A rugby miscellany compiled by JOHNNY WATTERSON
Special moment: Leinster pay respect
As a mark of respect for the late Nevin Spence every player who took part in the pre-match session before the game against Edinburgh in the RDS wore a white tee shirt with the red initials NS printed on the breast.
The official program also carried a tribute to the 22-year-old who tragically died on the family farm alongside his father Noel and brother Graham.
In the program, RaboDirect chairman Andy Irvine was not the first person who noted, amongst many things, the humility of the young player and what effect the shocking accident has had on the rugby community.
A minute’s silence was held for Nevin and his family before the match kicked off and players on both sides wore black armbands.
In a spontaneous show of solidarity the Leinster crowd then stood up and sang a short rendition of the Ravenhill song Stand up for the Ulstermen.
No concerns
As the Irish team get together, Declan Kidney will be pleased to hear that Rob Kearney (below) will probably come back into the Leinster 23 for this week’s Pro12 match against Connacht in Galway.
Prop Cian Healy, who was replaced on Saturday against Edinburgh, just ran out of steam and is not a concern, while Gordon D’Arcy picked up a rib injury in what was his first start of the season.
Joe Schmidt was quick to say he doesn’t possess a medical certificate but thought that D’Arcy hadn’t cracked or broken anything.
Wheelchair game: Getting on a roll
The Paralympics may be over but its legacy remains, especially in “Murder Ball” aka wheelchair rugby. Saracens owner Nigel Wray, who has never shied away from the extraordinary, is excited about the future of the sport.
For several reasons, least of all the head-on collisions that often leave the chairs and their owners upended, Wray believes wheelchair rugby will become a spectator sport in between Paralympics.
He hopes audiences of thousands will come to see them play and has been in contact with the British chief executive of the sport, David Pond to discuss the future.
Wray takes an oblique view and believes that able-bodied rugby players can learn a lot from the wheelchair players’ mentality and effort. “Speaking personally and for Saracens,” said Wray. “I think it is a terrific thing to be involved in and support and we are going to try and do just that.”
Just the ticket
South Africa is €20 more expensive than Argentina in the upcoming series of autumn internationals in Dublin.
The tickets for the Springboks top €95 for a premium level seat while the South American team costs €75 for premium level.
A two-match package costing €150 will save €20, while category one seats for both matches come in at €105.
Schoolboy and schoolgirl tickets are €15 for the Boks and €10 for the Pumas, which seems reasonable pricing but just be happy the kids like rugby.
Top-priced tickets for teenage heart-throb American singer Justin Bieber next February in the O2 are costing as much as €199 a ticket online.
