ENGLAND WOMEN WILL be without their captain Katy McLean for the remainder of the Six Nations after the out-half was suspended for three weeks by tournament organisers.

The 31-year-old was shown a red card for a dangerous tackle during England’s win over Italy at the weekend and today appeared before a Disciplinary Committee, who found her guilty of breaking Law 10.4(e).

McLean pleaded guilty to the offence and accepted she had committed an act of foul play which was worth of a red card.

“The Disciplinary Committee, chaired by Roger Morris (Wales), alongside Jennifer Donovan (Ireland) and Julien Berenger (France), having reviewed the footage of the incident and all other evidence, as well as hearing submissions from the player and her representatives, categorised the offending as mid-range, which carries a six week entry point in World Rugby’s sanction table,” a Six Nations statement read.

“The Committee further determined that there were no aggravating factors and the player had met all mitigating factors permitted, and therefore decided to reduce the entry point by three weeks.”

England have won all three games and currently top the table from Ireland on points difference. The two sides meet in Dublin on the final weekend for a potential Grand Slam decider at Donnybrook.

Source: The42 Rugby Show/SoundCloud

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ENGLAND COACH EDDIE Jones has named Billy Vunipola on the bench for their Calcutta Cup clash with Scotland in Twickenham on Saturday (kick-off 4pm, RTÉ Two).

The number eight made his return to competitive rugby last weekend with Saracens having overcome a knee injury, but has not taken Nathan Hughes’s place in what is an unchanged pack.

There are, however, three changes to the backline that eventually overcame Italy last time out with Jonathan Joseph reinstated at outside-centre, Jack Nowell named on the right wing and Ben Youngs starting at scrum-half.

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Anthony Watson also makes the match day 23 for the first time this campaign and he and Vunipola are joined by Danny Care and Ben Te’o as the only other changes to the bench.

Joe Marler will win his 50th cap and will lead the team out of the tunnel in what is the 124th edition of the Calcutta Cup.

The only change made by Vern Cotter comes through the injury absence of John Hardie, leaving Hamish Watson to wear the number seven jersey for the third time in this Championship.

England

15. Mike Brown
14. Jack Nowell
13. Jonathan Joseph
12. Owen Farrell
11. Elliot Daly
10. George Ford
9. Ben Youngs

1. Joe Marler
2. Dylan Hartley (captain)
3. Dan Cole
4. Joe Launchbury
5. Courtney Lawes
6. Maro Itoje
7. James Haskell
8. Nathan Hughes

Replacements:

16. Jamie George
17. Mako Vunipola
18. Kyle Sinckler
19. Tom Wood
20. Billy Vunipola
21. Danny Care
22. Ben Te’o
23. Anthony Watson

Scotland

15. Stuart Hogg
14. Tommy Seymour
13. Huw Jones
12. Alex Dunbar
11. Tim Visser
10. Finn Russell
9. Ali Price

1. Gordon Reid
2. Fraser Brown
3. Zander Fagerson
4. Richie Gray
5. Jonny Gray
6. John Barclay (Capt.)
7. Hamish Watson
8. Ryan Wilson

IT WAS ALWAYS likely that Italy’s use of the ‘tackle only’ tactic against England in round three of the Six Nations would spark others into giving it a go.

Amateur teams around the world have been refusing the ruck in recent weeks, while it has been mimicked by several professional sides, with Joe Schmidt’s Ireland among the latest to attempt it.

Sean O’Brien was the chief culprit in this area of Ireland’s game against Wales on Friday night in Cardiff, but the Tullow man didn’t quite get the reward he was hoping for with his efforts.

The first instance comes below, in the second minute of the game and with Wales looking to exit their 22 for the first time.

Jake Ball carries off a Rhys Webb pass infield and away from the touchline, with Donnacha Ryan tackling the Wales lock to ground.

As soon as Ryan has completed the tackle, O’Brien is screaming, “Tackle only!”

Indeed, that’s exactly what the situation is below.

CJ Stander does briefly put his hand on Ross Moriarty, who is arriving over the tackle for Wales, as we see below.

It’s arguable whether Moriarty is actually ‘on his feet’ here in the first place, but Stander is keen not to allow Barnes to read this as a ruck situation, so he instantly removes his hands and shows the referee that he has done so.

Remember, to form a ruck – and therefore the offside line – we need one player from each team on their feet, in physical contact, closing around the ball on the ground.

While Stander’s hands do come into contact with Moriarty briefly, he’s not making a genuine effort to come into a contest over the ball and Barnes appears to be satisfied there is no ruck – even if he doesn’t say anything to that effect.

At this stage, O’Brien has screamed, “Tackle only” four times and, despite not getting any confirmation from Barnes that that is the case, he proceeds up and around the tackle area, making sure he doesn’t approach Wales scrum-half Rhys Webb.

Over on the other side of Webb, Conor Murray advances and Ireland have created something of a wall around the Welshman.

There is still some uncertainty here for Ireland, with Jack McGrath to the right of the tackle staying in an ‘onside’ position and asking Barnes, “Tackle only?” just before Webb picks the ball up.

Barnes doesn’t provide any confirmation for Ireland either way, but he allows play to continue and it’s clear that Webb’s options are limited here.

O’Brien is in a good position to block or intercept a possible pass backwards to out-half Dan Biggar, while Murray is closing off passing or sniping space to his right.

Remember, O’Brien and Murray cannot approach the ball, as that would mean entering the one-metre ‘tackle zone’ around the tackle without coming through the ‘gate’ – penalty against Ireland.

While it was always likely that Webb would have box kicked from this position anyway, Ireland’s tactics appear to slightly fluster him and his kick is poor, low and straight into the waiting arms of Keith Earls to run back at Wales on kick return.

Ireland can count this first use of the tackle only tactic as a promising success.

Two minutes later, O’Brien calls, “Tackle only!” again as Wales build another exit, but does so before the tackle on Rob Evans has even been completed.

As we see above, Stander recognises the opportunity for a turnover and jackals, with the arriving Welsh players engaging with him over the ball to form what is clearly a ruck.

Stander is unlucky not to win the turnover or a penalty, with Wales just doing enough to cling onto possession.

O’Brien’s next effort comes in the ninth minute, again as Wales look to build up to an exiting kick out of their 22 – clearly underlining that Ireland have decided to attempt this tactic specifically in this area of the pitch, as the Chiefs did when they first used it in Super Rugby in 2015.

This time, however, O’Brien gets it wrong and the result is a damaging penalty against Ireland.

Moriarty is the ball carrier for Wales off a well-executed lineout five metres from their tryline and he powers into the tackle of Stander, who puts him to ground.

Crucially, though, Stander remains on his feet and then looks to jackal over the ball again.

As soon as Tomas Francis arrives in to clear Stander away, we have a ruck.

“A ruck is a phase of play where one or more players from each team, who are on their feet, in physical contact, close around the ball on the ground,” says the World Rugby lawbook.

We clearly have that here and, as we know, a ruck forms the offside line.

O’Brien, however, misreads the situation and advances up beyond the tackle to a position in behind Webb.

O’Brien shouts, “Tackle only” three times as he comes around in behind the ruck, apparently trying to guide Barnes into viewing it as such.

However, Barnes has identified the formation of a ruck and briefly says, “Out, out” to O’Brien, seemingly warning him to get out of the position he’s in.

Webb passes the ball a second later and Barnes immediately whistles for the penalty against Ireland, providing an instantaneous reasoning.

“Offside, clearly a ruck,” says Barnes, before pointing at Stander. “He made the ruck, he made the ruck. Six is over the ball, there’s contact over the ball.”

Jamie Heaslip shouts something inaudible after Ireland have backed away, but Barnes says, “No, I’m not talking, I’ve made the decision, alright.”

However, after Wales kick to touch for the lineout, Barnes moves to O’Brien to clarify.

“He [Stander] got back up, did he?” asks O’Brien.

“He [Stander] was just on the ball having a contest, so when they made contact, there’s your ruck,” explains Barnes.

Case closed, and from the resulting lineout, the Welsh go 50 metres upfield into the Ireland 22, forcing Joe Schmidt’s men to make a handful of thunderous tackles, before Jonathan Davies knocks on to end a lengthy passage of intense pressure.

While Barnes could perhaps have provided O’Brien with a greater degree of warning in this instance, that’s not exactly his job. Some teams would expect the referee to call “ruck” when a ruck has been formed or “tackle only” when no ruck has been formed, though this is not really the referee’s duty.

If Ireland are going to use what remains a relatively risky defensive tactic, they simply must nail their execution and reading of each situation.

From the restart of the second half – taken by Simon Zebo in Johnny Sexton’s absence – Ireland opted out of a possible ruck, as we can see below.

However, there seemed to be uncertainty about advancing up after O’Brien’s penalty concession in the first half, and we can see that only scrum-half Murray makes a move up around the tackle, although it’s rather half-hearted.

There was another brief Irish attempt before the end of the game, although it involved O’Brien misreading the play again – or at least pretending not to realise that a ruck had been formed.

We see the incident below.

O’Brien advances up the right side of the tackle for Ireland, again shouting, “Tackle only!” twice and pointing to Jamie Heaslip on the ground.

Based on the clip above, it looks like O’Brien is correct, but Barnes tells him, “Get out, get out” and O’Brien halts his movement upfield.

Again, the referee is correct here, as we see when rewinding play a few more seconds to note Heaslip’s initial involvement.

Sam Warburton has gathered in a loose ball after Leigh Halfpenny drops a Johnny Sexton bomb, and Heaslip jackals over the ball.

As soon as the Welsh players arrive and make contact Heaslip – all of them on their feet – there is clearly a ruck formed.

Again, Heaslip probably felt he was unlucky not to win a turnover penalty here, but the point is that O’Brien himself actually identifies the ruck, shouting, “Release, release, release” as Heaslip competes for the steal.

Moriarty and Halfpenny manage to remove Heaslip, Barnes warning, “Off your feet now, Jamie” and the Ireland number eight releases the ball.

But just because Heaslip is now on the ground does not mean that the ruck – or more importantly, the offside line – doesn’t exist anymore.

By advancing up around the ruck anyway, O’Brien has either completely misread the situation, or is aware of the scenario and is attempting to convince Barnes that there is no ruck.

When Wales clear to touch, Barnes again approaches O’Brien and gives him a warning.

“Mate, I don’t want to penalise you,” says Barnes.

“He [Heaslip] is on the ground, isn’t he?” says O’Brien.

“No, if Jamie is on his feet originally, as soon as there’s contact over here, don’t run that risk,” replies Barnes.

It will be interesting to note if Ireland use this tactic against England in Dublin on Saturday, but they will certainly need to be sharper in their execution if it is to be a success.

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Ulster Bank League

Division 1A

Old Belvedere 15-15 Lansdowne

Anglesea Road

Lansdowne’s John O’Donnell scored two tries. Source: Tommy Dickson/INPHO

OLD BELVEDERE GAVE themselves a fighting chance in their battle against relegation from Ulster Bank League Division 1A as they shared the spoils with 14-man Lansdowne at Anglesea Road this afternoon.

First-half tries from John O’Donnell (two) and Ireland U20 international Paul Boyle had leaders Lansdowne in pole position for another win, but with the visitors’ blindside flanker Joe McSwiney sent off in the second period, ‘Belvo dug deep to claim a 15-all draw and two potentially vital points.

Looking to bounce back from defeats to Clontarf and Cork Constitution, Lansdowne had the better of the opening exchanges although young out-half Charlie McMickan missed a long-range penalty before injury forced him off. Fergal Cleary replaced him.

Mike Ruddock’s men kicked their next two penalties to the corner and a 12th minute maul was finished over the line by O’Donnell on the right. His centre partner Mark Roche missed the conversion but Lansdowne doubled their lead in the second quarter, spreading the ball wide to the left for O’Donnell to finish comfortably.

Their third unconverted try followed on the half-hour mark when they opted for a scrum rather than a shot at the posts. Promising number eight Boyle picked off the base and burst over for the score, leaving ‘Belvo with a 15-point deficit to overcome.

Limerick man Willie Staunton was introduced at the break and he opened Belvedere’s account with an expertly struck penalty after 44 minutes. The home side suffered a setback when prop Adam Howard was sin-binned, however McSwiney’s dismissal in the 56th minute for a high tackle on ‘Belvo’s Paul Pritchard proved even more significant.

Staunton uncharacteristically missed the resulting penalty kick, but ‘Belvo’s persistence was soon rewarded with a 68th-minute try, which saw them counter at pace from a turnover and returning Ireland Club international Sean Coughlan charged away to score in the right corner.

The conversion was missed but the hosts were now benefiting from that numerical advantage. Loosehead Howard made a powerful break and although he was halted inside the Lansdowne 22, fullback Daniel Riordan picked up the ball in space and clinically cut through for a try on the right.

Staunton was faced with a tricky conversion but the former Garryowen, Young Munster and Terenure half-back superbly split the posts to bring Belvedere level. The sides could not be separated in the closing stages, meaning bottom team Belvedere had closed the gap on Garryowen to three points at the foot of the table, while Lansdowne’s lead at the summit is down to two points with two rounds remaining.

OLD BELVEDERE: Daniel Riordan; Eddie Weaver, John Kennedy (capt), Ben Woods, Sean Coughlan; Paul O’Keefe, Aaron Sheehan; Adam Howard, Ed Rossiter, Daryl Ryan, Jack Kelly, Connor Owende, Karl Miller, Paul Pritchard, Jonathan Slattery.

Replacements: Cathal O’Flynn, Eoin O’Neill, Matt Ritani, Willie Staunton, Ben Butler.

LANSDOWNE: Eamonn Mills; Daniel McEvoy, John O’Donnell, Mark Roche, Marc O’Keefe; Charlie McMickan, Matthew D’Arcy; Jacob Walshe, Tyrone Moran, Ian Prendiville (capt), Josh O’Rourke, Stephen Gardiner, Joe McSwiney, Charlie Butterworth, Paul Boyle.

Replacements: Tadgh McElroy, Ntinga Mpiko, Barry Fitzgerald, Alan Bennie, Fergal Cleary.

________________

UCD 3-3 Terenure College

Belfield Bowl

UCD’s Billy Dardis. Source: Ryan Byrne/INPHO

Relegation-threatened Terenure College climbed out of the bottom two with a hard-earned three-all draw with UCD at the Belfield Bowl.

Terenure have edged ahead of Garryowen in the battle of the basement sides, but they almost pipped the mid-table students in the final seconds with full-back Jake Swaine narrowly missing a difficult penalty from out on the right wing.

Both sides showed plenty of attacking endeavour early on but a fast-paced first half ended scoreless, with UCD fullback Billy Dardis and Terenure winger Sam Coghlan Murray both looking dangerous. UCD out-half Matthew Gilsenan watched a long-range penalty attempt go to the left and wide.

The UCD pack nearly muscled their way through for a try early in the second period, the combined ball-carrying efforts of Greg Jones, Josh Murphy, Andrew Porter and Peadar Timmins almost leading to a score.

However, Terenure, whose confidence was boosted by their recent win over Old Belvedere, showed huge determination in defence. They were driven on by captain and Ireland Club international Kyle McCoy, with centre Stephen O’Neill and number eight Eoin Joyce also standing out.

‘Nure’s cover defence thwarted Hugo Keenan as he almost got away following a neat link-up with Will Connors. Into the final quarter, Gilsenan had another penalty miss before Swaine, the visitors’ goal-kicking full-back, found the target for the opening score.

Discipline was key in the closing stages and UCD looked to have the momentum after Terenure’s hard-working blindside Robert Duke was sin-binned and Gilsenan mopped up with the levelling three points. However, it was ‘Nure who had two final shots at the posts as Swaine was just short from halfway and then pushed a last-minute effort wide in a very tense finish.

UCD: Billy Dardis; Hugo Keenan, Jamie Glynn (capt), Stephen Murphy, Tom Fletcher; Matthew Gilsenan, Nick Peters; Liam Hyland, Gordon Frayne, Andrew Porter, Josh Murphy, Emmet MacMahon, Greg Jones, Will Connors, Peadar Timmins.

Replacements: Michael Moynihan, Robert Byrne, Brian Cawley, Harry McNulty, Gavin Mullin.

TERENURE COLLEGE: Jake Swaine; Marc Hiney, Stephen O’Neill, Robbie Carroll, Sam Coghlan Murray; Mark O’Neill, Kevin O’Neill; Gary Hamilton, Robbie Smyth, Conor McCormack, Mike Murphy, Kyle McCoy (capt), Robert Duke, Harrison Brewer, Eoin Joyce.

Replacements: Tiarnan Creagh, Cian Madden, John Dever, Isaac Boss, Robbie Murphy.

__________________

Cork Constitution 26-20 Garryowen

Temple Hill

Cork Con’s Max Abbott. Source: Ryan Byrne/INPHO

Hooker Max Abbott’s late try clinched a dogged 26-20 victory for Cork Constitution against Munster rivals Garryowen at Temple Hill today.

Garryowen, who are battling to avoid relegation, outscored the Leesiders by three tries to two but fell agonisingly short in the end. Indiscipline cost them with Con out-half Tomas Quinlan clinically dispatching four penalties through the posts as part of a 16-point personal haul.

There were scoring chances at both ends before Munster centre Sam Arnold broke the defensive line and touched down in the seventh minute for Garryowen. Captain Neil Cronin, who played for the Ireland Club International team last week, added the conversion.

Hunting for their fourth victory in a row, Constitution hammered away at a resilient Garryowen defence before Quinlan opened the hosts’ account with a 25th-minute penalty. There was no stopping Conor Kindregan eight minutes later as he collected a try, adding to his second-row partner Brian Hayes’ recent hat-trick of scores.

However, Garryowen took a 12-10 lead into the break thanks to fullback Liam Coombes’ fifth try of the campaign, with a lot of credit going to flanker Mikey Wilson, whose clever step opened up the space. Quinlan missed a subsequent penalty before the half-time whistle was blown.

The Constitution forwards forced the issue on the resumption as their scrum began to cause damage. Quinlan landed two penalties from three attempts, splitting the posts after 45 and 48 minutes and then hitting the woodwork with a subsequent attempt.

The Light Blues kept plugging away and were rewarded with their third try in the 67th minute. A well-worked back row move, including a strong run from number eight Bailey Faloon, saw scrum half Cronin released for an unconverted try, and a 17-16 lead.

The Corkmen responded with Quinlan’s fourth penalty success in the 76th minute but Cronin cancelled that out with three points of his own. However, the play-off chasing hosts, who had now nudged their way into second place, denied Garryowen with that decisive try from Abbott under the posts.

CORK CONSTITUTION: Shane Daly; Liam O’Connell, Ned Hodson, Niall Kenneally (capt), Rob Jermyn; Tomas Quinlan, Jason Higgins; Liam O’Connor, Max Abbott, Ger Sweeney, Conor Kindregan, Brian Hayes, Graeme Lawler, James Murphy, Luke Cahill.

Replacements: Rory Burke, Gavin Duffy, Cian Barry, John Poland, JJ O’Neill.

GARRYOWEN: Liam Coombes; Steve McMahon, Sam Arnold, Peadar Collins, Hugh O’Brien-Cunningham; Andrew O’Byrne, Neil Cronin (capt); Niall Horan, Eamon Costello, JP Phelan, Sean O’Connor, Barra O’Byrne, Dara Shanahan, Mikey Wilson, Bailey Faloon.

Replacements: Anson Thai­, Mike O’Donnell, Tim Ferguson, Johnny Keane, Jamie Heuston.

_______________________

Clontarf 11-13 Young Munster

Castle Avenue

Young Munster star Alan Tynan. Source: Tommy Dickson/INPHO

Teenage out-half Alan Tynan was the toast of Young Munster after his last-ditch drop goal steered the Cookies past top-four rivals Clontarf.

Munsters came away from sunny Castle Avenue with a 13-11 win and four precious points as they ended their two-match losing streak in Division 1A, climbing above ‘Tarf into third place in the process.

This was a tight contest throughout, with Munster’s Cian Bohane and Robin Copeland making their presence felt as the visitors grabbed the game’s first try through left winger Craig O’Hanlon, which Tynan converted.

However, O’Hanlon’s opposite number Rob McGrath hit back with an unconverted effort, adding to David Joyce’s earlier penalty, as the north Dubliners, who had won their last four matches, led 8-7 at the turnaround.

Tynan and Joyce exchanged penalties before the former stepped up as his side’s match-winner right at the death. The Tipperary youngster’s coolly struck drop goal gives Munsters a timely boost ahead of their 8 April date with Cork Constitution. Only two points separate the sides in the standings as they chase a much-coveted home semi-final.

It was a costly defeat for Clontarf, who have fallen from second to fourth, but they are only three points behind Con with two rounds remaining. The defending champions, who welcomed back Conor O’Brien from a long injury lay-off, are away to St. Mary’s College in two weeks’ time before hosting UCD on the final day (15 April).

Clontarf scorers:
Try: Rob McGrath
Pens: David Joyce x2
Young Munster scorers:
Try: Craig O’Hanlon
Con: Alan Tynan
Pen: Alan Tynan
Drop: Alan Tynan;

CLONTARF: Jack Power; Rob Keogh, Michael Browne, Matt D’Arcy, Rob McGrath; David Joyce, Sam Cronin; Vakhtang Abdaladze, Jason Harris-Wright, Royce Burke Flynn, Ben Reilly (capt), James Doyle, Tony Ryan, Karl Moran, Michael Noone.

Replacements: Jonathan Larbey, Adrian D’Arcy, Ivan Soroka, Mark Sutton, Conor O’Brien.

YOUNG MUNSTER: Shane Airey; James O’Connor, Jack Harrington, Cian Bohane, Craig O’Hanlon; Alan Tynan, Rob Guerin; Gavin Ryan, Ger Slattery (capt), Colm Skeehan, Tom Goggin, Alan Kennedy, Elie Mundu, Dan Walsh, Robin Copeland.

Replacements: Mark O’Mara, Alan Ross, David Begley, David O’Mahony, Jack Lyons.

__________________

Dublin University 24-37 St Mary’s College

College Park

Terry Kennedy crossed the whitewash. Source: Camerasport/Dave Howarth/INPHO

St. Mary’s College outscored Dublin University by five tries to four in a brilliant advertisement for Ulster Bank League rugby at College Park.

These two attack-minded sides went at it hammer and tongs, with Mary’s capitalising on a blistering start in sunny conditions as they gained some revenge for September’s frustrating 31-19 home defeat to the Students.

Mary’s jet-heeled full-back Terry Kennedy ran in a superb solo try to open the scoring and flanker Gus Jones, a former England U20 international, finished off a fine team move for a second unconverted try.

The Trinity defence gave away again as number eight Kevin Sheahan broke through by the posts, with Leinster’s Cathal Marsh adding the conversion for a 17-0 lead after just 24 minutes.

The hosts, who had won their last two matches, found a chink in Mary’s armour when second row Cathal O’Flaherty was sin-binned and pressure in the scrum yielded a penalty try, which winger Bryan Mollen converted. A 38th-minute penalty from Marsh closed out the first half’s scoring at 20-7.

The Trinity backs, including Ireland U20 starlet Colm Hogan, were particularly potent in the second half, with place-kicker Mollen bagging a brace of tries and USA international Tim Maupin also touching down. Their bonus-point score arrived in the 79th minute.

But Jamie Cornett’s Mary’s side were out of reach by then, winger Ian O’Neill securing their bonus point with a try created by Kennedy and Conor Hogan, while Marsh added a second penalty before industrious centre Darren Moroney deservedly put his name to try number five.

Mary’s and Trinity are now sitting sixth and seventh in the Division 1A table, six and five points clear respectively of the relegation play-off position. This win was hugely important for Mary’s as they still have to play title contenders Clontarf (8 April) and Cork Con (15 April).

Dublin University scorers:
Tries: Penalty try, Bryan Mollen x2, Tim Maupin
Cons: Bryan Mollen x2
St. Mary’s College scorers:
Tries: Terry Kennedy, Gus Jones, Kevin Sheahan, Ian O’Neill, Darren Moroney
Cons: Cathal Marsh x2, Ian O’Neill
Pens: Cathal Marsh x2

DUBLIN UNIVERSITY: Colm Hogan; Tim Maupin, Michael Courtney, Kyle Dixon, Bryan Mollen; James Fennelly, Brian Slater (capt); Eric O’Sullivan, Paddy Finlay, Charlie Connolly, Jack Burke, Raef Tyrrell, Pierce Dargan, Richard Dunne, Tom Ryan.

Replacements: Jack Boland, Tom Collis, Cian O’Dwyer, Roghan Osborne, Michael Silvester.

ST. MARY’S COLLEGE: Terry Kennedy; Ian O’Neill, Darren Moroney, Marcus O’Driscoll, Conor Hogan; Cathal Marsh, Paddy O’Driscoll; Tom O’Reilly, Richard Halpin, Brian McGovern (capt), Ciaran Ruddock, Cathal O’Flaherty, Nick McCarthy, Gus Jones, Kevin Sheahan.

Replacements: Hugo Kean, Cathal Ryan, Jack Dilger, Hugh Kelleher, Mark Fogarty.

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ULSTER DIRECTOR OF rugby Les Kiss has welcomed news that Marcell Coetzee will sit out four more months after knee surgery.

The powerful South African back row was injured during Ulster’s Pro12 win over Zebre, and, given he only returned in February after 10 months out with a cruciate ligament injury, the worst was feared.

However, exploratory surgery on his left knee in Belfast yesterday confirmed and repaired “a significant medial meniscal (cartilage) tear”.

No further surgery will be needed for the 25-year-old and the recovery timeframe is expected to be four months. Ulster expect the Springbok to be fully fit for the start of Jono Gibbes’ reign next season.

“It really is fantastic news,” says Kiss, “it’s great to hear that he will be back sooner than we initially expected.

“He has had a tremendous impact since he joined the club, not only on the pitch, but also on the training paddock with his huge work ethic and infectious positive attitude. It’s a great boost for the club, the supporters and most importantly Marcell himself, that we will see him back in an Ulster jersey at the start of next season.”

Source: Presseye/Matt Mackey/INPHO

“I have spoken to Marcell and he’s really pleased with the prognosis. He is extremely grateful for the care he received from the Ulster Rugby medical team and the staff at the Ulster Independent Clinic, plus for all the messages of support he has received from the Ulster fans. I know from the way he faced the challenge of his previous rehab that he will be back even better than before.”

BILLY HOLLAND IS hoping to go out on a high by helping Munster to a trophy but even if there is no silverware at the end, the Cork man will still be able to reflect proudly on a remarkable career with his native province.

The 35-year-old will retire at the end of this season as the second most capped player in the province’s history behind only Donncha O’Callaghan. Holland earned an Ireland cap along the way too.

Written off by many people many times, Holland has endured. He has had six different head coaches since his Munster debut in 2007 and remembers one of them, Rob Penney, suggesting he would be better off moving somewhere else. Holland stayed the course.

He only hit the 100-cap mark for Munster when was turning 30 in 2015. Since then, Holland has added another 141 caps as he has flourished in recent seasons, leading lineouts, influencing young players, and delivering consistent performances.

You won’t hear a bad word said about Holland by anyone who knows him. Along with his achievements on the pitch, he takes justifiable pride in being awarded the ‘Contribution to Irish Society‘ prize at the Irish Rugby Players Awards last year. 

It came after Holland and his wife, Lanlih, raised awareness and funds in excess of €550,000 for Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital in Crumlin, the children’s ward in Cork University Hospital, and Ronald McDonald House – all in memory of their daughter, Emmeline, who passed away at the age of just six months old due to a heart defect. 

“I think what myself and my wife and my family went through was incredibly difficult and that’s putting it mildly,” said Holland this week. “But what we managed to do afterwards with the support of our families and the public is something I’m very, very proud of.

“I suppose I don’t particularly like the spotlight or anything like that but I was encouraged, and thankfully so, to use the status I have as a professional rugby player to make people more aware of what goes on in hospitals around the country and what many people have to deal with, with sick children and the money we managed to raise and the awareness we brought around the place.

“And we talk about if you’re a good leader in a club, you show vulnerability and I think I had to do that. I’m very glad that we did that and that award is something that I’m proud of receiving on behalf of my family, certainly.”

Holland has played for Munster 241 times. Source: James Crombie/INPHO

Family is a big part of Holland’s decision to hang up his boots at the end of this season.

He could have looked to play on but the timing feels right to him and he is looking forward to having his weekends back.

His son, Matthew, turned one on Wednesday, and being there is important to Holland.  

“I’ve had first-hand experience of how important family is and how it is so important to enjoy the everyday moments of life, and the ups and downs of that.

“I have an incredible appreciation of watching my son taking his first steps at the moment. I am lucky to be able to see that. You don’t want to be missing that because I’m away for a weekend or I’m away at training or what not.

“Everyone works 9 to 5, Monday to Friday, when you finish playing rugby, so it’s not like I’m just going to be sitting at home but rugby is all-consuming and it dominates family life.

“My wife has sacrificed many things over the years to allow me to play rugby. You can’t plan ahead – these are all things that professional rugby players deal with, that’s just the way it is. But I have a strong appreciation of wanting to be at home. It is the little things that I take joy out of in my home life.”

Holland will miss rugby when he’s out of it. He knows he’ll find himself sitting on the couch watching games, wondering if he could still be having an impact on the pitch. He has loved every bit of it so far. 

Playing in the famous match against the All Blacks at Thomond Park in 2008 was a highlight but Holland is no doubt that the proudest occasion was Munster’s win over Glasgow at the Limerick venue the day after Anthony Foley’s funeral.

“What we did as a squad and as a club that week, how we composed ourselves and managed to go out and perform that day, against a quality Glasgow team at the time, it was incredibly impressive,” said Holland. 

Holland at Thomond Park after the clash with Glasgow in 2016. Source: Ryan Byrne/INPHO

“It would have been very easy to go out with a lot of emotion and just perform for 10 minutes, but I think the manner in which we did it, even with Earlsie getting sent off, it was a testament to everything we had done under Axel. The atmosphere that day was just off the charts.”

Holland is one of the players who took up Foley’s mantle. He has had the best of his career in these last five seasons, his importance for Munster never as high as it has been in recent years. He won his single Ireland cap in 2016 against Canada under Joe Schmidt and though he would have loved more opportunities, there is pride there too.

“I know that he [Schmidt] liked me but there were guys that he rated ahead of me. That’s perfectly OK, that’s his decision. I’m proud to have played for Ireland and I’m proud of a lot of things I have done in my career.”

Holland has captained Munster and been a mentor to younger players but has also had to remain ferociously competitive himself.

“You know, there’s a balance, if five years ago I was going around telling any young second row all my tricks of the trade, I probably would have been gone long ago.

As everyone saw on last night’s edition of Monday Night Raw, The Undertaker returned to WWE and attacked Elias during the show. PWInsider reports that appearance on last night’s show was done in part to set up a future singles match with Elias for the next WWE show in Saudi Arabia.
The next WWE event in Saudi Arabia was rumored for May, but reports indicate it could be moved to June. Previous reports indicated that there were plans for both The Undertaker and Brock Lesnar to appear at the show. WWE has not yet announced the date or details on its next Saudi Arabia card.

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PWInsider reports that World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) was able to receive an injunction order in the United States District Court of New Jersey on April 15 that would prevent the distribution and sale of counterfeit items that would bear the WWE name or any of its trademarks or copyright for the next year. As a result, WWE and local authorities now have the right to confiscate any counterfeit items being sold by bootleggers..
The injunction stated that counterfeit merchandise for the promotion was being sold outside and on the grounds of MetLife Stadium on April 7 during WrestleMania 35. Also, illegal sales were expected to continue over the next year within a three-mile radius of WWE live events and shows.
The Court ruling reads as follows:
“(a) WWE is likely to succeed in showing that Defendants have used counterfeit or infringing marks in connection with the sale, offering for sale or distribution of goods or services; (b) WWE will suffer immediate and irreparable injury and will have no adequate remedy at law if this Court declines to grant a preliminary injunction and order of seizure; (c) the harm to WWE should this Court not grant the requested preliminary injunction and order of seizure clearly outweighs any harm which Defendants might incur if the preliminary injunction and order of seizure is granted; (d) the public interest is served with the issuance of the preliminary injunction and order of seizure.”
“Federal, state, and local law enforcement officers are hereby authorized and directed to seize any and all Counterfeit Merchandise and any records documenting the manufacture, sale or receipt of the Counterfeit Merchandise, in the possession, dominion or control of Defendants, their agents or persons acting in concert or participation with them. All seized items shall be delivered up to the care and custody of Plaintiff or Plaintiff’s attorneys pending further instructions from the Court. The seized goods shall be kept in identifiable containers.”
The ruling adds that anyone who is caught selling counterfeit WWE merchandise has to provide their correct name and address and later appear in court to defend themselves and provide any additional details on counterfeit material they know is being sold.
The court ruling will remain in effect until March of 2020. PWInsider’s report notes that around that time, WWE will likely try to get a similar court ruling in Tampa Bay, Florida, which is the host city for WrestleMania 36. In the past, WWE has pursued legal injunctions to try and prevent counterfeit merchandise being sold.Click Here: cheap nrl merchandise

– Charly Caruso posted the following this morning. You’re welcome…

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Been debating posting this photo, but I am so damn proud of myself and the hard word I’ve been putting in for months now…that I just had to! 💁🏻‍♀️ (I took this photo on a whim, so the set up ain’t great) ➡️I’ve been so dialed in to my training despite the constant travel and obstacles that continuously come up and it’s really starting to show. My legs and glutes are more shapely than ever and for someone who is naturally pretty straight up and down, it takes a lot of hard work to build these muscles. But the key, as in most things in life, is CONSISTENCY! 💪🏽💪🏽 ➡️I train 5-6 days/week lifting (3 lower, 2 upper right now) and do cardio for about 90-120 minutes over the course of the week. ➡️I’m working on leaning out my midsection a bit, and I think I’ve already done so in the last week and a half, but honestly, I’m more focused on building muscle so I’m not stressing about it. I love looking and feeling strong!! 💥 A HUGE thank you to @theabchick for her guidance in the gym and the kitchen these past couple months, which have been vital, to @kennysantucci who always has my back when I need a good 🍑 kicking and for providing a great training foundation and to @coachmarkcarroll who taught me so much when working with him last year. Also, shout out to @rocbodyfitnesscafe and @trifectasystem for keeping me on track with their amazing and yummy meal prep! It’s a team effort and I’ve got a great one! 💪🏽THE BEST IS YET TO COME!! 💪🏽 TRUST THE PROCESS! 💥 #nyc #fitnesslife #fitlife #progress #consistency #proud #gains #wrestlemania #trusttheprocess
A post shared by Charly Arnolt (@charlycarusowwe) on Apr 4, 2019 at 9:09am PDT

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