Ospreys look to continue success

Osprey’s winger Shane Williams is determined that the club must continue to push forward and pick up trophies.

The 31-year-old Welsh international believes Ospreys have the ability in the team to be a real force and believes they never reached their full potential last year, despite lifting the EDF Energy cup.

“The potential of the squad is amazing and our strength in depth is one of the best you’re going to see in European club rugby.”

“We feel we let ourselves down in the last couple of seasons, especially in the Heineken Cup.”

Wilkinson misses out on season opener

Jonny Wilkinson has been left out of the Newcastle Falcons squad for their first game of the season against Sale.

The England fly-half is still recovering from shoulder surgery and hasn’t played in any of the Falcons’ pre-season games.

England Under-18 fly-half Rory Clegg will be handed his debut and Newcastle director of rugby Steve Bates holds no fears for the youngster.

“Rory is an extremely talented player with a fantastic temperament, he has dealt very well with playing two full games for the first team in pre-season and we look forward to seeing him transfer that on to the Guinness Premiership stage on Sunday.”

Gloucester not up for sale despite report

Gloucester chairman Tom Walkinshaw has denied that a stake in the club is to be sold to a foreign investor.

Reports that a businessman from Abu Dhabi was set to invest in Gloucester are said to be wide of the mark, but Walkinshaw admits the club are looking to generate funds.

He commented, “I can categorically say Gloucester Rugby is not for sale. We may look at bringing in partners because we want to keep growing so we can compete domestically and internationally.”

He added, “We want a larger ground so the fans who want to come can do so and we want to do that as fast as we possibly can.”

Wasps offer fans best value for money

According to research from ACCA, Wasps offer their fans the best value for money when it comes to the price of their season tickets.

The results are calculated by taking each team’s value in terms of players and assets, dividing that value by the cost of the mid-range season ticket from that team, and multiplying the result by 100.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the bottom four teams in terms of value for money are the bookies favourites to finish at the foot of the Guinness Premiership table.

The full value for money table reads:

Team Points
London Wasps         42.3
Bath Rugby              36.0
Harlequins              35.2
Gloucester Rugby    33.3
Leicester Tigers       32.3
Sale Sharks              26.4
London Irish            23.7
Saracens                  23.3
Bristol Rugby           19.6
Newcastle Falcons   17.1
Northampton Saints 15.2
Worcester Warriors   14.4

Burke joins Tigers staff

Paul Burke is the latest addition to Leicester Tiger’s backroom staff, after becoming the club’s new kicking coach.

The 35-year-old former fly-half only ended his Leicester playing career in June, after failing to recover from a knee injury, but is delighted to remain with the club in a coaching capacity.

He commented, “Coaching was something I’d hoped to do after my playing days. It’s a challenge because Leicester is a huge club with a lot of expectation.”

Samoa get record thumping

The All Blacks have inflicted Samoa with their worst ever Test defeat by taking them apart 101-14 in New Plymouth.

New Zealand, who play Australia next week to decide the Tri-Nations title, recorded 15 tries with Mils Muliaina grabbing a hat-trick.

Dan Carter scored six conversions to round off what was a comprehensive and ruthless team performance.

Bath Away Rugby Shirt

The Bath away rugby shirt for the 08/09 season is equally as impressive as the home jersey. All Puma have done is swapped the colour scheme around, keeping the same classic design. Read more

Satala set for Gloucester switch

Fijian Apo Satala could become a Gloucester player in the coming days, after coach Dean Ryan admitted he had impressed in a trial.

The former Leeds man came off the bench against Glasgow in Gloucester’s 30-8 friendly victory and could provide vital firepower to the squad.

Ryan commented, “We’ve got some great back row forwards in terms of work rate but the dynamism of Qera and Delve is a loss. We’ll miss some of their power running and we’ve been looking around to see if we can add a mix which will help us.”

King out with hamstring injury

Regan King will miss the start of the new season for Llanelli Scarlets after damaging his hamstring in pre-season training.

The highly rated centre is expected to be out for four to six weeks, but coach Nigel Davies is philosophical  about the situation.

He commented, “These things happen, it gives a chance to the other guys.”

Percy calls it a day

After becoming the first South Africa international to receive 100 caps, Percy Montgomery has decided to retire from International rugby.

The 34-year-old played a major role in helping the Springboks lift the World Cup in France and has made 102 test appearances for the country, wracking up 893 points.

He commented, “I have had many memorable moments in a Springbok jersey and it has been a privilege to play for my country and to go around the world playing against so many great players of other countries. There have been plenty of highs and lows in my career, and it’s been an honour to wear the Springbok jersey. But it is time to go.”

Next Page »