LV= Cup, Rd Four wrap; Part 2
Sun, 07 Feb 2010 21:57
rugby365 brings you all the latest reports and results from the LV= Cup competition...
Harlequins 29 – 31 Gloucester
Tim Taylor held his nerve and converted Tom Voyce's last minute try as Gloucester capped a remarkable comeback with the win which takes them into the semi finals of the LV=Cup.
Gloucester had come into the game knowing that a bonus point win would be enough to qualify for the semi-finals.
The table topping Scarlets had 11 points and nine tries from their four games so a bonus point win would taken Gloucester to the top of the group with 11 points and a minimum of ten tries.
It was a big ask and it took every single one of the 80 minutes. And it all looked very unlikely as the opening quarter saw Gloucester staring down the barrel of a big defeat.
Had the game started after 25 minutes, Gloucester would probably have romped away with this one. However, they were 20-0 down by that point and the deficit proved to be just almost too much until the late heroics.
The semi final berth is reward for those efforts and a valuable psychological ahead of the Guinness Premiership meeting betwen these sides next weekend.
A much changed line up saw first starts for Tim Taylor, Semi Tadulala and Rupert Harden whilst Lesley Vainikolo got an rare run out in the inside centre position.
Gloucester had the first chance of points as Quins dropped the opening kick off and picked up the loose ball from an offside position but Tim Taylor pushed his kick across the posts.
The home side though were first on the board as swift hands put Josh Drauninui into space on the left. The wing made good ground before being tracked down but Gloucester were offside in midfield as the ball came back and Nick Evans kicked an easy penalty for 3-0 after five minutes.
Gloucester had a couple of decent backs moves which came to naught in the opening stages but Evans was looking dangerous and his break and subsequent chip had Gloucester under pressure after 8 minutes.
Quins fancied the catch and drive. The first was illegally brought down but the second brought reward with a try for James Percival after Matt Cairns was brought down just short. Evans converted with ease.
Bad duly went to worse as Gloucester gave away a ruck penalty giving Quins excellent field position. The forwards drove on before Evans dummied his way over for the second try. His conversion hit the upright and stayed out but 15-0 after 13 minutes was a rough start.
It got rougher. Gloucester lost their first lineout and then saw Dawidiuk yellow carded for coming in the side of a maul although the 7 man pack dug deep to keep Quins at bay.
However, the errors continued to cost Gloucester dear. Taylor's kick to the corner after a rare foray into Quins' territory went dead giving Quins scrum ball.
Guest picked up and slipped Narraway's tackle before making good ground and linking with Dickson. The scrum half took a good angle and Evans came on a great line to take the pass and hold off Tadulala to score. 20-0 after 24 minutes.
Gloucester finally clicked on the half hour. Clean lineout ball saw Vainikolo suck in tacklers in midfield and Voyce's pass gave Simpson-Daniel an opening which the winger exploited with speed and strength. Taylor's excellent touchline conversion narrowed the gap to 20-7.
It prompted Gloucester's best spell of the game as forwards and backs combined to keep hold of the ball through multiple phases before Taylor dummied his way through to score under the posts. The debutant fly half converted his own try to bring the game back to 20-14.
Incredibly, Taylor then dummied his way through again with only second left on the clock but his inside pass was intercepted as a sensational third try looked on the cards.
As the teams went into half time, Gloucester still trailed 20-14 but such a scoreline would have been unthinkable only minutes before as wave after wave of Quins attack swept forward.
However, the fightback had been impressive and Gloucester were still well and truly in the game which had looked very unlikely after the first quarter.
More of the same was required but Quins got the better start to the second period as Evans punished Gloucester for an indiscretion at a ruck with a well struck long range penalty for 23-14.
Gloucester weren't done though. Simpson-Daniel was a constant threat and his half break led to the sinbinning of replacement Quins' lock Tomas Vallejos for killing the ball.
Enjoying an extra man up front, Gloucester had a couple of chances to force home a score and looked odds on to score at the third attempt but the ball was held up over the line and Quins weathered the storm.
The home side cleared downfield and earned a cheap penalty for holding on in the tackle on the Gloucester but the previously impeccable Evans pushed his kick wide right.
However, the Kiwi made amends just two minutes later when another ruck penalty afforded him a second chance and he made no mistake.
Still Redpath's men weren't done as Voyce came steaming on to Taylor's long pass and burst through. he was tackled by Brown as he made for the line but offloaded to Simpson-Daniel whose second score made it 26-19.
Gloucester needed discipline and just a bit of luck to get back on terms but yet another ruck penalty followed by back chat gave Evans a simple penalty for 29-19.
Apo Satala's powerful run almost brought a fourth try for Gloucester but the Quins defence just got back and feverish tackling kept their line intact but Tim Molenaar smashed his way over moments later after a great break from Andrew Hazell.
The final minutes saw Barbarians like rugby from Gloucester as they pressed for the win with the the previosuly buoyant Quins supporters becoming increasingly nervous.
A catch and drive and held up before the backs were brought into play and Voyce somehow wriggled his way over for the fifth try.
It was all down to Taylor and the former Nottingham man showed nerves of steel to bisect the posts and earn Gloucester the win.
With thanks to Gloucester Rugby.
The Scorers
For Harlequins
Tries: Percival, Evans 2
Pen: Evans 4
Cons: Evans
For Gloucester
Tries: Simpson-Daniel 2, Taylor, Molenaar, Voyce
Con: Taylor 3
Harlequins: 15 Mike Brown (captain), 14 George Lowe, 13 Gonzalo Tiesi, 12 Jordan Turner-Hall, 11 Josh Drauniniu, 10 Nick Evans, 9 Karl Dickson, 8 Tom Guest, 7
Neil Mcmillan, 6 Chris York, 5 Lewis Stevenson, 4 James Percival, 3 John Andress, 2 Matt Cairns, 1 Ceri Jones.
Replacements: 16 Chris Brooker, 17 Aston Croall, 18 James Johnston, 19 Tomas Vallejos, 20 Luke Wallace, 21 Steve So'oialo, 22 Waisea Luveniyali, 23 Ross Chisholm.
Gloucester: 15 Charlie Sharples, 14 Tom Voyce, 13 Tim Molenaar, 12 Lesley Vainikolo, 11 Semi Tadulala, 10 Tim Taylor, 9 Dave Lewis, 8 Luke Narraway (captain), 7 Andrew Hazell, 6 Peter Buxton, 5 Will James, 4 Adam Eustace, 3 Rupert Harden, 2 Darren Dawidiuk, 1 Pierre Capdevielle.
Replacements: 16 Olivier Azam, 17 Yann Thomas, 18 Greg Somerville, 19 Alex Brown, 20 Apo Satala, 21 Andy Williams, 22 Nicky Robinson, 23 James Simpson-Daniel.
Referee: Sean Davey (England)
Assistant referees: Peter Huckle (England), Nick Carrick (England)
TMO: Brian Abrahams
(England)
Newcastle 3 – 9 Wasps
Newcastle Falcons ended their LV= Cup campaign with a six-point home defeat to London Wasps at Kingston Park on Sunday.
A crowd of 4,651 turned out to show their support for the 2nd Battalion Royal Regiment of Fusiliers Northern Region, and despite witnessing what was effectively a dead rubber they were still treated to a game between two sides intent on playing.
An enterprising start for the Falcons saw the hosts over the try line within five minutes, but referee Andrew Small had already called play back for obstruction as Alex Tait stepped his way through a maelstrom of bodies.
Danny Williams chipped in with a well-won turnover as Newcastle looked to give the ball width, but it was from the tight phases that they first profited as a rampaging rolling maul rumbled 20 metres for Rob Miller to stroke over a simple penalty on 15 minutes – Wasps having been tempted to stray offside.
A midfield grubber from Miller saw Williams race Dave Walder for the loose ball from halfway to the five-metre line, but with the former Falcon just edging the foot race Newcastle had to content themselves with a five-metre scrum down the right hand side.
Despite all the adventure from both sides it was to be an ultimately try-less first 40, the only other score coming with the very last play of the half as Walder chipped over an elementary penalty for a 3-3 interval scoreline.
Club captain Carl Hayman entered the fray for the second stanza as the hosts looked to regain their lead, openside Brent Wilson claiming an early turnover as Newcastle demonstrated their hunger in the contact area.
The Falcons turned down a long range penalty in search of prime attacking line out territory, but their adventure was their undoing as Wasps pinched a messy set piece to thwart the hosts’ intentions.
Still Newcastle countered, Amesbury hacking downfield after a Rob Vickerman interception only to see Walder mop up the loose ball.
With neither side able to capitalise in the loose it was again to the boot that the teams turned, Walder nudging Wasps back ahead with a 40-metre penalty just before the hour mark as Newcastle failed to roll away in the tackle.
The Falcons introduced Jimmy Gopperth, Gcobani Bobo and Tom Biggs for the final quarter as they continued the quest for attacking spark, but with testing conditions underfoot and a wet ball both sides found continuity hard to come by.
It almost paid instant dividends as Gopperth fed Williams on an inside line, the Yorkshireman falling just short as he reached out for the line.
But it was to be the visitors who registered the next and final score in a low-key ending to the game, as Walder slotted a penalty from wide out on the right to remove any doubt about the result.
With thanks to Newcastle.
The Scorers
For Newcastle
Pen: Miller
For Wasps
Pen: Walder 3
Newcastle Falcons: 15 Alex Tait, 14 Danny Williams, 13 Rob Vickerman, 12 Tane Tu'ipulotu, 11 Charlie Amesbury, 10 Rob Miller, 9 Hall Charlton (captain), 8 Josh Afu, 7 Brent Wilson, 6 Mark Wilson, 5 Filipo Levi, 4 Peter Browne, 3 Matt Thompson, 2 Alex Walker, 1 Micky Ward
Replacements: 16 Kieran Brookes, 17 Carl Hayman, 18 Grant Shiells, 19 Will Welch, 20 Alex Gray, 21 Chris Pilgrim, 22 Jimmy Gopperth, 23 Tom Biggs
London Wasps: 15 Mark Van Gisbergen, 14 Lee Smith, 13 Ben Jacobs, 12 Steve Kefu, 11 David Lemi, 10 Dave Walder (captain), 9 Mark Robinson, 8 Hugo Ellis, 7 Will Matthews, 6 Joe Worsley, 5 Dan Ward-Smith, 4 Marty Veale, 3 Bob Baker, 2 Joe Ward, 1 Sakaria Taulafo.
Replacements: 16 Tom
Lindsay, 17 Gabriel Bocca, 18 Ben Broster, 19 Peter Elder, 20 Mark Odejobi, 21 James Honeyben, 22 Eoghan Hickey, 23 Lachlan Mitchell.
Referee: Andrew Small
Assistant referees: Paul Emerson, Martin Buck
Saracens 22 – 23 Newport-Gwent Dragons
Saracens booked a place in the LV=Cup semi-finals despite losing by a single point against the Dragons at Vicarage Road on Sunday.
The home side were beaten 23-22 by the Welsh outfit but the losing bonus point gives Sarries a place in the last four and a visit to Franklins Gardens to face Northampton Saints on Sunday 14 March.
Sarries had moved into a 6—0 lead early in the game but a brace of tries from wing Will Harries set up the victory for the visitors despite Chris Wyles’ second half try which pulled the home side back into the game.
Replacement Derick Hougaard and Wyles both saw opportunities to win the game via penalties and drop goals as the close wore down, but both were off target which denied the home side the win, but the result was enough to see them through.
It was Saracens who took an early lead in the match with the home side penalised for not rolling away and Glen Jackson quickly found his range to score. The fly half was on target again a minute later to give his side a 6-0 lead with just 10 minutes on the clock.
However, despite no longer being able to qualify for the semi-finals of the competition, it was clear the Dragons hadn’t travelled down the M4 looking to make up the numbers. After fiercely competing for a ball on halfway, they turned over Sarries possession and wing Will Harries spotted a gap on the touchline. He raced clear and cut inside Jackson before racing outside Rodd Penney to cross the line. Jason Tovey converted to give the visitors the lead.
Sarries immediately mounted an attack from the restart and pressured the Dragons line, forcing them into the mistake which allowed Jackson to regain the lead. However, Tovey then saw a long range effort from just inside the Sarries half creep over the bar.
Jackson replied with another effort with 10 minutes of the half remaining but Tovey had the final say of the opening 40 minutes when his effort on the stroke of half time cleared the posts.
The Dragons picked up where they left off after the break and their second try of the game followed in almost identical fashion of the first. The home side lost possession in midfield and after a quick break, Harries outsprinted the home defence to touch down a chip ahead. Tovey converted to give the Dragons a 20-12 lead with 50 minutes on the clock.
Three changes immediately after the try saw Tom Ryder, Derick Hougaard and Neil de Kock take the field and Hougaard was quickly involved in the action as he dropped goal from 35 metres to cut the deficit.
And it wasn’t long before Sarries crossed the line themselves. Hougaard’s up and under was collected by Tovey inside his own 22, but the Dragons fly half hadn’t counted on a terrific chase from Chris Wyles who charged down his kick and collected the ball to score. Hougaard converted to give Sarries a 22-20 lead on the hour.
However, when the Dragons went into the Sarries 22 five minutes later, Tovey took full advantage to drop a goal and give his side a single point lead.
For the final 10 minutes, Sarries pushed but couldn’t find the winner. Hougaard saw two long range penalties drift wide along with a drop goal. Wyles also had two efforts at three points, but both were off target.
The Dragons held on to win but the bonus point sees Saracens through to the semi-finals of the LV=Cup in March.
The Scorers
For Saracens
Try: Wyles
Pen: Jackson 4
DG: Hougaard
Cons: Hougaard
For Dragons
Tries: Harries 2
Pen: Tovey 2
DG: Tovey
Cons: Tovey 2
Saracens: 15 Chris Wyles, 14 Richard Haughton, 13 Rodd Penney, 12 Adam Powell, 11 Michael Tagicakibau, 10 Glen Jackson, 9 Justin Marshall, 8 Ernst Joubert, 7 Jacques Burger, 6 Wikus van Heerden (captain), 5 Mouritz Botha, 4 Hayden Smith, 3 Richard Skuse, 2 Schalk Brits, 1 Kasiano Lealamanua.
Replacements: 16 Ethienne Reynecke, 17 Alex Brown, 18 Carlos Nieto, 19 Tom Ryder, 20 Andy Saull, 21 Neil de Kock, 22 Derick Hougaard, 23 James Short.
Newport Gwent Dragons: 15 Martyn Thomas, 14 Will Harries, 13 Matthew Watkins, 12 Ashley Smith (captain), 11 Richard Fussell, 10 Jason Tovey, 9 Wayne Evans, 8 Grant Webb, 7 Gavin Thomas, 6
Danny Lydiate, 5 Rob Sidoli, 4 Adam Jones, 3 Ben Castle, 2 Steve Jones, 1 Hugh Gustafson.
Replacements: 16 Duane Goodfield, 17 Aaron Coundley, 18 Pat Palmer, 19 Hoani MacDonald, 20 Lewis Evans, 21 James Leadbeater, 22 James Arlidge, 23 Aled Brew.
Referee: Wayne Barnes (England)
Assistant referees: Stuart Terheege (England), Andrew Watson (England)
TMO: John Burtenshaw (England), David Matthews (England)