Latest news with #JoshAdams
Times
20-05-2025
- Sport
- Times
Wales pick experience for Japan tour in bid to end 17-game losing run
With Wales desperate for a win, any sort of win, after 17 consecutive defeats, the interim head coach Matt Sherratt has spurned any hint of development and selected what he considers his strongest possible squad for the two-Test tour to Japan in July. Yes, there are two players — only two — in Jac Morgan and Tomos Williams away with the British & Irish Lions and a number of others are either injured or unavailable. Dafydd Jenkins is having surgery, while Adam Beard, Will Rowlands, Henry Thomas, Jarrod Evans, Mason Grady and Max Llewellyn were not considered for various reasons, but Sherratt has gone for experience in his 33-man squad, with the likes of Josh Adams, Taulupe Faletau, Aaron Wainwright, Nicky Smith and Tommy Reffell
NZ Herald
12-05-2025
- Sport
- NZ Herald
Gisborne Thistle ace striker Somerton makes it 20 goals in six games
It bodes well for the Boys' High tilt at qualification for the premier national secondary schools tournament. Thistle head the Eastern Premiership table on goal difference from Napier City Rovers Reserves, Havelock North Wanderers and Gisborne United. All four sides won on Saturday. The Boys' High-United game was played at a rollicking pace on a school pitch that had a bit of 'give' in it. United went 1-0 up in the 15th minute, when Josh Adams crossed from the left for brother Corey to latch on to the parried ball to finish from close range. HSOB Boys' High, already several short of their first-choice squad, lost two starters to injury in the first half. Right back Anton Larkins was replaced by Mako Fukushima-Hall in the 24th minute, and left midfielder Xavier Priestley-Mennie came off for LeRoy Hill in the 30th. Josh Adams scored United's second goal in the 33rd minute. He let fly from 30 metres with a shot that gave goalkeeper Aiden Armstrong no chance. Adams scored again in the 42nd, arriving at the far post to force in left midfielder Malcolm Marfell's cross. United looked set for a runaway win. So it was pleasing to see the students score through Jacob Adams in the 54th minute and withstand considerable United second-half pressure while mounting some dangerous raids themselves. They owed much to their player of the match, keeper Armstrong. He made several crucial one-on-one stops and foiled Corey Adams with a double save that goalkeeping coach Mitchell Stewart-Hill would have been proud to make. Fullbacks Gavin Derr on the left and Fukushima-Hall on the right coped well with dangerous United flank players Campbell Hall and Marfell. Centre backs Shai Avni and Kauri Holmes did well to hold Josh and Corey Adams scoreless in the second half. Jacob Adams, named captain for the day to mark the game against his brothers, was in central midfield alongside Rylan Crosby-Wright, Hill, Euan Cramer and Korbin Wigglesworth. Alex Langford came on for Crosby-Wright with about half an hour to go. They were up against a full-strength United midfield – Dane Thompson, Dan Torrie and holding midfielder Aaron Graham, supported out wide by Hall and Marfell, with occasional help from either Adams brother darting back to seek the ball. Boys' High striker Connor Evison and his second-half replacement, Oliver McManaway, were outnumbered by well-performed United defenders Kieran Higham, Ryan Anderson and Kieran Venema but kept them on their toes. Andy McIntosh's influence in goal is another factor in United's good start to the season. He has the happy knack of getting some part of his body in the way of goal-bound shots. The return of centre back Jonathan Purcell, who came on for Anderson late in the game, gives the defence strength in depth. Hawke's Bay referee Marty Roil kept the game flowing smoothly. United coach Josh Adams said his side had taken the second half too easily, and Boys' High stepped up their effort and showed they deserved to be in this competition. Boys' High coach for this game, Sebastian Itman, said four key players had been unavailable for the game. Those who played showed great courage in rising to the challenge. In the later game, Thistle went close in the 36th minute, when Somerton stretched to reach a long ball from left back Oliver Aldridge but volleyed over the bar. A minute later, though, he made no mistake, and it was 1-0 at halftime. Port Hill came close to equalising in the 57th minute when a defender slipped and keeper Mark Baple was called on to make a fingertip save. In the 60th, Thistle centre back Junior Jimmy broke out of defence and fed Somerton, who made ground and hit a hard shot that Port Hill keeper Michael Mason could only parry as far as on-rushing right midfielder Te Kani Wirepa-Hei. He scored from five metres to make it 2-0. Three minutes later, Jimmy was tackled on the edge of the Jags' penalty area and the ball was passed into the goalmouth, where Port Hill skipper Matt Betesta fired the ball home from five metres. Thistle regained their two-goal cushion in the 65th minute. Somerton aggressively chased down a long ball ahead of pacy centre back Sam Skilton, beat the keeper to it and scored. Three minutes on, Jags centre back Martin Kees was penalised for a foul on Betesta, and defender James Mason scored from the penalty spot. Somerton scored the last in a flurry of goals, turning on the bouncing ball after a left-wing corner by Travis White and blasting it from close range. Thistle had more chances to score but Michael Mason blocked shots by Somerton and then Samson Hotas, who had come on for Alex Shanks in the 67th minute. Two minutes from the end, Wirepa-Hei capped a fine game with a goal-line block. Thistle keeper Baple had a strong game, and fullbacks Kuba Jerabek and Aldridge kept a lid on the danger from the flanks. Centre backs Jimmy and Kees broke up numerous attacks but frayed supporters' nerves when they lost the ball in or around the penalty area. Port Hill strikers Luke Posthumus and Betesta harried the Gisborne defence at every opportunity and kept their side in with a shout. Thistle's Nick Land, Cory Thomson and White had a battle on their hands with Jamie Provines, Kaleb McKenzie and Ollie Berry in the Port Hill engine room, while Jags left midfielder Alex Shanks was up against a rugged opponent in right back Nick Yorke. Referee Chris Niven kept the lid on a competitive game Thistle coach Tam Cramer said the game should have been put to bed much earlier but his team's finishing was 'not great', and they had done 'stupid things' that let Port Hill back into it. 'It was good to have Junior Jimmy and Samson Hotas back. Te Kani Wirepa-Hei played well, Jimmy Somerton led the line well and Nick Land is resisting taking a break. Cory Thomson was unlucky not to get a couple of goals.' Port Hill coach Dan Johansen said it was encouraging his side had pushed Thistle right to the end after a three-hour road trip. 'I'm proud of the guys for putting in a shift.'
IOL News
10-05-2025
- Sport
- IOL News
Jake White warns Bulls: Cardiff no easybeats in Loftus URC showdown
Willie le Roux Willie le Roux will start at fullback for the Bulls against Cardiff. Photo: AFP Image: AFP The Bulls should be in confident mode for today's United Rugby Championship clash against Cardiff at Loftus Versfeld (4pm start). They emerged from arguably the toughest tour possible with three wins out of four against Bayonne, Edinburgh, Munster and Glasgow across the Challenge Cup and URC, and had a week off after that. But while the time away from the pitch was much needed, it can also disrupt the rhythm of the team. Suddenly those gritty defensive sets in holding out Munster and Glasgow are replaced by slipped tackles or gaps in the backline, just because they enjoyed a breather last week. And while those were memorable triumphs away from home, the Bulls would undo all of that good work if they were to fall short against a fifth-placed Cardiff side fighting for a playoff spot. The Bulls appeared to have turned things around at Loftus Versfeld by putting 63 points past Zebre in their last home match, having kept Leinster at bay in a 21-20 triumph a week earlier. But they have lost too regularly on their home turf this season, most notably against Northampton, the Sharks and then the Stormers, and the Welsh visitors also boast Test wing Josh Adams and former Bulls halfbacks Tinus de Beer and Johan Mulder. 'I think Cardiff mustn't be underestimated. They beat Munster, they beat Ulster. Anyone who's beaten Munster, needs to play well,' Bulls coach Jake White said during his team announcement press conference yesterday. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad Loading 'I mean, we know that because we had to do it a couple of weeks ago. So, we won't for any second take them as an easy option. 'They are also desperate, they want to play in the top eight, they want to make sure they make the playoffs. 'We've got lots of things we want to achieve this season, and one of them is to get a home semi-final. And that means we've got to get results at home against both Cardiff and Dragons with the last two pool games. 'We've done a lot of hard yards in the last couple of weeks to put ourselves in the position we're in now. The challenge for us as a group, and it's always like that for top teams, is you take the opportunities that are in front of you.' One man who will hope to spark the Bulls attack is veteran fullback Willie le Roux, who recently recovered from a shoulder operation and featured as a replacement against Glasgow. White admitted that Devon Williams was a bit unlucky to be bench as a result, but felt that it was necessary to give Le Roux an opportunity before the playoffs. Captain Ruan Nortjé also surprisingly continues at blindside flank, but he will have two outstanding loose-trio partners alongside him in Cameron Hanekom and Marcell Coetzee. 'It was a very, when I say tough call, a very debatable call. Devon's played really well. He's adapted nicely to that backfield and he's got pace,' White said. 'And he's also left-footed, which we're not losing much with the skill-sets. But Willie needs game-time. He is the number one fullback for us. He is the incumbent Springbok. 'We just sat down and thought, Willie is going to be very important to us because he understands pressure and management and he's had real high-profile games in his career. 'So, it's one of those, give him a start now, get him some game-time. It takes a little bit of pressure off the wingers and the rest of the backline as well. 'Ruan Nortjé is a phenomenal player and he's very important to us. And the fact that we've got JF van Heerden who's playing well, and we've got Cobus Wiese, who's a four-lock, means that we have the luxury of playing Ruan as a seven flanker. 'I've done it before with players and it's basically picking a side that will then be able to control all the facets of the game without compromising any of those things. 'We're very comfortable that Ruan can do a role for us within the group that we've got playing now with him as a seven flanker. 'And I told you at the beginning of the year as well, I have no doubt that he could play seven flanker as an international player as well.' Teams For Pretoria Bulls: 15 Willie le Roux 14 Canan Moodie 13 David Kriel 12 Harold Vorster 11 Sebastian de Klerk 10 Johan Goosen 9 Zak Burger 8 Cameron Hanekom 7 Ruan Nortjé (captain) 6 Marcell Coetzee 5 JF van Heerden 4 Cobus Wiese 3 Wilco Louw 2 Johan Grobbelaar 1 Jan-Hendrik Wessels. Bench: 16 Akker van der Merwe 17 Alulutho Tshakweni 18 Mornay Smith 19 Jannes Kirsten 20 Marco van Staden 21 Keagan Johannes 22 Devon Williams 23 Stedman Gans. Cardiff: 15 Cam Winnett 14 Josh Adams 13 Harri Millard 12 Ben Thomas (captain) 11 Gabe Hamer-Webb 10 Tinus de Beer 9 Johan Mulder 8 Alun Lawrence 7 James Botham 6 Alex Mann 5 Rory Thornton 4 Josh McNally 3 Keiron Assiratti 2 Evan Lloyd 1 Corey Domachowski. Bench: 16 Liam Belcher 17 Danny Southworth 18 Rhys Litterick 19 Teddy Williams 20 Dan Thomas 21 Taulupe Faletau 22 Aled Davies 23 Rory Jennings.
Irish Daily Mirror
25-04-2025
- Sport
- Irish Daily Mirror
Cardiff v Munster LIVE score updates, TV channel info, stream and more
The stakes couldn't be much higher for either Munster or Cardiff as we approach the business end of the URC season. With just three games to go, both Munster and Cardiff are hanging on in the play-off spots and are looking to end the season in good form. A year ago, things were much different for Munster; they ended up topping the table following a late run-in. However, there have been plenty of bright spots for the side including a recent memorable European win over La Rochelle. They know they can ill-afford to slip up tonight against Cardiff if they are to force themselves into the playoffs. Today's game takes place at 7.35 pm and will be broadcast live on TG4 and can be streamed on the TG4 Player. We will have live score updates right here on the Irish Mirror. Cardiff: Cam Winnett, Josh Adams, Harri Millard, Ben Thomas, Gabe Hamer-Webb, Callum Sheedy, Johan Mulder, Taulupe Faletau, Thomas Young, James Botham, Teddy Williams, Josh McNally, Keiron Assiratti, Liam Belcher (c), Danny SouthworthReplacements: Evan Lloyd, Corey Domachowski, Rhys Litterick, Rory Thornton, Alun Lawrence, Ben Donnell, Aled Davies, Tinus de Beer Munster: Mike Haley, Calvin Nash, Tom Farrell, Alex Nankivell, Thaakir Abrahams, Jack Crowley, Craig Casey, Gavin Coombes, Alex Kendellen, Jack O'Donoghue, Tadhg Beirne (c), Fineen Wycherley, John Ryan, Niall Scannell, Michael MilneReplacements: Diarmuid Barron, Mark Donnelly, Ronan Foxe, Jean Kleyn, Ruadhan Quinn, Paddy Patterson, Tony Butler, Sean O'Brien Hello and welcome to live coverage as Cardiff take on Munster in Round 16 of the URC. It has been a mixed season for Munster, who sit in 7th place and are in danger of missing the end-of-season playoffs, while Cardiff are in a similar predicament in 6th place. Today's game is shaping up nicely and with just three games left it looks like the winner here will make the knockout stages. Kick-off for the game is 7.35 pm and will be broadcast live on TG4. We will have all the live updates right here on the Irish Mirror.
BBC News
03-04-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Adams and Faletau boost Cardiff for Connacht trip
European Challenge Cup: Connacht v CardiffVenue: Dexcom Stadium, Galway Date: Saturday, 5 April Kick off: 20:00 BSTCoverage: Listen live on the BBC Sport website and app. Wales duo Josh Adams and Taulupe Faletau are set to provide a timely injury boost for Cardiff before the European Challenge Cup last-16 tie against Connacht in Galway on Adams, 29, has been missing since mid-February because of a hamstring injury after playing in Wales' two opening Six Nations defeats against France and eight Faletau, 34, featured in four Six Nations losses, but has been absent since the end of the tournament with a knee also welcome back Wales prop Keiron Assiratti and captain Liam Belcher, with head coach Matt Sherratt due to confirm his squad on Welsh side face Connacht again in the Challenge Cup after suffering a home United Rugby Championship defeat by the Irish province in January.
