Moriarty gives Blues the blues... Ospreys’ mistakes are costly... and Pooler clinch it
EUROPE took centre stage on the weekend with the quarter-finals of the Champions and Challenge Cup being played out both sides of the Channel.
And there was no shortage of Welsh involvement despite the absence of the Dragons and Scarlets from the knockout phase.
We give you the Welsh winners and losers from the weekend...
WINNERS
TAULUPE FALETAU Despite making just nine appearances for the west country outfit in an injuryravaged campaign, the Wales No.8 admitted he’s been nicknamed ‘The Butcher’ at The Rec on more than one occasion as a first try continued to elude him at the Aviva Premiership giants.
He’s now shed that moniker once and for all with a clinical two-try show as Bath made it to the semi-finals of the European Challenge Cup with a 34-20 victory over Brive.
“It’s been a while [to wait for first try] and I’ve been called the butcher a few times, but it’s good to get over the line,” he said.
And after a rare 80 minutes under his belt in front of the home fans, he added: “There have been a few setbacks this season, but it’s good to be out there and it’s what we enjoy doing, so the more chances we get to do it the better.” RUTHIN AND MARKHAM The cricket season may be rapidly approaching but in grassroots rugby on Saturday three figures were reached in north and south Wales... though their wasn’t much waving of the bat to home fans of Ruthin and Markham.
Because what the clubs did was merely illustrate the growing crisis in the lower reaches in the Welsh game when failure to raise sides, teams turning up with the bare XV, or even less, resulting in 100-point hammerings, continue to blight the game.
And for Abergele in Division One North and Forgeside in Division Three East C, they were on the wrong end of 133-7 and 126-0 maulings respectively. The growing problems in Welsh grassroots rugby rammed home as two clubs hammered by 259-7 aggregate scoreline PONTYPOOL Think of Celtic running away with football’s Scottish Premiership and you have Welsh rugby’s very own version with the former giants of the game at Pontypool Park.
So it was perhaps apt both wrapped up their respective pieces of silverware on the weekend with plenty to spare.
Pooler may not have the 25-point cushion Brendan Rodgers’ Bhoys are enjoying north of the border but their march to the Championship crown has been equally as emphatic with their one defeat last week against Cardiff Met merely delaying the inevitable by seven days.
And the title was delivered in front of home fans on Saturday as Leighton Jones’ men beat Glamorgan Wanderers to open up an unassailable 12-point lead over second-placed Narberth. CALLUM SHEEDY Jersey is famous for VAT-free shopping, former BBC detective series Bergerac, new potatoes and cream.
But a Cardiff-born outside-half is helping put the scenic island in the English Channel on the rugby map as the Reds made it to the final of the British & Irish Cup for the first time in their history after beating London Irish 25-17 in an absorbing encounter at the Madejski Stadium. Jersey will now face Munster in Ireland over the weekend of 21-23 April.
Sheedy, on loan at Jersey from Bristol, banged over two penalties and a brace of conversions for a priceless 10-point haul in the 25-17 victory.
It was Jersey’s 10th win in a row, and their second in eight days over the Championship leaders. And the Reds are right in the mix for a spot in the play-offs for the Aviva Premiership though they cannot get promoted through ground criteria. ROSS MORIARTY He doesn’t need much pumping up as Ross Moriarty’s in rugby’s very own Michelin Man when the blockbusting back-rower steps onto the field.
Much of the talk ahead of Saturday’s Gloucester-Blues European Challenge Cup quarter-final clash at Kingsholm between Welsh pals Moriarty and Sam Warburton and it didn’t disappoint.
Moriarty made an immediate impact on the game putting in a huge hit on Gareth Anscombe that left the fly-half wincing on the floor. The Gloucester dynamo then followed up with his side’s first try, picking the ball up one-handed and surging past Matthew Morgan to the line. He made good ground on his abrasive carries, put in 15 tackles in all and it was clear afterwards how much the win meant to him.
LOSERS
LEIGH HALFPENNY The Wales full-back booted all of Toulon’s points, but found himself on the losing side in their all-French Champions Cup quarter-final clash with Clermont Auvergne at Stade Marcel Michelin.
Halfpenny, who is close to agreeing an extra year’s stay with the French heavyweights before being linked with a move to Bath for the 2018-19 season, kicked two penalties in the first period and added a third three-pointer in the second.
But the Lions hopeful and his Toulon team-mates was simply powerless to prevent a turbo-charged second half for Clermont as they booked a semi-final showdown with Leinster in Lyon with a stunning 29-9 victory. DAI YOUNG They’re often looked on as the poor relations. But the top end teams of the Guinness Pro12 showed they cannot only mix it with the best of the Aviva Premiership, but beat them to boot as Leinster showed in Saturday’s Champions Cup quarter-final win over Young’s star-studded Wasps team in Dublin. Wasps may be top of the Aviva Premiership, but they found themselves 25-3 down as Leinster dined out on mistakes from Young’s side.
They rallied to within eight points after tries from Christian Wade and Jimmy Gopperth in the second half, but Leinster never relinquished control of the match. SWANSEA It wasn’t the best of weekends for sport in the city. But what might have slightly sailed under the radar among the Ospreys bowing out of Europe in Cardiff against Stade Francais and Paul Clement’s Swans being dragged closer to football’s Premier League relegation dogfight with a goalless draw with fellow strugglers Middlesbrough, was the All Whites’ west Wales derby with Principality Premiership rivals Llanelli.
Both sides were well aware that defeat would mean the end of any Tier Two play-off hopes and a more robust Llanelli