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ERRFU

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Denver Barbarians victors in inaugural USA Rugby Elite Cup match v Glendale Raptors

3.20.13

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In This Issue:

ScrumBob – Got one yet?

Results: Reports, capsules et al

High School – East High Angels v Regis Jesuit Raiders

Showdown at Shea Stadium: USA Rugby Men's Elite Series – Denver v Glendale

Barbarians Raptors

Rites of Spring - Youth Rugby Camp: 2-day, High-Performance … how good can YOU be?

World Beat Rugby: - NoHemi: Six Nations, Top 14, and…

SoHemi: Super XV Rugby Standings

Hugo's Fables "… from little things, big things grow…"

We've got mouse-overs! Double-click on most images, or right/click and choose “open hyperlink”

Discounted Rates for

the Rugby Crowd in

the Vail Valley

Long-term and short-

term condo rentals

and rental property

management

Masters in webhosting,

website development

and website

maintenance

Home sales from professionals who are also in your game!

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ERRFU Referee

Society

Get that

rugby

Rugby tune-ologists

USA

A

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Scrumbob

Something every true front row and/or tight five the world over will tell you is that there's never enough

scrumdowns. Ever. For a well-practiced and well-prepared front row and tight five will get a side nothing but

possession. And possession, as everyone knows, is the first step on the road to victory. Ask any scrum coach

worth his gnarly salt, "How much scrummaging is too much scrummaging?" And likely as notly, they'll be

saying, "That was a joke, right? I'd have them scrummaging in their hotel rooms, en route to meals, behind the

bus, in front of the bus… because that's what wins possession, and do you know where that road'll take ya?"

"But what if you're traveling?" everyone always asks, "Then you really can't set a scrum down, now can you?"

Now you can, and it's called The Scrumbob.

Scrumbob may remain attached to the vehicle as it is the approved, vehicle-extension, warning color

ScrumBob is an attachment that fits a standard 2" tow hitch and at 90 pounds, it weighs less than a 100 pound

sack of cement – you know the weight you used to place on the back of the far weightier, non-portable

scrumsled to give it… weight. And it's Colorado-built by Colorado-born Scrumbob LLC president, Greg Wolf.

"Wolfie" has been around the Colorado scene for a number of decades as player, coach, referee and

administrator.

"I started building (Scrumbob) in the spring of 2006," reports Wolf of the training-enhancement device that

boasts a nationwide market. "We are currently working on a licensing agreement with a fabricator in Great

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Britain," and he adds that, "UNC, CSU, Chaparral, Littleton Eagles, Queen City, and SWARM, Rugby Clubs all

have a Scrumbob."

Other than Scrumbob's evident utilitarian weight advantage - it can be attached by a single person - is it's

portability, where you and your vehicle go, Scrumbob goes and can be set up in a matter of minutes.

The Scrumbob improvement that places it in ahead of traditional scrum machines can be found not just in the device's ease of preparation, structural aspects of its design enable more true-to-life loosehead contact, which means that, "the loosehead prop trains pushing with one shoulder rather than two with the traditional 4 pad machine. This helps him or her stay square and proper in competition," says Wolf.

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Scrumbob also does not include rigid handholds for the front row, a scenario requiring the prop to balance independent of any outside assistance, meaning a better simulation circumstance. Leverage cannot be realized at contact in match play, "So why train with it?" asks Wolf.

When is use, the vehicle's reaction to contact is an indicator of proper (or improper) bind: "If the vehicle pops up or dips then adjustments must be made, either the height of the machine or the scrummagers. If the vehicle lunges forward, then you are in business." The machine-vehicle attachment allows for a vertical adjustment of 16". Scrumbob's dense 6" pad with All-weather Ripstop fabric is durable – the prototype has undergone seven years of use with nary a tear or sign of wear, and easily outlasts the Energizer Bunny regards longevity.

For additional information on the Scrumbob, Mr. Wolf may be contacted at the following locations: - coachwolf12@aol.com; or by phone: 303-548-7120

East High Angels, Regis Jesuit High for 'The Boot"

On a fairly spectacular Colorado Spring evening with a bit of a breeze, East and Regis contested the pill at the

"8th annual East/Regis Jesuit Rugby Boot Bowl". A pair of pipers led the Angels onto the pitch to the heavenly

strains of "Scotland the Brave", and the pipes' skirl and windswirl well set the scene for the action that

followed.

The travelers ran out to an 8-nil lead midway through the first twenty minutes, and held an 11-10 advantage

at the break, but the second period saw scoring from only one side for the victory.

Regis went on the attack early with short, banging probes out of the loose pieces by its forwards and jagging

spurts by its inside backs. The Jesuits were to realize initial joy with 8-man, Jon Weis, snatching the ball from

the breakdown short meters from goal and crossing for the grounding in the corner and a 5-nil Regis lead after

12 minutes.

East were pinged by referee Tim Luscombe for infringement about the ruck, and fullback Charlie Sabin

boomed a sticksplitter over and through from 32 meters and the Jesuit led by eight after 20.

High School

Featured

Match

vehicle-Scrumbob attachment

vehicle-Scrumbob attachment joint

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The Angels came alive toward the final portion of the first half, the defense absorbing the visitors' forward

rushes and capitalizing on Regis handling errors to bring play into Jesuit territory. Swiftly recycled ball had the

Jesuit on its rear leg in its own business district when tighthead prop, Duncan Frost scooped ball from the

loose piece and crossed-and-dotted the angels first points in the 24th minute: Regis 8, East 5.

A final touch down before the halftime blow: East banging away once more in Regis' business zone, ball spun

wide found #15 Tahj Willingham at pace filling space perfectly. The fullback darted through a stretched

defense to ground in the corner for an 11-10 Jesuit lead at the midpoint.

The hosts roared right out from halftime instruction, setting up shop inside the Regis 22 for multi-phase work

by the forwards in rolling mauls and settled rucks. Clearance by Regis found, not touch, but East #15 at his

own ten meter line and Willingham's stuttering, jinking maneuvers created his own space twice to see him

into the Promised Land and touching down for flyhalf Jackson Bock's conversion: East 17, Regis 11, eight

minutes into the second stanza.

Willingham closed out a fine personal tryple with a blinder from midfield, jinking and drifting through fifty with

frightening grace to ground for Bock's completion and it became 24-11, 13 minutes into the second half.

East got another from goose-stepping, long-running center Bennett Rodriguez and a last by its loosehead CJ

Cade – Cade's converted – and held a 36-11 margin, when the Jesuit mustered a splendid bit of work by the

pack to turnover and stabilize at the East 22; Regis blindside Jake Gravina, who'd been around the ball all

night, claimed the pill from the breakdown 20 meters from East line, and jetted past a surprised defense to

dot for Sabin's conversion, and a final of 36-18 went into the books ensuring the Boot Trophy will remain in

the Angels high-flying closet for another year

Scoring

East – Try: Frost, Willingham (3), Rodriguez, Cade; Con: Pollock (3)

Regis - Try: Weis; Pen: Sabin (2)

Match Official: Tim Luscombe

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Prep Upcomers & Div Standings

D-1 Table and Upcomers

Club GP W L T Pts

East High Angels 3 3 0 15

Aurora Saracens 2 2 0 9

Cherry Creek Bruins 1 1 1 5

Littleton Eagles 1 1 1 5

Regis Jesuit Raiders 3 0 3 2

Chaparral Wolverines 2 0 2 0

Colorado Springs Grizzlies 0 0 0 0

Featured match = Aurora v East at Aurora Sports Park (Allianz West) for the top of the table, though East will

remain at the numeric helm even with a loss due to their points accumulation thus far thus [sic] season

Division-2 Table and Upcomers

Club GP W L T PTS

PAC RFC 3 3 0

15

Fort Collins 2 2 0

10

Jr. Gents 1 1 0

9

Castle Rock 1 1 0

5

Harlequins RFC 3 1 2

5

Tigers RFC 1 0 0

5

Pikes Peak Stormers 3 0 3

0

SWARM RFC 2 0 2

0

Warriors RFC 2 0 2

0

Boulder Lions 1 0 1

0

Upcomers: 3.20.13

Aurora v East, 5pm@ASP;

Littleton v Grizzlies, 5pm@Littleton;

Regis v Creek, 6:30pm@Regis;

UCs: 3.20.13 - all kicks 5pm

SWARM v Castle Rock;

Tigers v PAC;

Pikes Peak v Boulder;

D-2 League Results – 3.16.13

Boulder 19 – Jr. Gents 51 Castle Rock 62 - Pikes Peak Stormers 7 Fort Collins 73 – SWARM 0

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Division-3 Table and Upcomers

Club GP W L T PTS

Jr. Griffins 2 2 0

10

Titans Rugby 2 2 0

10

Northside Vikings 2 1 1

4

Ridge View Academy 2 1 1

4

East HS Red 2 0 2

0

Glendale Raptors 2 0 2

0

Denver Barbarians v Glendale Raptors

USA Rugby Elite Series went off with a slam-bang on Saturday at Littleton's Shea Stadium as Barbarians and

Raptors kicked off the tournament's inaugural session with a lively display of sport. Neither side was able to

gain the complete upper hand as three lead changes and single-digits separated the sides throughout the

contest, making for thrilling spectacle.

Glendale began strong with the evident speed of their

forwards enabling first show at breakdowns and putting

Denver on its rear leg. A failure to release at tackle by the

Barbarians had the penalty award to Raptors within range

of scrumhalf Shaun Davies' boot and the visitors went up

3-nil in the second minute.

More early woe for the Barbos as loosehead Chris Moreno

was shown yellow by referee Tim Luscombe – Denver

down by three and light a man in the sixth minute.

But the hosts did not allow advantage capitalization by

their guests during Moreno's binnage, their defensive line

sagging yet not breaking and turnovers coming at

breakdown and with Raptors handling errors.

With the sides at full strength and Denver attacking inside

the Raptors 22, flyhalf Taylor Howden found a crease in

3.20.13 – all kicks at 5pm

Northside v East Red@Northwest Open

Space;

Pikes Peak v Boulder;

Titans v Glendale@ Sports Authority;

3.16.13 Results:

Jr. Griffins 57 – Northside Vikings 22

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the defense and slipped through for a grounding and his own conversion as Denver took the lead, 7-3 after 18

ticks.

Barbarians increased their lead with a 60 meter sideline blinder by outside center, Kyle Hitt. #13 alternated his

shifty step with speed bursts and a powerful flipper at the end to make his own space for the grounding that

had the numbers at 12-3 after 26.

With Denver back on attack inside the Raptors 22, Howden received swift service from #9, Tom Staab, calmly

stepped behind his scrum and dropped a sailor through the sticks: Barbos 15-3 at the three-quarter point in

the first half.

Now came the travelers with flyer, Dewon Reed, free along touch for a goose-steppe, jinky race for 45 meters

to goal for the touch down and Davies' splendid sideline conversion and it was 15-10 at minute 36.

Howden stretched the lead to 18-10 with a penalty strike in the 38th minute, but Raptors were quick to reply

as Davies stroked a sticksplitter of his own as halftime arrived and the lads went to lockers at 18-13.

The first forty was well-matched with the Barbos slight advantage in territory and possession well-reflected in

the scoreline.

Glendale opened up the second stanza with a blast as Reed fended his way into space at his own ten meter

line and outpaced the chase to dot for Davies conversion and we'd a new frontrunner in the 44th minute, 20-

18 to the visitors.

But the Barbos reclaimed the lead

after frantic work in the Raptors

business district had captain and

openside flanker, Logan Collins,

snatch, spin and reach across the

paint for a try: conversion by

Howden and the numbers rolled

to 25-20 in the home team's favor

at minute 48.

A penalty struck from 35 meters

from outside the right post by

Howden meant 28-20 Barbos in

the 56th minute.

A second Barbarians yellow card, this time to hooker Rob Moreno in the 60 th minute meant a second man-

advantage for Glendale and they were quick to work that benefit as wing Dustin Croy struggled across goal

assisted by the powerful Raptors maul for the touch down that drew Raptors within three at 28-25 after 62

ticks.

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The stage was set for a extraordinary finish and the sides did not disappoint. A Raptors lengthy territorial boot

was collected by wing, Phil White, inside his own ten meter line near touch. 60+ meters later after a dizzying

screamer up the sideline, White's dot extended the Barbarians lead to 33-25 in the 73rd minute.

Glendale returned upfield and managed a further trey by Davies to make it 33-28, but that was the record this

day as Denver Barbarians were declared victors after a thoroughly enjoyable day of rugby.

If you missed the action on this day, there'll be opportunity to see these two sides battle again this spring. See

the clubs in action at the union tournament, 4·20, at the Kettle.

Next up for Denver Barbarians is a D-1 match at Kansas City Blues, Saturday 3.23, 1pm at Swope Park in KC

Next for Glendale Raptors will be host duties at Infinity Rugby Complex' Kettle of Denver Highlanders, 3.23,

6pm in a D-1 fixture sure to entertain, thrill and amaze, so go!

Scoring

Denver – Try: Howden, Hitt, Collins, White; Con: Howden (2); Pen: (2); Dropped Goal: Howden

Glendale - Try: Reed (2), Croy; Con: Davies (2); Pen: Davies (3)

Match Officials: Tim Luscombe, Mark Huff, Greg Wolf

Rugby… D'ja get it, yet?

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West-North Men's Division-1, Western Territory, USA Rugby Football Union

The USA Rugby Division 1 table at which our local union clubs feed spans 1,000 miles, yet four of the six clubs are within

a well-swung cat of downtown Denver: Boulder RFC grounds at PleasantView are an agreeable transit northwest up

route 36, while Denver Barbarians and Denver Highlanders RFCs play around the town, and Glendale is centrally located

inside Denver. Kansas City Blues to the east, and Provo Steelers to the west set the outer geographic boundary of the

league; thus Steelers and Blues travel more (play the blues in your travelling shoes).

Played Won Lost Tied Points

Provo Steelers

4 3 0 1 17

Glendale Raptors

4 2 1 1 13

Kansas City Blues

3 1 2 6

Denver Barbarians

2 1 1 4

Boulder 3 1 2 4

Denver Highlanders

2 0 2 1

Men's D-2 clubside - Table, Results & Upcomers

Big match on the weekend in Boulder at PleasantView as

Denver Harlequins take on Glendale Raptors, 1pm, in a contest

that could see the undefeated Quins clinch the league at the

end of this day. The fixture has been switched from the closed

Denver Parks & Recreation grounds to Boulder's estimable

facility, PleasantView National Rugby Grounds at Boulder.

PleasantView Rugby Grounds, Boulder

Club GP W L T MP

Harlequins 7 7 0 34

Raptors 5 4 1 21

Haggis 6 3 3 18

Flamingos * 5 2 3 11

Grizzlies * 5 1 4 7

Highlanders 5 0 5 0

Men's D-1 Match Table, Results and Upcomers:

Provo Steelers topped Denver Highlanders, 38-18, on a

chill Saturday at the StoveTop; with the bonus-

point victory, Provo now sit at table's head

U-Cs 3.23.13:

Blues v Barbarians, 1pm@Swope Park, KC

Raptors v Highlanders, 6pm@Kettle

Results

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USA Eagle James Paterson & Spring Break Rugby Skills

Paterson's Plaudits 2004 - 2005: USA U-19 and captained in 2005

2006: Moved back to New Zealand and made Canterbury U-19 & U-21

2007: Selected in the NZ U-21 team after a series of trial camps and made the Canterbury Crusaders wider squad

2008 – 2009: Played for Canterbury NPC as a starter and won two NPC titles.

2008: Selected, but injury forced season out with Crusaders

2010 - 2012: Transferred provincial unions to Southland to fit into Highlanders set up

2010 - 2012: Played two full seasons for the Otago Highlanders in the Super Rugby Competition

2011: Rugby World Cup

2013: June Tests USA Eagles

Next week's youth

development camp will be

run by USA Eagle, James

Paterson. Mr. Paterson,

legacy of a formidable Kiwi

rugby clan, started his

sporting life in Hungary

where he was resident at

the time and initially

concentrated on soccer. A

move to the States saw

James pick up a rugby ball

onpitch for Colorado

Grizzlies HS club. The

capably knowledgeable

three-quarters captained

the only Colorado U-19

squad ever to win the Rocky

Mountain Challenge

Championship.

The versatile Eagles back

brings his treasure trove of

experiential information to

the pitch for sessions on

consecutive days next week

for camp attendees.

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Fabulist Scribe H. Richard and L. Trotski, RA's Pithy Scribe, for Rugby Scribes

Quite a reversal of fortunes for Wales from 2012's Autumn Tests and the start of Six Nations wherein the side

looked haggard, listless and at a loss as to the reasons for the doldrum.

Enter the Dragons: Leigh Halfpenny, Alun Wyn Jones and Sam Warburton. Halfpenny breathed life into Wales

on the Saturday at the MillStad while Jones and Warburton shot fire through their packmates and Wales

rolled up England in fine style, 30-3, to win its second 6Nats title in succession.

France were a converted goal better than Scotland at Paris, 23 – 16, and while the victory helped ease the

hurt of an unfulfilled 6Nats run for the Franks, Scotland finished its good 6Nats run acceptably, which should

be enough to keep Scott Johnson, coach Scott Johnson, and at the Caledonian helm; FRU have caused concern

to Toulon's headman, Mourad Boudjellal, by returning an injured Freddie Michalak to the Toulon fold and the

national union has informed M. B. that his club must pick up the tab for the halfback's rehabilitation and

recuperation. Wot?

Ever hear the name Sergio Parisse? Well, get ready to hear it a lot, because he is the man! Pretty much any

good thing said about a rugby player can be applied to this octo-man as he led his Azzurri brethren to an

historic win over Ireland in Six Nations last round, 22-15. The

significance of his contribution to Italy's fine 6Nats

run cannot be overstated. Parisse plays in Top 14, the top

level-French League, for Stade Francais and his return to

the pitch for his club will assist greatly in its final playoff

stretch.

World

Beat Colorado World

Beat

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RaboDirect Pro12

on Friday, 3.1

Glasgow's Fijian half back, Nikola

Matawalu, dotted a brace of

second half trys (56' & 64') on

either side of flyhalf Duncan

Weir's grounding at 60' to earn

the bonus point win at Scotstoun

in ideal playing conditions; the

five table points for the Warriors

takes them past Ulster to the head

of the RaboDirect Pro12 Table by

virtue of their greater positive points- differential, because

Ulster only managed the unfulfilling draw at Ravenhill with Benetton Treviso, 29-all; a massive tryple by

Treviso's Kiwi-born openside, Dean Budd, brought the visitors to the brink of a famous upset, but #10

Alberto di Bernardo could not convert Budd's final grounding at 79' and the scores remained

deadlocked at time; it's important for Ulster to find the wheels that fell off their 2012 cruising machine

if they want to stay in the playoff frames; Ulster are 2-3-1 since the end of December;

Leinster are now within a happy weekend's result of head of table with an extra credit victory on the road at

Cardiff v the Blues, 26-19; an early brace of dots by hooker Sean Cronin (2' & 8'), followed by a pair by

flyer, Dave Kearney (17' & 65') with three-of-four converted, were better than the homeside could

muster as the new Irish Giants edged closer the RPD12 ordering seat;

Connacht had to comeback in the final ten minutes v Zebre to deny the Italian club its inaugural league victory

at the Galway Sportsground, 23-19, and so Zebre keep hunting its initial joy;

Edinburgh were undone by its second half indiscipline as a pair of Irish penalty completions enabled the

Scarlets comeback win at Murrayfield, 14-13

Saturday, 3.2:

Ospreys and Munster battled to a 13-all, buss-from-your-mustachioed-aunt at Thomond Park; absolutely no

favors done here; like dieting when the buffet table's full and fetching

Upcoming at Feast with Five Fixtures remaining:

Friday, 3.22 - Zebre v Scarlets; Ospreys v Dragons; and Edinburgh v Ulster;

Saturday, 3.23 - Munster v Connacht; Treviso v Cardiff; and

Leinster v Glasgow at the RDS, 1:45pm (MST) – This is for the current weekend's head of the charts, top of the form

sheet, all the monkeys in the barrel and contentment for the next fortnight, at least; Ulster have a shot at

winning this one if it can find its form at Murrayfield on Friday

Club Games Won Lost Tied Table points

Glasgow 17 13 4 61

Ulster 17 13 3 1 61

Leinster 17 13 4 59

Scarlets 17 11 6 50

Ospreys 17 11 5 1 49

Munster 17 9 7 1 43

Benetton Treviso 17 7 9 1 35

Cardiff Blues 17 7 10 33

Connacht 17 6 10 32

Edinburgh 17 4 13 24

Dragons 17 5 12 23

Zebre 17 0 17 8

top four sides playoff

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Montpellier v Racing Metro, 15-17: Metrons are in it surely now with the club's eighth victory in succession a narrow

road win over Montpellier; the travelers led 17-3 at break and managed to hold off their hosts, all of whose

second half numbers came from four Benoit Paillaugue penalty strikes, which provided for the final record;

Agen v Bayonne, 20-30: The visitors stuck homeboys further in the demotion muck;

Perpignan v Grenoble, 20-18: Perpignan were ahead by two full scores at the midpoint, 20-6, and just were able to shut

the door on Grenoble's last forty effort in the win that

pops the Perps into final playoff slottage for just now;

Stade v Mont-de-Marsan, 42-14: Stade got the biggee it

needed, but with a mere five courses left on the menu,

perhaps the Parisians should turn attention to the future

jnow-now;

Toulon v Biarritz, 50-15: yes, well the Mediterranean-istas

prolonged top chart status with the five-pointer v a

Biarritz which will most likely play the spoiler role at

its handful of remaining Top XIV fixtures;

Toulouse v B2, 33-32: The home team eked the squeaker

out over an upset-minded Bordeaux squad that'll

stay in that contrary mode throughout its final five

matches;

Clermont Auvergne v Castres, 37-10: The visitors looked

anything like contenders on the road at Clermont;

meanwhile C-A keeps right on heels of the #1, #10

side in the world

Upcomers

Sat, 3.23: Bayonne v Toulon, Stade Jean Dauger, Bayonne -

07:00am: a magical surprise for the frontrunners here? Racing

Metro v Perpignan, Stade Olympique Yves-du-Manoir,

Colombes, Paris - 10:00am: Racing are on nine wins in

succession while Perpignan are on a 6-1 run;

Bordeaux Begles v Mont-de-Marsan, Stade Andre Moga, Bègles -

11:30am: possible hangover from last week's epic may

mean joy for the ridge-running, road-traveling

basementeers today;

Castres v Agen, Stade Pierre-Antoine, Castres - 11:30am: the home team wins here or it may be considering vacation

lodgings in the Balearics come playoff time;

Grenoble v Montpellier, Stade Lesdiguieres, Grenoble - 11:30am: another battle for the final playoff seat;

Biarritz v Clermont Auvergne, Parc des Sports Aguilera, Biarritz - 1:50pm: first shot for Biarritz to spoil in their final five

world class, fixtures… can?

Toulouse v Stade Français, Stade Ernest Wallon, Toulouse - 2:00pm; Stade must upset here for there to be a 2013 future

just now; Clermont are five-and-two in 2013 with the two bad results bonus point losses – as near a juggernaut

as you'll find in the Supérieure Quatorze current top end now

Club Games Won Lost Tied Table points

Toulon 20 15 5 71

Clermont Auvergne

20 15 5 69

Toulouse 20 13 7 60

Castres 20 12 7 1 58

Montpellier 20 12 8 54

Racing Metro

20 12 8 54

Grenoble 20 11 9 51

Perpignan 20 11 9 43

Stade Francais

20 9 10 1 41

Biarritz 20 9 10 1 37

Bayonne 20 7 12 1 35

Agen 20 5 15 30

Bordeaux Begles

20 5 15 27

Mont-de-Marsan

20 2 18 15

French Top XIV top six playoff, first two

get an initial round bye

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Friday 3.1:

Bath claimed the lead in the 26th minute on a Tom Heathcote

penalty strike and held off a late innings surge by

Gloucester for the win at the Rec Ground; a red willy

levied upon Cherry-and-Whites hooker, Darren

Dawidiuk in the 49th minute put the travelers at an

insurmountable disadvantage from which there was no

return;

Worcester got the bonus point over Wasps at Sixways, 29-23,

in victory over an unhappy London hive

Saturday 3.2:

Exeter caused no end of woe to former frontrunners,

Harlequins at the Stoop as it snared 27-16 victory to

unseat those joyless Jesters from head of table;

Leicester topped Sale, 48-10, at Welford Road to keep up with

the pack;

Northampton are in the final playoff seat after its 6-try, bonus-

point result at Franklin's Gardens over London Irish;

young flyer Jamie Elliot grounded a trio of scores to

assist the Saints in their quest for grail;

Sunday 3.3:

Saracens again proved its mettle with 35-14 victory over

London Welsh, opening up a close encounter in the

second stanza with three trys in that final forty; Sarries

are seven wins and one loss since December in the

playoff run that has taken the scimitar-wielding bunch

to top of table

Upcomers:

Friday, 3.22: Sale Sharks v Bath Rugby, Salford City Stadium, 14:00 MDT – figure do-or-die for Bath and a five-pointer

still may not be sufficient to keep the playoff ship on its Bathoscope;

Saturday, 3.23: Gloucester Rugby v London Welsh, Kingsholm, 09:00 MDT – Castle Grimmest on this day; a home loss for

Cherry-and-Whites in this, the crunch time of their '12/'13, vacillatory campaign, and they can probably pop open those

April-May travel brochures and find something else to do, because it most likely will not be Premiership rugby should the

Gloucestermen taste defeat this day;

London Irish v Worcester Warriors, Madejski Stadium, 09:00 MDT – every match a final for this pair and they'll slug it out for

hearth, home and country; (con next)

London Wasps v Northampton Saints, Adams Park, 09:15 MST – one of these dancers will be left all alone when the

Club Games Won Lost Tied Table points

Saracens 17 13 3 1 59

Harlequins 17 12 5 55

Leicester Tigers

17 11 5 1 54

Northampton Saints

17 11 6 49

Gloucester 17 9 7 1 46

London Wasps

17 9 8 46

Bath 17 8 8 1 42

Exeter Chiefs 17 8 8 1 41

Worcester Warriors

17 5 11 1 32

London Irish 17 5 12 24

London Welsh

17 4 13 22

Sale Sharks 17 4 13 19

Aviva Premiership top four to semifinals

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music stops Saturday; Gloucester could well win this fixture;

Exeter Chiefs v Leicester Tigers, Sandy Park, 11:00 MST – Let's see what Chiefs can do in its newly-appointed RWC 2015

grounds to displease the Big Cats; homeboys got the Quin scalp on the road last outing

Sunday, 3.24: Saracens v Harlequins, Copthall Stadium, 08:00 MST – you'll not want to miss this course as this week's

leader and last week's leader have a wee discussion about who's who and what's what

G W L T Pts

Brumbies 3 3 0 18

Reds 4 3 1 12

Waratahs 3 1 2 8

Rebels 4 1 3 5

Force 3 0 3 5

G W L T Pts

Chiefs 3 2 1 12

Blues 3 2 1 11

Crusaders 2 0 2 5

Hurricanes 3 1 2 5

Highlanders 2 0 2 4

G W L T Pts

Bulls 3 3 0 13

Sharks 3 3 0 12

Kings 2 1 1 8

Stormers 3 1 2 5

Cheetahs 3 1 2 5

Australia S R C

Distances

between land

masses not to

scale

New Zealand S R C South Africa S R C

Who wins

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Well the playoff frames are filled, and on…Saturday,

April 6:

Clermont Auvergne are getting set to host

Montpellier at Stade Marcel Michelin;

kickoff 8:40 (MST);

Saracens v Ulster at Twickers, 11:30 (MST)

boot;

and then on the Sunday, 4.7:

Harlequins, Munster battle at The Stoop in a 7am

(MST) kickoff; and Toulon and Leicester

Tigers go at it in Stade Félix Mayol, 9:30

(MST)

One must think that Six Nations attrition will be a

factor in each club's relative strengths come the

quarterfinals and them what gamble would do well to

hold their bets until that tournament is complete… or

drive down the street and toss that wager out window

for the good it'll do 'em, hein?

ed. note: Biarritz, Leinster and Toulouse will now

compete in the Amlin Cup knockout rounds as 3rd, 4th,

and 5th runners-up at Heineken table

Club Games Won Lost Tied Pool Pts

Saracens 6 5 1 1 23

Munster 6 4 2 1 20

Racing 6 3 3 1 12 Edinburgh 6 0 6 1 0

Tigers 6 4 1 1 2 20

Toulouse 6 4 2 2 19 Ospreys 6 2 3 1 2 12

Benetton Treviso

6 1 5 2 5

Harlequins 6 6 0 3 28

Biarritz 6 3 3 3 15 Connacht 6 3 3 3 8 Zebre 6 0 6 3 0

Ulster 6 5 1 4 23

Saints 6 3 3 4 15 Castres 6 3 3 4 14 Glasgow 6 1 5 4 6

Clermont Auvergne

6 6 0 5 28

Leinster 6 4 2 5 20 Chiefs 6 2 4 5 9 Scarlets 6 0 6 5 2

Toulon 6 5 1 6 23

Montpellier 6 5 1 6 22

Blues 6 1 5 6 6 Sharks 6 1 5 6 4

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Hugo's Fables – Life in the Wine Country

h. Richard

- 'ats a nice bunch a' grapes!

Once upon a time, in a land notso far away, there lived a King who considered himself to be the top end in just

about every facet of existence. He was called Div the Implacable for his brand of stoicism and one gotch eye

that slept most of the time. Now Div had a lapdog named Peter-Junior who was prone to extravagant

manifestations of self-importance and self worth, and perceived himself to be just a good bit taller than he

really was: "I'm P-J-R, I'm P-J-R, look at me!" the squeaky puppy would say as it stood its hind legs and pawed

the air, dancing in rhythm to a tune of its own conjuration.

And Div, the Imp would reply, "Good dog, now go lay by your dish," and the dog would increase the level and

intensity of the yappy noise it made.

The Domain of Div was known for its production of the finest wines and each vineyard in the land competed

for the Halffull-Halfempty Trophy, which was an annual celebration of the work of the storied viticulturists and

eminently capable enologists in the land.

One vineyard in particular was particularly adept in the production of an exquisite result, year-in-and-year-out,

and thus was perennially declared "Champion du Vin", which caused much envy and not a small amount of

chagrin to the other vineyards in the land:

Tell us your secrets!

The owners of the other vineyards would cry, and Otpat, the vigneron who ran the exemplary organization

would open his arms and say, "Come ye and see my vineyard, the soil in which my vines flourish, the

husbandry with which my grapes are grown, the manner in which they are nurtured… and my production

facilities, they too are ever open to you, for though we are competitors in the land, when we take our product

on the road to lands afar afield, our now-now rivalry will be naught but preparation for future contest."

Hunh?

Div replied and Peter-Junior yipped and gnawed gleefully on Div's ankle.

Now, Div and his minions got together and determined that Otpat must be stopped at all costs as the product

of his vineyard so surpassed that of the rest, that it caused him and t'others no end of restless nights and then

he'd to suffer the yips and yaps of his dog, whom he affectionately (as far as you know) called, "Pee-the-

Lesser".

It came upon Otpat's vineyard a young grapeshoot of much potential. Though the nascent plant grew slightly

outside Otpat's vineyard in a worthy vineyard, it was one whose soil did not contain the proper nutrients for

the particular vine's growth, and so it indicated in the manner of communication employed by all creatures in

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the Life Kingdom, that it required a transfer so that it could flourish as it should; for the vineyard in which it

grew could not sustain this young shoot's quest for potential-realization.

It so transpired that a vine in Otpat's groves was more suitable to growth in the adjoining vineyard so, the

vignerons determined, with the explicit agreement of both vines' parents and their respective coaches, that

each young shoot would be better served if they switched gardens – moral: rugbi para todos (for now)

- end Part One – next week: Part 2: The Response: Will it be an inclusive reply or mean-spirited hypocrisy?

Rugby sponsor Aberdeen Asset Management is a pure asset management group and is one of the largest publicly-quoted

investment managers listed in the UK. It invests worldwide as a traditional, fundamental investor on behalf of institutional

clients, advisers and individuals globally across all major asset classes. The group has assets under management of £193.4

billion (as at 31 December 2012). It was established via a management buyout in the city of Aberdeen, Scotland in 1983 and today operates in 23

countries around the world, employing over 2,000 staff. Aberdeen champions first-hand research and believes close teamwork is the best means to

discover the best investments for clients' portfolios. Aberdeen participates in sponsorships where it can get actively involved and make a difference

to an event, individual or team. Aberdeen’s current sport sponsorship portfolio includes properties across golf, sailing, rugby, hockey and rowing.

The group is also involved with a number of cultural and arts sponsorships. For more information visit: http://www.aberdeen-

asset.com/aam.nsf/aboutus/sponsorship

Rugby… D'ja get it, yet?