICA            ARGENTINA
6      B     14:54          CANADA                  UNITED STATES
7      C     15:48          AUSTRALIA               BRAZIL
8      C     16:10          RUSSIA                  JAPAN
9      A     16:32          NEW ZEALAND             NETHERLANDS
10     A     16:54          ENGLAND                 TRINIDAD TOBAGO
11     B     17:16          SOUTH AFRICA            UNITED STATES
12     B     17:38          CANADA                  ARGENTINA
13     C     18:32          BRAZIL                  JAPAN
14     C     18:54          AUSTRALIA               RUSSIA
15     A     19:16          NETHERLANDS             TRINIDAD TOBAGO
16     A     19:38          NEW ZEALAND             ENGLAND
17     B     20:00          UNITED STATES           ARGENTINA
18     B     20:22          SOUTH AFRICA            CANADA


Saturday
19   CQF   13:04         (1) Best 1st             (8) 2nd Best 3rd
20   CQF   13:26         (4) Best 2nd            (5) 2nd Best 2nd
21   CQF   13:48         (3) 3rd Best 1st       (6) 3rd Best 2nd
22   CQF   14:10         (2) 2nd Best 1st       (7) Best 3rd
23    BSF   14:32        (9) 3rd Best 3rd      (12) 3rd Best 4th
24    BSF   14:54       (10) Best 4th            (11) 2nd Best 4th
25    PSF   16:10       Loser Game 19                 Loser Game 20
26    PSF   16:32       Loser Game 21                 Loser Game 22
27    CSF   16:54      Winner Game 19               Winner Game 20
28    CSF   17:16      Winner Game 21               Winner Game 22
29   11th  18:10       Loser Game 23                 Loser Game 24
30     BF   18:32       Winner Game 23               Winner Game 24
31    7th   19:02       Loser Game 25                 Loser Game 26
32     PF   19:24      Winner Game 25               Winner Game 26
33    3rd   19:54      Loser Game 27                 Loser Game 28
34     CF   20:16      Winner Game 27               Winner Game 28



Sorry about the formatting. You should still be able to print this.
HgVision.com                                                     09.01.13 16:55                                                  irbsevens.com

Latest rugby newsletter

In this diatribe;

a) Women's International 7s from BBVA Stadium Friday and Saturday

b) 6 Nations rugby begins

c) Other

Apologies for not getting another newsletter to you since Autumn Internationals last year. I've been ill and the early rounds of Heineken cup were nothing to write home about. It only came alive in the last 2 weekends when teams were actually trying to score 4 tries to ensure qualification.

International 7s

Well I hope every rugby fan and friends have their tickets for this marvelous opportunity to show the world that Houston can draw the enthusiastic crowds for all things rugby.

The inaugural IRB Women’s Sevens World Series is a four-tournament event. After Houston, teams will travel to China for the next event and conclude the series in the Netherlands.
2012/2013 IRB Women's World Series Standings after 1st round in Dubai.
1. New Zealand
2. South Africa
3. Spain
4. Australia
5. Russia
6. Canada
7. England
8. Netherlands
9. USA
10. France replaced by Trinidad and Tobago for this round
11. China replaced by Argentina for this round
12. Brazil

 

Team USA currently sits in 9th place on the World Series after one event. The women's overall record on the series this season is 3-2. 

 

IRB Chairman, Bernard Lapasset, said: "Our women's athletes made history in Dubai by competing at the magnificent first round of this inaugural IRB Women's Sevens World Series and the quality of rugby witnessed by more than 40,000 in the stands and millions around the world offered immediate proof that this will develop into a popular and competitive Series.”

New Zealand, who brought home the title in Dubai with a 41-0 whitewashing of South Africa, heads up Pool A. Pooled alongside New Zealand are England, Netherlands, and Trinidad & Tobago.

Dubai runner-up South Africa are in Pool B with Canada, USA, and Argentina.
Pool C is led by Australia who faces off against Russia, Brazil, and Japan.
Here is full Houston schedule... http://www.irb.com/mm/document/tournament/mediazone/02/06/48/87/wsws-01-usa-fixturesresults.pdf
Games are Friday 1pm through 8pm followed by a U19 youth game. St Thomas vs Woodlands Should be a great game so please stay and watch. Woodlands may be ranked 24th in nation this year, but St Thomas used to make nationals every year. Two excellently coached organizations.
Please encourage all your friends to come out and enjoy a great 2 days of fun. Check out other 7's tournaments, such as Hong Kong sevens on You Tube, to see how far the fans go to have fun. I don't imagine for one minute we could get big butch Texans to dress up as per other tournaments, but you can certainly paint your faces with your team colors and wear some great wigs etc.
Tickets: Starting at $10 and up; available online at www.bbvacompassstadium.com or at the Ticket Office on the day.
Notes: Tickets allow guests to enter & exit the stadium as needed throughout the tournament.
6 Nations begins this weekend
Saturday, 2 February 2013
Wales v Ireland, 13:30 GMT 07.30am Houston
England v Scotland, 16:00 GMT 10.00am Houston Also on TV. BBC America
Sunday, 3 February
Italy v France, 15:00 GMT 09.00am Houston
There are quite a few bars who are showing only the BBC America game, England vs Scotland. I hope you will see through their attempts at simply catching all the low hanging fruit, and support the only bar that has gone the extra mile by guaranteeing to show all the games.
Yes, that is Big Johns at 6150 Wilcrest just south of Harwin. And, yes it is free.
Next weeks BBC America game is France vs Wales. So England and Scots fans will be thankful that Big Johns will be covering.
Conversely Welsh and French fans will be happy that someone is covering their games this week.
I'm sorry, but there has to be some loyalty to people/establishments who go out of their way to help the rugby community.
Many of us remember spending the wee hrs of the mornings watching various World Cup games over the years, at Big Johns when all the other bars couldn't be bothered.
Big Johns will find you any game you want and come Super 15, Lions tours, Heineken Cup finals, Currie Cups, Autumn tours etc etc, you can count on them.
I don't get paid to push Big Johns. I would just like to remind you of their great service over the years.
Plus, they buy proper ingredients for their Irish/English/Scottish breakfast. Correct bangers, blood pudding and Heinz baked beans......(the UK variety). In fact the owner is heading toward Hobby Airport to pick up breakfast supplies which have been especially flown in, as I write.
One day there may not even be one bar that gives a damn.
c) Other.
The men's 7s is also being shown from New Zealand this weekend. But they will start after women's rugby ends and before 6 nations begins each day. God is looking down and smiling on this great sport. Surely this is His sport.
The rugby community is so relatively small that we cannot afford to turn our backs on any and all initiatives for getting involved and promoting this great sport.
Having said that it seems our own leaders are letting us down. For years, we, here in Houston, have been whining that we don't get access to enough International games. Yet, here we have an international weekend and the Texas Rugby Union did not postpone even one rugby game. They regular block off weekends when they wish to sanction a particular tournament. Yet this time they have allowed some 30 teams to play on Saturday. By my reckoning this could have translated into an extra 3,000 people though the gates on Saturday, if one includes family and friends.
And I guess whats worse is that all these geniuses will be meeting USA director Nigel Melville this week and slapping each other on the back for a job well done.
Heck, I know of a few companies who put up $1500 as sponsorship money and nowhere on any websites have they been given any credit.
Not TRU, not USA rugby.
Anyway, get involved please. Pass this email to as many people as you can and lets have some fun Friday and Saturday.
One more thing. And, yes it may seem trivial, "but m'lud it goes to the character of the rugby community in Houston"
I have seen a flyer for a touch rugby session set up by some South Africans who sell biltong etc. Well the first session coincides with one of the 6 Nations matches. They potentially take people away from supporting rugby venues. I don't mean to pick on these guys because I'm sure they just weren't thinking. But last year we had a different Saffie selling his wares via the BBQ pit at Big Johns, and with the wholehearted support of the bar's owner, even though the man was taking money out of Big Johns food profit center.
Heck the guys didn't even know there was International 7s here in Houston this weekend. They could have been a sponsor and reached so many more rugby fans than by starting a game of touch on Sundays. That just shows what a terrible marketing job we have done on the 7's.
Hope to see as many painted faces as possible at 6 Nations games and then International 7's.
Regards Pete

PS The great Waisale Serevi and Ben Gollings (and others) will be holding a training camp
for ALL Youth, High School, College & Club rugby players tomorrow night. Cost is only $40
Go to texasrugbyunion.com for details.

Decorative artists. www.kandpinteriors.com
Founder www.katyrugbyclub.com
and www.katyrugby.org
British American Business Council
www.babchouston.org
Mobile 281 701 8449


"The things that will destroy us are: politics without principle; pleasure without conscience; wealth without work; knowledge without character; business without morality; science without humanity; and worship without sacrifice."
--Mahatma Gandhi

RBS Six Nations 2013

 All times GMT. Deduct 6hrs for Houston time

Saturday, 2 February
England v Scotland, 16:00
Wales v Ireland, 13:30
Sunday, 3 February
Italy v France, 15:00

Saturday, 9 February
France v Wales, 17:00
Scotland v Italy, 14:30
Sunday, 10 February
Ireland v England, 15:00

Saturday, 23 February
England v France, 17:00
Italy v Wales, 14:30
Sunday, 24 February
Scotland v Ireland, 14:00

Saturday, 9 March
Ireland v France, 17:00
Scotland v Wales, 14:30
Sunday, 10 March
England v Italy, 15:00

Saturday, 16 March
France v Scotland, 20:00
Italy v Ireland, 14:30
Wales v England, 17:00

RBS 6 Nations Championship, one of Europe’s biggest annual sporting events, will once again broadcast live on BBC AMERICA. The legendary rugby tournament features England, France, Ireland, Scotland, Italy and Wales as they vie for the championship. Last year on the final day, Wales beat France 16-9 to win the Grand Slam, England placed second while Scotland were condemned to the Wooden Spoon as they finished last. This year, BBC AMERICA’s first match, England v Scotland, airs live Saturday, February 2, 11:00am ET. The rest of the live broadcasts for February include: France v Wales on Saturday, February 9, 12:00pm ET and England v France on Saturday, February 23, 12:00pm ET. The tournament continues in March with Ireland v France on Saturday, March 9, 12:00pm ET and Wales v England on Saturday, March 16, 1:00pm ET.

Big Johns Bar at 6150 Wilcrest, just south of Harwin is the only bar I know which will be showing ALL the games. FOR FREE

Basic Heineken Cup rules

1(a) Pool Matches

Four points for a win, two points for a draw (match points). A bonus point will be earned by a team scoring four or more tries and by a team losing by seven or less points. The six pool winners and two best placed runners-up will qualify for the quarter-finals and will be decided by the following criteria:
(i) the pool winner will be the club with the highest number of match points earned in each pool. The runners-up will be the two second placed clubs from all six pools with the next highest number of points. For the quarter-final round, the pool winners will be ranked 1 - 6 in terms of the number of points earned. The runners-up will be ranked 7 and 8.
The knock-out stages of the Amlin Challenge Cup tournament will include three clubs who will qualify from the Heineken Cup.
The introduction of three clubs who have finished as the third, fourth and fifth pool runners-up in that season's Heineken Cup into the quarter-finals along with the five Amlin Challenge Cup pool winners will enhance both the quality and profile of the Amlin Challenge Cup knock-out matches.
The top four Amlin Challenge Cup pool winners will have home advantage in the quarter-finals with the highest-ranked pool winner playing the fifth-ranked pool winner, and the other three pool winners playing Heineken Cup clubs.

Quarter-finals qualification if clubs are equal:

Clubs in the same pool

(ii) if clubs are equal on points and the clubs are in the same pool, then qualification/ranking will be based on the two matches played between the clubs concerned:
(a) the club which has earned the most number of match points from the two matches (four points for a win, two points for a draw and bonus points).
(b) the club which has scored the most tries in the two matches.
(c) the club with the best aggregate points difference from the two matches.

Clubs from different pools (if still unresolved)

(iii) if the clubs have not played each other previously in the pool stage, qualification/ranking will be based on:
(a) the number of tries scored in all pool matches.
(b) aggregate points difference from all pool matches.
(c) the club with the fewest number of players sent off and/or suspended in all pool matches.
(d) toss of a coin.

So in lead up to final pool round we have this;
Pool 1

1

Saracens

18pts

2

Munster

Rugby

15pts

Sarries play Edinburgh which should be an automatic win with maybe a bonus point.

Munster play Racing at home which should also be a home win as Racing have nothing to gain.

Heineken Cup final pool round

Heineken Cup fixtures

Please note: All times GMT, deduct 6 hrs for Houston CST

Friday, 18 January 2013
Biarritz v Harlequins, Pl3, 20:00
Connacht v Zebre, Pl3, 20:00

Saturday, 19 January 2013
Cardiff Blues v Sale, Pl6, 15:40
Castres v Ulster, Pl4, 13:35
Exeter v Leinster, Pl5, 18:00
Glasgow v Northampton, Pl4, 13:35
Montpellier v Toulon, Pl6, 15:40
Scarlets v Clermont Auvergne, Pl5, 18:00

Sunday, 20 January 2013
Leicester v Toulouse, Pl2, 15:00
Munster v Racing Metro 92, Pl1, 12:45
Saracens v Edinburgh, Pl1, 12:45
Treviso v Ospreys, Pl2, 15:00

Pool 2
Toulouse 18pts
Leicester 16 pts and
Ospreys 11 points

Toulouse play Leicester away. Anyones game. Toulouse have not shown they are a great team despite the quality of their stars. Heck Treviso stuck 2 tries on them last weeek and led for much of the game. Crap coach at Toulouse.
A win for either of the former champions would settle the pool. Defeat for Toulouse could still see them in contention for a best runners-up place; defeat for Leicester could leave them in contention for Challenge Cup qualification at best.
Leicester at home is my choice by 5 and take pool and lose alot of blood.

Pool 3
Quinns have already qualified on 24 points and will at least need a losing bonus to guarantee a home QF They play second place Biarritz away. BO will be motivated because they could get into Amlin Cup as one of the wild cards on points.

Pool 4
Ulster have won pool on 19pts. But they really need to beat Castres away in order to guarantee home QF. Not an easy task.
Saints are in second and play lowly Glasgow who have been shocking. Saints may get a 5 pointer and if Ulster lose without a bonus pt then some complicated math will decide the actual winner of this pool.

Pool 5
Clermont on 23pts have already qualified and play Scarlets away. They should win but even if they get a losing bonus point they are guaranteed a home QF.
2nd place Leinster need to beat Exeter away to even have a chance of making wild card for last 2 places in Heineken. Plus they could make Amlin Cup and clear up there. Exeter at home are hard, but will they risk their best players?

Pool 6
Toulon have qualified and play second place Montpellier away.
Toulon really need a losing bonus point to have an outside chance of home advantage.
Montpellier at home won't be easy. Montpellier need to win to get a losing bonus point to ensure they make one of the wild cards.

Many games to watch if they are being shown.
Friday
Biarritz vs Quinns
Sat
Blues vs Sale is only game that doesn't matter.
If I had to pick a game I'd like to watch above all it would be Montpellier vs Toulon. A home win for Montpellier in Saturday's all-French clash will vastly change the landscape for the best runners-up places - maybe the key game of the round.
Castres vs Ulster should be interesting with 2 different styles of play. Ulster have been playing some great rugby and I'd tip them to beat Castres away.
Sun
Leic vs Toulouse is the game.
It will be interesting to see if Munster can really knock up the points on Racing who will be very weak.

Amlin Cup final pool round

European Challenge Cup fixtures

Please note: All times GMT. Deduct 6 hrs for Houston CST

Thursday, 17 January 2013
Newport-Gwent D'gons v London Wasps, Pl3, 19:45
Perpignan v Rovigo, Pl2, 19:45

Friday, 18 January 2013
Agen v Calvisano, Pl4, 18:00

Saturday, 19 January 2013
Bath v Bucuresti, Pl4, 14:15
Cavalieri Prato v Grenoble, Pl5, 13:00
Gloucester v Mont de Marsan, Pl1, 15:00
London Irish v Bordeaux-Begles, Pl1, 15:00
Mogliano v Bayonne, Pl3, 13:00
Stade Francais v London Welsh, Pl5, 20:00
Worcester v Bizkaia Gernika , Pl2, 15:00

The only game where result might be close is Dragons vs Wasps on friday.
Dragons have nothing to play for and Wasps need to win to secure home advantage in QF.

Perps and Worcester are level on points in their pool, and both have games where they should get maximum points and therefore Perps will go through.
Stade lead pool 5 by 5 from Grenoble so only need a losing bonus point to win pool. They play London welsh at home so I'm banking on a 5 pointer. Grenoble will get 5 pts but realistically cannot catch Stade.

The final winners of each pool should be
Bath, Glaws, Wasps, Perps and Stade F.
They will be joined by best losers from Heineken . Not 1st and 2nd best losers but 3rd, 4th and 5th.

Amlin Cup rd 5

Amlin Cup
All times GMT. Deduct 6 hrs for Houston

Thursday, 10 January 2013
Bayonne v Newport-Gwent D'gons, Pl3, 19:45
Mont de Marsan v London Irish, Pl1, 18.00

Friday, 11 January 2013
Bordeaux-Begles v Gloucester, Pl1, 19:00

Saturday, 12 January 2013
Bath v Agen, Pl4, 15:00
Bizkaia Gernika v Perpignan, Pl2, 15:00
Calvisano v Bucuresti, Pl4, 13:30
Grenoble v Stade Francais, Pl5, 20:00
London Wasps v Mogliano, Pl3, 15:00
London Welsh v Cavalieri Prato, Pl5, 14:00
Rovigo v Worcester, Pl2, 14:00

next week
Thursday, 17 January 2013
Newport-Gwent D'gons v London Wasps, Pl3, 19:45
Perpignan v Rovigo, Pl2, 20:00
Friday, 18 January 2013
Agen v Calvisano, Pl4, 18:00
Saturday, 19 January 2013
Bath v Bucuresti, Pl4, 14:15
Cavalieri Prato v Grenoble, Pl5, 13:00
Gloucester v Mont de Marsan, Pl1, 15:00
London Irish v Bordeaux-Begles, Pl1, 15:00
Mogliano v Bayonne, Pl3, 13:00
Stade Francais v London Welsh, Pl5, 20:00
Worcester v Bizkaia Gernika , Pl2, 15:00

This is the lesser of the 2 cups by a long way, so a great analsis is a waste of time at this moment.
Suffice to say.
Gloucester should wrap up their division this week. Bordeaux will not field a strong team. Heck they may not even show up...I wouldn't...save monet LOL.

In this group Mont de marson vs Irish will mean nothing. Both teams could win depending on who is each team's roster.

The Bayonne group is close. Bayonne to beat Dragons and then thrash mogliano next week, and hope Wasps lose against a weakened Dragons next week. Very unlikely. But Bayonne have to try.

Bath group has them 8 pts clear of Agen and should wrap up this group this week.. If I were Agen coach I would spare the top troops for Top 14 league..

Grenoble at home to Stade will be a good game. Could go either way. Grenoble need to win to have a chance of winning division. They have an easy game vs Cavisano next week which should give them 5 pts. Stade have it all to do. It is foolish to back against this newly promoted team when they play at home. They beat Castres last week. Stade finally came good last week vs Bayonne. But the week before they were slaughtered by Montpellier.It was embarrassing. Given the amount of money at the club, and the stable of stars, one should go for Stade.
Stade lead this division by 4 from Grenoble so they could wrap this up if they win this week.

London Welsh vs Cavaliero means nothing.

Worcester and Perpignon both head the last group on 15 pts each. Worcester and Perps have easy games over next 2 weeks so both will need to rack up the points.
This division will boil down to pts for and against as Worcester and Perps have both played each other home and away and the home team won on each occasion.

Heineken Cup Rd 5

Heineken Cup
All times GMT. Deduct 6 hrs for Houston time.

Friday, 11 January 2013
Northampton v Castres, Pl4, 20:00
Sale v Montpellier, Pl6, 20:00
Ulster v Glasgow, Pl4, 20:00

Saturday, 12 January 2013
Clermont Auvergne v Exeter, Pl5, 18:00
Harlequins v Connacht, Pl3, 13:35
Leinster v Scarlets, Pl5, 18:00
Racing Metro 92 v Saracens, Pl1, 15:40
Toulon v Cardiff Blues, Pl6, 13:35
Zebre v Biarritz, Pl3, 13:35

Sunday, 13 January 2013
Edinburgh v Munster, Pl1, 12:45
Ospreys v Leicester, Pl2, 15:00
Toulouse v Treviso, Pl2, 15:00

 

A quick look shows;

Northampton vs Castres...both will have strong teams. Castres more motivated to come away with a win as saints have the easier game next week

Montpellier need to win. Sale, nothing to play for.

Ulster must win and take advantage of home ground......Glasgow no chance so weaker squad. Ulster then play Castres away and saints have the easier game away to Glasgow. Tough division with 3 teams still in hunt.

Clermont strong side vs Exeter who will probably not be at full strength as they still have a hard game vs Leinster next week. And they are only 3rd way behind Clermont in division.

Quinns need a good win to wrap up this division as they are 9 pts ahead of Biarritz and 10 ahead of Connacht. Connacht not in reckoning

Leinstyer should easily dispatch Scarlets who have no chance in division and should not be playing their best side.

Metro vs Sarries will be the game of the round. Racing must win to have any chance as Sarries have the easier game next week and there is only 2 pts separating them in division with Munster another point behind. fascinating group.

Munster play Edinburgh away and need a good win to have any chance of making wild card spot.

Toulon will field a strong team and attempt to seal off the division this week against a Blues team which should be understrength. Let me put it this way, if I were Blues coach with absolutely no chance of making play offs and a long way to go in league to assure Heineken Cup qualifying next year, I wouldn't risk the stars in the next 2 weeks but give them time to recover.

Zebre no chance, but they don't care. They want to beat top teams. Biarritz theoretically could make wild card spot if they win big today and then beat Quinns at home. They will be going for it as their Top 14 league results have not been good.

Munster must thrash Edinburgh away from home, but as Edinburgh do not even have a point in Heineken, one can expect them to have a weakened squad.

Another interesting group with Ospreys 5 points behind Leic and 4 points behind Toulouse. O's must win to have a chance. This should also be a cracker of a game. O's have an easier game next week away to Treviso who have no chance of qualifying so will rest their best players. If Leic do not win they will still have to beat the richest club in Europe away next week....Toulouse.... to have any chance.

Toulouse should rack up 5 pts against Treviso this week and could beat Leic at home next week.

Leic have 2 hard games. It is not obvious that they will stay top of this division. All to play for here. Toulouse and O's both get to beat up on Treviso

 

Here is next weeks games. One needs to look ahead to see which teams will be throwing everything at this week's games.

Teams with little to no chance will invariably play a weakened roster.

Next week
Friday, 18 January 2013
Biarritz v Harlequins, Pl3, 20:00
Connacht v Zebre, Pl3, 20:00

Saturday, 19 January 2013
Cardiff Blues v Sale, Pl6, 15:40
Castres v Ulster, Pl4, 13:35
Exeter v Leinster, Pl5, 18:00
Glasgow v Northampton, Pl4, 13:35
Montpellier v Toulon, Pl6, 15:40
Scarlets v Clermont Auvergne, Pl5, 18:00

Sunday, 20 January 2013
Leicester v Toulouse, Pl2, 15:00
Munster v Racing Metro 92, Pl1, 12:45
Saracens v Edinburgh, Pl1, 12:45
Treviso v Ospreys, Pl2, 15:00

Rugby in Houston events

http://www.rugbytexas.org/news-events/serevi-7s-houston-camp-january-31.html

http://www.alliedrugby.com/index.php/news/80-breakdown-specialist-eamonn-hogan-to-lead-arc-camp

http://alliedrugby.com/blog/

IRB Women’s Sevens World Series, Houston Feb 20123

The International Rugby Board and USA Rugby have announced that Houston has been awarded a multi-year deal to host the IRB Women’s Sevens World Series, featuring 12 international women’s teams competing at BBVA Compass Stadium, an AEG Facility, on 1-2 February 2013.

The two-day international competition, round two in the 2012/13 Series, is part of the IRB’s ongoing growth and development of women’s rugby around the world.

The event will take place annually in Houston up until 2015, leading to the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, where rugby will debut as one of the new Olympic sports.

The inaugural global Series for the world’s top Women’s Sevens players will feature rounds in UAE (Dubai), the United States (Houston), China (Guangzhou), and the Netherlands (Amsterdam).

“This is a breakthrough moment for women’s international rugby and the USA Eagles. As the team prepares for the 2016 Olympics, this Series will be instrumental in giving them the competition they need to compete for gold,” said USA Rugby President Nigel Melville.

The women’s tournament system mirrors the men’s Series, with each 12-team event featuring six core teams who will play across all four events and six teams who will be invited, based on regional tournament rankings, reflecting the IRB’s strategic aim to mix the top teams in the world with the best up-and-coming teams from each of the six IRB regions.

The six core teams for the inaugural Houston series are: Australia, Canada, England, Netherlands, New Zealand and the United States. The 2013 event also includes: Brazil, South Africa, Russia, Japan, Argentina, and Trinidad & Tobago.

In conjunction with the tournament, the participating organizations aim to empower women through sports, education, and community outreach programmes. The event has partnered with the Houston Area Women’s Centre (www.hawc.org) and will donate $1.00 from each event ticket sold. In addition, players from the international teams will also participate in a variety of activities and community outreach programs during their time in Houston.

“BBVA Compass Stadium is thrilled to welcome USA Rugby back to Houston for an event of this calibre,” said stadium general manager Doug Hall. “Our inaugural rugby match was very successful and we’re pleased to be able to not only host international teams over the next three years, but to be able to give back to the community through our partnership with the Houston Area Women’s Centre. We look forward to giving rugby fans more opportunities to experience world-class, international talent here in Houston leading into the 2016 Olympic events.”

Two-day passes for the tournament will start at $15 and be available online at www.bbvacompassstadium.com and www.axs.com, or by calling 888-929-7849 or at the BBVA Compass Stadium Ticket Office. Discounted two-day passes for groups of 10 or more will also be available online starting October 22. Tickets to individual sessions will be available at a later date.

http://wsws.irb.com/destination/edition=4/news/newsid=2064706.html#tickets+sale+houston+womens+sevens

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=JFAlUC_Xx0c&noredirect=1
Dubai day 2 highlights

IRB to Test Expansion of TMO

IRB to Test Expansion of TMO
The IRB is working on a variety of potential law changes and adjustments this year, and Monday announced that it will expand the powers of the Television Match Official (TMO) during the Absa Currie Cup in South Africa and the Aviva Premiership in England.

The key aspects of the changes will be that the TMO could be asked to examine cases of foul play and potential infringements prior to a try being scored – or if foul play prevented a try being scores.

The South African trial will be somewhat more restricted in what the TMO can be called upon to review while still providing additional scope to the current protocol.

The trials will be subject to extensive evaluation and Union, player and match official consultation to allow the IRB Rugby Committee to determine a protocol that improves the efficiency of the TMO role without adversely impacting on the character of the Game.

The IRB Rugby Committee recommendation will be considered by IRB Council in November 2013. The trial is in addition to the global trial of six Law amendments approved by the IRB Council in May.

"It is exciting and encouraging that the RFU and SARU have embraced this important trial and opened the way for an extended TMO protocol within these two flagship tournaments," IRB Chairman Bernard Lapasset said. "Rugby continues to evolve and innovate and there is no doubt that Rugby referees have one of the toughest officiating roles in sport. We are committed to ensuring that they have all the tools they require from conditioning, management and technology to ensure that they can perform to the highest possible standards."

The problem with having referees rely on the TMO, however, is that not every venue has the TV capability to allow for a TMO. Many major games in nations where rugby isn’t a high-profile sport are not televised, and if they are don’t have the quick editing ability to give a TMO the right view of a play.

Lapasset commented on this.

"It should be noted that this is a trial and the extension of technology should not adversely impact the shape and character of the Game. It is therefore important that excessive recourse to the TMO must be avoided for the sake of continuity and, to that end, match officials will be reminded of that and assessed accordingly."

Rabo Direct 12 Jan4/5

Fri 4 Jan
Ospreys v Zebre 13.05
Ulster v Scarlets 13.05
Glasgow Warriors v Benetton Treviso 13.30
Edinburgh v Leinster 13.35

Sat 5 Jan
Connacht Rugby v Newport Gwent Dragons 11.00
Munster v Cardiff Blues 13.30

Pete says Os should bt Zebre
Ulster too good for scarlets
Glasgow at home vs Italians should bewin
Leinster have all their good players back and Edinburgh are just pure shite. May not be much in it though, but still Leinster.
Must check line ups for Sat games but off top of my head I would expect Connacht to bt Dragons wh are just rubbish at moment and Munster to put hurt on Blues who are similarly shocking..even when they win.

French Top 14 jan 4/5/6

Fri 4 Jan
Biarritz v Agen  20:15 (local) 13:15

Sat 5 Jan
Clermont Auvergne v Montpellier 08:00
Grenoble v Castres  11:30
Perpignan v Bordeaux Begles 11.30
Stade Francais v Bayonne 11.30
Mont-de-Marsan v Toulouse 13.40

Sun 6 Jan
Toulon v Racing Metro 92 15.00

Aviva Premiership Jan 4-6 2013

Aviva Premiership ( All times Houston TX)

Today, Fri 4 Jan
Worcester Warriors v Leicester Tigers   14:00

Tomorrow, Sat 5 Jan
Exeter Chiefs v Northampton Saints  09:00
Gloucester Rugby v London Irish      09:00

Sun 6 Jan
London Wasps v Bath            09.00
London Welsh v Harlequins    09:00
Saracens v Sale Sharks    09:00

I'll post some recommendations later. Next week is Heineken and Amlin cup week. Those teams not in the hunt will have a strong team this weekend, and those with a hard game in cups may well restrict some of their best players. So I will need to study the teams and weather.