A rugby miscellany compiled by
JOHN O'SULLIVAN
Russia triumph: Blackrock old boy plays his part
FORMER BLACKROCK College schoolboy and ex-Leinster academy prospect Vasily Artemiev played at fullback for Russia as they beat South Canterbury 31-7 at the weekend to finish an unbeaten two-match tour aimed at preparing for the World Cup in New Zealand in September and October.
Eugene Matveev scored two tries, Igor Galinovskiy and Mikhail Babaev added one each and the visitors were also awarded a penalty try in a convincing win over a South Canterbury team that plays in New Zealand’s second-tier provincial competition.
Russia will make their debut in a World Cup in New Zealand and Artemiev will be catching up with some familiar faces as his country find themselves in Pool C alongside Ireland, Australia, Italy and the United States.
Clermont lock Jamie Cudmore can probably lay claim to being the highest paid player in rugby union. It’s a claim based on the amount of time he spends on the sidelines because of suspension rather than on the pitch.
The 32-year-old Canadian was handed a 40-day ban last week after being found guilty of punching Perpignan’s Gregory Le Corvec in a French Top 14 game on December 29th, 2010. This was Cudmore’s first game back having served a 70-day suspension for stamping on Saracens’ Jacques Burger during a Heineken Cup match last October.
He will play a single match in his 110-day disciplinary sabbatical. Clermont suspended the Canadian pending the outcome of his disciplinary hearing, which saw him miss out on the league matches with Bourgoin and Brive as well as a European clash with Racing Metro.
All Black to come out fighting despite injury: Williams to fulfil a boxing commitment
NEW ZEALAND centre Sonny Bill Williams is to fulfil a boxing commitment on Saturday despite the fact he can’t train properly for the coming Super Rugby tournament because of a stress fracture in his foot.
Williams is considered doubtful for the Crusaders’ first game of the tournament against the Blues on February 19th because of damage he suffered in the All Blacks final match against Wales of their Northern Hemisphere tour last November. It won’t stop him, though, fighting Australian Scott Lewis this weekend.
He is hoping to resume his rugby training after the fight and has been in close contact with All Blacks doctor Deb Robinson.
The former rugby league sensation, who played with Toulon last season, confirmed that he plans to contest another professional bout this year, potentially during the season.
He said his contract with the New Zealand Rugby Union allowed for one more professional fight in 2011.
FIJI’S PARTICIPATION in the Rugby World Cup is in doubt after the International Rugby Board (IRB) wrote to the union and told them not to cede to pressure from the military-led government, local media reported yesterday.
The Fiji Rugby Union (FRU) and the government have been at loggerheads since the country’s Commerce Commission conducted an investigation into a lottery held to raise funds for the World Cup.
The government said earlier this month it would give F$3 million (€1m) to help prepare the team for the September 9th-October 23rd tournament in New Zealand, but only if the FRU board resigned.
The board and FRU chief executive Keni Dakuidreketi all resigned and a special board meeting was due to be held next week to elect new board members.
The Fiji Sun, however, said on their website the interim board had rejected Dakuidreketi’s resignation and cancelled the meeting following the IRB’s letter.
The IRB also warned the FRU they faced a ban if they did not adhere to their constitution.
AN EXETER Chiefs team led by Tom Hayes suffered last-minute heartbreak in losing out 32-30 to Montpellier in France. A late Quentin Doumayrou try saw Montpellier snatch victory and become one of four French clubs to contest the quarter-finals of the Amlin Challenge Cup.
The defeat prevented a possible reunion of the Hayes brothers as Tom’s older brother, John, is a member of the Munster team that qualified for the knock-out stages.
Ulster's new boy: Pedrie not here for the money
"IF YOU want money, if that is your only interest, you don't come to this part of the world. You go to Japan and don't worry about your rugby career any more." – South African Pedrie Wannenburg (right) insists his move to Ulster was not based on the financial return.
"They're supposed to be random, these tests . . . " – Saracens recruit Matt Stevens is drug tested on his first day back in the game having served a two-year ban for drug use. He will play for his new club Saracens in an A match tonight and could be involved with the first team for the LV=Cup at the weekend.
"This is pretty typical of what the English press are doing; it's all hype." – Rebels coach Rod Macqueen fires a broadside at the English media as he bids to keep a lid on high-profile recruit the former Wasps and England outhalf Danny Cipriani.
