Planet Rugby

A round-up of other rugby news in brief....

Timisoara pay high price for victory

IMISOARA WON the peace but CSU appeared to have won the war after a blast-from-the-past rugby match last week in Romania ended with three players in hospital. The incident took place in the western city of Arad during a match between CSU Arad and RCM Timisoara.

Danut Borzas, manager of Timisoara, said the players started punching and kicking each other after about 20 minutes into the match. Players on the bench also joined the brawl. One player, Daniel Zamfir, was hospitalised with head injuries. Another player had a broken nose and the third sustained facial injuries and had several teeth knocked out.

“We received threats before the match,” Borzas said. “We have three players in hospital. They were punched and thrown to the ground and then kicked.”

Still, Timisoara won the match 42-16.

Blackrock 18 power Leinster's bid

NEVER LET it be said that Blackrock aren’t doing their bit for gender balance in rugby. Yesterday’s Leinster women’s team that faced Connacht in their opening clash of the interprovincial series had Nora Stapleton from Old Belvedere at fullback. The other six in the back line were all from Blackrock.

In the pack the two locks, Rachel Vickers from Clondalkin and Mary Louise Reilly from Navan, were the only two not from Blackrock. And the bench? Well, Gill Nolan hails from St Mary’s College RFC, otherwise, you get it? That’s 18 players out of the squad of 22 all from Blackrock.

NORTHAMPTON and Brive are the only two clubs in this year's Heineken Cup who have won the competition but have never won their national championships. Brive won in 1996-97, while Northampton beat Munster 9-8 in 2000.

Quinn to launch Geoghegan trust

SUNDERLAND’S NIALL Quinn will be in Limerick today to launch the Shane Geoghegan Trust, which is aimed at helping children to eschew anti-social activities and criminality for sports and cultural activities.

Shane was murdered by one of Limerick’s criminal gangs in a tragic case of mistaken identity. The Trust is to be launched formally in Garryowen, Dooradoyle at 11.00am.

NINETEEN-YEARold Kieran Brookes was involved in the Amlin Challenge Cup with Newcastle yesterday. The former Ireland u-20 tighthead prop is also eligible for England. He signed a one-year contract with Newcastle in May. "Kieran is well known on the circuit as being one of the most gifted young props in the country," said the club's director of rugby Steve Bates.

Strauss on song

THE LEINSTER-bound hooker Richardt Strauss was playing for the Free State Cheetahs in Saturday’s Currie Cup semi-final in South Africa. The Cheetahs, against the odds, beat the Sharks 23-21, whose front row comprised Springboks John Smit, Bismarck Du Plessis and Tendai ‘The Beast’ Mtawarira.

That upset now means that Strauss will not be available to Leinster until after the final against the Blue Bulls in two weeks time.

Guildford fulfils father's dream

WINGER ZAC Guildford’s elevation to the All Blacks squad for their end-of-season Northern Hemisphere tour was tinged with some sadness on Sunday as his father Robert was not around to see it.

The 20-year-old’s father died in June watching the International Rugby Boards world under-20 final in Tokyo when Guildford scored two tries for New Zealand in their 44-28 victory over England.

“He will be over the moon,” Guildford told Television New Zealand after he was named in Graham Henrys side as one of four new caps in the 33-man squad.

“It was his dream for me to make the All Blacks because he didn’t do it himself, so I think he will be really proud.” Guildford, who is the top try scorer in this year’s national provincial competition for his team Hawke’s Bay, had said earlier his father’s death had refocused his efforts on the rugby field