Michalak boots Blues
Freddie Michalak kicked 18 points in Toulouse’s 23-7 win over the Cardiff Blues at the Stade Municipale.
Michalak played at scrumhalf with Byron Kelleher and Jean-Baptiste Ellisalde injured, and his five penalties and a drop were the difference between the sides. Thierry Dusautoir scored Toulouse’s only try and his side are in control of pool five in the European Cup. Daan Human and Shaun Sowerby came off the bench for the French club.
Luke Watson and Michael Claassens’ Bath had to settle for a 9-6 loss to Edinburgh at Murrayfield, in a match where snow fell heavily in the opening half.
Biarritz convincingly defeated the Dragons 26-8 as Dimitri Yachvili scored 23 points. Eduard Coetzee came off the bench while Trevor Hall started at blindside flank.
December 19th, 2009 at 6:15 pm
forward passing dragon
December 19th, 2009 at 7:51 pm
He played really well.
December 19th, 2009 at 10:43 pm
bru it was SNOWING in the Bath game
December 20th, 2009 at 8:45 am
I se CJ vd Lindes Leinster also a big win in Heineken Cup…..and Gary Botha wanting to make the bok team as the preferred hooker.
Great for Bok rugby to have all the competetion for the team….Bismarck will be pushed hard by Smit and G Botha…..BJ, CJ AND WP NEL fighting for the 3 spot, Beast, Heinke and Wiaan for the 1 spot, not forgetting Wickus Blaauw there as well….
Seems a problem area may become a strength…
December 20th, 2009 at 11:08 am
@SpringbokSarah: hehe, here in Europe (apart from very southern parts) snowing in December is AN ABSOLUTE NORM.
December 21st, 2009 at 11:33 am
@Nils: bru… they were playing… and it was snowing… I didn’t know they actually continued play in the snow… Bath was wearing white, the ball was white… you couldn’t see anything at 1 point!
December 21st, 2009 at 11:54 am
@SpringbokSarah: 6 – Sarah, They play rugby and football in all conditions up there. The only time games will be called off is if the ground has turned to black ice. That can be treacherous to play in.
December 21st, 2009 at 1:44 pm
@SpringbokSarah: It happens frequently, especially in eastern and northern parts of Europe, more rarely in the UK.
For example, football players use an orange (or red) ball in that case, rugby players should do the same.
December 21st, 2009 at 1:48 pm
@Puma: Exactly. And add thunderstorms or very heavy rain (I mean Very Heavy).
I remember 2 absolutely horrendous gales/rain lashings during the Heineken cup game recently. Ulster vs Scarlets in 2006 and Scarlets vs Munster in 2008, I guess. The first one had especially nasty weather in the end. Rain of biblical proportions and gale which made kicked ball fly way behind the kicker.
Strangely, referee enjoyed it, because he added a few minutes of play.
December 21st, 2009 at 1:51 pm
I remember playing rugby at school during rainstorms.
Almost bloody drowned once at the bottom of a ruck.
December 21st, 2009 at 2:12 pm
@Nils: 9 – Nils, Howzit mate,
Well that is terrible weather to play in. I often wonder what is the worst. Playing in the terrible heat of Durban with humidity in Feb (our hottest month) or the wind, rain and snow up there? Both conditions are terrible to play any sport in let alone rugby.
We get the most unbelieveable thunderstorms up in Joburg. Can be really frigthening. Must the worst thunderstorms I have seen in my life probably.
How is your weather there now Nils? Must be right into your winter for sure now. We are having a great day for a change. Full sun and very hot and humid. Have had so much rain days this December. More than I can remember this time of year.
December 21st, 2009 at 2:16 pm
@WP Till I Die: Howzit WPTID, Had a laugh there but really it is no joke I know, it could happen. A storm really brings down so much rain in just a short time. Being at the bottom of ruck after that could be dangerous. I know I would never have wanted to be.
Remember that game against France in the semi of the 1995 world cup? I thought they could have drowned in that for sure. Was like a swimming pool the field…hahaha.
December 21st, 2009 at 2:26 pm
@Puma:
It’s not so much of a problem if you’re playing on a decent pitch (like Newlands or King’s Park) which is level.
Much more of a problem if you’re playing on dodgy school fields that are just about as uneven as the Scottish highlands, then you start finding pools deep enough to swim in.
Fortunately the referees always used to be very mindful of such dangers, they’d usually blow up the ruck pretty quickly if they thought there was any risk.
December 21st, 2009 at 2:34 pm
@WP Till I Die: 13 – Still remember the water was up to their calves almost in that game in the semi in 95. That was Kings Park. Don’t think it could hold any more water. It came down torrential that time.
Ja, Schools fields should actually be inspected more. It can really be dangerous to play in that kinda weather especially up in the highveld where you get a huge amount of rain that comes down in a storm. Even if refs and quick to watch out for the dangers.
Just pleased most of our rugby is played in the winter months when it is dry. Then Cape Town gets most of its rain in the winter months.
December 21st, 2009 at 3:46 pm
@Puma: Hi, Puma!
In my teens, we used to play in some terrible conditions – rain pouring, mud everywhere and sometimes you not see who’s friend and who’s enemy.
Currently we have a lot of snow. Which is very good thing (except for traffic, of course, jams every morning/evening), as it reminds me the childhood days when it was snowing properly in winter and it wasn’t fall changing into spring skipping winter. In New Year’s time in those days it was a meter or so of snow.
December 21st, 2009 at 4:28 pm
@Nils: 15 – Howzit Nils, A metre of snow!!! Jeepers that is a huge amount.
I have only ever seen snow in SA in Joburg 3 times in my life. The snow I have seen a lot of was of course when I done a lot of skiing in France. Also Scotland many times and one of the years I lived in Holland it snowed once. Though the canals there froze a few times and everyone skates on them when that happens. Kinda enjoyed that.
Your winters sound really harsh. Like our summer very hot. Both climates can be harsh actually.
LOL. No matter where you live in the world we always complain about the weather. LOL.
Our winter months in Durban is brilliant. Temps around 25 and full sun, we hardly have any rain that time of year. Also the nights are not too cold around 14.
December 21st, 2009 at 4:28 pm
@Nils: 15 – Nils, In the highveld and in Durban during the winter it is perfect weather for rugby. Does not get better than that.
December 21st, 2009 at 9:23 pm
@Puma: Agree. You are blessed with the rugby weather.
December 21st, 2009 at 9:26 pm
@Puma: “Your winters sound really harsh.”
Actually not so bad. You’d enjoy proper winter when it’s just about 0 to -10oC with plentyof snow. Skiing, skating etc. -20oC and less is harsh but that does not happen very often.
December 22nd, 2009 at 12:31 am
@Puma: And summer here is pleasant. Of course, not so hot as in tropical Durban, thank heaven.
About 25 degrees usually and heat waves of 30+ degrees each summer for a few weeks. Much more sunny days than in the UK during the summer while, of course, winter is milder there than in my country.
The only months weather usually is unpleasant here are November (chilly and no snow yet, so everything is grey/brown and raining a lot) and February (just damn cold, the most possible time to get -30 or so).