Classic Encounters - Wales vs All Blacks 2004

As a highly entertaining year of rugby comes to an end, we feel we've done our best to cover every major rugby event from around the world. From the Super 14 final, where Bryan Habana scored a memorable last minute winner for the Bulls, to the World Cup where we saw the powerful Springboks come out victorious in a tight final encounter with the courageous English.

Near the end of this year we've been covering highlights from the European scene, with the Heineken Cup, French leagues and the UK Domestic competitions and IRB Sevens serving up some quality action. Some fantastic individual tries as well as a few unsavoury incidents have kept us busy, but it's been great fun and we hope you've enjoyed it.

In 2008 we'll bring you more of the same, and things will keep getting better here on Rugbydump so stick around and remember that without your continued support, we'd cease to exist. Here's to a fantastic New Year and looking forward to more quality rugby from around the world.

Seeing as we've covered the good stuff from 2007, here's a look back a little further, to November 2004, when the touring All Blacks met Wales at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff.

The game was a classic, with all the intensity and atmosphere accustomed to a meeting of the two nations that both share a huge amount of pride and rugby history.

Joe Rokocoko scored one of the best tries witnessed at the Millennium Stadium yet. The dummy to kick threw the defender off, allowing Smokin Joe to put the foot down and fly away for a great five points.

The game went back and forth, and in the end the All Blacks came out on top 26-25, beating the Welsh by just the solitary point.


Time: 07:53
Buck Rogers by Feeder

Share

Tweet

Cedric Heymans magnificent solo try for Toulouse

On a cold friday night in Montferrand, Clermont-Auvergne managed to defeat an unbeaten Toulouse side 21 points to 17. A game of the highest intensity, quality and physicality, saw a mercurial piece of running for what is in my view, a true contender for Try of the Season so far.

The match took place in the French Top 14. Self explanatory, but to explain, this is the top league in France. The Pro D2 is the Second Division, and features the likes of Toulon, Agen etc...

Cedric Heymans, of Toulouse, received the ball inside his own half from a long pass by All Black Byron Kelleher. It looked as though nothing much was on, but French winger Heymans set off on a slalom run that blew the opposition to pieces.

A brilliant effort against a top quality team, this 55 meter classic will no doubt be one of the best tries we'll see this season.

Share

Tweet

Paul Sackey finishes off the Danny Cipriani show

Better late than never, we've decided to show you the fantastic Wasps try from a few weeks ago vs Clermont.

Danny Cipriani had an absolute stormer of a first half, showing all the skill, flair, and speed that will no doubt see the young 20 year old reaching higher honours very soon. Jonny Wilkinson will no doubt be looking over his shoulder with Cipriani showing the kind of devastating flyhalf play that could easily see him capturing the number 10 birth for England in the upcoming Six Nations.

Yes, he's young and inexperienced, but it's been a while since we've seen such raw talent at a young age, combined with confidence and the great ability to read a game and know when it's on or it's not.

In the case of this try, it most certainly was on. Cipriani does everything right, and after receiving the ball again, flips it inside to Paul Sackey who finishes off an excellent team try.

Danny Cipriani is definitely one to look out for. Remember that name.

Share

Tweet

Rupeni Caucau is back - Hatrick vs Toulon

Overweight, unfit, and with a lack of match practice, Rupeni Caucaunibuca has once again proved that when fit, he is quite possibly the most exciting player to be seen since the likes of Jonah Lomu.

The big Fijian left wing, who has been out for most of the season due to his poor disciplinary record (which includes absence without leave and testing positive for the use of cannabis), scored a thrilling hatrick of tries in his comeback match for Agen against the Pro D2 (French second division) leaders Toulon.

Scoring the first try in under 3 minutes, Rupeni made a huge impact. I say huge not only because of the quality of the try, but because he is now tipping the scales at a hefty 115 kgs/253 pounds. If it weren't for his number he could easily be mistaken for a front rower. In fact, his eating habits have been noted as a problem for his health and have been particularly worrying for his manager.

The Agen manager actually last week stated in the press that the game against Toulon was Rupeni's last chance to perform. The message obviously hit home because perform he did, with three fantastic tries that rejuvenated the Agen fans after a few disappointing performances prior to this thrashing of log leaders Toulon.

The first try, that saw him brushing aside three defenders, was reminiscent of his glory days with Auckland and Fiji. That devastating speed and low centre of gravity once again proved impossible to stop. He made the second try look simple, and his third was sheer class. Making a great tackle, he then got up to pick up the messy ball with one hand and speed away for the try. Very similar to the third try he scored against the Brumbies in 2003. Not many players in the world can do that when on the run.

Unfortunately Caucaunibuca has only played twice for his country since his dazzling 2003 displays. Fiji haven't been very forgiving towards his disciplinary issues, but French club Agen have given him another chance, and with Monday's startling performance he has more than likely saved his season, and he will hopefully continue to entertain for many games to come.

Final Score: 33-0 to Agen

Share

Tweet

Unreal solo try by Chris Latham

Hard running Australian fullback Chris Latham will be on his way to English club side Worcester Warriors next season after signing a two year contract earlier this week.

32 year old Latham is in the peak of his career currently, and despite an offer from the Australian Rugby Union to get him to stay, has decided to further his career with a new challenge in the English Premiership.

Latham will join other Southern Hemisphere stars such as Rico Gear, Greg Rawlinson, Sam Tuitupou, Thinus Delport, and Loki Crichton to name a few. Latham, referred to by some as the best fullback in the world, is raring to go, stating that he's looking for a new challenge at this stage in his life after spending a highly successful ten years with the Queensland Reds and the Wallabies.

John Roe, Reds teamate and captain, says that Latham, the second highest try scorer in Australian test history, is in the best shape of his life and will add huge value to the Warriors ambitions.

Immense strength and speed on the counter attack, Chris Latham would pretty much walk into any international side with his freakish talent, speed, and determination. Worcester have got themselves a real catch by signing him.

Just look at this fantastic leg drive which got him to the tryline in this 2005 Super 12 game against the Highlanders. Note that he palms off a forward, has a winger on his back, palms off the fullback and still manages to score this incredible Reds try that sends the Aussie commentary team into raptures.

Share

Tweet

Federico Pucciarello tastes Peter Stringers boot

Peter Stringer is officially the shortest international scrumhalf currently playing the game. He's about 4ft2 and probably weighs the same as a 13 year old girl. But despite that, he's a quality player, and has represented Ireland in over 70 tests and has been a stalwart of Munster rugby, notching up over 100 caps.

Amazingly though, in the recent Munster vs Llanelli game, that size 4 boot managed to knock big Argentinian Italian (still not sure how that works to be honest) prop Federico Pucciarello to the floor when this freak accident occurred.

Entering a ruck, I doubt Pucciarello ever thought in his wildest dreams that this would happen.

But, as with the great tackles we see Stringer making time and time again, for a small guy he clearly packs more of a punc... kick than we all thought.

Share

Tweet

Perry Freshwater strikes Kieran Roche

England and Perpignan prop Perry Freshwater has been banned for one month following an outrageous swinging elbow/backhand that left London Irish flanker Kieran Roche with a fractured eye socket and blurred vision.

After a scrum collapsed and the ref had stopped play in order to reset it, Freshwater seemed to be leaning down on someone in the London Irish pack. Roche put his arm around Freshwater in an effort to pull him away seemingly, when out of the blue Freshwater lashed out, catching Roche square in the left eye, sending him to the turf clutching his face in agony.

Whether it was Freshwater's elbow, as reported, or the back of his hand, it certainly caused some damage with fears that surgery may be required on Roche's eye. As you can see by the top picture, the area around his eye certainly is a mess. Roche will be out of rugby for 4 weeks.

Opthalmologists in London have said that they would need the bruising and swelling to subside before determining the extent of the damage to the eye itself.

Neither ref nor touch judge saw the incident (that's their story anyway - not sure how the touch judge could miss it), so on the field a penalty was all that came of it. An independent citing commission has since ruled that "the offence was of mid-range in the level of seriousness". Whatever that means I don't know, but to receive only one month for this is pretty lenient I feel.

Then again, Phil Vickery has only received a two week suspension for trampling on Thibaut Privat's leg, so maybe they're trying to be consistent at least.

Consistently forgiving some might say.

Share

Tweet

Clermont vs Wasps punch up, & a cameo from 60 year old Alan Black

When Clermont Auvergne and London Wasps met at High Wycombe on the weekend for their fourth round Heineken Cup fixture, who would of thought we'd see such a classic match filled with high drama and rugby of the highest quality.

Both teams scored some incredible tries, with a first half being dominated by the future England flyhalf supremo, young Danny Cipriani. Expect to see him in the White jersey in the upcoming Six Nations...

For all the domination that Wasps had in the first half, Clermont were equally as dangerous in the second. Classy tries from wingers Aurelien Rougerie and Vilimoni Delasau kept them in the game.

With tight, physical encounters such as this, the tension sometimes gets the better of the players, and a fight broke out when Canadian flanker Jamie Cudmore was cleared out and retaliated by throwing numerous punches on Wasps prop Tim Payne. Cudmore got yellow carded for his part, but the most startling part of the whole incident happened seconds after Cudmore's first punch had been thrown.

James Haskell went in to help teamate Payne, but somehow got involved in a scuffle with Clermont prop Martin Scelzo. This was close to the advertising boards and 62 year old Alan Black, an RFU Official and former Wasps captain, lost the plot and took it upon himself to get involved.

Black struck out at Scelzo with a rolled up match programme, purely out of instinct in seeing what was going on around him. From what I can tell he didn't even connect, actually hitting his own player ironically.

Likeable 'Blackie' as they call him, is the leisure manager at London Wasps, and has since been banned from the touchline for the remainder of the season. He's apologised profusely for his out of hand behaviour, stating he simply lost the plot and got caught up in the moment and has accepted his punishment for an act that, in perspective, was similar to an old lady swatting off a villain with an umbrella.

It's a good thing he wasn't holding a beer bottle at the time.

Share

Tweet

Sensational Vilimoni Delasau try vs Wasps

As requested, here is the sensational Vilimoni Delasau from the weekend's game between Clermont and Wasps.

With literally his first touch of the ball, Sevens star Delasau stepped through the traffic of two defenders, then stepped another defender one on one and put the foot down.

Paul Sackey gave chase and most people would put their money on speedster Sackey catching him, myself included, but the big Fijian with the jet shoes kept going to score the try of the tournament so far.

A cracking match, with World Cup sensation Delasau adding to the quality with the most scintillating of individual tries that will be remembered for a long, long time to come.

Share

Tweet

Phil Vickery cited for stamping

Phil Vickery has once again landed himself in hot water, this time, for stamping on an opponents leg. The incident occurred during Wasps' first Heineken Cup meeting with Clermont Auvergne in France when Vickery stepped on lock Thibaut Privat while making his way back to his side of the ruck.

Some will call it careless and possibly accidental, but I personally think he was as accurate as a gymnast on the balance beam and could easily have avoided Privat's leg if he wanted to.

Lawrence Dallaglio did his best to convince the ref otherwise, and despite the touchjudge clearly seeing the incident, Vickery was only penalised on the field with no yellow card being shown.

Foolish actions from English captain Vickery, who now faces a possible suspension of up to six weeks for his retaliation to something that neither the officials or any of us managed to pick up.

Vickery has only played two games for Wasps this season since returning from the World Cup, in which he also got suspended for a silly incident.

Is the World Cup finalist building a dirty reputation for himself, or are they isolated incidents and should be treated as such? As a captain of his country, surely he should be more disciplined though?

Then again, Johnson, Krige, Fitzpatrick - all captains and all known for being guys you wouldn't want to meet in a dark alley, let alone at the bottom of a ruck.

Share

Tweet

New Zealand vs Fiji - George Sevens Final

Having seen off the challenge of the Fijians' late comeback in Dubai a week earlier, New Zealand once again looked like the team to beat in this years George Sevens Tournament in South Africa last weekend.

Last years winners met Fiji in the final again in George, and after getting off to a flying start and leading 29-0 at one stage, were just too strong for the Fijians who had two players sent off once again.

A whole new crop of young talent is streaming through, and with players like Israel Dagg, Victor Vito, DJ Forbes, Zar Lawrence, and Lote Raikabula, New Zealand look an extremely strong outfit that will be difficult to beat throughout the rest of the Sevens World Series.
Interested in sports betting?

Fiji came back with a consolation try from Neumi Nanuku, but it was too late, and the men who've now won the last four finals of the IRB Sevens Series went on to lift the trophy with a convincing 34-7 final score.

The traditional shirtless Haka after the victory followed, with mixed reactions from the crowd who stayed to watch it.

Wellington is the next stop on the Sevens circuit, and you can bet that New Zealand will be a tough prospect in front of their home crowd.



Note: The quality isn't great but we thought we'd post it anyway.

Share

Tweet

Requests

Did you see an incident on the weekend that you would like the rest of the world to see? Or is there something from the past that you missed but think it would make a good clip on Rugbydump?

UPDATE: Commenting on the page has been disabled and all new requests will need to be submitted in the forum here.
Please read the instructions and register to post a request.

Share

Tweet

Malifa makes a big tackle in the George Sevens - USA vs CAN

The IRB Sevens World Series got under way in Dubai recently. New Zealand took the honours there, and in George we saw them trounce the fatigued Fijians. We'll hopefully secure some footage from the final for you soon.

One of the highlights for me from the the weekend in George was this huge tackle by Nese Malifa from the USA against Canada. As you can imagine, the rivalry between the neighbouring countries is strong, and before this game the USA hadn't beaten Canada in Rugby Sevens since 2002.

Thanks to huge efforts from playmaker Malifa, hard working Todd Clever, and the unpredictable World Cup superstar Zee Ngwenya, the USA are making great strides in the odd shaped balls game, and managed to pull off a 15-5 victory against the men from up north. They have now scored more points in this tournament than they did in the whole of the 2006/2007 Series.

The men from the potentially largest rugby playing nation in the world went on to lose out narrowly in the Plate Final to Kenya by just one point. This was after providing one of the shock upsets of the tournament when they beat Samoa in the Plate semis by 24 points to 19.

Lets hope we see more great action like this from the USA in the future. Growing the game in a country their size can only be good for the World Game, and hopefully we'll see plenty more big hits from players like Nese Malifa in the future.

Share

Tweet

Tropical Monsoon at Strady Park, Llanelli

When Munsters Lifeimi Mafi put in his brilliant chase to stop Llanelli's Dwayne Peel, the weather was still good enough to actually see what was going on.

But later in the game, the rain began to pour down on 30 freezing players and one sopping referee. The Kiwis will enjoy seeing Mr. Wayne Barnes shivering like that I'm sure.

As the hail got worsh, Barnes decided he'd had enough and tried to convince the players that it was time to leave the field. They clearly weren't interested though funnily enough. Ronan O'Gara made a comment which couldn't be heard unfortunately, but to me it looked like they were having fun out there, well, as much fun as you can have in the middle of a Tsunami anyway.

Ridiculously cold and miserable I'm sure, and I bet a few of our rugby friends from around the world will be able to associate with playing in those conditions. I've seen footage of guys happily playing in snow, with it coming down hard!

But for a top flight game to have to be played in that mess cannot be good for anyone. Play did continue moments later though as the rain eased up a little bit.

Tight passing and thorough ball control were key, as the pitch became a bit of a swimming pool in parts.

Munster held on to win 29-16.

Share

Tweet

Incredible chase by Lifeimi Mafi to stop Dwayne Peel

In a game that ended up looking more like a tropical monsoon, Munsters Lifeimi Mafi showed tremendous guts, determination, and most importantly immense speed, to chase down and catch Llanelli Scarlet Dwayne Peel.

Lets not forget that Dwayne Peel is regarded as being lightning fast by most. He outstripped Rua Tipoki who is no slouch, and looked to be home for the try.

The effort by Mafi was great to see. Raw pace is a vital component to any rugby players armoury, and in Lifeimi Mafi, Munster have got themselves a gem. He saved the try, but unfortunately got yellow carded by Wayne Barnes for smothering the ball before getting back to his feet. The correct call, and it was a pity to see him go, but saving the try was well worth it and one of the best try saving chases and tackles I've seen in a while.

Share

Tweet

Try Savers & Rib Breakers 8 - PAIN

Welcome to pain. Rugbydump.com brings you another razor-edged compilation of bruising brutality. Pain is all about the physical and, at times, the emotional.

Rugby is a game with many different aspects to it: passion, pace, flair, fluidity and brute force. TSRB is about brute force. TSRB is about the nasty side of the game we all love. TSRB is about pain.

I personally think this is one of the freshest, most enjoyable in the series so far, and hope the new batch of clips make your bones tingle and get you pumped up for that weekend match against some poor opposition that, for whatever reason, wasn't able to use TSRB as the major psych up that I know so many of you guys do.

Northern Hemisphere enthusiasts will likely find TSRB8 a little more enjoyable, and hopefully will recognize more English, Irish, Scottish and Welsh faces in the clips. The French get a few clips of their own too, just for kicks.*

* see 2:32

Please note: If the video doesn't work in your country, you can view it here (apologies for poor audio)
Pain by Three Days Grace

NOTE: We at Rugbydump don't encourage or advocate dirty play. We do get a big kick out of showing it to you though, so if you're a critic, chill out and enjoy the fact that it's not you getting nailed to the floor.

Share

Tweet

Jason Robinson - A tribute to Billy Whizz

Jason Robinson's international career is now officially over. The most feared running fullback in world rugby has hung up those devastating boots that have seen him playing 16 years of top flight rugby.

At Twickenham on Saturday, Robinson took to the field with a standing ovation for the great man. When he left in the 68th minute it was much the same. The crowd showed respect to the man with possibly the quickest feet in the game, who served his club and country with so much pride throughout his distinguished career.

Robinson has decided that now is the time to settle down completely and spend more time with his family. He's had a long career and despite having an excellent year for England, and more recently, showing how dangerous he still is for the Barbarians, has decided that now is the right time to bow out.

Billy Whizz, as he's affectionately known, started as a youngster with Rugby League side Wigan. He soon showed what a dangerous player he was, and later went on to become one of Great Britain's greatest try scoring legends.

His transition to Rugby Union was a smooth one, unlike many others who have struggled to make the change. His electrifying speed and fast feet made him one of the most lethal counter attackers the world has ever seen.

In terms of his future, he candidly mentions how coaching isn't something he'd want to get into.
"I can see myself doing some kind of ambassador role maybe some stuff in the community, perhaps with children, but there’s no chance of coaching at a higher level. I’ve seen what coaches go through - most go bald."

A character, a true gentleman, and a legend of the game who will be sorely missed, but will always be remembered.

Rugby League:

• Wigan 1992-2000 (281 games, 171 tries)
• 12 Great Britain Caps (8 tries)
• 7 England Caps (4 tries)
• Super League Winner 1998
• Championship Winner 93,94,95,96
• Challenge Cup Winner 1993, 1995
• Young Player of the Year 1993
  

Rugby Union:

• Sale Sharks 2000-2007 (112 games, 33 tries)
• 51 England Caps (28 tries)
• 5 Lions Caps
• World Cup Winner 2003
• Challenge Cup Winner 2002, 2005
• Premiership Winner 2006
• World Cup Finalist 2007
• Barbarians vs South Africa Winner 2007
  

Time: 03:00

Share

Tweet

About Rugbydump

Started in 2006 as a means of archiving favourite rugby videos online, Rugbydump.com has now grown into a brand that is recognised by most rugby fans and players globally.

RD boasts the most comprehensive archive of top rugby clips online, but it's more than just the videos - we cover the story behind the clip, with information, match reports and the inside scoop that you wont find on standard video sites.

Browsing through the various categories you'll see the biggest tackles, best tries, and a whole lot more. Rugbydump is the original rugby video site in this format. We are very proud of that and will continue to be the benchmark globally for rugby coverage in this manner.

A constant work in progress, Rugbydump aims to keep on growing and improving, becoming an integral part of your everyday online experience.

In September of 2009, Rugbydump was honoured to be included in the Telegraph's list of the Top 20 Rugby Union Websites. Not only did we make the list, but they ranked Rugbydump at number one.

Join Rugbydump's 80 000 Facebook fans and Twitter followers by following the links below. You can then also view a few interesting videos about the site lower down on this page.

Rugbydump Promo 2010




BBC Radio interview - Top 10 Rugby Union sites discussion - Nov 2009


Rugbydump Promo 2008


Short snippet from a news segment on France24 in 2007



-------------------------------------------------------------

Share

Tweet

Tom Shanklin try saving tackle on Juan Smith

In a game the Springboks would like to forget about as soon as possible, the Barbarians put up some tremendous defence and shut out all Springbok attacks showing a passion that made them deserving winners on the day.

A brilliant covering tackle from Welsh center Tom Shanklin on big Juan Smith as he charged for the line epitomised the dedication and spirit of Barbarians rugby. Shanklin got in low to drive the much larger man out with no problem.

Legendary All Black Justin Marshall was on hand to take to inside flick, which if he weren't, would have easily been collected by Bryan Habana. The commentators sing Marshalls praises, but in my opinion the actual tackle is the real try saver.

Well played by both of them though. Juan Smith is a giant of a man and Bryan Habana is a true predator, so Tom Shanklin and Justin Marshall, take a bow.

Share

Tweet

The Barbarians down South Africa

A star studded Barbarians side took on the World Champion South Africans at Twickenham on Saturday. For the Barbarians there was a sense of revenge on the cards. The opportunity to claim the scalp of a World Champion side is something every international player dreams of. And, they weren't disappointed.

The Springboks, who featured only 5 of the World Cup Final team, just weren't up for it, and the Baa Baa's came out on top convincingly, winning the game 22-5.
Missing leadership and key players, the Springboks gave coach Jake White a disappointing farewell to his successful four years in charge.

Jason Robinson brought down the curtain on his international career with a fantastic display of attacking fullback play that epitomised his long, distinguished career. Robinson was simply sublime with ball in hand. He received an emotional standing ovation from the large Twickenham crowd, every one of which were applauding the great man and his great career.

For the South Africans, a poor performance from a group of guys who've either played too much rugby of late, or in some cases - too little. A game too far. Second Rower Barend Pieterse starting at number 6 in place of Schalk Burger just about summed up the day.

Well done to the Barbarians though. Good to see that despite talk of certain players not being able to be released, they managed to put together a very strong side and showed that the Barbarian rugby tradition is alive and well.

Share

Tweet

End of Year Tour - Springboks vs Wales

I've had a lot of requests for highlights of the Springboks vs Wales game from last weekend. It's difficult to sing the Boks' praises for this game after watching them lose to the Barbarians so badly at Twickenham only a week later. The reality is that it was a different game completely, and in a lot of ways, a different Springbok side.

So, taking each game as different occasions and to be judged differently, here are the highlights of the Boks precision and execution of some wonderful tries.

With this display the South Africans showed why they are currently the best team in the world. Soaking up the pressure and defending with great understanding of each other, the Boks took every opportunity they got when getting into the Welsh half.

Precision does not begin to describe a few of these tries, particularly Jacques Fourie's second. Continuity was also oozing out of the Springboks game, as shown by the offloading to set up Fourie's first. John Smit's pass to put Habana into space was also an illustration of the confidence that this side currently has. Perfectly timed, Habana showed great hands though and darted into the outside gap for him to straighten and offload to JP Pietersen perfectly.

Wales competed manfully, but this Bok side had a lot still left in the tank and took their foot off the gas in the second half.

Despite the latest hiccup against the Barbarians, the current group of Boks are mostly a young side that will feature strongly in four years time in New Zealand. The majority will be there at the next World Cup and will no doubt carry the tag of World Champions with great pride and continue to produce attractive, exciting, and physical rugby for many years to come.

Share

Tweet