RUGBY TEAM NEWS
Guinness Premiership
Saturday March 22
Bath v London Irish, 2.15pm
Skipper STEVE BORTHWICK returns from Six Nations duty to the Bath second row as his team play host to London Irish in the Guinness Premiership. England team-mates Michael Lipman (flanker), Lee Mears (hooker) and Matt Stevens (prop) also feature for the third-placed team who lost to Harlequins last weekend.
Former Bath star MIKE CATT, 36, has fully recovered from his nose injury and will line up at inside centre for eighth-placed London Irish against his old club at the Recreational Ground. Paul Hodgson returns from the England fold to start at No9 and Samoan international Seilala Mapusua moves to outside centre while Topsy Ojo switches to full back and Tomas De Vedia comes in on the right wing.
Sunday March 23
Bristol v Harlequins, 3pm
Bristol, in search of their third consecutive victory, welcome back New Zealand centre NEIL BREW against Harlequins. Brew is back in action after two months out with a knee injury while David Lemi replaces Anthony Elliott who is on England Sevens duty. In the pack Alex Clarke returns at loose head prop, and lock Nathan Budgett and open side flanker Andrew Blowers are given the nod.
Welsh international HAL LUSCOMBE is one of two changes to the Quins side that defeated Bath at the last Sunday. Alongside Luscombe, who moves to outside centre, Ollie Kohn replaces James Percival and joins George Robson in a new-look second row.
EDF Energy Cup semi-finals
Saturday March 22
Leicester v Wasps, 2.30pm
Leicester coach Marcelo Loffreda welcomes back England internationals BEN KAY (lock) Tom Croft (back row) and George Chuter (hooker), who all take their place in the Tigers’ starting XV in the EDF Energy semi final against London Wasps at Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium. Italy prop Martin Castrogiovanni also returns while No9 Harry Ellis starts his third successive match after a 10-month absence.
Wasps select England wunderkind DANNY CIPRIANI at No10 in place of Dave Walder and winger Paul Sackey and Irish scrum-half Eoin Reddan also return in the backs. Red Rose skipper Phil Vickery (prop) leads the pack with Simon Shaw (lock) and James Haskell (back row) also back from England duty.
Ospreys v Saracens, 5.15pm
Buoyed by his Six Nations grand slam success, Wales and Ospreys captain RYAN JONES (back row) leads a powerful side that includes ten international team-mates in the starting XV to face Saracens. Wales’ top try scorer, winger Shane Williams, Lee Byrne (fly back), Gavin Henson (centre), James Hook (fly half), and Mike Phillips (scrum half) make up a strong back line.
Alan Gaffney’s Saracens, who topped their EDF Energy Cup group, go in search of their first silverware in a decade with No9 NEIL DE KOCK skippering a side that includes Andy Farrell at inside centre and Brent Russell at full back. The game is a dress rehearsal for Saracens’ first-ever Heineken Cup Quarter Final on April 6 against the Ospreys.
Guinness Premiership
Saturday March 22
Bath v London Irish, 2.15pm
Skipper STEVE BORTHWICK returns from Six Nations duty to the Bath second row as his team play host to London Irish in the Guinness Premiership. England team-mates Michael Lipman (flanker), Lee Mears (hooker) and Matt Stevens (prop) also feature for the third-placed team who lost to Harlequins last weekend.
Former Bath star MIKE CATT, 36, has fully recovered from his nose injury and will line up at inside centre for eighth-placed London Irish against his old club at the Recreational Ground. Paul Hodgson returns from the England fold to start at No9 and Samoan international Seilala Mapusua moves to outside centre while Topsy Ojo switches to full back and Tomas De Vedia comes in on the right wing.
Sunday March 23
Bristol v Harlequins, 3pm
Bristol, in search of their third consecutive victory, welcome back New Zealand centre NEIL BREW against Harlequins. Brew is back in action after two months out with a knee injury while David Lemi replaces Anthony Elliott who is on England Sevens duty. In the pack Alex Clarke returns at loose head prop, and lock Nathan Budgett and open side flanker Andrew Blowers are given the nod.
Welsh international HAL LUSCOMBE is one of two changes to the Quins side that defeated Bath at the last Sunday. Alongside Luscombe, who moves to outside centre, Ollie Kohn replaces James Percival and joins George Robson in a new-look second row.
EDF Energy Cup semi-finals
Saturday March 22
Leicester v Wasps, 2.30pm
Leicester coach Marcelo Loffreda welcomes back England internationals BEN KAY (lock) Tom Croft (back row) and George Chuter (hooker), who all take their place in the Tigers’ starting XV in the EDF Energy semi final against London Wasps at Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium. Italy prop Martin Castrogiovanni also returns while No9 Harry Ellis starts his third successive match after a 10-month absence.
Wasps select England wunderkind DANNY CIPRIANI at No10 in place of Dave Walder and winger Paul Sackey and Irish scrum-half Eoin Reddan also return in the backs. Red Rose skipper Phil Vickery (prop) leads the pack with Simon Shaw (lock) and James Haskell (back row) also back from England duty.
Ospreys v Saracens, 5.15pm
Buoyed by his Six Nations grand slam success, Wales and Ospreys captain RYAN JONES (back row) leads a powerful side that includes ten international team-mates in the starting XV to face Saracens. Wales’ top try scorer, winger Shane Williams, Lee Byrne (fly back), Gavin Henson (centre), James Hook (fly half), and Mike Phillips (scrum half) make up a strong back line.
Alan Gaffney’s Saracens, who topped their EDF Energy Cup group, go in search of their first silverware in a decade with No9 NEIL DE KOCK skippering a side that includes Andy Farrell at inside centre and Brent Russell at full back. The game is a dress rehearsal for Saracens’ first-ever Heineken Cup Quarter Final on April 6 against the Ospreys.
Labels: EDF Energy Cup, Guinness Premiership, rugby union
