Latest news with #Rowntree
Extra.ie
27-05-2025
- Sport
- Extra.ie
Munster need a repeat of their 2023 heroics to land another URC title… but this team thrives in foreign lands
Munster are on the road again. The squad boarded a flight to South Africa yesterday ahead of a seismic URC quarter-final with a Springboks-laden Sharks side in Durban on Saturday. That part of the world doesn't hold particularly fond memories for this playing group. Kings Park was the scene of a 41-24 hammering at the hands of the rampant hosts in October, a fitting end to a miserable two-week tour of South Africa. Munster weren't in a great place then. Graham Rowntree would part ways with the club a few days after the chartered flight had landed back on Irish soil. This turbulent campaign has never really settled down. Graham Rowntree. Pic: Shaun Roy/Sportsfile There have been some high points, including the stirring Champions Cup last-16 win at La Rochelle, but they have been maddeningly inconsistent. The fact that Munster needed a win against Treviso in the final round of the competition last weekend to secure a last-ditch place in the play-offs says everything about the stuttering nature of their performances. But they got the job done. And they head for the URC play-offs with some precious commodities at this time of year: confidence and momentum. Munster are far from world beaters, and the standard of Saturday's Champions Cup final in Cardiff looked a few levels above anything this current squad could deliver. Saying that, Ian Costello's crew have the ability, confidence and muscle memory to go deep in this competition again. They will draw immense belief from what transpired two seasons ago. It was a familiar scene. Pic: INPHO/James Crombie Rowntree, having succeeded Johann van Graan, was overseeing his first term in charge. Mike Prendergast had arrived from Racing 92 to overhaul an attack which had become blunt and predictable. Denis Leamy was lured down from Leinster to bring some steel to the defence. Suffice it to say, there were teething problems early on. Munster lost five of their seven URC outings, and words such as 'crisis' began to do the rounds. Many observers predicted that they would struggle to make the top eight. This wasn't dramatics. Munster were in a big hole at the time. Slowly, but surely, Rowntree's troops began to find their groove. Thanks to a few gutsy performances on South African soil, they snuck into the play–offs and were greeted with a fiendishly difficult route to the final. If Munster were going to land a first title since 2011, they were going to have to do it the hard way. Leinster head coach Leo Cullen. Pic: Seb Daly/Sportsfile What happened next was positively startling. Glasgow were beaten at Scotstoun. Leinster awaited in the semi-final at Aviva Stadium. Leo Cullen, keeping one eye on a looming Champions Cup final against La Rochelle, kept a host of frontliners on ice. Munster didn't need a second invitation to pounce on the vulnerable visitors, with Jack Crowley's late drop goal sealing their place in the final. A video of the Stormers celebrating that result would soon go viral, with one player infamously screaming 'We are gonna f*** them up' at the camera. Munster rolled into Cape Town and duly landed the title. Three daunting away assignments. Three wins. Jack Crowley. Pic: Grant Pitcher/Sportsfile Just to emphasise the enormity of this achievement, it was the first time that all three teams had lost a home game that season. 'There is no other team that has done this, six games away from home. And no one will ever do it again,' Rowntree reflected after that stunning win at DHL Stadium. 'But we will find a hard way to do it next time!' Munster has a pedigree in this competition, so make no mistake about it. They believe they can go on another run and secure a second title in three seasons. This team hasn't been shy on the subject either. Gavin Coombes made this squad's ambitions very clear a few weeks ago. 'We are still going to challenge for the title if we can,' the Munster No. 8 declared recently. 'When we won it, we came fifth and we went away every game, so why can't we do that again? 'When we have been on it this season, we have had some great days and great performances. There is a lot of belief in this group that we have the talent to challenge for the league, so that's definitely what we are speaking about.' They have thrived on the road. It's ironic, really, given this team's rich history at Thomond Park. You could even argue that this current squad are delivering their biggest displays away from their Limerick fortjack ress. Yes, the Sharks will be laden with Test match quality. Their front five, featuring Springbok regulars such as Ox Nche, Bongi Mbonambi, Vincent Koch and Eben Etzebeth, will be sizing up Munster's creaky scrum, while Siya Kolisi, Andre Esterhuizen and Makazole Mapimpi will punch holes all day. But Munster will still feel quietly confident they can spring an upset in Durban. Just like in 2023, they have found form at the right time. This group has been through the mill, losing a head coach midway through the campaign, and has come out the other side. They have the added motivation of ensuring that Peter O'Mahony, Conor Murray and Stephen Archer won't be playing their last games in the red jersey this weekend. O'Mahony has looked reborn in recent weeks, and the veteran flanker is leading a young pack from the front, while Craig Casey and Crowley have been in sublime form. And Munster know they have a backline which can trouble any team in this league, with Alex Nankivell, Tom Farrell, Calvin Nash, and Thaakir Abrahams thriving. They will attack this week with vigour—another big task in enemy territory. Munster will relish it.
Wales Online
11-05-2025
- Sport
- Wales Online
Tonight's rugby news as former England coach linked with Wales job and Welsh exile makes feelings clear on future
Tonight's rugby news as former England coach linked with Wales job and Welsh exile makes feelings clear on future The latest headlines from Wales and around the world Rowntree (right) has been linked with the Wales job (Image:) These are your evening rugby headlines on Sunday, May 11. Former England coach linked with Wales job Former England and British & Irish Lions coach Graham Rowntree is the latest name to be linked with the vacant Wales head coach role, according to reports. The former prop left his role as head coach of Munster in October and it has been suggested that he could go back to his old club Leicester Tigers from next season, but a return to international rugby could also be on the cards. Rowntree is understood to have spoken to the Welsh Rugby Union about the job, with the 54-year-old keen to resume his coaching career after seven months out, according to Rugby Pass. However, former Ospreys head coach Steve Tandy remains the favourite to succeed Warren Gatland in the Wales hotseat. Sign up to Inside Welsh rugby on Substack to get exclusive news stories and insight from behind the scenes in Welsh rugby. Rowntree was forwards coach on the 2013 and 2017 Lions tours and held the same role with England between 2007 and 2015. He has worked in the same capacity with Harlequins, Georgia and Munster, before spending two years as head coach at the Irish province. It comes after WalesOnline reported that the WRU's new director of rugby Dave Reddin has brought new names to the table in the hunt for a new head coach. Article continues below The likes of Tandy, Ireland coach Simon Easterby and Glasgow Warriors' Franco Smith remain strong contenders for the job, while former England boss Stuart Lancaster is also an option - but it is understood Reddin is keen to stamp his own authority on proceedings by suggesting new candidates. The RugbyPass report also adds that Alex King – who left Gatland's coaching staff ahead of this year's Six Nations – and Mike Forshaw look set to move on when their WRU contracts expire later this year. Welsh exile makes feelings clear on future Former Scarlets powerhouse Carwyn Tuipulotu has made his feelings clear on where he wants to play his rugby next season after moving to France earlier this year. The 23-year-old joined Top 14 side Pau as a medical joker in February, as he looked for more game-time having seen his opportunities limited at Parc y Scarlets. Tuipulotu has taken his opportunity with both hands, with the powerful No.8 making a big impression in the south of France and quickly becoming a fan favourite after just seven appearances. While he is out of contract this summer, the former Wales U20s star has now made it clear he wants to stay at the club, as a supporter shared a video of him interacting with young fans on the pitch and asked if he would still be part of the side next season. "I hope so," Tuipulotu replied. "I'm just loving my rugby & enjoying every day as it comes. Allez Section!" It comes after the back rower admitted he was eyeing international honours with Wales, with making the squad for this summer's tour of Japan one of his goals. 'Obviously I have aspirations for Wales,' Tuipulotu said in an interview with The Times. 'That's every boy's dream who comes from Wales. "I'd love to have that as a goal to hopefully go on that summer tour. I'm just quietly doing my business here in France. Hopefully someone notices and wants to see me." Lancaster to follow in Welsh mentor's footsteps Former England coach Stuart Lancaster says the death of former Wales boss Kevin Bowring last year had a "profound effect" on him, as he laid out plans to follow in his footsteps. Bowring, who became the first professional coach of Wales' national team in 1995, died in October aged 70 after suffering a heart attack. After leaving the Wales job in 1998, he spent a decade with the RFU as its head of elite coach development and was involved with the appointment, management and development of over 20 England National Academy coaches, several of which have gone on to coach the England team or in the Premiership. Lancaster was one of those to benefit greatly from Bowring's mentoring and the two became close friends, with the former Racing 92 boss revealing on his Leaders on Leaders podcast that he had given the eulogy at the late coach's funeral having been rocked by his death. 'One of the things that happened during this season, my mentor Kevin Bowring, passed away tragically in October," he said. "He had a heart attack. I was privileged to be asked to do his eulogy. The emotion of that week in my life and Kevin not being there had a profound effect on me." Article continues below Lancaster - who hit out at Rugby Australia's treatment of him after being shortlisted for the Wallabies head coach role - added that a role like Bowring's appealed to him and admitted he could take on a similar job in the future. "I do want to do a Kevin Bowring role in the future, coach the coaches," he said. 'There is the thing I can offer, I get really motivated by helping coaches and also tend to always reach out to coaches who are struggling because I know what it feels like, how lonely it is."
Telegraph
02-05-2025
- Sport
- Telegraph
Leon MacDonald snubs Leicester Tigers as coach search takes dramatic twist
Leicester's ongoing hunt to find a new head coach has taken another dramatic twist as Leon MacDonald, the preferred candidate for the role, has rejected the Tigers ' offer. Representatives from the Premiership club had travelled over to Australia to meet MacDonald, 47, and finalise an appointment, but Telegraph Sport understands the two parties could not agree terms on a deal. It is thought that the former All Black has turned down the Tigers in favour of a more lucrative move to Yokohama Canon Eagles in Japan or the Reds in Queensland. Unless Leicester are able to return to the current Western Force consultant with an improved offer, negotiations are over. The Tigers, who are second in the Premiership and well placed for a play-off spot with three games of the regular season remaining, have been searching for a replacement head coach for next season since Michael Cheika informed the club in January that he would be returning to his native Australia after one campaign in charge. Graham Rowntree, the Tigers' legendary former prop who left the director of rugby role at Munster earlier this season, slipped down the pecking order when Leicester identified Paul Gustard, the erstwhile England defence coach, as their No 1 candidate. Stade Français were unwilling to release Gustard from the final year of his head coach contract, however, and the deal fell through in March. Since the Gustard appointment collapsed, Rowntree re-entered the mix and, unless Leicester have further late cards to play, the former England forwards coach looks set to be the front-runner for a romantic return to Mattioli Woods Welford Road. Rowntree abruptly left Munster at the beginning of this season having guided the Irish province to the United Rugby Championship title in 2023 and then a top-of-the-table finish in 2024. The 54-year-old is a veteran of four Lions tours (two as a player, in 1997 and 2005, and two as an assistant coach, in 2013 and 2017) and spent seven years as a forwards coach with England under both Martin Johnson and Stuart Lancaster, departing when the latter was sacked after the 2015 World Cup. The Tigers have scoured the globe in their hunt for Cheika's replacement. As well as Rowntree, MacDonald and Gustard, Felix Jones, Richard Wigglesworth, Franco Smith, Clark Laidlaw, Lancaster and Dave Rennie were all approached – either formally or otherwise. Steve Diamond, the Newcastle director of rugby, also pitched his services to the Tigers.
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Forgotten York: remember the old railway halt on the edge of Rowntree's factory?
WHO remembers when the railway stopped at Rowntree's? As our archive photo shows, the Rowntree factory at Haxby Road, once had it's own stop. The image - from The Press' own photo archive - shows the former Rowntree Halt station, which would have been familiar to generations of Rowntree workers. Rowntree Halt was a minor unmanned railway stop on the Foss Islands branch line in York. Located on the southern edge of the Rowntree's chocolate factory, the station was opened in 1927 by the London and North Eastern Railway to provide a low-volume, not publicly advertised passenger service to the Rowntree factory for workers commuting from areas south of York such as Selby and Doncaster. The halt itself was little more than a single short platform located a few yards west of a signal-protected siding that allowed freight directly into the factory complex. Passenger services ceased in 1988, and the station was officially closed on 8 July 1989. The line was dismantled and turned into a cycle track. Do you remember the Rowntree Halt? Send your memories to: IF you love delving into York's past and seeing photos and reading stories from yesteryear then make sure you check The Press every day for its regular nostalgia stories. And don't miss our eight-page nostalgia supplement every Wednesday in the paper. We also have more than 3,000 members in our online nostalgia group on Facebook, Why We Love York - Memories. It is free to join and you will find us at It would be great to see your old photos of York - and they don't have to be from centuries ago. We all love seeing old photos from our recent past, and some of our more popular stories with readers date from the 70s, 80s and 90s.
Yahoo
05-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
'A hard worker with good sense of humour ' - revealing the real Joseph Rowntree
'He was a hard worker with a good sense of humour and a political radical' - David Wilson asks what was Joseph Rowntree really like? GENERATIONS of British children have grown up enjoying Smarties and Polo mints (the mint with the hole in the middle), and many of us are partial to Kit Kat and Black Magic. Since the late 1980s these well-loved sweets and chocolates have been Nestlé products, but historically they were all Rowntree's. Smarties had been manufactured by Rowntree & Co. Ltd since 1937. Polo mints were first produced at the Rowntree factory in York in 1948. Kit Kat was first launched in September 1935 under the name Rowntree's Chocolate Crisp. Two years later, it was renamed Kit Kat Chocolate Crisp and at the end of the Second World war it became simply Kit Kat. Black Magic chocolates were created by Rowntree's in 1933. Fruit Pastilles and Jelly Tots are, of course, still sold under the Rowntree brand name. For decades the name dominated the city of York. As Nick Smith, executive director of The Rowntree Society told me: 'It's very hard to go anywhere in York without coming across a Rowntree connection.' What do we know about Joseph Rowntree? In his book Joseph Rowntree, author Chris Titley relates the events of Joseph's childhood and early manhood. He was born in 1836 and spent his early years living above his father's grocery shop in Pavement (the building that now houses Pizza Hut). After a seven-year apprenticeship in his father's shop, Joseph went to London to gain more experience of the retail business. While in London, Joseph was reunited with Julia Seebohm who he had first met when she was a student at The Friends School in Castlegate and frequent visitor to the Rowntree family in York. They were married and returned to live in the Top House in Bootham, but Julia subsequently died (possibly of meningitis) shortly after giving birth to their daughter Lilley. Joseph re-married in 1866, this time to Julia's cousin Emma Antoinette Seebohm. And in 1869 tragedy struck again when Lilley died of scarlet fever. As Joseph and Antoinette's family grew, the Rowntrees moved across the road to rent no.19 (now no.49) Bootham. Recommended reading: Rowntree's of York: 11 photos at Haxby Road factory York to celebrate centenary of Joseph Rowntree's death Rowntree Park at 100: your memories and photos In 1869, Joseph took money out of the Pavement business and invested it in the riverside chocolate works at Tanner's Moat, owned and managed by his brother Henry Isaac. Throughout the 1870s, however, the company struggled. What rescued the business came in the form of a French confectioner, Claude Gaget, who visited Henry and Joseph in 1879 with samples of pastilles and fruit gums. According to Nick Smith, "it was fruit pastilles that really made the business take off". From 1883, Joseph took over the running of the Rowntree business on the untimely death of his brother Henry Isaac. In 1892, Joseph bought 29 acres of land off Haxby Road and a new factory was built. By 1898 all production was at the Haxby Road site where the offices were the first area of the new plant to be lit by electricity. What sort of a man was Joseph Rowntree? Well, he was a hard worker and continued to have an office at the Haxby Road plant until shortly before he died. He had remarkable energy and was enterprising in obtaining information from various quarters to help develop his business. He had a good sense of humour, people liked him and he was able to move easily in different social circles. He could reach out to people with differing views and was a natural conciliator. As a child he'd been visibly shocked by witnessing first-hand the ravages of the Irish Potato Famine which he saw when he accompanied his father on a business trip to Ireland. Joseph was genuinely interested in the welfare of his employees and was concerned to rectify what he called the 'social ills' of poverty. He lived a modest lifestyle in accordance with his Quaker faith and he was a regular member of the York Meeting. He was a political radical and founded the Liberal Association in York but never engaged in national politics. Above all, he was concerned for the welfare of his employees and in this he was ahead of his time. He set up a library for company workers. He opened two savings banks for them and in 1904, two years before the state pension was introduced, Joseph set about launching a company pension scheme. He also introduced out-of-hours social activities for his employees such as singing classes, angling societies, football teams and book appreciation circles. Apart from the Rowntree Park and the Yearsley Swimming Baths, Joseph Rowntree inspired the building of the Rowntree Theatre and in 1901 purchased a 150,000-acre estate at Earswick. Here he presided over the Village Trust (1901) to oversee development of New Earswick which was to include a community centre – the Folk Hall – and a primary school. Joseph Rowntree also set up three trusts in 1904 which are still active today. And a further trust was formed in 1968 to address housing issues. This year is the centenary of Joseph Rowntree's death, and to commemorate this anniversary the executive director of The Rowntree Society, Nick Smith, is inviting York residents and any others who may be interested, to arrange events in order to commemorate and make known the legacy of Joseph Rowntree to a wider public. Further details can be found on the website at David Wilson is a Community Writer with The Press
