Biarritz vs Ospreys Saturday 3pm SS2; Toulouse vs Stade Francais Sunday 4:30pm SS2

thomond2006

http://www.rugby365.com/tournaments/heineken/news/2348610.htm

Biarritz: 15 Iain Balshaw, 14 Takudzwa Ngwenya, 13 Karmichael Hunt, 12 Damien Traille, 11 Ilikena Bolakoro, 10 Julien Peyrelongue, 9 Dimitri Yachvili, 8 Florian Faure, 7 Imanol Harinordoquy, 6 Wenceslas Lauret, 5 Manuel Carizza, 4 Jérôme Thion (captain), 3 Campbell Johnstone, 2 Benoît August, 1 Eduard Coetzee.

Replacements: 16 Romain Terrain, 17 Fabien Barcella, 18 Rémy Hugues, 19 Trevor Hall, 20 Fabien Alexandre, 21 Valentin Courrent, 22 Arnaud Mignardi, 23 Jean-Baptiste Gobelet.

Ospreys: 15 Lee Byrne, 14 Tommy Bowe, 13 Andrew Bishop, 12 James Hook, 11 Shane Williams, 10 Dan Biggar, 9 Mike Phillips, 8 Ryan Jones (captain), 7 Marty Holah, 6 Jerry Collins, 5 Jonathan Thomas, 4 Alun Wyn Jones, 3 Adam Jones, 2 Huw Bennett, 1 Paul James.

Replacements: 16 Ed Shervington, 17 Ryan Bevington, 18 Craig Mitchell, 19 Ian Gough, 20 Filo Tiatia, 21 Jamie Nutbrown, 22 Sonny Parker, 23 Nikki Walker.

Date: Saturday, April 10
Venue: Estadio Anoeta, Donostia-San Sebastián (Spain)
Referee: George Clancy (Ireland)
Assistant referees: Chris White (England), Dudley Philips (Ireland)
TMO: Brian Fitzgerald (Ireland)

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http://www.rugby365.com/tournaments/heineken/news/2350000.htm

Toulouse: 15 Clément Poitrenaud, 14 Vincent Clerc, 13 Florian Fritz, 12 Yannick Jauzion, 11 Cédric Heymans, 10 David Skrela, 9 Byron Kelleher, 8 Louis Picamoles, 7 Thierry Dusautoir (captain), 6 Jean Bouilhou, 5 Patricio Albacete, 4 Romain Millo-Chluski, 3 Benoit Lecouls, 2 William Servat, 1 Jean-Baptiste Poux.

Replacements: 16 Virgile Lacombe, 17 Daan Human, 18 Census Johnston, 19 Shaun Sowerby, 20 Yoann Maestri, 21 Nicolas Bezy, 22 Maxime Medard, 23 Grégory Lamboley.

Stade Français: 15 Hugo Southwell, 14 Julien Arias, 13 Mathieu Bastareaud, 12 Mark Gasnier, 11 Mirco Bergamasco, 10 Lionel Beauxis, 9 Noel Oelschig, 8 Juan Leguizamon, 7 Pierre Rabadan, 6 Antoine Burban, 5 Pascal Pape, 4 Tom Palmer, 3 Sylvain Marconnet, 2 Dimitri Szarzewski, 1 Rodrigo Roncero (captain).

Replacements: 16 Benjamin Kayser, 17 Rabah Slimani, 18 Rayno Gerber, 19 Arnaud Marchois, 20 Simon Taylor, 21 Benjamin Tardy, 22 Ignacio Mieres, 23 Geoffroy Messina.

Date: Sunday, April 11
Venue: Stade Municipal, Toulouse
Referee: Alan Lewis (Ireland),
Assistant referees: Alain Rolland (Ireland), Simon McDowell (Ireland)
TMO: Tony Redmond (Ireland)

irishbucsfan

Wow I completely forgot Karmichael Hunt was playing for Biarritz. Anybody know how he's getting on?

He has a seriously interesting career path!

Stev_o

irishbucsfan wrote: »

Wow I completely forgot Karmichael Hunt was playing for Biarritz. Anybody know how he's getting on?

He has a seriously interesting career path!

No idea thought he had would of been gone home by now, can't wait to see him though if he;s on the front foot he was a exhilarating RL player.

Words can't describe how much of a hammering i wish the Ospreys will get in this match.

thomond2006

Hunt is going to play Aussie Rules isn't he?

Stev_o

thomond2006 wrote: »

Hunt is going to play Aussie Rules isn't he?

Yup, talented b*stard

Crash

Well he did do this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOjjGvLjgfI

but that was a while ago.

dreamer_ire

Stev_o wrote: »

Words can't describe how much of a hammering i wish the Ospreys will get in this match.

I've never shouted for them before but will be today. Would love nothing more than a Munster Ospreys SF in Parc y Scarlets. Am hoping Tommy Bowe is on form today, I think Ospreys will need everything they have and more to get past Biarritz. It's one of those games where the whole needs to be more than the sum of the parts and yet Ospreys have never really looked like that team.

So against all odds.... c'mon Ospreys and do Munster a favour (assuming Munster do themselves a big favour too!).

thomond2006

dreamer_ire wrote: »

I've never shouted for them before but will be today. Would love nothing more than a Munster Ospreys SF in Parc y Scarlets. Am hoping Tommy Bowe is on form today, I think Ospreys will need everything they have and more to get past Biarritz. It's one of those games where the whole needs to be more than the sum of the parts and yet Ospreys have never really looked like that team.

So against all odds.... c'mon Ospreys and do Munster a favour (assuming Munster do themselves a big favour too!).

A SF in that atmosphere-less place? No thank you.

Millienium Stadium ftw.

dreamer_ire

thomond2006 wrote: »

A SF in that atmosphere-less place? No thank you.

Millienium Stadium ftw.

Ospreys have already nominated it as far as I know though I'm open to correction. Have to say I had a great night there this year at the Munster Scarlets match, found the supporters very welcoming and friendly.... even if we had just robbed them. Would love a SF in Wales from a cost perspective... cheap flights from Belfast!

bleg

I reckon the Ospreys will win this.

toomevara

bleg wrote: »

I reckon the Ospreys will win this.

Nah, I sense yet another typically hairspays choke coming on...

thomond2006

Aye, should be two home wins.

With a Munster hat on, I'm shouting for Ospreys.

If Biggar is clever, he'll bombard Balshaw with high balls.

sock puppet

toomevara wrote: »

Nah, I sense yet another typically hairspays choke coming on...

It's amazing how a team that had by far the largest number of Lions starters can underachieve so much.

thomond2006

Jesus, what a start by Biarritz.

Fastest score ever?

sock puppet

Williams should have passed straight back inside there.

Quaver

Sounds like there's a great atmosphere, would love to be at it. Although I hope it's not just drop goals, 30 seconds in they seem like the easy option. Excellently taken though.

thomond2006

Monster kick from Traille.

irishbucsfan

No composure from the Ospreys... Shocking

crisco10

Bishop should have just passed to anyone there.

sock puppet

That's another chance blown.

bleg

Good match so far. Hope the tempo stays like this!

thomond2006

lol at Balshaw.

irishbucsfan

sock puppet wrote: »

Williams should have passed straight back inside there.

He never should have been given the ball in the first place.

wixfjord

This is what the h cup is all about! Reminds me of the tolouse Leinster game. What an atmosphere!

thomond2006

Wales don't have any good hookers do they?

crisco10

There has been more turnovers and line breaks in ten minutes of this game than the whole game last night.

Also, is it just me or is the pitch huge?

Micky Dolenz

Sounds like a crackin atmosphere there.

dreamer_ire

Ospreys squandered 2 chances so far. Great open game at the moment

Stev_o

Some monster hits being shown here by the Basques.

crisco10

hmmm deliberate knock on?

thomond2006

Great game so far, lots of line breaks.

funky penguin

Looked like he made the effort for the intercept to me.

thomond2006

HOLY ****!!! :eek::eek::eek::eek:

funky penguin

WHAT A TRY!

Stev_o

****ING TRY!!!

BEST TRY EVVVVVVVVVVVVER!

Micky Dolenz

Try of the season so far?

irishbucsfan

wow. That was some try

crisco10

funky penguin wrote: »

Looked like he made the effort for the intercept to me.

Rewinded sky+. Looked like an attempt at an intercept.

What a try.

Having seen that try, he defo was trying to intercept it. It would have been a try had he caught it!

Ospreys are paying for their butchered attempts...

wixfjord

Two words **** ME!

dreamer_ire

Stunning!

bleg

Shane Williams too small!

thomond2006

He just kept running, try of the season.

Edit: Yachvili with a fantastic conversion.

Biarritz 10
Ospreys 0

13 minutes.

Podge_irl

Sweet sufferin Jaysus, that was some try.

Micky Dolenz

ah lads, great try great conversion

sock puppet

crisco10 wrote: »

Rewinded sky+. Looked like an attempt at an intercept.

What a try.

It also seemed to me like there were several Biarritz players who failed to get back onside before the intercept.

That has to be the individual try of the season

funky penguin

Goddamit I love Heineken Cup rugby.

toomevara

Wow, what a try...thought I was watching Martin 'chariots' Offiah for a minute...

Stev_o

Im still in shock how did he score that he burned 3 players out on the touch line including Williams and fecking slowed to finish off and Williams was still grasping at thin air. Just wow.

thomond2006

Stev_o wrote: »

Im still in shock how did he score that he burned 3 players out on the touch line including Williams and fecking slowed to finish off and Williams was still grasping at thin air. Just wow.

Amazing.

I feel privileged to see that live.

irishbucsfan

thomond2006 wrote: »

Amazing.

I feel privileged to see that live.

I just tuned in to a French online stream (literally the first thing I saw was yachvilli passing him the ball) and I was kind've skeptical... as if maybe I was watching a James Cameron directed version of how the French wish the game was going...

Just incredible.

Is he the American?

PhatPiggins

thomond2006 wrote: »

Amazing.

I feel privileged to see that live.

Or at least on a dodgey internet stream thats 10 seconds behind

Clancey made an awful call not to award a penalty to the Ospreys prior to the try