Planet Rugby: Are you RTÉ in disguise? There will be some familiar faces at Donnybrook today for the Leinster Schools Senior Cup first round match between Clongowes Wood College and St Michael's College - and we're not talking about players who lined out in the competition last year.
Setanta Sports' cameras will be there for the first time to cover the match. Full, deferred highlights will be shown tonight (7.0 p.m.). The man behind the microphone will be the former doyen of RTÉ rugby commentators, Fred Cogley, while another RTÉ old boy is the producer, John D O'Brien. Another man who wouldn't be unfamiliar with the way to Montrose is Gerry Kelly who'll share the commentating duties as the tournament progresses.
Setanta Sports will broadcast 19 matches between the Leinster Senior and Junior Cup competitions and there are tentative plans to screen the two Senior Cup semi-finals live as well as the respective finals. They may also seek to cover the Munster Schools Senior Cup final.
Tea-time in most rugby-loving households may now be conducted in front of the television.
Dieting for good cause
A section of the Ulster backroom staff have decided to lose pounds but make money. Ulster Rugby chief executive Michael Reid is spearheading a team of nine people who will try to lose as much weight as possible in raising money to help the victims of the tsunami in South East Asia.
Officially weighed in on Saturday, January 1st by Ulster team doctor David Irwin were Ulster Branch domestic rugby manager David Boyd; the senior and junior vice-presidents of the Ulster Branch, Ian Graham and Stan Huey; Ballynahinch and Malone RFC presidents John Dickson and Raymond Thomas; Kukri Sportswear's Terry Jackson; Ulster Branch honorary treasurer John Robinson; and the Ulster Branch's doctor, Laurence Rocke.
They will be weighed again on February 26th.
Olympic call being heard
It seems the IRB's call to have rugby included in the Olympics may not be falling on deaf ears. A strong case has been put to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) by highlighting the burgeoning success of the IRB Sevens.
IOC president Jacques Rogge recently visited Kenya as a guest of sports minister Ochillo Ayacko, and said that "the inclusion of rugby in the Olympics has not been decided, but there is a possibility. It is a great sport."
O'Driscoll's booked
Ireland's captain Brian O'Driscoll has committed to writing a diary for 2005 in conjunction with Penguin Books. Given the possibilities of a Grand Slam and the fact that the player might lead the Lions on the summer tour to New Zealand, it should be a guaranteed seller.
The book - this column believes the Daily Telegraph's Brendan Gallagher will fulfil the ghostwriting duties - is likely to hit the market just in time for Christmas with a November release date.
Four fail IRB dope tests
In 2004 the IRB conducted 829 doping tests at various international levels of the game, including a new global out-of-competition testing programme, which didn't record a single violation.
Four anti-doping rule violations were recorded, all from tests undertaken in-competition. Results were returned for 'specified substances' on the WADA Prohibited List, which include substances less likely to be used to improve performance.
This year's expanded testing programme will include random testing at RWC 2007 qualifying matches and more tests conducted 'out of competition'. This should see around 1000 tests conducted by the IRB. This is over and above tests carried out by national unions.
Ellas play it again
The Ella brothers resumed their legendary on-field partnership yesterday, lining up against some of the biggest names in Australian rugby at the Sydney Sevens for Tsunami Relief and Waratah Fan Day. Twins Mark and Glen, along with younger brother Gary, the former Leinster coach, lined up on the same side for the first time in over a decade when they took part in a special celebrity match.
Joining the Ellas in the "Classics" side were fellow former internationals Phil Kearns, David Wilson, Gary Pearse and Marty Roebuck.
The "Legends" side featured Simon Poidevin, Jason Little, Richard Harry and Peter FitzSimons.
Tune back from injury
Australian wing Ben Tune made a try-scoring return to action after two years out with injury as the Queensland Reds defeated the ACT Brumbies 43-5 in a Super 12 pre-season match in Brisbane on Saturday.
The World Cup winning Wallaby, who underwent surgery on both knees in 2003, delighted the 11,147 crowd by scoring the Reds' second try of the night before coming off at half-time as coach Jeff Miller rotated his squad.
Tune's rival for the outside centre shirt for the Reds, Junior Peleasa, rose to the challenge scoring twice and winning the man-of-the-match award.
"It was good and I felt pretty relaxed out there," Tune said afterwards. "I got a couple of good touches, I got a try which is always nice, I made a couple of good tackles, I missed one which really annoys me, but in general I pretty much couldn't have asked for a better first up half.
"I was surprised at how fast it all was, but I'm a little bit reassured as the rest of the guys said it was a fast half so that makes me feel a little bit better. I definitely need more games though.
