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Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Wales 47 Italy 8 - Six nations 2008
A packed Millennium Stadium saw Wales outscore Italy by five tries to one in a 47-8 RBS Six Nations win. The home side were made to work in the first forty minutes but blew away the Italian challenge with 34 unanswered second-half points to clinch the record win. Lee Byrne was the man of the match, his two tries were matched by the magnificent Shane Williams, but Byrne’s coolness under the high ball and pinpoint kicking display won him the accolade.
Italy came out with their attacking intentions clear to see but were nervy in the opening minutes and they soon fell behind when Stephen Jones slotted a three-pointer. It was the first of his 18 points with the boot. He was flawless all day, kicking three conversions and four penalties before being leaving the field to rapturous applause with 13 minutes to play. James Hook was the popular replacement and he did his job in scoring the first of his two conversion's within seconds of coming on.
It was the introduction on Mike Phillips that sparked Wales’s second half performance. The feisty Osprey sliced the Italian defence to shreds with his first touch of the ball, so very nearly scoring a try from seventy metres out.
On the wing, Williams showed his class. His pace, power, and overall work rate all contributing. He weighed in with a brace. His second try was a moment of sheer brilliance and will grace highlight reels in years to come. Warren Gatland’s side now top the RBS Six Nations table with three wins from three, and have Ireland next in the hunt for the Triple Crown.
Italy came out with their attacking intentions clear to see but were nervy in the opening minutes and they soon fell behind when Stephen Jones slotted a three-pointer. It was the first of his 18 points with the boot. He was flawless all day, kicking three conversions and four penalties before being leaving the field to rapturous applause with 13 minutes to play. James Hook was the popular replacement and he did his job in scoring the first of his two conversion's within seconds of coming on.
It was the introduction on Mike Phillips that sparked Wales’s second half performance. The feisty Osprey sliced the Italian defence to shreds with his first touch of the ball, so very nearly scoring a try from seventy metres out.
On the wing, Williams showed his class. His pace, power, and overall work rate all contributing. He weighed in with a brace. His second try was a moment of sheer brilliance and will grace highlight reels in years to come. Warren Gatland’s side now top the RBS Six Nations table with three wins from three, and have Ireland next in the hunt for the Triple Crown.
Wales 47 Italy 8 - Six nations 2008
A packed Millennium Stadium saw Wales outscore Italy by five tries to one in a 47-8 RBS Six Nations win. The home side were made to work in the first forty minutes but blew away the Italian challenge with 34 unanswered second-half points to clinch the record win. Lee Byrne was the man of the match, his two tries were matched by the magnificent Shane Williams, but Byrne’s coolness under the high ball and pinpoint kicking display won him the accolade.
Italy came out with their attacking intentions clear to see but were nervy in the opening minutes and they soon fell behind when Stephen Jones slotted a three-pointer. It was the first of his 18 points with the boot. He was flawless all day, kicking three conversions and four penalties before being leaving the field to rapturous applause with 13 minutes to play. James Hook was the popular replacement and he did his job in scoring the first of his two conversion's within seconds of coming on.
It was the introduction on Mike Phillips that sparked Wales’s second half performance. The feisty Osprey sliced the Italian defence to shreds with his first touch of the ball, so very nearly scoring a try from seventy metres out.
On the wing, Williams showed his class. His pace, power, and overall work rate all contributing. He weighed in with a brace. His second try was a moment of sheer brilliance and will grace highlight reels in years to come. Warren Gatland’s side now top the RBS Six Nations table with three wins from three, and have Ireland next in the hunt for the Triple Crown.
Italy came out with their attacking intentions clear to see but were nervy in the opening minutes and they soon fell behind when Stephen Jones slotted a three-pointer. It was the first of his 18 points with the boot. He was flawless all day, kicking three conversions and four penalties before being leaving the field to rapturous applause with 13 minutes to play. James Hook was the popular replacement and he did his job in scoring the first of his two conversion's within seconds of coming on.
It was the introduction on Mike Phillips that sparked Wales’s second half performance. The feisty Osprey sliced the Italian defence to shreds with his first touch of the ball, so very nearly scoring a try from seventy metres out.
On the wing, Williams showed his class. His pace, power, and overall work rate all contributing. He weighed in with a brace. His second try was a moment of sheer brilliance and will grace highlight reels in years to come. Warren Gatland’s side now top the RBS Six Nations table with three wins from three, and have Ireland next in the hunt for the Triple Crown.
Wales beat 47 - 18 Italy
Critics have been waiting for Wales to crash and burn since their defeat of England, but the men from the valleys are still on track for a second Grand Slam title in four years courtesy of a 47-8 victory over Italy on Saturday.
Tries from Lee Byrne (2), Tom Shanklin and Shane Williams (2), as well as 18 points from the boot of Stephen Jones and four from James Hook ensured the victory, but they had to overcome a decent challenge from the Italians in the first half.
The Wales team that beat Italy:
Byrne (Ospreys); M Jones (Llanelli Scarlets), Shanklin (Cardiff Blues), Henson (Ospreys), S Williams (Ospreys); S Jones (Scarlets; Hook, Ospreys, 71), Peel (Scarlets; Phillips, Blues, 43); Jenkins (Blues), Rees (Scarlets; Bennett, Ospreys 57), R Thomas (Scarlets; Duncan Jones, Ospreys, 71), Gough (Ospreys), Evans (Ospreys; Deiniol Jones, Blues, 71), J Thomas (Ospreys), M Williams (Blues; Delve, Gloucester, 73), R Jones (Ospreys, capt.)
Tries from Lee Byrne (2), Tom Shanklin and Shane Williams (2), as well as 18 points from the boot of Stephen Jones and four from James Hook ensured the victory, but they had to overcome a decent challenge from the Italians in the first half.
The Wales team that beat Italy:
Byrne (Ospreys); M Jones (Llanelli Scarlets), Shanklin (Cardiff Blues), Henson (Ospreys), S Williams (Ospreys); S Jones (Scarlets; Hook, Ospreys, 71), Peel (Scarlets; Phillips, Blues, 43); Jenkins (Blues), Rees (Scarlets; Bennett, Ospreys 57), R Thomas (Scarlets; Duncan Jones, Ospreys, 71), Gough (Ospreys), Evans (Ospreys; Deiniol Jones, Blues, 71), J Thomas (Ospreys), M Williams (Blues; Delve, Gloucester, 73), R Jones (Ospreys, capt.)
Wales 47 - 18 Italy
Unbeaten Wales cranked up their Grand Slam charge as they romped to a record Six Nations victory over Italy.
More Coverage on the web
Wales 47 - 8 Italy match report from the BBC
Wales v Italy, as it happened, live comments from the Guardian
The Gatfather delivers for Wales again, coverage of Wales win over Italy
Saturday, February 9, 2008
Wales on for the grand slam ?!
Wales 30 - 15 Scotland, Six Nations 2008, 9th Feb 2008
Wales built on last weekend's "shock" win against England by beating an under performing Scottish side 30-15 in an error-strewn encounter at the Millennium Stadium.
Photo - Shane Williams grabs Wales first try.
Warren Gatland's side dominated the game and scored three tries to none, but Chris Paterson's boot kept the Scots in the match until the final quarter.
Indeed it took a controversial late Shane Williams try to finally end Scotland's hopes of snatching a dramatic victory.
Paterson's early penalty had given Scotland the lead against the run of play before Wales grabbed their first try in the 13th minute when Shane Williams capitalised on some poor Scottish play before gliding over.
Scotland survived with 14 men for ten minutes following Nathan Hines' indiscretion and, after James Hook and Paterson had exchanged penalties, Wales led by only four points at the break, 10-6.
Paterson's boot kept Scotland in the match as he landed three more penalties after the interval and Frank Hadden's side were only 17-15 behind with 15 minutes left.
Poor Scotland defending as they forgot about tackling allowed Hook to throw a dummy before easing over the line in the 46th minute but it was Shane Williams' second try that finally ended the visitors' resistance. With 12 minutes left he showed great pace before diving over in the corner. The decision went to the video referee who gave the try even though Shane Williams seemed to have put a foot in touch. It may have been a controversial moment but Wales certainly deserved to win the match as they maintained their Grand Slam hopes while the Scots face a battle to avid the wooden spoon. The Welsh side ultimately had too much creativity. More match details.
Photo - Hook goes over in the 46th minute.
Wales built on last weekend's "shock" win against England by beating an under performing Scottish side 30-15 in an error-strewn encounter at the Millennium Stadium.
Photo - Shane Williams grabs Wales first try.
Warren Gatland's side dominated the game and scored three tries to none, but Chris Paterson's boot kept the Scots in the match until the final quarter.
Indeed it took a controversial late Shane Williams try to finally end Scotland's hopes of snatching a dramatic victory.
Paterson's early penalty had given Scotland the lead against the run of play before Wales grabbed their first try in the 13th minute when Shane Williams capitalised on some poor Scottish play before gliding over.
Scotland survived with 14 men for ten minutes following Nathan Hines' indiscretion and, after James Hook and Paterson had exchanged penalties, Wales led by only four points at the break, 10-6.
Paterson's boot kept Scotland in the match as he landed three more penalties after the interval and Frank Hadden's side were only 17-15 behind with 15 minutes left.
Poor Scotland defending as they forgot about tackling allowed Hook to throw a dummy before easing over the line in the 46th minute but it was Shane Williams' second try that finally ended the visitors' resistance. With 12 minutes left he showed great pace before diving over in the corner. The decision went to the video referee who gave the try even though Shane Williams seemed to have put a foot in touch. It may have been a controversial moment but Wales certainly deserved to win the match as they maintained their Grand Slam hopes while the Scots face a battle to avid the wooden spoon. The Welsh side ultimately had too much creativity. More match details.
Photo - Hook goes over in the 46th minute.
Did this help Wales beat England ?
This was the advertising campaign to promote the 6 Nations coverage by S4C.
Positive thinking?!?!?
Positive thinking?!?!?
Wales 30 - 15 Scotland at the Millenium
Match details
Wales 30 - 15 Scotland -9th Feb 2008 - Match Details
First half scores: 0-3 Paterson pen, 5-3 S Williams try, 7-3 Hook con, 10-3 Hook pen, 10-6 Paterson pen.
Second half scores: 10-9 Paterson pen, 15-9 Hook try, 17-9 Hook con, 17-12 Paterson pen, 17-15 Paterson pen, 20-15 S Jones pen, 25-15 S Williams try, 27-15 S Jones con, 30-15 S Jones pen.
Wales: L Byrne; M Jones, S Parker, G Henson, S Williams; J Hook, M Phillips; A Jones, H Bennett, D Jones, I Gough, I Evans, J Thomas, M Williams, R Jones.
Replacements: M Rees (Bennett 59), G Jenkins (Du Jones 53), De Jones (Gough 73), G Delve (R Jones 61), D Peel (Phillips 58), S Jones (Hook 58), S Parker (Shanklin73).
Scotland: H Southwell; N Walker, N De Luca, A Henderson, C Paterson; D Parks, M Blair; A Jacobsen, R Ford, E Murray, N Hines, J Hamilton, J White, J Barclay, K Brown.
Replacements: F Thomson (Ford 73), G Kerr (Murray 69), S MacLeod (Hines 61), A Hogg (White 33), C Cusiter (Blair 75), G Morrison (De Luca 74), S Danielli (Southwell 74).
Referee: B Lawrence (New Zealand)
Sunday, February 3, 2008
Wales England Six Nations 2008 on ebay
Already on ebay...
Commemorative beer coasters, fridge magnets, Pint Glasses with the 19 to 26 score and 20 years of waiting slogan and obligatory welsh flag.
Also Programmes, tickets, DVDs
Commemorative beer coasters, fridge magnets, Pint Glasses with the 19 to 26 score and 20 years of waiting slogan and obligatory welsh flag.
Also Programmes, tickets, DVDs
Welsh win at Twickenham derails England's Six Nations hopes
England's Rugby team let slip a 16-3 first-half lead as Wales rallied to its first win at Twickenham for 20 years.
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England had showed glimpses of the attacking style that coach Brian Ashton has his team striving for, but second-half tries by Lee Byrne and Mike Phillips spurred Wales to a comeback led by James Hook's 16 points.
Man-of-the-match Hook landed two conversions and four penalties, as well as setting up Byrne's score with a quick sidestep, to put in doubt England's chances of winning the tournament after just one match.
England has just one more home match left, and has to travel to tournament favourite France, improving Scotland and Italy.
England's game next week is at Italy, which unsettled Ireland with its fierce forward power, and it will be hampered by injuries to David Strettle, Lewis Moody, Tom Rees and Mike Tindall, who all had to leave Saturday's game, the latter on a stretcher.
But Wales, under coach Warren Gatland, can contemplate the possibility of a first title since its 2005 Grand Slam.
"I can't put it into words," Wales captain Ryan Jones said. "It's the most fantastic day of my career. We knew we were good enough, it was just down to putting all the things we're good at into practice."
England had looked set to dominate Wales, which continually lost ball in the turnover and seemed to be tiring as it trailed 16-6 at halftime.
Strettle's early injury with the scores at 3-3 hadn't seemed to hurt England, since it led to a debut for Lesley Vainikolo. The Tongan-born wing, who has played 12 times for New Zealand's rugby league team, was instrumental in setting up his new team's opening try in the 22nd.
Vainikolo leapt high over Mark Jones on the left wing to grab Jonny Wilkinson's cross-field kick from the air and, although he stumbled over Jones when he landed, the big wing slipped an inside pass to centre Toby Flood, who touched down.
Wilkinson converted and, after Hook got three points back to make it 16-6, the game seemed to hinge on a disallowed try for Paul Sackey.
The England wing was hauled down short of the line and rolled over the tacklers to get there, but replays could not prove conclusively that he had grounded the ball, and Wales withstood pressure to get to halftime.
Moody's replacement, Rees, had to go off injured at halftime and could only be replaced by lock Ben Kay. Although Wilkinson kicked another penalty to stretch the lead, England looked increasingly disjointed and Wales, seemingly encouraged by the fact that it had not conceded further tries, started to encroach into home territory.
Hook kicked to make it 19-9 and a dropped ball from Andy Gomarsall then put England in trouble and led to a penalty that Hook converted.
England centre Tindall, England's steadiest back, was carried off to be replaced by the attacking Danny Cipriani and Wales made the most of the weakness with two tries in two minutes.
Hook set up the first for Byrne on the left and Phillips added the second in the same corner after charging down an attempted clearance by fullback Iain Balshaw.
Hook converted both to send Wales seven points clear for the last 11 minutes, most of which Wales spent inside England's 22.
But Wales won't be celebrating too hard, with a match against Scotland seven days away.
"We've got a big game next week, so it's home early and up in the morning," Jones said.
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England had showed glimpses of the attacking style that coach Brian Ashton has his team striving for, but second-half tries by Lee Byrne and Mike Phillips spurred Wales to a comeback led by James Hook's 16 points.
Man-of-the-match Hook landed two conversions and four penalties, as well as setting up Byrne's score with a quick sidestep, to put in doubt England's chances of winning the tournament after just one match.
England has just one more home match left, and has to travel to tournament favourite France, improving Scotland and Italy.
England's game next week is at Italy, which unsettled Ireland with its fierce forward power, and it will be hampered by injuries to David Strettle, Lewis Moody, Tom Rees and Mike Tindall, who all had to leave Saturday's game, the latter on a stretcher.
But Wales, under coach Warren Gatland, can contemplate the possibility of a first title since its 2005 Grand Slam.
"I can't put it into words," Wales captain Ryan Jones said. "It's the most fantastic day of my career. We knew we were good enough, it was just down to putting all the things we're good at into practice."
England had looked set to dominate Wales, which continually lost ball in the turnover and seemed to be tiring as it trailed 16-6 at halftime.
Strettle's early injury with the scores at 3-3 hadn't seemed to hurt England, since it led to a debut for Lesley Vainikolo. The Tongan-born wing, who has played 12 times for New Zealand's rugby league team, was instrumental in setting up his new team's opening try in the 22nd.
Vainikolo leapt high over Mark Jones on the left wing to grab Jonny Wilkinson's cross-field kick from the air and, although he stumbled over Jones when he landed, the big wing slipped an inside pass to centre Toby Flood, who touched down.
Wilkinson converted and, after Hook got three points back to make it 16-6, the game seemed to hinge on a disallowed try for Paul Sackey.
The England wing was hauled down short of the line and rolled over the tacklers to get there, but replays could not prove conclusively that he had grounded the ball, and Wales withstood pressure to get to halftime.
Moody's replacement, Rees, had to go off injured at halftime and could only be replaced by lock Ben Kay. Although Wilkinson kicked another penalty to stretch the lead, England looked increasingly disjointed and Wales, seemingly encouraged by the fact that it had not conceded further tries, started to encroach into home territory.
Hook kicked to make it 19-9 and a dropped ball from Andy Gomarsall then put England in trouble and led to a penalty that Hook converted.
England centre Tindall, England's steadiest back, was carried off to be replaced by the attacking Danny Cipriani and Wales made the most of the weakness with two tries in two minutes.
Hook set up the first for Byrne on the left and Phillips added the second in the same corner after charging down an attempted clearance by fullback Iain Balshaw.
Hook converted both to send Wales seven points clear for the last 11 minutes, most of which Wales spent inside England's 22.
But Wales won't be celebrating too hard, with a match against Scotland seven days away.
"We've got a big game next week, so it's home early and up in the morning," Jones said.
What next ?
Think Wales can win the six nations and / or the grand slam ?
Betfair have a £10 free bet if you are new. Bet £10 and you should get about £50 if Wales win the tournament.
Betfair have a £10 free bet if you are new. Bet £10 and you should get about £50 if Wales win the tournament.
England 19 Wales 26 Twickenham 2008
Wales claimed their first win at Twickenham for 20 years with a superb second-half comeback to defeat England.
"Amazing how this English news reader makes such an exciting event sound boring !"
Check out the report from BBC News below ...
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"Amazing how this English news reader makes such an exciting event sound boring !"
Check out the report from BBC News below ...
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Wales Team 2008 that beat England
Wales team that beat England 2008 Six Nations: Lee Byrne (Ospreys); Shane Williams (Ospreys), Sonny Parker (Ospreys), Gavin Henson (Ospreys), Mark Jones (Scarlets); James Hook (Ospreys), Mike Phillips (Ospreys); Duncan Jones (Ospreys), Huw Bennett (Ospreys), Adam Jones (Ospreys), Ian Gough (Ospreys), Alun Wyn Jones (Ospreys), Jonathan Thomas (Ospreys), Martyn Williams (Blues), Ryan Jones (capt, Ospreys).
Replacements: Matthew Rees (Scarlets), Gethin Jenkins (Blues), Ian Evans (Ospreys), Alix Popham (Scarlets), Gareth Cooper (Gloucester), Stephen Jones (Scarlets), Tom Shanklin (Blues).
England team that lost against Wales in 2008 Six Nations: Iain Balshaw (Gloucester), Paul Sackey (Wasps), Mike Tindall (Gloucester), Toby Flood (Newcastle), David Strettle (Harlequins), Jonny Wilkinson (Newcastle), Andy Gomarsall (Harlequins); Andrew Sheridan (Sale), Mark Regan (Bristol), Phil Vickery (capt, Wasps), Simon Shaw (Wasps), Steve Borthwick (Bath), James Haskell (Wasps), Lewis Moody (Leicester), Luke Narraway (Gloucester).
Replacements: Lee Mears (Bath), Matt Stevens (Bath), Ben Kay (Leicester), Tom Rees (Wasps), Richard Wigglesworth (Sale), Dan Cipriani (Wasps), Lesley Vainikolo (Gloucester).
Wales England Six Nations 2008
Wales captain Ryan Jones described his team's stunning win over England as the greatest day of his career.
"It was a fantastic effort and the win was thoroughly deserved," said Jones, in his first game as skipper.
"Even when we were 10 points down we had belief in ourselves. We knew we were good enough."
Check out the highlights below....
"It was a fantastic effort and the win was thoroughly deserved," said Jones, in his first game as skipper.
"Even when we were 10 points down we had belief in ourselves. We knew we were good enough."
Check out the highlights below....
Saturday, February 2, 2008
Wales claim stunning win
Wales stunned World Cup finalists England after staging an astounding Twickenham fightback to launch their RBS 6 Nations campaign with a 26-19 win.
New coach Warren Gatland announced his arrival by masterminding Wales' first Twickenham triumph since 1988 - and they did it the hard way, fighting back from 19-6 adrift to score 20 unanswered points during a remarkable 13-minute spell in the second half.
Full-back Lee Byrne and scrum-half Mike Phillips scored tries to tilt the balance of a gripping encounter, while fly-half James Hook kicked 16 points.
Gatland's decision to field a record 13 Ospreys in his starting line-up was totally vindicated as England were unceremoniously grounded.
The home side suffered a savage quadruple injury setback, with wing David Strettle, flanker Lewis Moody, centre Mike Tindall and Moody's fellow back-row forward Tom Rees all being forced off.
It means England head coach Brian Ashton has some tough decisions to make before his players head to Rome.
Strettle's exit meant a debut for ex-Bradford Bulls star Lesley Vainikolo, the Tonga-born New Zealand rugby league international who qualifies for England on residency.
And Vainikolo provided a highlight of the game, with his delicate offload that led to centre Toby Flood touching down.
Fly-half Jonny Wilkinson also contributed 14 points for the shell-shocked hosts.
New coach Warren Gatland announced his arrival by masterminding Wales' first Twickenham triumph since 1988 - and they did it the hard way, fighting back from 19-6 adrift to score 20 unanswered points during a remarkable 13-minute spell in the second half.
Full-back Lee Byrne and scrum-half Mike Phillips scored tries to tilt the balance of a gripping encounter, while fly-half James Hook kicked 16 points.
Gatland's decision to field a record 13 Ospreys in his starting line-up was totally vindicated as England were unceremoniously grounded.
The home side suffered a savage quadruple injury setback, with wing David Strettle, flanker Lewis Moody, centre Mike Tindall and Moody's fellow back-row forward Tom Rees all being forced off.
It means England head coach Brian Ashton has some tough decisions to make before his players head to Rome.
Strettle's exit meant a debut for ex-Bradford Bulls star Lesley Vainikolo, the Tonga-born New Zealand rugby league international who qualifies for England on residency.
And Vainikolo provided a highlight of the game, with his delicate offload that led to centre Toby Flood touching down.
Fly-half Jonny Wilkinson also contributed 14 points for the shell-shocked hosts.
Friday, February 1, 2008
Welsh National Anthem Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau
Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau
Mae hen wlad fy nhadau yn annwyl i mi,
Gwlad beirdd a chantorion, enwogion o fri;
Ei gwrol ryfelwyr, gwladgarwyr tra mâd,
Dros ryddid collasant eu gwaed.
(Cytgan)
Gwlad, gwlad, pleidiol wyf i'm gwlad.
Tra môr yn fur i'r bur hoff bau,
O bydded i'r hen iaith barhau.
Hen Gymru fynyddig, paradwys y bardd,
Pob dyffryn, pob clogwyn, i'm golwg sydd hardd;
Trwy deimlad gwladgarol, mor swynol yw si
Ei nentydd, afonydd, i mi.
(Cytgan)
Os treisiodd y gelyn fy ngwlad tan ei droed,
Mae hen iaith y Cymry mor fyw ag erioed,
Ni luddiwyd yr awen gan erchyll law brad,
Na thelyn berseiniol fy ngwlad.
(Cytgan)
Mae hen wlad fy nhadau yn annwyl i mi,
Gwlad beirdd a chantorion, enwogion o fri;
Ei gwrol ryfelwyr, gwladgarwyr tra mâd,
Dros ryddid collasant eu gwaed.
(Cytgan)
Gwlad, gwlad, pleidiol wyf i'm gwlad.
Tra môr yn fur i'r bur hoff bau,
O bydded i'r hen iaith barhau.
Hen Gymru fynyddig, paradwys y bardd,
Pob dyffryn, pob clogwyn, i'm golwg sydd hardd;
Trwy deimlad gwladgarol, mor swynol yw si
Ei nentydd, afonydd, i mi.
(Cytgan)
Os treisiodd y gelyn fy ngwlad tan ei droed,
Mae hen iaith y Cymry mor fyw ag erioed,
Ni luddiwyd yr awen gan erchyll law brad,
Na thelyn berseiniol fy ngwlad.
(Cytgan)
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