Murray Kinsella reports from Murrayfield

PAT LAM HAS targeted another Guinness Pro12 title next season after his side secured their first-ever trophy with a 20-10 win over Leinster in the 2016 decider in Edinburgh.

Lam has masterminded Connacht’s rise to Pro12 glory. Source: Billy Stickland/INPHO

Connacht had never before lifted silverware in their 130-year history, but a stunning attacking performance at Murrayfield saw them convincingly overcome favourites Leinster.

With the sound of Connacht fans singing ‘The Fields of Athenry’ filtering in from outside Murrayfield after the victory, head coach Lam outlined that this is only the beginning of the western province’s ambition.

“We’ve got a plan and we’re back [for pre-season] on June the 30th,” said Lam. “I’ve already set the goals for next year. Being realistic, we’ve got to go defend this and go back-to-back in the Pro12. It’s realistic for us to try and win it again.

“The second one is I want to try and get into the knock-out stages of the Champions Cup. I’ll put that out there now because come June the 30th, we start the work again. We continue what we’re building.

Lam, like his captain John Muldoon, expressed pride and joy at Connacht’s remarkable achievements this season, stating that his only period of worry today was when his side began to kick the ball early in the second half, inviting Leinster back into the game.

Lam said he has never doubted the way in which Connacht have gone about earning this glory, particularly their ambitious approach to attack.

“Not at all. I always like to think with the end in mind and then work my way back. I’ve said many times that I want us to be a team that can go through the opposition team, go around them or go over a team, because you can’t defend everything.

Try-scorers Niyi Adeolokun, Tiernan O’Halloran and Matt Healy. Source: James Crombie/INPHO

“You need systems and structures to do that so you can click into it when you recognise when it’s happening on the pitch.”

Lam also expressed pleasure at seeing captain John Muldoon lift a trophy after his 275th appearance for the province.

When the former Blues coach first arrived, he appointed Gavin Duffy, Michael Swift and Muldoon as his three captains, before realising that Muldoon was the man for the job.

The Connacht boss has also been thrilled to watch the 33-year-old learning new skills and being utterly comfortable in his side’s game plan.

“As I spent time here, I quickly realised this is the one,” said Lam of Muldoon. “This is the Connacht man. This is the chosen one to lead the group.

“I knew it was going to be a challenge because it’s a new style. People talk about teaching old dogs new tricks, but that’s wrong. I’m old too and I’m learning right through.

“I’m excited by where I could be in five years time, because I know I’m a better coach than I was last year and last week, a better coach than five years ago. The players are all learning and growing.”

Lam’s brilliant Connacht earn first-ever trophy with stunning win over LeinsterSensational Adeolokun try puts Connacht in the driving seat

SUPER RUGBY FANS have been getting used to Lionel Mapoe’s ‘chicken run’ celebration this season.

The Lions centre, who makes his first start for South Africa at 13 against Ireland tomorrow, has had plenty of opportunity to unleash his unique celebratory salute.

With nine tries in 11 starts, Mapoe is the leading try scorer in Super Rugby alongside the Sunwolves’ prolific Akihito Yamada.

One ventures that Joe Schmidt wouldn’t be the biggest fan of any of his players celebrating tries before they’ve even be scored but Mapoe is clearly a man enjoying his rugby.

The 27-year-old is having the season of his life and, after a debut of just three minutes off the bench against New Zealand in the Rugby Championship last year, he brings real confidence into tomorrow’s clash in Cape Town.

South African fans, like the Bulls follower below, will be hoping to get in on the ‘chicken run’ action.

While Mapoe wins cap number two, his Lions team-mate Faf de Klerk makes his Test debut at scrum-half for the Springboks in another selection that has excited South African rugby.

The 5’8″ livewire has also been in sensational form to help the Lions to the top of the South African conference before the Super Rugby break.

De Klerk is very much in the mould of a ‘classic’ scrum-half. He’s small, fiery, pacy, has an eye for a snipe and constantly looks to keep the tempo high. His selection is the strongest hint that new head coach Allister Coetzee sees his side moving in a new direction.

While the experienced Pat Lambie will provide some balance outside de Klerk, the Lions playmaker is unlikely to curb his attacking instincts.

On the Boks bench, Lions number eight Warren Whiteley was unlucky to miss out on starting, while replacement out-half Elton Jantjies would quite likely have been at 10 but for a recent string of injury issues.

Tighthead Julian Redelinghuys is another whose excellent Lions form sees him included and it is almost certain that all three will have some say in tomorrow’s contest.

Jantjies brings a box of tricks and an ever-growing tactical maturity at out-half, while Whiteley – who has passed more than he’s carried this season – is almost a complete hybrid between an abrasive back row and a multi-skilled centre.

Here, however, we focus on what starting pair Mapoe and de Klerk will bring to the party against Ireland.

Mapoe pace

The Lions have been a joy to watch this season and one reason for that is their clinical use of turnover possession.

De Klerk and Mapoe are utterly comfortable in the transition from attack to defence, with the outside centre particularly ruthless.

We see Mapoe involved twice in the passage above, with his long pass off his left hand releasing fullback Jaco van der Walt to break up the right-hand touchline. Perhaps the most notable aspect of the attack is Mapoe’s acceleration and sheer pace.

He finishes the score with a nice left-hand fend, but it’s the speed at which he moves after initially passing the ball that impresses most.

That pace is a key weapon for Mapoe and it can be very difficult, nigh on impossible, to contain in circumstances like those above. It almost goes without saying that Ireland cannot give up cheap turnover ball and an invitation to counter-attack tomorrow.

As we know, pace can be useless if the player who possesses it isn’t intelligent enough to utilise it in an ideal manner.

Mapoe, however, is hard working off the ball and invariably finds himself on the shoulder of line-breaking players.

His support play is superb, as we see in the instance above, and it’s something Ireland will have to be wary of.

Off-the-ball play works both ways, however, and Ireland can look to limit Mapoe’s influence with intelligent defensive play.

The clip above provides us with another example of Mapoe’s pace but we’re more interested in the actions of opposite number Jesse Kriel – who Mapoe beat for selection at 13 – in defence.

This linebreak comes from a scrum against the head – never easy to defend. It’s inside centre Rohan Janse van Rensburg who makes the bust inside Kriel, beating Jan Serfontein, but Kriel might feel he could have done more to hinder Mapoe’s run.

We can see above that Kriel is tracking Mapoe well initially, before the break inside him means he must spin and potentially tackle van Rensburg as he retreats.

However, Kriel recognises that his fullback, SP Marais, is advancing to hit van Rensburg.

Kriel’s next act must be to ensure that Mapoe does not have access to the ball, either by accelerating into the potential passing route or by leaning into Mapoe and nudging him away from the ball.

Kriel does neither, easing off slightly, and it’s Mapoe’s pace that wins out as he surges onto the pass and batters through the despairing arm tackle of Marais to finish with his trademark celebration.

Ireland’s midfielders, Robbie Henshaw in particular, will be aware of how potent Mapoe is in behind the defensive line with his support play.

Naturally, the ideal scenario is that the frontline is not breached at all in the first place, but off-the-ball work if and when that does occur could be subtly important.

Lines

Even when he is the man making the linebreak, Mapoe’s work off the ball is excellent.

He has produced 20 clean breaks in his 11 Super Rugby games this season, putting him joint-fourth in the overall standings alongside Damian McKenzie and Nemani Nadolo.

The Lions outside centre, who previously played for the Cheetahs and Bulls and spent the first portion of this year in Japan, picks outstanding lines to help him cut open the opposition defence with regularity.

Mapoe has a preference for straightening the line as his team plays from left to right and it’s a trend that Ireland will be aware of.

The above may seem very straightforward, which it is, but it’s a trait that pops up in Mapoe’s play over and over again. He invariably provides the straightening line as the Lions play from left to right.

With Piers Francis getting sat down by the decoy-running van Rensburg, indicated with the yellow circle above, the Blues are left with George Moala and Tevita Li marking up two-on-two with Courtnall Skosan [on the ball] and Mapoe here.

Moala is in a good position to deal with Skosan but already Li is slightly wide of Mapoe.

The Lions outside centre does not need a second invitation.

Even though the Blues have another defender wider to deal with the final attacking player, Li loses track of Mapoe and drifts past him.

With Mapoe having already changed his line, Li can’t adjust as Skosan releases the short pass and the Lions outside centre bursts through to finish strongly again.

It’s only a slight, slight change of angle from Mapoe but that’s all that is required.

We see a similar example in the very same game – Ireland’s defence is going to be a lot stronger than the Blues’ of course – as Mapoe subtly straightens to hammer onto a Jantjies pass for another score.

With Francis again taken out of the equation by van Rensburg’s decoy [yellow below], Moala has to turn back inside to line up Jantjies [red arrow], rather than being able to drift onto Mapoe.

Again, Mapoe identifies the opportunity rapidly and comes on a similar change of angle to exploit the sudden disconnect between Moala and Li.

This pattern is repeated throughout Mapoe’s involvements with the Lions, time and time again.

While it can sometimes appear that Mapoe has done very little for his linebreak other than turn on that impressive burst of acceleration he possesses, it is a skill.

De Klerk is the man with the linebreak assist in the instance above after he loops around Howard Mnisi and, once again, it’s Mapoe who provides the countering straightening line as the Lions play from left to right.

Luke Marshall, Henshaw and left wing Keith Earls, as well as fullback Jared Payne and Conor Murray sweeping across, will be keen to ensure that Mapoe doesn’t get a single opportunity in this regard tomorrow.

Once he’s in behind, Mapoe is very hard to stop.

With 15 offloads in his 11 games, Mapoe is joint-eighth in Super Rugby in this regard and that fact that he makes so many breaks means he can get the hands free.

The majority have come in cases like the one above, where Mapoe has beaten the defence and is offloading on the front foot to support players arriving onto the ball at speed.

However, there have been fleeting instance of Mapoe releasing the ball in the tackle when not in a dominant position. Marshall and Henshaw will certainly look to pressure Mapoe in the tackle and bring about some forced offloads that provide Ireland turnover ball.

Another thing the Irish midfield and backfield defenders will be keenly aware of is Mapoe’s preference for carrying the ball in his right hand.

As soon as possible, Mapoe transfers the ball to his right when carrying and it’s something Ireland’s defence will look to target.

There’s absolutely nothing new in being aware of and targeting an opposition player’s preferred ball-carrying side, but we see Mapoe stripped of possession by Javier Ortega Desio of the Jaguares.

Henshaw and Marshall will be searching for similar opportunities.

Sniper

Scrum-half de Klerk is in his third season of Super Rugby with the Lions and has been one of the stars of the competition in the South African conference.

He was exceptional last season as Johan Ackermann’s side grew but this campaign has underlined that the 24-year-old is far more than a flash in the pan.

As with Mapoe, pace is one of de Klerk’s key attributes and he loves to play the game at an extremely high tempo.

We get a typical example of what de Klerk brings in the clip above. He quick-taps the penalty within seconds of the whistle being blown and immediately burns past Rudy Paige – who benches at scrum-half for South Africa tomorrow.

In behind the Bulls, de Klerk then shows excellent composure to produce a firm left-handed pass on the move to reward Jaco Kriel – a Lions man who is perhaps unlucky to miss out on the Boks 23 – for his hard work in support.

It’s unclear at this stage exactly how much freedom head coach Coetzee is going to give his players, but all the mutterings so far suggest that the former Stormers boss wants to expand the Boks’ approach.

Certainly selecting de Klerk to play a more traditional South African game would make little sense. He is strong in prompting his forwards in their ball-carrying but his real strength lies in opening the game up.

He’s always willing to take slight risks in order to allow his team to attack and the quick-taps – another of which we see above – are never far from his mind.

Ireland will need to retreat 10 metres as swiftly as possible tomorrow when they concede penalties.

De Klerk’s pace obviously means he is very quick to get from ruck to ruck and his passing from the base has been crisp this season.

When passing directly away from the base of the ruck to provide that quick possession he tends to plant the heel of the foot furthest away from the ball, with his toes pointing upwards.

We see that stance above, with de Klerk’s left leg planted close to where he’s scooping the ball up from and his right leg pointing out towards the target of his pass. His right heel is planted into the ground, with the toes lifted up.

De Klerk’s stature, as well as his hard work on the training pitch and in the gym, endows him with an ideal low centre of gravity and his balance is excellent when passing from the base.

De Klerk doesn’t always simply pass from the base, however. We’ve already seen that he can release the ball on the move and Ireland’s fringe defenders will be wary of his arcing runs to either side of the ruck.

Above, we see him fire a sublime pass to beat the edge of the Bulls’ defence and allow the Lions to break.

Any glimpse of space for de Klerk and he will burst through with his pace, as we see below.

In this instance, Bulls lock RG Snyman lunges for de Klerk as the ball comes down from the lineout, prompting tailgunner Lappies Labuschagne to drift away from the back of the lineout.

De Klerk has the strength and acceleration to escape Snyman’s grip, however, and then darts through the gap opened up by Labuschagne drifting off. The Lions score on the very next phase.

While de Klerk may be asked by Coetzee to focus largely on providing that rapid passing service of his, the threat of his darting runs must be at the forefront of Ireland’s defenders on either side of the ruck.

Click Here: rugby store

De Klerk is always scanning for his chance and will even attempt to break down the most minuscule of blindside channels if he feels there is space to do so.

Kick counter

Kicking is a core part of any scrum-half’s repertoire and this is perhaps one area where Ireland will look for access into the game from de Klerk.

If Schmidt’s men can be well prepared and hard working in their kick return – an area of the game where they have not excelled under the Kiwi – then there may be opportunities to punish de Klerk’s kicking.

The Lions’ tactics often dictate that de Klerk should kick deep to the opposition but he rarely looks totally comfortable when putting boot to ball. In the instance above, he does find space but the circumstances of the kick are not ideal.

De Klerk is left-footed so Ireland will be keenly aware of that.

Note above how the scrum-half kicks without any ‘screen’ in front of him. In instances such as this, it’s always preferable to have team-mates on their feet to the side of the ruck, creating a shield for the scrum-half to kick from behind.

De Klerk has a habit of kicking the ball before any such guard is in place. The likes of Devin Toner will be waiting to pounce with block-downs if de Klerk opts to kick without a screen tomorrow.

Furthermore, de Klerk kicks the ball before there are genuinely viable chasers on either side of the ruck, meaning that the Lions are not going to be able to pressure the Bulls immediately.

The challenge for Ireland is to work hard enough when retreating that they can launch a threatening counter attack.

We can use the above as an example of what Ireland will need to do if they are to launch back at the Boks. Ireland fullback Jared Payne is full of counter-attacking instinct so he will be eager to punish any poor de Klerk kicking – if allowed the freedom to do so.

Ireland’s retreating openside wing will need to work extremely hard to get towards midfield [as with the yellow arrow above] to provide support to the fullback and wing on the other side of the pitch.

Meanwhile, the likes of Marshall and Henshaw in the midfield will be attempting to get back and provide the width for a counter-attack on the far side of the pitch. It’s utterly basic stuff but requires hard work and the mindset that any poor kicks from the Boks are real try-scoring opportunities for Ireland.

We get an example of a team punishing a poor de Klerk box kick in the clip above, as the Chiefs score with a superb kick return.

Again, de Klerk kicks without any screen and the box is too long with too little hang time – an open invitation for the Chiefs to come back at the Lions. The Kiwi side have enough time to make three passes across the pitch to a centre, Seta Tamanivalu, holding width.

Ireland may not run over players as easily as Tamanivalu – set for his New Zealand debut off the bench tomorrow – does here, or offload as freely, but the point is that de Klerk’s kicking can provide chances to make big gains if they are willing to genuinely counter.

The positioning of Payne at fullback is encouraging in that regard.

Ireland’s test

It’s obvious that Ireland will be looking to thoroughly test Mapoe and de Klerk in the opening exchanges in Cape Town tomorrow.

Mapoe has looked comfortable in defence in Super Rugby this season but hasn’t been targeted in the manner Ireland are likely to do.

Damien de Allende at inside centre is a dynamic specimen but he has something of a bad habit of making mis-reads in defence and leaving his midfield partner at sea.

Schmidt will be to test de Klerk and Mapoe early on. Source: Billy Stickland/INPHO

Joe Schmidt will almost certainly have concocted a range of plays for Ireland to attempt to open up the unfamiliar Boks centre pairing, so Mapoe and de Allende will expect plenty of decoy runners and traffic in front of them as they look to make a defensive impact.

De Klerk is a willing tackler although his relative lack of size can make his covering duties as a sweeper more difficult. Up in the coaches’ box, Schmidt will be keeping a close eye on the scrum-half’s defensive movement off set-piece and in phase play, searching for any hint of a potential weakness to exploit.

Mapoe and de Klerk bring major confidence and form into tomorrow’s test on the back of the Lions’ excellent season, but Schmidt’s players – as ever – will know exactly what’s coming. Ensuring they limit the Lions pair’s influence is the real job.

The42 is on Snapchat! Tap the button below on your phone to add!

Rory Keane reports from Port Elizabeth

AFTER HIS HEROICS at Ellis Park, Springboks winger Ruan Combrinck declared: “For my country I will try and run over every wall I see.”

The Lions winger certainly made his presence felt following his introduction at half-time for a struggling Lwazi Mvovo. Paddy Jackson and Jared Payne will certainly remember their first attempted tackles on Combrinck.

Trimble alongside Conor Murray and Devin Toner. Source: Billy Stickland/INPHO

It’s rare that a player enters the fray at the break and goes ​home ​ with the man-of-the-match award but he was that good in Johannesburg.

Click Here: Essendon Bombers guernsey

Combrinck is a certainty to start this Saturday’s series decider and Andrew Trimble could very well be handed the task of shutting down a player who bristles with feral intensity every time he gets on the ball. The Ulster winger has always relished the physical side of the game but Combrinck presents a whole new challenge.

“​I​t doesn’t surprise us because every time you play the Springboks, you know there’s still so much talent, so much quality, so much power, physicality, pace and then they bring a guy like that off the bench and he had a field day, just running over boys being physical and taking the game to us,” said Trimble.

“Him and Faf de Klerk were at the epicentre of everything that went right for them the last 20 minutes so, yeah, it’s just one more person to worry about but we’re getting used to having to worry about fast and physical Springboks so it’s just another thing to worry about.”

Trimble was a part of an Irish side that felt the full brunt of a Springbok backlash during that ill-fated final quarter.

The Ireland squad are slowly recovering from last weekend’s ferocious encounter as they gear up for this Saturday’s winner takes all clash in Port Elizabeth.

“It was a tough battle out there, very physical and very first. The first half especially, a lot of running down my side. Second half, we were just taking a lot of heat and a lot of punishment.

Trimble takes a dip in Port Elizabeth. Source: Billy Stickland/INPHO

“Physically, we were by a long way second best during that second half, we didn’t win any collisions and a few boys are still feeling a few of those hits today so we’re licking our wounds a little bit but we’re looking forward to getting back out there and putting a few of those wrongs right.”

A thrilling series will reach its conclusion at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium. After the 14-man heroics at Newlands and the crushing finale in Ellis Park, Trimble feels there is one more big performance left in this Ireland squad.

Rory Keane reports from Port Elizabeth 

SOUTH AFRICA HEAD coach Allister Coetzee is expecting a “battle of attrition” with Ireland in Saturday’s third-Test decider at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium.

The Springboks avenged their opening-day defeat in Cape Town against a 14-man Irish outfit with a 32-26 comeback victory at Ellis Park last Saturday.

Trailing 26-10 with 20 minutes remaining and staring at the prospect of a 2-0 series defeat, the Boks blew Ireland off the pitch with a 22-point blitz as replacement Warren Whiteley, Pieter-Steph du Toit and Damian de Allende crossed for tries.

Now, a fascinating finale awaits in Port Elizabeth in a winner-takes-all clash.

“Any Test match is going to be a battle of attrition and that is what we have to prepare ourselves for, it’s never an easy game,” said Coetzee.

“You don’t get easy Test matches so it’s got to be an approach whereby we have the patience within our plan and make sure that we have a good set-piece again and have patience within the kicking game.

“Our aerial skills should improve this week and we must have the patience to make good decisions, when it’s on to have a go we’ll have a go but also to make sure that we have some good kicks in return to put pressure back on to them.”

Having flattered to deceive for the first 140 minutes of this three-Test saga, the Boks finally clicked into gear with a final-quarter mauling of Ireland brimming with power, accuracy and intensity.

Certainly, playing at altitude and the impact of the Lions players from the bench were key factors as Joe Schmidt’s side wilted in the thin air on the Highveld.

Several Irish players have spoken in recent days of their reduced line speed which allowed the powerful Springbok forwards to get over the gain line and when you start to soak tackles against these guys, a long day at the office is in store.

“That last 20 minutes for us was a bit of everything. It was really a complete, good display of all of the aspects of the game being put together,” said Coetzee.

“Rugby will always be a gain-line battle and once our ball carriers were nice and low, we got Damian De Allende … spectacular, look at his try; he just ran over the guy.

“Pieter-Steph’s [du Toit] try, it’s a matter of great body position, body height, no one could stop him.

“Even Ruan Combrinck’s try, if you look at the body height in contact. He ran over the guy. That is the message, it’s as simple as that.

“It’s a momentum-based game, it’s a gain-line game and that’s the battle that we have to win.”

Ruan Combrinck gets over in the corner. Source: Themba Hadebe

Despite his side’s slow start in Johannesburg, Coetzee, ominously for Ireland, saw plenty of positives from his side’s first-half display, despite running into the sheds 19-3 down amid a chorus of boos from the Ellis Park faithful.

“Maybe your perception and the scoreboard reflected wasn’t good but I’ve seen some great stuff in the first half, really some good play,” he explained. “Great attack, but we lost the ball in contact.

“There was a massive focus on guys being stripped where the ball gets ripped out which hampered our continuity but we put ourselves in positions where we could have scored in that first half.

AFTER BEING FORCED to sit out last year’s Champions Cup final in Bilbao, it’s hard to fathom how Leinster can go into their St James’ Park showdown against Saracens without James Lowe in their team. 

The Kiwi winger has missed out on several big days since joining the province at the start of last season owing to the restrictive ‘non-European player’ ruling, but the defending champions can surely ill-afford to leave him out again on 11 May.

Lowe scored Leinster’s opening try against Toulouse. Source: James Crombie/INPHO

Jamison Gibson-Park’s hamstring injury meant the door opened for Lowe against Toulouse and in his first European appearance since December, more than took his chance on the left wing.

Lowe’s first-half try, as he showed incredible power and dexterity to finish in the far corner after a superb team move, improved his prolific try-scoring record to 20 in 27 appearances for the province.

There was also a second score chalked off shortly after but Lowe’s overall contribution to the semi-final victory over the Top 14 leaders extended far beyond his try, with the 26-year-old bringing huge energy and endeavour to the occasion.

Nine breaks over 56 metres and five defenders beaten barely scratches the surface, with Lowe once again demonstrating his capacity to produce big moments on the big stage, but also cause the opposition defence untold problems.

See his quick restart in the first half, or the barnstorming carry shortly after the interval, when he broke through three separate tackles, making hard-earned yards for his side, fighting for each and every inch. 

While Adam Byrne is desperately unlucky to now miss the rest of the season having started each of Leinster’s previous four Champions Cup outings before last weekend and Dave Kearney also enjoying an excellent run of form, Lowe’s presence on the wing adds a whole new attacking dimension to Leo Cullen’s side.

And in a European final against a defence as well-drilled and doughty as Saracens’ rearguard system, Lowe could very well be the weapon Leinster need to make the difference in Newcastle in three weekends’ time.

“He’s such a handful, I’ve said it before,” John Fogarty says. “He is such a handful.

“The play leading up to his try was excellent from the team, but the finish was equally excellent. I’m not sure who else could have scored that try. He’s so much energy on that wing. He put his hand up for sure.”

Surely he has done more than that? 

Before Sunday, Lowe had endured a deeply frustrating couple of months having picked up a red card, and subsequent two-week ban, against Munster and then a shoulder niggle during the Six Nations. 

A DOUBLE FROM lock Vaea Fifita kept the Wellington Hurricanes in touch with the Super Rugby top table when they beat the Auckland Blues 37-27 in the Cake Tin this morning..

Fifita scored the only tries in the second half as the Hurricanes produced a 20-point burst to come from behind to snatch a crucial win.

All Black hooker Dane Coles, returning as captain to Super Rugby after the June internationals against Wales, described the Titanic battle as “like another Test match”.

The Blues set the early pace and by early in the second half they were up 27-17 before the Hurricanes bounced back with Fifita’s tries and a faultless kicking display by Beauden Barrett who finished with 17 points.

Source: SANZAAR/YouTube

“We were guilty in that first half of just playing attack and no defence and in that second half we turned our defence around and got some intent,” Coles said.

The Hurricanes remain third in the New Zealand conference but move to within one point of the Canterbury Crusaders and two behind the Waikato Chiefs.

For the Blues, however, their season is all but over with captain James Parsons blaming a rash of penalties for allowing Barrett to spark the Hurricanes revival.

The game opened up during a rollicking 13 minutes in the first half which produced five tries, three to the Blues and two to the Hurricanes. Japanese international Male Sa’u set the game alight when he broke through the Hurricanes defensive wall to put Kara Pryor in for the opening try.

Reggie Goodes levelled for the Hurricanes only for the Blues to immediately regain the lead with the first of Jerome Kaino’s brace. Coles replied for the ‘Canes only for Kaino to again break the deadlock when he burst from a ruck to gallop 40 metres to the line.

As both sides tightened their defences there was no scoring for the remaining 17 minutes of the half but after a Francis penalty extended the Blues lead to 27-17 early in the second spell the Hurricanes began to claw their way back into the contest.

Two Barrett penalties narrowed the gap to 24-23 before TJ Perenara put Fifita over for his first try to put the Hurricanes in front.

The big lock sealed the outcome with his second try running on to a long pass from Willis Halaholo with nine minutes remaining.

Earlier this morning, the Waratahs romped to a nine-try win over the Sunwolves with scrum-half Matt Lucas and wing Reece Robinson getting two apiece on the way to a 12 – 57 win in Tokyo.

Source: SANZAAR/YouTube

The42 is on Snapchat! Tap the button below on your phone to add!

WASPS HAVE SEALED the services of South Africa full-back Willie le Roux, who will complete his Premiership switch after fulfilling his commitments with Canon Eagles.

Le Roux, who has 37 caps to his name, was previously playing Super Rugby with the Sharks before joining the Japan-based Eagles.

He was also nominated for the 2014 world player of the year award and will join a club who have already brought in Kurtley Beale, Kyle Eastmond and Danny Cipriani.

“I’m really excited about the move to Wasps and I’m really looking forward to playing in the Aviva Premiership,” the 26-year-old told the club’s official website.

“The recent World Cup in England really hit home just how passionate the fans there are about rugby and in weighing up the move, the recent successes Wasps have experienced, the way they play the game and the facilities they have at the Ricoh Arena were big factors in my decision.”

Wasps finished third last season and have not won the Premiership title since 2008.

The42 is on Snapchat! Tap the button below on your phone to add!

PETER O’MAHONY HAD a useful diagram drawn for him about two months after he ruptured the ACL in his right knee during Ireland’s 2015 World Cup campaign.

The Cork man was taking his usual ultra-positive approach to the rehabilitation and targeting a return to play as early as possible, but the medical expertise helped him to understand that the journey back wasn’t always going to be smooth.

O’Mahony was at the Pro12 launch on Tuesday. Source: Dan Sheridan/INPHO

“I had a good diagram drawn for me,” says O’Mahony, “and it just goes in cycles and ebbs and flows. It’s just trying to get through the little low points and drive it on when you’re going well.

“It was a good diagram to have drawn because it’s not always an upward graph. Even though you’re going in the right direction all the time, sometimes you might just feel sore for a week and you feel like you’ve lost a week’s training or a week’s rehab or a week off the deadline but you haven’t; it’s just the way it is.”

The worst is over for O’Mahony now, with the back row having been involved in contact training during Munster’s pre-season. He was also part of Ireland’s three-day training camp at Carton House from last Sunday onwards.

O’Mahony cannot clarify yet exactly when the southern province’s fans will see him back in the pitch for the first time since May of 2015, but it’s close now.

Still only 26, O’Mahony’s body has felt the brunt of professional rugby, with both of his shoulders having been operated on in 2014.

The concern is that the explosive, elastic and mobile athlete that the Cork man was when first bursting through with Munster and Ireland has been altered somehow by this run of injuries.

The Cork man has done contact training with Munster. Source: Ryan Byrne/INPHO

“It’s not a worry; it’s probably a fact,” says O’Mahony. “It’s tough but it’s part and parcel of it.

“I have been unbelievably lucky so far. I have mid-30s in terms of Irish caps already [he has 35]. I’ve probably missed out on a few but that’s part of it; you can’t expect – unless your Jamie [Heaslip] who is up there with robustness.

MUNSTER HOOKER NIALL Scannell says he is looking forward to being part of Munster’s ‘smashing’ squad again this weekend under the watch of defence coach Jacques Nienaber.

As part of the South African’s defensive plan for Munster, the squad have been given permission to tear into the tackle with a real freedom, and Scannell is enjoying the challenge.

Scarlets were first to taste Munster’s new-found ferocity, and on Friday night Cardiff Blues are next up at Musgrave Park.

After working with Nienaber and Rassie Erasmus for the last couple of months, Scannell now knows why South African-coached players tackle with a smile on their faces.

“There’s nothing hugely different technically to what we were doing last year but I suppose it’s just that there’s so much energy and enthusiasm, and it’s rewarding if you’re getting off that line and trying to put shots on guys,” said Scannell.

“I think that’s something you will have seen from other teams in the league with a South African coaching influence in the last few years.

“I can kind of see why they love smashing us so much now because Jacques really brings that excitement to it and that reward for getting off the line and making your hits.

“So technically not a huge amount, more the approach he’s brought to it. It’s different and exciting for us at the moment.”

This week was difficult for Scannell and his Munster teammates following the announcement of Johnny Holland’s forced retirement. Scannell says the loss of his Cork colleague is a tough one to take for everyone involved in the squad.

Niall Scannell speaking to the media at UL earlier this week. Source: James Crombie/INPHO

“Personally for me, it was probably a bit more emotional. I came through the academy with Johnny. I’ve known Johnny since we were 16 or 17.

“You know, it hits home a lot when it’s a guy that you’re quite close to since that age. He has been a consummate professional, always done what he is supposed to do; the right things around nutrition, training, work ethic and even his attitude to rehab.

“I was there the night it [the injury] happened against Nottingham and I never had seen Johnny go down like that so I knew it was serious.

“When you’ve gone through all the ups and downs with a player over the years, it’s tough. I just want to wish him the best of luck with whatever he does next. I know he’ll be fine.”

Not a popular choice for some, but Gatland brings experience to Lions roleWarren Gatland officially confirmed as the 2017 Lions head coach