All in the Scrum

Compiled by JOHNNY WATTERSON

Son of Schmidt

Leinster coach Joe Schmidt turned up at Donnybrook to watch Terenure play Belvedere in the Leinster Schools Senior Cup. The reason he was a spectator was because the number nine on the Terenure team is his son Tim Schmidt, while the outside centre was Harrison Brewer, son of All Black flanker Mike Brewer.

Having a crack at Paddy is always a bit of fun. Just ask Sunday Times rugby writer Stephen Jones, whose views on Jonathan Sexton, we’re all just dying to know.

“Given the state of some roads in Ireland, he (Sexton) could probably pop back (from Paris) on a flight and be in Irelands’ training camp before someone driving from the other side of Dublin who had left at the same time.”

Peter Strings along on loan once more

Munster scrumhalf Peter Stringer got off to quite a decent start in the first match of his loan spell with Bath over the weekend. The former Ireland nine landed two tries in Bath’s win over Exeter in the LV Cup on Saturday.

Stringer scored both his touchdowns in a five-minute spell either side of the 60-minute mark in a game that was pretty evenly matched. Munster coach Rob Penney can rest assured that while he obviously sanctioned the move across the water, Stringer, now with his third Premiership side, is still an asset on the pitch.

Bath won the game 16-6 at the Rec, prompting a comment online that rugby, like life, is Strings and roundabouts.

Heaslip full of air

Damien O’Donohoe, the agent of Jamie Heaslip, spelled out just how some players keep their edge. The tried and trusted method of getting the blood as healthy as possible by sleeping in an oxygen-rich environment is how the Irish captain now goes about business.

“Jamie goes to extremes in order to be the best he can be,” said the qualified lawyer and agent.“Brian (O’Driscoll) and I were only talking the other day and he said that in terms of preparation Jamie is the most professional player he has ever played with. Jamies diet, training, rest, hydration, etc, are absolutely flawless. He even sleeps in an oxygen tent. He’s always looking for the next step to better himself.”

Doran-Jones doesn't look good in green

Paul Doran-Jones ended up on the right side of the scoreline on Friday night in Galway.

The England Saxons prop though could so easily have been wearing the green shirt. Doran Jones had represented England at U-18 level before moving back to Ireland, when he then played with the Ireland U-19s team at the 2004 Junior World Cup in South Africa in which Irish player John McCall tragically passed away.

He later represented Ireland U-21s at the 2006 IRB U-21 World Championship as he was qualified to represent Ireland through his mother.

But in 2009, Doran-Jones was called up to the England Squad for the Autumn Internationals following injury to Dave Wilson and subsequently made his England debut in November of that year at Twickenham against Argentina as a substitute.

Doran-Jones’s career actually started at Lansdowne Rugby Club, while he was at university in Trinity.

He had a spell with King Country in New Zealand and also spent four seasons with Leinster from 2003 to 2007.