Saints v Wolves: Teams

St Helens captain Paul Wellens says Monday's derby with Warrington is a must-win game if Saints are to keep alive hopes of a top two finish.

The Saints were out of the top eight when coach Royce Simmons was sacked in March, but have since lost just twice under caretaker coaches Mike Rush and Kieron Cunningham, climbing to third in the standings.

A win would close the gap to second placed Wolves to a single point as St Helens go in search of a seventh consecutive Grand Final appearance.

Wellens said: "If you go back a few months you wouldn't have given us any chance of getting near the top two but clubs have lost some games and results have gone our way to give us a chance.

"But no doubt we have to win on Monday if we want to finish top two because Warrington won't drop that many points between now and the end of the season. This is a game we need to win.

"From where we were it would be a huge achievement. Slowly and surely we've gone about our business, taken each game at a time and picked up wins.

"It's up there with one of the big games with the recent history we've had. They're always close affairs, quite often going down to the wire, pardon the pun.

"We're probably very similar in the way we play the game and I think that's why they are exciting games and I think this will be no different."

Double-chasing Warrington face leaders Wigan on Saturday and Leeds at Wembley later in the month but coach Tony Smith is not yet looking past Monday's fixture.

"We're looking forward to Saints," Smith said. "It's at their ground and we haven't been there before.

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Canberra Raiders v St George Illawarra Dragons

Canberra Stadium, Monday 5pm (GMT+8)
Last meeting: Round 20 2011 - Raiders 24 bt Dragons 19 at Canberra Stadium
Head-to-head: Raiders 13 Dragons 6 Draw 1
Referees: Jared Maxwell/Adam Devcich
TV: 12BET.COM
TAB Sportsbet: Raiders 2.4 Dragons 1.530
FootyTab: Raiders +4.5

  


Greg Prichard writes: The Raiders have built a tremendous record against the Dragons over the years, at all venues. They have won the last six clashes between the two teams, including four at Canberra Stadium. This is when the Raiders traditionally do their best work - playing at home, at night, and in the middle of winter. The Raiders have got a lot of players out injured. The Dragons don’t score a lot of points.
  


AAP writes: The Dragons have not beaten the Raiders in Canberra for 12 years and have won just a single match from their past 14 against the green machine. Neither will be fielding a full-strength side due to Origin commitments and injury, with Josh Dugan the Raiders’ most notable loss. Utility Shaun Berrigan and forward Joel Thompson could make a return this weekend if they prove their fitness.

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RIVALRY BETWEEN JUVENTUS AND NAPOLI EXTENDS TO COPPA ITALIA 2012 FINAL

Juventus and Napoli are set to face one another in this year’s Coppa Italia Final. The match will light the fire of northern and southern Italy’s rivalry once again, as the north’s Juventus hosts the Coppa Italia final with visiting Napoli from the south aiming to win against Italy’s strongest football club.

Juventus is a powerful contender for this match, beating Milan with an aggregate score of 4-3 in the semi-finals to reach the finals. It also became the third team in the history of the Serie A to go on undefeated the whole season when it won this year’s title. It is also Italy’s most successful football club, gaining the most titles and supporters throughout its history.

Napoli, on the other hand, will not take the pressure lightly. The Azzurri is capable of competing against the mighty Old Lady. Napoli did not lose to Juventus in 4 matches before its recent defeat versus the Turin-based club in this year’s Serie A. The Naples-based club enjoyed 3-1 and 3-0 wins and maintained two draws against Juventus in the Serie A matches of 2010/2011 and 2011/2012, respectively.

Can Juventus win the double this season or will Napoli win for the first time since 1987?

Read more http://englishmatches.com/rivalry-between-juventus-and-napoli-extends-to-coppa-italia-2012-final/

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Canterbury Bulldogs vs Manly Sea Eagles Match Preview

Canterbury Bulldogs vs Manly Sea Eagles Match Preview Live at 05:35PM GMT+8

ANZ Stadium, Sydney

Last meeting: Round 24 2011 - Sea Eagles 27 bt Bulldogs 16 at Brookvale Oval
Head-to-head: Bulldogs 60 Sea Eagles 48 drawn 5
Referees: Shayne Hayne and Brett Suttor

Possible Lineups:

BULLDOGS: Ben Barba, Steve Turner, Josh Morris, Jonothan Wright, Bryson Goodwin, Josh Reynolds, Kris Keating, Aiden Tolman, Michael Ennis (c), Sam Kasiano, Frank Pritchard, Dene Halatau, David Stagg. Interchange (from): James Graham, Greg Eastwood, Corey Payne, Joel Romelo, Martin Taupau

SEA EAGLES: Brett Stewart, Jorge Taufua, Jamie Lyon (c), Steve Matai, David Williams, Kieran Foran, Daly Cherry-Evans, Jason King (c), Matt Ballin, Brent Kite, Anthony Watmough, Jamie Buhrer, Glenn Stewart. Interchange (from): Joe Galuvao, Dean Whare, Nick Skinner, Vic Mauro, Daniel Harrison, Liam Foran.

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Saracens to wrap up Farrell future

Saracens chief executive Ed Griffiths has insisted he is looking to resolve the future of the club's coach Andy Farrell next week.

The Aviva Premiership champions are keen to keep hold of the former Wigan Warriors rugby league star, who has greatly impressed in the coaching department of the 15-man game.

Farrell worked alongside Graham Rowntree and head coach Stuart Lancaster with England during the Six Nations this season, which saw the national side finish second behind Grand Slam winners Wales. The RFU are looking to lure Farrell to the job alongside Lancaster on a more permanent basis but his club side are keen on keeping hold of him. With Saracens set to take on Clermont Auvergne in the quarter-finals of the Heineken Cup on Sunday, Griffiths wants the matter resolved.

"We would like to (resolve it) because we don't want any 'will he? won't he?' distractions going through the Clermont week," he said. "It is like any kind of discussions. "You would like an early settlement but we will see. "We will have more discussions this week."

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Hartley dismay at ban verdict

Dylan Hartley is upset at the prospect of missing the rest of the season after being hit with an eight-week ban for biting.

The Northampton hooker was banned for eight weeks by an independent Six Nations disciplinary committee on Tuesday, after being cited for biting the finger of flanker Stephen Ferris in England's 30-9 win over Ireland earlier this month.

Hartley had hoped to get the ban reduced but the hearing upheld the initial citing and he will now only play for Saints again this season if they make it to the Aviva Premiership final, which takes place on May 26.  However, the suspension will not run into England's three-Test trip to South Africa in June, so the 26-year-old should, if fit, be part of the squad. Harltey was downbeat after the verdict and expressed his disappointment at the panel's decision.

"I am disappointed by the result and I will wait for the written judgment as to how the panel came to their conclusion,'' he said. "I now have to put it behind me and focus on supporting Saints in training and off the field.''

England forwards coach Graham Rowntree is pleased that the hooker will be available for England's summer Tour of South Africa. "It is unfortunate for Dylan and Northampton, especially as he was in good form during the Six Nations, and he has developed as a player and a leader. However, we are looking forward to him being available for the tour to South Africa," Rowntree said.

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Connacht Connacht capture Faloon

Flanker Willie Faloon will swap Ulster for Connacht at the end of the season after signing for the Westeners until the summer of 2014.

Faloon was voted Ulster Academy Player of the Year in 2009 before going on to win his first Heineken Cup cap for the province against Bath in the same year. The back-rower has made 33 appearances for Ulster in the RaboDirect PRO12 and a further 14 in the Heineken Cup but his time at Ravenhill is coming to an end with Connacht snapping him up on a two-year deal.

"I'm really looking forward to the move to Connacht next season to challenge for regular game time. After speaking with Eric (Elwood) I was in no doubt as to the direction he wants to take Connacht Rugby and I'm happy to be part of that plan," Faloon said.

Connacht are working on strengthening their squad for next season and Faloon is the latest player to commit to life at the Sportsground, following in the footsteps of Dan Parks and Nathan White. "Signing Willie is a big step for us, he will join an already strong pack here at Connacht and his experience and workrate will add an extra dimension to our gameplay," Elwood said. "He's an athletic, aggressive ball-carrier in the mould of a traditional number seven and alongside his phenomenal work at the breakdown I know he will be a major asset to the club."

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Ritchie won't rush England choice

 Ian Ritchie says the Rugby Football Union (RFU) are in no hurry to appoint a new England coach, but want someone in place by summer.

It was originally thought that a new permanent England boss would be confirmed by the end of the Six Nations campaign, but it now appears that final decision could be delayed.

Ritchie, the new RFU chief executive, has already confirmed that interim coach Stuart Lancaster will be interviewed for the permanent post before England play their final Six Nations match on March 17. But the RFU officials want to make certain that they get the right man to replace Martin Johnson, with an announcement now expected to be made before the tour of South Africa in June. Ritchie told Radio Five Live: "There's no magic date that we have to appoint anybody by.

"What I've said is that, in an ideal world, and I stress even that, we would like to have someone in place to coach on the tour to South Africa in the summer." Nick Mallett and Eddie O'Sullivan are thought to be the other strong contenders for the post, while Ritchie insists Lancaster would not be purely judged on the Six Nations results. - http://www.setanta.com/

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Rugby-Lancaster dragging England back to their roots

The old chestnut of "arrogant England" was rolled back on to the rugby agenda this week and if caretaker coach Stuart Lancaster achieves just one thing during his spell in charge, it is likely to be the utter destruction of that epithet.

The straight-talking northerner is the antithesis of the public school persona that for many still taints the world's biggest union and in his few weeks in charge so far he has been working overtime to ensure the players are firmly disavowed from any notion of innate superiority.


"I'm from a working class background, I worked on a farm, I spent a lot of time with a club (Leeds) that struggled and fought its way through the leagues and those things are important to my values," Lancaster told reporters at the official Six Nations championship launch on Wednesday.

Given that it was former England player and coach - now Scotland coach - Andy Robinson who was the latest to accuse his old team of arrogance towards his new one at the World Cup, it was not something to be completely ignored.

"Some things needed to change after the World Cup and I've spoken to all the players. It couldn't be swept under the carpet but it's been dealt with and the conclusion was: learn the lessons, draw the line, move on," he said.

"My message is that you will get respect if you act responsibly. This is a new team and I would be disappointed if in six to 12 months people termed us as arrogant."

 Having spent most of his playing and coaching career out of the limelight, Lancaster was clearly appalled at England's behaviour during the World Cup and, having been appointed as an interim replacement for Martin Johnson, wasted little time in bringing the highly-paid squad down to earth. -http://uk.reuters.com

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Rugby News Update 1/20

Rugby-Crusaders forced to extend campaign away from home

Jan 19 (Reuters) - The Crusaders will play their first Super Rugby 'home' game of next season against the Chiefs at McLean Park in Napier on March 9, the Christchurch-based team's chief executive Hamish Riach said on Thursday.

February's Christchurch earthquake forced the seven-times champions to play all their games away from home last year, incurring a massive loss of potential earnings, and the new stadium is not yet ready to host their first home match.

"Having lost NZ$700,000 ($563,900) last year, we are extremely conscious of the financial implications of all our decisions this year, and the extra return from playing at McLean Park is significant," Riach was quoted as saying on the Crusaders website.


We played there last season and had fantastic support and we believe that support will be there again this year," he added.

While Napier promised better financial returns, Riach said it was not easy to overlook Timaru or Nelson.
"Both those cities gave us tremendous support last season and while we know there will be disappointment that we are not returning for a match in 2012, we hope our fans in those cities understand the reasons for the decision," Riach added.

The Crusaders open the season with two away fixtures, against the Blues in Auckland on Feb. 24 and the Highlanders in Dunedin on March 2, before facing the Chiefs in Napier.- http://uk.reuters.com/

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12BET Rugby News 1/13

Ben Morgan and Charlie Sharples named in England squad for Six Nations



DURSLEY Rugby Club are basking in the glory of seeing two of their former youth players being named in England’s elite player squad for the Six Nations yesterday.

Ben Morgan and Charlie Sharples, both 22, played in the under-14 and under-15 teams together at Dursley and will meet up again as part of a new-look England squad under interim head coach Stuart Lancaster.

No 8 Morgan grew up in Kingswood and joined Dursley as a five-year-old before moving into the professional game with Magners League side Scarlets, while Sharples was at the club for two years as a young teenager before progressing through the Gloucester Academy.

Phil Sprague coached both of them and was “immensely proud” to see them earn a call-up to the international stage.

He said: “I never coached anyone who went on to be professional before them, but I knew I had four or five in that particular age group who were fantastic players.

“Sharples was the quickest thing I’ve ever seen on two legs and he could tackle anything.“Ben Morgan was very quick and at 16 or 17 he was huge. When you look at athletic ability, they stood out.- http://www.gazetteseries.co.uk/

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