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Irish Examiner
3 days ago
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
Ronan O'Gara and La Rochelle tighten grip on Top 14 play-off berth
Ronan O'Gara's La Rochelle gave themselves every chance of qualifying for the Top 14 play-offs with a bonus-point five-try 38-15 win over struggling Perpignan at Stade Marcel Deflandre. But their fifth victory in a row, ensuring they head into the final round of the regular season in sixth place – came at a price. Captain Gregory Alldritt and fellow backrow Patrick Sobela are early doubts for next weekend's trip to Pau after picking up knee injuries, the former in a clash with international team-mate Posolo Tuilagi. Tawera Kerr-Barlow scored at either end of the first half to record his fifth – and, most likely, final – brace for La Rochelle on what could be his final appearance in front of the Marcel Deflandre stands. Both he and fullback Brice Dulin, who retires at the end of the season, received a standing ovation when they left the pitch together five minutes from time. The Rochelais could claim fourth place, and a home barrage, if they win at Pau next week, and both Bayonne and Castres lose. But the hosts' indiscipline meant Perpignan were able to stay in touch in the first half, thanks to the boot of Tomasso Allan, who slotted four of five penalties before the break, and another almost immediately after the restart. That would be the last time they troubled the scoreboard as La Rochelle kicked on, scoring through Pierre Bourgarit, Thierry Paiva and Dillyn Leyds in the final half hour to settle the game – and just about see the 105-day winless streak earlier this year disappear in the rearview mirror. 'We're a great group of guys,' coach Donnacha Ryan told journalists afterwards, acknowledging the side's dismal run earlier in the season. 'The key for the staff was to stay honest, to always give the guys a clear message, to reinforce their level of quality, too. 'There were a lot of very honest discussions, particularly about the quality of our sessions. We tested ourselves and, fortunately, we were able to turn the page.' Pau could finish level on points with La Rochelle, if they pick up a bonus-point win at home next Saturday. This week, centre Emilien Gailleton scored twice as Sebastien Picqueronies' side all-but condemned Vannes to the ProD2 next season, scoring seven tries to their hosts' four in a 26-52 win at Stade de la Rabine. Those two results were a major relief for Stade Francais, who had earlier collapsed almost quickly enough to form a black hole at Clermont. Paul Gustard's side led 6-17 at halftime, and what would have been a first-ever Top 14 win at Stade Marcel Michelin seemed possible, even plausible. It was 20-20 just after the hour, so they were still very much in the reckoning. And it finished 55-20. For Clermont, the apparently not entirely evergreen Benjamin Urdapilleta – in his final match in front of the home fans before he retires, overtook Brock James to become the leading points-scorer in the Top 14. His 15 points off the tee took him to 2,499, eight ahead of the ex-Clermont and La Rochelle star. Those results mean no positional or league points changes for the bottom three. But the Breton side, in particular, now need an unlikely win at Bordeaux next weekend, and for other results to go their way. Perpignan, four points ahead in 13th, host Toulouse at Stade Aime Giral, while 12th-placed Stade Francais have a precious one-point cushion over the Catalans as they prepare to entertain play-off–chasing Castres. For the first time since they returned to the Top 14 in 2009, Racing 92 – first-ever winners of the Bouclier de Brennus, back in 1892 – will not feature in the post-season play-offs. Their chances were slim at the start of their match against Montpellier at La Defense Arena. Their 25-27 defeat – settled by a 79th-minute Anthony Bouthier penalty – shut the door on any hopes entirely. One-club player Henry Chavancy, in his final home match for Racing, had opened the scoring with a well-taken try in the second minute. But, despite Montpellier captain Billy Vunipola seeing red for a croc-roll just before halftime, the hosts were unable to make their numerical advantage count. Fifth-placed Castres closed the gap on Bayonne, in fourth, to a single point, with a 33-3 bonus-point win over the Basque side at Stade Pierre Fabre. Leaders Toulouse – already certain of a pass to the semi-finals – host Lyon at Stade Ernest Wallon on Sunday in a match moved from Saturday night to avoid clashing with the Champions League final in Munich; while third-place Toulon have second place in their sights when they host newly crowned Champions Cup winners Bordeaux – without most of their Cardiff heroes.
Time of India
19-05-2025
- Sport
- Time of India
Six Nations gets an unusual Thursday start next year when France hosts Ireland
Rugby fans get ready. The Six Nations tournament will begin on a Thursday night for the first time. France will play Ireland in Paris to kick off the tournament. The match is scheduled for February 5. France will aim for their third title in five seasons. They will close the tournament against England. FILE -The French team players Antoine Dupont, center, and Gregory Alldritt, right, celebrate with the trophy after the Six Nations rugby union match between France and Scotland at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, outside Paris, March 15, 2025. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads The Six Nations rugby tournament will start on a Thursday night for the first time next season when France opens the defense of its title against Ireland in schedule for the 2026 tournament was released Monday, with the French getting the honor of launching it on Feb. 5 against its biggest rival in recent to stats supplier Opta, the last time the tournament staged a match on a Thursday was back in 1948 - when it was the Five Nations. On that occasion, Ireland won away to France in Round 1 and went on to complete its first ever Grand will close against England, which finished in second place in the 2025 edition, as it goes in search of a third title in five seasons.
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Six Nations gets an unusual Thursday start next year when France hosts Ireland
FILE -The French team players Antoine Dupont, center, and Gregory Alldritt, right, celebrate with the trophy after the Six Nations rugby union match between France and Scotland at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, outside Paris, March 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena, File) DUBLIN (AP) — The Six Nations rugby tournament will start on a Thursday night for the first time next season when France opens the defense of its title against Ireland in Paris. The schedule for the 2026 tournament was released Monday, with the French getting the honor of launching it on Feb. 5 against its biggest rival in recent championships. Advertisement According to stats supplier Opta, the last time the tournament staged a match on a Thursday was back in 1948 — when it was the Five Nations. On that occasion, Ireland won away to France in Round 1 and went on to complete its first ever Grand Slam. France will close against England, which finished in second place in the 2025 edition, as it goes in search of a third title in five seasons. ___ AP rugby:
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Star power: France captain Antoine Dupont invests in Los Angeles rugby club ahead of Olympics
FILE -The French team players Antoine Dupont, center, and Gregory Alldritt, right, celebrate with the trophy after the Six Nations rugby union match between France and Scotland at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, outside Paris, March 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena, File) FILE -France's Antoine Dupont runs in to score his side's seventh try during the Rugby World Cup Pool A match between France and Namibia at the Stade de Marseille in Marseille, France, Sept. 21, 2023. (AP Photo/Daniel Cole, File) FILE -France's Antoine Dupont runs in to score his side's seventh try during the Rugby World Cup Pool A match between France and Namibia at the Stade de Marseille in Marseille, France, Sept. 21, 2023. (AP Photo/Daniel Cole, File) FILE -The French team players Antoine Dupont, center, and Gregory Alldritt, right, celebrate with the trophy after the Six Nations rugby union match between France and Scotland at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, outside Paris, March 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena, File) FILE -France's Antoine Dupont runs in to score his side's seventh try during the Rugby World Cup Pool A match between France and Namibia at the Stade de Marseille in Marseille, France, Sept. 21, 2023. (AP Photo/Daniel Cole, File) Antoine Dupont loves L.A. So much so that the France captain has joined the ownership group of a Los Angeles rugby club. It's good timing for the sport, too, as it attempts to boost its profile in the United States. Advertisement Rugby Football Club Los Angeles said the 28-year-old scrumhalf, one of the world's best rugby union players but currently sidelined with a knee injury, and his company Ouest Coast have joined its ownership group. No financial details were released. Dupont led France to a rugby sevens gold medal at the Paris Olympics last summer after switching his attention from the traditional 15s format. Sevens remains on the program for the 2028 LA Games. He's no stranger to the Los Angeles area, having visited following the Olympics. While there, Dupont spent a day at the training facility of the NFL's Los Angeles Chargers. He showed head coach Jim Harbaugh how to pass a rugby ball, kicked some field goals and went through a training session, calling the whole thing 'an amazing experience.' Advertisement RFCLA said Friday that Dupont can bring 'global star power' to the club and Major League Rugby, which launched in 2018. 'Los Angeles is a unique place,' Dupont said in the announcement, "combining the best of sports, entertainment, fashion, and culture — I can't think of any other place that provides such opportunities for youth development, high performance, and commercial success to go hand-in-hand.' The Men's Rugby World Cup will be staged in the U.S. for the first time in 2031 and the women's tournament two years later. World Rugby — the sport's international governing body — has long viewed the U.S. as an area of untapped potential. 'Rugby is more than just a sport; it's a community with strong values,' Dupont said. 'Beyond competitive success on the pitch for RFCLA, I am excited by the opportunity to grow rugby's popularity in the States and establish an energetic hub of rugby culture that attracts players, fans, teams, and partners from around the world.' ___ AP rugby:
The Independent
16-03-2025
- Sport
- The Independent
The one big question facing each Six Nations side after captivating championship
It ended as it began, with a Paris party. A great many twists and turns there may have been over the last few weeks but from the moment France dispatched Wales on the opening night with a performance that blended brains, brawn and beauty, one rather felt like the trophy might end up back on the discotheque dancefloor at the Stade de France Saturday night. And so it proved. Hobbling up on to the rostrum to help hoist the trophy alongside Gregory Alldritt, Antoine Dupont forced a smile, the scrum half sharing in the success despite his cruciate ligament injury. The glitterball prize shimmered under the flashing neon lights, dancing in the arms of the victors as the Eurodance played. After winning Olympic gold last year, Dupont and his sevens teammates broke into a funky routine; if not for a knee in need of reconstruction, perhaps there would have been a reprise. France were more than worthy winners. There had been worries and wobbles on their way to the title, both in the tournament as a whole and on its final night, but Fabien Galthie and the French mixologists have concocted a potent cocktail capable of causing heady highs. Scotland, and England, may wonder what might have been had Peato Mauvaka's curious headbut t, an act plucked from France's problematic past, been looked upon differently but even with 14, the hosts may have had enough. So another captivating championship is at an end. And the Six Nations always seems to find a way. With its free-to-air future secure, Super Saturday proved a neat encapsulation of a tournament that remains a thing of immaculate conception and construct. The final day brought three wins for the favourites but each encounter provided different thrills: a highly unfancied Italy nearly catching a sloppy Ireland cold; England at last fulfilling their potential to pile more pain on Wales; the valiant Scots throwing plenty of punches before hitting the canvas. It is easy to focus on the negatives in a sport where dispiriting headlines come rather too regularly but there was so much to celebrate from this campaign. In Louis Bielle-Biarrey, rugby's Road Runner, France have a jet-heeled gem of a wing, while England have gone from a famine of flankers a decade ago to a surfeit of scavenging sevens, with the Curry twins leading the charge. Tommaso Menoncello will not repeat as Six Nations Player of the Tournament but he and Juan Ignacio Brex's continued centre unification is one that all of Italy can enjoy. A fly in the ointment that has soothed a few of the sport's sores may be the plight of Wales. Their 17th consecutive defeat might have been the toughest yet; however admirably Jac Morgan, Dewi Lake and others front up on and off the pitch, there is serious work to be done to recapture a fading rugby nation. Ahead of kick off in Cardiff on Saturday, a male voice choir belted out Yma o Hyd, a song of defiance that cries Wales are still here – the national side must heed their call. Italy, too, must prove that they are the team that pushed Ireland close and not the rabble that folded so limply against France and England. A successor to Warren Gatland should be confirmed within the next few weeks, and there could yet be regime change elsewhere, too. Gregor Townsend does not deserve damnation, as certain doomsayers seem to suggest, but he may not overly quibble if the Scottish Rugby Union (SRU) decide the Toonie train has run off the rails. The disallowed Tom Jordan score felt reflective of Scotland's championship, left to rue a brush of Blair Kinghorn 's buttocks against the touchline. 'We were a bum cheek away,' Townsend lamented – the margins in this competition are fine. Interim Wales boss Matt Sherratt spoke after England's 10-try rout of how he had taken advice from Steve Borthwick, the visiting coach recalling how his side had suffered a similarly devastating defeat on home soil to France two short years ago. It is proof of how quickly a side can be rebuilt; there have been moments in the last 12 months where England have stumbled or spluttered but Borthwick has never wavered in his belief that he is taking them in the right direction. A best Six Nations campaign since 2020 will have Borthwick's bold boys bouncing but England cannot be content simply with second. Five years without a title is not a record that a well-resourced programme should be at all proud of – while already matching them in meetings, the significant challenge now is for them to find consistency and broaden their skillset to usurp France and Ireland more fully. There is a temptation to overreact to a rough end for Ireland, even if they have lost just two games in three years. The fly half picture seems only to have muddied in the last fortnight, while there are a smattering of stars who didn't truly quite the hit the heights of which they are capable. It potentially leaves more questions than answers for Andy Farrell – Simon Easterby has filled in impressively but the head coach's return will surely be welcome once his British and Irish Lions business is out of the way. That will be the next port of call for the British Isles' best and brightest. Farrell's assistant coaches will be named in 10 days' time, after which a squad will start taking shape. One would expect the squad to Australia to be formed primarily of Irish and English emissaries, with a sprinkling of Scottish stardust and perhaps as few as two Welsh travellers. A trip Down Under should provide necessary distraction as the quartet of countries reflect and re-tool to prepare for title tilts next year. The 2026 edition will see the removal of a rest week, with three matches before the sole fallow weekend setting up a potentially thrilling final fortnight. Until then, the Gallic glee will remain on French faces after another championship to savour.
