Toulouse win the Top 14 final against Clermont

Seven years after their last championship title Toulouse lifted their 17th "Bouclier de Brennus" on Saturday. Toulouse won with a 26-20 victory over ASM Clermont Auvergne at the Stade de France.

The losing Heineken Cup finalists scored two tries from hooker William Servat and fullback Maxime Médard, and the ASM captain, Aurélien Rougerie replied with two for Clermont. Toulouse edged ahead on 60th minute and put their Heineken Cup defeat to Munster behind them.

A relived Head Coach Guy Novès was proud of his team’s performance, “This season was so difficult. After our defeat in the Heineken Cup final, to have the will to come back and to win today against the favourites is fantastic. I’m proud of my players and my staff, they have really given everything today”.

Clermont couldn’t hide their misery after suffering their ninth loss in nine finals. The 2007 European Challenge Cup winners had led the Top 14 throughout the season only to fall at the final hurdle. Clermont captain Aurelien Rougerie tried to find something positive in defeat:

“I’m of course very disappointed. When you believe in something all season and then it disappears, it’s very difficult to accept. Every season we improve. We need to stay positive. What happened is not a fatality, one day I will win the Top 14 with Clermont.”

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Top 14 Final Preview
Napolioni Nalaga's two tries help Clermont to the Top 14 Final

Time: 05:04

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Wallabies too strong for France in Sydney

Australia recovered from a sloppy start to crush an under-strength France team 34-13 in Sydney on the weekend. The Wallabies, in only their second match under a new coach, Robbie Deans, struggled to find cohesion before finally clicking into gear and running in four tries in the last 45 minutes at Olympic stadium.

Matt Giteau, Nathan Sharpe, Rocky Elsom and Stirling Mortlock all crossed over as the Wallabies fell just short of their record 23-point winning margin over the French, the 35-12 World Cup final victory in 1999.

Deans said the Wallabies had shown some encouraging signs of improvement after their 18-12 victory over Ireland two weeks ago but they still had plenty to work on.

"That was an improved performance," he said at a news conference. "We sustained our attack for longer.We made a few mistakes in the first half but showed a bit more patience in the second and were able to profit from that."

France, which had to field a weakened team, with many top players having club commitments, scored a late consolation try through its debutant winger, Alexis Palisson, after Dimitri Yachvili landed two first-half penalties.

Coach Marc Lièvremont conceded that his inexperienced team had been outplayed, but he said he was proud of their effort.

"It was never going to be a case where we ran over the Wallaby forwards," Lièvremont said. "But there is still some satisfaction because there was a lot of courage in defence. There are a lot of sore players in the dressing room right now."

The match failed to reach great heights as both sides struggled to control possession in a first period punctuated by handling errors.

The second and final test is in Brisbane next week and will prove to be a warm-up for the Tri Nations for the Wallabies, and a game in which the French have nothing to lose, so we may well see an improved performance by them.


Time: 05:17

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Italy stun Argentina with a last minute win in Cordoba

Italian replacement Leonardo Ghiraldini scored a last minute try that set up a dramatic 13-12 victory over Argentina in Cordoba, stunning the hosts who had led for the entire match.

The game was dominated by the forwards and produced very little of the free flowing rugby that we were hoping to see from a young Italian side with nothing to lose, and the Pumas who are ranked third in the world, with star flyhalf Juan Martin Hernandez starting the match.

Referee Matt Goddard captured most of the attention though, giving 30 penalties during the match that was anything but the spectacle we had all anticipated. Perfect weather conditions didn’t deter both teams from keeping it up front and turning it into, quite frankly, a boring game for the neutral.

The half time score of 12-3 had Argentina in control after two penalty kicks each from Hernandez and Bosch, to the one from Marcato.

Hernandez leaving the field with a wrist injury more than likely threw the home side off their game, with replacement Bosch later missing two penalties after Marcato reduced the deficit to six points in the 50th minute.

Argentina paid for those missed kicks after Italy surged forward and managed to drive over on the third attempt with Ghiraldini scoring the try that set up Marcato’s vital match winning kick.

With the score at 12-11 to Argentina, the pressure on the Treviso flyhalf had no affect as he duly slotted the conversion, sparking celebrations amongst the jubilant Italians, and misery for the home team and crowd who must have been wondering just what went wrong.


Final Score: 13-12 to Italy
Time: 04:45

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Top 14 Final preview - Toulouse vs Clermont

The Stade de France in Paris will on Saturday play host to the climax of the French rugby season – the final of the Top 14. Toulouse and Clermont will meet in front of 80 000 passionate fans to compete for the the prestigious Bouclier de Brennus and claim the title of the best team in France.

Toulouse are still bearing the scars of their dramatic loss in the Heineken Cup, and have not won the French title in seven years. They will be as hungry as ever as they look to end the season on a high, with 80 vital minutes of rugby ahead that will determine if the season was a success or failure. It’s as simple as that unfortunately.

Clermont themselves have struggled to capture the elusive title, having appeared in the final an incredible eight times, all of which were unsuccessful and were all narrow losses. A ninth time would be devastating for the loyal fans who’ve turned up to support their side with such vigour all season.

The two esteemed clubs have met three times previously in the final, first in 1994, then 1999, and then the last time Toulouse won the championship, in 2001. This season though, Clermont have had the measure of their rivals on two occasions, winning 21-17 in Clermont and 23-11 in Toulouse.

Some say Clermont should be favourites this time around because they come in fresher, both from having the extra rest day, and more importantly, after Toulouse’s long and exhausting European campaign.

If this season is anything to go by though, we’re sure to see a festival of running rugby with both teams filled with tremendous athletes and a high try scoring record.

This video is a nice little preview to the final, featuring some of the best moments from both teams this season. Some of the tries that have been scored are phenomenal, so lets hope we see more of the same in the final tomorrow. Predictions anyone, or too close to call?

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Aurilien Rougerie classy double vs Toulouse
Vincent Clerc finishes a great Toulouse try
Cedric Heymans magnificent solo try for Toulouse

Time: 03:24

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Daniel Carter signs with Perpignan in France

Perpignan have ended month’s of speculation about the imminent move of All Black flyhalf superstar Dan Carter to France. Carter will join the club in the approaching season under a ‘sabbatical’ arrangement approved by the New Zealand Rugby Union.

Carter, regarded as the best No. 10 in world rugby, will join Perpignan after the All Blacks' tour to Britain in November and will resume his New Zealand international duties in June next year.

He will miss next year's Super 14 tournament but return with an eye to retaining his position for the All Blacks early season internationals -- despite having played practically non-stop for 18 months.

With all the talk of Carter more than likely going to Toulon, where fellow Kiwi Tana Umaga is the coach and Jerry Collins has recently signed, Carter chose a team that will be in the Heineken Cup and expose him to that level of play.

"Basically, if I am going to play rugby in Europe I want to test myself against the best Europe can offer and I am excited about the challenges both the Top 14 and European Cup will bring."

Carter is the first All Black to be granted a so-called sabbatical by the New Zealand Rugby Union, which allows him to take advantage of a lucrative offer from European clubs while remaining contracted to New Zealand.

Captain Richie McCaw has a similar clause in his recently agreed contract but said he has no current plans to play overseas.

"I have done plenty of research on both Toulon and Perpignan and whilst I have no doubt I would have enjoyed Toulon, Perpignan's qualification for next year's European Cup swayed my decision."

The value of Carter's contract with Perpignan had not been revealed, but published reports had estimated it to be in excess of US$1 million.

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Jerry Collins' shock retirement from New Zealand rugby
All Black Nick Evans off to Harlequins

Time: 02:02

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New TMO jurisdiction allows Sharks to seal a late win

Earlier this month a special IRB dispensation was made which allows the powers of the television match official (TMO) to be extended significantly. It is currently being trialled in South Africa’s Currie Cup competition, which kicked off on Friday, and saw the first game’s result being dramatically affected by the new ruling.

The experimental ruling gives the TMO more power than what he used to have, which was basically confined to making a decision regarding the scoring of a try.
Now, he may be referred to for an incident that occurred in a previous phase of play, anywhere on the field, as opposed to the in goal area only as in the past.

This means that not only can the referee get the TMO to check if the try was awarded fairly; it also means that at any point in the game, he can check if there has been a forward pass, a knock-on, obstruction or if any other offences transpired.

In the instance of a suspicion of foul play, he can refer to the man upstairs who will then ask the producer to rewind back to the previous phase of play and give his recommendation.

On the weekend’s game we saw this in action for the first time, as the Sharks and Western province were tied at 25-25 with less than three minutes remaining. The referee got a flag from the touch judge, who suspected unlawful use of the boot. The suggestion was then made to use the television match official to check if this was in fact correct.

After reviewing the footage, the TMO’s findings were that there was in fact trampling close to a player’s face, which resulted in a penalty to the Sharks. The vital decision meant that scrum half Rory Kockott had the pressure kick to win the game, which he duly slotted, which meant the Sharks came out winners.

This system has also been used in France for foul play, and to re-iterate, is purely on a trial basis in the Currie Cup only at this stage. It has its merits, with the goal in mind being that we all want the correct decision to be made, and dirty play needs to be stamped out of the game.

Will it slow the game down drastically though, with TMO’s taking ages over decisions, thus killing the game for the spectator? Time will tell.


Time: 03:16
Note: The video quality is a little choppy on this one. Apologies in advance.

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Young Calum Clark red carded for a head butt - JWC

Young England flank Calum Clark let himself and his team mates down on Sunday as he was red carded for a head butt in the final of the Junior World Championship against the junior All Blacks in Swansea.

Clark, who at 18 became the youngest forward to start a Guinness Premiership match when he made his debut for Leeds Carnegie last year, has been part of the Leeds Academy system since he was 14, and is regarded as an up and coming star of the English game.

He did his reputation no good on the weekend though, as after already having been penalised and spoken to earlier on for foul play, he decided that with 15 minutes left in the game and his team down by 20, it was necessary to fly into a maul, leading with the head, ala Epi Taione.

The red card ensued, and Clark marched off thinking he’d done nothing wrong, despite making contact with the New Zealand player's head not once, but twice.

After not having seen much of Clark in action, incidents like this do very little towards gaining respect for a young man who, more than likely, has a lot of talent and potential. Rugby isn't a popularity contest, but a man's character and the first impression goes a long way towards cementing a fanbase and gaining widespread recognition. The reaction from him, considering his age, was pretty appalling too.

Let's hope in the future we see more of this highly regarded youngster, but for all the right reasons.

New Zealand went on to win 38-3 and lift the inaugural Junior World Championship trophy. We’ll try get some of the best tries from the game up on here soon.

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NZ Maori Haka vs Samoan Siva Tau - Pacific Nations Cup

The Pacific Nations Cup has thrown up some great encounters over the past few weeks, and not only during play, but more spectacularly - pre kick-off.

Recently we saw the Maori team go face to face with the Fijian Cibi in front of a cheering home crowd in Lautoka. This time around it was the Maori's that took on Samoa, and the traditional Siva Tau challenge.

Once again, the Maori team, led here by Hosea Gear, changed their Haka slightly, with a few new moves in there that surely adds to the public's interest, and quite possibly poses a challenge for the more clumsy of players (they stick them at the back I bet).

The 'Manu Siva Tau', performed by the Samoans, is another of the great South Sea Island traditions that is unique to their land and presents the imminent threat that is the physicality and competitiveness of the men who so proudly wear that famous blue jersey.

The prematch encounter ended with a bang, but after kick off it was the New Zealand Maori that made it three out of three and won the game 17-6.

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England Saxons beat Scotland A to win the Churchill Cup

After a very forgettable week for English rugby union, the country's second-string team at least provided a positive ending by beating Scotland A in Chicago to claim a second consecutive Churchill Cup title, their fourth in six years.

While attention had been squarely focused across the Pacific just hours earlier as the senior squad completed a tour of New Zealand that was disastrous in all respects, Steve Bates' Saxons rounded off their campaign in emphatic style with 20 unanswered points in the latter stages of the second half on Saturday night.

Tries for Nick Abendanon, Jordan Crane and Ugo Monye saw England pull clear of a Scotland second-string that had threatened an upset when they led midway through the second half. Ryan Lamb, the Gloucester fly-half, kicked 16 points for the Saxons, shading his personal duel with the Scots' No10, Gordon Ross of Saracens, who slotted 14 points.

"This squad has been an absolute pleasure to work with," said Bates, the Saxons head coach. "By winning the tournament we've achieved what we set out to do and played some great rugby.

"The Scots put in a very competitive performance and it took longer than we expected to break them down. But we stuck to our guns well and although it was a pretty even game for about an hour, we stepped it up after that."

Note: With thanks to the Guardian.

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England Saxons off to a good start at the Churchill Cup
Tom Croft 60m winning try - Churchill Cup 2007

Time: 06:38

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Napolioni Nalaga's two tries help Clermont to the Top 14 Final

Clermont have secured themselves another shot at the French Top 14 title after crushing Perpignan 21-7 in the first of the Semi-Finals this past weekend. The victory was in part due to the Fijian flyer Napolioni Nalaga, who scored two good tries on the day.

The atmosphere at a boiling Stade Velodrome in Marseille was festive to say the least, as 55 000 colourful fans packed the stadium knowing that a place in the prestigious final was 80 minutes away for one of the two star teams.

After 22 minutes though, when Nalaga scored his first, you could see the writing was on the wall as Clermont showed their dominance over their forward based opposition. Their multicultural backline - featuring an Australian, Italian, South African, Fijian and Frenchmen - shone as they went about the task of doing the business on Perpignan, the fourth place team who they were a whole 17 points ahead of on the log.

Nalaga’s first try looked easy, as he simply brushed aside a feeble tackle from Nicolas Laharrague that, for a man of the Fijian’s strength and balance, had no chance of ever fazing him. The powerful hand-off allowed him to scoot down the line and dot down for his 17th try of the season.

With the halftime score at 16-0, the game looked all but over, and when seven minutes after the break Nalaga was released again just inside his own half, the ominous reality for Perpignan was that another try was on the cards. A simple one on one with their replacement winger Christophe Manas was not enough to stop the big man Nalaga, as he brushed him aside and dived over, taking his tally for the season to 18 tries, easily the front runner in the Top 14.

This boy is a star in the making, if not one already, and as we’ve said before, is one to watch and someone Clermont will do well to hang onto for the future.

This victory means that they will now meet Toulouse in the final of the Top 14, after they themselves beat Stade Francais, a game that we’ll try bring you the best bits from sometime this week.

Final Score: 21-7 to Clermont

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Time: 04:16

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Kankowski knocked out by Del Fava

A tackle or a shoulder charge? The referee thought the latter, and proceeded to yellow card Italian second-row Carlo del Fava following his knock out hit on Springbok & Sharks star Ryan Kankowski.

The electrifying number eight was playing in just his third Test for South Africa when he suffered a head on head collision with the oncoming Italian defence. Kankowski was out cold for a few minutes before he was able to be manoeuvred onto a stretcher and taken from the ground.

Del Fava looked to be unlucky to have received the sin-binning, with the clash of heads possibly causing more damage than the shoulder itself, and he showed remorse and genuine concern when standing to clap off the Bok flyer.

Kankowski recovered well though, and was actually sit up in the change room minutes after being carried off the ground. Despite this, medical protocol requires that he be properly assessed before he can be cleared to play again.

Up until a few years ago there was a mandatory two week suspension for concussion, but more recently cognitive tests have been introduced to determine the extent and nature of concussion. So Kankowski could theoretically be cleared to play in the Tri-Nations opener against New Zealand in Wellington on 5 July, and go on to play a vital role in the Springbok's 2008 Tri-Nations campaign.

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Kankowski gallops in for a great Sharks try

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All Blacks vs England highlights from Christchurch

In their second clash in two weeks, England and New Zealand met once again, each with their own points to prove. Though both teams had plenty of opportunities to score, it was New Zealand's precision and execution that saw the All Blacks come out on top of with a convincing 44-12 score line.

Poor finishing from Tom Varndell and an unfortunate dropped ball from Matthew Tait saw a guaranteed 10 points slip through England's grasp in the first forty minutes of the match. Defensively, once again, England struggled to contain the likes of Daniel Carter (who managed an individual haul of 22 points on the night), Ma'a Nonu and debutant Richard Kahui in the midfield.

Problems for England but not so for the All Blacks, managing five tries this week (one more than last week) and demonstrating why they have the reputation as being the most clinical rugby team in the world, even after not taking all of the chances presented to them. Overall, they were simply too good for the opposition on the night, and despite being physically tested for two weeks, take the series 2-0 without too much trouble.

England now head home with a lot to think about, and for a well earned rest, while New Zealand goes on to the 2008 Tri-Nations with the enduring pain of 2007 finally starting to fade away.

Final Score: 44-12

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Time: 05:14

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South Africa vs Italy highlights from Cape Town

It was a tight, often untidy affair as the world champion Springboks overcame the Azzurri 26-0 at a rain lashed Newlands Stadium in Cape Town.

South Africa showed promise in both the tight drives and the loose interplay though could not stop the conditions from affecting multiple handling errors at crucial times. Francois Steyn, who started in the number 10 shirt, scored the try of the game following some vintage play from 2007's Player of the Year Bryan Habana, who had gone under the radar somewhat in the previous two Tests.

Habana beat numerous defenders, before Steyn backed himself with a kick through, then scooped the ball up with ease before diving over for a top quality try.

Bismarck Du Plessis found himself with a brace of tries, both from powerful lineout drives while Tendai "The Beast" Mtawarira got himself on the end of a sweeping Springbok attack to touch down for his first ever Springbok try.

Italy, on the other hand, competed where they could with flyhalf Luke McLean using his boot to control the play when possible. Apart from Alessandro Zanni holding his own against the likes of Luke Watson of South Africa, the Italians struggled to match their opponents in tight situations.

That said, playing the world champions in their own backyard is never going be easy and this should be seen as a building block towards an improved showing against Los Pumas in Argentina next weekend.

Springbok captain Victor Matfield admitted, "We won't be able to do that against the All Blacks," but will no doubt be happy with the win, despite coasting for most of the game.


Time: 04:29

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Richard Kahui & Matthew Tait's big headclash

The second test between New Zealand and England was, despite the final score, a physically demanding game that left it's toll on both teams. One of the biggest clashes of the night, if not the biggest, was when star debutant Richard Kahui flew into Matthew Tait, head first.

Kahui flew into Tait with force, but simply went too high, and with Tait ducking slightly, the result was a header to Tait's face that would have done a football striker proud.

Kahui attended to Tait immediately, as both players were left bleeding, with Tait coming off significantly worse, with blood seemingly coming from under his eye, his nose, and even his mouth. It was a horrific clash and one that left the young fullback looking like he'd done a round in the boxing ring.

"He has a pretty nasty gash," said England caretaker coach Rob Andrew.

"It was a pretty unfortunate incident. I don't think there was any intent there and it was just a clashing of heads.

"It looked pretty nasty but is not as bad as we initially feared."

Bruised, bloodied, and shaken, Tait, who once again looked dangerous with ball in hand, left the field with his face in tatters, and will no doubt have a horrible headache in the morning.


Time: 02:58

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All Blacks Haka vs England - 2nd Test

All Black flyhalf Danier Carter has once again notched up 22 points as the home team marched on to defeat England 2-0 in the two test series in New Zealand, winning convincingly 44-12 on the night.

The game was physical as always and left plenty of casualties as players from both teams suffered in the injuries department. Most notable for New Zealand was the loss of key men Ali Williams and Richie McCaw, both with leg injuries.

Matthew Tait also left the field after taking a terrible knock from debutant centre Richard Kahui.

Kahui, a surprise selection for many, was highly successful in his first game in the black jersey, and contributed to an overall solid performance from the All Blacks who ran in five tries to Englands two.

We'll get clips and a full report up from the game in the next day or so, but for now, here's the Haka for those of you who enjoy watching it.

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Friday Funnies - Commentators oogling the Cheerleaders

A few years ago in the NPC while these lovely Auckland cheerleaders were entertaining the crowd pre-match, the New Zealand commentators obviously forgot that their microphones were still on.

As the girls gyrated back and forth, pom poms in free-flow and behinds shaking like there’s no tomorrow, the boys in the box just couldn’t help themselves.

Most notably it sounded like Tony Johnson who got a real thrill out of it, while the silence from the others perhaps said more than words alone could.

Eventually the silence turned into grunts, and the delight of the men upstairs filtered through as one pretty blonde in particular strutted her stuff.

It’s funny hearing grown professionals sounding like hormone fuelled teenagers, but at the same time is nice to know that the guys we often complain about, are just human after all.

Enjoy the weekend, and come back soon as we have another action packed few days of quality rugby coming up.

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Why I Love Rugby

We come from different backgrounds, from different parts of the world. We're of different age groups and have different beliefs. We're all essentially very different. But one thing we do have in common, is that we all love rugby.

That’s why you’re sitting where you are right now. That’s why thousands, from far reaches of the globe, are doing exactly the same thing. We can’t get enough of it. It’s in our blood. Every moment of this game is special to us. Every tackle, every try, every run, every step – it’s what makes rugby what it is - the most enjoyable sport in the world.

This awesome video, made by one of our regulars, is a brilliant summary of all things special in rugby. The power, the skill, the showmanship – it’s all in there, and it makes for a really well made compilation video that will no doubt touch you in some small way.

There will be a lot of clips in here that you may have already seen, but with the way it's packaged, they’re worth seeing again. There’s even one or two League clips thrown in, as, running with ball in hand and stepping your man is good to watch in either code of the game.

All in all, we hope you enjoy this video, and if you, like us, think it’s a great format for another Rugbydump series, then let us know and we’ll consider putting a number two together. Who knows where it can go from there.

Enjoy.


My Sacrifice by Creed
Time: 04:59
Note: Thanks to Chris for the great vid

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NZ Maori Haka vs Fijian Cibi - Pacific Nations Cup

In atrocious conditions that came close to being unplayable, New Zealand Maori edged out Fiji 11-7 in their Pacific Nations Cup encounter at a drenched Churchill Park in Lautoka, Fiji, on Saturday.

The game almost didn’t happen because of the weather in fact, but the decision was made to continue with it and when it did, it started off with the brilliant display of two traditional war dances going head to head, 20 meters apart from each other.

The Maori team start off, then as you hear the roar of the crowd, that’s when the Fijians start their challenge, the Cibi.

It’s a great moment as the Maori, led by Piri Weepu, seemingly pause to take in the challenge and wait for the Fijians to finish, then they continue with their version of the Haka, the Timatanga.

The weather seems to add to the atmosphere too, so sit back and enjoy as it’s a pretty special sight watching these two teams perform their great traditions, especially in times of such professionalism and changes in rugby.


Note: The audio problems at the beginning were part of the feed, so unavoidable unfortunately.
Time: 3:20

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Midweek Madness - The Denis Leamy head tap

Denis Leamy, despite seeming pretty serious and all about the hard work on the field, must surely been one of those players who behind the scenes, is actually somewhat of a character and has quite a sense of humour. I don’t know much about him personally, so those who know more will be able to confirm whether that’s true or not.

One thing that can be confirmed though is the absurdity of what’s shown in this short funny clip from last weekend’s test match between Australia & Ireland.

Leamy took it upon himself to find a whole new way of distracting the opposition scrumhalf, which, on this occasion, meant tapping Luke Burgess on the head when he was about to pass the ball out from the bottom of the ruck.

We saw Leamy trying something new with his bunny hopping madness at the back of the scrum in the past, but this is new tactic, a funny tactic, and one that I bet kids around the world will be haunting referees with after seeing this clip.

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Denis Leamy's bunny hopping-madness at the back of the scrum

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Maxime Medard's sublime solo effort vs Bourgoin

This superb piece of running comes from the recent Top 14 game between Toulouse and Bourgoin, in which the home side Toulouse came out overwhelming winners 57-14.

Eight tries were scored, and this was just one of those as Toulouse completely outplayed Bourgoin on their way to victory.

Flying French winger, playing fullback on the day, Maxime Medard scored the try of the game as he got the ball in his own half and took off, beating defenders with his great running lines and excellent balance when gliding through the gaps like a slalom skier.

As I've said in the past, when we see top players on form like this they make the game look so easy, and it can often be misinterpreted as bad defence. But, if it were so bad, everyone would score tries like this, so I always think it's best to just appreciate it for what it is, and on this occasion, acknowledge a great try, and a fine player in the making.

Expect to see much more of the kid with the massive side burns in the future, as he’s only 22 and has heaps of talent and speed to burn.

Note: It's only a short clip unfortunately, and commentary wasn't the original, so some music has been thrown on it.

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Lote Tuqiri smashes Jerry Flannery at the final whistle

If you watched Saturday’s test between the Wallabies and Ireland all the way to the end, as I trust you did, you would have seen a few huge hits flying in from the home team as time ran out.

Ireland, who had fought so bravely throughout, tried desperately to keep the ball alive and get down field for a winning score, but it was not to be, as the only big event at the end of the match was this devastating hit by Lote Tuqiri on Irish hooker Jerry Flannery.

Flannery got a horrible high pass which he had to jump up to take. Lote saw the opportunity present itself, and flew in at Flannery, smashing him to the ground and giving the Victorian crowd something else to cheer about as their team came out on top.

Watch the hit, and then keep an eye on Flannery as play goes on. This one really hurt, as I'd say most one on one encounters with Lote Tuqiri would.

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Simon Webster's spine tingling hit against Argentina

On the weekend we saw Scotland achieve a historic win over Argentina in Buenos Aires. It was a physical game, as it always is when you play Los Puma’s, and despite the final score, the Scots will have known they were in a fierce battle when waking up the next morning.

One of the biggest hits of the match came from a surprising source though. When you think of the words Scotland and big hits, you immediately think of Jason White. But no, this came from none other than little wing Simon Webster.

Webster was penalised for this bone-crunching hit on Federico Aramburu, who had just come on to the field as a replacement.

The tackle was aimed at the chest but ended up being marginally high, with a penalty probably being a fair call, and neither touch judge getting involved or recommending a yellow, as can sometimes happen.

Whatever the call though, the impact was huge as the ball popped out of Aramburu’s arms, which all added to a great tackle to watch, but one you’d rather not be on the receiving end of.

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Anthony Tuitavake big tackling against England

All Black winger Anthony Tuitavake has shown us on numerous occasions this season that besides his electric speed and stepping, something he's also quite lethal with is his tackling.

We saw it on Odwa Ndungane earlier this year, and he repeated it against the English on Saturday.

The first was on fullback Mike Brown, and was actually very similar to the Ndungane hit. Tuitavake used his speed to get up there and put pressure on, effecting a solid tackle.

The then took Strettled to the ground, albeit not incredibly hard, but he made his presence felt and let the opposition backs know he was around.

The third hit in this clip is on James Haskell, and the thing about this one, was you could hear the impact as Tuitavake flew into him at speed from far as he seemingly tripped over a player on the ground.

Some nice hits, enhancing the adage that wings aren't there just for scoring tries.

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Chris Paterson helps Scotland to a historic win over Argentina

Chris Paterson celebrated his record-breaking 88th cap by inspiring a young Scotland team to a historic 26-14 victory over Argentina in Buenos Aires on the weekend. The win, which avenged last week's 21-15 loss, tied the two-game Test series and was Scotland's first win over Argentina for 18 years, and their first on Argentinian turf.

Paterson contributed 13 points in a memorable match in which he also overtook Scott Murray's cap tally. With metronomic consistency, the Gloucester man kicked 14 points as Scotland took a 19-0 lead – with Ross Ford touching down for the only first-half try.

Northampton lock Ignacio Fernandez Lobbe, playing his last Test before retiring from international rugby at the age of 33, finished a fine counter-attacking move to give Argentina a lifeline but Scotland's quick, crisp passing kept the visitors firmly in the driving seat.

Any notion of a dramatic Argentina comeback was banished when Dan Parks made a great interception in his own half and ran 40 metres before offloading to Graeme Morrison to rush through between the posts.

Horacio Agulla's last-minute touch down and a Todeschini conversion took the shine of Scotland's day by denying them the 15-point margin required to achieve an improved IRB ranking.

Coach Frank Hadden was quick to praise his young teams turnaround after their loss last week.

"We are delighted," he said. "After the frustration of last week it is testament to the confidence and self-belief in the whole squad.

"We had the youngest squad in the World Cup, we were the youngest in the Six Nations and we have an even younger squad for this tour."

"It is important not to underestimate the size of the achievement," added Hadden. "We were the only northern hemisphere team winning a Test match against a southern hemisphere team today and that was against the third best rugby country in the world.

:: Related Posts ::
Argentina at home victorious over Scotland
Chris Paterson's still got the gas

Time: 06:16

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Springboks do enough to beat Wales and take the series

South Africa stuttered to a 37-21 victory over the Six Nations Champions at Loftus Versveld in Pretoria on Saturday. The win means that the Boks take the series 2-0, but were their own worst enemies as the Welsh defended stoutly and refused to let them repeat their exploits of the week prior.

Early tries from Jean De Villiers and Ricky Januarie had it looking like we’d see another rout from the home side, but Wales came back nicely with a stunning try by scrum half Gareth Cooper after some quick thinking at the front of the lineout.

The first twenty minutes of the game saw South Africa experimenting with an expansive game that saw some intricate backline moves and very little structure, exactly what won them the World Cup last year. It didn’t work and it was clear to see that they’d need to change tactics if they wanted to secure the win, with the turning point in the match being Cooper’s try.

The gutsy Welsh defence, who only conceded two tries during the entire Six Nations campaign, was as strong as ever, and a far more difficult nut to crack this week than last.

The brilliance of Shane Williams, (and a lovely kick ahead for him by Bakkies Botha!) put Wales in the lead after 32 minutes. Williams scooped up the loose ball with ease, then shot down the left wing with four would-be defenders ahead of him. He darted inside, then out, dazzling them with his speed and proven finishing ability from open play to score a memorable Welsh try, adding to his prolific try scoring ratio.

It wasn't enough though, as the Boks brought on fresh replacements in the second half, which brought with them added impetus and control. Another close range try for De Villiers, some good kicking by ever impressive flyhalf Butch James, and a late try from Bismarck Du Plessis all meant that it was job done, and a successful series win for new coach Peter De Villiers.

PLEASE NOTE: This video has been removed by Mediazone, who own the rights to the footage and no longer allow us to use it. Apologies from our side.

:: Related Posts ::
South Africa overpower Wales 43-17
End of year tour - Boks vs Wales

Time: 07:19

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Australia pushed all the way by Ireland in Melbourne

The new era of Australian rugby has begun in positive fashion as coach Robbie Deans started his tenure in charge with a hard fought 18-12 victory over Ireland in Melbourne’s Telstra Dome on Saturday.

A 15-7 halftime lead had the Wallabies in control, but Ireland came back strongly and threatened to ruin the party for the home team with some great play by fullback Rob Kearney and loose forwards Jamie Heaslip and Stephen Ferris in particular.

Australia looked rusty, and why wouldn’t they, after assembling only 12 days before the start of their international season, with their coach having joined the squad shortly after masterminding another successful Crusaders Super 14 win.

All credit to the Irish though, who proved they’re no pushovers and through a lack of precision just weren’t good enough on the night.

“To get through that, there was some good defence. It looked tenuous at times but that's the nature of Test rugby: it's never one-way traffic,” said Wallabies coach Deans.

“They will be sore this morning. It's a good feeling when you wake up sore and know you've done the business.

“You have to work hard for a Test win. You never get given a Test victory. It was gutsy stuff.”

Ireland dominated the closing stages, but Australia held firm to keep out the Irish who will feel that this was another one that got away.

All four tries are shown in this clip.


Time: 05:10

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New Zealand punish England 37-20 in Auckland

New Zealand outscored England by four tries to two in their 37-20 win in Auckland on Saturday. Fly-half Dan Carter finished with 22 points, including a try, as the All Blacks recorded a fifth straight victory over England since a June 2003 loss in Wellington.

One positive for England was debutant winger Topsy Ojo touching down twice with two well taken tries, but in reality, neither came from great English play.

“We're disappointed with the end result and really, when you analyze it, they were better with the ball than we were and that was the difference,'' Rob Andrew, tour coach and England's elite rugby director, told the BBC.

England took an early 6-3 lead after a powerful start from the forwards which saw Olly Barkley kicking two penalties either side of Carter's first score. New Zealand then took control as Conrad Smith and Carter touched down during an 11-minute period during which the hosts scored 20 points.

It was clinical finishing by the All Blacks, who scored some classy tries, making the defence look amateurish, with Ma’a Nonu in particular enjoying running at Charlie Hodgson.

The late try by Ojo improved a score that perhaps threatened to get out of control at one stage, but the victory was there for the men in black, who controlled things from virtually ten minutes into the game after seeing off the English powerful onslaught.

"The boys agree this was the most physical game of the year so far," All Blacks captain Richie McCaw said. "It was a tough test. Parts of our game were good. We took some opportunities when we got them and overall we're happy."

The second test is at Christchurch next Saturday, where England will surely have to work hard on their defence if they want to keep out the pace and power of the New Zealand backs in particular.

Note: All the tries from the game are included in this clip.

:: Related Posts ::
All Blacks Haka vs England - 1st Test

Time: 06:44

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Final whistle fight after dramatic win by the Welsh under 20's

In the IRB Junior World Championships in Swansea, Wales, on saturday, the host nation scored a dramatic injury time try to break French hearts and put themselves through to the Semi Finals, but the victory was marred by a mass brawl after the final whistle.

France had led 19-9 before Wales delighted the crowd with a rousing fightback.

First came a penalty try awarded by Australian referee James Leckie as Wales piled pressure on the French defence, then late into injury time, an unusual six minutes over normal time, the young Welshmen swung the ball wide where players queued up to score with Leigh Halfpenny touching down for the most remarkable on endings to a game.

The final whistle blew and Wales rejoiced, but what was to follow was an unsightly scrap that I can only think was sparked by the frustrations with the ref. One thing more bizarre than the long period of added time, was the manner in which the Welsh captain was pulled away from the interview by an IRB official mid sentence. Possibly to prevent the likelihood of further altercations.

NOTE: We have the long version of the video up again.


Time: 05:00

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All Blacks Haka vs England - 1st Test

Dan Carter orchestrated a convincing 37-20 win for New Zealand over England at Eden Park, Auckland a little earlier today.

Carter scored 22 points with a try and seven successful kicks at goal. He was as good as his counterpart Charlie Hodgson was poor.

England's flyer Topsy Ojo managed two tries, but that was not enough as the All Blacks dominated after a good start from the English forwards. Dan Carter and the rest of the backs showed their class with some lethal finishing.

We'll have a full report and best bits up for you soon, but for now, here's the Haka for those who missed it.

Note: We'll do our best to get clips from all the other Test matches taking place, so check back soon.

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Random tries from the IRB Junior World Championship

The IRB Junior World Championship is currently taking place in Wales, with under 20 teams from all over taking part in a fantastic tournament that has had talent a plenty on show and has been highly enjoyable to watch.

With the way rugby is going these days, professional players are getting younger and younger, therefore, this Championship boasts a number of top flight players on teams such as Australia, New Zealand and England to name a few.

That means that the standard is high, and the competition ferocious, with the top sides already having notched up big scores against teams that seemingly have a huge lack of depth.

The next round of matches take place tomorrow, on Saturday, when the pool stages come to an end. In Pool A New Zealand meet Argentina and Ireland face Tonga, both at Cardiff Arms Park.

Pool B sees Samoa facing South Africa in what should be a bruise fest, and the USA face Scotland, both games being played at the Racecourse Ground in Wrexham.

England meet Australia while Canada face Fiji in Pool C at Newport's Rodney Parade, and France tackle hosts Wales and Italy meet Japan in Pool D at Liberty Stadium in Swansea.

If you're close to any of those areas, get along for the games as tickets are cheap and the rugby is top class.

The four Pool winners will then progress to the semi-finals on Wednesday, June 18, with the other teams playing off for the other placing from fifth to 16th on the two remaining match days.

After many requests for footage, we’ve thrown together this basic video that shows tries from each of the participating nations. Furthermore, we'll do our best to bring you footage from the Semi's and Final as they happen.


When You Were Young by The Killers
Time: 03:38
Credit: With thanks to the IRB
Read a detailed preview of tomorrow's games here

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Friday Funnies - Os Du Randt dreaming of burgers

We like to have a bit of a laugh on Fridays here on Rugbydump. It's a nice way to end a busy week and let the good times commence ahead of a great weekend.

There will be some fierce battle's tomorrow taking place across planet. From the Churchill Cup to the U20 Junior World Championships, the action will be tense as ever, not to mention the much anticipated second weekend of the June Tour matches, that are sure to get most of the focus and scrutiny on Monday.

This short clip is our chuckle for today though, and comes from a Tri Nations game a few years back in Australia, between the Wallabies & the Springboks.

With South Africa on attack in a tight game, big Os Du Randt finds himself in a bit of space with great momentum going forward. The nice pass comes to him from Montgomery, but Os just can't help but be put off by the imposing figure of Matt Giteau coming at him.

Again, Matt Giteau coming at him. Matt Giteau vs Os Du Randt... Well, Os dropped the ball , and this sharp comment came in from Aussie commentator Simon Poidevin (edit) who lets us know where Os's mind really is.

Enjoy the weekend, and if anyone's mates with Os, please don't give him my contact details.

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Mathieu Bastareaud red card - U20 World Championships

Powerful centre Mathieu Bastareaud was one of France’s most impressive players at the u20 Six Nations earlier this year, and is already a senior Stade Francais regular in the Top 14. He’s talented and elusive, and clearly throws his hefty 110kg frame around the field, which proved to be his downfall this a few days ago.

Against Italy in the current Under 20 World Championships in Wales, Bastareaud found himself receiving his marching orders after he was adjudged to have committed a dangerous spear tackle, worthy of a red card.

The young Fijian touch judge James Bolabiu felt that the tackle was malicious and made that recommendation to Ref Tim Hayes.

The ensuing disciplinary hearing, that took place at the Millenium Stadium earlier today, resulted in Bastareaud receiving a one week suspension, making him unavailable for the match against Wales on the weekend. He has 48 hours to appeal the ruling.

Commentator Gareth Llewellyn absolutely disagrees with the decision on the field, disputing whether it was actually a spear tackle of not. Momentum, the other centre being involved, and the power of Bastareaud may all have contributed to the manner in which the Italian player came down.

His hips where above his head and the result is that he landed dangerously. How he got there, and the other factors involved, well, that's not for us to decide, and the independent judicial officer's decision was a one week ban.

Opinions will vary though I'm sure.

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Rugbydump Promo 2008

With Rugbydump having been around for two years now, our success relies on, as always, the support of the community. If you guys keep returning, we’ll keep delivering the best rugby clips on the internet.

Word of mouth has always been a big part of us getting the name out there. We’d like to think that when you come across a great video on the site, you forward the link to a friend, a colleague, your old man, or even your rugby club.

With that in mind, we’ve created a commemorative promo clip that we’re hoping will be spread far and wide across the rugby community, no matter where in the world you may be.

So watch the video, and if you enjoy it and think it’s a good representation of what we do, then please, download the video from the link below and email it on to all your contacts. Spam them if you must. It's a good kind of spam. Enjoyable spam, if you will.

If they’re not already RD regulars, we’re hoping this will in some way convince them to join us here on the Dump, where we go out of our way to bring you all the best rugby footage from across the universe on a daily basis.



DOWNLOAD NOW
Note: We've added a new download link so you can still grab the file.

The Slam by Toby Mac

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Midweek Madness - Dan Carter's sneaky trip on George Gregan

This short comical clip comes to us from the Tri Nations game between the All Blacks & the Wallabies in 2005.

Chirpy scrum half George Gregan gets a bit of his own medicine when normally shy and angelic New Zealand flyhalf Dan Carter can’t help but give in to a bit of temptation while stuck on the bottom of a ruck.

Carter sticks his leg out in a deliberate attempt to prevent Gregan from taking the quick tap. It works, with Gregan tripping and falling over amusingly, but unfortunately for Dan, it’s right in front of ref Tony Spreadbury.

Watch how Carter walks away on the first angle, chest puffed out, trying to look as innocent as possible as Spreaders heads over to chat with the captain.

:: Related Posts ::
Hilarious George Gregan on field ballet

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John Bentley wonder try vs Gauteng in 1997

Since I posted the British & Irish Lions Behind the Scenes clip, featuring Rob Howley's injury against Natal in 1997, there were a number of requests for this brilliant try that was scored by John Bentley on the same tour of South Africa.

Despite footage being surprisingly rare, we've managed to get a version of the try to share with those who have fond memories of it, as well as those who’ve never seen it before but really need to.

It was a special try scored by a man who off the field was quite a character. He was the life of the party, a real entertainer. Famed for being the joker on the tour, he did wonders for the team spirit amongst the boys from the British Isles on their historical tour back in ’97.

Bentley started in Rugby Union, being capped by England way back in 1988. He then took up League, which was professional in those days, and soon made the Great Britain team. When Union turned professional itself, he then came back, playing for Newcastle in 1996 before being selected for the British & Irish Lions tour of South Africa.

He wasn’t necessarily a first choice player, so took his chance with open arms when given it against the Gauteng Lions - now just called the Lions.

His 70 meter effort where he seemingly ran through and around virtually the whole team, will go down in Lions history as one of the most memorable tries ever scored.

It was a special moment on the tour and a great solo run from a long way back. For those who witnessed it live 11 years ago, myself included, it is a try that will never be forgotten.

Note: If anyone has longer/better footage of this try please don't hesitate to send it our way.

:: Related Posts ::
Behind the scenes - British & Irish Lions Tour 1997 vs Natal

Shiver by Coldplay

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